A hurried hello

I took these photos (in a hurry) a couple of weeks ago as I was heading off to work.  I wasn't going to upload them, but the dress is sooo cute - though I think it ultimately should be hemmed a little bit - and I have been too busy to take new outfit photos the past couple of days, so I decided to post them.

Outfit Details:

Pink day dress: Great Lake Outfitters

White belt: ASOS

White flats: ASOS

I was actually looking for a pink dress to go with a pair of shoes (as always, I do things backwards), but I ended up liking these flats with it a little more than the shoes I'd intended to wear with it.  Great Lake Outfitters shipped this dress super quickly and the measurements were very accurate.  So pleased with this purchase, especially since I'm getting way into pink lately... :)  They have some really great pieces in their Etsy store, so you should definitely go take a look!

I'll take more pictures this week once things have calmed down around here!

Have a wonderful day!

xox Sammi

Polka-dotted remix

I have a lot of "statement pieces" in my closet.  Even though I'm drawn to really interesting, unique and special items, I find that I sometimes wear these items in only one way, because they're so eye-catching and I often let the creativity of the item itself be the star, rather than the way I wear it or what I pair it with.  I think this works well a lot of the time, but I have a suspicion that I don't get as much use out of all my clothes as I could when I only wear them one way!  ModCloth is having a contest right now for their customers (in conjunction with their Style Gallery) where you can show off the different ways you remix one piece, and that inspired me to try remixing this retro polka dot playsuit!

Outfit Details:

Sun Speckled Afternoon Playsuit: ModCloth (Available directly through Vintage Suits by Mary)

Necklace: Betsey Johnson

The Best of Times Heel in Noir: ModCloth

Faux Leather Bow Stretch Belt: Go Jane

I love the pin-up feel of this, despite the fact that it's almost obscenely short... but there are cute little sewn-in bottoms underneath the skirt!  It's still only appropriate for a beach party or something, though.

Then I decided to make this piece a little (read: a lot) more versatile by adding a skirt, changing my shoes and throwing on a hat...

Outfit Details:

(Playsuit, remixed as a halter top) 

Red skirt: Amazon

Heart necklace: ASOS (sold out)

Doo Bee Doo Bee Shoe Heels: ModCloth

Boater hat: River Island

All of the interesting clothing details just happen to be in the chest area.... whoops.

This outfit makes me feel like I'm one of the singers in Disney World on Main Street, USA or something.  I don't hate it.

This remixing thing has been something I've admired on other blogs; so many bloggers have an amazing ability to come up with an infinite amount of new ways to wear their pieces, and I so envy that quality!  This has definitely inspired me to look at the items in my wardrobe differently.  There's so much temptation for me to keep adding new things to my closet, and I should really just try to get as much mileage out of what I already have.  This was a fun challenge, actually.  Maybe I'll make it my goal for the rest of May to not buy new things for the sake of adding, but to come up with new ways to make use of my existing items.  A shopping ban for creativity's sake, maybe.

I'm spending my Saturday at a wedding with Steven.  I hope you have a lovely, fun-filled day!

xox Sammi

Tea for two (Mama's birthday post)

Yesterday was my mama's 60th birthday! 

My mom is one of the most important and special people in my life, and we have an incredibly close relationship.  She has done so many amazing things in her life, so it's no wonder that I've always considered her to be my role model.  She made her living in the music business for probably 20 years (she and my dad were in a band that was signed to Atlantic Records and had a video on MTV)...

And then she got into musical theatre and earned her Equity card...

Yes, that's me in the tiny nun's habit!

And then she worked as the entertainment reporter for a local news station for 12 years...

And now she runs her own public relations business that focuses on entertainment and the arts.  She's a bit of a chameleon, my mom.  I admire her ability to persevere in any given situation.  Her path has had unexpected twists and and turns and bumps along the way, but she's led about five different lives already, and is always finding new ways to put her creativity to good use.  I love that she is always growing, changing, and learning.  I hope that I will follow her lead in that regard.  (I also hope I look as good as she does when I turn 60!)

So for her birthday, she and I went out to brunch at The Cheesecake Factory...

And I wore my new teapot print dress...

And we took cute pictures...

And she opened her presents... 

Which someone thought were for HER... 

I got my garden-loving mom this necklace and these matching earrings from Betsey Johnson...

And I also got her this cute teacup-themed vase...

We actually planned to go to a teahouse for her birthday, but there's really only one around here, and of course, it's not open on Sundays.  Then we planned to have dinner at our favorite Thai and Vietnamese restaurant... which was also closed!  We ended up going to a chophouse on a whim, which was delicious, and then immediately followed that with from frozen custard from Abbott's (which is a locally-owned chain of ice cream shops -- frozen custard is their specialty).  It was a day of eating, with a little bit of shopping thrown in for good measure.  We also stopped by Powers Farm Market to look at some flowers, and to visit some animals...

These were baby... somethings!  I'm not sure what kind of babies they are, but they were cheeping away!

A very suspicious peacock

Since we didn't get to go have tea, I decided to represent it in my outfit...

I first saw this dress on Annika of The Pineneedle Collective (see how she wore it here!), and I knew I had to have it.  My love of tea and of novelty prints outweighed any cons I could think of.  I was so sad when the measurements to the exact dress she wore were too small, but amazingly, there is another dress with the same print on the website with bigger bust measurements (ahem)!  Hooray!

Outfit Details:

Teapot Print Dress: SheInside

Doo Bee Doo Bee Shoe Heels: ModCloth

Teapot Double Finger Ring: Can't remember, but available at SheInside and Storenvy

All in all, we had a beautiful day, and I think my mom enjoyed her birthday.  :)

Have a beautiful Monday!

xox Sammi