The Bee's Knees

I am one exhausted girl! Ben started a new job this week and he has been getting up very early, which means I have been getting up very early. On Monday, he had to be at a training session at 7:00am. He set the alarm for 5:30! Ackkkkkkk! As some of you know, I am NOT a morning person. 5:30 is way too early for me to be waking up. After two early mornings, not sleeping well last night, and an intense spinning (cycling) class tonight, I am ready for bed:)

This outfit made me feel very springy! We stopped at a coffee shop near my office yesterday after work. We both needed some caffeine and I wanted to get some outfit shots. Since it was raining out, we decided to try some indoor shots. This coffee shop is super cozy and they have the best furniture! It was a bit crowded, so it felt weird doing a "photo shoot", but it ended up working out just fine.

Goodnight!


Top: Anthropologie
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Anthropologie

The Versatile Blogger Award

A big thanks to Terrie of The Anthropological Shopper for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award! I'm so excited:) Go check out Terrie's awesome blog! I love her OOTD from yesterday. When you get the Versatile Blogger Award:

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog in your post. Tell seven things about yourself and award seven recently discovered bloggers and contact the bloggers to let them know they received the Versatile Blogger Award.

1) I love bees! They are very special to me and make my heart happy:) I actually have 5 of them tattooed on my arm.

2) Ben and I went to Paris together shortly after we met. We had a blast - definitely my most favorite vacation ever! The day before we left, I tried to break up a dog fight and ended up with a really bad bite (my finger was bitten half way off, through the bone). During our trip, Ben ended up with mono. Still, it was an absolutely wonderful trip!

3) I always save room for desert!

4) My favorite food is biscuits and gravy. My Nannie used to make them for me all of the time (and still does when I visit her). Total comfort food.

5) I have been to Haiti twice with MissionManna to set up/volunteer in pediatric medical clinics. These trips were life changing and my experiences there still impact my life today.

6) Hiking is one of my favorite hobbies. Ben and I used to go hiking pretty much every weekend. Since I injured my foot quite some time ago, I have not been able to go. I miss it so much. I have high hopes for this summer though! I think my foot has finally healed enough so that I can get back out there!

7) My favorite place on earth is the Redwood National Park in northern California.

7 newly discovered blogs that I would like to give the Versatile Blogger award to: 1) Minnesota Maven 2) What Jess Likes 3) Le Blackbird Cafe 4) Le Petit Drapiere With Anthropologie in my Closet 5) Thirteen Pounds 6) The Delightful Find 7) Strawberry Heels Forever

Happy Tuesday:)

Wishlist

Hi ladies! I hope your weekend was great! I love hearing about other peoples wishlists, so here is my top 5 (in no particular order) at the moment:

1) Oxfords

Okay, okay - these are not technically on my wishlist any longer because I ordered them yesterday, but I still want to share!


I have been looking for a gray, flat oxford that was sturdy (with my foot injury, I can't wear "flimsy" shoes for long periods of time right now), but not extremely masculine looking. I wasn't having any luck finding a pair that I liked online, so I decided to go my favorite local shoe store yesterday (Imelda's) to see if they could help. I didn't find anything out on the floor - they had some great high heeled oxfords and a few flats that were really flimsy - but none that met the criteria I had. I asked one of the SA's and she came back with an awesome pair of tan oxfords from the sale section (Gee Wawa "dream oxfords"). The shoe was perfect - just the wrong size and color:( We drove to the other Imelda's location, but they didn't have any in stock. I came home and searched for the shoes online. Only 2 options came up on google shopping. Endless, which had the black in my size, for ~$170.00 (down from $202), but no gray, and Repeat Possessions. I had never hear of Repeat Possessions before, so I was hesitant about it. I did some research and all of the reviews for them are very positive. I searched for my shoes and low and behold, there they were, the gray color in my size for only $80.00 (here)!!! Once I get them, I will do a review of the shoes and the company. Have any of you ever purchased anything from Repeat Possessions? If so, please share your experience!


2) Anthropologie Tuileries Dress



I havn't tried this dress on yet, but I love the colors, print, and cut. From looking at the reveiws, I think it will work for me. It's so springy and beautiful!


3) Blooms in the Sky Cardigan (darling via Modcloth)

I adore this sweet cardigan! It is made by Darling (the designers of the Wispy Cirrus Blouse). I love the color, the lace, and the buttons. See Carly rock it here.


4) Anthropologie Bloom Over Bud Bag


I think this is a perfect spring bag. Isn't it beautiful? The inside has a really pretty floral pattern. Love it!


5) Lavender tights

I'm thinking these from Hue in the Hydrangea color (image is not from Hue - they do not show an image of the hydrangea tights on the Hue website, so it's hard to tell what they will look like).


What are you loving right now?

Depoe Bay

I took today off, so we decided to take a trip to the coast! We visited Depoe Bay to go whale watching. The last time we were there, we saw quite a few whales. We were able to hang out on the rocks and just watch the whales, which were feeding very close to the cliffs, for hours. It was amazing getting to see them up close! This time, the water was very choppy/turbulent so the whales were too far out to see. We still had a great time exploring the cliffs and checking out the tiny little main street. I also got to practice using my new camera and experiment with different shots. The one of Ben (below) is one of my favorites from today.






Have a fabulous weekend!

Vintage Fox

Have you all checked out all of the wonderful photos that were submitted for Tara's photo challenge over at Little Girl Big Closet? If not, go have a look! Tara's blog is full of inspiration and beauty and this post is no exception. I would like to extend a big thanks to Tara for including me:)

I put this outfit together last week for Molly's color inspiration challenge. This was a tough one! Thanks for challenging me, Molly! I wanted to use this terrarium, but I kept thinking that the colors were too boring. For some reason, I kept going back to it and once I remembered this skirt, I knew it could work. This beautiful fox necklace was the icing on the cake:) I won this necklace quite some time ago over at Have a Cute Day. Isn't it beautiful? It's hard to tell, but the charm is a tiny goose. Go check out the color inspiration posts at Anthromollogies - part 1 here and part 2 here.



Top: Calvin Klein
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Skirt: Anthropologie Tiered Blueberry Skirt
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks
Necklace: Won from "Have A Cute Day" blog

ps - all of those little spots on my cardi/glasses are rain drops:)

Straight Lines

Since we have company in town, we decided to take a short day trip to Silverton, OR on Sunday. We visited the Gordon House, which is the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oregon. We got to take a tour of the home and learn about its design/construction. If you aren't familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright, you should check out the link above and also peek at some of his beautiful homes here (I think his most famous design is this one). The Gordon Home is part of Wright's Usonian series, which I think is a very interesting/efficient/smart concept. From Wikipedia: "The "Usonian Homes" were typically small, single-story dwellings without a garage or much storage, L-shaped to fit around a garden terrace on odd (and cheap) lots, with native materials, flat roofs and large cantilevered overhangs for passive solar heating and natural cooling, natural lighting with clerestory windows, and radiant - floor heating. A strong visual connection between the interior and exterior spaces is an important characteristic of all Usonian homes". It was built on a very tight budget for working-class consumers.

Anyways, we all enjoyed touring the home and learning about all of the design features (lots of huge windows, and straight lines that extend all the way outside, making the space feel much bigger than it is, a very small entry way, which makes the actual living space seem much larger/grander, etc.). It is a really beautiful space. The tour was pretty casual, so Ben and I were able to take some OOTD shots while we were there (fun!).

Tee: J. Crew

Jacket: Anthropologie Blustery Days Dress Jacket

Jeans: Joe's via Anthropologie

Socks: Sock Dreams

Shoes: Dansko

I'm off to spend some time with my dogs, do some laundry, and dig into a huge piece of red velvet cake!

Back Porch

I hope you all are having a great weekend! I went to a wonderful yoga class yesterday morning and the sun was shining through the windows the whole time. After class, I quickly went home and showered/got dressed and rushed out so that we could get some shots in the sun. As per usual March weather, as soon as we found a suitable location, the rain started coming down. We got a few shots in, but as is started raining harder, we decided to go grab some lunch instead. As soon as we pulled up to the restaurant, it starting hailing. We shared a quick sandwich and when we left, the sun was shining bright, once again! So frustrating, but that is just the way it is around here this time of year. I try to just enjoy any sun we get, even if it is sporadic.



