Friday Favorites #45

Happy Friday, everyone!  We are *finally* getting some springier weather here (thank goodness!), which has launched me into full-fledged spring fever.  I'm so thankful not to have to wear snow boots and a heavy coat now!  With the influx of warm weather comes a flood of new items and lines.  Here are some of my favorite finds from this past week:

a // b // c // d // e // f // g 

Retro UK brand Trollied Dolly has a slew of new arrivals for spring!  I have a few of their dresses, and they always carry the most darling prints and silhouettes.  I'm so into a bunch of these!  The wildflower print dress (letter b) might be my favorite, but they're also carrying a few different dresses in a really charming bicycle print (which is shown in both letters c and g).  I also really love the shape of both of those dresses!  Other prints this season include dragonflies (letter a), cockatoos (letter d), beach deck chairs (letter e), and sprinkles (letter f)!  So springy and retro and hard to choose!

I'm seriously going ga-ga over all the amazing prints that are popping up lately!  My favorites include...

This umbrella printed dress by Nishe:

A hot pink dress with a peter pan collar and a marionette print?!?!  Amazing!

The print on this dress is a little busy, but it's soo much fun!

This pink kitty cat dress and matching cardi are so darling and retro!

1 // 2

Speaking of retro, this dress is my favorite of the bunch!  It's currently sitting in my shopping cart.

I've said before that I can be very picky about florals, but these are all so lush!

a // b // c // d // e

This new Bernie Dexter creation is so beautiful!  It reminds me of Monet's garden!  (In fact, now that I look at it -- IS it a print of Giverny?!  It's hard to tell, but it definitely could be!)

This violet print dress is absolutely beautiful.  I saw this dress on Miss Victory Violet and fell in love!

I am very preoccupied with thoughts of making over my room lately (though motivation to actually do anything is seriously lacking... oops), and I'm pretty fixated on making one part of my room into a little ice cream parlor-themed section.  I already have ice cream parlor wrought iron chairs (which I need to paint - gah!) and am on the hunt for a bistro table.  I bought an ice cream cone lamp recently, but I think these housewares would be a good addition to a fifties-inspired, snacky space:

1 // retro chair  2 // Coke bottle light string

3 // retro ice cream scoop   4 // wooden ice cream spoons

5 // ice cream salt & pepper shakers   6 // ice cream door stop

7 // ice cream wall clock   8 // soda fountain glasses

9 // snack bar menu wall sign   10 // ice cream cone lamp

11 // popcorn containers   12 / retro diner cookie jar

13 // retro milkshake girl sign   14 // gummy bear lights 

15 // ice cream necklaces   16 // banana split, donut & pretzel pillows

I'm always hovering somewhere between pastel and kitch.  Though the above items satisfy my kitschier tendencies, these springy pastels are just as enticing.  For starters, I adore this beautiful blue vintage number from Urban Outfitters: 

I need a good pastel purse.  The first one is Betsey Johnson, and the second one is all jelly material!

1 // 2

This pink dress from eShakti is so sweet:

For all my dresses, I really don't have many skirts in my wardrobe.  I love these two baby blue options!

a // b

This pink scrub brush wand is magical!

These dresses are so pretty and delicate!

1 // 2

I can't resist a lavender dress, and I love the detailing on top!

I love Glitters For Dinner and their made-to-order adorable wares!

1 // 2 // 3

4 // 5 // 6

I love anything nostalgic or fantastical, so these are right up my alley!  Anything made out of jelly material is always on my wish list, and I love these bracelets made out of Cracker Jack prizes!  Plus, these heels are Pegasus-inspired (and on sale!).  So much fun!

1 // 2 // 3

On the subject of mythical creatures, I have to thank Amy from Hipsterbrarian for finding this amazing unicorn dress from Folter Clothing!  They truly have some of the coolest printed dresses in existence.

I love this Golden Girls phone case (since Bea Arthur is both my spirit animal and a mythical creature in her own right), but I wish it were better quality -- and that it specified the compatible iPhone model!

Myths... legends... you can't talk about that without mentioning Mr. White.  Some kind samaritan should buy me this Heisenberg sweatshirt immediately.

I desperately want this book!

I want to try this Thai tea frappe recipe!  I'm so obsessed with Thai iced teas, and this sounds like a yummy alternative.  I always think that it's precisely what Pooh Bear would order at a Thai restaurant.

I love the whole Billy on the Street series, and this one with Paul Rudd is pretty excellent (though I am partial to the one with Amy Pohler).  So dreamy.

BEHOLD: THIS OTTER, PLAYING WITH A FEATHER.  I need one desperately.

That's all for this week!  Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi

Hold onto your hat (Flock Together)

Happy Wednesday, everyone!  I'm posting over at Flock Together today, highlighting one of my favorite accessories: the hat!  I've compiled some of my favorite looks from my fellow Flock Together members that feature the chapeau.  Below are some of my favorite looks from these ladies, but you should head on over to Flock Together and read the full post here!

Katie of Butterfly Loves Snapdragons

Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles

Amy of The Amy Loo Blog

You can find much more from some of my favorite ladies around in my post!  Have a great day!

xox Sammi

A taste of honey

Outfit Details:

Bee My Honey Dress: ModCloth (similar here)

Cardigan: Old Navy (similar here)

Jelly flats: ModCloth (similar here)

Hair bow: American Apparel

Belt: from another dress

Spoon ring: Mom's

I haven't worn this dress in a year. I wore it only once last spring, during an outing with my then-boyfriend.  The zipper broke that day, and then soon after, so did our relationship. I've been thinking about it a lot lately (the relationship, not the zipper). I'm not sure whether it's because I'm seeing someone new, or because I'm rehashing things with a mutual friend (and other friends as well), or because the reality of the situation is still settling in for me. It's probably a combination of all three. I yo-yo between seeing everything very clearly in hindsight (as one is wont to do) and being grateful that I'm no longer in that situation, and then missing aspects of our relationship and wondering if I was in the wrong. I caught up with an old friend yesterday, and we talked about how you can come to rationalize just about anything in a relationship. I did a lot of that. My ex probably did, too. We convinced ourselves that we were supposed to spend our lives together, and I really never questioned it. There's a small part of me that still wonders about it. I know ultimately that I am better off now, but I have been thinking a lot about whether or not there is even someone out there who is better-suited for me.

I have never wanted to be cynical; I believe in vulnerability and beauty and true love and joy. I think I need to stop sweeping my feelings under the rug, and just allow myself to feel the way I do. Avoidance helps for a while, but you can't live your life that way. Long story short, this is why I decided to wear this dress again. Yes, it's associated with my lost love... yes, it's painful to think about the fact that he is not in my life anymore... but I will never get to a better place with any of this if I don't challenge myself. I want to move forward in my life. It's strange that a piece of clothing could symbolize that for me... but then again, maybe it's not so strange. Though I didn't manage to mend the relationship, I did mend the zipper by myself. And it's also up to me to mend my heart. No one else can do that for me. I've never been good at letting go of situations or people. But I'm tired of carrying it around with me. I guess admitting all this is the first step to freeing myself of it. I consider myself to be a genuinely happy person, most of the time, but like I said in my last post, I would say that I'm struggling a bit at the moment. Thank you all for allowing me to express this, and for listening. I want my blog to be a positive place, but even more than that, I want it to be an honest one. I do love a healthy dose of fantasy in both my sense of style and my chosen career, but I can't play pretend all the time. I know this isn't the typical escapist copy that I write, so I truly appreciate anyone who has actually read all this, and those who are willing to keep reading. 

In closing, I am hopeful. I know I'll figure it out eventually. It's just going to take some time.

Have a beautiful Monday.

xox Sammi

Merry-go-round

Outfit Details:

Carousel dress: c/o Bonne Chance Collections

Pink coat: ASOS (similar here)

Castle ring: Sammydress

Tights: Target

Boots: eBay

This dress is so much fun!  I'm so enchanted with the print of the skirt -- not only does it have carousel animals, but it also has bows and teacups!  Plus, the colors are pretty perfect.  The kind ladies at Bonne Chance Collections actually sent me this dress as a gift, for which I am so grateful.  They have been nothing but kind and supportive towards me and my blog.  I was disappointed when another version of this dress sold out on their website, and they were so sweet to send me this one!  I wish it were a little roomier in the bust, but it's too cute a dress to be sitting in my closet!

This weekend is filled with shows for My Son Pinocchio -- we had our two school shows yesterday (where kids from various schools come to see the show on field trips), and then we have one show today and two tomorrow.  This show isn't really physically-demanding for me, by any means, but for some reason, it's really exhausting.  I'm not sure if it's doing the show on top of everything else that's going on for me emotionally, or whether it's because I'm out of shape, or what... it's most likely the combination of these things, haha.  I know I really need to make some changes in my life, but I'm finding that I'm short on willpower these days, and I am definitely struggling more than I thought I was. These last 6+ months have been emotionally-trying, and I'm still trying to sort through and come to terms with everything.  It's hard.  Sometimes I think I'm over things, but the truth of the matter is that I'm not, and have a long way to go yet.  But recognizing that you're struggling is a good first step to figuring things out, I think.  I usually want this blog to be a place of escape and positivity, but not at the risk of feeling like I'm deceiving anyone -- lest of all, myself.  So thanks for bearing with me, friends.

Have a great Saturday!

xox Sammi

Friday Favorites #44

Another week's gone by, and my spring fever is in full force!  I'm really into home furnishings this week (more so than dresses, even -- a shocker!).  Here are some of the dreamy home goods I've found.  I especially love the pillows shaped like sweet treats, the magic wand whisk (I'm playing a fairy right now, so this is too perfect), and the retro tins!

a // b // c // d // e // f // g

h // i // j // k // l // m

This botanical cake stand is so pretty:

I think I'm getting more into florals lately (I've said before that I can be picky about floral prints) because I desperately want to see flowers outside.  I really adore these two floral pieces:

a // b

I'm in the market for a pretty pink dress for spring.  Any of these three would do nicely:

1 // 2 // 3

These Mary Janes are so sweet:

I want all of the unicorn decor (decornicorn?) that there is, and this jewelry dish is no exception:

This lavender dress is absolutely darling.  I actually like the back more than the front!

Bunny slippers loafers!  I want these for Easter!

Also, these emoji loafers are nothing short of amazing:

Charlotte Olympia sure knows how to make cute (and ridiculously priced) handbags:

A // B

I adore the colors of this retro frock, and the syfy ray gun print is pretty rad:

Sweetest socks ever!  Sprinkles and ice cream!

a // b

And speaking of sweet, these retro appliances and furnishings really hit the spot:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11

Some of my favorite links this week include...

Samuel L. Jackson's reading of Boy Meets World slam poetry:

These stunning human and animal portraits by Russian photographer, Katerina Plotnikova:

The cast of The Lion King performing "Circle of Life" on a plane:

This list of 69 inventions every girl wants, needs and deserves

That's all for now!  Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi