Colorful Summer with Dolly and Dotty

It's hard to believe that it's not actually summer. It's hot as hell most days, and it just feels like summer is in the air. Naturally, I'm already dressing like it is too. The folks at Dolly and Dotty were kind enough to send me this dress and one other recently, and I can honestly say that this dress is spectacular. It's one of those pieces that took me forever to figure out how to style just because there were so many ways I could have done so. It's so versatile and fits perfectly that I can already see myself wearing it to death all year. Not only is it very well made, but it also has pockets - obviously that in itself is reason enough to love a dress. It feels perfect for days at the park (like this one) or days walking around downtown. 

Speaking of perfect, yesterday included both of those things and more for me. Jon and I spent the first half of the day taking pictures (yes, he's an experienced Instagram boyfriend) and walking around both the park by our apartment and the downtown area across the street where a little farmer's market happens every Sunday. In the afternoon, we headed over to my parents' house to celebrate Mother's Day. My brothers, sister-in-law, and nieces and nephew were there, but Jon's parents also joined. We're incredibly lucky that not is Jon's immediate family small, but our parents get along really well so we've be able to do some holidays together in the past year or so. It's really the best to have both sets of parents in one place and see our families like each other so much.

Don't forget to enter my 6 year anniversary giveaway!

Welcoming Spring with Lindy Bop

I am very aware that I will regret saying this in a few months, but man am I glad that it's warm again. I'm tired of wearing tights, and I'm ready to break out the spring dresses. Speaking of which....this dress. It's incredible. Last week, Lindy Bop reached out to me about reviewing a couple of items, and I may or may not have freaked out about it. Lindy Bop is one of my favorite brands, and I have yet to be disappointed with an item from them. 

I debated a lot about this dress. It's certainly not an average neckline for me, and I was worried that I wouldn't wear it much. I finally decided that this was exactly the opportunity to try something new, and it was worth it. This dress is a dream. The neckline ended up being far more flattering than I was expecting, and the retro girls on bikes is the cutest print I could ever hope for. Not only do most Lindy Bop dresses have pockets (like this one!), they're all amazing quality as well. 

If my dazzling recommendation has convinced you that you too need this dress in your life, size down. I'm usually a large, but I've found that most Lindy Bop dresses generally have a decent amount of stretch and fit best when I order a medium. Just another reason so love this brand.

Latte Cappa Thing

Oh yes, here I am wearing a silhouette that is NOT A-line. I can hardly believe it myself. But since I've been trying trends that I previously wasn't sure about lately, I figured that it was time that I - 

Okay, fine. I'm lying.

I did not purposely go out of my way to try a shape that was not in my comfort zone. Save your awards and applause for someone who deserves it. I bought this dress off of Poshmark and the seller's photos were cut off so I stupidly assumed that it was an A-line cut. If you saw these pictures, you would assume as much too! Or maybe it was just wishful thinking and not seller's fault at all. Either way, I chalked it up to my own inability to pay attention to listings and accepted the dress. 

That said, I did decide to try it anyway, so I guess I deserve some sort of praise? Right? Probably not, but I am pretty proud of myself for wearing it anyway, even if it still is pretty flattering and super tight as I had feared. Turns out, I like it! A lot, actually. I'm not a big fan of puffy sleeves (hence the cardigan), but the shape? You know, I think I can get behind it.

I also paired it with this new Larry David enamel pin that I scored from Bee & Mae, so that doesn't hurt either. I had been eyeing this pin for months, and I finally decided to just get it. I only watched through all of Curb Your Enthusiasm last year (before that I had just seen an episode here or there), but I obviously loved it enough to know that a Larry David is necessary. Bee & Mae must have the same exact taste in pop culture as I do because every single pin she makes is right up my alley. I may have also gotten the Bob's Burgers/X-Files one too. It's too good. Side note: Bee & Mae's shop is closed right now, but it will be reopening this week if you want to snag one of these pins too! This post isn't sponsored (I'll always make that clear in the outfit details if it is), I just really like her pins and have a feeling you will too.

