black + white

//dress: marshalls / necklaces, shoes: charlotte russe / crochet cardigan, belt: thrifted//

There's just something beautiful about black and white photos. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia for the romance of a long gone time, or whether it's their ethereal, almost haunting quality, or just that sense of drama it gives even the most mundane scenes...there's just something, and I like it.

I've been wanting to do an exclusively black and white post for a while now, but never was able to commit to it...then I happened on these old photos of an outfit I'd never shared because I didn't care for the lighting, and thought I might experiment. 

And I kinda like how they turned out.

This is one of my favorite outfits from last summer. This dress is a dream for hot days--it's so floaty and light (a potential problem if it's windy...), and I love it layered under this crochet cardigan. It adds a fun, almost bohemian vibe. 

And then paired with my favorite heels? Perfection. 

Never mind the fact that I trip every time I wear these heels. It gives me the perfect excuse to walk arm in arm with my love. Of course, he's gotten to the point where he doesn't even trust my balance in flats...his anxiety may be rubbing off on me, because I'm pretty sure I didn't use to trip this much before we dated, and now, heels are worn almost exclusively for Church and that's bad enough. 

I may need to invest in some more sensible heels for normal wear...Swedish Hasbeens are my dream, it's just a matter of being able to justify the purchase, you know?

Anyway. I'll talk to ya'll soon.

what i made: the little mint sundress

//dress: handmade / necklaces: charlotte russe / shoes: vintage/thrifted//

Hey everyone! Although I wasn't planning on it, I ended up taking a bit of a hiatus from blogging. I may or may not have mentioned it before, but I'm in my last half-semester of college, and that meant researching and writing my undergraduate thesis. I thought I was so prepared for everything, then my schedule filled up with other life things, and well, it ended up being a frantic rush to finalize research and pump out thirty pages of writing in addition to keeping up with my other class. Well, I don't remember the last time I was this stressed, but the worst is over now that I've submitted my initial draft for comments. Now, I'm overwhelmed with relief to have that off my back for the moment.

Anyway...that's why blogging was pushed to the back burner, since I needed to focus on school and preserving my sanity. I haven't taken outfit photos in a while, but I still wanted to share something with ya'll...these photos have been sitting on my computer since summer time, and I figured I should probably wait to share them until the warmer weather rolled around again...and well, it's finally spring, soooo...

I made this sundress last summer, when I was only taking one class at school, had just finished my nannying job, and was bored out of my mind. I decided I needed something to occupy my time and get the creative juices flowing, so I pulled out this mint-green vintage fabric I'd found at Goodwill, sketched a quick design, and got to work. I used a pattern for the top and improvised it so I could have the scalloped, button-down back with the little cut-out. The skirt I kept simple by just sewing together a couple of rectangles. 

It's a bit tight at the top (which tends to be the mistake I make most in sewing), and I probably should've lined the top as well, but other than that, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. The back turned out just as cute as I'd envisioned, and it was far less frustrating than it could've been. I'm interested to see what variations I could make on the design. :)

I'll talk to ya'll soon! I've at least got a few more hiking posts lined up that I'm looking forward to sharing.