braeburn.

top: h&m
skirt: vintage
belt: vintage
shoes: seychelles, courtesy of modcloth
ring: forever21

philadelphia is starting to warm up! we were in the high 70's yesterday and it felt so nice. i can't wait to start breaking out the summer tops i've been storing away all winter, like this bustier-tube-top thingy. i don't really like strapless dresses that much (on me) but i couldn't pass this up. between the ruffles and buttons and apple print, it was calling my name.

may is going to be such a crazy month. bryan and i booked a weekend with a whole bunch of friends at a campground in delaware; we actually stayed at another campground about 45 minutes away last year, but this one is on the beach and very close to downtown rehoboth. we're talking about playing paintball, which i'm still on the fence about. there's something very frightening about being shot at close range with a capsule full of liquid. i'm going to research horseback riding, hiking trails, and nearby flea markets.

i also bought plane tickets to chicago and grand rapids for memorial day. can you guess who i'm going to visit? i'll give you a hint; their names rhyme with shamandrea and shmeika. tough one, i know!

on the verge.

dress: vintage
belt: forever21, taken off of a skirt
bow: DIY
necklace: vintage
shoes: kork-ease

i've always had an issue with vintage dresses. it's so incredibly easy to just throw the dress on and wear it as-is, foregoing any personal touches or putting your own spin on it. they're so unique and pretty to start with; and what could be more simple than slipping on one item of clothing and a pair of sandals? i'm definitely guilty of letting vintage dresses do all the work for me, but i've been consciously trying to add a piece of vintage jewelry or do something a little special with my hair (as both of these things are usually the last things that come to my mind while getting dressed). here's my attempt at not being lazy with a vintage dress! i'm not a big accessorizer, so adding a necklace, belt, and hairbow was a big step for me.

what say you? do you tend to let vintage dresses stand alone, or do you try to add some finishing touches?

fuel for fire.

hat: anthropologie sample sale
blouse: megan nielsen, borrowed from morgan
jumper: super sale from urban outfitters
socks: courtesy of modcloth
shoes: DSW

i've been seeing this topshop pinafore all over the internet, and immediately fell in love with it - not so much the price tag, though. i had searched ebay for a vintage 70's denim pinafore with no luck. however, when i was at urban outfitters last weekend, i saw this jumper stuffed in a rack. it was a bit large (i had to take the waist in and move the buttonholes on the straps up) and a bit shorter than what i wanted but it makes a nice replacement, no? morgan lent me this gorgeous megan nielsen blouse (thanks, morgan!); the peachy pink color seemed perfect for springtime. the whole outfit is a bit immature looking, i guess, but very comfortable and easy.

this weekend was a slow one; i came down with a stomach bug and spent most of the time laying on the couch in my hot pink velour sweatsuit (it was très chic, let me assure you). i neglected a huge to-do list of chores and errands that i wanted to get done, meaning that today is going to be a busy one. i did a big closet clean-out after the bars in my closet collapsed and have to bring a sizeable donation to goodwill. i had some stuff in there from 11th grade!

also! i finally jumped on the wagon and made a tumblr. if you'd like, you can follow me here.

juniper.

blouse: h&m
skirt: urban outfitters
belt: forever21
tights: american apparel
shoes: bcbg, from DSW

i have such generous friends! bernadette (who you'll see on here shortly - she has truly amazing style) and i went to anthropologie and urban outfitters on sunday; it was employee appreciation, which means that there's an extra 40% off sale. i didn't have too much luck at anthropologie, as most of the stuff is too expensive for me even with the discount. urban outfitters was a different story; i left with so many things! this skirt was on super-sale (i think i ended up getting it for less than $10); and it's very lightweight and swingy. steph (my estate sale partner-in-crime), who works at american apparel, surprised me with a bag full of tights. she couldn't have nailed my taste better, and i can't wait to wear all of them! you can't see in these pictures, but there's a black seam up the back.

bryan was out of town on business for a couple of days, and figuring out how to take pictures has been a disaster. i tried the whole self-timer thing again and it was such. a. mess. i stopped in fairmount park with my tripod, only to discover that i forgot my remote and the piece that connects the camera to the tripod. i must have looked like a lunatic, since i had to press the button and sprint in front of the camera (which, because of my lens, is actually quite far). let's just say that none of those pictures turned out. my friend mike had me over to see his gorgeous new apartment yesterday and he was nice enough to take these for me. he's easily one of the most stylish guys i know, and has such good taste.

the weather is beautiful today, so i'm going to spend some time tending to out window boxes. they look haggard, to say the least, and i'm sort of ashamed of the lack of attention i've been paying to them. there's a mix of sweet potato vines, periwinkle, dichondra, purple lantana, and spike dracaena. i better go get started!

evergreen.

