Easter Parade

I don't normally post here on the weekends, but I had to make an egg-ception for Easter (and this perfectly pastel ensemble)! Before I head over to my parents' for Easter brunch, I decided to show off these photos from a rather enchanted visit to one of my favorite photo locales here in Rochester.

Although Aly from Sewcial Dee originally made this dreamy dress for herself, I knew it had to come live with me when I saw that she listed it for sale. I can never say no to a pastel plaid – just like I can never say no to Reese's eggs. I paired this frock with a bunny necklace, one of my favorite vintage hats, and my version of an Easter basket to make it extra springy. Since everything is finally starting to bloom, it seemed fitting that I look like the harbinger of the season.

One last important detail that also seemed fitting: the sweet bunny I met while taking these photos. She actually came hopping towards me and she got so close! I was truly in awe. I'm so happy I was able to capture some of it in photos and on video. I think she might have been practicing her route for this morning, don't you?

Outfit Details

Pastel dress: purchased from Sewcial Dee's Poshmark

Hat: vintage (similar)  ||  Basket: vintage (similar)

Gold bunny necklace: similar

Shoes: B.A.I.T. (similar)

Last Easter was... kind of the worst. I won't go into detail, but it was really intense and not at all how I'd ever envision spending this holiday. Although I may not always be happy about the ways in which my life has changed in recent months, I have to admit that I'm glad that the most dramatic part of the day this year will likely be locating my Easter basket's secret hiding spot.

I hope your holiday is a truly hoppy one!

Mele Kalikimaka

Christmas is less than a week away – can you believe it? The past month or so has been really hard, but I'm glad that the last few weeks have gone by quickly. I still have a few holiday outfits to share here on the blog, including this pink velvet number from the Gal Meets Glam collection. I shared this dress on my Black Friday wish list post and it's one of the only things I actually bought for myself. It's my third dress from GMG and, like the others I own, it's beautifully made. But unlike the other GMG dresses I have, this one has a fair amount of stretch – so much so that I could have comfortably sized down. At least it'll be super comfortable for holiday eating and general merriment.

This dress is classically beautiful, so I opted to pair it with something kitschy. This glazed Christmas ham brooch is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Erstwilder gave them out as freebies with larger orders during their Christmas release, but unfortunately I wasn't able to snag one then. I ended up finding one in a swap group and it arrived just in time for the holiday. The ironic thing is that I'm a Jew who celebrates Christmas and who has never eaten a spiral ham in her life. But I couldn't pass this up! (The meat itself is a different story.)

Outfit Details

Joy Dress in Pink Velvet: Gal Meets Glam Collection

Glazed Gift brooch: by Erstwilder

Gold heels: ModCloth

Decor Details

Sisal bottle brush tree: At Home

Christmas tree pillow: Pier 1 (similar)

Retro pink bird ornament: Target

Hot air balloon ornament: Kohl's

Mint green velvet drop ornament: Michael's

Pusheen ornament: Hey Chickadee (2018 version)

As you can see, my tree is up and a few gifts are wrapped... but this weekend will be devoted to getting all the rest of the holiday details ready. Presents, cookies, classic movies, and plenty of time with my family. I'm trying to keep my chin up, in spite of everything. The funny thing is that I'm not quite as worried about how I'll feel on Christmas as how I'll feel after it's over. For now... I'll be listening to non-stop holiday music and trying to focus on other things.

Merry and Bright

Merry Christmas Eve, friends! I've always loved the holidays, but I've been really looking forward to Christmas this year. I've been listening to Christmas music for the past month and I'm infatuated with all my little decorations. (By the way, I got my pink Christmas tree here – it doesn't look like it's in stock right now, but they have some other fun colors and styles!) I'm probably going to leave them up for as long as humanly possible to keep the cheer going for a while.

This vintage ornament print dress is one of my favorite holiday purchases this year. It seriously goes perfectly with my tree and I'll definitely be wearing it tonight for our family festivities. I've mentioned this before, but Christmas Eve is really a bigger deal for us than Christmas Day. We eat a lot of delicious appetizers (like meatballs, cheese fondue, shrimp cocktail, and – new this year! – latkes) and open the majority of our presents to each other. It's a special tradition that I cherish even more as I get older. We actually don't even know what we're doing Christmas Day. We've often seen a movie and gone out for Chinese food, but I think we may end up going even more low-key... which is totally fine by me, to be honest. Whatever we do, I'll just be glad to be with the ones I love.

Outfit Details

Ornament Print Jenny Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing

Christmas Ornament Lapel Pin: c/o Kate Gabrielle

Gold Heels: ModCloth

Have a very happy and safe holiday! Wishing much love to you and yours.

Magnolia

Outfit Details:

Confectioner's Dream Dress: ModCloth

Hair flower: Forever 21 (similar here)

Flats: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Wicker purse: vintage (similar here)

I really wish we had a magnolia tree.  The blossoms would have been gone by the time I took these photos, but this outfit would have been a perfect match.  I sort of forgot about this hair flower clip until I was trying to figure out how to style this dress, but I'm really glad I rediscovered it.  As far as this dress goes, I think it's really dreamy on the website, but I don't like it quite as much in person -- largely due to fit issues.  Although I think ModCloth has some beautiful in-house designs, I've found that their exclusive lines are a little lacking in terms of fit.  The arm holes on this dress are a bit tight, and it's certainly not the most flattering dress I own.  The buttons on the top are actually a little uneven, too.  I thought long and hard about sending this one back, to be honest.  I think I ultimately just really loved the color, and it's hard to find a blush pink dress in just the right shade.  I may end up selling it in a "shop my closet" sale, I'm not sure.  But stay tuned on that front, because I have a lot of things that are taking up room in my wardrobe, and opening up my online "shop my closet" store is on my short list!

I can't believe it's the last day of May.  We're heading into summer territory at this point (like I've said before, spring never lasts as long as I want it to!).  I need to find a way to motivate myself this summer, and not take it too easy.  I've kind of been taking it easy for too long, at this point.  It's hard to start, though.  I always get overwhelmed with all the things I have to do and end up doing something unrelated to alleviate the stress, which is totally unproductive.  Anyone else have an issue with this?  How do you fix it?  I know it's better to focus on one thing at a time, but I have a really hard time doing that!  Any advice would be most appreciated.  :)

Have a great Saturday!

xox Sammi