into the woods

Photos by Neil!

Cream Cable Knit Sweater, Tapestry Satchel, Wool Hat - Thrifted

Peter Pan Collar Blouse, Black Chiffon Skirt - American Apparel

Vintage Reddish Leather Zodiac Boots - Thrifted gift from Rhi

I was lusting after cable knit sweaters from H&M and American Apparel, complaining to my friend that I couldn't find a thrifted (and affordable!) version in that awesome shrunken fit.. until she suggested that I look in the little boy's section for one. Well, I found one.

These photos were taken at a park near the Belle Meade neighborhood in Nashville. It's a park that Neil loves.. he's gotten into trail runs lately and it's perfect for that. Somehow, all of the golden leaves were preserved all winter long on the trees, which makes everything look frozen in autumn. That is, until the new pushes out the old and we have warm weather and flower buds everywhere. I forget how beautiful Tennessee can be sometimes.

Not much to say tonight.. it's late and I'm dead tired. I finished my Valentine's dress today! My prize for finishing? Organizing the 500 photos I took of the process after I was done (literally! note to self.. learn to take less pictures). I watched Amadeus while I uploaded and now my mind's racing with all sorts of ideas and plans. Somewhere in between when I graduated college and now, I became randomly obsessed with motivation.. and I learned how to finish the things that I started. Do you guys get that way? I don't know where it came from. It definitely wasn't school.

Happy weekend.. it'll be here soon!

at the beach

On our vacation last week, we sailed to ports at Nassau and Freeport and spent most of our time on the beach.

When we docked at Freeport, there really wasn't much to see - but once we found the beach, it was well worth it. While we all talked about being ambitious and going kayaking or riding a jet ski, most of us just ended up hanging out on the beach and shopping at cheesy tourist stores painted in candy pastels. And I really wouldn't change a thing about it.

What I'm wearing - American Apparel chiffon skirt and high waist swim bottoms, thrifted crochet top, black bikini, straw hat, and leather belt, and vintage leather loafers from my sister Ashley.

And rum raisin ice cream! Apparently, Bahama islanders stock up on rum.

Key West post coming up!

shop update! lace dresses and leather brogues

Shop update! Pieces to hit the shop in the next 24 hours - sheer chiffon maxi skirt, leather fringe bow brogues, navy military blazer with gold buttons, knitted ivory sweater, and the loveliest emerald lace dress.

Needless to say.. I'm home from our vacation! While we had an amazing time in the Bahamas, it feels really good to settle back into things in Nashville. I'm busy unpacking and reorganizing and adjusting to the cold weather and sifting through hundreds of photos I took during our trip, which I can't wait to share! I'll be posting tomorrow for sure.. but until then, definitely check out my sister's lovely post on Key West.

flea market finds.. high waist velvet trousers and lace maxi dresses

Polka Dot Floral Turtleneck - Urban Outfitters (from forever ago)

Long Chiffon Skirt - American Apparel

Vintage Leather Belt, Leather Satchel - Thrifted

Reddish Brown Leather Loafers - Ashley's Etsy shop

Recently, I hit up the flea market with my in laws - and it was a success. Rarely do I find a super amount of affordable clothing.. while I might find a dress or two, I don't usually leave the flea market with bags and bags of things. This time was different.

While shopping, I ran into lovely Carmen and another well-dressed girl (that was kind enough to let me take her photo - don't you love her felted wool hat?), so I wanted to share their pretty autumnal outfits! Did I mention it was perfect out? If only I could say the same for today.. it's freezing. Our heat hasn't kicked on in our house yet, and I'm currently layered up with multiple sweatshirts and pairs of socks.

Below are my finds! (I also bought the purple sweater with the lace peter pan collar, above, and a safari style cream silk shirt from the 1990s.)

The cotton red cape is from the 1920s, and I've never owned anything like it. The red velvet circle skirt, tapestry dress, and lace blouse have been put in the shop, and a couple more pieces will be in my holiday lookbook later this month. Still deliberating on what to keep and what to let go.

And out of all of my clothing finds, my favorites are the emerald velvet trousers and the black lace maxi dress (!!!), although the sheer chiffon skirt is pretty lovely.

Happy weekend! I'm headed to the Art Crawl with some coworkers tomorrow night.. any weekend plans for you all?