bonjour!

I suppose I should have mentioned in my dramatic last post, I did buy that cute striped sweater that said Bonjour! Because why not?

When Dusty and I went to Paris last March, I managed to avoid buying anything cheesily Paris-themed, like an eiffel tower t-shirt or something like that. Obviously I was tempted, but now at least I can buy things like this sweater in the states with the excuse that I've been there and have clumsily said bonjour! in real life.

Sweater: LOFT outlet, Top (similar, similar): Ruche, Booties: Urbanog

Announcement: we're going on another adventure.
I suppose March is our month to travel, because in less than two months we'll be jumping on a plane to Italy!
I wonder if I could wear this Bonjour! sweater there? I should probably find one that says Ciao!

In the meantime, I am going to be dreaming about gelato and bruschetta and all the best sights!
We'll be hitting Istanbul for a day, then moving on to Rome, Florence, and Venice.

If any of you have been there and have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!
Oh darling, let's be adventurers!

pink tights: challenge accepted

First things first:
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! :)
For those of you who hate this day, shame on you. It tickles me pink that there's a day set aside for love - no matter what that may look like. A lunch date with your mom, a pajama-clad night watching chick flicks, giving candy to your best friends, going out on the town...celebrate love today.

This blog post is about celebrating love. And celebrating pink.

About yesterday's outfit: I really love challenges.

I think it speaks volumes about my childhood. Surrounded by three brothers, I somehow had to make up for being a girl by trying to be tough and never, ever turning down a dare.
It was like the magic word. Dare.
Whenever someone dared me to do something, everyone knew it would happen. And don't even get me started on Double Dog Dares.
I drank toilet water, ate horse poop, asked the cute neighbor for a cup of sugar for no reason other than to get him to come outside...
I'd like to think I've matured since then, but I definitely still perk up a little at the mention of a challenge or a dare. And since there was no unsanitary meals involved, I felt like I could definitely manage this one.
My friend Allison told me to try and make pink tights work.
So, I bought the most obnoxious color pink tights I could think of (they were the only ones I could find) and pulled them on yesterday, and am presenting them to you today for a very Happy Valentine's Day. :)

My husband only gave me one piece of advice, as I showed him my various concepts for pink-tightedness.
(He was absolutely baffled at how I was going to fit into the tiny new pair of tights. Apparently he's never seen tights before.)
"Just...try to avoid looking like a little girl. Okay?"
So I guess pigtails were out of the question.

Dress: Ruche, Cardigan: Gifted, Tights: Target, 
Boots: Gifted via DSW, Earrings: Noon (shop!)

It was the coolest evening.
It had been raining most of the day, in soft drizzles and cloudy moroseness.
By the time we left, fog had settled contentedly on the hills beyond and the lights from the surrounding buildings and apartments were glowing warmly.

I'm definitely not comfortable with pink tights.
I think these high brown boots were mostly to keep them from being too intimidating.
Overall, I think I would much rather have a darker pink - maybe even hot pink, or a patterned/textured tight.
The more I tried stuff on, the more I realized it was better to try and blend them into a look (like this watercolor floral print dress), rather than wear, say, a black outfit with them as the kicker. They're too light of a pink to be an effective statement color, so they need to just fit dreamily in the rest of the outfit so they don't look too strange.
Having said all that, I'm not sure I'm done trying them out yet.
Overall I was happy with the completed challenge, and who knows -- they might reappear around here again someday.

Now go enjoy your Valentine's Day, darlings. :)

layering: lace and dresses

I couldn't be more excited for a Friday.

This week has been long and cold, and I'm ready for the slightly warmer weekend - I'm planning on cleaning, reading, sleeping, more reading, and drinking coffee and tea as much as possible. 

I had the pleasure of getting a long-awaited package in the mail this week!
I don't know about you, but I love mail. 
It's the most wonderful feeling, opening up our mailbox and seeing a letter or envelope for me. Or even better, a box waiting at our door!
This dress was an especially exciting delivery, because I paid $5 for it.
I often shop on Zulily, which is a site that has daily deals for women and their babies/kids. I don't have kids, but I still really love their deals on dresses and shoes! I've also found some great apartment decorations, and occasionally fun gifts like kitchen knick-knacks and grilling tools for the hubby.
Zulily kindly sent me a "thank you for being our awesome customer!" e-mail with a $10 credit to my account.

$15 dress - $10 gift credit = $5, and one very happy Caitlin.

Cardigan: Gifted/Banana Republic (similar), Top: Ruche, Dress: Zulily
Tights: Target, Boots: DSW

I've measured my life by these trees. Starting here...and all the way up there. And still, they grow.
So much life to live, but I no longer imagine it alone.
-Prince Henry, Ever After

This amazing cashmere sweater was an anniversary gift from my lovely husband.
It's probably the most extravagant article of clothing I own, aside from my wedding dress.
I have to resist wearing it every single day, so as not to wear it out too quickly.

This dress filled my desire to have a spaghetti-strap dress to wear with this fantastic lace blouse from Ruche.

I'm still experimenting with ways to wear it, but I like it best when layered with other pieces, as opposed to just wearing it by itself with a camisole. 

I'm slowly building my collection of peter pan collars. I have to say, I love them. A lot.

I recently looked up the history of the peter pan collar and found out that it was named after the collar of the costume worn by miss Maude Adams, when she famously played Peter Pan on stage in 1905.

I think this little historical tidbit has solidified my enamor for it. 

The pattern of this dress is funky in a way that I really like.
The golden buttons on it are a nice detail. I think I'm going to have fun remixing this dress for other outfits.
I love the slight bell-like flare it has coming down from the waist, and it's extremely comfortable.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Whatever they are, I hope you're staying warm and enjoying these magical winter months.

Rumor has it it's snowing outside at this very moment!

Without any windows in my little library office, I'm bursting at the seams for the clock to strike 4:30 so I can fly outta here and catch some snowflakes. 

Happy Friday!

Cait

emerald + peter pan

Green is my absolute favorite color.
It possibly stems from my obsession with all things Irish growing up, when the shamrock became my "favorite flower". My dad is particularly excited about our Irish heritage, and St. Patrick's Day was always filled with a delicious Irish meal (potatoes, corned beef, cabbage, or Guinness stew, etc.) and lots of Irish spirit.
This vibrant color was more solidified as my true favorite when it became my wedding color!
Green, brown, and gold will always elicit images of the happiest day of my life.

Thus, when the Pantone color of the year was announced as Emerald Green, I knew 2013 was going to be my year.

Top: Ruche, Collar/Top: Ruche, Jeans: Forever 21, 
Booties: Urbanog, Watch: Gifted, Bangle: Gifted/Kate Spade

I've recently become obsessed with Kate Spade.
My best friend has fueled this fire - if there ever was a brand that really defined my friend Becky, it would be Kate Spade. And in that brand we have found love. And color and pattern and style.

She gave me this incredible gold bow bangle for Christmas, and I've hardly stopped wearing it since.

Details are the best.
I have gotten to the point where I hardly ever shop for cheap thrills - it's the statement pieces, the more investment pieces, that grab my attention.
This top was no exception.
And because I'm an Arizona girl, and I never get to see snow, I had to add that Christmas-y pop of red to such a beautiful wintery day!

It's still pretty chilly around here, although the snow has almost all melted away.
Rumor has it we'll be getting more on Friday, so fingers crossed for more snowy photoshoots!