Chie Mihara 2012

Have you guys seen the Chie Mihara Spring/Summer 2012 collection yet? Holy cow. As usual, she has created some of the most beautiful shoes ever. You can check it out right here. Also take a peek at her facebook page as there are some featured there that haven't made it to the website yet. Here area few of my favorites:

GEFREN

EDELIA

XPECTATOR

KRISTI

S/S

I am drooling as I type:) Happy weekend!

Cloaked

Here is another favorite from last year, the cloaked in roses jacket. The buckles are a little bit annoying, but its coziness makes up for that. Plus, who can resist such beautiful lace?






Jacket: Anthropologie Cloaked in Roses Jacket
Top: J. Crew
Jeans: Pilcro
Scarf: Street vendor in London

Bow Topped

The Southward Stop dress was a favorite from last year. I love the print, the soft corduroy fabric, and the pretty polka dot piping. I am also loving my bow topped coat. I have worn it almost every day for the past few weeks.











Dress: Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress
Coat: Anthropologie Bow Topped Coat
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Seychelles

I went to target today hoping to find the lamp that S, from The Delightful Find, posted about here. I love milk glass (and milk glass look-alikes:) and I know this would be perfect in my living room. Unfortunately, I didn't find one at my local store and can't seem to find it on the target website either. I did buy a shower curtain for our newly re-done bathroom (this one)!

I like that it's simple, but also has some very pretty and subtle details. There is a small ruffle right above the lace panel. It looks so nice in our little bathroom!

Tacos and Doilies

This is an outfit I wore to a friends house for Hanukkah dinner last month. I have worn this dress before with just mustard and navy, but I really like the red accents this time around. Ben mentioned that it looks like I have tacos all over my dress. Yeah, he's crazy. I don't see the taco resemblance one bit. In fact, I really love this dress!















Dress: Anthropologie Tupelo Dress
Cardigan: J. Crew Jackie
Shoes: All Black via Anthropologie
Belt: J. Crew
Necklace: Gift
Hair Pin: Anthropologie

This has been a very hectic week for me. It seems like things are just now getting back into full swing at my office since the holiday break. Of course, everyone needs everything right now! Things should calm back down again soon (I hope). In addition to a busy work week, Ben and I have been working on our house almost every night and on the weekends. Our bathroom update is almost complete and we have moved on to another room. I will show you some bathroom pictures soon - it feels like a totally different house now! I love it! We started off thinking we would just put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and maybe put down a new floor. We ended up updating/re-doing pretty much everything. It really needed it.



Speaking of home improvements, check out my new couch doily. My friend Shauna noticed one of my pinterest pins of this exact doily. She found the pattern, crocheted it, and mailed it to me. I love getting surprise packages! This is one of the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts I have ever received:) Thank you, Shauna for making me feel so special and for making my living room look so lovely!

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the weekend:)

Instagram: Chinese Garden

I visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden today. This lovely place (said to be the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China) is right in the middle of the city. In the 7 years I have lived here in Portland, I had never visited the garden, until today. I heard that they were offering free admission this week to celebrate the new year, so I decided it was time to check it out. This ended up being a great way to spend my morning. I took my time meandering through the garden, taking lots of photos (mostly on film), and then enjoyed some delicious jasmine pearl tea in the teahouse. I really appreciate places like this, where you can find a bit of peace and serenity in the midst of a busy city.

The inscriptions above the entryway say "read the painting" and "listing to the fragrance". They explain that this is to "remind us to look for meanings and use our senses in new ways."

I hope you find something beautiful to relish this weekend!

ps - this is what I came home to:

It seems that Kya (one of our dogs) was pissed that I wouldn't let her go with me, so she spent her time knocking over the laundry hamper and piling up all of my clothes on the floor. She can be so spiteful sometimes!

Favorite purchases of 2011

Happy New Year!!! I hope 2012 is an absolutely wonderful year for all of you.

I want to join in on the reminiscing and take a look back at 10 of my favorite clothing/style purchases of 2011. Here we go....

Chie Mihara Loti

Definitely my favorite shoe purchase of the year, actually of all time! I fell in love with the shoes when I laid eyes on them. I finally splurged when they were re-stocked at pedshoes. They have brought a lot of loveliness to quite a few of my outfits this year.

(These can also be found in two of the photos below, my engagement photo and the last photo)

Anthropologie Verdant Slip Dress

I love the colors, the print, the fit, everything! Definitely one of the prettiest dresses anthro sold this year, imo.

(and here too, with purple!)

J. Crew Tea Stained Dobby Dress

This pretty frock has great texture and red polka dots. What's not to love?!?!

(and here)

Vintage Black/White Polka Dot Dress

I picked this dress up at Billy Goat Vintage earlier this year. Although it has only made 1 appearance on the blog (here), it has been a workhorse for me this year. It is work-appropriate and also feels very "me", which is rare.

Gee Wawa Dream Oxfords

I'm so happy I jumped on the oxford bandwagon this year. I love the details on these and the color has proven to be quite versatile.

(here and here)

Anthropologie Spinning Lace Dress

I was so happy to score this dress from the EA trade market earlier this year for my engagement photos.

(also worn to a holiday party here)

Anthropologie Back Porch Blouse

This lacey beauty was a great addition to my closet!

(here, here, and here)

Urban Outfitters Pleated Skirt

I rarely shop at UO. In fact, I think I have only purchased two items there, including this skirt. Nonetheless, it made it onto my top 10 list. The pleats make this basic gray skirt a bit more interesting. This is another item that is great for the office and also feels very "me".

(here and here too)

Anthropologie Longing for Yellow Dress

Yet another older anthro piece purchased from the EA trade market. This was my wedding dress! The color was exactly what I was looking for and the pattern, texture, and cut make this dress feel very vintagey. It was absolutely perfect for my wedding:)

(see full post here)

Anthropologie Trace the Stars Blouse

This is a newer purchase, but I still feel inclined to include in my top 10 list. Just look at that print! How could it not be included? In addition to the amazing print, the silk is super soft and the cut is quite flattering. It's love:)

This blouse has only been featured on the blog once, but I wore it again last night, so you will be seeing it again soon:)

A few thoughts that came to mind as I was looking back through all of my posts:

- Photography makes me happy! It is painful to look at my earlier OOTD's. The photos are terrible. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel like my photos have come a looooong way this year. I am glad my blog photos are improving, but more than that, I am happy I found a hobby that I absolutely love.

- I am really liking my longer hair.

- I look and feel healthier than I did at the beginning of this year. I have lost 25lbs and I feel great! I feel more stable and more energetic.

- I like a lot more of my recent outfits, which tells me I must be headed in the right direction, style-wise. One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to help me find my style and develop it. Although I still have a long ways to go, and really one's style is always evolving/changing, I think this year was very successful. I have learned a lot about myself and my style. I am much happier with my closet. I feel a bit more free to be creative and try new things.

- You guys are the best! I appreciate all of the support and sweet comments so much. THANK YOU for reading!