Floral prints and flower gardens

Sunny days are the days I prefer above all others, and we haven't had many of them lately. Since I've lived in Oregon my whole life, I should be used to the gray skies by now, but I'm not. I always hope that this year spring and summer will be sunnier than they were last year, but they never are. Still, all the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere brighten my mood. I can't wait until I have a garden of my own someday, where I can grow flowers and fruits and vegetables, but for now I'll just have to content myself with enjoying the yards of my family members, like my grandma's pretty yard shown in these pictures.

Floral prints are obviously my favorite thing to wear in springtime - in the last few weeks I've worn them six other times (here, here, here, here, here, and here, in case you're curious and bored enough to click on all those links!).

PS - Don't forget to enter my Go Chic or Go Home giveaway for a $50 gift card!

Black shirt: Gap

Floral skirt: free from my aunt

Black cardigan: gift from my aunt, from Macy's

Sandals: Casita sandals from Blowfish Shoes

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Black belt: thrifted

Bracelet: Fred Meyer

Thievery

Normally I'm not quite this blatant of an outfit thief, but I pretty much stole this look outright from Baby Budget Blog. It's a compliment, I swear - it means her outfit was so awesome that I couldn't resist wearing it myself. I loved that the florals and bright yellow of the sweater made it feel so spring-ish, but the layers and the almost-full-length pants kept me warm enough for the 50-degree weather Oregon likes to try and pass off as spring. (For the record, I'm not buying it, Oregon. The trees and flowers may be in bloom, but if I still need three blankets on my bed at night, it doesn't count as spring.)

Also, don't forget to go enter my Go Chic or Go Home giveaway for a $50 gift card!

Yellow sweater: Gap

Floral shirt: thrifted

Floral pants: H&M
Purse: thrifted

Black shoes: Payless (about seven years ago)

Blue earrings: B. Lee Designs, gift from my aunt

Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Bracelet: In Pink

Pink and orange

Most of the outfits I wear on the blog are not ones that I wear all day long, simply because I have to wear grungy, non-outfit-photo-worthy clothes when I clean houses in the mornings, and then I change into something cuter in the afternoons. So if any of you were wondering how I could possibly wear such high heels so often, it's because I only wear them for a couple hours at a time. I did wear the jeans and t-shirt pictured here all day on Tuesday - my day off - but wore flats to run errands, and changed into heels when I got home just to feel cute. I'm a big fan of jeans and t-shirts, and appreciate when I can do little things to spice up that combo, like wearing a brightly striped shirt (also worn here and here) instead of a plain one, and throwing on fuchsia heels instead of black flats. (Side note: though I generally consider myself to be a good speller, the word "fuchsia" had me stumped. I went through "fuschia," "fushia" and "fucsia" before I finally had to admit defeat and google it.)

PS - Don't forget to enter my Go Chic or Go Home giveaway for a $50 gift card!

Pink and orange striped shirt: Venice tee from StyleMint

Jeans: Gap

Pink heels: Steve Madden from Marshall's

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Gold leaf cuff: In Pink

Win a $50 gift card from Go Chic or Go Home! - CLOSED

Today is your lucky day, my wonderful readers, because I have a giveaway brought to you by Go Chic or Go Home! Go Chic or Go Home is an amazing photo-sharing community that offers everything you need to make the most of your daily wardrobe and style: your closet, inspiration, friends, and shopping. You can upload photos of your own clothing items to create a virtual closet à la Cher in Clueless, or you can upload outfit photos and browse the outfits of other members. You can also shop and create wishlists of clothes you want to buy, or browse the list of featured retailers to find out who's having a sale.

Go Chic or Go Home is by far my favorite outfit-sharing community. While you'll find a lot of innovative style at GCOGH, you'll also find normal people wearing normal clothes in pretty and accessible ways. Unlike sites like Lookbook, where most of the styles are odd, unattainable, or simply unwearable for everyday life, I appreciate that GCOGH provides me with genuine inspiration through people who look and dress like me.

The winner of this giveaway will receive a $50 gift card to any of the retailers featured in the Go Chic or Go Home Shop section.  This includes Gap, J.Crew, ASOS, and more!

