Cornucopia

Outfit Details:

Plant by Numbers Dress: ModCloth (no longer available... similar here, here and here)

Burgundy tights: not sure... similar here and here

Lady in Rad Boot in Camel: ModCloth (no longer available, similar here)

Necklace: Forever 21 (old)

Squirrel ring: Forever 21

Orange belt: ASOS

There are many times where I love seeing the different ways I can wear a specific piece.  I really do think there is something magical about remixing, especially when a piece is unique or tricky in some way.  But there are other times when I like to wear a particular piece in my closet a certain way, and end up styling it the exact same way every time I wear it.  This dress falls under the latter category, for some reason.  It's one of my favorite fall dresses.  I love the print (it reminds me so much of Thanksgiving, for some reason -- hence the post title), and it's super comfortable and flattering.  But I always end up wearing it with burgundy tights, these boots, and an orange belt (the dress came with a different orange belt, and it was so flimsy that it broke after one wear, so I went on a crazy orange belt hunt for a time).  In case you don't believe me, I wore this outfit very early on in my blogging, and I wore it the exact same way.  I will probably challenge myself to style this in a new way sometime soon (probably with a skirt over it), but this dress is kind of classically fall for me now, so I figured I should wear it in my favorite way the first time it came out of my closet this season.

I'm having trouble sleeping, and I have no doubt it's the result of anxiety, because logically, I should sleep like a baby every night with all the activity I'm doing.  I feel like I can't turn my mind off.  I knew this month would be difficult.  October was always my favorite month, and now I kind of can't wait until it's over, which makes me even sadder, really.  My birthday is in 5 days, and I sort of feel like it doesn't even matter.  I'm really glad I'm keeping so busy, because if I had to spend the whole day with my mind unoccupied (with the exception of these consuming thoughts), I'd probably lose it.  I'm desperately trying to stay positive and be my normal self, and I do succeed a lot of the time.  I'm constantly reminding myself of what I have to look forward to: hanging out with my cast mates on Friday, having a little birthday celebration on Saturday night, going out for tea with my mom and grandma on Sunday... getting a bunch of things to make over my room, thinking about taking a mini-vacation with my mom in January... these things cheer me up a little, but it's a little fleeting.  When you've made someone your world (whether he wants to believe that or not) for the better part of three years, you end up feeling very isolated when your world gets turned upside down.  I don't feel like I have very many people I can talk to, so I resort to writing down my rambling thoughts here.  Which is therapeutic in a way, but I don't want my blog to be a downer blog.  I want it to be a means of escape, for both myself and for those who read it.  I've always wanted it to be an upbeat, lovely fantasy place.  I want to get back to that, but I also want to be honest.  I'm trying to figure out that balance.  So please bear with me, friends.  I'll get back in the swing of things sooner or later (though I hope it's sooner).

   

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

xox Sammi   

snuggle bunny

Outfit Details:

Bunny & Carrot Dress: The Kissing Tree Vintage

Orange belt: ASOS (on sale!)

White tights: Target

Squirrel ring: Forever 21

Black flats: Target (old)

Kimchi Blue doctor bag: Urban Outfitters (old)

After a long day of school shows (and an evening rehearsal to follow), it felt really nice to change into real clothes, do my hair and enjoy the last of the sunlight.  I end up wearing schlubby sweatpants and old tank tops to the shows in the morning, since I change right when I arrive and am usually so gross when they're over (each show is an hour of non-stop physical movement, essentially) that I don't want to wear anything nice.  It was finally cool enough outside to wear this adorable sweatshirt dress, so I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I didn't have to dance in my evening rehearsal and wear something impractical.  :)

I don't think I'd ever used this bag before this post.  It's just been sitting on a shelf.  It's so cute, but it's not really a practical bag for most things, and I will usually opt for function over fun when it comes to purses.  But I love that it totally looks like a carrot!  And the doctor's bag shape is so charming.

I took a bunch of photos of the rabbit up close... but it actually looks SUPER creepy when you don't see the whole dress!  There are a few photos with just its eyes looking at the camera and it takes on this whole sinister feel... and it's really such a cute dress that I couldn't post those photos!

Oddly, this dress only has one pocket?  But it's such a warm and fleecy thing (it feels like the dress is giving you a hug when you wear it!) that I can't even complain.

See?  Even a little bit of the eyes come off as totally frightening!

Have a great Monday!  

xox Sammi

PS: The lovely Kristian of Never Fully Dressed (Without a Style) has featured me -- along with some other awesome bloggers -- in her newest "Q+A" installment on her blog today!  She was so sweet to think of me for this series, and this post is all about risks.  Go check it out here!

ModCloth's "Uniquely You" Polyvore Challenge!

