Happy Friday!

Here’s a quote I found to be quite true. Enjoy your friday!

“A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea” -Honore de Balzac

Craving Sunshine…

Ok, confession time: I’m a huge fan of the Hills. I watch it every week (Tues nights at 10 PM) and sometimes even secretly wish my life was as easy-breezy as Kristen’s or Lo’s or whoever. I mean, who wouldn’t want this to be their idea of fun:

Last night’s episode took place in Costa Rica. Ah, just thinking about it makes me want to go there. Seattle’s been a downer for sun lately and I’m craving a vacation. The boy keeps saying he wants to go somewhere, but hasn’t yet made up his mind…UGH! Lol. We were thinking of Vegas though, staying at Mandalay Bay, because they have a “beach” there (translation: a man-made beach, but hey, it’s better than nothing :p). Actually it doesn’t look too bad…what you think? I think I could handle staying here :

*SIGH* Now I really hope we go lol! I just need a break from work, the “summer” (or lack there of) in Seattle, and I sooooo want to wear the new bikinis I bought (hehe)!

What about you guys? Anyone in dire need of a summer holiday? Feel free to share below.

Finally a sunny Seattle weekend…

Hello all. First off, apologies for the month-long hiatus. Other things got in the way, etc. but now I’m back!

Even though it’s Monday (blah), I’m not totally depressed because I had an amazing weekend. The weather here in Seattle was finally spring/summer-like, and I was outside practically all the time. What did I do, you ask? Well, here’s a little recap:

Saturday, me and my best friend Emily took our dogs to the dog park. I haven’t introduced my dog yet on here, so here’s a picture. His name is Bruiser and he’s the best dog EVER:

They both had loads of fun at the dog park (it’s actually a dog beach where they can run around in the water, dig in the sand, etc), and my friend and I had fun chatting and sunning ourselves. Perhaps I got a little too much sun, though: the tops of my feet are still red today

Saturday night me and the boyfriend (Mat) went to a friend’s birthday party at his lake house. We didn’t get there until 8 pm but it was still light out (yay!) and we had an enjoyable night with friends and booze (hehehe).

Sunday Mat worked on my car with his brother-in-law and me and his sister repainted their lawn furniture! I really like taking something old and sprucing it up again, it’s fun and makes me feel like I accomplished something…plus I like painting! We took them from a faded blue to a vibrant red.

I think what made everything so fun though was the fact that the sun was out the whole time! Maybe I’m weird to be blogging about having fun in the sun, but in Seattle it seems that the sun makes rare appearances, or at least lately. It’s about time it showed its face…hopefully there will be more sun-filled weekends to come from this

My new-found design inspiration

Lately I’ve been wanting to re-do my room. Since I still live with my mom (we get along famously and it saves money while I’m paying off student loans and other such debts), I can’t exactly afford anything extravagant. But then again, what 22-year-old can?

But I’ve been toying with ideas of changing up the furniture, the art work, and the color scheme of it all. I live upstairs in my house, in a loft-style room, so the ceilings are low and peaked in the center, leaving my options kind of limited. However, I’ve been inspired to go the DIY route through reading various DIY home improvement blogs.

Take, for instance, this post on 2nd Floor Living. Most visions of Ikea furniture conjure up images of cheap particle board, but this just goes to show you that you can take something that’s inexpensive and make it look like a million dollars.  My favorites in this article are:

The Ikea Lack side table retails for $7.99–what a steal! They also come in a variety of fashion-forward colors. Other Ikea do-overs can be found at IKEA HACKER.

What trendy and creative ways to update the boring and generic Ikea pieces! Happy styling to you all…if I end up making any of these I will be sure to post pictures and recap the results!

A genius thing to do with old records

I know this isn’t really fashion-related, but it is a stylish thing to do with old vinyl records:

How cool is that?!? I want to stop by the thrift store on the way home from work just to get some records to give this a try…

Get complete directions over at Homemade Mamas. Happy crafting!!

It’s finally spring in Seattle!

I don’t know about the lot of you, but I am soooo sick of cold, gusty, wintery weather. I yearn for the days of being able to wear the fresh new spring pieces in my closet, and thankfully, to my surprise, I think that time has finally arrived! It’s supposed to be in the mid 60s to low 70s for the next 10 days, and if you live in Seattle–or anywhere where sun is a thing to be celebrated–then you probably have an idea of how excited I am.

I’ve been mentally going through my closet for what outfits to wear this week, and came up with a few so far using just one warm weather staple. I bought a dress similar to this one from Victoria’s Secret to wear for the summer. It was relatively inexpensive (about $40), and I expect to get a lot of wear out of it.

Now you might think that this dress would be too casual to wear to work or out during the day, but it can be easily dressed up. Jean jackets are all the rage this season, so why not embrace the trend and pair a simple dress like this one with a cropped jean jacket, like this one from American Eagle.

