Plaid and popsicles

Outfit Details:

Too Much Fun Dress in Bright Plaid: ModCloth

Just Treat You Up Necklace: ModCloth

Boater hat: River Island (similar)

Ankle strap flats: YesStyle

I really love the color scheme of this plaid dress!  It's so incredibly summery, and it reminded me of grape popsicles.  And then I realized it would pair perfectly with my little popsicle necklace!  (Emily and Fin - the brand that makes this dress - actually makes a great popsicle print dress, which would have been an even better combination... but I digress.)  I'm pretty obsessed with the Outshine (formerly Edy's, I think) brand of juice popsicles these days.  The lime ones are my favorite, but I also love the peach ones, and the tangerine carrot ones are really delicious, too.  They're low in points, and they're the perfect summertime dessert.

I'm so glad that you guys like my new layout as much as I do!  Every time I look at it, I smile.  Oh, and I'm also really glad that lots of my clothes are already going to new homes!  In case you missed it, I have toooons of pieces still up for sale in my "shop my closet" store.  Thank you to those of you who've already purchased something!  <3 

What about you?  Do you have a favorite summertime icy treat?  

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

A brand new look & a huge "shop my closet" update!!

Ahem... notice anything... different?  I am absolutely thrilled with this brand new layout that Kate made for me!!  I've been wanting to do a bit of an overhaul for a while now, and the timing finally worked out.  Kate designed my original layout, which was great for when I was first starting out, but I definitely wanted something more personalized.  Amazingly, I pretty much told Kate the bare essentials of what I had in mind (color scheme, aesthetic), and she dreamed up all the rest!  I wanted something that combined a kawaii sensibility with a retro feel, and I think she did a wonderful job at marrying the two.  I'm especially smitten with the header she made; tying in my novelty purse collection into the page navigation was a stroke of genius.  Kate was also kind enough to make new ad buttons for me -- they're on the bottom right if you'd like to grab one!

And speaking of ads... I'd been doing some informal ad swaps and sponsorships for a little while, but I finally decided to start offering advertising opportunities through Passionfruit!  It streamlines the whole experience and takes a lot of the back-and-forth out of the equation.  You can get all the information on my advertising page, but essentially, I'm offering three different sizes of ads to choose from, and all are very affordable.  I'm still a relatively small blog (though I'm still growing, thanks to all of you!), so all of my ads are priced from $5 - $15 per month.  If you have any questions or want to contact me about a sponsorship opportunity (like a giveaway, a product review, a shop feature, etc.), you can always e-mail me.  If you are a small business owner, blogger, or offer a service or product that would fit right in with my girly, kitschy aesthetic, I'd love to work with you!

Finally, I have another piece of news: my "shop my closet" store is open again... with a MASSIVE update in items!  I now have over 65 pieces available for purchase in my shop!  It's been a long time coming, and I know I'll have at least one other big update to do later this summer; I'm really bad at getting rid of things, so I have a huge pile of clothes that I'm not quite ready to part with yet, but I know I will be soon.  I have some fantastic dresses (from brands like ModCloth, Urban Outfitters, Sugarhill Boutique, Trollied Dolly, Anthropologie, ASOS, Forever 21, H&M, and a couple of vintage finds!), plus a bunch of skirts, shorts, jeans, and even some jewelry and shoes up for sale!  In addition, I have a pretty wide range of sizes available (thanks, weight fluctuation!) -- there are lots of mediums and larges, but there are also a few XL pieces that are really great.  Essentially, if you are a US size 6-14, I have some great finds for you!  Here's just a sampling of what's in store in my store!  ;)

The last couple of days have been incredibly difficult ones, for reasons that I may or may not go into at a later time.  Working on this little "re-launch" has been a much-needed source of distraction, and I hope you like the new layout as much as I do.  On a sentimental note -- albeit a very important one -- take the time right now to hold your loved ones close.  Tell them you love them and how much they mean to you every single day.  Because one day, you might not get another chance.  Thank you all for bringing a lot of brightness into my life.  As silly and superficial as this little blogging habit of mine might seem to some, your support means the world to me, especially now.  Be safe, and may your lives be filled with light and love.

xox Sammi 

Springtime Round-up

Happy Saturday and Happy Summer!  I've gotten into the habit of doing seasonal round-ups of my favorite ensembles, so here are my favorite outfits from this spring:

March

Hello, Little Girl // Popcorn and ice cream // Pink plaid

Shamrock shake // It's a jungle out there // Mint condition

April

High violet // A taste of honey // Let's do brunch

C'est magnifique // Little queen // Starlight, sweetheart, melody

May

Come back as a flower // Spots and stripes // Magnolia

Telephone hour // Wedding Bell Blues // Chicory

I think my collection of outfits from May is my favorite out of the three, but I like being able to look back on everything and remember ensembles that I particularly liked!  Which post was your favorite?

I actually have some time off this weekend (normally, I work on Saturdays), which is great, because I have a lot to get done around here.  FYI, my blog is going to be set to private late Sunday night to do some fun revamping... I'm excited!  I hope you all like what I have planned as much as I do!  :)  Be sure to check back on Monday morning for some fun new things!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xox Sammi

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