French Lavender (Flock Together)

 Hi, everyone!  First of all... HAPPY ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK DAY!!!  I will be busy binging my brains out over the next few days, I'm sure.  Secondly, I'm posting on Flock Together this morning, remixing this beautiful lilac dress from Hannah!  I really ended up loving this outfit (and it finally gave me a chance to wear my lady tie!).  Check out the rest of my photos and see how the other FT girls styled this dress here!  Thanks so much again to Hannah for letting me borrow this!

 

 

Have a fantastic Friday!

xox Sammi  

Spots and stripes (Flock Together)

Hi, guys!  I'm posting over at Flock Together today, remixing an awesome swapped dress from Elana of Room 334!  Check out my post (and see how Elana styled this herself) here!

Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi

Valentine

Outfit Details:

Red dress: swap from Dus

Upper West Stride Hat: ModCloth

Baby biscuit bag: Storenvy

Lips ring: Forever 21 (similar here)

White boots: eBay

This is one of the very rare occasions where I actually wear what I'm featuring on the blog on the same day.  There's usually a significant lag between when I take photos and when I actually post them, but because this gorgeous dress from Dus was so perfect for this holiday, I just had to save it to wear today after taking photos earlier in the week.  I'm working at the box office and then seeing the concert (they're playing all of the orchestrations of Singin' in the Rain while the movie is playing -- it's so cool how they use technology to make sure it all syncs up perfectly!), so I had to look festive!

This dress isn't as slimming in the waist as I usually like my dresses to be, but I actually don't mind it in this case, because it's so dreamy otherwise!  It's too hard to tell, but the neckline is actually scalloped, and the shoulders are puffed, which makes it even more darling.  I love the way that Dus styled this dress on her blog, and Marisa styled it over at Flock Together recently with such flair.  It never ceases to amaze me how seemingly statement pieces can be so versatile.  I daresay that I end up wearing things in less creative ways than some of the FT girls, but I try to put a unique spin on the styling!

What's funny is that I thought I'd feel down about being alone on Valentine's Day this year... but I've come to realize that I'm really not alone.  I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by people who love and care about me -- genuine, kind-hearted people that bring such joy into my life.  And I'd much rather have that than just any old someone to kiss today, just because it's the 14th of February and everyone tells us we're inferior if we don't have someone to share it with.  I have always loved this holiday, but I'm not going to feel sad simply because I technically don't have a sweetheart.  I feel happy and hopeful.  And it surprises even me.

I hope your day is happy & hopeful too, and filled with love.

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

xoxox Sammi

Cabernet sauvignon (Flock Together)

I'm posting over on the Flock Together blog today and I'm wearing this beauuuuutiful red velvet dress from Jenna of Smitten!  I'm super-infatuated with this slightly more grungy-bohemian look.  See more and check out how the other Flock Together girls styled this dress here!  

And don't forget to enter my 1-year blogiversary giveaway!  One (1) winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to ModCloth PLUS a huge haul of adorable goodies from ASOS and Forever 21!  Get all the details and enter to win here!  :)  

Have a terrific Tuesday!

xox Sammi

Mountain laurel

Outfit Details:

Vintage dress: swap from Elana

Vintage hat: Neely Auction (Etsy)

Seamed tights: similar here

Ida spectators: BAIT Footwear

Coat: ModCloth (old)

I'm back from my vacation!  And sadly, the landscape here no longer looks like this.  In typical Rochester fashion, we returned to lots of snowy, cold weather.  It was actually pretty chilly in Orlando (I had to wear my winter coat on Friday night at Epcot!), but it still nice to see palm trees!  Also, I didn't intend to take such a long break from blogging!  It got too crazy to schedule posts before we left, and every day when I vowed to blog at night, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!  It was truly a whirlwind vacation, and it was great to get away... but I'm glad to be home.  I'll go into more detail on everything when I can upload pictures and such, but thank you for being patient in the meantime!  :) 

I actually got a haircut after I took these photos, so I have shorter bangs now -- I tried for Bettie bangs, but I'm not sure if they really count.  I wasn't sold on them at first, but now I really like them!

I cannot say enough about how much I love this dress.  When I saw that Elana had put it up for swaps for Flock Together, I knew that I at least had to try it on.  Amazingly, it just zipped, and I immediately fell in luuurve.  It's so springy, and it was perfect for the one day of spring we had here before winter reared its ugly head again.  I told Elana that if she ever wanted to sell it, to let me know... and I think we're actually going to do a permanent swap!  She fell for my hot air balloon dress by Sugarhill Boutique that I put up for swaps, and I know she will get FAR more use out of it than I ever will!  Elana is such a doll, and I feel so glad to have gotten to know her better through blogging.  You can see how Elana styled this beautiful vintage dress here!  

Have a happy Sunday!

xox Sammi

Speakeasy (Flock Together)

Hi, everyone!  Today, I'm styling this awesome vintage dress from Hannah of The Braided Bandit over on the Flock Together blog!  I really love the way this one turned out.  You can check out the rest of my photos, see my outfit details, and take a look at how the other girls have styled this piece here!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

xox Sammi

PS: Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a free Blogger template, portrait doodle and 3 months of ad space from Silent Daisy!  :)  

Crisp apple strudel (Flock Together)

It's virtually unheard of that I do two posts in one day, but I'm also blogging over at Flock Together today!  I'm styling this beautiful red dress (which belongs to the lovely Erica!) and I'm definitely feeling the holiday spirit.  So once you've had your fill of holiday shopping (did you check out my post on my favorite Black Friday deals?), head on over to Flock Together and take a peek!

Have a happy Friday!!

xox Sammi  

Suzy Snowflake

Outfit Details:

Sailor Moon Dress: borrowed from Marisa (available through Mata Traders)

Lilac blouse: Vintage Style Me

Tights: ModCloth (old, similar here)

Dance Instead of Walking Heel in Ivory: ModCloth

Macaron ring: ASOS (old, similar styles here)

Hat & belt: ASOS (old)

Clutch: Ponychops

Mod For It Coat in Grey: ModCloth (old)

Oh my goodness.  I have said it before and I'll say it again: I'm so happy and feel so lucky to be a part of Flock Together!  Not only have I gotten to know some of the loveliest lady bloggers around, but it's a total dream to be able to raid each others' closets (and feel totally secure in the knowledge that my own clothes will be well taken care of -- as an only child, this is a "thing" for me)!  This dress of Marisa's is such an awesome piece (and side note: I always love borrowing things from Marisa - she has such a great eye, and our measurements are pretty similar, which is a plus!).  Marisa actually styled this dress in four different ways (one for each season!) on her blog, and I love all of them!  Be sure to check our her post here.  The collar on this dress is fantastic (wait til you see the back!), and I think gray is probably my favorite neutral.  I knew I wanted to pair this dress with a blouse underneath, and when I got this vintage top from Vintage Style Me, I had a hunch that they'd make a good pair.  I absolutely love the sleeves on this blouse (there's also some great detailing on the front, which is covered up by the dress), and the color is one of my favorites.  I ended up going a tad bit French with this - I guess because the hat looks like a beret, and the macaron ring matches so wonderfully.  Oh, and these were taken during our first snowfall!  Eek!  The snow has since melted, but we're supposed to get more over the past week or so... I'm not ready!!  But like it or not, winter is almost here.

I got this coat last year, during one of ModCloth's mega sales, after eyeing it forever.  It was originally way too expensive to justify the purchase, so I was thrilled when it went on sale.  I got lucky, because the sizing is really strange on this -- it's UK sizing, and I'm normally a pretty solid UK 12 (equivalent to a US 8), but after reading the reviews, I ended up sizing up to a UK 16 -- and it fits perfectly!  Thank goodness, since it was a final sale item.  Sometimes taking a chance works out in the end.  :)  

Confession: I really dislike my knuckles, but what's a ring-loving gal to do?

In other news, today is my dad's 60th birthday!  He and my mom went out for dinner last night, and I feel badly that he has a gig tonight (but a gig's a gig!), but I get the feeling he might not have wanted a big hullabaloo anyway.  I'm pretty sure he reads my blog (or at least, he always "likes" my blog-related Facebook posts), so Dad, if you're reading this: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  :)  We may not always get along (though this has admittedly changed a LOT, for the better), but my dad is a really cool, talented, caring guy, and I'm very grateful to be his daughter.  I just hope I can make him proud of me.

I'm stuck inside answering phones all day (it's busy at the box office), so enjoy your Saturday for me! 

xox Sammi