Blossom Dearie

Isn't this dress pretty??  I snagged this Bernie Dexter dress along with this one during one of Bernie's last chance sales.  This cherry blossom print is decidedly springy (I wish I'd had it back when they were in bloom!), but I knew it'd be pretty for summertime, too.  The skirt of this dress is a little less full than others I have, so I opted not to wear a crinoline with it, but I think it'd look nice with one, too.  I have a little cropped pink cardigan that would go perfectly with this dress, so I think I'll try my hand at styling it when the weather gets a little cooler, too.  Who says you can't wear florals in the fall?

My mom and I are heading to the Sterling Renaissance Festival today!  It's one of my favorite summer traditions.  We usually eat our way through the faire (is there any other way?).  I hardly ever drink, but they have these concord wine slushes that are absolutely amazing (they taste just like grape juice, which is the only reason I like them).  The turkey legs are always way too much for me to handle, though!  We always love watching all of the acts -- though our favorite one is curiously absent from our faire this year, sadly.  I have a couple of friends who have worked at various Ren Faires, and while I think it would be a really fun gig, I have such trouble with improv that it's probably not in the cards for me (unless I learn how to get out of my head and not freeze up).  I have such an appreciation for actors who can think on their feet like that.

Outfit Details

Dress: Bernie Dexter (similar)

Jelly flats: J.Crew (similar)

Hair flower: Forever 21

I'm gearing up for a very busy and exciting week ahead.  I have an audition tomorrow (and it's my best friend Wayne's birthday), a photo shoot on Tuesday (for a new job!), and I'm heading down to NYC on Thursday for a long weekend of fun and friends!  I'll get into all of that in my next post.  For now, I'm off to the Faire!  Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

xox Sammi

Friday Favorites #59

Happy Friday, everyone.  This week has been hard for a lot of people, I think, so here are some things that have made me smile over the past few days:

I love these sweet lucky cat pieces from Kate Spade!  They remind me so much of my kitty.

a  //  b

I've been admiring this sweet kawaii dress for a while now:

UNICORN SHOES (they literally have a horn on the toe)!

This Betsey Johnson backpack is so deliciously Barbie-esque:

I absolutely adore this swimsuit from Sugardoll Swim.  It seems like the bottoms shown are no longer available (which is a shame), but you can find the top here and a different pair of bottoms here.

This cherry print dress from Trashy Diva is so lovely.  It comes in several different styles, but I was especially taken with the high neck of this one:

This tomato ring is so cute!

Speaking of tomatoes (and fruit in general)... I don't know why, but this Buzzfeed piece made me laugh SO hard.  It's probably the captions.

I might need these cotton candy socks:

I really love this straw fascinator headband!

These might be the most darling cookies I've ever seen.  I only wish they were somehow root beer-flavored (but I'm pretty sure they aren't)!

Most adorable makeup bag ever?  I think yes.

This animal embroidery is absolutely breathtaking.  See more here!

This little cassette tape purse is right up my alley:

I loved this piece, and if you're a child of the '90s, you will too.

Finally, if you haven't seen this video of Robin Williams meeting Koko the Gorilla... do yourself a favor and watch it immediately.  What a wonderful man he was.

Have a great weekend.

xox Sammi

Just right

Aside from my obvious dark tresses, I otherwise felt like I was channeling Goldilocks in this dress.  I have this same dress in red (I wore it on my blog last year), but hadn't worn this baby blue version until now.  It's decidedly sweet lolita and doesn't exactly fit into my daily work life or anything, but it's a very sweet piece.  I ordered both dresses at the same time because I was unsure of sizing, and the dresses were quite cheap anyway.  I figured one wouldn't fit and I'd sell the other, but much to my surprise, both fit fine (though this one is a little more roomy), and I couldn't quite bring myself to sell one yet.  So both are staying in my wardrobe for now.  I have attachment issues with my clothes!

I also knew that I'd have to pair my wooden house purse with this dress because, well, how could you not??  I'm sometimes amazed at the items I've managed to find on eBay.  I don't even hear a whole lot about eBay anymore (there used to be a ton of commercials for it and it was really popular for a while), but there are so many hard-to-find and unique pieces available there.  I hate bidding for items (though I have been lucky a couple of times), but the "buy it now" option is fantastic.  This little house purse is definitely one-of-a-kind and I'm so happy it's mine!

Outfit Details

Three bears dress: Bodyline

Belt & house purse: eBay

White flats: YesStyle

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi

Garden song

This Blutsgeschwister dress is one of my absolute favorites.  It's a dress that never fails to cheer me up if I'm feeling low.  It's such a bright and fun piece, and I can't help but smile when I wear it.  I've worn it on the blog before, but it's definitely better suited for the warmer months, I think.  It's also a piece that I was especially thankful to find; I had spied it on the brand's website well before it was available anywhere in the USA, and because the Blutsheschwister site ships only to Germany and its surrounding countries, I thought all was lost.  Luckily, it ended up being available at ModCloth, and I knew I had to make it mine.  This plaid is so enchanting, and I love the sweet floral border.  I felt it would be a perfect pairing with my watering can novelty purse!

I actually had a fairly relaxing weekend, and it's rare that I even have much of a weekend at all these days, since I normally work on Saturdays.  My mom and I went to the Public Market on Saturday morning (it's a huge farmers' market here in Rochester), and we got a ton of yummy stuff, including more peaches and nectarines than I ever could have imagined!  I've been eating one with every meal, and it's been delightful.  I wish we could go every weekend.  I also had a lot of time alone, which has been kind of nice, and I was able to take photos and work a lot on my personal acting website.  I'm slowing checking things off my to-do list, which is a nice feeling.

Outfit Details

Prairie Extraordinary Dress: ModCloth

Spectators: BAIT Footwear (similar)

Boater hat: River Island (similar)

Pettislip: American Apparel

Watering can purse: eBay

Daisy ring: Mom's

On a serious note, I was so saddened to hear of Robin Williams' passing last night.  He was one of my favorite actors of all time, and he always astounded me not only with his comedic abilities, but with his incredible dramatic talent.  He was my first actor crush.  He made me believe in magic.  The world seems a little less magical without him in it.  Too many brilliant artists gone far too soon.  Be kind to each other.  <3

Have a great Tuesday.

xox Sammi

Tease

This dress is a true work of art.  It's definitely one of the more scandalous items in my closet -- aside from the burlesque girl depicted in various stages of undress, it's also very low-cut on me.  It's not a dress that would be appropriate for many occasions, but I absolutely love it (and it's plain to see how high the quality is).  I'm thinking that I'll probably wear it some time during the Fringe Festival this fall, though I'll probably wear a cardigan over it and opt for black heels.  I think this dress is a showstopper, for sure!

This blue glitter jelly wedges are really fun, but they aren't nearly as comfortable as I had hoped they'd be.  I have two pairs of Mel by Melissa jelly wedges that are fairly comfy, and I think the difference between those and the ones I'm wearing here is that the Mel shoes are made of a much softer, malleable plastic.  The plastic of these wedges doesn't mold as well to my feet, and it's much less flexible for walking.  I really do love them though, so I'll just have to find occasions to wear them that don't involve a ton of walking!  I had a tough time deciding between the wedges and these plastic heels (which would've matched the dress perfectly!), but I was too nervous about the heels being even less comfortable!  You can't win 'em all, I guess.

Outfit Details

Lydia Dress in Burlesque Performer Print: Pinup Girl Clothing

Blue Glitter Jelly Wedges: Pinup Girl Clothing

Petticoat: eBay

Have a great rest of your weekend!

xox Sammi