Summer Nostalgia with RetroViewer

Credit for all photos: Emma Rizzo 

I know it's already October, but I'm still playing catch-up from the summertime... and I couldn't leave out this set of photos that Emma captured. We've made a lot of memories together, but this is definitely one photoshoot I won't soon forget. We were both good sports on this day, seeing as it was insanely humid and the mosquitoes were out for blood. I got SO many bites in the short amount of time we were out taking these (and was miserable for several days afterwards!). But it was definitely worth it to finally get some pictures with my mint green bicycle, a bouquet of dahlias from Flowerwell, and a fantastic keepsake that I'll talk about below!

Do you remember playing with ViewFinders when you were a kid? I definitely do. I had a bunch of them (they might still be somewhere in my parents' basement!) and used them all the time. So when Image3D reached out to me to make my own RetroViewer – their reel-viewer that you can customize yourself – I was struck by what an incredible idea it was. I was able to upload my own photos, customize with filters and text, and even choose the color of my RetroViewer.

Here's what the reel looks like when you're satisfied with your selections!

The process is SUPER easy and the shipping was surprisingly fast. The final product was even cuter than I anticipated! I included photos of my closest friends, but you could easily customize with photos of family members, coworkers, pets, your travels, and so much more. It's one of the coolest gift ideas I've seen in a while. If you're stumped on what to get someone for the holidays or an upcoming birthday, I think this is a truly unique way to show someone you care. Full disclosure: I did receive this product for free, but I seriously cannot say enough good things about it.

Outfit Details

Dress: Pastello Dresses

Necklace: similar  ||  Flats: Aerosoles

Handkerchief: similar  ||  Bicycle: Huffy

Bouquet: Flowerwell

RetroViewer: c/o Image3D

Really, one of the things I love about blogging in general is that it grants me the ability to capture a lot of memories. Sometimes, I feel a lot of pressure to do that, which is hard when time seems to be moving so quickly. I finally went apple picking over the weekend and did a little bit of fall decorating, but I still need to get some mums and some pumpkins! Fall is a busy time of year anyway, but I'm also trying to get ready to go on my birthday vacation(!) at the end of the month. I forget if I mentioned this, but I'll be in Disney World for my 30th birthday! It's finally starting to sink in... and I have lots to do before we leave – like get all my Halloween posts ready and put together my outfits for the trip. It's fun stuff to take care of though, rather than stuff I'd dread, so that always helps. :)

Have a great start to your week!

At home with Ankit

I am both a homebody and a slave to technology. I rely on my Apple devices more than I'd ever like to admit, and these days, I can't wait to kick back on my couch in the evenings. It should also be of no surprise that I love being surrounded by pretty, quirky things – which is why I was so happy when Ankit reached out to send some of their awesome items for review.

Ankit has so many fun pieces to choose from (you've probably seen them at Forever 21, ModCloth, Nasty Gal and other stores), but I was most taken with their home decor and tech sections. We recently bought an adorable midcentury-inspired futon for my room, and I realized that this pillow would look perfect with it. It looks even prettier in person than on their website! It's of very nice quality, and the vibrant colors really brighten up the space.

I inadvertently went with a floral theme, since I also chose these lovely floral headphones and cactus power bank. The headphones are a great alternative to my normal earbuds, and they're noise-isolating, which makes them great for long trips or when you just want to tune out the rest of the world. Plus, they're way more beautiful than most headphones you see!

I'm also a huge fan of power banks and mobile chargers; my battery tends to drain pretty quickly (and always at the most inconvenient times!), and I love that this one is both adorable and super-functional. It provides up to 8 hours of talk time, and works with both Apple and Android products! The one drawback is that you do have to provide your own power cord (the cord that it comes with is just for recharging the device), but it's an easy fix. Power banks are a total life-saver (especially this one – it comes pre-charged!), and it's the perfect size and shape for your pocket or purse.

This post is Pumpkin-approved!

