Friday Favorites #144

This week has been hard. It's undeniable. Understandably, I haven't felt much like posting. But at a time like this, we do need to remember there are good things in the world. Amidst all the fear, sadness, and anger I feel... there are still things that make me smile. Although they don't make everything okay, I hope they'll make you feel better for a moment and remember that there is still love and light.

(via Introvert Doodles)

Here are 22 nice things to make you feel better:

This Kate Spade purse:

These 17 stories will make you believe in true love:

These snowflake twinkle lights:

This Christmas cat dress:

More cute things to remind you the world isn't all bad:

These self-care ideas:

(via Introvert Doodles)

Realizing that there's hope for the future

Some other nice thoughts:

- kitty cat purrs
- a delicious cup of coffee or tea
- snuggles on a chilly evening
- a hug (or several)
- a hot shower
- getting a manicure or massage
- packages and letters
- the holidays
- the season premiere of your favorite show
- laughter
- falling in love
- a good book
- your favorite song
- dessert
- springtime
- breakfast food
- sleeping in
- freshly changed sheets
- sweatpants, right out of the dryer
- taking off your bra at the end of the day
- spending time with your best friend
- fresh flowers
- taking a vacation
- Aaron Sorkin's letter to his daughter
- this Facebook post
- knowing that nothing lasts forever

I hope you have a good weekend <3 

Happy Halloween!

I'm just popping in quickly to say Happy Halloween! I had a busy birthday weekend and the weather has been too rainy to take a full set of photos in this dress. But I'll be wearing it at work today – and apparently I'll be going trick-or-treating with my guy's nieces and nephews later. I'm not going to wear a costume, per se (though I could create about 10 different ones just with what's in my closet). But thematic dressing is kind of my specialty, which can be just as fun. :)

Outfit Details

Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing (thanks to Ashley!)

Sweater: Heart of Haute (other colors here)

Shoes: similar

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Happy haunting!

28 on 28

Well, it's official: I'm 28... and on the 28th, too! The past few months have been filled with a lot of change and I feel like I've done quite a bit of growing up (or catching up) in a short amount of time. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm supposed to feel at this age, though I realize that there are people who are younger than I am who have accomplished much more. But as I've gotten older, I've stopped trying to compare what other people are doing to the path I'm on. It's not that I don't care that other people are getting married, buying houses, and having babies. I do. It's just that I've come to realize that I'm happy taking things as they come – and I believe that it'll all work out in the end.

So, to sum up, I may not feel 28 (aka two years away from 30 ahhh!!?)... but I just feel content about where I am at this point in my life. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Of course, there are still a lot of things I want to work on – new skills, getting in better shape, working on a side hustle – but all in all, I think 28 is gonna be a good year. I can't wait to see how it pans out.

I wanted to talk about this dress from Hearts and Found for a second. How cute (and appropriate) is this balloon animal print? I really love all the customization options Marjorie offers, and I love the design of this dress. My only qualm is that the shoulder straps are slightly too short for me, but other than that, it's such an adorable piece. Absolutely perfect for a birthday!

Outfit Details

Penelope Dress in Party Animal Print: c/o Hearts and Found

Cardigan: Pinup Girl Clothing

Necklace: similar

Flats: 6pm

Have a great weekend!

Brolly

I generally don't like to own more than one version of the same print, but there have been a few exceptions – including this one. I currently own both the dress and skirt incarnations of this Mary Blair parasol print. Although I love the style of the dress (which you can see in this post from last year), it's quite small on me and fits strangely. Sadly, this skirt also has a sizing issue; my normal PUG size wouldn't have fit, but the next size up is definitely baggier than it should be. Ultimately, I think the eventual solution will involve getting the waist on this skirt tailored and letting the dress version go. But am I the only one who has a hard time parting with clothes, even when they don't fit correctly? I'm trying to hoard less and limit my emotional attachment to my clothes, but it's proving to be a challenge.

I've sort of stretched out my birthday celebrations for an entire week. I went to tea with my mom this past Saturday and gorged myself on scones, tea sandwiches, and miscellaneous goodies. I'm having a nice meal at my parents' house tomorrow night. But as far as my actual birthday weekend is concerned, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. The boy (ooh) offered to plan something for me, so I guess I'll have to wait and see what that involves. I hope to do some Halloween-y things on Saturday or Sunday though, like getting apple cider, going on a haunted hayride (eek!), or some other slightly spooky activity. At this point, I guess I care a lot less about doing something *big* for my birthday. Ultimately, I'd rather just eat yummy food and spend time with people I love.

Outfit Details

Jenny Skirt in Mary Blair Umbrella Print: Pinup Girl Clothing
Striped Jailbird Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Flats: Amazon
Belt: similar

Don't forget to enter my annual big birthday giveaway! You can enter to win an incredible prize package courtesy of Unique Vintage, Heart of Haute, Sourpuss Clothing, Voodoo Vixen, and Dreaming of Johnny. Get all the details and enter here before Halloween!

Big Birthday Giveaway! [CLOSED]

It's that time of year again: time for my annual big birthday giveaway! Every October, I love to give my lovely readers a little treat (much more preferable to a trick, if you ask me). My birthday is on Friday, so I'm kicking off my birthday week by giving you all a chance to win some wonderful prizes from some of my favorite brands! Read on to find out how.

I'm keeping this year's birthday giveaway a bit more *intimate* than in previous years. Really, things have just been so busy that I decided to make it a bit more exclusive and less overwhelming for myself. In the past, I've given away a bunch of smaller prizes for several people, but this year, I've opted to giveaway a HUGE prize to one lucky follower. Here's what's up for grabs!

The winner will receive:

- Red and Black Pindot "Diana" dress from Unique Vintage

- Your choice of "Estelle" blouse and circle skirt from Heart of Haute

- Purple spiderweb Backseat Baby purse from Sourpuss Clothing

- Wanda Woodward pin + "Really Good Hair Club" print from Dreaming of Johnny

- "Liv" cardigan from Voodoo Vixen

RULES: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. There are mandatory entries you must complete to be eligible (one of these is that you're a follower of my blog – no unfollowing after the giveaway ends, please). There are also optional entries you can complete to increase your chance of winning. One (1) winner will receive all of the prizes listed above. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, so be sure to provide a valid e-mail address. The winner must respond to my e-mail within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open worldwide and will run from now until 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, October 30th (right on the stroke of Halloween – spooky!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering and best of luck!

Halloween Harlequin

I can barely believe it's already October 20th. Where did this month go?! It's nearly Halloween (and my birthday is next week), so I decided to get cracking on my second eerie ensemble. I was kicking myself for missing out on the Halloween harlequin pieces from Pinup Girl Clothing... but much to my delight, I miraculously now have two pieces in this spooktacular colorway – thanks to Ashley and another kind lady in a Facebook swap group! I'll be styling the other piece later on, but I'm currently obsessing over this Harley top.

I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to dress up as anything for Halloween this year. My birthday falls on the weekend when most people will be out partying... I'm honestly a total homebody and I may just dress in something fun that's already in my closet. Is it weird that I'm looking forward to staying home for any trick-or-treaters that might drop by (and eating copious amounts of candy if no one shows up)? It's funny how your priorities change. But I don't hate it.

Outfit Details

Harley Top in Halloween Harlequin: Pinup Girl Clothing

Little Jun Skirt: Pinup Girl Clothing

Cropped cardigan: ModCloth

Pumpkin brooch: Summer Blue Jewelry

Flats: Amazon

Have a great rest of your week!

Basic Isn't Bad

If happened to see me this summer, chances are good that you saw me in this dress. Like many other girls, I picked up this "Who What Wear" striped bardot dress from Target and found it so comfy and cute that I rarely wanted to take it off. I think the bardot neckline is so romantic, and when it's combined with soft, easy cotton, I'm automatically a fan. Sadly, it's no longer available from Target, but I've linked similar ones in the outfit details section.

Wearing this dress got me thinking a little bit about basics. I tend to be drawn to unique, special pieces... but they usually have to be combined with a good basic to work. Basics are things we always need and want, but they aren't terribly exciting most of the time. And then I started thinking about how we describe other women as being "basic" for liking certain things. Admittedly, I love fall and pumpkin spice lattes as much as the next girl. I shouldn't feel ashamed for liking these things – or for wearing wardrobe staples – but it does have a negative connotation. I'm not sure why. But I'm going to embrace my love of basic things. Just because I'm wearing (or drinking) something basic, that doesn't mean I can't feel special.

Outfit Details

Striped bardot dress: similar here and here

Belt: old (similar)

Necklace: similar

Flats: Amazon

Have a terrific Tuesday!