Friday Favorites #130: Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is right around the corner, so today's Friday Favorites is all about finding the perfect gifts for the mamas in our lives. I love searching for unique gifts for the people I love, and because my mom and I are so close, I sometimes enjoy shopping for her more than I do for myself (well, almost). Although I usually get her flowers on Mother's Day, I try to combine the traditional with the unexpected. Here are some fresh ideas that caught my eye:

a.  Audrey at Home: Memories of My Mother's Kitchen

b.  Picnicking Watering Can

c.  Customized Mom Necklace

d.  Williams-Sonoma Infused Olive Oil Gift Set

e.  Anthropologie Lucerne Apron

f.  Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy Tin

g.  The Republic of Tea Assortment Jar

h.  Bluetooth Tracking Tag

i.  Music Note Measuring Spoons

j.  The Tea Book: All Things Tea

k.  Two Tiered Garden Cart  

l.  Vestige Lipstick Holder

m.  Literary Candles 

n.  Erstwilder Tulip Bouquet Brooch

o.  Kate Spade Daisy Crossbody Bag

p.  Natural Bath Bomb Set

In addition to the gift guide above, I just had to include these adorable Girl Gang greeting cards and matchboxes from Ettatorials! I love the idea of having a girl gang (especially now that I have friends who are mommies!), and the concept of repurposing old photos into cute little gifties and as ways to keep in touch with those we care about is such a wonderful one. My mom is one of my best friends, so not only would these be lovely Mother's Day cards, but a set of 4 would make for a perfect present!

Krissy from Ettatorials also sent me two of her matchboxes, which would make a great addition to a guest room or powder room (especially for a candle lover, like my own mom). Krissy just launched her Girl Gang collection, but she has lots of other goodies available in her shop – and she's offering my readers 10% off when you enter SOUBRETTE10 at checkout!

Cards & Matchboxes c/o Ettatorials

I'll actually be performing on Mother's Day this year, so we'll have to celebrate whenever we can. Do you have any fun Mother's Day traditions? I love hearing about what other families do!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Oopsy Daisy

As Meg Ryan says in You've Got Mail, "don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?" They really are, too – they never fail to make me smile and they always make me think of my mom (who was *this* close to naming me Daisy). Since spring is finally upon us, I couldn't wait any longer to style this daisy print dress by Bernie Dexter. This particular print also brings to mind an iconic scene from Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Wouldn't you just love to lie in a field of daisies? I know I would. Maybe I'll find one someday.

The "Paris" is one of my favorite dress styles that Bernie makes, but I will say that they all fit a little bit differently. For example, my orange print Paris dress is the most forgiving in the bust, but this daisy print Paris has the least wiggle room. It's not super noticeable in these photos, but I do wish there was a bit more consistency within the same dress style. That being said, the print alone insures that this one's staying in my closet for the time being – it's too cute to give up!

Outfit Details

Paris Dress in Daisy Print: Bernie Dexter

Cropped cardigan: available here

Petticoat: Pinup Girl Clothing

Boater hat: similar

Flats: Aerosoles

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Typography

I really love working with and supporting fellow artists and small businesses, both in "real life" and here on my blog. So understandably, I was thrilled when Emily G. Clothing decided to advertise with me this month and offered to send me this adorable dress to review! Emily makes all of the garments she sells in Brooklyn, NY, and I love that she's so dedicated to making unique clothing for her equally unique customers. Everyone knows I'm a sucker for a good novelty print, and as a lover of (and stickler for) grammar and punctuation, this dress was the perfect fit for me. ;)

I'm not usually drawn to navy blue, but I love all of the colors in this print – and, of course, the ampersands, asterisks and exclamation points (which I echoed in my ring choices). I do love a good fit-and-flare dress (with pockets, yay!), and I like the fact that this one is definitely work-appropriate. I also love the fact that it's called the "Sally Dress," since I work for my mom (whose name is Sally) and we basically spend all day writing! Since I took these photos on a chilly morning, I opted to add a cropped cardigan, but I ended up liking the short cap sleeves more than I anticipated and would wear it without a sweater, too. The top portion is a tad more tight-fitting than I normally like, but it certainly won't keep me from wearing this adorable dress, as it's very well-made and feels so personal and special – as if it were made just for me.

Outfit Details

Sally Dress in Typography: c/o Emily G. Clothing

Cropped cardigan: similar styles here

Rings: ModCloth (similar)

White flats: Aerosoles

Have a great start to your week!

What's your damage?

I'm in rehearsals for Heathers right now (we open at the beginning of May), so I figured it'd be a good time to post these photos! I'm having a lot of fun in this show – it's the type of role I don't often get to do, the music's fun and the content is pretty dark and raunchy. It's a challenge in the best kind of way, and I'm really looking forward to putting it all together. When I found out I'd be playing Heather Duke, I knew I'd need to get this graphic tee (as did my fellow Heathers and our Veronica, out of solidarity). The film's a cult classic, so it's great to have so much memorabilia at our disposal. I have so much Heathers-related merch in my Etsy shopping cart right now!

