Bildungsroman

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

B and I were planning on hitting up a local museum today, so I decided to have an extra-comfy, dressed down day, complete with this tee-shirt from Out of Print Clothing (“OoP”). I really love this company for two reasons. First, everything they sell is literary and I’m a huge bibliophile (I had a friend who once tried to index all of my books for me; when he last worked on this endeavor, at least four years ago, I had well over 600 texts). Second, for every product sold, OoP donates one book through Books for Africa to a community that doesn’t have access such things.

When OoP first started selling clothes, they used images of covers from out-of-print editions of various titles, and inevitably branched out to other literary ideas and themes, including “lit terms.” This last collection include fun, offbeat takes on common phrases: “doppelganger,” “plot,” “hyperbole,” and, my favorite, “bildungsroman.” I love how clever this shirt is; while the easiest, most basic definition is usually “German for coming of age story,” a bildungroman is much more a rich, complex tale of an individual as they grow internally — spiritually, intellectually, socially. This is such a great play on that — and a wonderful inside joke for the literarily obsessed.

We shot these photos twice because I didn’t like the way, upon reviewing, the shirt sat in the first set this morning. (Yeah, I’m that picky.) There’s a change of lighting as they day grew darker and rainier — but, per usual, I was goofy and acting up a bit for B. Here are a couple of “nice” pictures, plus some amusing outtakes, including with Lenka when she decided to walk through our mini-shoot.

Shirt: Out of Print Clothing

Jeans: Gap

Sneakers: Onitsuka Tiger Serrano Sneakers in Coral via Amazon

Sandals: Toms

Watch: Fossil

Jewelry: Global Odyssey

28May2015

Weekly Wants: At Home

Posted in Weekly Wants by Girl Friday

I’m starting a new themed post series called (drumroll…) “Weekly Wants,” which, as you can imagine, shares three things I’m currently lusting after.

While I’m not sure I’ll always have a theme beyond items I want, this week’s collection is centered on being “at home.” As a new homeowner, there are those little everyday comforts that I’m truly relishing: lounging with B on a warm summer night; having our own address; decorating how we’d like, when we’d like. The three pieces I’ve chosen this week reflect those little things.

(Please note that I have not been endorsed at all for these selections! I’m really, truly just picking things I want to buy! All the images link to the specific item shown, too!)

My first choice this week is a stunning, floral robe from silkandmore on Etsy. This shop is run by a “twenty-something woman” names Shikha out of India. With 8,806 reviews, you can tell that she’s a hit! Several comments are from brides or bridal party members extolling her lovely kimonos and kaftans, explaining that they’re perfect for getting ready for the big day.

I’m not getting married in the near future, but I love the elegance of so many of her pieces. They’re richly colored, made from a soft, light cotton, and are easily customizable. Shihka allows for any color, height, or width variation needed. While I can’t find the exact listing that mentioned it, I also love the fact that she mentions that she finds cloth that wasn’t yielded by unfair labor, nor is this a mass-produced commodity. She’s working on these robes by herself or with her family to ship them out worldwide. Fabulous!

Next up is a stamp from Tiny Prints. When we bought our house, I desperately wanted to get our moving announcement cards from this site, but had other, larger purchases (you know, like the house itself) that I needed to worry about first.

I just received an email promo and I’m really tempted to indulge in a stamp for B and myself with our home address. In the email, they included a 50% off promo for their popular “Signature Circle,” a customizable black self-inking stamp: 0528DEAL50; it’s only valid through May 29 at 8:00am (PT), so act fast. If the “Signature Circle” isn’t your thing (it isn’t mine either, so no worries!), Tiny Prints has other great options which, again for today only, you can get 25% off with 0528DEAL25. I like these designs personally, but you should explore everything else they have! Lastly, another Etsy want: tiny prints from Flapperdoodle! I’m always on the hunt for little, fun pieces to either frame and hang in nooks, pin to the fridge or simply gift to people on a whim. That being said, I fell in love with Kate Gabrielle’s artwork a while back and, admittedly, have had at least two or three in my Etsy cart for far too long without buying. The characters in these pieces are evocative of the 1920s flapper: elegant, slim, and sassy — and I adore them all for that reason!

You can get the prints in various sizes, but I’m leaning toward getting two or three 4″x6″ prints (they’re only $5 a piece for that size) and hanging them up on this slim wall leading into the bedroom. My favorite — the one I think I’ve saved for at least three years now! — is “The reading lovers.”

I’m also really keen on “Head over heels” and a quote from Carl Sagan.

Hope you enjoyed the choices, folks! Let me know if you’re interested in this “Weekly Wants” series! And, if so, if there are certain themes you’d like to see in the future! Thanks for reading!