dress: from jenloveskev, via delightful dozen
blouse: free people, forever ago
belt: forever21
necklace: vintage
shoes: aldo
purse: le mode accessories, via delightful dozen

this pretty shift dress and bag have been making the rounds in the delightful dozen. as they hung next to each other on my clothing rack in my office, i realized how well they went together. they're traditionally fall-time colors, i suppose, but i think the whole shebang has a slight springtime vibe, no? maybe not? perhaps it's just the bare legs and the shoes. i found this pair and it was love at first sight. y'all know that i'm a huge fan of doilies/anything crocheted, so i had to snatch these up. i can see myself pairing them with white cotton dresses and vintage denim skirts for the summer.

the beach was a blast yesterday! the jersey shore was much colder and windier than it was in philadelphia, but we still had a good time. we quickly stopped in atlantic city on the way home for dinner; not my favorite town, but the casinos are interesting to look at. that's one of my favorite things about living in philadelphia - it's so easy to get to so many different places. the beach is only 1.5 hours away, nyc is 2 hours away, and you can make it to d.c. in under 3 hours. it's very convenient!

gettin' there.

blouse: daffy's
shorts and socks: urban outfitters
belt: vintage
shoes: marc jacobs

this past week has been absolutely nuts. remember how i had that demo lesson last week? i was asked to come into the school this morning and meet with the CEO (the equivalent of a superintendent for a public school). we discussed the details of the open position, benefits that they'd offer, typical school days, my experience, etc. you may have seen my spastic tweets earlier this morning, but at the end of the interview i was told that...

i got the job. i'm going to be a second grade teacher in the fall!

words can't even begin to describe how relieved i feel. i was so worried about not being able to secure a teaching job for the fall, and that i'd have to go back to working a corporate position in a cubicle. there's so much that i need to start planning for, and i'm already working on acquiring supplies, making schedules, and organizing lesson plans. so, yay! thanks for being so supportive over the past couple of months, reading my (much too long) recants of interviews, and encouraging me to choose stay strong in my beliefs and choose a job that's aligned with my values. you're awesome!

i'm off to celebrate today with a trip to the beach. it's supposed to be over 80 degrees in philadelphia today!

nude and smoke.

dress: threadsence via delightful dozen
belt: gap, years ago
socks: courtesy of modcloth
shoes: chloe

this gorgeous dress came to me from tieka. with the dramatic draping on the front, there wasn't a need for colorful or excessive accessories. one of my favorite color combination is smokey grays and tan; there's just something so simple and classic about those two shades together. i pulled out almost all of the nude-colored accessories that i have; the first was this velvet elastic belt that i've had since i was uh, 13. it's adjustable (the only reason why it still fits) and i love the buckle on the front. the crocheted tights added another level of texture to the whole shebang; i slapped on these chloe sandals that i snagged on ebay. i've only just recently been able to wear them since the weather is warmer, and i'm surprised at how comfortable they are.

my demonstration lesson was today, and i have to say...it went really well! i don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but they asked me to email them my salary requirements and that they'd be in touch. they commented that i "controlled the class better than the normal teacher" and "an outsider would never be able to tell that they weren't my students." after the last lesson, i really worked hard and prepared myself for today, so i feel that some gratuitous horn-tooting is in order (just a little). nothing is definite yet, but i've passed the next step! i feel so much better now, particularly because i was so disappointed with my performance last time. it'll probably be a couple of days before i hear back from the school, i'm trying not to get my hopes up in the meantime.

you can also check out my post on the delightful dozen blog!

ps: i was featured on forever21's blog for 'fashion face off'. if you'd like, you can vote for me here.

simplify.

my button fell off the second before i ran outside to take these - whoops!

cardigan, belt, pin, and skirt: vintage
blouse: express
tights: h&m
shoes: guess

this weekend, i took a drive to my mom's house in maryland. i had to pick up the dogs, but i also needed time to just rest. i've been really struggling with sleeping after coming back from hong kong, and i've never had sleeping problems in my life. i can't fall asleep until 3am, and can only sleep for about 2 hours. i crash in the middle of the day and end up taking a 4 hour nap, which screws me up for sleeping at night. it's incredibly frustrating, especially since i've never had sleeping issues in my life (i'm one of those people that can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, and i can sleep through anything). it was getting to the point where i felt physically sick: nauseous, dizzy, and very woozy. i spent most of the weekend sleeping, and am now able to make it through 5 hours of sleeping without waking up.

i also wanted some time to re-work the lesson plan that i had developed for my demonstration lesson last thursday. honestly, i was extremely disappointed in how it went. i think i over-complicated the lesson; i focused on making predictions while reading. i based the lesson on the skill level of the second graders that i student taught for, and the second graders that i did the lesson were not near this level. this definitely wasn't their fault at all; i should have developed my plan with less components, since i knew nothing about the class before going in. i have another demo lesson this week and i'm changing up the learning plan considerably; there will be far less student writing and more groupwork. i guess my expectations for the overall performance of the lesson were too high; i should have asked their teacher for more information about the students before i wrote the lesson. i'm probably being too hard on myself, but it just feels like i ruined a great opportunity because of a lack of preemptive thinking. i feel this time will go much more smoothly - hopefully! elementary teachers, if you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to shoot me an email; i'd love to hear them, and i'm always looking for new teacher-friends.

how was your weekend?