Tank: J. Crew
Blouse: Anthropologie Back Porch Blouse
Jeans: Joe's via Anthropologie
Shoes: Chie Mihara Foil Wrapped Heels (that is Anthro's name for the shoes - I'm not sure what they are called elsewhere)

I wasn't able to purchase these shoes when they were for sale at Anthro. Luckily, I found a pair in my size on ebay last year. They were in perfect condition (NIB). Aren't they gorgeous? Like all of my Chie's, they are TTS and very comfortable.


Ben's mom is visiting from NC. We went out to dinner last night at Tasty n Sons. It was delicious! For any of you that live in Portland or will be visiting anytime soon, I highly recommend it. We had the radicchio salad, Fried Cauliflower & Olives with harissa cream, Linguini with ragout & mascarpone, a burger (best burger in Portland if you ask me), and of course warm chocolate chip cookies with homemade ice cream for dessert (we all shared everything).

In Progress

I hope you all are having a great st. patty's day! I am looking forward to homemade pizza, movies, and cuddling with my dogs (and Ben too:)! Boring? Yes! And exactly what I need right now. I'm not really into huge crowds of drunk people, so a night at home it is.

I have mentioned my swatch portrait project a couple of times. It is finally (almost) complete. It is super simple and fun to do. The hardest part was finding the hoops. I expected them to be very easy to locate, but I was wrong. After going to 6 different stores (local craft stores, fabric stores, even Michaels), I ended up ordering them online. They are quite cheap and arrived about a week after I placed the order. I got all of the fabric from Bolt, a local fabric boutique. Here is what I have so far:




I feel like something is off. Is it too much? To little? Not the right overall shape? All of you home decor experts, please share your wisdom with me!

Fresh

Here is outfit #2 featuring the Urban Outfitters pleated skirt (outfit #1 here). I am really loving this skirt right now! I think it is a great work option because it is professional (gray, good length, etc.), yet fun (yay for accordion pleats!).

I was at the office a bit late and when I got home it was pouring, so we are stuck with indoor shots again. Two of my beautiful pups decided to join the fun!



Top: Urban Outfitters
Cami: Banana Republic
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Skirt: Urban Outfitters Pins and Needles Pleated Skirt (still $59.00 online here, but $19.99 in stores)
Tights: J. Crew
Shoes: Seychelles



I placed a sephora order last week and it arrived yesterday. Here are my new goodies:

Fresh Sugarbath Lychee Body Lotion


The is my favorite body lotion. It is light and non-greasy, yet very effective. The scent is amazing - not too heavy, just a hint of sweetness.


Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Duo


I was hesitant to order these because they seem a bit pricey, but I am so glad I did! They are wonderful. They leave my lips feeling seriously moisturized and so soft. They are not at all greasy like most other chapstick-like products. I put the non-tinted one on last night before bed and I wore the tinted one today under my lip gloss. I could tell a huge difference. I'm very happy with this purchase!


Fresh Sugar Lip Gloss

This product is great as well! I love the color. When I first opened it, I thought that is was going to be way too dark. However, once applied, it is quite a bit lighter than it appears in the tube. It is a lot more fluid than other lip glosses I have tried, and not at all sticky. It is the perfect amount of color (for me), shiny, and beautiful.

Obviously, I am a huge fan of Fresh products. Everything that I have tried seems luxurious, yet simple. Effective, but not overdone. You can read more about the brand here. What products are you loving right now?

rainy day

I am feeling pretty intimidated by my new camera. It is so much more complicated than my 7 year old point and shoot:) I am slowly figuring out what all of the little knobs and buttons do and it is all starting to come together and make a little bit of sense.

I had big plans today to get outside to practice with my new camera and take some OOTD shots, but the rain ruined it. Living in Portland, I am used to the rain, but today, the weather was a little more extreme than usual (lots of wind, really heavy rain, etc.). So, these are some indoor shots captured with our regular point and shoot.




Top: Anthropologie
Jacket: Anthropologie (Cloaked in Roses)
Jeans: Joe's via Anthropoloige
Shoes: Dansko

I hope you all had a great weekend!

My new toy!

Look at what I got today................


I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!! It is my very first "real" (SLR) camera. After weeks of saving, researching (a big thanks to Cindi for her help/feedback!), and shopping around, I decided on the Nikon D3100. It has a lot of great features, but also seems like a good option for beginners. I got it for a very good price at a local photography shop (Pro Photo Supply). Their prices are very good to start with, plus they have a $100 instant rebate right now. I am planning on taking a beginners class of some sort in the next few weeks. For now, I'm just going to try to figure out how to get the lens cap off:) Hopefully, you will be seeing some big improvements in picture quality around here sometime soon!

