A Green Dress

Hello all! This outfit was one that I considered for Easter, but it wasn't warm enough then.  It was warm enough this weekend, though! I got this little green dress while thrift shopping this winter, and as you can imagine I've been so impatient to finally get to wear it! It's home made, and while the style looks vintage to me I'm not convinced that the dress is.  Regardless, I love it!

The shoes are my Swedish Hasbeens knock-offs from Urban Outfitters.  They are MUCH more affordable, and the also have a lower heel, which I like.  Being a relatively tall girl (I'm 5'9"), I rarely wear heels.  When I do I end up feeling like I'm towering over everyone, so I usually opt for flats.  That was definitely the selling point for these shoes.  Are you a heels or flats gal? Oh, and I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

On the Dock

This weekend Dan & I took advantage of the beautiful weather we had on Saturday by spending some time at Edinboro Lake.  I often walk there from my house and go on power walks or jogs in the spring and summer months.  We spent the afternoon reading, people watching, and watching the cutest little black lab puppy exploring the lake and attempting to jump off the docks while on a leash.

As you can see, I'm reading the third and final installment in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and it's SO GOOD! I would highly recommend the series to any fan of mysteries and suspense.  So far the first book was my favorite, but they have all been very good, so if you're looking for an exciting, fast-paced read check them out!

I'm really happy with the way these pictures and this outfit turned out.  I feel like this outfit really reflects my personal style very well.  In the beginning days of my blogs, I feel like I was striving too hard to put together these really creative outfits for my outfit posts that I wouldn't normally wear out.  I'm really striving to find a balance of wearing outfits that I feel comfortable in while still trying to be creative with the pieces in my closet.

Photos by Dan.

Striped top: thrifted
Skirt: Urban Outfitters
Tan shoes: Liz Claiborne via DSW
Vintage Dooney & Burke Purse: eBay

Is it too late to post my Easter outfit?

I have been bound and determined to post pictures in my Easter outfit, and it has turned out to be quite the ordeal.  Last Sunday, my father kindly agreed to take my pictures for me before church.  I set the camera to what I thought were the right settings and he quickly snapped a few shots, then we rushed out the door.  When we got home I took a peek, and the pictures that he took were great except that they were far too dark, which was my fault.  

Today when I got up for church, I decided to wear my Easter outfit again since I went to my parent's church last week and I was going to mine and Dan's church today.  Afterwards, I decided to try my camera's self-timer for the first time.  Now, keep in mind that I have neither a tripod nor a remote. (I set my camera atop two patio end tables stacked on top of each other.  It's all very sophisticated.) I managed to snap these photos before it started to rain, however I didn't notice while I was shooting that there are no pictures of my outfit head-to-toe, only head-to-knee.  Hopefully you can use the shot of my shoes to imagine how it looked all together.  

Oh, and my $1.00 estate shoes broke while I was shooting this, so you won't be seeing these puppies again.  So there you go.  After much effort, here are photos of my Easter outfit.  You might also notice that I went darker with my hair.  I decided to try and get it closer to my natural color because I'm thinking of growing it long and it's much healthier when I'm not highlighting it.

 Photos by me!

Green cardigan: Gift from Dan (J Crew Outlet)
Black tank: Banana Republic Outlet
Vintage floral skirt: Second Skin Vintage via Etsy
Shoes: Estate Sale
Jewelry: Borrowed from Mom

Inspired by: Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

So I recently watched Elizabethtown for oh, I don't know, the zillionth time, and I'm still taken with Kirsten Dunst's character, Claire, and her style.  There's just something about her quirky personality, the way she sees other people, and her apparent zest for life that seems to rub off on me after watching the movie.  Also, I just love her style! Throughout the film, she's seen in an array of adorable vintage clothing, from t-shirts to skirts! These are some of my favorite outfits.

Also, I hate to disappoint, but I have no photos from last week.  As you know, my mother and I packed up our suitcases for a shopping trip to Pittsburgh, but we only made it as far as Grove City, Pa where there is a fabulous outlet mall.  We shopped all day in the dreary cold weather, and then we decided we simply didn't feel like driving all the way to Pittsburgh, so we turned around and went home.  That night, we stayed in and watched Tangled in our PJ's.  That's the beauty of setting off on a little trip without an agenda; we were able to make plans as we went, and it ended up being totally different from what we set out to do! 

All in all, I had a wonderful spring break, but the weather was simply not cooperating for pretty spring outfits.  The good news is that Dan is home for summer vacation from school for the next four months (I know, right?! Four months?!), and that means that I will have my photographer handy at all times! Hopefully that means more outfit shots...we'll see!

For when spring decides to arrive...

Spring Fever by Vintage Aplomb featuring coral jewelry

Spring Afternoon by Vintage Aplomb featuring lace cocktail dresses

Play Date by Vintage Aplomb featuring flat shoes

To Pittsburgh!

Today my mother and I are going to enjoy our day off by heading down to Pittsburgh for shopping and an overnight in a hotel! I can hardly contain my excitement! Before we head out, I thought I'd give you a glimpse into the overnight packing process.  Before you judge my choice of literature, please remember that my job requires that I read young adult books...although, to be honest, I would be reading them anyway!

I'm usually not a Vera Bradley fan, but I just love the owls on the bag pictured above, and I fell in love.  It is my "teacher bag" that I take with me to and from school everyday, but it comes in hand to tote around my laptop and books on the weekends.  The compact with the two birds was a gift from my father that he brought back with him on a trip to South Korea, and the small change purse belonged to my Great Aunt and is from Neiman-Marcus.

I'm taking my camera on the trip, so hopefully I'll be able to get some good photos, although without Dan manning the camera we shall see...

Inspired by: Anne of Green Gables

1. 2. 3. 4.

This weekend Dan & I went shopping in Buffalo, and we were very good about not spending money.  A little too good.  In fact, the only thing I got was a  boater hat on clearance from Urban Outfitters for $10, which is pictured in my last post. 

Now that I have a much-coveted boater, I just need some ideas for how to wear it.  Who better to turn to than Anne of Green Gables? When it comes to boaters, Anne Shirley seems to be the expert.  This spirited red head wore her hats with flair and aplomb, and I only hope I will be able to do the same.  

Also, I somehow forgot to mention this is yesterday's post, but I have the week off! That's right, it's spring break! My only real plans are resting, relaxing, and going to Pittsburgh with my mom from Wednesday-Thursday as it's her spring break, too! I'm going to have to keep this short, as I'm meeting a friend for coffee shortly.  I hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday!