Pals + Pastels

Look where I am! Or was, rather. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the weekend with Kate! I'm so glad we finally had the chance to meet, and I had an absolutely lovely time hanging out with her and her family. Living in the digital age definitely has its pitfalls, but it's pretty amazing when an internet friendship translates so well into real life. Also, her room is just as dreamy in person as it is in her photos! I definitely need to step up my decorating game.

I also got to meet Arrietty, which was quite a treat!

Since Kate and I both own this dress, she had the great idea of taking some photos in our matching outfits. We headed over to a nearby park with some beautiful gardens, and we even tried our hand at some jumping photos (my first attempt ever!). 

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dresses: ModCloth (similar style here)

My flats: Aerosoles (similar)

Kate's shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

On Friday, Kate was kind enough to accompany me to go see a friend from college in his production of Rock of Ages, and I ran into some other college friends while there. The show was great, and it was nice to see all of them. On Saturday, I met up with my two closest friends from school, and we had the most wonderful lady teatime date I could ever imagine. We had a delightful lunch at Alice's Tea Cup (consisting of peach tea, triple chocolate + lemon blueberry scones, and curried chicken salad sandwiches), and I haven't laughed so hard in quite a long time. The weather was perfect, we did some window shopping and walked through a street fair... it was pretty much the perfect afternoon. Oh, and Kate and I saw Shaun the Sheep at an awesome movie theater (with the comfiest reclining chairs you can imagine), and it was such an adorable movie and everyone should go see it immediately.

There are times where I still get a little sad going into the city. I tend to be prone to nostalgia, and I have a lot of memories of New York, both good and bad. I spent a lot of time in the city in college, and it simultaneously feels like ages ago and just yesterday. I haven't remained close with that many people from my time there, and sometimes I feel like a failure because I'm not currently living there (and am frankly really intimidated by the prospect of moving back). I'm also reminded a lot of my previous relationship when I'm there, and sometimes still fear that I'll run into my ex; as unlikely as that seems in such a big place, I always bump into someone I know, so it wouldn't be unheard of. Maybe most of all, being in New York reminds me of how much time has passed since I lived there, and how I'm not the same person anymore. Ultimately, I think that's a good thing, but I still don't know if it's really the place for me or not. I think I'd regret it if I didn't find out for sure. And luckily, I do have some wonderful friends in the area – both old and new – with whom I'm still close, and that brings me a lot of joy, even in times of uncertainty.

Have a great day!

Mint condition

Outfit Details:
Dress: purchased from Kate
Necklace: Forever 21 (similar here)
Heels: estate sale store

I always seem to luck out when Kate sells items from her closet.  It sort of goes without saying that she and I have a similar aesthetic, and it's fortunate that she and I wear the same size in most of our clothes.  I managed to snag this beauty in her latest sale (along with a fantastic citrus print dress), and I couldn't wait to wear it.  I was beyond thrilled that both dresses fit well, and this dress wasn't nearly as see-through as I had feared (thank goodness!).  With its little cape-like bodice, this dress feels so special that there isn't much of a need for fancy accessories, so I paired it with a simple wishbone necklace from Forever 21, and the best vintage shoes ever (a $10 estate sale store find!).

This week was rough.  In addition to dealing with all the stress that comes along with tech week for any show, my grandma passed away on Friday morning (if you missed my post yesterday, you can take a look here).  My mom went to Florida on Wednesday (she's coming home this morning), and I'm glad she was able to make it there in time.  She and my grandma were quite close, just like my mom and I are.  My mom is essentially my best friend.  I've been thinking about mortality and aging a lot because of this, and frankly, it scares the hell out of me.  I am not exactly a realist, by nature, and I'm so sensitive to the thought of change that I can't bear to think about losing my own parents.  I don't want to lose anyone I love.  I know it's a part of life, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.  

