Chambray and Polka Dots

    Ok, so Memorial Day rolled around and I hit a few of the sales a little harder than I should have.  Honestly I don't know why I spend money any other time of year besides Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday because those are the best sales and the best time to get the pieces I love at a small fraction of the price.

    This olive green polka dot dress from Unique Vintage is something I've been watching and waiting to go on sale for a while and I knew it was finally time.  And since I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone a little, I thought I'd style it with a tied waist chambray shirt and matching VIVAIA ballet flats instead of my usual cardigan. 

    Since purchasing in May, I have worn this dress, actually this exact outfit, about half a dozen times already.  It's been great for work and fun and although I could never give up my cardis entirely, I'm thinking I really need to rock this tied shirt look more often.

Outfit Info:  Olive Green Polka Dot Dress from Unique Vintage, chambray shirt is old, Flats from VIVAIA

Eyelet Endeavors

Dresses like this are so all around perfect for everything.  I wish my wardrobe were filled with pieces like this.  As the home renovation continues, our weekends are hopelessly filled from the moment we wake up until we fall into bed exhausted each night.

Because we've been so busy, I haven't been able to do any shopping, which is fine, or any photos which is also fine because it's been miserably hot outside.  I also haven't been able to do any outfit planning which isn't just something I do for my blog, it's a key part of my prep for the beginning of each week so that I am not wasting precious time each morning deciding what to wear instead of packing my lunch and feeding the animals.

Busy times are bound to happen which is why it's so nice to have pieces like this that always look well no matter where I'm going or what time of year it is.  While I've been remodeling the house, I have also done a serious wardrobe cleanout, which I'll talk more about in an upcoming post, but dresses like this are here to stay.

Shopping Info: FLORAL JACQUARD EMBROIDERED EYELET MIDI DRESS-$72.90 FROM CHICWISH, BABY BLUE CARDIGAN FROM YEMAK, BLUE FLATS FROM VIVAIA 

Citrus Trip

Well, well, the very last on my Selkie ISO list is now sitting safely in my closet, waiting to be taken in at the waist and let out at the sleeves, but first photos.  That's right, I finally snagged this flower-power Selkie Citrus Trip Day Dress on Posh for a song.  It's one size too big and I hate these stupid sleeves, but I can fix all that and then, I think I am kind of done with Selkie.  More on that to follow soon.

As a child of the early 80s, our home was very much 70s styled and as my parents had no money, they kept and continued wearing all their 70s clothes well into the mid to late 80s, and this identical print featured on something my mom owned, except instead of these pastels, the colors were burnt orange, olive green, and white.  

I never loved the colors on that thing, whatever it was, like her high school folder or something, but I did always love that bombardment of flowers in the print.  Also, the silly sleeves are totally a 70s staple and remind me of my mom's homecoming dresses from the late 70s, which, yes, I still have and really should break out for the blog sometime for comparison.

In the meantime, I have some sewing to do on this little beauty to really make it mine and just as a little tip here, my hairstyle is the just got outta bed look that I usually rock on Sunday mornings.  I spritz my dry hair with Lottabody setting lotion and then do a simple twist, secure both twist together with an elastic  and go to bed.  In the morning my hair is dry and has nice loose waves once I get around to untwisting them. 

I guess it is finally time we address the stylish elephant in the room and talk about my Selkie issues, so that will be discussed in an upcoming post.

Shopping Info:  Shoes from VIVAIA, Dress by Selkie

Lemon Polka Dot

This afternoon has been lovely.  We spent the morning doing all the household and farm chores.  Our little piggies, who are really not little at all anymore, require more and more space, so before the sun got too hot, Mr. Bleu expanded their pen to give them fresh rooting ground and they were delighted.

 

Although I was on stand-by to help with the pen at a moment's notice, I spent the morning doing laundry and getting as much baking done as possible before the week begins again and my time evaporates like the steam rising off my morning cup of tea.  I baked banana muffins for breakfast on the go, and soaked some pinto beans to go into the crock pot for easy dinners.  I typically also make a big batch of buttermilk pancakes as well, but those rarely make it to Monday morning as people sleep in late and spend the mid-morning casually grazing, so I decided to skip those this week and focus on other chores instead.

Once all the usual tasks were well in hand, I glanced at the clock and realized it was time for lunch.  I just purchased some organic pasta that is made in Italy and promises to be better than average, so to celebrate what seems to be the early start to summer, I decided to make my favorite summertime meal:  Pasta with sautéed spinach and mushrooms, topped with finely grated gruyère cheese.  Since it was already sweltering outside I opted for a light and fruity beverage by mixing sparkling lemonade with a few drops of chilled vodka.  Perfection!  I truly think I could enjoy this meal in some variation everyday.

By my own admission, I detest the winter and love the summer.  I'm just not ready for summer yet.  Springtime here is always a disappointment because it's never really its own season.  Rather, springtime is always an extension of winter or an advancement of summer and nothing in between.  I could use a more subtle transition, but I guess it's not up to me, so I'll just have to take what I can get.  It's sunshine and time outdoors and that's what matters.

Shopping Info:  Polka Dot Cardigan-$45 from YeMak, Lemon Dress from CollectifLondon, Margot 2.0 Flats-$79 from VIVAIA

Another Way, Monet

With all the hype surrounding Selkie's Monet release, I almost overlooked this long sought after Monet print from ModCloth circa 2015.  As you know, I not only do I love all things Impressionist, but I also tend to latch on to things and never let them go.  Such is the case with all things ModCloth from 2012-2017.  That was during the golden era when Susan Gregg Koger was still in charge and ModCloth felt like a carefully curated collection of beautiful things that made your girlish vintage dreams come true.

The trouble back then was that every dress I desired was $100 or more and my budget did not allow for more than one pretty MC dress per month at the very most while ModCloth was showcasing at least half a dozen dresses a month that went on my wishlist.  So, I ended up with an ever growing list of wishes that I have hung on to in my heart long after my MC list has been defunct.

Undeterred by the sold out signs or the passage of time, I turned to the resale sites and have kept a watchful eye on my favorite MC brands to see if these coveted pieces ever manifested.  If you've been reading the blog for any significant amount of time then you already know that now and then they do.  And when they do I pounce on them like a hungry bear on an unattended picnic.

This beauty popped up on ThredUp last year but I missed it by mere minutes and so opted for another gem (which you can see here) that was lower on my list but also painting themed and still available.  The search continued, I'd already waited seven years, what was one more, until I finally found this dress again, this time on Poshmark.  I made a reasonable offer, the seller accepted, and one short week later, I'm wearing the original Monet dress that stole my heart.  Of course I paired it with my brightest pinks--my YeMak sweater and VIVAIA flats

Shopping Info: VIAIA ARIA 5º Flats in Pitaya-$79 save an extra 20% with promo code BLEU at checkout.  YeMAK vintage inspired caridgan in Magenta-$36.95 from YeMaksweater.com ModCloth Museum Matrimony Dress by Bea & Dot from Poshmark