An Oldie

This skirt was one of my very first anthropologie purchases (my 3rd purchase to be exact:). When I first discovered anthropologie about 8 years ago, I didn't live anywhere near a store, so I browsed the website day after day looking at all of the pretties. I was a poor college kid, but I did manage to buy a top on super sale. I was so excited when it arrived and I wore it to death! Months later, I saved some money and bought a dress (again, on super sale). I loved the dress so much and thought that is was the most gorgeous, unique dress ever! Once I moved to Portland 6 years ago, I was elated to find that there was an actual anthropologie store just a few minutes from my office! This skirt was the first thing I bought from the store. The rest is history!

I love the lace and the way that the skirt is cut at an angle so the back is longer than the front.

Top: Anthropologie
Cardi: J. Crew
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: J. Crew
Shoes: Seychelles
Necklace: Anthropologie Pessinus Garden necklace

When did you first discover anthropologie? What was your first purchase?

The Particulars

I purchased the Precious Particulars blouse when it hit sale on Tuesday. It arrived yesterday and I absolutely love it! The fit is great (tts), and I adore the color, pattern, and neck tie. It has a great vintage vibe that I think compliments this skirt nicely.

Top: Anthropologie Precious Particulars blouse
Skirt: Urban Outfitters Pins and Needles pleated skirt (online here for $59, but on sale in stores for $19.99)
Tights: J. Crew
Shoes: Anthropologie Flaxen Wedges

I went out with my lovely friend Alicia (likelybadger) on Friday night for mani/pedi's, drinks, and dinner! We had so much fun, as usual:) She brought along this sephora polish that we both used: It's from the urban ballerina collection and it is really a beautiful color. I had never used any of the sephora polishes before, but so far, I really like it.

Speaking of new products, I ordered the Fresh sugar lip gloss (in shimmering honey raspberry) this weekend. I really love Fresh products, but have never tried the lip gloss. If you've tried it, let me know what you think!

I hope you all have a great week!

Acting Out

Happy Saturday! I will keep this short as I'm headed to gyrokinesis class (11:00 class - I had to decline the early morning options this time:). I am hoping to finish my swatch portrait project this weekend (first posted about here). So far so good, although I may have to go pick up more fabric today. What are you up to this weekend?

Here is an outfit from last week. The acting out skirt is my favorite pencil skirt. I love the high-waist, the fit, and of course the beautiful ruching on the sides.

Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Skirt Anthropologie Acting Out
Necklace: Gift
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Jungle Java Pump

Glasses

Here is my outfit from yesterday, much inspired by this post over at Vintageglammz.

Top: Anthropologie Eastpointe Garden top

Cardi: J. Crew

Skirt: Anthropologie

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Dansko

I had a bit of a glasses disaster yesterday. As I was taking off my glasses to go to bed on Monday night, one of the arms completely broke off (as in the metal holding the hinge together broke in two). Not a big deal, right? Well, when you have no back up pair, and you cannot see 3 feet in front of you without the glasses, it is pretty much disastrous. I got up yesterday morning and pretty much held my glasses on my face so that I could get to my optometrist's office. They unfortunately could not fix them, but did tell me about a glasses repair shop that I could try. Once the glasses repair shop opened, I drove myself all the way across town to see if they could help. Yes, they informed me that my glasses could easily be fixed and that it would take about 14 hours, so I could just pick them up the next day. That is all fine and good, except HOW AM I GOING TO GET HOME? Without my glasses, I pretty much can't even see how to get out the door, much less drive a car! After a long discussion, I found out that the actual repair takes 2 to 3 hours and the rest of the time is just for the material to dry/set up. So, I talked them into doing the repair and letting me take the glasses with me so that they could dry/set up at home. Poor Ben had to ride his bike all the way across town in the pouring rain, so that he could drive me home (I was thinking that I was not going to be able to wear the glasses immediately). We waited for about 3 hours and then my glasses were fixed! They said that the repair went well and that they were dry/set enough for me to wear right away! I have never been so happy to put my glasses on! After going most of the day without being able to see, I realized just how much I love and appreciate my glasses!

ps - I will be getting a back-up pair ASAP:)