"It was the oldest sound in the world. Souls flying away." The Secret Life of Bees

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Visionary

Happy Wednesday! Did you all score anything good from the anthro sale yesterday? The only thing on my wishlist that made it to sale was the Tuileries dress. Unfortunately, by the time I logged in to order it, my size was sold out online. I called customer service and the lady I spoke with informed me that yes, there were "lots of stores" with "plenty" of my size in stock. Because of that, I decided to do a charge send. I should have known better. Of course, when I logged into my account today, I saw that my order had been canceled. I called customer service, and was told that the dress was totally sold out in my size. So, I spent my lunch break calling random stores. It seems that CS is correct this time, my size is sold out (of course I didn't call all of the stores, but the 15 or so I did call did not have my size). Luckily, I found one store that had the dress available in a size smaller than my normal size. I have never tried this dress on, so I have no idea if this size will work for me, but it is on its way! Fingers crossed that it works!

This is an outfit from last week. I picked up the Visionary skirt on 2nd cut a couple of weeks ago. I am really digging pleats right now and the print on this skirt is perfect for spring/summer. I also really like the colors - I lot of different colors/combos will work well with this skirt.




















Top: J. Crew
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Skirt: Anthropologie Visionary skirt
Belt: Anthropologie
Tights: J. Crew
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks

Sunday, April 24, 2011

An afternoon at the park

Yesterday was beautiful! It was the first sunny day that actually felt warm. Ben and I decided that we needed to get out and take advantage of the bright sun, warm temps, and blue sky. We packed up our picnic gear, stopped by the grocery store, then headed to a nearby park for the afternoon. It was glorious. We ate lots of tasty food (red peppers, tomato, salami, creamy french cheese, strawberries), did some reading, and also snuck in a nap:)

I recently picked up this maxi skirt at Anthro. This is my very first maxi skirt/dress (ever)! I have been wanting to give the maxi trend a try and when I saw the seamingly maxi, I knew it was the one:) I love the purple stripes and "swingy godets" (anthro's description) at the bottom of the skirt. The purple motif is no longer available online, but there are still some floating around stores.




I'm reading Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir right now. I'm only about 80 pages into it, but so far, so good. I love memoirs and I'm really enjoying this one.







Top: Anthropologie
Skirt: Anthropologie Seaminly Maxi
Shoes: Dansko

Throwing on this cute little top was perfect for a picnic, but I really have no idea how to style this skirt. Like I mentioned, this is my first ever maxi skirt and I really don't own a lot of stripes. Help! Please share some tips/ideas with me on how to style this lovely skirt. Should I go with a long top and then belt my waist? Maybe tuck in a simple tank top and throw a cardi on top? Would a more structured top in a solid color work?

Hope your weekend was fabulous!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Body Art

Happy (almost) Earth Day!!!


First of all, I want to let you all know that I received an email from Andrea, the owner of Repeat Possessions (the company I bought my new oxfords from). She is offering free shipping on all orders of $50 or more, using code RPTX2011. So, if you need some new oxfords (or anything else - she said their cami's are super comfortable and their best seller, plus they come in a ton of colors), now is the time! I got my oxfords for $80 at Repeat Possessions, but they are still $125 at endless. I should also mention that I had a great experience with Repeat Possessions. Great transaction, great communication, fast shipping, and Andrea even remembered that I wanted the pewter oxfords and emailed me to let me know they had one pair in stock.

Now, onto my art! A few of you have asked about my tattoos, so here we go......

My first tattoo was done about 5 years ago. I knew I wanted something small and meaningful. After talking to tattoo artists and doing a lot of research, I decided that I wanted a paw print, specifically my dog Kya's paw print. Using an ink pad, I stamped her paw print onto a piece of paper. The tattoo artist made a stencil from that, so it is pretty much an exact replica of her paw.