Mint Florals

And just like that, it's spring. I know that we don't exactly have real winter here in Southern California, but it was getting quite cold for my weak bones for a while there. Don't get me wrong, I so look forward to layering up each year, but I was ready to put my tights away. Luckily, I sold some stuff on Poshmark and used the earning to get this sweet Kling dress just in time for California spring to start. It has been in the 70s every day for the past week, and it looks like it's here to stay. I figured that the arrival of spring begged for an appropriate outfit, so I decided to go all out. We're talking a bright cardigan and a floral headband with an equally floral dress. Oh yeah, I went there.

This weekend was fairly uneventful, but relaxing. I baked some peanut butter cookies, saw Get Out with my brother and his fiance, and visited my other brother's family. I normally hate horror movies (I'm a giant wuss), but knowing that Jordan Peele was behind Get Out and seeing the stellar reviews convinced me to give it a chance. I can't say that I'll start watching horror movies now, but I am glad that I took a chance on this one since it was excellent. Highly recommend.

Remix Friday: Thrifted Mint Cardigan

Something Creative and Witty // Thank Goodness for Goodwill //  Mint Cardigan + Polka Dot Dress // Ice Cream and Oranges

I'm going to be honest. I almost didn't share this post. When going through old outfits, I tried to look for items that I had featured in at least five or six looks, and I thought it might be fun to do an extremely versatile item -- a cardigan. I wear cardigans in probably 60-70% of my outfits, so I figured that it would give me a wide range of looks to share. 

Wrong.

The first cardigan I thought of was this mint one that I thrifted a long time ago, and I was pleased to see how many outfits I had worn it in it. I started going through posts and saving photos into a folder, only to be a little embarrassed when I looked at them all next to each other. In the eight outfits I had found, I had managed to style it almost the exact same way in most: with something blue, something white, and/or something polka dotted. So much for versatility. 

I started looking through other posts to find another item to feature, but ultimately, I thought this was pretty funny -- and insightful. I think we all often struggle with defining our personal style, but embarrassing as it may be, it's a little comforting to see that I've kept it so consistent over the years without even really trying. That's okay in my book.

Blossoms // We Used to Be Friends //  Two Headed Boy // That Moon Song

Which of my (very similar) outfits featuring this mint cardigan is your favorite?

Mint Cardigan + Polka Dot Dress

Okay, so maybe this isn't your standard outfit to wear on a boat ride around the lake. However, when your parents live on a lake, it's not really a special occurrence. My brother, his girlfriend, and I headed out there for a visit on Sunday afternoon, which concluded a relaxed weekend. I've still been feeling uninspired with my closet lately, but this polka dot dress is an easy favorite that never fails. Some cute pins were an easy way accessorize it a little differently than I normally do, and I was happy to finally break in these BAIT flats that I got a little while ago. I had been looking for a new pair of black t-straps to replace my pair that were falling apart, and this pair was just perfect. I'm a sucker for a good t-strap.

While everything with work has been going great, I did just have to shell out $400 for my car. I walked outside last Wednesday only to find that someone had broken my rear window. It looks like it could have been done with a BB gun, but however it happened, no note was left. Isn't that fun? I love people. 

Ice Cream and Oranges

If there's one thing I don't need, it's another polka dot dress. I'm very aware of the excess of polka dotted items I own, and I certainly had no intention of adding another one to my wardrobe any time soon. Of course, I probably should have known better. I've suddenly found myself living five minutes away from Buffalo Exchange, so on Friday, I headed there with a bag full of clothes to try and sell, and as usual, I wound up bringing most of it back home with me. They did take a handful of items, though, and I ended up with a little less than $30 in store credit. I tried on a pile of items that I loved on the hangers, but somehow, as fate would have it, the only dress that fit like a glove was...another polka dot dress. I've always thought about buying the Traveling Cupcake dress from Modcloth, but it's never quite made it past my shopping cart. So naturally, when something almost identical appeared at that Buffalo Exchange in my size, in perfect condition, and fit like a glove for only $12, there was no getting around it. It had to be mine, excessive polka dot collection be damned. 

I wore this the next day for a day of shooting pictures around a downtown area with my friend Casey. The Orange Circle, which is part of Old Town Orange and is filled with restaurants and antique stores, will forever be one of my favorite places in Orange County. This past Saturday was my first Saturday off in months, so it was nice to get to walk around, grab lunch and ice cream, and take pictures with a friend. Ice cream, old fashioned soda, greenery at old church, and an extremely sunny day? I'd say it was a first Saturday off well spent.

