Aye Aye on the Prize

I love all things nautical and I'm particularly diggin' these new swimmer and sailor pieces from ModCloth and the best part is if you use my link to sign up you'll save 15% off your first purchase.

 Shop the Look:
Aye Aye on the Prize Blouse in S, M, L, XL, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X 
Live Uplifted Mini Skirt in XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X
Era Thing You Got T Strap Heels in 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Good Day, Ruby

KarinaDresses has done it again.  Newly launched and oh so lovely.  This red Ruby dress has me dreaming of warmer days no matter what the weather has in store.  The midwest has some crazy weather; it's actually one of the things I love about this place.  One day you'll have snow, the next day you'll be wearing a t-shirt and sandals, trying not to break a sweat.  There are many areas of my life where I depend on predictability, but I've always taken comfort in the saying we have around here:  If you don't like the weather, just wait a day.

Shop the Look:
Ruby Dress in Summertime Tango from KarinaDresses.com

A Bicycle Built for Baby Bleu

A few posts ago I mentioned that this beautiful banana colored bike does not belong to me, it belongs to my baby.  Ok, ok, so my daughter isn't a baby anymore.  She's a teenager, in fact, and when I stop and think about it, I wonder where the time went.  Don't we always, though.  So, when I bought my beautiful blue bike, my oldest daughter became instantly infatuated.  I knew then and there that I'd never get any time to ride it because she would always be on it, so I bought her her very own.  It's just like mine, but a different color and as expected I haven't seen her much since I gave it to her.

Shop the Look:
Where My Picnic People Bicycle Dress from ModCloth
Converse sneakcers
Bicycle from Walmart

Dogwood Blossoms

    We moved to our little hilltop farm in August of last year, so we had no idea that our land is in fact full of dogwood trees and the woods around our home are positively white with blossoms right now.  Just when I was beginning to get a little down about the fact that the spring blossoms were over and I missed them due to work or frost, I've been blessed with a second chance to enjoy this lovely season and right from my very own home.  

    I got up before dawn this morning just to take a walk in these woods in the beautiful morning light, and yes, I did don this dress for the occasion.  Just because I'm a grown-up doesn't mean I can't still play dress-up and get lost in my daydreams now and then, right?  This Fit and Flare Coral Dress feels more like one of my dream dress-up dresses from childhood than a real grown-up dress anyway.  

    On the surface it is a bold print and a flattering cut, and that in itself is pretty awesome, but there are layers of tulle and ruffles underneath that I absolutely adore!  I ordered this dress in my usual size XS and it's a pretty good fit at the waist although the shoulders seem a bit big and of course, pay attention to the length.  This dress is much longer than I typically wear and all the layers underneath make alteration impractical, but those same layers also give this length some girth and a full shape that really adds to the dreamy quality and so I think the length really works.  

    Also, I realized I've had in my possession for almost ten years a vintage Avon dogwood blossom necklace that I decided to don for this special day.  I know I complained a lot about winter, but I intend to do an equal amount of celebrating spring, summer and autumn to make up for it!  

 

Shop the Look:

Fabulous Fit and Flare Dress with Pockets in Coral in sizes XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X by ModCloth

Railene in Noir

    I absolutely adore the Railene Dress from Stop Staring!  I found it for a steal on PoshMark in Navy and I've seen other styles come up on other resale sites since then.  This time around I decided to buy from the company to get the latest color combo in black and ivory.  Black and ivory is one of my favorite color pairs.  Add a little pale peachy-pink to the mix and you have my trifecta of color perfection.

    Since I already own this style of dress, you may have read my review.  However, that was around two years ago and I figured it was time to do another.  I promise I'll keep it short and sweet.  This dress is awesome.  There's a reason they keep making this dress in different colors.  I would recommend that you order up one size.  I normally wear XS or even XXS depending on the brand, but for this beauty I ordered a size small and still had to wiggle into it.  I would also recommend some body shaping garments to smooth your lines a little and a bra with a bit of boost to really take advantage of this neckline. 

    I'd love it if I just naturally fit into everything and looked great doing it, but I've seen pencil dresses go wrong way to many times to just randomly recommend them.  The thing I love about this dress is that it actually flatters my curvy hips and bottom, but even I feel a little shy about wearing form fitting clothing.  If you've got the confidence to wear it, you really can't go wrong with this style and let's face it, sometimes a little shape-wear can help give us the confidence we need to try something new.          

Shop the Look:
Railene Black and Tan Dress at StopStaringClothing.com
Qupid With Haute a Doubt Heels from Modcloth

Under the Tulip Tree

This was a beautiful morning.  With everything in bloom and just a hint of fog creating a soft glow on everything, I just had to stop and take a few photos under this beautiful tulip tree.  I love these trees; they just may be my favorite springtime blossom.  This particular tree is nestled up against a cozy little charity house that provides free meals to local families in need, so I didn't have to go into anyone's front yard to take these pics and that's a plus, but I was prepared to go knock on a door and ask permission at the  home with the only other tulip tree in town until I found this one.  I'm glad I got a few pics when I did, because this is the midwest, where it's 65 degrees today and 30 degrees by the next.  Since I've got a little room left here, I'll do a quick dress review for this Sleeveless Lace Fit and Flare from ModCloth.  I've got nothing but love for it.  Even though it's a size small, it fit my frame pretty well and the color was so much more vibrant than I expected.  I can't wait to wear it to a summer wedding or two. 

 

Shop the Look:

Sleeveless Lace Fit and Flare in Ruby from ModCloth --$45.97

The Zest is History Heels in Burgundy from ModCloth

A Little Princess from Amazon.com

Creative & Unoffensive Bun Pun

I really couldn't come up with one, so let's just pretend I did.  TheOtherSparrows has just released their new spring collection and it's awesome.  But, I only had eyes for this one and a recent restock of a floral print.  The new will have to wait while I relish this glorious hot dog print.

 Shop the Look:

Favorite Hotdog Cute Retro Sundress $39.99

Belt and Shoes from ThredUp

Perky Personality

There's something so very stylish about bold primary colors and with this airy cotton fabric, it feels so down home too.  I had to have this dress.  Hhhhaad tooooo.  So, I splurged while dreaming of summer morning bike rides with my girls and this beautiful cotton dress.  At this moment you may be thinking, hey that's not your bike.  You're right, it's not.  It belongs to baby bleu who just became a teenager and ready for a grown-up bike of her own.

Shop the Look:

Perky Personality Dress from ModCloth

Coolway Sneakers from ThredUp.  Use my link to sign up and save $10 off your first order.

Huffy Bicycle from Wal-mart.com

Floral Maxi

I don't have many maxi dresses, but I did love the pale peach color of this floral maxi, so I decided to give it a try.  I don't go for maxi dresses, because they tend to be a little unflattering on my shape, but i actually really love this one.  From the flowy sleeves, to the perfect waist line, it's everything I want in a comfy summer dress.  Now if only it were summer already.  Yes, I'm one of those people.  There's nothing wrong with not wanting to freeze all the time.  I also have to say here how much I love these Bettie Page heels.  They are so comfortable, I've been wearing them around quite a bit lately.  I wish all heels felt like this!

Shop the Look:

HaoDuoYi Womens Floral Print V Neck Maxi Party Dress

Bettie Page Throwback Brilliance Heel from ModCloth