Put A Bird On It

top: c/o dxmall (20% off w/ code DXMALLFAN)
shorts: exact
necklace: c/o dxmall
shoes: similar | cute option
hat: ON | crazy similar

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I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Life is just better when you put a bird on it.  And this blouse is no exception.  For a good, long while the extent of my obsession with birds was limited to swallows, sparrows, and other songbirds.  I'm only partially ashamed to admit that not too long ago, I constantly put birds on things, but limited it to sparrows, swallows, and similarly small, adorable ones (if only you could see my bird-adorned hoodie, the plush birds nestled in my house plants, the Christmas ornaments I sewed, various necklaces featuring our feathered friends, and oh yeah, the handmade mobile hanging by my bed).  But then I received this flamingo print top* from my lovely sponsor, dxmall, and I am now proud to say I welcome birds of all types to adorn my attire.  I mean, what a waste of time thinking flamingos (used for decorative purposes of course) were simply neon pink, plastic kitsch accompanied almost exclusively by astroturf.  Thanks to the truly beautiful print on this top, I now see that they can be pretty, understated, sophisticated even.  I can only imagine what will come next.  Seabirds?  Arctic birds?  Tropical birds?  The possibilities are wide open!


*a note about the top: contrary to the blazer I received from dxmall, this top seems to run large.  I'm wearing a size medium, but probably could have done with a small.


Linking here today.

...And We're Back

{target sweater (similar) | gap shorts | ON hat | payless shoes (similar) | UO necklace (so similar) | f21 rings (cute option)}

As you may have noticed, I took a blogging break over the last couple weeks.  It was completely unplanned.  Taking a spontaneous road trip sort of threw off my groove, and when I got home, I had a hard time getting back into it.  I realized that I needed to step away for just a bit.  I felt a little guilty not announcing, well, anything, but sometimes in life an unintentional intermission just needs to happen.  It's good for the soul.  Totally true; Google says so.

Despite fears that I may have jinxed the summer away by going on vacation, I am happy to report that we're still having some pretty warm days (interspersed with chilly ones that require a striped sweater and a hat) here in NJ.  Don't let the long sleeves fool you; it's supposed to be 90 degrees tomorrow.  I'm mentally willing summer to stick around until October.  Hey, it can happen.

Linking up today.

So Long, Summer!

{ON dress (similar) & hat (similar) | f21 jacket | qupid sandals | fossil watch | stella & dot bracelet}

Things I will miss about summer as demonstrated by these photos:  Hanging out on our friends' rooftop in NYC without getting cold, having silly photo shoots accompanied by an amazing sunset (without getting cold), and wearing in public what is essentially a glorified nightgown masquerading as a chic and stylish maxi dress (and, yeah, without getting cold).

We're leaving today for a quick little road trip up to Buffalo.  If traditions hold true, then there is a distinct possibility that summer will end while I'm away and it'll be cold by the time I get back.  I promise to take full responsibility for any seasonal transgressions.

See you next week!

p.s. - Linking with these ladies today.
p.p.s. - The Chicwish giveaway ends on Monday.  Don't forget to enter!

Touchy Feely

**Have you entered the Chicwish giveaway?**

{sears top | ON cardi (similar) | express diy cutoffs | payless shoes (similar) | jessica simpson bag | fossil watch | f21, stella & dot, target bracelets}

I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of texture.  I'm the one in the museum who occasionally ignores the signs kindly asking us to refrain from touching the artwork.  I'm the kind of person who sticks her hands wrist-deep into containers of bird seed at the pet shop, or who crouches down to touch lamb's ear every time she spots the plant.  The one who appreciates feeling a crumbly brick wall, a particularly soft cat, or a skein of nubby yarn.  The person who needs to feel and touch anything that looks like it'd be interesting to feel or touch.  The girl who spied this top and was overjoyed at the different textures contained within it.  The intricate & slightly scratchy lace contrasted by the soft scoops of crochet.  I can hardly keep my hands off myself.

Linking up here.

Maxi Love

{ON dress, sweater (similar), & boots (similar) | fossil watch | boyfriend's belt | gifted earring | dogeared necklace}

There's not much to say about a maxi dress that hasn't already been said.  Comfy, flattering, lengthening, easy to top with a sweater and fool your friends into thinking it's a skirt...what's not to love?


Linking here today.

Crop Circles & Stripes

{f21 cardi (cute option) | whoop tee (giveaway win) | gap jeans (similar) | target shoes | vintage necklace (similar)}

I'm doing it again.  Wearing the same thing in less than a week.  When I get a new item that I really like, I tend to do that.  It's like my brain literally can't remember anything else that's in my wardrobe, and it forces me to keep turning back to the same piece I haven't stopped thinking about since the day it arrived.  This tee is that piece.  Its simple bold, graphic print just goes with everything.  And really, it's a b&w screenprint of a nautilus/crop circle hybrid that Tara dreamed up.  Can you blame me for wanting to live in it?  


Linking up today. 

Tree Hugger

Click here for the OASAP giveaway!  Hurry, it ends soon!

^please pardon my uber-chic camera bag there^

{ON cardi (old) | whoop tee (giveaway win; designed by Tara) | target maxi (similar) | blowfish sandals | fossil watch | target, f21 bracelets (similar 1, 2, 3)}

Since today is Arbor Day (go hug a tree, seriously, it'll make you smile.  Or better yet, plant a few!), it only seems fitting that today's photos were taken during a walk through a local park's cherry blossom festival a few days ago.  The weather predicted a sunny 70 degree day, hence the skirt & sandals.  In actuality it was 55 degrees and cloudy with 13mph winds that made me want to walk around shrouded in a blanket.  But alas, cherry blossoms are fleeting and we were not about to let some wildly inaccurate weatherman stop us from enjoying them.

And just for the sake of Arbor Day:

Aren't they just gorgeous??

Linking here today.

...likes to travel

{ny&co top  |  ON shorts (similar -on sale!) & cardi  |  shoes  |  vintage scarf (2 sewn together)} 

Right now I'm currently in a car, road tripping down to Hilton Head Island, SC for a week of relaxing, biking, hiking, and chilling on the beach.  Since it's a 14 hour trip (each way), I want to make sure to stay comfy, but since we're stopping in D.C. along the way, I also want to look presentable for our forefathers.  And, you know, for all the living people there, too.  Comfortable clothes and flats are essential, and although it'll be 90 degrees, I'm prepared to bundle up since someone (looking at you, boyfriend) prefers arctic temperatures inside the car.

While I'm gone, I've asked some friends to show us all what they'd wear on a road trip.  I hope you enjoy.  See next week!

I'm Cool

{kohls sweater (similar)  |  shorts  |  payless shoes (super cute option)  |  dogeared & gifted necklaces}

Please excuse the abundance of photos featuring my giddy yet smugly triumphant expression.  It was actually cool enough (for one day) to wear a sweater (!!!).  I love summer with a passion that's usually only paralleled by the likes of school children, but being able to put on my first sweater of the season just made me....supremely happy.  ...And apparently also gave me temporary delusions that I am somehow vaguely responsible for mother nature's amazing achievements.  The first glimmering of fall will do that to a girl.

I'm linking up with these lovlies today.