A shopping day with Steven!

Before Steven left to go back home, we were able to go out to the mall for a bit.  Since Steven is one of the few straight men out there who loves to shop, this is obviously one of our favorite shared activities.  However, Steven is a lot better about NOT doing spending money than I am, usually.

Steven and my mom The Easter Bunny did an incredibly kind and generous deed and went halfsies on a new iPod for me.  Mine is almost 7 years old and is kind of freaking out lately, and I'd been eyeing this beautiful, lilac-colored one... so off we went to the Apple store!

Outfit Details:

Bring Out the Peplum Top: ModCloth (no longer available, but similar here)

Sail into the Future Pant in Black: ModCloth

Cropped cardigan: Forever 21

Black flats: jcpenny

Watch: Anthropologie (no longer available)

Hair bow: Urban Outfitters

I was stoked that I managed to order the exact color I needed to match my hair color!

I really, really love these pants -- they are made of stretchy, thick yoga pant material, but are high-waisted, skinny-legged and look like more formal black pants.  The only thing is that after wearing them once, the seams have started to separate in back (and I swear, they're the right size!).  I'll either have to get the stitches enforced, or maybe order a new pair and just be extra-careful.  They're not that expensive (by ModCloth standards, anyway).  So we shall see.  I ended up contacting ModCloth customer care about them; their customer service team is always so accommodating and great, so maybe they'll have a solution.  I love these pants too much to let them go to waste!

We didn't end up getting anything else at the mall, I don't think.  But we did stop in Crabtree & Evelyn, and I got to walk through and smell all of their lovely soaps and fragrances.  If only their products weren't so expensive.  But I did get a free lotion sample of their newest addition, Tarocco Orange, which I can't wait to try!

I just love their packaging!

Speaking of toiletries and fragrances, I wanted to take a minute to mention a couple of amazing perfume oils I purchased a couple of weeks ago from a great Etsy shop, Firebird Bath & Body.  Brooke (the face behind Firebird) makes delicious-smelling roll-on perfumes, soaps, lip tints, and lotions.  I purchased the ginger ale and the cinders roll-on perfume oils.  Both are really lovely.  Cinders smells like the most perfect fall day, and although the ginger ale looks to be currently unavailable, check back and see if it's there later, because it's incredible -- you can taste the fizz and bubbles when you smell it!  The ginger ale soap is in stock, though!  You can even order a sample pack of three perfumes of your choice, if you don't want to commit to one right away.  I can't wait to order some more items from this lovely shop!

I want to try this one next!

I looove olive-scented soaps and lotions!

Have a lovely Thursday!

xox Sammi

Bemalte Blumen duften nicht (or, "painted flowers have no scent"): an outfit post featuring Blutsgeschwister!

Outfit Details:

Prairie Extraordinary Dress: ModCloth

Heart necklace: ASOS (sold out)

Ida P. Blue spectator heels: BAIT footwear

Aren't the little flower details on the hem adorable?

This dress is just one of the many beautiful creations made by German label Blutsgeschwister.  I had been lusting after numerous items on their website for weeks, after seeing a couple of their pieces that ModCloth carried.  The dress I'm wearing in this post was one I was desperate to own.  The only problem is that their main website ships only within Germany!  I thought I would be destined to pine after this dress forever... until one day, it arrived at ModCloth!  I almost couldn't believe it.  The exact dress (out of hundreds of items Blutsgeschwister makes) I loved so much was within my grasp!  I was elated and immediately ordered the dress, praying that it would fit and look as lovely in person as it does on the site.  Fortunately, it does, and it is now one of my favorite pieces!  It makes me smile just to look at it hanging in my closet.  It's such a beautiful dress for spring and summer!

I really love this brand for many reasons: it's quirky, colorful, and a little tongue-in-cheek.  I love that they fully embrace the brand's German qualities in every piece.  This is a little sampling of some of my favorite Blutgeschwister pieces.  Be careful not to fall too hard for any of these, unless you know they are carried by ModCloth (see their ever-growing selection here) - or you happen to live in Germany!  

I love when a piece of clothing can drastically lift your mood or can transport you to another place or another time.  I think this is partially why my taste in clothes verges slightly on (or at least veers towards) costume a lot of the time.  This dress is one of those pieces for me, for sure.

Today is supposed to pretty nice here (60-something degrees, but 80 degrees down near NYC -- so if you are there, please enjoy it for me!!).  I'll be performing in front of a bunch of high school kids when this post goes live, so I hope to enjoy the sunshine (while it lasts!) after our 2 shows!

Have a great Tuesday!

xox Sammi

Girly in gingham (an outfit post)

Although the outfit I posted on Easter Sunday was a lovely, springy dress, it's actually not what I wore on Easter!  Since we had a show that afternoon, I knew I wouldn't have time to post my actual Easter outfit in real time, but I did take pictures, because I love this dress (it's made by Nishe, duh).

Outfit Details:

Nishe Cupcake Lilac Gingham Dress: ASOS

White belt: ASOS

Kimchi Blue T-Strap Flats: Urban Outfitters

Not only is the cupcake embroidery adorable, but I also love the pink jewel buttons!

These flats are so darling.

Post-show hair!

