Funny Story....

So over the last couple of months, I've been wearing some pretty adorable stuff. I have not been posting very regularly (or at all) about it, mostly because I'm one of those girls who suddenly got an awesome boyfriend and decided to drop most of her nightly activities to Skype-date him. However, after take a break, I realized that I do miss the daily blogging.

Spending last Sunday afternoon with my bestie Beth and our friend Adele was what really made me want to blog again. We went to the SoWa Vintage Market and all felt a little offended by the term "vintage." They should just call a spade a spade- the term should be "flea market." Second-hand and vintage are actually NOT the same thing.

Anyway, that's just a little negative tangent- what I really loved about the day was seeing lots of cute outfits walking down the streets of Boston. Of course, the three of us looked pretty fabulous and I really regret not snapping a photo of us. We all had on simple outfits reflective of our individual style, but what we each had in common was a fun pop of color. For Adele and I, it was a brightly colored bag- hers in fuchsia, mine in bright coral. Beth's pop of color was an amazing bright orange scarf. None of us found much at the market, but it was still fun to shop together.

So... aside from my excursion this past Sunday, you may (or may not) be wondering what I've been up to these last couple of months. Aside from Skype-dating and jet-setting to North Carolina whenever possible, I've been busy at work. I've taken over the blog at Madeleine's Daughter and that's partly why I haven't been blogging here quite as much. Check it out when you have a minute! We feature a different bride of ours every week. I've also been spending a lot of time with my coworkers outside of work. It's one of the things that makes me truly appreciate my job. I genuinely enjoy spending time with my coworkers whenever possible. It seems like one of us always has a Living Social deal to spend or a Groupon that's about the expire. In addition, we've started a new weekly tradition of cooking dinner together on Saturday night when we get out of work. The menus have been so fun to create and of course the social aspect is a big draw every week. The girls bring their husbands, boyfriends, etc. and we all contribute to the cooking. A couple of weeks ago, nearly everyone showed up in a similar outfit- everyone was wearing stripes:

Not only did five people in attendance wear striped shirts (one isn't pictured here), but as you can see McKenzie and Juhree wore the exact same shirt! Regardless of outfit choice, we always have fun on Saturday night "Family Dinner" as we like to call it. Next week we're making Chicken Pot Pie. Yum!

So, aside from working, traveling, Skyping and family dinnering, I haven't been up to much. I wish I had lots of fun stories to share, but it's all a blur right now. I did have one very interesting (and pretty funny) thing happen to me last week. It all started with this hat:

I wore it a few months ago (you can see the entire outfit here) and most people absolutely loved it. On this particular day, I wore it with a bright pink sun dress and adorable cream-colored flats. It was a super cute outfit. However, I remember seeing myself in the mirror at work and thinking, "I hope there aren't any angry or upset customers because if I have to talk to someone sternly, they might have trouble taking me seriously in this outfit." Well, sure enough, there was an angry MOB (mother of the bride) who decided to cause a little scene as her daughter was checking out after her alterations appointment. The issue itself is irrelevant- the MOB was irrationally angry and kept storming around the store causing a scene over it. I had to take my somewhat hard-ass stance and stand my ground. Customer service issues are never fun to deal with, especially when you have someone just snapping and making snide remarks at you. Anyway, the next day, the MOB called the store in an attempt to speak to someone higher up than me. She of course wanted the situation resolved in her favor, but even upon speaking with the store manager, nothing changed for her, really. And here's where it gets good: at the end of the conversation she said to the store manager, "You should know: I was NOT impressed with that girl in the STUPID LITTLE HAT!" 

It's not as funny telling it here, but trust me when I say we've been laughing for a week over that remark. Yes, my hat is a little ridiculous and yes, this MOB probably didn't like having a serious conversation with me while I was wearing it, but ultimately I was calm, professional and did my best to take care of the bride. She may not have been impressed with me, but it was a pretty low blow to attack my personal style. I just wish I could plan it so that I was always wearing a stupid little hat whenever that MOB comes into the store! 

Well, it's a gorgeous day here in New Hampshire and some of the ladies from work are heading over to my neck of the woods for an impromptu picnic! I've made a delicious Thai-style peanut noodle salad with fresh veggies, as well as some Asian-style orange chicken lettuce wraps. I may even whip up another cucumber salad, too. We'll finish off the lunch wish fresh watermelon and lemonade and some relaxing in the sun! 

I hope you have a great day- leave a comment and let me know what YOU'VE been doing these last few months! 

