sunset: outfit 13

It was such a beautiful evening on Friday, and we got the chance to shoot some photos right as the sun began to shine through the trees before it set. It has been such a great week, but Friday couldn't come soon enough! I was looking forward to the farmer's market on Saturday, and walking along downtown and showing my friend some of my favorite spots.
Introducing outfit 13:

Top: LOFT, Vest: Kohl's (shop!), Pants: Old Navy, Shoes: Zulily

This spot is one of my favorites around our neighborhood.
We've done a couple photo shoots around here (like this one), and it's beautiful all year round. Probably my favorite is at the peak of Fall, when the largest trees turn a stunning shade of yellow and every time we drive down the street we're stunned by them.
I've always been a huge fan of sunset (being an Arizona girl, and also never being enough of a morning person for sunrises), and we had just met some friends for snow cones when we were heading home and decided to stop for our daily photos while it was still light enough.
It turned out to be the perfect time of day for photos!

It's moments like this that make me realize how much I love being outside. I'd love to take the opportunity to go on some local hikes, and use these cooler mornings for some of the gorgeous trails we have downtown.
We've talked a lot about trying to go out on a lake this summer, and also trying to get some friends together to go camping. Camping used to be an annual event for our family, and I haven't been in years and years.
I've never been camping with Dusty, and I think it'd be a blast! We'd both love to try and introduce camping into our regular summer activities.

the lay of the land

I've recently become obsessed with landscape print dresses.
I've seen a few abstract/landscape type dresses on a few other bloggers, like this dress from The Clothes Horse and Delightfully Tacky.

I think the first dress in this category that really caught my eye was of desert canyons, and it's a dress from Modcloth.

Glam Canyon Dress

In my heart of hearts I know I would never wear this dress...or at least, I wouldn't wear it often. The fabric is shiny and the print makes it a statement piece, to say the least.

Yet still, I find myself yearning to find a lost $100 on the sidewalk to splurge on this impractical purchase. 

Some more Modcloth scenery dresses:

Mount Desert Dreaming Dress

Graceful Greenery Dress

Little Mesa Perfect Dress

Jenna's Field Good Dress 

Scene and Believed Dress

I just can't get over how gorgeous these prints are.

The only down side is that they are all way out of my budget, save for The Mount Desert Dreaming, which rings in around $60 (still a little steep, unless it was for a really great occasion). And I am pretty partial to the desert color palette!

I was able to round up a few more affordable options, which I also love, although they are definitely not as vibrant and breathtaking as the choices above.

Afternoon at the Oasis Dress

Glacial Relationships Dress

Key Best Dress (such adorable detail)

I think I finally realized how in love I was with these prints when I stumbled across an amazing print from Anthropologie. It was on sale, and I was this close to dropping $80 for this thing.

I wracked my brain for a good 10 minutes, trying to find any justification for buying it.

I just stood in the dressing room, not wanting to take it off. What a cool dress.

Skyward Dress

Speaking of skyward, there's another style of landscape print that is definitely surfacing. Not of earth, but of space. The final frontier. Amiright?

Supernova Twirl Skirt (love!)

Moon Rock Concert Dress

Saturday Night Thrive Dress
(technically of city lights, but has a similar vibe)

Moonlight the Way Dress
(question of the day: why is this $350?)

Which one is your favorite?

One of these days, I'll invest in a landscape dress.

Right now my vote is with a galaxy savvy skirt, or one of the three budget-friendlier landscape dresses, like the Key Best. Something I can remix often, and get a lot of use out of! 

Gotta start small, right?

catty dresses and afternoon teas

Today's outfit is a cutesie print at its finest.
It's hard to do a cat-print right, but I think this dress definitely pulls it off.
Thanks to LOFT for producing such an adorable dress!
It was one of my favorite holiday-shopping finds.

Dress: LOFT (shop), Cardigan: Ireland, Tights: Target
Booties: Urbanog (shop), Necklace: Lia Sophia, Earrings: Chelsea Girl Designs 

I've gotten really used to having pockets on my dresses - almost to the point of being disappointed when I try on a dress without them!
But there's nothing better than a sweet, comfy shift dress with a cutesie print and side pockets.

This picnic area on our street is completely overrun by the hand of winter.
All the leaves in Lynchburg have somehow managed to congregate here, taking over every inch of ground with brown, crunchy foliage.
It was like a storybook, or some old poem.

The Land of the Leaves

The leaves go dancing, twirling 'til dawn.

They swirl until the night is gone.

They join together in amber-hued songs,

Browns and oranges joining the throngs.

Before the sun rises to see what they've done,

The leaves are all gathered enjoying their fun.

Every step taken brings a sweet crunchy sound,

The leaves have joined forces to cover the ground!

It was amazing to be out in the afternoon sunshine, after such a freezing week!

It was almost up to the 40s, which seems warm in comparison. It was such a beautiful day!

This morning, I slept in a little and and finished the book I had been reading, making coffee and taking my time getting ready.
I had an afternoon date with a friend to go to our little tea house downtown! I had been wanting to go for a few months, and we finally had a reservation set up for a relaxing hour or two sipping on hot sweet tea and munching on scones.

Sometimes there's nothing better than some fancy girl time.
It was the perfect Saturday!

I hope you get to take some time this weekend to get a little dressed up and enjoy a special outing.
Enjoying the simple things (like cat-print dresses) is the best way to spend a Saturday.

Cait

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