Monday, July 1, 2013

Moments from the weekend

I've had a very enjoyable last few days.  The weather has finally been nice again, so I've been trying to take full advantage of it.  Instead of an outfit post today, I'm sharing a few photos from my weekend.  I've hopped on the Instagram train at the suggestion of my blogger friend, Rebecca of The Cinnamon Slipper (if you don't already follow her, you should do so immediately), and I'm making an effort to use it more.  I am enjoying the filters more than I probably should.

For instance, I'm so in love with this photo.

I have no pictures from Friday, but I reached a (very small) milestone and finally got my learner's permit!  I don't know if I've really talked about the fact that I do not (yet!) know how to drive... it's sort of an embarrassing thing to admit in many ways, because I don't like being dependent on people, and a girl who is nearly 25 should be able to drive herself around.  But at least I've taken the first step!  Now for the hard part.  I'm going to have to sign up for a driving school, because I don't think I'd handle learning from either of my parents very well; simply put, it's a situation that gives me a lot of anxiety, and I tend to lash out in those kinds of instances.  So I think it's better if I learn from someone I don't really know well and that I won't act like a crazy person around.

After going to the DMV (twice, because their website is - of course - so confusing that it's hard to find what documents you need to bring with you... and we left my birth certificate at home the first time out), my mom and I went out to run some fun errands.  I needed new BareMinerals makeup, and I ended up getting a new dress in the process, courtesy of my mama!  :)  You'll see that in tomorrow's outfit post.  After that, we got a ton of fabric flowers so that I can make my own flower crowns!  I'm super excited to do this.  I'm hoping to start this week, or maybe next.

After my shift at work on Saturday, my mom and I headed to a moving sale.  This sale was being held by my beloved former voice teacher, Cara, and oh my goodness, it was amazing.  My voice teacher has also directed countless productions and has often done her own costuming for her shows.  She's also a lover of all things vintage.  So there were countless beautiful finds at her sale!

Amazing beautiful hats.  I managed to snag four of these beauties!

Gorgeous lilac gown

Vintage nightgowns and wedding gowns

How I lamented that my feet are not size 5 and 1/2!  These were exquisite.  Look at the heel!

Amazing peachy pink gown with floral embellishments

Close-up of the hats - I especially loved that green one in the upper left corner!

This is now mine!  I have a smaller wicker purse, but this one's the real deal.

Cara also has several vintage magazines and fashion books.  This one was a style book for menswear (from 1905!!) that door-to-door salesmen would take to show styles and fabric samples.  The swatches were still intact!


This womenswear catalogue was so lovely, too.  I just love seeing all the old illustrations and styles from different eras.  This particular catalogue was from the mid-1930s!


After all was said and done, Cara gave me an incredibly generous deal on my haul, which consisted of that wicker handbag, four of her hats, two fur collars, and a vintage pink lace petticoat!  I was only sorry I couldn't spend all day looking through all of her pieces (and couldn't afford to buy them myself)!

Post-shopping, Steven and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, a quasi-Vietnamese place, where we had our standby dishes: sweet and spicy rice with chicken and pineapple for me, and pho for him.  Afterwards, we went out to get Steven a new TV for his apartment.  It is huge and awesome.  I am currently watching Golden Girls, and Bea Arthur is absolutely enormous on this screen.

Yesterday, I was finally able to take new outfit photos because of the nice weather, and Steven and I went out to a Greek restaurant we love:


It was so nice to be able to sit outside (it's right along the Erie Canal) and eat.  We walked along the canal afterwards, and saw some bird friends...

I love that one goose with her neck outstretched!

... And then we went to get some frozen yogurt.  I'm obsessed with key lime pie flavored ANYTHING, but especially this froyo. 


And then we spent the rest of the night on his couch.  I have off of work for the next couple of days, but have a lot to do.  My grandma is coming to visit from Florida for the 4th of July, and there's a lot to do before then.  Sorry for the lack of outfit post today, but I figure that people might get tired of that all the time anyway.  At least it's something to break up the monotony.  :)

I think GFC is gone by now, yes?  Hopefully you can still import all of your blogs to Bloglovin'!  If you aren't following me there yet, I'd love it if you would!  

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Have a great Monday!
xox Sammi

Sunday, June 30, 2013

On the steps of the palace

Outfit Details:
Dress: My Lolita Dress
Earrings: Mom's
Sparkle jelly flats: jcpenney
White belt: eBay


So here's the thing with this dress.  I fell in love with the print on the fabric (I mean, castles and horse-drawn carriages?  Come on!).  However, I ordered this dress from a website that, in all honesty, I cannot personally recommend.  After ordering the dress and not hearing anything for at least a month (which sometimes is par for the course, if you order something from China), I investigated the website and discovered that it's an off-shoot of Milanoo.  I've heard some pretty horrible things about Milanoo (though I have also heard stories of good experiences), and I was very worried about the quality of the dress I'd ordered - or whether I'd even receive the dress at all. 




Eventually, I did receive the dress, but as you might be able to tell, the top of it is kind of strange; there aren't a lot of pictures that emphasize how odd it looks, but in person, it looks bumpy and weird.  I certainly learned a good lesson about being careful when ordering from online retailers, though.  The print may be darling, but the quality isn't great.  Has anyone else had experiences (good or bad) with ordering from Milanoo or one of their associated websites?  I'd be interested in hearing from you.



However, I do have to admit that I have never felt more like Cinderella in my life.











Have a wonderful Sunday!
xox Sammi

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Little Bow Peep

Outfit Details:
Peach dress with bow: Newman & Hall
Basically Amazing Socks in Ivory: ModCloth
Kimchi Blue white t-bar flats: Urban Outfitters
Painted Heart Ring: Urban Outfitters


I ordered this lovely dress at the same time I ordered this one, both from Newman & Hall.  I'm so in love with their shop!  When I received both dresses, the pink one fit perfectly, and this peach one seemed to have too much fabric at the back.  I was going to get it tailored before I wore it, but after I tried it on for a second time, I realized that I could definitely wear it prior to tailoring!  There is a bit of extra room in the back, but it couldn't keep me from wearing this adorable dress!



Surprise!  Steven showed up when I was talking pictures!








I love this big bow!  I was originally going to call this post "Peaches and cream," but decided against it when I realized that all I needed was a bonnet and a shepherd's crook to look like I was smack dab in the middle of a nursery rhyme.  




I hate taking pictures on hazy, cloudy days.  I know that's probably the opposite of how most photographers feel, but I don't know enough (read: anything) about photography to get the lighting or color balance to be how I want it to be otherwise.







I normally wouldn't include this picture in a post, but this is when I saw Steven arrive mid-photo, and I thought it was kind of cute.


Have a lovely Saturday!
xox Sammi

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