It can be really difficult to put a positive spin on these types of situations.  I guess I have to close with the hope that you can live in the present, enjoy your life, and take nothing for granted.  Easier said than done, especially given this world in which we live.  But I do hope you have a beautiful day.

xox Sammi

The Tooth Fairy

Outfit Details:

Hypatia Dress: ever+mi.crush

Lavender sweater: Forever 21 (similar here)

Cat eye glasses: ModCloth (similar here)

White Mary Janes: estate sale store

Bracelet: American Eagle (old)

This is a short, silly post!  I was trying to figure out another way to wear this dress (designed by the lovely Kate Gabrielle), and I found this pretty sweater from last year in a box of older clothes, and decided to try remixing the dress.  For some reason, this outfit makes me think of a modern day costume for The Tooth Fairy!  Maybe it's because I have fairies on the brain lately (I'm playing the Blue Fairy in a production of Disney's My Son Pinocchio here), or maybe because I have the spirit of a costumer, but I think the soft pastels and kooky glasses are perfect -- plus, the collar kind of looks like a row of teeth!  The pearly white shoes and bracelet were also a nice touch, I thought.  I don't know if the bulky sweater over a dress combination is very flattering on me, but it's definitely a practical choice!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Snow angel

Outfit Details:

Hypatia Dress: ever+mi.crush (50% off with NEWYEAR at checkout!)

Faux fur cape: Target (old, similar here)

Tights: ModCloth (old, similar here)

Dance Instead of Walking Heel in Cream: ModCloth

Ring & bracelet: old

Well, New Year's Eve Day is here... and I still have no idea what I'm doing tonight.  At this point, I think I'm going to end up having dinner with my parents and vegging out on the couch!  Not that this is a horrible way to spend the night or anything... it's just that I feel like that's every night for me these days, since I'm not in rehearsals for anything and don't have much going on at the moment.  I guess it's just weird that this'll be the first time in a long time that I'm not going out to dinner with someone, and that I won't be kissed at midnight.  I know it's dumb, but those are the kinds of things that still affect me a lot.  It's something I'll just have to get used to in time, like anything else.  But I'm definitely trying to look on the bright side: that this roller coaster of a year is finally coming to an end, and that maybe tomorrow, I can just start fresh -- at least a little bit.

I decided that if I were going out for New Year's Eve, I might just wear this dress.  I actually wore this on my birthday this year, so apparently it's a holiday dress for me or something.  Kate of Scathingly Brilliant designed this dress, and it's just so sweet and delicate -- and looks perfect against the snow.  I decided to pair it with this faux fur capelet (which I got from Target last year but never wore!), and they look like they were made to go together!  I never seem to incorporate any pops of color when I wear this dress, and I'm not exactly sure why.  Maybe because the soft gray and ivory are a statement in themselves, and it would take away from that if I added a color.

I just have to say that two things that have made the last few days of 2013 great are:

1) I came home to find my mom had rearranged my bedroom and had put some of my new (and formerly stored) furniture into my room!  I'm so in love with the way it looks, and I can't wait to make more headway on the room (I'm especially excited to paint)!

A work in progress!  I can't decide on whether I want lavender or mint for the walls.

My new gorgeous dresser from DSARTE!  They are TRULY wonderful.  They shipped this dresser all the way from Reno and were so professional.  The price was fantastic, too!

New lilac bedding (my favorite flower)!

My fairy desk is back!  I used it in my old apartment and it's been sitting down in the basement ever since!  It's made from an old sewing machine table, and I'm so in love with the fairy decoupage.  It's from OrWa Designs.

Someone approves of the makeover!

2) Yesterday, I uploaded a photo to Instagram that pertained to yesterday's post, which included an outfit from November that featured my Betsey Johnson phone bag.  The lovely Ashley from Southern (California) Belle was kind enough to alert me that BETSEY JOHNSON HERSELF tweeted that photo of me (and called me a babe -- pinch me!) soon after!!  It was just a really cool little thing, especially since my mom is SUCH a huge Betsey Johnson fan!!  I've gotten her Betsey Johnson jewelry for the past two Christmases, she has vintage Betsey Johnson pieces, and she just loves her aesthetic.  It definitely brightened up my day and made me feel special, and those are both things that I selfishly cherish these days.  She also requested to follow me on Twitter, which was neat.  :)

Oh, and one more thing that has made not only the the last few days, weeks and months pretty great: all of you!  I feel so privileged and lucky to get to know such wonderful, kind, creative people.  As cynical as I can sometimes be about technology actually making us be less connected to real life situations... it's truly amazing that I've gotten to know so many lovely people and feel emotionally close to them, despite having never met any of my blogger friends IRL (yet!).  Though I am glad to see this year end, I am overjoyed that this year has brought so many new and fantastic people into my life.

I hope you all have a spectacular and safe New Year's Eve!
xox Sammi