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.

pretty lenses

This past week, we received a new camera lens in the mail!!

I'm looking forward to experimenting with a lens that is well suited for blogging, and Etsy posts.
Or rather, my husband is looking forward to experimenting with his photography skills. :)

Top: Forever 21 (similar), Cardigan: J. Crew, Pants: New York and Company
Watch: Fossil

I realized yesterday that I have completely left the heels-wearing genre of my life.
I think I might need to revisit it.
Wearing a pair yesterday felt like a whole new world, and not the pleasant Aladdin carpet-riding kind.
Has it really been that long since I've donned a couple of heels?
Apparently it has! I wear boots and flats daily. There's no denying that my job is not a vortex of fashion or dressy-ness, so I suppose I haven't felt the need or desire to wear heels this year.
I've also realized that I really don't like any of my dress pants...I want fitted, smart-looking dress pants, not balloon bell-bottoms or circus clothes. I've always had trouble finding dress pants that are the right length, or the right fit...but going through my closet, I've realized I've outgrown (style-wise) a lot of my old "business/professional" type clothing. Not to say there's anything fundamentally wrong with them, but my style has just gone in a different direction over the last year or so.
I think one of the reasons I've so readily reached for dresses on a daily basis is that I'm more comfortable in them...and I hate all of my dress pants. Subconsciously.
If I do wear pants to work, I usually cheat a little and wear my bright colored denim, like my bright coral or pineapple yellow pants. Or, let's be honest, I just wear dark jeans.

That being said, I'm enjoying the style transition. I just went through my closet last night and did a clean sweep, taking out items and bidding them a fond farewell.
Sometimes it's necessary to get rid of things, to make room for more things.

Right? :)

foggy friday

I've always been a true introvert at heart.
I learned somewhere along the line that to be an introvert is all about how you charge your batteries.
Extroverts are re-charged by people - going to a party lifts them up and gives them wings for hours and hours.
Introverts may still love parties, but when they get home, they crawl into the fetal position and shut out the world for 3-5 days in order to recover.
That's me.

I love people. I always have, and most likely always will.
I love my friends and I absolutely love planning things and going out and doing weekend trips and having get-togethers. I love girl time, I love holiday parties. But there's definitely an inner balance, a delicate one, that requires me to incorporate my "alone time" into my regular schedule.

I went to Japan with a group in college, and I remember going off into the corner with another introverted guy, and we'd just say to the others, "It's introvert time."
And we'd literally just go into the corner, and sit, staring into the space, saying nothing for as long as possible. We were practically comatose. It was weird but we both really needed it.

Dress: Zulily, Sweater: Target, Tights: Target, 
Scarf: Gifted via World Market (shop!), Jewelry: Fossil

My amazing husband is such an extrovert, and he has enlivened my life in every possible way. He makes me so much braver than I ever could be alone. I'm so thankful for him.
This weekend he'll be gone for a law-school related getaway (a mediation tournament), so I'll be left to my own devices. While I used to cherish these moments by myself, I'm starting to realize how long it's been since I've had true alone time. Recharging my batteries nowadays usually involves my husband and I having a quiet night in, reading or watching TV and whatnot.
I'm suddenly feeling a bit unnerved, and I'm already wondering what in the world I'm going to do once I get off work and go back to my empty apartment.
But then I already know the answer. Pajamas. TV. Candy. Bubblebath.
It won't be so bad.

Me and my introverted self are going to have a date this weekend. Get reacquainted.
Hopefully I'll be motivated enough to get some cleaning done, and to utilize my husband's away time well.
But seeing as I've just finished Downton Abbey, this foggy Friday may just be spent drowning my sorrows in sweets and comedy shows to relieve the depression. :)

What are your plans? Also, what are your thoughts on the bright tights?
Not quite as daring as the pink tights but still pretty exciting. Buddy the Elf would be proud.

Happy Friday, all :)