For the price of a cup of tea

Outfit Details:

Teacup dress: ModCloth (similar here) 

Teacup bag: WeShipWorldwide

Teacup necklace: ModCloth (similar here)

White flats: get them here

Pink hair bow: Forever 21

This is the outfit I wore for Mother's Day!  My mom and I have a love for anything tea-related (whenever I get married, my mom knows full well that I want my bridal shower to be a tea party!), and although we didn't go out for tea this year, I felt like this was perfectly suited for a day celebrating my mom.  My gifts to her ended up being tea-themed, too; I got her a sweet teapot (a good snag from Instagram shop, fabfindsanddesign) and a tea party cookbook, plus some Goetz's caramel cremes and another secret gift that STILL hasn't shipped!  Plus, I made her breakfast in bed (for the first time ever!).  She got to spend the day gardening, which is one of her favorite things, so I think she had a really nice day.  It helped that the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It's amazing the effect sunshine has on my overall mood!

Can we talk about how amazing this teacup bag is?  I'd been searching for a teacup bag on a reputable website for a long time, so I was delighted to find this!  It's clearly a rip-off of this Moschino bag, but since that's no longer available -- and I don't have an extra $600+ lying around to spend on an impractical novelty purse -- this was an awesome find.  Storenvy is a really great resource for kawaii and novelty purses, though like any site that has Asian wholesale-type storefronts, it's good to be cautious when ordering.  Shipping tends to take way longer than you'd think, but I've never had a problem (and even if I did, PayPal is usually pretty good about refunding payment).

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

My Favorite Outfit: Lauren from A Wild Tonic

Hi, everyone!  I'm continuing with this little series from my favorite blogger friends today.  I've asked each guest blogger to highlight her favorite outfit of choice.  Seeing my friends' different styles is always a huge source of inspiration for me.  Today's guest post is brought to you by my friend Lauren, who blogs over at A Wild Tonic and always impresses me with her thrift store finds!  Take a peek at her favorite ensemble below, and be sure to check out her Etsy shops!  :)

Hey there, folks! I'm Lauren, blogger at A Wild Tonic, vintage seller at A Wild Tonic, and upcycled print-maker at Wanderlust Print Co. Fun fact: Sammi and I actually went to the same college, and reconnected through blogging a few years later. She's pretty great, isn't she? Anyway, I'm not here to rave about Sammi, I'm here to talk about my favorite outfit, so let's get into it.

One of my ongoing goals in life is to live simply, minimally, and with intention. That's why I sell vintage clothing and prints on upcycled map paper. It's also why I shop at Goodwill almost exclusively. This dress was one of those perfect Goodwill finds. I'd been in the market for a grungy velvet dress for a while, and was this close to buying one online, and then I was thrifting for the shop and came across this baby. I can't even tell you how many times I've worn it so far. And it cost $3. You can find all the ways I've worn it (on my blog, at least) right here!

Outfit details:

dress: Goodwill

kimono top: Lulu's

earrings: vintage/were my mom's

sunglasses: c/o ZeroUV

bracelets: vintage and Forever 21

shoes: hand-me-down from a friend

Thanks for having me, Sammi! ♥

Flowers and frogs

Outfit Details:

Tilly Dress: Voodoo Vixen

Cardigan: Target (old)

White flats: get them here

Wicker purse: Chicwish

I really love the print on this dress.  I initially had some trouble with the fit (too tight in the bust but too loose in the waist -- which happens a lot with these types of dresses on me), but wearing a camisole underneath helped camouflage the gaping a lot.  Plus, double-sided tape could probably be considered my best friend at this point.  I use it for everything from gaping in tops to the inside of my belts, when the "tail" is too long and won't stay down.  You can use it for temporary hemming, as well.  It's easy to find, too -- they carry it at Jo Ann Fabrics, and there's a ton in each package.  Anyone else use this?

One thing I wish double-sided tape (or any other method of wardrobe magic) did would be to make the perfect cardigan length for any and all dresses.  My cropped ones work well for some dresses, but not for others.  This dusty rose cardigan is an oldie, and it matches the pink flowers in this dress perfectly, but the length never looks quite right.  If it's past a certain length, it makes the whole thing look dowdy; on the other hand, if the cardigan is too short, it can make me look rather round.  I decided to try tying this one for a different look, and though I wasn't 100% happy with it, I think it can be a good option.  I'll probably wear a white sweater with this next time.  This gorgeous cardigan (from the same site) looks like it's made to go with this dress, so I've been eyeing that, but it might actually be too matchy-matchy.

While taking these photos, I met a little friend!  I will admit that I'm pretty sure he was actually a toad, not a frog, but I decided to forgo accuracy for the sake of alliteration.  He was huge (but cute)!  I startled him a little, but he seemed pretty relaxed when I took photos of him.  There are so many creatures in our yard around this time of year!