I was soo mad at myself for forgetting to wear this bunny necklace!  It would have been perfect!

via ASOS (sold out)

Have a sensational Sunday!

xox Sammi

(Last) Saturday Adventuring

The pictures in this post are now a week old, but it was a big post and I wanted to wait til the weekend rolled back around to share these!  Last Saturday, I had an early morning rehearsal and then a break until our opening night.  It was a lovely day outside, and Steven was visiting, so when I got home, I told him the plan was to get frozen yogurt at a new (to me) place in Pittsford and to go see the animals at Powers Farm Market (which is a cute store with local produce, baked goods, a petting zoo, and a pumpkin patch in the fall).  We certainly took advantage of the nice weather, and had a great time.

Our first stop was Powers Farm Market, where we stopped to take some pictures of my outfit...

Outfit Details:

Bee My Honey Dress: ModCloth

White cropped cardigan: Forever 21

White peep toe ballet flats: ASOS

Heart necklace: ASOS (out of stock)

After that, we went to go make some new friends...

I love when animals sit like that.  Cats do it all the time, which is why Steven and I call cats "turkeys" (we think they look like Thanksgiving turkeys).  It's such a cute way to sit!

I love that they are looking at themselves in the mirror.

And then we met my favorite animal of the day, who has the sweetest face in the world...

I love this.

Touching noses!  She had the most velvet-y nose!

After receiving some alpaca kisses, we decided it was time to head over to Yotality for some yummy froyo!  I've been to a ton of frozen yogurt places (some self-serve and some not), and this is definitely one of the best I've been to -- and not just in this area.  The flavors are changing constantly (and every one I've tried so far has been delicious!), the fruit is incredibly fresh, and the place is clean and orderly.  It's quickly becoming a new favorite of mine!

We had a lovely outing.  :)  This weekend is supposed to be nice as well, so I hope I can enjoy some sunshine again today -- and I hope you can too!

xox Sammi

Pin[ny]-Up Girl: an outfit post

Before opening night of our show on Saturday, I was able to snap a couple of pictures of my outfit.  I'm really into the pinafore look lately; it's feminine, young and unique, and is a great layering piece.  It was a lovely day outside on Saturday, and I was in a springy mood... hence the pastels!  I have to curl my hair for the show, so my curls are very springy too (in a different sense).

 Outfit Details:

Self-Tie Beauty Salon Shirt: Forever 21 (this print is AMAZING, no?)

Denim Pinafore Dress: ASOS

High Dramaturge Tights in Ivory: ModCloth (and how perfect is this name!?)

Ida P. Blue Spectator Pumps: BAIT Footwear

For those who would like to know, I use a curling iron with an INCREDIBLY small barrel (the one pictured is 1/2 in. but mine may actually be smaller?  I bought mine at Sally Beauty Supply) and make sure to put quite a bit of product in my hair in the morning.  My favorite product these days is Not Your Mother's brand Kinky Moves Curl Defining Cream (available at Ulta, Urban Outfitters, Walmart, etc.)!

Have a lovely Thursday!

xox Sammi

I'm having a [matzoh] ball (a belated Passover outfit post)

For those who don't know, I'm in a workshop production of an original musical, called Moses Man, that's running through next weekend here in Rochester.  Being a part of an original musical, especially one that's still in its infancy, is way more exhausting than being in an already-established show (and can be even more rewarding, if it's a success), and amidst all the craziness that happened over the past week, I forgot to post pictures of the outfit I wore for our Passover seder.  It was Steven's first Passover, and we headed over to my grandparents' for the evening.  I barely ate during the day (dumb dumb dumb decision) and instead, I thought of my grandma's delicious apricot chicken, beef brisket and roasted potatoes.  When we arrived, I stuffed myself silly and then wanted to die.  I did the thing I always tell myself not to do... but live and learn, I guess!

I thought this dress was perfect for spring (even though it's still not very spring-like here), and it's by one of my favorite designers, Nishe.  Even the NAME of the dress (when it was sold on ModCloth) was perfect for me; how could I ever pass up a beautiful fit-and-flare quirky dress called the "Children's Theatre Director Dress?"

Outfit Details:

Children's Theater Director Dress: ModCloth (no longer available)

White cardigan: dELiA*s

Nude heels: DSW (2 years ago)

Glimmer with the Family Coat: ModCloth (no longer available)

I love the boiled wool pockets and hem!  This dress also comes with a neat collar (it's separate, which I like, since they give you a choice of whether to wear it or not) - but it looked too costume-y (a rare phenomenon, for me!), so I opted not to wear it.

Now that both Passover and Easter are behind us, I am that much more desperate for spring to arrive!  It snowed a bunch yesterday (though none of it stuck, really), but it's apparently supposed to warm up this weekend, thank goodness!  :)

I have the day off today, so I'm going to be cleaning and doing some things I've been putting off.  For instance, I'm trying to get together a BUNCH of my clothes to sell; I need to make room in my closet and put some money in my pocket!  I've been working on that a little bit, but I hope to make more progress in the coming weeks.  I'm thinking of creating my store with storenvy, since that seems to be a place where a lot of bloggers have shops set up or "shop my closet" storefronts.  Thoughts?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi