pocket full of posies

On Earth Day, I decided to host a great giveaway from Posies by Cait on Etsy.
My little shop has jewelry and accessories that are picture perfect for springtime and all the happy florals that it accompanies.

On Friday, I decided to wear one of my favorite Posies in spirit of the giveaway.

My best friend and Maid of Honor in my wedding threw me a bridal shower a month before the wedding, and Posies were the favors for the guests!
It was such a wonderful idea, and this headband is one of those special favors.

While the giveaway will feature custom-made items specifically for the giveaway gift box, it will include a special spring headband as well.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway!
Today is the LAST DAY to enter, and the winner will be announced tomorrow, May 1st.

The prize will include a gift box full of gifts from Posies by Cait, including an assortment of surprises valued at $40+, and these earrings, which were posted as a "sneak peek" on Posies by Cait's Facebook page and my Instagram.

If you win, feel free to share the prizes with friends and loved ones!
A wonderful choice for Mother's Day, or simply a happy spring treat for yourself!

Happy Spring!

mixing prints: dress in a dress

This past week consisted of some pattern play in my outfit choices. I've been playing around with mixing different prints and trying out bold patterns.
For some reason I was feeling adventurous, and certain things were catching my eye as I perused my closet each morning.

I've tried to get back into the habit of setting out my clothes the night before - it makes getting ready in the morning so much easier! But I don't always think about it.

Floral Dress: Zulily (remixed here and here), Polka-Dot Dress: Primark in London
Shoes: Ruche/Poetic License (shop!), Ring: Ebay (similar), Earrings: Fossil

This outfit is actually a dress on top of a dress.
Completely foreign territory to me until now.
In theory, I think it works. This pairing was a chance encounter, as both these dresses were hanging on my closet door for different purposes and it suddenly dawned on me that I love floral and polka dots together.
This floral dress has become one of my most interesting remix pieces.

I think it depends entirely on the dresses you'd want to wear together, but I think I may try this idea again. Just like wearing a skirt over a dress, or a sweater/top over a dress, or a top under a dress, this layering technique can exponentially expand my dress-wearing. Which I'm always in favor of.

I've definitely mentioned before that I love cutesie things, which includes critters and cute prints.
This ring was no exception. I'm a sucker for foxes (still on the hunt for a perfect budget-friendly fox sweater) and kittens, so this ring kind of encompasses both. I found it on Ebay for 99 cents, so how can you go wrong?
These types of rings are all over the place, places like Ebay and Etsy.
I like looking through some of the more expensive options of cutesie rings, like this, but in all reality I'm more of a 99 cent ring girl than a $60 ring girl. Unless it's of the engagement/wedding persuasion.

I love our balcony, even though it stretches along the entire back side of our apartment complex, so it's a shared space. It still feels secluded and private, with the forest of trees and the lanterns that light up at night.
I'm planning on buying some bistro style patio furniture, hanging some twinkle lights, and spending a lot of quality time on this balcony this summer. I'm looking forward to taking on a lot of home improvement projects in the next few months.
It only took me a year and 8 months to actually be motivated to finish things up. :)
We have a little over a year left until my husband finishes law school and we move back to Arizona, so I'm planning on making it count.

mixing prints: springtime

April has been passing by at an alarming rate.
The weather has been somewhat confusing, teasing spring but sneaking in some leftover winter.

I finally begin to get excited about spring trends and floral prints and cute dresses, and I walk outside and the cold wind takes me completely by surprise.
I should probably just make a habit of double checking the weather (a weather app with a Wind dial is especially valuable for dress-wearing!).

In any case, this outfit was the perfect solution for the uninvited cold day we had on Tuesday.
It had some of my favorite spring colors, including a vibrant floral print, as well as a cute dress I picked up in London in March.

Dress/Scarf: Primark in London, Belt: Ruche, Pants: Vera Wang (similar) via Kohl's (remixed, remixed), Shoes/Cardigan: gifted

I love mixing prints.
It always feels a bit daring and even a bit crazy, but every once in a while I'll see two things hanging in my closet that somehow seem destined for one another.
This outfit was kind of a great accident.

