calm before the storm: outfit 14

Outfit 14:

This was my Saturday outfit, although I didn't actually take the pictures until today.
Right as we began taking pictures, it began to sprinkle, and as soon as we hurried inside it began to pour!
It seems determined to be rainy and cloudy all week long.
Anyway, on Saturday, Dusty and I went downtown to the farmer's market, picked up a few veggies, and then we went out to breakfast. It was such a fun little date!

I also had the amazing discovery that my absolute favorite coffee shop, which closed down, actually has another little coffee shop in the lobby of a downtown bank and still serves my beloved lavender latte!!
I thought it was gone forever, so it truly was a life-changing discovery.
The rest of my day was spent having afternoon tea with my visiting friend Amber, and shopping around some downtown antique shops and boutiques.
It was a great day!

mixing prints: outfit 12

Outfit 12!

Only 3 outfits away from completing my 15 items to 15 outfits challenge.

While some of these items will get a nice long break after this, there are a few things I look forward to continuing to remix and mix and match - such as this floral skirt!

Top: J. Crew, Shoes: Zulily, Necklace: Francesca's

I think finding a floral skirt like this one can be a great wardrobe staple.

I've been so excited to experiment with mixing patterns (check out Ruche's Mixing Prints feature!) and this skirt has a lot of potential in that arena.

Borrowed from Ruche

Such a great set of principles for the pattern-mixing beginner! This feature is a spot-on guide to seeing mixing and matching in action. 

This outfit definitely follows principle #2. 

This tight orange gingham pattern almost acts as the neutral, while the pretty blue floral print in the skirt is what really pops. But they somehow compliment each other, despite having nothing in common (other than being complementary colors and therefore destined to be together forever.)

happy saturday: outfit 7

Outfit number 7 was for a relaxed and fun-filled Saturday.
In the morning I had book club, and that evening we were heading out on the town with another couple for a double date night.

Top/Shorts: J. Crew, Shoes: Zulily, Sunglasses: Ruche

I cheated a little bit in these first few pictures and sported one of my very favorite pairs of sunglasses from Ruche. While they're not an official accessory, they just worked so well with my Saturday ensemble. It was a sunshiney day!

That morning I went to a spot downtown that I had never been to before, to have breakfast with my book club. We read The Poisonwood Bible this month, and are starting on Bread & Wine for next month, which I couldn't be more excited about!

Market at Main is a great spot downtown and I loved my sweet potato pancakes. I really look forward to going there again!
Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequist is a darling book filled with life excerpts and personal recipes. It's a quick and delightful read, and the book club is mixing things up a little this month by meeting at one of our houses, and having all of us make and bring one of the recipes from the book. I'm thrilled!
One of our book club members reached out to the author, and asked if the publisher could maybe provide our book club with free copies of the book so we could read it together, and review and blog about it. And they said yes! And sent us all copies.
Our book club is filled with students and stay-at-home moms, so having these books provided for us is such a treat. I normally just request the book from our library, so having my own copy of this one which I already love is really exciting.

That night we went out to The Dahlia to mark the first day of Restaurant Week.
I love Restaurant Week. It's one of my favorite parts of summer in Lynchburg!

My absolute favorite thing at The Dahlia is the beer cheese soup. It's creamy and flavorful and served with popcorn, and it's pretty much brilliant. Pub food at its finest and yummiest.
After dinner we drove around admiring the old money houses of the surrounding neighborhoods, and enjoyed having the windows down with such gorgeous weather.
It was a great Saturday.

self-portraits: outfit 6

I haven't done a whole lot of self-portrait photo shoots. I'm always self conscious, and definitely have no idea how to work the settings for a self-timer, or how to position myself, etc. The second outfit during this challenge was the first time I've taken photos of myself not on my back porch or in my own apartment complex. It was extremely nerve-racking, but luckily there weren't any people around and I was able to get a few usable shots!
I knew I was going to have to challenge myself to put myself behind the camera and give my husband a break from daily photo shoots. I need to push myself to be adventurous with my pictures and my locations, and try and get better at understanding my camera and how to best use it for different situations.
The more you practice, the easier it gets!

Outfit 6 featured my classic orange gingham top, and the purple lace skirt, along with a few accessories.

Top: J. Crew, Skirt: LOFT, Necklace: Francesca's, Shoes: Zulily

I got off work early on Friday, so I was running around doing some errands before having to go back to get Dusty. While I was driving around, I found this odd little lake behind several businesses and grocery stores. I spotted a flock of geese as well, so I was somewhat drawn to it. I decided to bite the bullet and take a quick photoshoot, even though it was still a bit too sunny and hot out!

I feel like this town has a lot of secrets, and with only a year left to explore them before we move back home after law school, I'm more motivated than ever to explore and try new things.
I look forward to finding more nooks and crannies to discover and capture.

15to15: outfit 1

I announced earlier that I wanted to launch a new outfit challenge - some sort of summer closet remix that would spur into the spirit of summer and help get my creative juices flowing once again.
Enter, the 15to15! Using 15 basic items from my closet and creating 15 consecutive outfits.

Introducing outfit number 1!

Featuring a simple studded beige bag, a checkered J. Crew blouse, a "cleopatra" style necklace, my new floral denim skinnies from Old Navy and some neutral pewter flats.

Top: J. Crew (similar), Pants: Old Navy (similar), Necklace: Francesca's (similar)

Speaking of Francesca's, their jewelry collection is nuts.
We finally have a little developing shopping center near Lynchburg (a LOFT coming soon!!) and walking into Francesca's is so overwhelming. It's a small boutique, but the selection is enormous, especially in the jewelry department. I could stare at the multitude of colors and shapes for hours. It's delightful.
I definitely plan on building on my Francesca's collection!

I wore this outfit all day yesterday, and while it was a surprisingly muggy day, I couldn't help but wear these pants. I've become a sucker for floral pants, but this denim version is my new love.
I really look forward to wearing them all year long!
I snatched them up on the sale rack at Old Navy (shopping for some new clothes for my husband - he was sweet enough to let me tag along and get something for myself!)

What do you think?
Stay tuned for the next 14 outfits, including today's dress!