27May2015

Polka Dots and Platforms

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

I sometimes forget that it’s perfectly all right to wear a simple white tee-shirt when there’s other stuff going on in the outfit that’s dramatic, like this polka dotted skirt and these platform shoes. I don’t think I verbalized that when I dressed this morning, but looking at photos, I can see that those two elements are striking enough that I didn’t need to add another visual competitor. Ah, I like when my intuition works before my morning coffee! Huzzah!

I scored this bottom from TJ Maxx’s website: the suggested MSRP on the tag was $78, but I bought it for only $20! The platforms are from TOMS, my go-to for summer sandals. After getting used to the straps putting some pressure on my ankles, I think they’re pretty comfortable; they provide some height without sacrificing the comfort of flats! I’m working my two jobs back-to-back today, so I brought extra set of sandals in case I couldn’t take running around the theatre in these, but they’ve been great thusfar.

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: TJ Maxx

Shoes: TOMS

Watch: Fossil

Bracelet and Rings: Larry Nelson of Global Odyssey

Necklace: Lunahoo on Etsy

I’ve been wearing my hair up a lot lately. The temperatures and humidity are climbing in New England. I’m also toying with the idea of going short, so these are my final forays into wearing it pinned up as such. There’s been a lot of talk in fashion magazines about the appeal of the “lob” — or the long bob. This clavicle-grazing cut is considering chic and versatile because it’s flattering to all face shapes and hair types. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my wavy hair and think it looks fun and unkempt in the best ways, but I’ve also been wearing my hair like this for the past five or six years. I don’t know, I’m feeling a change is needed. I may surprise y’all soon with a new ‘do!

26May2015

Green with Envy

Posted in Home Life by Girl Friday

The rest of Memorial Day was a smashing success! We bought chairs at a yard sale, set up our new hammock, tended our garden, hosted out-of-town friends for a barbecue– all on Sunday! Between running errands, prepping our house, and, most importantly, catching up with friends, B and I were flat out exhausted. So, we decided on the only natural, therapeutic recovery for a busy weekend: painting our bedroom!

When we bought our house in December, painting the office/library and our bedroom were at the top of our list to tackle. They were easy, cost effective, aesthetic changes we could make without much recourse. Plus, most of the rooms were painted dove grey/brown which looked so dingy in certain light that it was a given that we were going to cover it up inevitably.

B and I hash out plans really well, mainly because we often meet in the middle from opposite ends of the idea spectrum. I’m a bit of an Apartment Therapy addict and loved the idea of having dark walls in a small space. B countered that with the fact that he loves green and finds it natural, soothing and relaxing. With both those ideas on the table, we settled on “the color of light filtered through forest leaves on a sunny, summer day,” or Behr’s “Pine Grove” in eggshell.

Here are some photos of the prepping process and early painting stages. Oh, and B — let me introduce the master photographer-turned-subject!

We finally finished painting late last night and moved all of our furniture back to the bedroom. The green proved to be versatile: it was a dark, dreamy, sleepy nook in the evening, perfect for curling up after a long weekend of socializing and working. But this morning, with the bright sunshine coming through the windows, the walls glowed emerald!

Lenka, my friendly fat-cat, was content to sprawl out for some photos. (I mean, as top house cat, it’s actually her bedroom anyway.)

We obviously have some work to do. There are a couple of prints that need framing and hanging above the bed, plus a banner I’m eyeing for that empty wall by the window. As for textiles, I’d love to add long, white curtains over the boring hanging blinds and I’m thinking of a colorful throw pillow (maybe in gold or magenta!) for the bed.

Like any home — new or old — nothing is ever static! More photos to come!

24May2015

Red, White and Blue

Posted in Fashion by Girl Friday

Day One of Memorial Day Weekend: Success!

I never get three days off in a row, so with so much down time this holiday weekend, I’ve decided to make the most of it. I had a rare opportunity to spend day one of my mini-vacation with a good friend (hi, Julia!). It was great showing her our new house, catching up on a year’s worth (!!) of life before she moves cross-country, and playing tourist together in my little city. We had great conversations throughout the day, of which the reflections will filter through here soon I’m sure. My 20s are drawing to a close and there are some life goals and resolutions I think I need to make public so I can be held accountable. But, that’s for a future post.

I really liked today’s outfit because it was comfortable to wear all day and walk around the city, up and down hill and over uneven pavement. B mentioned during these photos that he liked my patriotism: though unintentional, I managed to wear red, white and blue! You’ll see a lot of these super comfy TOMS sandals as the weather heats up; they’re also great because they don’t interfere with the burn on my foot. (“Yeah, that’s gonna scar,” was my first thought after I was injured. Eep!)

Finally, the reactions in the third and fourth photos are from hearing my phone ding to alert me that people were liking my blog post from yesterday. Thanks, folks, for the support! I (obviously) get a goofy face when I hear of a new like or follow, but this is fun, so I don’t care!