Today, I'm doing something a little different... I was contacted by Amy, one of the ModStylists at ModCloth, to see if I wanted to participate in one of ModCloth's Polyvore challenges, as part of their Uniquely You campaign.  When I heard that it would involve styling a piece from one of ModCloth's new in-house brands, I jumped at the chance!  ModCloth has two new brands of its very own: Bea & Dot -- which specializes in a lot of quirky, fun prints -- and Myrtlewood -- which features a lot of beautiful, vintage-inspired pieces that are great for a work environment.  I really love both of these labels, since my aesthetic is so inspired by the elements that are a trademark for their pieces.

For this Polyvore challenge, participants were instructed to take a specific piece from one of these labels and base a complete ensemble off of it, featuring up to seven other pieces that are currently being sold on ModCloth's website.  The piece I was given for this challenge was the Sacramento Style Skirt (part of the Myrtlewood label), shown below:

This skirt makes me think of warm breezes and fruity drinks!  It also reminds me of a modernized version of a patio skirt (also called a square dance skirt).  But I didn't want to limit this adorable piece to being only for vacation ensembles, so I decided to style it in a way that would be perfect for a fun Friday night date, and could transition easily from day to evening:

a // Sacramento Style Skirt

b // Iconic Presence Top

c // See Eye to Cat-Eye Glasses

d // Charter School Cardigan in Magenta

e // Positive Spin Ring

f // Work Your Style Wedge

g // Look Into Your Heart Bag

I love how this black top is flirty and girly, but it's clearly covered up enough for an office environment, especially with this magenta cardigan over it (I'm the kind of person who always brings a cardigan, and I almost always need it!).  The great thing about this skirt is that it could so easily be dressed up, but I decided to have some fun with ModCloth's adorable accessories: the heart purse is so cute for a date (and I love the pop of cyan!), and I'm obsessed with this record spinning ring!  I also have a thing for faux glasses, and these cat eye ones give this ensemble a bit of vintage flair.  Finally, I adore any shoe with an ankle strap (it manages to be both cutesy and sexy, somehow!), and these wedges are incredibly versatile without being boring.

Although I might not have immediately picked out this skirt as something that screams "Sammi," I actually really love it as part of this ensemble!  It's the kind of piece that could span all four seasons, and could easily be remixed in numerous ways.  It also seems as if it would be very flattering, and above all, it would be impossible to not have a good time while wearing this outfit!  :)

Thanks for checking out my entry in this challenge!  How would you style this lovely skirt??

Have a great Sunday!

xox Sammi

Pumpkin spice

Outfit Details:

Orange bow dress: Forever 21 (old, similar here)

Stay in Character Top: ModCloth (similar here, or exact shirt on eBay)

Knee socks: ModCloth (similar here)

Toe Tapping Attitude Heel: ModCloth (no longer available)

Heart necklace: ASOS (no longer available)

Daisy ring: Mom's

Is this the most stereotypical, girly title for a blog post or what??  No apologies though, because I DO love fall and everything pumpkin, and this dress feels like all of those things.  But here's something I keep wondering lately, because I keep hearing people say "pumpkins aren't even spicy!" and making fun of the PSL thing... Is "pumpkin spice" just a shortened variation of "pumpkin PIE spice?!?!"  As in, the flavoring that gets put INTO pumpkin pies to make them taste all cinnamon-y and warm and lovely??!  Is that what PSLs are IMPLYING?  So really, they are PPSLs?!  Am I a genius?  Or am I an idiot for just figuring this out?  Maybe don't answer that. 

Anyway, this lovely orange dress is perfect for fall, and I've been wanting to wear it as more of a jumper for a while (ever since I first wore it on the blog, here).  Although it's still on the short side for me, I definitely like wearing it with a blouse underneath and with something like knee socks or tights.  This blouse is a tricky piece too, because not only is it cropped, but it also has a weird high-low hem (which I generally dislike on all things -- mostly because I can't pull it off), so wearing it under something else seems like my only option.  But I got the blouse during one of ModCloth's crazy sales, and the print reminds me of the illustrations in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, so I had to get it.  I've also decided that I need to wear these shoes more often.  The bows are just too stinking cute.  And being the matchy-matchy girl I am (let's call a spade a spade), I had to have bows on my shoes to match the bows on the dress!  Too cutesy, maybe, but I love it.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

xox Sammi

Flock Together!

Hi everyone!  Today marks my first day blogging over at Flock Together!  If you ever wanted to know a little bit more about me (or take a trip down memory lane with some of my favorite outfits), go check out my introduction post!  I talk a bit about what inspired me to start blogging, and from where I draw my style influences!  Head on over to Flock Together to take a look at my post!

Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi