“Some fun things are hard”

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Diana

Whew! My first week back at work was exhausting. My school had some construction projects going on over the summer and it isn’t quite finished yet, so it’s been very challenging getting ready for the beginning of the school year. I love being back at work, but it will take a few weeks for me to get used to the schedule again. I missed posting yesterday because I simply didn’t budget my weekend time well. I might be missing a couple posts here and there as I’m re-adjusting, but hopefully I’ll get back in the rhythm of things before too long.

I discovered this tiny little park about three years ago. I’ve been meaning to take photos down here ever since then, yet somehow, I’d never gotten around to it. Since I really liked this outfit, and since it was my first day back at work, I decided to finally get down here and take some pictures. The park has a little tiny bridge right on the Hillsborough River, and it’s just gorgeous. I hope I can start getting down here more often.

This photo is my shout out to S. of Simply Bike, who recently wrote about panda shots, which are photos you take of yourself while riding your bike. This was also my first time riding a bike in a dress and heels.

Dress: Soprano (via Li da la)
Belt: Vintage (via Sherry’s)
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Shoes: Fluevog Malibrans
Bracelet: Vintage (via garage sale)
Earrings: wear+thou

Quote: It’s Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel, by Jamie Lee Curtis & Laura Cornell

“Walk as proudly as you can and the world will look up to you”

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Diana

Well, summer has been a lot of fun. However, irregular sleep patterns (sleeping past 5am!), irregular eating habits and a little too much snacking has taken its toll on my body. I’ve gained a little weight, which is leading to most of my jeans and slacks not fitting well (hence why I’ve been wearing the same pair of black shorts about 75% of the time lately).

These Gap Curvy jeans were too loose on me at the end of the school year, but right now, they fit perfectly. I’m happy with my body, and I’m not freaking out and going on a crash diet or anything. I’m working on making some small changes in my diet, and I’m pretty sure things will regulate themselves once I’m working again. For now, I’m just happy that I didn’t get rid of these jeans. I think that it makes sense to hold onto at least a few items of clothing that are either too large or to small on you, because weight generally fluctuates.

The important thing I’ve learned is to always be kind to yourself. Beating yourself up about weight fluctuation and getting depressed only makes things worse. A shift in weight doesn’t stop you from being a beautiful person, but having a foul attitude about things will.

Blouse: Coda (via Revolve)
Jeans: Gap Curvy
Flats: Easy Street
Earrings: Garage Sale
Necklace: Chocolate Cake Jewels
Bangles: Vintage (via garage sales and Sherry’s Yesterdaze)

Quote: Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, by Patty Lovell

“Tweetily-tweet”

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Diana

I think it’s true what they say about haircuts, that they usually look better about two weeks after you get them. I was feeling a bit frustrated with my new hair cut when I first got it, but now it’s really starting to grow on me (no pun intended).

My jewelry was quasi bird-themed with this outfit. The cuff has engravings of birds on it, and the earrings are shaped somewhat like feathers. And I even found a blue jay feather on the ground while taking these pictures. I used to love collecting feathers like this when I was a kid, and I fancied myself quite the birdwatcher. I even made a “camouflage” cover out of an old green wool blanket, thinking that the birds wouldn’t notice me if I cut holes in it and watched them from underneath. Needless to say, that idea didn’t work very well, especially in the Florida heat.

Tank: Soma (thrifted)
Cardigan: J Crew (via eBay)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT (thrifted)
Sandals: Clarks Rime
Earrings: wear+thou
Cuff: Vintage via Sherry’s Yesterdaze
Purse: Morelle Charlotte

Quote: Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson

Shopping Plan: Week 27

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Diana

*Week 27 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*

After last week, I was very much on track with my budget. I still had $173 left for the month of August. I didn’t buy very much this week either. Since I work in the school system, my money has been limited during the summer, and it’s starting to get a bit low. I go back to work in two weeks, so I’ll be fine, but it means that I’ve had to tighten my spending a bit. I still managed to get one vintage jewel this week:

Vintage Cuff: $15 at Sherry’s Yesterdaze

I went into Sherry’s looking for some cool vintage housewares for my kitchen, since I’m currently obsessed with them. I ended up coming out with this gorgeous cuff. I love silver cuff bracelets, and I couldn’t pass up one with such beautiful engravings. I think that the birds on this bracelet may be quetzals, or at least, that’s how I’d like to think of them, since quetzals are one of my favorite kinds of birds.

That was all I bought this week, so I still have $158 left for the month. Once I start getting regular paychecks again, I’m sure I’ll be doing more shopping.

Antiquing makes for awesome baking

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Diana

I alluded to having an awesome day in my post earlier today. That awesomeness was because of the above items. I went antiquing at an lovely little spot called Seminole Heights Antiques & Consignment. There’s actually two antique shops and Tampa Street Market in this cute little plaza, so I love to frequent it. Between the two antique shops, I found some awesome deals this week. I’ve been wanting to get a copy of Joy of Cooking ever since I saw Julie and Julia. Then I found this brand new copy sitting on a shelf at the shop for a mere $15!! It looks like someone must have received it as a gift and never used it, because it’s in pristine shape. I also got that cute mid-century organizer for my desk at work.

At the next shop, I spotted these muffin tins and snatched them up for a mere $1.50 a piece! I’ve been wanting to try baking muffins for awhile, but I didn’t have the appropriate cookware.

Armed with my new cookbook and muffin tins, I went home, scrubbed the tins, and proceeded to bake my first ever from-scratch batch of blueberry muffins.

It’s heaven I tell you. Nothing is more fun than cooking and baking with vintage housewares. They have so much more character and durability than more modern cookware.