Have a great Monday!

xox Sammi

Forever plaid

Outfit Details:

Vintage plaid dress: Cricket Capers

BAIT Footwear spectators: similar here & here

Microphone brooch: ModCloth

Petticoat: eBay

I've really lucked out with the vintage items I've purchased on Etsy.  I think the only items I've ever bought that weren't a slam dunk were from when I first started scouring the internet for vintage, and I wasn't nearly as familiar with my own measurements or what shapes looked best on me.  Shopping for vintage in a store actually makes me way more nervous than ordering online, which is strange -- I guess maybe it's because if the measurements are clearly marked in an Etsy or eBay listing, I have a pretty good idea of whether or not it'll fit, and the same cannot always be said when you shop in a brick and mortar store.  I think I'm also a little afraid that I would try something on and not have it fit, or accidentally damage something in the process -- or fall in love with something that would never fit me!  One of the vintage stores here celebrated its 1-year anniversary last weekend, and I planned on going (they were offering a discount if you wore vintage to the event!), but since it was on the same day as my cousin's Bat Mitzvah, I wasn't able to make it.  I'm hoping to venture out there sometime soon, though... maybe I should bring my tape measure, just in case!  For now though, it's lucky for me that Etsy is a virtual treasure trove for vintage-lovers.  Although prices range anywhere from dirt cheap to exorbitant, I've managed to acquire quite a number of pieces for very reasonable prices -- and this dress is one of them!

I can't resist a dress that comes with a matching belt!

This weekend isn't as jam-packed as last weekend, but I do have an audition tomorrow morning.  I haven't had to audition for anything in a while, which can be nice but it's also sort of unfortunate.  When I was in college, we'd have mock auditions and master classes pretty much every other day, and obviously had auditions each semester (and went into the city for some, too).  But now that I'm home and auditions don't come up all the time, it's easy to let anxiety get the best of me.  It's a whole separate skill set that you simply have to practice doing as much as possible; even though I generally audition well, I know that I get far more nervous now about them than I did a few years ago, simply because I was doing them more often.  I've let a lot of things fall by the wayside while living at home, and I need to refocus my priorities.  I don't want to get out of practice and let auditions (or people auditioning) intimidate me -- so I won't!  

Have a great Saturday!

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

Bunny hop

Outfit Details:

Jenny Dress in Lavender Sateen: Pinup Girl Clothing

Bunny necklace: ASOS (old)

White cardigan: Target

White flats: similar here

This is what I ended up wearing on Easter Sunday.  I couldn't post the pictures before this because of my computer problem (which ended up NOT being the hard drive!  It was a problem with the internal cable that connects to the hard drive, which means I didn't lose any of my stuff, thank goodness!) and my mini-"vacation," so hopefully no one minds that I'm posting them a few weeks late.  I have a plethora of pastel dresses in my closet that seem very Easter-appropriate, but this dress was perfect for the warm weather -- plus, it goes perfectly with my little bunny necklace!

I'm not sure why, but I've found that the few dresses I own from Pinup Girl Clothing fit a little strangely on me.  They are difficult for me to zip in the waist (and are sort of tight), but fit a little loosely in the bust -- which is kind of rare, for me.  I wonder if I did tight-lacing or something if the fit would be better.  It's something I've been a bit interested in since I read Amanda's posts about it on her blog, but I'm not sure it's something I could truly commit to.  Perhaps something to keep in mind for the future, though.  I do like this dress better with a petticoat, but since my mom and I went to see Phantom of the Opera on the day I wore this, I felt like it would be overkill (plus, theater seats are notoriously small, and thus do not mix well with crinolines).  Sometimes I wish it was socially-acceptable (and expected) for women to wear things like petticoats and bustles and hats and gloves... people don't even dress up for the theatre anymore!      

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

My Favorite Outfit: Elana from Room 334

Hi, everyone!  I really liked the idea of continuing this little "my favorite outfit" guest post series, so I have a couple more for you!  Today's post is from the darling Elana from Room 334!  I've loved getting to know Elana through Flock Together, and she has such a fun and pretty sense of style!  She's also an all-around awesome human being.  :)  Take a look at Elana's favorite outfits below:

Hello all! I'm Elana, and I blog over at Room 334 about polka dots, Peter Pan collars, and being a college student who would rather wake up early to put on a dress than roll into class in sweat pants. I'm actually a very recent grad (I graduated just this past Saturday), so I'm looking forward to seeing how my style evolves as I enter the dreaded "real world." I'm so happy that Sammi is having me today considering how much I adore her style and her as a person. Sammi and I blog over at Flock Together together, and it has been a joy getting to know her over the past year or so.

Of course, like most of the guest bloggers Sammi has had, I found it difficult to choose just one favorite outfit. "Is that even possible?" I wondered. Ever the indecisive girl that I am, I knew I had to choose a handful of my favorites and write about them instead. It's technically breaking the rules, but you can say I'm a bit of a rebel in that sense. And no, I don't get called a rebel very often. Why do you ask?

As you can probably tell, my style is pretty classic and very feminine. I love a good fit-and-flare cut and a cardigan. I'd love to say that my penchant for flats, oxfords, and boots is just because the college student life hardly allowed for heels, but it's really just because I'm clumsy. Flats and I are best friends, and we'll probably have a very long relationship together.

I could have easily replaced some of these outfits with other ones that I love just as much, but I felt this was a good representation of my style. I had so much fun going through old posts, and can't thank Sammi enough for having me today. Hopefully some of you will stop by my blog to say hello, see more girly dresses, and laugh at my bad jokes (because I sometimes think I'm clever). Hope to see you there!