About a year later, I decided I was ready for another tattoo. This time, I wanted to go big! I did a lot of research (seriously, weeks and weeks and weeks of learning about tattoos, the process, the artists, different styles, poorly done vs. good quality, etc.). I discovered the style I liked and I found the perfect artist. Her name is Michele Wortman. She and her husband (Guy Aitchison) own Hyperspace Studios (Michels's gallary is here). I fell in love with all of her art - tattoos, music, paintings, etc. Her style is very unique. She doesn't use any black lines (which is pretty unusual for tattoos). This makes her style/tattoos very soft, lacy, and feminine.

I booked my appointment with Michele, flew to St. Louis, drove 2 hours to southern Illinois, and spent 3 full days getting tattooed. Yes, I did all of that for a tattoo! Why? Because it is permanent and will be with me forever. People are always surprised when I talk about traveling to get my tattoo. So many people have said "aren't there tattoo parlors in Portland? Can't you just go down the street to get a tattoo?" Well yes, I could. However, when it comes to permanent body art, I think it is worth it to get exactly what you want, from the artist that you want, no matter how inconvenient it is.

Since I love Michele's art so much, I knew that I wanted a piece of it on my arm forever. I told her a few elements that I wanted included (Tibetan Buddha, tree, flowers) and pretty much turned it over to her and let her work her magic. Of course we talked about color, placement, etc. and decided those things together.

About a year and a half ago, I traveled back to see Michele again for another session (2 full days this time). She added a bit to the bottom and added to the inside of my arm (which is by far the most painful area).

This is Michele!

After my first trip to Illinois
After my second trip

This is my honey comb Mandala


All of these photos were taken immediately after being tattooed, so the ink is still "fresh" and my skin is irritated/swollen. After it healed, the color settled in a bit and became softer. Getting tattooed by Michele was a wonderful experience. I do not regret it one single bit. I am planning on getting more work done sometime within the next year or so.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Vintage Dots

Yesterday was beautiful! Even though it still felt quite cold, we got to enjoy sunshine pretty much all day! That is kind of a big deal in Portland:) I love that every time the sun peeps out, the people of Portland rush outside to enjoy it! Even though it was only about 50 degrees, there were people out everywhere riding bikes, running, walking dogs, playing at the park, etc. Yes, myself included! Ben and I went on a wonderful bike ride! Even though I had to bundle up, it felt awesome being outside in the sun.

For the first part of the day, before changing into bike riding clothes, I decided to wear my new vintage dress that I picked up last weekend. One of the seams on the shoulder is going to require a little stitching up, but otherwise, it is in great condition.



Dress: 1950's vintage via Billy Goat Vintage
Shoes: Seychelles
Belt: Banana Republic
Bracelet: Anthropologie

We went to lunch at DiPrima Dolci Italian Bakery & Cafe. It was very tasty, especially the dessert!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Bee Pin

Happy Friday! It's been a long week, so I'm very excited that the weekend is here. I don't have any major plans (yet). I'm going to a yoga class tomorrow morning and other than that I plan on taking it easy and seeing where the weekend takes me.

My new oxfords (first mentioned here) are wonderful! I love them. They are TTS and very comfortable. The are sturdy yet stylish. I am a little bit confused because I ordered the gray ("pewter") color, then I received an email from the owner of Repeat Possessions telling me they were out of pewter, but that they did have black in stock. I told her that black would be great. So, I got the shoes and the shoe box says "black", but I swear they are gray. So, I'm very happy, but I'm not sure if these are black or pewter. The tan color is very nice too. I definitely recommend them (here they are)!

I wore this outfit a few days ago. I love it because it features my new bee pin that Ben picked up for me, my new oxfords, and one of my favorite Anthropologie tops.
























Top: Anthropologie Lettuce Florets Blouse
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Skirt: Urban Outfitters
Tights: J. Crew
Shoes: Gee Wawa via Repeat Possessions
Pin: Vintage


I LOVE the television show Mad Men. I have the biggest crush on Don Draper and Joan (Christina Hendricks). I also find a good deal of style/fashion inspiration from the show.

Considering my obsession with Mad Men, and the fact that my vintage bee pin was making me feel very Mad Men-esque, Ben decided to have a little fun with photoshop, and this is the result:































I love it! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

My ever growing shoe wishlist

Hello pretty ladies! I hope your week is going well. I had a deep tissue massage after work tonight, so I'm feeling relaxed, but sore. Every message I have ever had has been the nice, gentle, relaxing kind in a spa setting. After seeing a chiropractor recently for a little pinch in my neck, she suggested an hour-long deep tissue massage. Holy cow, I certainly did not feel like I was at a spa! It was uncomfortable and a bit painful at times. I feel like she worked a lot of tension/stiffness out, so hopefully it will be worth it.

My shoe wishlist is always a mile long. Of course I will never be able to get all of the shoes on my list (unless I will the lottery), but it's nice to dream! Here are a few that I'm loving right now:







Also available in red and black here.



Image via flicker (I think prints used to be sold on Etsy, but the original listing has been deleted)

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Treasure Hunt

Today, Ben and I explored some vintage shops here in Portland. We had a great time strolling through the neighborhoods, searching for old treasures. A few of my favorite shops were Billy Goat Vintage (thanks for the recommendation Kjrsten and Anna!), Xtabay vintage, and AlexSandras Vintage Emporium. I found an adorable black and white polka dot dress, and a yellow and white polka dot silk scarf. Also, Ben bought me the most beautiful vintage bee brooch. I'm sure they will all be making appearances here on the blog sometime very soon.














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


Stephanie from Minnesota Maven recently tagged me in a fun handwriting exercise! Here's the task:

Write answers to the following questions.
1. name and blog name
2. blog's URL
3. Write, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
4. Favorite quote
5. Favorite song
6. Favorite band/singers
7. Anything else you'd like to say?
8. Tag bloggers to participate


I left out "blogspot" in my URL, but since you are already here, I guess it doesn't really matter!


I hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

OOTD + odds and ends

I am so glad the week is more than half way over:) I had another early morning, a long day at work, and a nice workout at the gym. I'm ready for bed!

I recently purchased this necklace from ohhellofriend and I love it! She has some of the coolest jewelry for sale. I also really appreciate that it came packaged very, very nicely with beautiful tape (yes, tape can be beautiful!), a lovely, personalized name tag, and even a little pocket calender!



Dress: Anthropologie Asters Everywhere Dress
Cardigan: J. Crew
Tights: Hue
Shoes: From a little boutique in Bath, UK
Necklace: Ohhellofriend


I would like to say Thank You to Jess from What Jess Likes! I won a surprise giveaway on her blog and recently received my package in the mail! I love surprises and I couldn't wait to open it! Thanks Jess for the delicious coffee and tea, the beautiful bracelet, and the other goodies!

I also want to extend a big Thank You to Anthropologiesque and Katie from Dress Like a Cute Scientist for awarding me the Versatile blogger award! If you haven't already checked out their wonderful blogs, go there now! Thank you so much ladies! I really appreciate it:) I already revealed 7 things about myself and passed the award on in this post.

I hope you all are having a great week!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Tulip Farm

We took a day trip today to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon. It is such a beautiful place! We had a great day - beautiful scenery, great company, happy dogs, and no rain! I learned that tulips come in pretty much every color, except for blue.

I would also like to visit the Skagit Tulip Festival in Washington. It's a 4-hour drive from here, so that may be a little far for a day trip. It's only open during April and their website says that they get hundreds of thousands of visitors, so I imagine it's always crowded. Have any of you ever visited the Skagit festival? Is it worth the long drive?

I love spring ♥










Dress: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Anthropologie Back Porch Blouse
Stockings: Hue
Rain Boots: J. Crew
Necklace: Botanical Bird


Kya's favorite thing at the tulip farm was the mud puddles!