Yum.

Vintage Etsy Love: Yellow Kitchens

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Diana

*Every Wednesday, I take a look at some of the beautiful items found at one of the best places for buying and selling hand-made and vintage: Etsy. Buying hand-made and vintage lets you own beautiful, unique objects with character. It keeps things out of the landfills and supports artists and small businesses who are trying to make a living doing what they love. If you have a particular theme you’d love to see, drop me a line and let me know. *

I’ve been doing a bit of antiquing this week, and I’ve become completely smitten with vintage kitchen items. In particular, ones that are sunshine yellow. And I’m thinking of gradually phasing out all of my random chipping Walmart (ugh!) and Kmart dishes and bowls in favor of some of these vintage beauties.

Dansk Sunshine Yellow Enamel Pot, $35

Swoonshop

Yellow Salt and Pepper Shakers, $8

Ismoyo’s Playground

Sunshine Yellow Pyrex Bowl Complete Set, $118

Sassbox Classics

Very Yellow Copco Canisters, $12

Corr Nucopia

Sunshine Yellow Pitcher, $8.50

Maven Vintage

Vintage Trio of Cantaloupe Fire King Coffee Mugs, $10.50

Flea Market Boutique

Shopping Plan: Week 24

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Diana

Week 24 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe

Garage sale finds, $9 total

Whenever a neighborhood garage sale happens, I love to hop on my bike and go treasure hunting. I’m pretty picky, so sometimes I’ll come back with nothing. Other times, I’ll come back with some amazing finds at crazy prices. That’s what happened this past weekend. I was a bit late getting started (11:00ish) but there were still a lot of good sales going on. I found that fun straw tote at the first garage sale ($2). It turned out to be pretty handy, because I carried all the rest of my purchases in it. It’s a great carry-all, and will be perfect for trips to the beach, farmer’s market, or just to carry miscellany around.

The next sale I went to had a fantastic stash of vintage jewelry. I got two beautiful creamy pearl necklaces (you can never have too many pearls!), some Sarah Coventry brooches and one matching earring (we couldn’t find the other one) for a mere $2! I plan on turning the earring into a necklace charm.

At the last sale (which was an estate sale) I got that beautiful yellow Vera scarf and the white straw hat. I’m kind of addicted to yellow, so I know I’ll use the scarf. I’m not so sure about the hat, but I’ve really been wanting a cute straw hat for the summer, so I figured it was worth a shot. Those were $5 (a bit overpriced for a garage sale, but still cheaper than it would be at a brick and mortar shop).

So, after last week, I had $41 left for the month of July. I spent $9, so now there’s $32 left.

“Everything in French sounds fancy”

Posted on July 8, 2010 by Diana

How do you make a 3/4 sleeve cotton and cashmere tee work in the heat of summer? Pair it with shorts and sandals! I was determined to wear this lightweight tee, despite the fact that it’s in the 90s everyday now. I realized that if I balanced out the longer sleeve length with shorts, I could wear it and still not be overheated. The head scarf was mostly there to add a nice pop of color. It also brought out the color of this gorgeous nail polish, which I’ll be talking about more tomorrow.

For some reason, I always feel very French when I wear this striped tee. I’m not really sure where the association of stripes and France began. The head scarf added a nice Euro touch as well.

Do you see stripes as French, Nautical or both? Or something else?

Shirt: J Crew (via eBay)
Shorts: Ann Taylor LOFT
Sandals: Born (via eBay)
Purse: Morelle Charlotte
Scarf: Vintage
Cuff: via Classy Consignment
Earrings: Efy Tal

Quote: Fancy Nancy, by Jane O’Connor

Nail Polish: No Miss Manalapan Melon

“A lady bug on a leaf”

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Diana

Sorry there’s no actual lady bugs in these pictures. But even though there’s no adorable bugs, you still get a peek at my herb garden. I like to grow one on my porch every year, because I use a lot of fresh herbs when I cook, and it’s a lot cheaper to grow your own. Plus, it’s fun to have a garden. I feel like it gives me a deeper connection with the earth and with my food. I realize that sounds kind of new-agey, but it’s true.

I’m going to be away from the computer for the next few days, so I won’t really be answering comments or commenting on blogs. I have some posts scheduled through Sunday, which is when I’ll be back at the computer. Have an awesome weekend!

My toenails weren’t looking so great, so here’s a picture of a pepper instead.

Dress: Express
Cardigan: Handknit by me
Belt: Vintage (via Sherry’s Yesterdaze)
Sandals: Dansko Sela
Purse: Vintage (via Advintagous)
Necklace: Fluffels

Quote: Fancy Nancy: Explorer Extraordinaire!, by Jane O’Connor

Before and After: Vintage 80′s Blouse

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Diana

Before

I bought this gorgeous vintage 80s blouse on my trip to Sherry’s Yesterdaze with Kristin of Bon Bon Rose Girls. The fit was a little looser than I preferred, and the front had an odd length to it, so I decided to take it to my sewing machine to fix it.

Double Darts?

I started out by figuring out how much I wanted to take the shirt in. I knew that the bust fit alright, as did the hem, so I wanted to add darts that would mainly take it in at the waist. I’m not sure what the exact term for the technique above is, but I call them double darts. I created them so that they would end at the bust and hem, with the most fabric being taken out right at the smallest part of my waist. I created four of these double darts, two on the middle of the front panels and two on the back panel. I also shortened the front panel hem, since it oddly dipped four inches lower than the rest of the blouse.

The end result is a lot more flattering on me, so I’m quite happy with it.