I look forward to wearing this dress on fun summer weekends, walking downtown or visiting nearby towns to go shopping.
It has cute cut-outs on the side, and has an irresistible vintage feel to it.
Also, the print is so pretty and is neutral enough to have a lot of remix potential.
It reminds me of Fox and the Hound and Where the Red Fern Grows, or the kind of old wallpaper I used to love to look at; my grandma had this great vintage wallpaper in one of her guest rooms, that had all these hidden treasures to find, like magnifying glasses and maps and glasses. I love the details of a print like this.

I've been a little daring with my wardrobe all week, layering pieces I've never layered before and trying out new dresses with odd combinations.
Today I'm wearing a dress on top of a dress.
So who knows what the future holds!

the little things

Just a few little things I've come across this week that have made me smile!


-- 21 Important Style Lessons from Disney Princesses

-- A sweet boutique called Colie's. 
(some of my favorites):

Leopard + Bow = Love.

How cute is she? Ashley, the owner of Colie's, modeling the Neon Aztec dress.

I'm really intrigued by monograms! This could be really cute!

Obsessing on bows.

-- Currently Reading: One Day by David Nicholls

-- Currently Listening to: NEEDTOBREATHE

-- And of course, my giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a gift box valued at $40+ from Posies by Cait!

Pass it along to your friends, and keep checking back for more sneak peeks and ways to earn more entries by sharing the giveaway.

You can keep up with me on Instagram (@caitschan) and with new items and updates on the giveaway at Facebook.com/PosiesbyCait.

The giveaway ends May 1st!

earth day: giveaway!

In honor of the beauty of the earth, and in celebration of Earth Day today, I am hosting a very flowery giveaway!

What better way to give a nod to budding spring and our world's flora and fauna than by adding to your floral accessories collection?

The winner of this giveaway will receive a gift box of spring Posies, valued at over $40!

Your gift box could include: earrings, headbands, clips, brooches, rings, bookmarks, thumbtacks, magnets...or a little bit of everything!

Take a look at Posies by Cait for a sneak peek at some of the items for sale - although the giveaway items will be made especially for this giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to spread the word - the giveaway winner will be announced on May 1st!

Enjoy!

diy: book garland

I've found that I have begun to enter into a new stage of life, where weddings and bridal showers are few and far between, and little ones dominate the scene.

It's an incredibly exciting time, one filled with fairytales and sweets and parenthood tips, joyful laughter and cute pictures and jubilant firsts. 

While I still feel caught in the middle, somewhere between newlywed and baby bump, I can still fully appreciate both sides of the spectrum.

This past weekend we threw a baby shower for a really close friend of mine who is having her first baby girl!

One of my favorite things that I got to make is a little storybook garland.

It turned out so cute, and was incredibly simple and cost effective.

Fashion and decor really do go hand in hand.

I find that the expressions of home and personal style often coincide, as they are both manifestations of personality and individual taste. 

You really get a feel for a person when you enter into their home, just as you do by seeing how they dress and how they carry themselves. It's all wrapped into the network of style.

I love theme parties and showers, because you can take one specific idea or style and run with it!

This particular shower was girly, chic, and whimsical. Very bubbly!

For the book garland, all you'll need are:

1. Cute scrapbook paper, in the color scheme of your choice

2. Book pages (I printed out mini excerpts from Peter Pan)

3. Stapler

4. String/Yarn/Twine

5. Mini clothespins (can be found at Michael's!)

I found a page excerpt from Peter Pan from Google Images, and simply printed that 16 per page, so they were already the perfect size and ready to cut!

You could also use any old children's book (perhaps thrifted) or book pages and cut them to the desired size.

1. Cut two rectangles from your text, and fold each of them in half, to make four book pages. Then place them on top of one another, text-side up!

2. Cut out a rectangle from your scrapbook paper, just a tad bigger than your text. Fold it in half, then open it back up and place the four text pages inside, text-side up.

3. Close the book and staple the back twice (make sure the pages are up against the spine of the "book cover"). 

Voila!

Do as many mini storybooks as you desire, and hang them on a bright colored string or yarn with mini clothespins for the finished product.

I pinned them in the middle so they'd be open, and once they were hanging I went through and stretched them backward a bit to make sure they stayed open, and that the pages were splayed. 

They turned out so cute!

Easy peasy, inexpensive, and oh so darling.