Simple Details

I surprised myself when I was drawn to this dress. I am an print person.... a pattern person.... a too bold/colorful dresser for my own good person. If I am buying a plain piece of clothing, it is usually to go WITH something I just mentioned above. But this dress just looked so easy. Comfortable. Effortless. Seasonless. But it is not without special details. A basic dress is brought to new levels with lacy shoulders and a longer hem that cascades on the sides. 

 I didn't have to get too creative with the styling either, as I really liked how the model wore it with strappy sandals and a skinny belt. When it was colder I wore boots and a scarf with it.

 It also came in navy, and is by a brand I hadn't heard of until this dress : Gypsy05. But now I am a fan and I've seen some of their stuff at TJ Maxx. This dress is sold out online but you could probably still find it in store (I saw some navy ones at the Ann Arbor Anthro last week).

 Outfit Breakdown:
Tindaya Maxi Dress - Anthropologie

Seychelles Departure Wedges - Anthropologie (last summer - I wear these so much!)
Sunglasses & Belt - Kohl's

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

On Repeat

I have worn this outfit sooooo many times since getting this top. It is so easy and comfortable.

I met one of my best friends on Saturday for lunch and secondhand shopping. It was such a great day and so fun to visit some of my favorite places that I miss since moving. A content baby kept us company and I can't wait to show some of my awesome finds!

I am getting my hair done on Thursday at a new salon and I cannot wait! I friggin' hate my hair right now! I probably shouldn't point it out, but I like to keep things real. You can totally see about 5 inches on top of "different" colored hair since we moved. I of course had to find a new salon over here (after going to the same one for 10 years) and let's just say it has been disappointing. I've given this new place about 4 tries to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it's time to move on. Here's to hoping this new place is awesome!

I didn't realize until looking at these pictures, how much these jeans have bagged out. That's either a sign that I am dropping more baby weight, or else they're just prone to stretching. Either way, this billowy top helps with those few extra pounds at well.

When I saw the unique butterfly pattern on this shirt, it reminded me of the butterfly tank in this post that I got a few years ago. Seems I am drawn to butterflies in a mirrored like fashion. And speaking of baby weight, I can't fit into the jeans from that post yet which I am so bummed about because they are one of my absolute favs. The hips are really snug even though the rest of them are loose. Hopefully soon......

Outfit Breakdown:

Abella Pintuck Blouse (green colorway) : Anthropologie

Hi Rise Jeggings : AE

Apt 9 Aviators : Kohl's

Boots : Zulily

Practical / Not Practical

You might remember last summer, when I wrote a post about making a decision between 2 pieces of clothing - one practical (a blazer), the other not so practical (a peplum top). In that case, the not so practical won out. I have another story like that to share here, this time between a dress and a sweatshirt. This happened around the same time as the previous post, but I am just now getting around to wearing what I decided on (pregnancy and all). Let's see, shall we?

Since this was from last year, these items are now sold out (sorry). Anthropologie carried the "Gemme Dress" by Essentiel Antwerp. It's hand drawn, cartoon like gem print really had me since I am such a lover of costume jewelry.

Also, some of the designs were butterflies and bees and I was immediately taken back to the early 90's when these jeweled hair clips were so in! Does anyone else remember them? The original designer of the hair decorations was Tarina Tarintino, but of course you could find them all over the place after a while. It seemed you could not turn on any TV show at the time and NOT see several of these critters in the actresses hair.

So, I ordered the dress. And when it arrived, the fabric was so stiff and uncomfortable. Also, it was a bit too short for my liking. I sadly returned it. But then, in my usual fashion, I started looking up what else the designer offered in this print. I found this sweatshirt - I think on Shopbop - and ordered it at a very nice discount. This was the more practical choice and I knew I would get more wear out of it. 

My intention was to make a necklace to wear with the top out of all of my bug barrettes. But, I haven't gotten around to it yet. So instead, I wore the rhinestone necklace that I painted with nail polish (shown below - link here). Another fun project I thought of with these beauties, is a twist on a typical "bug collection". I may take one of my divided trays and display one in each section with a little label about it. Hang it on the wall for a glammed up science project! We'll see.... so much to do and so little time!

In other news, how do you like the fun wallpaper I decorated these pics with? Since I get so frustrated with weather or location working in my favor, I decided to take matters into my own hands and experimented this week with taking pictures against a plain wall in my house, and then putting a "texture" over them. The site I use for photo editing is PicMonkey. Then, you just erase the texture off of yourself and this is what you get. You can use preloaded textures on their site, download free ones you find, or else just take your own picture and use it. So for this I took a picture of my sweatshirt. Here's the thing though - I can promise you I will never photoshop myself. What you see is what you get. I know that is hard to come by in the world we live in today which creates unrealistic expectations. I always want this blog to represent the real me and the clothes I wear. Of course I will still continue to seek out cool locations, but this is a nice backup plan for when I can't. My current drive to daycare and work is filled with beautiful weathered barns, dilapidated buildings, and vast fields. There are so many places I want to stop but of course I don't want to be trespassing!

Outfit Breakdown:

Essentiel Antwerp Sweatshirt - Shopbop

Necklace - H & M, painted by me

Apt 9 Flared Jeans - Kohl's (had forever)

Black Boots - ???

I wore this to work on Friday for jean day. A co-worked asked where I shop since she noticed I always have unique things. That is the best compliment since unique is what I strive for! Yep, the office is just getting used to The Peacock Fairy...... LOL!

Hallway Redo

I thought I would document this recent home decor project I did, since the old blog here seems to be a mish mash of everything I love doing: fashion, decor, DIY. 

There is a 3 foot wall in between the boys rooms. What I love about their rooms is they are identical - same size, shape, closet space, etc.... They are too young to care now, but this should prevent arguments in the future about whose room is better. Or maybe they won't even care. Who knows. Anyway, when we moved in, we just kinda slapped a picture on the wall and stashed a table there. I wanted to make it more personal to them, and make the most out of a small space.

 For reference, this is the "before" pic. Kinda lame, right? Not that I don't love these pieces, and will use them elsewhere in the house, but it just felt incomplete or something.

 I hung two identical shelves, which I got at Menards on clearance. I "shopped my house" for frames, but the only one I couldn't resist buying new was the letter block one. Although it was on clearance at Target so it was cheap. I framed my favorite pictures of them, which I am sure I will constantly be adding to and/or switching out as they grow. 

 The "R" is from Anthropologie (yep, that's right, on sale) and is actually cut out of an old book. The Hot Wheels are from my hubby's collection.

 The "C" is from TJ Maxx, and the duck is from Salvation Army in Ann Arbor. He was 99 cents. The carving on him is so intricate. Hard to see from here, but up close it's reminds me of scrimshaw. There are initials on the bottom so you know he was handmade. So many interesting finds at thrift shops!

 The half round table is from Meijer. I was looking for a thrifted one, but honestly, the price (on sale) of this one was so comparable! Meijer is really stepping it up in the home decor section - I am impressed. I had not intended to match and have dark wood for both the shelves and table - it just happen to work out that way.

 I started pulling together more classic boy objects.... old books (Grandpa worked at Western Publishing, best known for Golden Books, so many are vintage there)...... a teddy bear...... the railroad light is from a vintage store downtown....... and I think my most favorite thing is the dinosaurs hanging around the frame!

I LOVE how this all came together! I have found in our new home that I am so much more into creating these special spaces.... putting a lot of time and thought into them..... enjoying finding collections of things that go together but still look effortless and casual. So challenge yourself - even if you only have a 3 foot space - you'll be glad that you did!