ruffle it

top: the shopaholic, dress: ruche

One of my favorite things to do is bizarrely layer blouses over and under my dresses. 

This sheer blouse kind of spoke to me on Friday when I was choosing my work ensemble. I've often layered lace tops over my dresses (confession: doing that right now), and definitely cozy sweaters. But I don't own a lot of sheer blouses. I hate to say it, but I find them pretty inconvenient. 

I love the idea of sheer. Especially sheer sleeves, and lacey things. But I'm not a fan of the required camisole, because bra straps are obnoxious. And strapless bras are even worse. And no-bra is just dangerous. These are real issues of the clothes-wearing woman.

I usually go for the typical tank top underneath something see-through, but it always manages to look tacky to me. It's very hard for me to find sheer tops that I really like. The necessary undergarment is always distracting.

Enter the sheer + dress combo.

There are always solutions. I really love adding items to my closet that can be used for many purposes, and this top is definitely one of them. Tucked into a skirt, paired with skinny jeans, layered over a dress.
And the fact that it's navy is a huge plus. Navy is one of the most amazing remixing colors. It used to be a fairly limited color, but now that people have opened up to the navy + brown (which I adore) and navy + black combos, the possibilities are endless.

milkmaid braids

outfit: gifted // the shopaholic, earrings: chelsea girl designs on etsy,
sunglasses (remixed): ruche

Happy Friday, friendlies!

I'm incredibly excited for this weekend. My husband and I have planned an extravagant camping trip. I haven't been camping since I was a kid! Turns out most people hate camping (cue shocked exhales and shouts), which I find a crying shame. We had hoped to go gallivanting through the woods and around the lake with a fun group of people, but it has dwindled down to just us and my little brother. I'm actually fine with that, though. We bought a hippie canvas hammock and I plan on logging many hours in it with a good book in hand. 

On Tuesday I caught a glimpse of a milkmaid braid tutorial over at The Clothes Horse, so I decided to add that to this week's to-do list (also on my to-do list: find friends who like camping). 

I've always wanted to be more creative with my hair. In fact, for my birthday in October I was thinking about doing a "26 before 27" list (a list of 26 things I want to do over the next year, before I turn 27), and one of the things on that list is to learn how to french braid my own hair. 

I have yet to master the perfect ponytail, too. I'm lacking in the hair skill department. Maybe I should just take a class. Do they have hair handling classes?

Anyway. I washed my hair on Wednesday morning, and while it was still wet, I simply divided my hair into pigtails and pulled them across the top of my head. It was so much easier than I thought it would be! I was really excited. Such a quick and easy hairstyle for the week. I got a lot of compliments at work.

The only down side?

I was also asked to yodel, and called Bertha. One lady at work gasped because she thought I had chopped all my hair off. 

So, the jury's still out on this one. 

I personally love this style. Which is probably all that really matters. One of my favorite bloggers, Mara of M Loves M, wears her hair like this a lot, and every time I see styles like it I get all misty-eyed and jealous, and find myself wishing I could accomplish cute up-dos like that. Well, I have tried and conquered, so I'll keep trying my hand at new hairstyles!

Meanwhile, I'll be shamelessly milkmaiding it. 

miss tabby

Skirt (shop!), Denim (similar!), Sunnies (shop on sale!): Ruche 

Road trip style!

This past Friday we hopped in the car as soon as I finished work to head to sunny California. 

(Although for this trip, it was kind of a foggy, drizzly California).

I have a love affair with cutesie, ditsy, quirky prints.

It's a part of who I am, some innate desire to love on and wear the most bizarre and wonderful pieces of printed clothing. I love print mixing.

Dresses covered in apples or birds or other fair creatures are so colorful and full of personality, and I love being able to display my love for whimsy through my clothing. 

When I saw this skirt there was an immediate spark of attraction, and the rest was history. We were meant to be. 

When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade,

without further introduction.

- Mark Twain

I'm also a total cat lady, which made this particular skirt even more irresistible.

If the movie Aristocats was a skirt, this would be it. It's jazzy and sweet and and fun, you can practically hear the music. Everybody wants to be a cat. 

It's comfy and the perfect length for work. I love that it has pockets, too!

My first thought when buying this skirt was that I cannot wait to figure out different combinations to wear with it. I think normally with statement pieces like this, people stick with a pretty basic ensemble, like I did. Something neutral. I really like the idea of tucking a thin chambray button-up into the skirt, or maybe even trying a brighter color on top. 

My next challenge for myself when wearing this skirt is to stay away from only wearing white or black -- this skirt is too delightful to only be worn once or twice. 

contessa cat eye

Good news!
My absolute favorite pair of sunglasses is back in stock over at Ruche.



















The Contessa Cat Eye sunglasses were a splurge right before our trip to Paris, and they ended up being my favorite accessory there.
They traveled with me along the Seine, in front of Napoleon's Tomb, beside Notre Dame. They filtered the bright snow and sunshine while I enjoyed the views from our balcony, and hung on my collar while we ate baguettes near the Eiffel Tower.


I know accessories don't have a life of their own, but I'll never wear this pair again without thinking of all the magical properties of Paris!

Pick up a pair if you're feeling adventurous. :)

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.

parisian rooftops

Top/Scarf: Primark in London, Sweater: Banana Republic,
Pants: Ruche (shop!), Boots: Urbanog, Sunglasses: Ruche

Mornings in Paris were my favorite.
Our apartment was warm, cozy, and happily situated on the 7th floor with a darling balcony.
It was full of natural light, and something about waking up in that atmosphere was even more than perfect. It was like a dream.

Before the cold could hit us, before the day officially began, I would spend a few minutes out on the balcony, listening to the noises of life below and straining my eyes to see as far as I could into the city.
It was surreal and beautiful, completely invigorating and personal.
I think moments like that are the ones that often stay with us the longest, after traveling.
The intimate moments, the ones no one else will ever see or feel.