40

All cards on the table: I'm not really paying much attention while I'm writing this. I had planned on using Sunday night to write this post, be productive, and go to sleep early, but that didn't exactly happen. Despite my plan to record the SNL 40th Anniversary show and watch it the next day, I couldn't resist watching it live. So, I'm writing this during commercials and only half paying attention the words that I'm typing. 

With that said, I'll keep this short. This top looks almost exactly like one I drooled over on multiple websites a while back, but I actually found it for $4 at Goodwill a few months ago. I've struggled to figure out how to style it since I got it, but since yesterday felt more like summer than usual, it seemed like a fitting time to try it. I wear this Fleet Collection skirt at least every other week, and I'm convinced that every shirt looks good with it. It's one of my absolute favorite pieces in my wardrobe.

Mint Lace

By the time you're reading this, I'll have seen Jenny Lewis perform live for the first time in my life. Lewis is one of my all-time favorite musicians, and I've listened to Rilo Kiley ever since my brother and sister-in-law burned me a few CDs when I was probably 13 or 14. I've never gotten to see her live, but somehow I now find myself seeing her twice in the span of a month. Whitney and I bought tickets to see her perform with Ryan Adams (also exciting) in Pomona next month, but the seats are pretty bad. So when I saw another one of my all-time favorite people, Adam Scott, tweet a link to a show in LA for only $25, I immediately sent info to my two best friends and told them that we were going. The event is a night of comedy and music that Lewis, Sarah Silverman, Tim Heidecker, and more are performing. The show was technically last night, but I'm writing this ahead of time, but I think it's safe to just assume that it was incredible. Hopefully. 

I got this Ruche dress a few weeks ago with the floral dress on sale, but I've been saving this one for the perfect occasion. I figured seeing Jenny Lewis was an appropriate event for a cool lace dress. I really love that it has the potential to be dressed up and dressed down so easily, and I'm looking forward to hopefully playing around with it for a wedding coming up. It's still not cold here, which I know I should be grateful for, but I'm itching to put on my layers. I'm so close to being able to justify putting on tights, but until then I'm making do with booties and comfy sweaters. I'm really just lying to myself now.

Update: I ended up swapping out the cardigan for a leather jacket. The show was incredible and probably one of the best nights of my life. More updates to follow. I'm still processing everything.

Free Bird

I've been trying not to buy anything; I really have. That said, I, like most women I would assume, have always lusted after Free People pieces. Of course, as a struggling 20-something, I've never actually been able to afford anything from the brand. So when I stumbled across this mint crop top at Nordstrom Rack recently with a $20 price tag and a Free People label, how could I resist? It's a beautiful piece, and as I mentioned previously, I've been trying to build up the shirt part of my wardrobe after realizing that it was lacking. I could just wear dress and/or skirts and bras forever, but I don't think I'm ready for that kind of attention. I need to at least secure a full-time job and be taken seriously professionally before I go down that route. So until my topless journey begins, I'm spending the few dollars I'm allowing myself to use on tops.  I'm not quite sure how the joke reached this point, but I'm just going with it. 

Nothing too exciting is going on over here other than working on internship stuff from home, a meeting with my boss in Venice, babysitting my adorable nephew, and hanging out with my friends Adam and Jon. This is actually what I wore when I ended up spending time with them the other night, which really just consisted of long conversations and followed by us challenging each other in Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones trivia in Quiz Up on our phones for far too long. I don't mean to brag, but my group of friends has a bit of reputation for being wild and crazy. You know how it is.

Crop Crop

And with this outfit post, I am officially on board the crop top train. I have a couple that I've mostly layered over dresses so far, but I am just really digging the whole crop top + high-waisted bottoms trend at the moment. I love that such a risque item has been into something classy. Kudos, fashion world. This is a TJ Maxx one I got a while ago, but just hadn't busted out until now. It's difficult finding ones that are actually cropped since I'm so short, so I was happy to find one that didn't look like a normal length top on me. The struggle is real. I figured that if I was going to wear a crop top with relatively low sweetheart neckline out to a bar on Saturday night, I needed to at least make it more "me." It's not like I was going to actually going to be cool about it. What better way to say "come at me, boys" than with a cardigan and oxfords? Really though, I did wear this for a night of drinking (read: designating driving in my case) with a bunch of my friends for my pal Greg's 24th birthday on Saturday, and it ended up being a great time. It's always kind of weird seeing some people from high school who you haven't seen much in the past four years, but fortunately it was all really pleasant. I suspect most of this summer and my transition into back home will involve a lot of reconnecting with old acquaintances and friends for a short while.

