Seasons of Seersucker

Well, Easter is now behind us. Which means that seersucker season has officially kicked off. YESSSSSS. This is my favorite time of the year (besides football season of course). Seersucker is my favorite fabric. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. Perfect.

Photo provided by The Sartorialist

Seersucker is the fabric of the south. It's puckery, lightweight feel keeps it farther away from the skin than cotton, allowing it to breath and providing relief during our stiflingly hot summers. Random fact from the encyclopedia that is my brain: The U.S. Senate has "Seersucker Thursdays" during summer session where all the senators wear seersucker suits. So cute.

Photo provided by The Sartorialist


How could you not love this??


Answer: I have no idea.








And these have nothing to do with seersucker, I just love them.



These are all the same shirt, just different patterns. I WANT THEM ALL.

white jeans

1 week until Easter. 80 degrees outside. It is now acceptable to wear white jeans. I'm working on assembling the following outfit.






First things first, I need the white jeans. White jeans are complicated. Number one, they're white. Which means they can be see-through. Girls, you know what that means. You have to wear the right...under-things. And it's not always the most forgiving color. So they're not always the most comfortable choice. You can't just slip them on whenever you feel like it. It takes preparation and thought. So boys, if a girl ever wears white jeans on a date, treat her well please. She tried really hard.

Why Not?

My sweet sweet friend keely reminded me that I have not updated my blog in a while...7 weeks to be exact. Whooops. I do have a good reason, however. As mentioned in my very first post, one of my several New Years resolutions was to run a half-marathon. Hopefully in 2 weeks, I will have that one checked off my list. I'm planning on running in the OKC Memorial half-marathon on May 1st...so that's my excuse. I've been spending my evenings training for that instead of sitting at my computer.

But I'm back. With a DIY project. Remember this print?



Yes, well I decided I loved it. However, it was only a 7x5 print and I wanted something bigger. So I decided to make one myself.

You will need (you can get all these at Hobby Lobby, Home Depot or around your house):
-a canvas (I got the largest size they had - about 48x36 inches)
-2 colors of paint (I had leftover Behr from painting our kitchen chairs, so it really ties our living room and kitchen area together)
-roller brush & smaller brush
-cardstock -foil -tape
-x-acto knife

1. Use the roller brush to paint your main color on the canvas (I used a turquoise color). Don't worry about making sure the whole thing is painted well, it looks better when there's imperfections.
2. Find a type face (font) you like. You can find free fonts online - I used Bodoni. You want to make sure it's really bold and blocky, otherwise it won't transfer very well onto the canvas.
3. Type out what you want your canvas to say (I used the "why not?"), using one letter per page to make them big enough to trace. My canvas was so big that I couldn't print the letters big enough, so I just free-handed them, but it would be easier to trace.
4. Print the letters on cardstock and cut them out with an x-acto knife.
5. Here's where it gets a little tricky and messy. Take some foil and roll it up in about 6 inch pieces. Tape them down on both sides to the cut out letters so they act as little handles. You'll need multiple "handles" for each letter.
6. Position the letters on the canvas as you want them. One by one (and this will require 2 people), lift each letter, quickly paint your other color on on it using the smaller brush, then press it down where you want it on the canvas. Press down all the edges to make sure all the paint transfers to the canvas. Use the foil handles to pull the letter back up. It won't look exact, but it will look AWESOME. Promise.
7. Continue to do that with each letter until you're finished.
8. Hang your masterpiece and enjoy!

These Boots are Made for Walking

Even though I'm so looking forward to spring/summer and the update to my wardrobe that the warm weather will bring, I will miss one thing about winter.

BOOTS.

Like these...


I'm beginning the mourning process as I prepare to put mine away for the next 7 or so months. Step one: wear them as much as possible while I still can.

Check back in to see how Step 2 goes.

Chalk It Up

I first discovered that chalkboard paint exists about 4 months ago. It was an important day in my life. Because I became obsessed. Ohhhh the possibilities I saw...it's pretty amazing what this little bucket of black goo can do.

Only about $15 at your local hardware store (I got mine at Home Depot) and you can transform just about anything into a colorful, embarrassingly entertaining masterpiece. Start small (I started by painting the sides of a bookshelf) and see how you like it. I like it a little too much. If I had my way, I would have a whole chalkboard wall - which is apparently pretty trendy according to design*sponge...all of the following came from submissions there!

My mom would appreciate this gardening trick.

I am going to do something like this soon. I just need to find a table...And I really really really want to paint a piece of furniture the same color as that dresser in the background - obsessed.

I want to purchase a mini-fridge solely for this purpose.

My future house will have a chalkboard door. Or two.

In the (very far) future, when I have kids, they will have a playroom with chalkboard walls. I feel like that would have eliminated a lot of trouble for my own mother. Sorry for trying to test my artistic boundaries Mom...

Taking organization to a whole new level.

Unfortunately we don't own our property, making it impossible to do any of those bigger things that my mind is just spinning with. Someday I will have chalkboard walls & doors & cabinets, etc. For now, I've settled for large hung up chalkboards in our dining area and my bedroom and a bookshelf. I guess that'll have to do.

We use this chalkboard to express our school pride and keep our extensive TV schedule straight (we need TiVo badly).

My personal chalky canvas

This is the bookshelf I was talking about - both of the sides are now chalkboarded.

Now on to the next project...

KJP designs

If you haven't heard of Kiel James Patrick, you are missing out. Now I live absolutely nowhere near the ocean, but his Northeastern coastal style makes me wish I did. He started KJP while he was in high school and it has gradually become a small business. He uses materials from his home state of Rhode Island to create these adorable accessories for both men and women.

The "Skinny Fit" bracelet

Croffix sailing belt

My favorite items: their Vicker Leed headbands. So freaking cute.

I need this headband right this instant.

Why can't all boys know to dress like this? It would make life so much easier.

They used to have these cute patterned post earrings too, but I haven't seen them on their website in a while. Check him out at kieljamespatrick.com!

Color Away

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...after all those snow days, real life set back in. But after those 20 inches of powder, we had a blissful weekend of romper weather. 75 degrees in February? I'll take it. But it was a tease. Although after our negative temps, 55 and sunny feels like a day at the beach, it's not summer yet. And that is upsetting. So here's a little something to get you pumped up for daylight savings (only 17 more days!): C.O.L.O.R.

In the winter, I tend to wear more grays and blacks and navys because they're so easy to find. But that's boring with a capital "B." I can't wait to break out the electric pinks and sapphire blues and WHITES. I have jean envy every time I walk into J. Crew and see their white toothpick jeans. I will get a pair here soon. But I am terrible at getting clothes that I have to wait to wear. I'm not a patient person, especially when it comes to my wardrobe.

Sandals are my favorite wardrobe staple. Walk into my extremely unorganized closet and you will see piles of sandals from years past and present because I just can't throw them away, yet I get pair after pair after pair because there are so many different kinds. Some girls hoard heels; I hoard sandals.

SHOP


LOVE this color.

SHOP

SHOP

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One of my favorite nail polish colors EVER. I wore this on my nails every day last summer, back before I had to be professionally groomed. I miss it.

SHOP


This is dedicated to those of you from our Panama City group last spring break.
"PCB for SBX: Stay together, stay alive." Mission accomplished. I no longer have a spring break to claim this from, but for those of you who still do, wear it proudly.

SHOP


SHOP


When I first saw this, I thought it was a little strange, but it's growing on me. And the back of the dress is sooooo cute.

SHOP

Only $25 at American Apparel! They have awesome sporty watches.

SHOP


Everyone at work knows I am NOT a pants person. I held out on wearing slacks as long as possible until wearing skirts was starting to give me frostbite. Thank goodness it's spring and I can break out the skirts and dresses again. Why would you want to wear starchy wool pants when you can wear this??

SHOP


SHOP


I've been pining after this for the last month. I try it on every time I go into J. Crew (which is unhealthily often).

SHOP


SHOP


Color away.