To make it more work appropriate, pairing this dress with a blazer is your best bet. Try this black blazer from Nordstrom, which adds the perfect professional appeal to any casual outfit.

To dress up your feet, pair either outfit with flats, sandals, or wedges. I happen to be in love with these gold wedges from Nordstrom, but any sandal or shoe that you find comfortable would work just fine. Here are just a few examples:

As far as other accessories are concerned, if you’re wearing gold shoes, then keep the gold color consistent in jewelry choices as well. You can add a little more flare for out-of-the-office occasions, but keep it simple if you’re planning to wear this at work.

Other than that, have fun with it! It’s finally warm enough to ditch the parka and boots and wear dresses and sandals…so do so while you have the sunshine in your neighborhood!

To wear or not to wear: the graphic tee

I went to a cinco de mayo party this weekend. It was a lot of fun, and in my quest to find something festive to wear, I came across this little shirt (pictured at left) from Urban Outfitters.

Now usually I’m more of a basic tee kinda girl, but I thought this would be a fun way to “dress” up a tee shirt without going too overboard.

Having said that though, I noticed something as I thought about wearing this to my party: I was actually kind of nervous. Nervous of what people would say about it, what they would think, would they think it was stupid, etc. Usually I’m pretty ballsy when it comes to fashion, but for some reason, wearing a shirt with writing on it was making me anxious.

I did end up wearing the shirt, and it was a hit amongst everyone, but it got me thinking: does anyone else have this “problem”? Now don’t get me wrong, I love wearing graphic tees with flowers or whatnot on them, but it’s the written word on a tee shirt that got my heart racing.

Does anyone else have this problem? Or am I the only one who’s paranoid and overly concerned about what other people think when they see words on my clothing? Feel free to share below!

So I know it’s sure been awhile…

So it’s been forever since I’ve posted on here…like seriously, a long time. Since 2007, I’ve graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in journalism, have entered the work force, etc. But my love for everything fashion has not changed, which is why I’m going to be writing on here a lot for frequently than I have been…

With that being said, let’s get back on topic. With the majority of my daytime being spent in an office, I’ve come to enjoy visiting various fashion and style blogs to keep myself entertained and keep my brain titillated with fashion chatter and knowledge. I’ll list a few of them below:

• Fashionista: One of the first fashion blogs I visited back in 2007, it’s one of my ultimate favs, and the perfect place to catch up on all things fashion related. Plus, the writing is witty and interesting to read…which we all know is important when keeping a blog!
• Shirt or Dress: One word: HILARIOUS. If you’ve ever cringed at girls wearing shirts as dresses, or haven’t been able to tell the difference yourself, then this is the blog for you.
• CheapChicas: The perfect place to go for deals and steals, this blogger is the perfect resource for the ever-popular recessionistas out there!

These are just a few, but you’d be surprised what you can find on the net with a little time and lots of imagination! Feel free to post more below in the comments. Till tomorrow!

Pets: The Next Best Accessory?

Paris Hilton has them. So does Britney Spears.

No, not bad paparazzi photos, but little dogs. Instead of carrying around a purse, they can be seen toting around the pocket-sized chihuahuas and Yorkshire terriers. Nichole Richie sports Pomeranians. And the trend seems to be growing.

Pint-sized pets seem to be the hot new accessory, and have been for a few years.

This has also created an influx in breed popularity, particularly amongst Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, and Yorkshire Terriers, as well as any mix of the three. And people are paying top dollar for these dogs, as much as $2,000.

Interested in getting a designer dog? Check your local shelters, as well as dog rescue organizations. Often times they have chihuahuas and the like for much less money, and you will feel good knowing you saved an animal. Just remember though, they are animals, and do require love, attention and care.

So don’t stash them away like you stash your Prada bag. For pets, unlike accessories, never go out of style.

The LBD: Lifesaver of Holiday Parties

With the holidays rolling around, cocktail and holiday-themed parties are popping up like santas on roofs.

With all the holiday shopping, running around, and dealing with various christmas-time stresses, who has the time or the money to buy a different outfit for each holiday sioree?

Fear not, though, fashionistas, for help has arrived in the form of the Little Black Dress (LBD).

A classic, always-popular, and a fantastic staple to anyone’s wardrobe, the little black dress can be worn in a variety of ways. Because its black and simple, it can be dressed up or dressed down. Just think, sparkly necklaces and earrings for a fancy party, or a chic scarf and heals for a more casual get-together.

And don’t forget a fabulous pair of heals, which should put the finishing touch on any party outfit.

So, instead of stressing about holidays and parties, just have fun. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and the little black dress will make sure you have the merriest of holiday seasons.