To sign up for the giveaway all you have to do is:

• Become a member of Go Chic or Go Home in 2 easy steps: 1) Request an invite, and 2) Use your invite link to sign up on the website.
• Leave a comment on this blog post about the Go Chic or Go Home community. What do you think about it?

Existing members are more than welcome to enter the giveaway, too!  Simply log into Go Chic or Go Home so that your account is active during the giveaway period. And don't worry, this giveaway is open to international readers! The gift card will be issued in a denomination specified by the retailer.

This giveaway will run through the end of the day Tuesday, May 1st, and I'll announce the winner on Wednesday the 2nd! If you don't have a blog to link to in your comment, just leave an email address that I can use to contact you if you're the winner.

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UPDATE: The winner of the giveaway is...

...Adele! Congrats, Adele! I'll be getting in touch with you soon.

Black skirt

Ta da, this is my outfit! I'm keeping it brief here because I'd rather go read Game of Thrones than write anything....

Tank top: thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Black faux leather skirt: H&M

Red sandals: Jeffrey Campbell from Lulu's
Purse: Michael Kors, thrifted from Salvation Army

Black headband: Forever 21

Silver earrings: gift from a friend

White stone bracelet: In Pink

Scalloped

For me this was a really tame outfit: simple jewelry, no bright colors or patterns, and everything in similar muted hues. But I felt lovely in it; the scalloped bodice on this dress is beautiful, and it helps that I finally figured out how to work my new curling iron and curled my hair. And you know what's awesome? This dress is made of some sort of stretchy, sweatshirt-like material, so when I wear it I feel like I'm wearing really pretty pajamas.

Gray dress: Anthropologie

Beige flats: Urban Outfitters

Pearl necklace: gift from a friend

Silver bracelet: won in a giveaway

Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm

On Saturday Josh and I took a trip down to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn with our friends Bethany and Eric and their baby. (Side note: I'm not a fan of babies, but theirs is the cutest ever. I kind of wanted to take him home with me.) The top news story in Portland over the weekend was that we were supposed to get temperatures in the 70's and 80's (which we did!), so of course that meant everyone in the whole city decided to head out to the tulip farm with us. We had to wait in a line of traffic for about thirty minutes before parking at the farm, and in the fields it was nearly impossible to take photos without any strangers in them, but it was still fun. (And worth the drive and admission fee, if you live in the Portland area! Although I would suggest going on a weekday to beat the crowds.)

I decided to be unusually sensible and forgo heels in favor of (relatively flat) sandals, which turned out to be smart as the ground was muddy.

(My husband Josh!)

Pink shirt: Old Navy

Floral skirt: thrifted from Village Merchants

Sandals: Blowfish Shoes

Hat: thrifted from Red, White and Blue Thrift Store

Pink belt: Gap

White bracelet: H&M

I'm linking this post up to Monday Mingle at Momtrends, and Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.

Leopard and layers

After several days of spending my afternoons lying on the couch while watching TV and slowly working my way through a few boxes of tissues, bags of cough drops, and pots of tea, I finally abandoned my cold and returned to the land of the well on Thursday. Josh and I celebrated by going on a walk, snapping these photos, and getting some coffee. (Yes, we do know how to go wild with our celebrations. You should have seen us on New Year's Eve - no booze, and in bed by 11 p.m.)

Red button-up shirt: Nordstrom (about ten years ago)

Red vest: Forever 21

Black faux leather skirt: H&M

Black tights: American Apparel

Loafers: Urban Outfitters

Leopard print hat: Albertus Swanepoel for Target

Earrings: church craft fair

Necklace: jewelry store in Zhengzhou, China

Leopard print belt: H&M

Gold watch: free from a family member

White bracelet: H&M

Funny face

I felt that I looked a bit like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (pictured below) in this outfit. Really, that's only because of the black leggings and black flats - the comparisons should end there. She looks infinitely more graceful in leggings and flats than I do, and was a much better actor than I am. (Although I can cry on command. But only when no one's watching.) This was my running-errands-while-sick outfit. One of the sucky things about being an adult is that when you're sick, there's not necessarily anyone around to take care of you, and you still have to do things like make yourself lunch and go to the DEQ because your car registration expired yesterday, even if your head feels like it's going to explode. After running errands I came home, put on my PJ's, and watched TV for the rest of the afternoon. Once Josh got home in the evening I put this outfit back on to snap a few photos, because I'm just that dedicated.