Other than pretending like getting invited to parties is a normal thing that happens to me on a regular basis, my life has been all about work lately. I'm seriously loving my internship, and I'm also loving my bi-monthly meet-ups with my boss at this great coffee shop in Venice. I'm starting to do more social media for the company, so I highly suggest following FAB Counsel on Twitter and Instagram. If you're an L.A. blogger, keep a look out for a kickass event that will be going on in October. 

Temporary Resident

If you're friends with me on Facebook or if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you've likely seen this outfit and/or these photos. It's a quite simple outfit, really, but I'm obsessed. I've been in love with this dress nonstop ever receiving from eShakti a few months ago, but it's hardly left me since the weather turned warm and I could wear it without tights. I'm sure I'll describe it like this every time I wear it, but it's pretty much my dream dress. Lavender, gingham, fit and flare...Sigh. Of course, my love for it is only enhanced by how perfect it looks with this necklace. I got this piece from a J. Crew outlet at an insane discount. I've lusted after J. Crew statement necklaces for ages now, but I've never been able to afford one. When I saw that all of the necklaces at the outlet were 50% off, plus a nifty 10% student discount, I couldn't resist. However, the J. Crew gods were even kinder to me than I was expecting. It must have been a different price than the $54 it was marked, because it ended up being $15. Somehow, I actually get to call a gorgeous J. Crew necklace mine, and I didn't even have to dip into my savings to do so. Not like I have much in my savings (broke recent grad and all that jazz), but still. You get the point. 

Life lately has been all about starting my internship, slowly unpacking (still), and hanging out with old friends. I'm enjoying the work that I'm doing for the internship so far, and getting to work from home or Starbucks is an added bonus. I feel like I haven't had much time to read blogs, but I'm enjoying having things to do. Not having a set schedule every week or being able to plan everything is weird for me, so keeping busy helps. I'm not used to not being in control of everything, so I'm having just a little bit of trouble adjusting to this point in my life. Post-grad life, man. It's weird, in an exciting yet terrifying way. 

P.S. I'm having a flash sale at my shop my closet! Most things are $5 or $10, so you don't want to miss it. 

Mint & Burgundy

I almost didn't post this outfit because of the wind, the weird lighting, and the strange things my hair is doing in them. However, I decided that this outfit isn't all that bad and that it deserved to be seen on the Internet. I borrowed this mint dress from Katie right before I left Illinois, and I fell in love with the color and the flattering cut. After pairing it with a burgundy cardigan, I realized that this outfit kind of matches my blog layout because I'm cool like that. That's a thing people do, I hear. I'm also pretty crazy about this Mata Traders necklace that I picked up at local boutique while in Illinois, but hopefully I'll get some better detail shots of it soon. I wore this on one of my last days in Illinois for my work's end-of-year party, which means that you've already seen this outfit if you follow me on social media. It was a fantastic night, and a great way to end a great year. 

To be honest, the past couple of weeks have involved too many goodbyes for my liking. Even my recent trip to Arizona, where I was for a few days to celebrate my brother's graduation from ASU, ended with sad goodbyes to two of my brothers and family. While in Arizona, we did our best to beat the heat, ate some good food, toured the campus, and saw my brother graduate with honors. It was a great trip altogether, especially since it was the first time I had all of my brothers in one place in a year and a half, but it was bittersweet to say the least. 

So that's why, among the sea of goodbyes, it felt like a breath of fresh air to spend part of my trip getting to say "hello" to a familiar face, as I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa from Lala Faux Bois in person. We met over coffee on Friday night, and she was just as sweet and funny in person as she is online. She was incredibly easy to talk to, and it was so nice to have someone to talk about blogging, Flock Togehter, photography, and the like, who actually understands what I'm talking about. Thanks again for meeting up with me, Lisa! This makes the third current Flock Together girl who I've met, and fourth if you count former members. I'm determined to meet everyone in person eventually, and I feel like I'm making decent progress so far. Check out my Instagram to see proof that Lisa and I actually hung out. 

