Friday Favorites #52

Happy Friday, everyone!  This week's Friday Favorites are a little on the short side -- but I have a good reason!  I'm gearing up for some fun new stuff around here, and it's kind of my project for this weekend!  If all goes according to plan, you'll find out all about it on Monday, so stay tuned!  I haven't had much of a chance to search the corners of the internet for clothes because I've been devoting time to other things, but I did manage to find some favorites for this week...

a // b

I adore these sweet one-piece swimsuits!  The one on the left has macarons on it, and the one on the right is an ice cream treat print!  I'm not sure how I feel about the belt, but they sure are cute.

This simple little ice cream t-shirt is pretty cute, too.  There are others with little graphics and their corresponding French names too, but the ice cream one is my favorite!

Speaking of sweet treats, I'm dying to make these non-alcoholic watermelon mojitos!  They're actually a Weight Watchers recipe (woohoo, makes it so easy for me!), and since I very rarely drink, this sounds like the ideal refreshing summer drink for me!

While we're on the subject of fruit, isn't this cherry wall shelf adorable?

I "heart" these Jeffrey Campbell heels!! 

And this Queen of Heartz dress is just darling:

I might need these black t-strap flats in my life.  They're so versatile!

This stray cat sneaked into a zoo enclosure and SNUGGLED WITH A LYNX.  See more adorable photos here!  I love when big cats act like domestic ones.

This hamburger cat bed is genius and I want to find it for Pumpkin:

(via)

And this phone case just about sums it up:

This top is so sweet!  I love the bow!

I spy a new dress in the Luck Be A Lady family!  I adore the look of this one, and it has sleeves!  Closet makes really high-quality dresses, in my opinion.

Finally... these heels are SO COOL!  They look like composition notebooks!!

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

xox Sammi

Minnie

Outfit Details:

Dress: eBay (similar here)

Necklace: ASOS (old)

White flats: YesStyle

I found this dress on eBay this past winter and had to get it for our trip to Disney World.  Unfortunately for me, the weather in Orlando was absolutely freezing when we were there, so this thin dress didn't do me a whole lot of good.  But I did look like Minnie Mouse, and I got a lot of compliments on it when we spent the day at Hollywood Studios!  I ended up wearing my Minnie Mouse sweatshirt & wide white belt over it when we saw Fantasmic! (and thank goodness I brought it, or I would've turned into an ice cube!)... but now the weather is much too warm for that kind of layering.  I didn't even need a cardigan on the day I took these!  I had intended to wear a petticoat underneath, but somehow, it just didn't look right.  I think I need a softer crinoline with much less volume for these kinds of dresses.  My current one works for dresses with more structure and weight to the skirt, but for thinner dresses like this one, it looks ridiculous.  I'll add it to the never-ending list, I guess!

We had a vocal rehearsal last night for that gig I'm a part of for the Jazz Festival.  Vocal rehearsals are always my favorite part of the rehearsal process for shows, and I always like them in these circumstances, too.  My ear craves complicated things, which I think is why I like singing harmonies so much.  We sang a bulk of the set list a couple of years ago at the same festival, and I can usually retain vocal parts for a long time, so I essentially just needed a bit of a refresher.  I'll be eager to start being in rehearsals for a show again... whenever that will be!  I have a couple of auditions later on this summer, but any show I'm cast in won't be until the fall, at the earliest.  We shall see.  Right now, I'm focused on this gig.  I'm excited to see what the turn-out will be like!  And I'm pretty excited to wear my new dress from Lindy Bop (my first from them!) for it.  Can you believe I didn't have a cute black dress in my closet?!  Crazy.  But I have so many prints that solid dresses are few and far between!

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

A little too late for lilacs

Outfit Details:

Lilac dress: Bernie Dexter

Cardigan: H&M (old, similar here)

White flats: Yesstyle

Basket: craft store

Ring: LeffKatya

Petticoat: eBay

This is my most-beloved Bernie Dexter dress.  Not only are lilacs my favorite flower, but this dress is also one of the most flattering ones I own.  It's the perfect length (and looks good with or without a crinoline!), nips in at just the right spot at the waist, and shows off my (ahem) assets without being too revealing.  This was actually my very first Bernie dress, and it's what started a love affair with her entire line.  I think I have five of her dresses now, including this one, and her printed dresses are always dreamy -- and I've found the fit to be pretty consistent, which is a plus.  I'm actually going to be doing a Bernie Dexter-themed guest post on Jana's blog later this month, so watch for that!

 

Rochester has a Lilac Festival every year, but I didn't end up going this year, and I somehow missed the period when the lilacs are at their prime.  For these photos, I gathered up what lilacs we had left (which were on their way out) in my little basket.  I wish flowers would last longer, in general.  It makes me sad when you can't catch them at the right time!  That's sort of silly I guess, but I'm a sentimental kind of girl.

 Have a beautiful Monday!

xox Sammi

Playing house

Outfit Details:

Plaid vintage dress: eBay (Luxie Vintage)

Boater hat: River Island (similar here)

Spectators: BAIT Footwear (similar here)

Wishbone necklace: Forever 21 (similar here)

Short petticoat: Forever 21 (similar here)

Wooden happy house purse: eBay

Belt: ASOS (similar here)

eBay has recently become the source of some great vintage additions to my wardrobe.  This dress might be my favorite eBay find!  I have a penchant for plaid dresses, and the color scheme is so lovely.  Most importantly, the fit is absolutely perfect!  It feels almost as if it were made just for me, because there's so gaping in the bust, but tucks in nicely at the waist -- and the length is ideal!  I toyed with wearing a full petticoat underneath, which looked nice, but I opted instead to use a short tulle skirt that's been in my closet for years!  I had initially bought it for the sole purpose of a college themed party (of which we had many), but I never ended up using it.  Coincidentally, it's the same dark kelly green color that appears in this plaid dress, and it gave *just* the right amount of small volume.  This is why I always have such a hard time getting rid of clothes -- you never know when you'll need a piece!

Although most of my eBay searches are for 1950's vintage dresses, every once and a while, I'll search for novelty purses.  I already have a pretty sizable collection of fun (and impractical) bags, but when I came across this house purse at a very reasonable price, I knew it had to be added to my stash!  It was clearly hand-carved, and it has all sorts of sweet little details: a door, a window box, a little daffodil in the chimney, and a silly, happy face!  I love when I can see friendly "faces" in houses (especially older homes) when you look at the position of their windows and doors, and this purse reminded me of that.  When I'm finally at the point in my life where I can buy a real house of my own, you can bet that it'll have to be one with a lot of charm -- and a happy face.  :)  

Although there were a couple of things that happened over the last month or so that had me feeling a little discouraged (I wasn't cast in a show for which I auditioned, and I interviewed for a position at work that was filled by someone else), I'm feeling so much more positive these days!  I've been doing well on Weight Watchers so far, and even more than that, I feel better about myself because of the healthy choices I'm making.  In addition to that, I found out that my mom and I are going to be singing with my dad's band during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival!  The Jazz Fest is kind of a big deal here; Rochester is definitely a city that loves its festivals, and the Jazz Fest is certainly one of the best attended and most highly anticipated.  My dad plays drums in a 10-piece funk band, and my mom and I sang on their newest CD and at the Jazz Fest with them two years ago.  They're playing a free show on a huge stage during the last night of the fest, and since there were thousands of people in attendance the last time they played, they're anticipating a pretty huge crowd.  So that's pretty exciting!  Wanting to sing in a band is in my blood, I guess (thanks, Mom!), so it'll be great to do that again.

Have a lovely Saturday!

xox Sammi