Orange tunic: American Apparel from Crossroads Trading Co.

Black turtleneck: Old Navy

Black leggings: Target

Black flats: Kathy flats from ShoeMint

Black belt: gift from my parents, from Uruguay

White bracelet: H&M
Blue bracelet: Charlotte Russe

Suspended

On Saturday Josh and I were in the wedding of some of our dear friends, Rachel and Matt. All the groomsmen got suspenders for the occasion, and as soon as I could I borrowed Josh's pair for this outfit. They were fun to wear, mostly because of their superfluity - generally my outfits are less about function and more about aesthetics.

I cropped these pants myself. They were inexpensive floor-length pants I bought at Target years ago, and since I hadn't worn them for years I tried to make them usable again by shortening them, but I think they still might be too long. What do you guys think - would they look better if they were an inch or two shorter?

After taking these photos I realized I wore the same shirt, shoes, and bracelet in my Easter outfit. I guess sometimes I get stuck on repeat.

Floral shirt: Georgia tee from StyleMint

Black pants: Target, cropped by me

Red cardigan: free from my aunt

Black wedges: Lulu's

Black hat: gift from my aunt

Silver earrings: gift from my mom

Suspenders: borrowed from Josh

White bracelet: H&M

Here's a photo of me and Josh from the wedding on Saturday! We both looked so good that I couldn't resist sharing it...

Tangerine

I think tangerine is the Pantone color of the year. I've always wondered how they choose that color: do they base it off a prominent color they see people on the street wearing? Or do they just spin a big color wheel and use the color it lands on? (If so, I think there will be some protest the year it lands on "puce.") And then what are you supposed to do with it? Redo your wardrobe or your living room so the dominant color is tangerine? Start painting your eyelids with tangerine eyeshadow? Go buy a tangerine car? Eat only orange-colored food? (I've taken this too far, haven't I?)

Orange shirt: Target

Skirt: Urban Outfitters

Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun

White wedges: Sam Edelman from Piperlime

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Yellow bracelet: In Pink

White bracelet: H&M

Gold watch: free from a family member

Yellow ring: ScanFair

Cherry blossoms

On Saturday evening Josh and I took a stroll along the Portland waterfront and took the photos below amidst the cherry blossom trees. I'm disappointed that we didn't get to see them at their peak, but I'm glad we got down there before they faded completely.

I don't normally wear pastels, but I couldn't resist the lure of this mint green cardigan on Saturday. I don't think I'll ever stop wearing bright colors, but I'm starting to appreciate quieter outfits - ones that don't scream "Look at me!"

Ruffled blouse: Anthropologie

Denim skirt: Gap

Mint green cardigan: Old Navy

Brown heels: Madden Girl from Macy's

Brown hat: Asos

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Brown belt: thrifted from Goodwill

White bracelet: H&M

Brown bracelet: gift from a friend
Gold leaf cuff: In Pink

I just can't get enough

I can't get enough of these wedges - I've worn them nearly every nice day we've had this year. And this dress is one of my favorites. I've owned it for years, and it used to be midi length, but last summer I finally chopped it off into a mini. (That seems to be a trend with me.) This outfit was so lightweight, comfortable, and pretty that I'm sure it's one I'll be returning to over and over again during the spring and summer.

Dress: thrifted, possibly vintage
Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack
Green hat: free from my aunt
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Blue bracelet: Dress Barn
White belt: Forever 21

Easter outfit

This was my Easter outfit. It was comfortable enough until dinnertime arrived - after that, I may have had to unzip my skirt a bit. Family potlucks are the best. (Especially when all you have to contribute is a bag of Cheetos.)

Floral shirt: Georgia tee from StyleMint

Pink pleated skirt: H&M

Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun

Black wedges: Lulu's

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Bracelet: H&M