Many thanks to Ankit for these items (they were sweet enough to send me their fun emoji coasters and a daisy contact case, too)! Their website is filled to the brim with unique gift ideas, tech must-haves and adorable decor additions, so be sure to check them out! 

Please note: This post is sponsored, which means I was gifted items in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Baby Blue + Book Reviews

I've always been an avid reader, though I've recently found it difficult to find the excess time or energy to dive in to a new book. I love the written word, and I'm convinced that my early love of books helped me to become a skilled writer and eloquent speaker. It's been a challenge to make reading part of my routine again (I'm usually so exhausted by the end of the day that I pass out pretty quickly!), so I realized that if I combined it with my blogging calendar, I'd be able to reach my reading goals and provide some different content for my readers – a win-win! I'm planning on making it a semi-regular feature, and first up for review is The Book of Joan by Melissa Rivers.

In general, I am very much a fan of biographies and memoirs, especially ones that chronicle those in the entertainment industry. I love being able to peer into the lives of fellow performers (even when their books aren't especially well-written), and these books usually provide a lot of sound advice. I always liked Joan Rivers, and since I also have an incredibly close bond with my mother, I was eager to learn more about Melissa's and Joan's relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the book, though I felt the humor was forced at times (Melissa has an immense appreciation for her mom's humor, to be sure, but her own execution of it often fell flat). Joan had such a big personality, and I'm impressed by how skillfully Melissa held her own and learned to thrive while working so closely with her mom.

The book felt a bit scattered, and I wish Melissa's editors had been more unwavering in their duties, as there were some cringeworthy oversights that they failed to catch (though admittedly, they were things that most likely bother me more than they would the average person, i.e., the use of "guesstimating" and incorrect usage of semi-colons). Joan wrote two memoirs of her own, and ultimately, I wish this book had relied a little less on Joan's voice and comedic bits; although I was amused by all of the Joan-isms peppered throughout, I would have been interested to read a more focused account of their unique relationship. It seemed to me that Melissa feels like she has big shoes to fill in terms of comedy and tried too hard to make her jokes land. The book would've been a more successful piece if Melissa had simply remained true to herself and let go of the desire to make everything laugh-out-loud funny. Comedy doesn't work if you're trying too hard or if you're not being honest, and I wish those facts had been among the many lessons that Joan taught her daughter. However, writing a book is no easy task, and I think Melissa is to be applauded for the heartfelt moments that she did manage to include in this book, especially when Joan's sudden passing is still so fresh. It's clear how much Joan doted on her daughter (despite any jokes made at her expense), and finding out more about their bond was certainly the highlight of the book for me.

If you're interested in reading The Book of Joan for yourself, you can find it here! 

Have you read any good books lately? Do you have any recommendations for my next review?

Outfit Details

Vintage dress: Geronimo Vintage

Book ring: ModCloth (similar)

Flats: Aerosoles (similar)

Have a great Monday!

I received this book from the Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review.  

Amazing Gracey

Happy Memorial Day! I don't get the day off, but I am back to working for my mom (I had to take the last three weeks off for my performing gig). As much as I've loved feeling like a professional actor this past month, I'm kind of glad to be getting back to some normalcy for a bit. I guess I'm sort of out of practice; not only did I become really dehydrated during the rehearsal process, but I also really messed up something with my hip. My body is definitely telling me I need to take it easy right now, and that I need to start taking care of myself better and build up some stamina and strength. I'm already in rehearsals for my next show (but the process won't be anywhere near as grueling), but I'm definitely going to make that a goal for this summer.

Now, a little bit about this adorable Voodoo Vixen dress! Seriously, who doesn't love gingham? I think this tiffany blue gingham is incredibly sweet, and I like the fact that the neckline is a little more sultry in contrast. The buttons are a lovely detail too (though all are purely for show), and I always appreciate a back zipper in a dress (I am very anti-side-zip!). I normally like my skirts a little bit longer, but this would definitely be a good option for hot summer days. The cotton fabric is on the thin side and the skirt is unlined – which, again, is good for the heat factor, but it's a little too sheer for my taste (though wearing a slip underneath helps). This dress does run true to size, but if you're in between sizes on the Voodoo Vixen chart, I would recommend going with the larger size in this particular dress, since it doesn't contain as much stretch as some of their other pieces. All in all, the Gracey is a great option for summertime BBQs, picnics or simply enjoying the sunshine.

Outfit Details

Gracey Dress: c/o Voodoo Vixen

Sunglasses: c/o Unique Vintage (similar)

Flats: Aerosoles (old)

Have a great day!

xox Sammi

Wedding Bell Blues

Outfit Details:

Dress: c/o eShakti (other colors here)

Hat: moving sale (c/o my voice teacher)

Gold flats: Marshall's (old)

Petticoat: eBay

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of eShakti.  Not only does eShakti provide incredibly high-quality garments at affordable prices, but they offer a vast range of customized options for making their pieces one-of-a-kind and uniquely suited to each customer.  I'm always impressed with all the different styles they carry (they have virtually everything from boho to retro to preppy), and the fact that they can make any of their styles in sizes 0-36W is truly an incredible business model.  It's obvious that they care for each customer, and want to make each woman's experience a positive one.  In my experience, their customer service is top-notch, their shipping is fast, and the workmanship is always fantastic.  I own two other dresses by eShakti (seen in posts here and here), and I was over the moon when they reached out to me to see if I'd like to work with them and offered to send me a piece to review.  I was even more thrilled (if that's possible!) when I received this dress and put it on for the first time -- man, oh man, it is a thing of beauty!

I want to go on record as saying that I would have bought this dress myself in a heartbeat.  It's in the same style as the denim dress I have from eShakti (neither color seems to be currently available on their site), but this fabric feels much more luxurious.  Anything with scalloped detailing is always up my alley, and I love the fact that the skirt is full enough to look great with a petticoat.  Plus, I think the silhouette is incredibly flattering and works really well for my shape.  There's also some stretch to this dress, which gave slightly more "give" than I really need, but I'd much rather have some breathing room.  AND this dress has pockets!  What more could you possibly ask for in a dress?  I'm eager to try styling this dress in other ways; the fabric is heavy enough that it can span the seasons, and I think it'd be adorable with a cardigan, too.

The color in these photos actually looks a little more off-white than the dress does in person (the true color has a slightly pale yellow hue -- it's almost a buttermilk color, I'd say), so these shots ended up looking more wedding-esque than I had planned.  I used to think about my wedding all the time; my ex and I had talked about marriage in terms of "when," not "if," and our future together seemed definite.  I had an idea of my dream wedding dress in my head (something blush pink) and my Pinterest wedding inspiration board was always expanding.  I started thinking a lot about weddings while taking (and editing) these photos, and it's still surreal to me to not think about my own wedding as something on the horizon.  I kind of get upset watching wedding shows now.  Logically, I can believe that it'll still happen someday, but like many things in my life thus far, it won't be how I initially imagined or expected.  And I guess that's okay.  It's not like I want to get married right now, anyway... but adjusting to a different way of thinking about one's future is never easy.  I'm just eager for the day to come when thoughts of wedding bells aren't wrapped up in the painful memories of my breakup.  It'll happen, obviously.  But I'm impatient.  Anyway, if nothing else, I now have a gorgeous dress I could conceivably wear for my own wedding festivities (rehearsal dinner, etc.) -- for whenever they should happen... and for lots of other occasions, too!

The kind folks over at eShakti are offering my readers a 10% discount through June 9th!  Just enter the code brunettes in the promotional code box during check-out.  It can also be used in conjunction with other promotional offers and gift coupons (which eShakti is pretty generous about giving -- for instance, if you're a new customer, you can sign up and get a $25 gift coupon!).  If you're interested, you can follow eShakti's social media outlets via Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, too.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

xox Sammi

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post, but did receive a product for review purposes. All opinions are completely my own, based on my experience. Any company or product endorsed on this blog is one I fully believe in and support, and would continue to do so, regardless of whether items are gifted or paid for by me.