I opted to style this top pretty simply, since I wanted it to be the focus of my outfit (though I know I'll wear this a ton with cardigans – or even an apropos blazer!). The top itself is made of a nice quality, lightweight cotton-poly blend. This particular tee runs small (I'm wearing a women's large, which was perfect because I like my tees on the more fitted side), so if you're looking for a more oversized fit, I'd definitely size up or order the unisex/men's version. Although my own sense of style skews much more 50's than 80's, this awesome tee pretty much lends itself to any era.

Outfit Details

Heathers Tee: Alison Rose

Little Jun Skirt in Black: Pinup Girl Clothing

Jessica Simpson flats: Amazon

Belt: from another dress

Have a great rest of your week!

Pink + Peaches

The warm weather is finally here to stay (for a while, at least), which means I can bring out my summery staples again. Although I've worn gingham year-round, I associate it with picnics and sunshine, so it just feels *right* to wear it in the spring and summertime. This pink gingham number from Unique Vintage is so sweet (albeit sexier than I'd anticipated!), and the lightweight cotton fabric of this dress makes it perfect for summertime get-togethers. I'm especially enamored with the button detail on the bodice! This look makes me yearn for backyard barbecues and cotton candy at carnivals.

I'd never owned any Bettie Page brand clothing before (though I love their shoes!), and I hadn't realized that their size chart aligns more closely with UK sizing than with US sizing (though the company is based in the USA). I probably fall somewhere between their size 12 and 14 in Bettie Page (for reference, I'm usually an 8 or occasionally a 10 in most brands), but I went with the 12 and it fits fine, aside from a very slight tightness in the shoulders. I found this dress to be quite flattering on me, though I will say that I wasn't expecting the neckline to be quite so deep! I'm not fond of wearing camisoles underneath dresses, but I found this dress to be far too revealing without one, and the end result actually looks better than I'd thought; it ties everything together and makes for a slightly more casual look – especially with the addition of flats, my trusty boater hat and the cutest peachy picnic pin from Erstwilder!

Outfit Details

Golly Miss Molly Swing Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Boater hat: similar  ||  Flats: Aerosoles via Amazon

Pettislip: Amazon ||  Camisole: Target

Peachy Keen Brooch: c/o Erstwilder

Now that it's spring, what are you most looking forward to doing – or wearing?

Shop My Closet Update 2.0!

In the spirit of crossing some spring cleaning off my list, I've done a little update to my "Shop My Closet" store today! There are a bunch of new additions from ModCloth, ASOS,  Mata Traders, Coco Fennell, Emily and Fin and more (plus, a few novelty purses!). What you see below is just a little preview... click here to see the full selection of what's available!

Happy Friday + happy shopping!

At the zoo

"Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo..." I know it's not very politically correct to say, but I always really liked going to the zoo. I used to go all the time with my ex-boyfriend, but I hadn't gone back to one since we broke up. It used to be too painful, especially seeing the river otters (they were like, our "thing"). But I'm at the point now where I'm past all of that and can enjoy these types of activities again without feeling that pang of sadness. Noting that progress is important to me. Instead of being overwhelmed with memories from my previous relationship, I can momentarily acknowledge what I once shared with someone and still have a great time seeing animals I love.

I guess that sentiment's only partially true – not because of the ghosts of past relationships, but because even when the animals are well taken care of (like they are at the Seneca Park Zoo), I still don't love seeing animals being kept in captivity. Although it can be important in terms of conservation and education, I still can't imagine that lions and polar bears can both be totally at ease living in a zoo in Western NY. Of course, being able to see a gorgeous tiger in real life is pretty magnificent... but at the very least, visiting the zoo as an adult does make you think. Regardless, I still had a nice morning at the zoo with my best friend, Wayne – and I had to wear this adorable zoo-themed skirt from Bryony + Co. for the occasion! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera remote at home, so I didn't get any pictures of this outfit while we were actually at the zoo... but I snapped some outfit photos when I was back home in my own little jungle of a backyard.

I've admired Bryony + Co.'s themed collections for quite some time now, and their newest Zoo line is no exception. I own a couple of their older pieces (from back when the company was known as Poppy), and in my experience, the sizing has been a bit inconsistent from piece to piece. They do have detailed size charts on their site (which you'll need to convert from cm. to in. if you're US-based) for each item. I followed the size chart for the skirt I'm wearing here, the Elspeth Blue Zoo skirt, which told me I should size down to a UK 10. However, I definitely should have gotten my regular UK 12 size, as this skirt is too tight to be comfortable on me. The design is SO darling, but it's not an item I could wear all day long. If you're in doubt on your size after consulting the chart, I think it's better to be safe than sorry and order the larger size (so do as I say, not as I do!). I really like this outfit though, and the coordinating cardigan is of a nice quality as well – it's a great sweater for spring, and I love the different colored buttons! I also adore the fact that all of their items come with their own little illustrated storybook. It's charming details like these that make all the difference for me.

Outfit Details

Elspeth Blue Zoo Skirt: c/o Bryony + Co.

Women's Cardigan in Lemon: c/o Bryony + Co

Spectators: B.A.I.T. Footwear (similar)

Pink camisole: similar

Bryony + Co. was kind enough to offer an exclusive discount code for my readers! You can get 15% off all full-price items when you enter the code SOUBRETTE15 at checkout! :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!