Shoesday Tuesday: Jet Set Style

I'm not going to waste time on this post explaining why I've been M.I.A. You'll understand once you start reading:

This post is all about jet-set style. I've been spending more and more time traveling these days. In fact, a week ago today I got up at the crack of dawn, drove to the airport, hopped on a plane and flew to Charlotte, NC. Then I picked up a rental car and drove two hours west to the far side of the state and surprised my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. It was literally a 24-hour trip from start to finish. The very next morning I drove my rental car back to Charlotte and hopped on a plane back to Boston. By 2:00 Wednesday afternoon I was home and unpacking.

I remembered that episode of Project Runway where the designers were tasked with creating a look for a jet-setter. While I haven't even been crossing time zones in my travels these last few months, I have learned how to pack, how to dress and even how to look fresh after hours of travel. I will of course share my secrets with you.

First of all, the biggest issue when traveling in the winter is figuring out shoes. Boots are of course the most practical and yet they also take up the most space in a suitcase. Why not simply wear them when traveling, then? Well, it's not exactly an easy thing to slip your tall boots off and on at the security gate. Also, while boots look fabulous, they're not always the most comfortable when sitting in coach for two hours. It was a conundrum for me until I found these amazing "shooties" from Target of all places!

I purchased them in black, but I had to show you the picture in the burgundy- aren't they scrumptious? They are super flattering and not excruciating to wear for such a high wedge. They aren't a model of comfort either, but you know my feelings there. Beauty hurts. I wore these with a pair of dark-wash flared jeans from Old Navy and a comfortable but stylish top. They were super easy to slip off at security and then back on once I'd walked through the full-body scanner. (How awful are those scanners, btw?) And the best part about my "shooties" is that I got them on sale for $20! 

I'll post again with more advice for traveling in style. In the meantime, leave a comment below if you have some great traveling advice for me! 

What to Wear on a Skype Date

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I've been seeing a gentleman I met on match.com. Since I live in New Hampshire and he lives in North Carolina, there has been quite a bit of flying and Skype-ing over the last few months. Skype is pretty awesome because I can be on a date in my pajamas or some beat-up, old sweatpants. I'm not gonna lie, there are times when I'll put on a more dressy top with my most comfortable sweat pants.

Since Skype dating is less about the outfit and more about the face, I've actually found myself spending more time on my hair and make-up. Here's the view from my webcam:

Sexy, right? Haha- just kidding! But seriously, this is the view when my laptop is on my lap. The lighting is usually better than in this photo, but you get the general idea. As you can tell from the photo, it's all about looking great from the neck up. I will sometimes add a cute pair of earrings, or a nice necklace if I want to be a little more dressy. For our first Skype date, I was super careful about lighting and camera angle. I'm much more comfortable these days, but I still try to look decent. 

For Christmas, I got the most fabulous gift- an amazing eye make-up palette by Stila called "In the Light." It was definitely one of my favorite Christmas presents this year and I've used it nearly every day since then. I was considering purchasing the Urban Decay "Naked" palette for months, but the price was a bit high and I didn't think I would wear a lot of the darker colors. It's not often that I do a dark, smokey eye, but I wear shimmer- nudes nearly every day of the week. When I saw Stila's "In the Light" palette, I knew it would be a better choice for me. 

 This palette includes 10 beautiful neutral shades, mostly in nude and brown tones. My favorites are Kitten (second from left on top row) and Sunset (second from right on top row). The palette includes matte and shimmer shadows, all of which are perfectly blend-able and look amazing layered over each other. My daily look always starts with kitten. I dab it over my entire lid, making sure I hit the inner corner of my eye and directly under my eyebrow. Next, I layer on a slightly darker shade, just over the lid. Sunset is perfect for this. Finally, I add a bit of contouring in the crease and on the outside corner of my eye. Luster (center bottom) is perfect for contouring and adding dimension to the overall look. I finish with mascara most days. If I want a dressier look, I use the eye liner as a finishing touch. In the end, I have a beautiful, nude, shimmery eye: 

If that's not a great, casual date look, I don't know what is! This palette is definitely my new favorite and I will continue to use it every day until it's all gone! What is your favorite eye make-up product? Do you use a palette or do you mix and match different shadows from different companies? Leave a comment and tell me your beauty secrets! 

And Outfit for a Night at the Museum

Juhree and I spent a night out in Boston last week. We went on a Wednesday night to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. On Wednesday nights from 4:00 till closing time, admission is free! We loved spending the evening looking at amazing artwork. The room full of Renoir was one of our favorites, so we snapped a quick photo. It was a chilly December evening, so I layered a warm cardigan over my long sleeve cowl-neck top from Fair Indigo. My suede cap kept my head warm when we were walking from the museum to a nearby Italian Restaurant. Juhree looked sleek in all black, but her feet froze. You can't see from the photo, but she wore dainty ballet flats with her skinny jeans. Silly girl- it's boot season! 

It was a fun night out and we looked pretty fabulous in Beantown. What fun things have you done with your girlfriends lately? Where have you been for a night on the town? What did you wear? Leave a comment and tell me all about it! 

Some Other Blogging...

As you know, I've been blogging more at work, maintaining the Madeleine's Daughter blog. I have really enjoyed writing posts for work, since I usually get to write about beautiful gowns and sparkly bridal accessories. However, I recently wrote a series of posts that introduce our readers to the amazing bridal consultants. Over the next few weeks, we'll be publishing them on the MD blog. I am really excited about this series because I know first hand how incredible my co-workers are and I'm excited to put their personalities and pictures on the internet for everyone to see. I used a simple formula and had each consultant answer the same set of questions. It was really fun to see their unique answers to the questions. The first post published yesterday and introduced McKenzie, one of the most seasoned bridal consultants we have on staff.

Click here to view the first post in my "Meet the Staff" series and feel free to follow the Madeleine's Daughter blog, too!

Rate My Look- Floral Skirt

A few weeks ago, I found an amazing outfit at a store in downtown Portsmouth called Serendipity. I was with my bosses, after we'd been out for a fun dinner together. When we were walking back to the car, I spotted this skirt in the window and had to go in to try it on. I also found a fabulous top to go with it, and I wore the outfit to my friend Sadie's annual Yule Ball Christmas Party in December. Part of what convinced me to get the outfit was that I knew I would be able to wear both pieces to work in countless different outfits. Yesterday I used the skirt to put this look together. I'm really happy with it:

If you follow me on Twitter or you are my friend on Facebook, you've seen the saga of my travel debacles over the holiday weekend. I flew down to North Carolina for New Year's Eve, but my flight home the next evening was rough. After being delayed over a hour, then eventually switched to another flight that left 2 hours after that, I finally boarded and took off at nearly 11:00 PM (My original flight had been booked for 7:45). I arrived in New Hampshire at nearly 1:00 AM, and shortly thereafter discovered that my suitcase had not arrived with me. Two days later, it finally made it back to me, but the whole ordeal was stressful and irritating. In this photo, I was about half-way through my day and had already spent the morning dealing with the frustrating process of filing a "delayed baggage" claim. Since the morning was spent with that project, I didn't put any effort into my hair. Looking at this photo now, I deeply regret that choice. 

But enough about the baggage issues, let's talk about the skirt! Isn't it super fun? It's by Free People and at $128, it was quite a splurge for me. I am completely in love with it and walking around in it all day definitely lifted my spirits whenever I thought about my flight and luggage issues. It's flouncy, flirty, flower-y and fun and I can't wait to wear it again and again! 

How did you spend New Year's Eve? Were you at a fancy party? Or did you have a quiet night at home? Leave a comment and tell me all about your holiday and what you wore! 

Some recent creations...

Over the last few weeks, I've been getting back into knitting. I did quite a bit of sewing in my free time this year, but winter is defeinitely a good time to get back into sewing. My good friend Brance just loves the stocking that I knit for him a couple of years ago. He loves it so much, he actually wanted a coordinating one to give to his girlfriend this Christmas. The only way to get a truly coordinating stocking made with the same pattern and yarn is to go right back to the source. 

You can see the original stocking I knit for Brance on this older post, and of course the coordinating one for his girlfriend here: 

I'm pretty excited about how it came out. This stocking is such a great one- it knits in just a couple of hours. the yarn is thick and chunky and the needles are size 13, so it really does go very quickly once you get started. It knits on double-pointed needles. The loop and pom-poms are my own addition to the pattern and  like how they came out! 

In addition to the stocking, I also managed to make a super snuggle-y infinity scarf for Juhree using a cream colored thick yarn. The pattern is simple- just popcorn stitch the whole way, then sew the ends together: 

So warm and cuddly! It took a little less than four skeins of yarn and about 6 hours to knit this scarf. The popcorn stitch looks great, but it uses a LOT of yarn. If you want to make one for yourself, just use size 10 1/2 needles and 4 balls of Wool-ease Thick & Quick Yarn in the color of your choice. Cast on 32 stitches and knit in popcorn stitch (K1,P1 across odd rows, P1, K1 across even rows) until the scarf measures 60 inches or so. Sew the ends together to create a loop. You'll be warm all winter in this gorgeous scarf.

Now that I'm done my projects, I really want to find a new one to work on. Rather than head to the store for more yarn, I'm going to see what left-over yarn I have kicking around and I'm going to see what I can do with what I have.

Do you knit or crochet? I'd love to see the projects you are working on! Email me or leave a comment to tell me all about it! Thanks for reading!