Blossoms

Easter weekend is always kind of strange for me. Since most people on campus are actually from Illinois, unlike me, a majority of the student body goes home and my school becomes a ghost town. On one hand, as someone who just generally doesn't like most college students (we can all agree that most people my age are obnoxious), it's nice to have a little peace and quiet. On the other hand, being thousands of miles away from Califonia, I don't even have the option of going home. Even though I'll be back there indefinitely in three weeks (holy crap), it's still difficult to not get just a little homesick. Fortunately, most of my friends were still in town on Friday night, so I wasn't completely alone and had people to hang out with.

On Saturday, Mary and I were left as two of the only people still here, so we decided to get out of town for the afternoon. We went to Quincy, a town about an hour away. Quincy is certainly not the most exciting place in the world, but it has Starbucks, Panera, and TJ Maxx — basic luxuries not found in the town I live in.We did a little bit of shopping (mistake), and explored downtown a little bit to take some outfit pictures. I'm in love with this set, which is why there are so many in this post. It finally looks like spring is here to stay, so I felt like polka dots, mint, and sandals were appropriate. I was also slightly obsessed with these trees, and I decided to include a few of Mary's photos of them as well. What am I ever going to do with Mary and her photography when I move? Actually, I don't want to talk about it. 

Winter Break

And in the blink of an eye, I'm back in California again. Well, sort of. I was supposed to fly home on Saturday, but a big snow storm on Friday made it impossible to make the three-hour drive to St. Louis, so we decided to push my flight back a day. As much as I was ready to get out of 10 degree weather, I can't say that I minded all that much. The cold is one thing, but I do love how the snow makes this time of year feel much more special. It was nice to just spend the day inside with my nieces and nephew by the Christmas tree for just one more day before it was all palm trees and warmth. So it's really a win-win either way.

 Enough about the weather though, let's talk about these photos. I think that if I were a better photographer then maybe I wouldn't get so excited every time someone else takes phenomenal photos for me. But alas, I am not that a great of a photographer, and I do have to rave about these photos. Mary and I went to this housing track that I had never been to, and the light was absolutely perfect. This mint dress (that I'm wearing as a skirt) has been hanging on my wall as decoration all semester (it's just that pretty), so I keep forgetting that I can actually wear it. I decided to just make a theme out of items I've forgotten about, and pulled out this sweater I haven't worn in forever and this necklace that had been sitting in my room without a single wear until now. There was still a good amount of snow on the ground that day, so snow boots were a must as well. 

(P.S. Don't forget to shop my closet so I can afford to buy Christmas presents for my friends and family!)

Something Creative and Witty

You know, I really wasn't expecting to like this outfit so much when I put on, but I think it's a new favorite. This dress really just never fails to be the most flattering thing I own, and I like the fact that it was the first item I was sent to review for the blog more than a year ago. For some reason though, I always forget how versatile it can be, and it wasn't until I thrifted this cardigan over the weekend that I got the inspiration. I also got some new dainty jewelry, like this necklace and scalloped ring, while in Chicago, so I think the outfit gods just had good things in store for me this week. 

I'm also loving this set of photos that Mary took for me on the way home from a food run during work with our friend, Brittany. I need to stop by this abandoned diner more often because it's one of my favorite spots in town. I love having my own dslr, but I never pass up the chance to let Mary be my photographer. The perks of being friends and coworkers with a photo staff.

Things are still just as busy around here (I'm fairly certain that all of my professors are conspiring against me and decided to assign every test, quiz, and paper in the same week), but they're good. Mostly though, I'm excited for my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to come into town tomorrow for a five-day visit. My brother who lives here had another baby (bringing me to two nieces and two nephews) in August, so my family has been making their rounds out to our tiny Illinois town. It's too bad that it took an adorable baby to get them here, but I'll take what I can get.

Cut It Out

I really hope this past week isn't an indication of how the entire semester is going to go because I'd really like to get some sleep at some point. Since this is my last year of college, I'm trying to cram in as much as I can, but I'm starting to worry about juggling it all. I'll figure it out though. In the meantime, I'm grateful for the spare minutes I can fit blogging in since it's not something I want to give up any time soon. I'm starting to find more times to take photos (and more friends to help me take them), and I'm not about to let a busy schedule get in the way of one of my favorite hobbies. I figure that if I don't have blogging to keep me sane, I may just lose it. 

I've been resisting the urge to buy clothes lately, but I knew that the one time I'd make an exception was for Modcloth's Last Hurrah sale last week. Modcloth's two big sales of the year are like holidays for me, and I was able to snag two dresses on my wishlist for incredibly cheap. This one has always stood out as a dress that I could see myself in, and it does not disappoint. The cutouts make it unique, but it's still versatile. Add this to my list of dresses that I'll wear to death all year round.

Being a Lady

Sometimes I find it funny that I dress so femininely. Don't get me wrong, I'm most definitely a feminine person. I live for girly clothing and think that make-up is pretty rad. That said, I spend most of my time around guys. I usually mention my girlier activities, like shopping, in my posts since they're more relevant, but in reality, I've spent at least 80 percent of my time this summer having overly-vulgar conversations and cussing up a storm with my best friends — most of whom are dudes. It most likely has to do with growing up with brothers, but I just get along with guys better. I have a good amount of female friends as well, but almost all of them are like me in that sense as well. It's why I had such a horrible freshman year college when I was living on an all girls floor and surrounded by 18-year-old girls who I had nothing in common with. It's also why I love blogging. It's introduced me to so many women who share my love of feminine clothing, nerdy interests, and same sense of humor. If you can slip multiple f-bombs into one sentence while wearing a lace dress, we'll get along just great. Not that I'd do that on the Internet. A girl has to know when to keep it classy after all. ...this is totally the post that potential employers are going to find when I'm applying for jobs next year. I just know it.

That was really just a long way of saying that this is what I wore on Tuesday. I spent the afternoon at my friend Jon's house, watching The Wire, one of the greatest shows of all time. I got sidetracked from watching it a while ago, but I'm on season four now and will finally finish it this time around. Later at night, I crammed in a car with six other dudes to go to a bar in Huntington where my best friend, Adam, was doing stand-up. He was great, and even though a few of the comics were terrible, it was a ton of fun. I honestly wish I could go to stand-up shows every week. 

Mint Dreams

I don't know if you all knew this or not, but Erica and I are kind of closet twins. Or perhaps you prefer the term closet soul mates. Either way, we seem to have similar tastes as we keep finding out that we own the same items. Unfortunately for me, though, I don't own everything Erica does. It's a shame, really, because that means that I don't own this mint dress, which I borrowed from her through Flock Together. Dreamy is the best way I can think of to describe this dress. The color and the silhouette are gorgeous on their own, but the lace detail on the bust just makes it stunning.

This dress definitely deserves to be taken out to a special dinner with a pair of heels, but alas, nowhere fancy is in my future. Instead, I was pleased to see how easily it could be dressed down with a striped cardigan and some white loafers. It ended up making the cut for day three of my internship this week and then to celebrate two of my close friends, Jeremy and Kevin's, birthdays later that night. Jeremy's family cooked us burgers and we saw This is the End, which ended up being hilarious. I figured it would be pretty stupid, but it had me laughing the entire way through. Of course, I'm bound to love any movie that predominately features Freaks and Geeks paintings on the walls of the main set. 

De-stress

For the first time in months, I finally feel like I can stop stressing out about things. I still have finals next week, but in all honesty, I'm not really that worried about them. My last presentation, last article, last project and last production night at the paper are all finished and I finally just put on pretty clothes and be happy. It was the most perfect spring day when I wore this a few days ago and it almost makes up for the rain we're getting now.

The best part of it feeling like spring was that I finally got the chance to give this eShakti dress the bare legs and warm weather treatment it deserves. My knot in my shirt came undone while I was taking these pictures, but who cares? It's all cheerfulness and joy around these parts right now.

You know what else is something to get happy about? Flock Together is hosting a giveaway for a $75 Modcloth gift card right now! We're all excited to give back a little something for our readers and, as usual, I'm bummed I can't enter myself. I'll win a giveaway one of these days. In the meantime, get yourselves over there and enter.