There's something in the distance - a glorious existence

Growing up I had a balcony off my room, and I would sit out there in the evenings and watch the sky change colors and dream about life and the future and how wonderful everything would be. Somewhere along the way to becoming an adult, I lost that sense of wonder and reckless dreaming. I think it happens to everyone. But every once in a while I'm just suddenly struck by the feeling that the world is a big, amazing, wonderful place full of possibilities. We were up on the roof last night taking these pictures, and afterwards we stood next to the railing and looked out over the beautiful city as the sun was setting and turning everything rosy pink, watching planes take off in the distance, and I just felt like a kid again, with a sense of wonder and mystery about the world. It was delightful.

Clearly I'm feeling more contemplative than in a mood to describe my outfit. To sum up my clothes: ninety-degree weather = wearing as little as possible.

(Bonus points to whoever can name the song the title came from! It was stuck in my head all day yesterday.)

Tank top: Target

Skirt: button-up shirt borrowed from husband

Shoes: Sam Edelman from Piperlime

Sunglasses: TJ Maxx

Earrings: free from aunt

Bracelets: H&M

Also! I was featured on the front page of Chictopia last night/this morning! Check it out:

I'm pretty stoked about it :)

Cotton candy and bubblegum

I felt so delightfully candy-like in this outfit - bubblegum on top, cotton candy on the bottom! This was the perfect lightweight outfit for a 90-degree day. (Which I mostly spent inside, except when we took these photos. But hey, it was hot on the roof!) I made this skirt last week out of an old nightgown that my aunt didn't want anymore. It was my first time putting an elastic waistband in a piece of clothing, and since I just winged it and didn't have any directions to follow, the waist didn't turn out too pretty. Thus, the gigantic belt. I threw my kitschy purse into the mix because I figured this would be one of the last times I could use it this year before it became seasonally inappropriate.

Top: Old Navy

Skirt: made from an old nightgown (free from aunt)

Shoes: BCBG from Macy's

Bag: thrifted from Rerun

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklace: thrifted from a flea market

Belt: free from aunt

No models here

Over the past few months of having a fashion blog, I've noticed a tendency of mine to be hyper-critical of the way I look in photos. About half the time that I look at my pictures after our photo shoot I say things like, "Ugh, my thighs look huge," or, "My smile looks weird," or my perennial favorite, "Why are my teeth so gigantic?" (They are, though. After he first met me, Josh's sister asked him what he thought of me. His response? "She has really big teeth." I forgave him eventually.)

Anyway, when I started looking at these photos for this post, there was a whole long list of things I didn't like about them. Then I came to an important realization: I am not a model. I have this realization about once a month, so it's nothing new, but it helps to keep me grounded. First of all, I don't weigh 110 pounds and stand as tall as my husband. I weigh a considerable amount more than that, and I have to wear 6-inch heels to be as tall as Josh. Second, I'm not in a studio with perfect lighting and makeup. Third, I'm not airbrushed. Finally - and I suspect that most of you are like me in this respect - my favorite fashion blogs are the ones where the girls running them look pretty normal. I find it intimidating when fashion bloggers look too perfect all the time. Do any of you struggle with this desire to look perfect in your pictures? Please tell me I'm not the only one who obsesses over it!

All that to say - I don't look perfect in these pictures, and I'm mostly okay with that :)

Top: thrifted, sleeves shortened by me

Shorts: Gap jeans, cut into shorts

Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Bag: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: free from my mom

Bracelets: Charlotte Russe

All dressed up with nowhere to go

On Sunday morning Josh and I got all dressed up to go to church, and arrived at 11 to find that the service had started at 10. So we went to Target instead. There was no sense wasting cute outfits on each other - we had to make sure someone saw how darn fancy and nice we looked :) As you know, I'm not one for calm, neutral outfits, but this just came together so naturally as soon as I got the skirt back from the dry-cleaners. I used to think white and beige outfits were boring, but I loved wearing this because of all the little fun details on the blouse (also worn here) and the jewelry.

I'm sure I've asked this before, but I'm still curious - are you guys are neutral lovers, or do you prefer to wear brights? Or does it really just depend on your mood?

(It almost hit 90 degrees on Sunday!)

Blazer: Old Navy brand, thrifted from The Dig

Blouse: Anthropologie

Skirt: thrifted from William Temple House

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Dany heels from Macy's

Belt: Forever 21

Necklace: vintage, free from my mom

Bracelet: Fred Meyer

Wearing sunshine

I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day weekend so far! Mine has been lovely and full of tons of socializing! On Saturday afternoon I wore this outfit to go out for sushi with some of my friends from high school and their little kiddos. Whenever I wear this dress I feel like I'm wearing sunshine. It's the most beautiful golden hue, and one of the few shades of yellow that actually looks good on me. I may have mentioned this before, but I think everyone can wear every color, as long as it's the right shade. Pastel yellow would make me look jaundiced, and neon yellow would look ghastly, but this rich gold shade is just right.

Dress: Anthropologie

Blazer: thrifted from William Temple House

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Dany heels from Macy's

Purse: Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Headband: Forever 21

Lapel pin: free from aunt

Bracelets: H&M

Team Spirit

I called this post "Team Spirit" because with this outfit I unintentionally wore the colors of the University of Oregon football team on the first day of the college football season. In retrospect, I now realize why everyone in the sports bar we went to for lunch yesterday was staring at me: they thought I was showing my team spirit in a very enthusiastic way. I just thought I was color blocking. I guess it's an easy mistake to make.

Top: Gap

Pants: thrifted from William Temple House

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Bag: Urban Outfitters

Earrings: free from aunt

Bracelet: B. Lee Designs

Monochrome

This outfit started with the skirt, which was a recent thrift store find. (For a dollar. Score!) At that point I really got stuck, and couldn't think of anything to go with it. Then, sticking out of a pile of clothes at the bottom of my closet, I saw this gray sweater. Things just took off from there, as I decided to play with a monochromatic textured look. I love the contrast between all the shades of gray and the textures in this outfit: the pale gray and quiet pattern of the skirt; the cozy, knitted texture of the darker gray sweater; the slight sheen of the rich gray tights; the woven texture of the belt; the felted bracelet; the snazzy men's hat.

When I finished putting it all together and looked at myself in the mirror, I said, "Wow, I never wear monochromatic outfits." Then I realized that's not true. I wear hot pink monochromatic outfits (like here), but I never wear monochromatic neutrals. I feel like calm, neutral colors better embody the spirit of monochrome, and I rather liked the way this looked and felt.

Sweater: free from aunt

Skirt: thrifted from William Temple House

Tights: Target

Shoes: Sam Edelman from Piperlime

Hat: Fred Meyer

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklace: souvenir from a trip to Hawaii

Bracelet: gift from husband, from Kanelstrand