A dose of pretty imagery

photo sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Prime Time

Over the last month or so, my mother and I have fallen into a pattern of watching one of our classic TV favorites, The Andy Griffith Show, each night after dinner. With wholesome television lacking these days, it's quite nice to escape into the endearing black and white world of yesteryear.

Andy Griffith stars as Sheriff Andy Taylor, a widower, raising his young son, Opie, in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina. The show is rounded out with a cast of wonderful characters including Andy's Aunt Bee - a sweet, motherly figure and Barney Fife - Andy's goodhearted, bumbling deputy.



photo source

Wallet-friendly Wednesday

I'm still working on the layout and planning of this feature. Some Wednesdays I've been sharing my finds right away while others are a showcase of what I've found on past and previous outings. I'll fall into a groove with it eventually, I'm sure. With that said, today's installment is a $2.00 dress I picked up last week:

Cardigan: H&M, Tights: Hue via Marshall's, Shoes: Target

I'm absolutely smitten with this floral print! It can easily be worn with an array of colored tights and cardigans. The possibilities are near limitless. Also, it's the newest addition to my ever growing polyester/rayon blend dress & romper collection that makes me feel like I'm in an early '90s teen sitcom. Hehe!

And, just to mix things up a bit, here's a sneak peek at what's coming next week:

Tangled Up in Blue

Today I was tagged by Imogen at Tia_Cherie to find seven blue things in my room. Fun, right? You bet. Instead of filing this under ''things I will get to eventually'' (like I tend to do with tags and such these days), I decided to comply right away and seek out some blue things to share:

A beautiful doll that I have had since I was a little girl

My well-loved walking sneakers

Also well-loved, A Treasury of Great Poems English and American,
given as a gift to my grandfather in 1943

A box of water color paints

A quilted cosmetic case

An assortment of blue jewelry

A New York Mets ornament
(only 5 more months until baseball season starts again! and hopefully a better season for my team!)

I'm passing this tag along to Sadie, Lexie, dearilou, and much love to find seven green things in their rooms.

Pen to paper

Dear mid-November,
You've come upon us so quickly! Tell me, how did that happen? Did you push and shove through the calendar, fighting your way to the forefront of our days? Or were you exercising furtiveness by creeping in while no one was looking? Either way, I wrote a poem for you. It's a brief reflection of how I've spent a portion of my day.

a quiet afternoon of
indoor coffee
sip sip sips
mug to lips.
warmed throat.

outdoor coat adorned
fade to gray
whittled branches spatter the skyline.

Love,
Emily

Inspired

I was inspired back in June to recreate a look I saw the fabulous dearilou share on her blog. It's no secret that I often gush in the comment box at how much I love dearilou's daily outfits - the girl has great style! I was drawn to this outfit particularly for the jeans and t-strap wedges combination. It doesn't end there though. The western shirt + cardigan = icing on the cake!

Above photo courtesy of dearilou.

As for my recreation, it quickly became a summer favorite. Why so long for me to share, you ask? To be honest, I was lazy and never got around to photographing it. Such is life sometimes. However, to make this outfit more autumn appropriate, I added a pair of brown knee high stockings to keep my peeping toes warm and voila! not only an inspired look from one blogger to another, but from one season to the next as well.

P.S. dearilou and I have since become penpals!

Cardigan & bag: H&M, Vintage shirt (via eBay), Second hand belt, Jeans: Old Navy, T-strap wedges: gift

Elevation

The wind on the hill-
a velocity, a movement
of air
gently grazing exposed skin
carrying in its current a
harmony of motion-
transient,
evanescent,
fleeting to the touch.

Shirt & scarf: H&M, Skirt & bangles: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Target

Wallet-friendly Wednesday

While growing up, my wardrobe was regularly infused with my older sister's hand-me-downs. Excitement always overcame me as I pilfered through the piles of clothes picking out the things I wanted most. Even when she didn't have cast-offs to send my way I would sneak through her closet anyway. Little sisters are good at that, I think. ;) I started thrift shopping in high school in order to find those unique and one of a kind pieces that are hard to come by in commonplace mall stores. We all know that trips to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and the like can be a hit or miss, but it's always fun looking forward to the possibility of finding something special without creating too much strain on our wallets.

Today's trip to my local Salvation Army was more or less a miss day. I was tempted by a black velvet jumper, but passed on it because I couldn't really see myself wearing it a lot. I was disappointed by a green tweed blazer that fit in the arms and shoulders, but was too big otherwise. Even with the 50% off Family Day discount, I couldn't justify buying something that just didn't fit. I did, however, make one little purchase. And I say little because I only spent 25 cents.


A maroon skinny belt! I am pretty thrilled about this because it nearly matches the maroon tights in my previous post. The day I wore that ensemble I remember thinking it would be nice to have a dark brown or maroon skinny belt. All I had to do was wait a few days. Thank you, Wallet-friendly Wednesday.

Tell me, have you ever found exactly what you were looking for thrifting or otherwise?

Lazy day in a brown dress

Dress: thrifted, Cardigan: H&M, Tights: Hue,
Minnetonka moccasins, Pin: Much Love

This past week I was able to enjoy a no-work and obligation-free day. It was wonderful to lounge around and not have to worry about doing too much. To celebrate, I threw on one of my favorite dresses and spent some time outdoors. A slight breeze chilled my bare hands and swished through my hair as I ran and jumped about.

Some months back, I was given the Premium Meme Award by super-sweet Anna from Much Love. The award requests the recipient to list seven traits about themselves and then pass it on to seven other bloggers who deserve recognition for the personality they share on their blogs. While reading Anna's answers I was taken aback at how similar we both are. It's amusing to read traits about others and recognize yourself in the process.

As for my 7 traits:

I am quiet by default, a good listener, young at heart, a near-constant craver of sweets, easily amused, good-humored, and a noticer of little things.

This award is now passed on to: Elena-Lu, Imogen, Christina, Qin At The Disco, Diary of a Young Designer, Carly, and Plain Jayne.

Wallet-friendly Wednesday

This installment of Wallet-friendly Wednesday features yours truly wearing her most recent finds rather than showcasing them on a clothes hanger.

Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured off to a Salvation Army I hadn't visited for a few years. This particular store is a little further out from my usual shopping radius, but I decided it was time to pay it another visit. I'm glad I did as I came away with two lovely vintage skirts.

Exhibit A cost $2.00. Look at the autumnal houndstooth print - I love it!

Hat and shirt: H&M, Belt: gift from Erin, Sweater tights: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Macy's

Exhibit B cost $1.50 and still had its original tags attached. Isn't it great when that happens?

Hat and sweater: H&M, Belt: thrifted, Locket: gift, Shoes: Target

I have a few more recent wallet-friendly treasures to share. I like this whole ''theme post'' idea, so even though I'm not a consistent blogger, expect to see me updating on Wednesdays at least ;)

Stamped

One of the things I like most about receiving international mail is the envelope. Yes, instead of feverishly ripping into the weighted paper, I like to take the time to gaze upon the vessel that carried my sent items. More specifically, I like the stamps. Today's trip to the post office yielded a letter and package from my newest pen pal, Lynnette. Here, have a glimpse at the beautiful Singaporean stamps that brightened my mailbox: