Snowy front stoop

Snowy days like these always result in ''Valley Winter Song'' by Fountains of Wayne being stuck in my head for hours. You know, ''the snow is coming down on our New England town and it's been falling all day long..." I love it, but it intensifies this New England complex I have. I'm so close to living in New England, but, alas, I do not. A stone's throw away from three bordering New England states is still not New England. Gah. Hey ancestors, why did you move from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to New York? Kidding... sort of.

Okay, so in regard to my post title I'm taking some big liberties at calling our small front porch a ''stoop.'' What can I say? I like the way it sounds. I'll even let go of my longings for New England momentarily and fill you in on some New York State history. Back in the 17th century before New York was captured and renamed by the British it was known as New Netherland. At that time there were many Dutch trading posts and forts scattered along the Hudson River. The region is still rich in words taken directly and derived from the Dutch language. ''Stoop'' meaning a small (though usually urban) porch is a derivative of the Dutch ''stoep.'' And there you have a quick history and etymology lesson for the day.

Ruffle collar cardigan: TJ Maxx, Skirt & belt: thrifted
Vintage brooch: thrifted, Bass loafers: gift

I snagged this darling vintage brooch the other day while poking around the Goodwill. Despite it being a flower, the scroll-like metalwork in the back reminds me of a snowflake. Very winter appropriate, no?

Little bits of a quiet afternoon

Late afternoons offer up plenty that is pleasing to the eye. The rays of sun beating in through the window, though fading in strength, catch the most delicate and varied objects to rest upon and illuminate. Here I am waxing poetic again about the sunshine. I can't help myself - spring fever must be setting in. I've been noticing far too many good things lately and letting them pass by without some documentation has been out of the question. With that said, here are some little bits of this past Sunday afternoon coated in sunshine and meager winter warmth:

Curtain meets armchair. On the verge of gaudy...
or, as I like to call it, ''clash of the floral.''

Dust coated cobwebs and dried roses in a mason jar. Rustic-romantic?

Morning sun

In the morning sun the most wonderful tree shadows are cast upon the ground of snow. Amid these shadows, evergreen needles rest atop a blanket of refracted light. I couldn't help but snap some film photos of this view the other day and, in fact, may do so again soon. I have a few rolls started in various cameras, so what better way to use them up? However, today I headed out with my digital camera and tripod in tow with the idea that this winter-y and woodsy scene would be a rather nice backdrop for some outfit photos. In addition to watching the shadows and brook water, I had to keep an eye on the pup who wandered down the embankment sniffing something out.

Hat: F21, Navy blue shirt: Target, Vintage houndstooth skirt: thrifted
Belt: thrifted, Sweater tights: TJ Maxx, Boots: L.L. Bean

The necklace I'm wearing is almost impossible to detect in the first photo, so here's a close-up. My good blogging friend Anna sent it over a while back. I wear this necklace often, but oddly enough I don't think it's ever made a proper blog appearance before now. So, on all those days when I don't blog my outfits and you're wondering (or not) what I'm wearing, this necklace is quite possibly in the mix. Isn't it sweet? I love the little ''tea time'' inscription.

Rockin' Robin

This outfit has been a favorite of mine this winter. After wearing it a few weeks ago, I was itching to do so again. So cozy! It's assemblage almost didn't happen, though. I've nearly given this skirt away on several occasions and was ready to again recently, but decided to let it stick around awhile longer. I'm glad I did. After not wearing it for the longest time, I've had a multitude of ideas floating around as to what to wear with it.

So, speaking of winter, we've certainly been having a white one! I can't remember it snowing so much or so frequently in recent years, but then again my memory is often faded and fuzzy when it comes to wintertime things. I go straight from autumn to spring leaving winter a sad and lonely blur. This one hasn't been that bad, though. Or, at least I'm trying not to let it get me down. Shoveling and removing all the snow off my car is good exercise, right? Right. But, I'm still yearning for spring. In American culture the robin is a, if not the, symbol of spring. So, I decided to speed things up a bit with this brooch I received for Christmas. Which, oddly enough, was rather appropriate as well since the robin is a Christmas symbol in Britain. And elsewhere around Europe? Does anyone have an answer to that?

Sweater: J.Crew (old), Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Tights: Hue
Bass loafers: gift, Vintage brooch: gift (via Etsy)

Tea induced daydreams

Love Affair with Irish Breakfast Tea by TranquilEmily

I've been having a love affair today with Irish Breakfast tea. Every so often I single out a particular blend and drink to my heart's content for the day. Or a few days. Heck, sometimes even a week. There's really no telling. As I type this I'm on my third cup for the day (don't worry, it's decaffeinated) and enjoying every moment of it. I know it's not real-deal Irish tea as Twinings is based in England, but the prices in the import aisle of the market are scary. One of these days I'll muster up the courage to drop $7+ dollars on a box of tea shipped straight over from Ireland. Come to think of it, it's not really any worse than buying two boxes of regular priced tea in one shopping trip. Ah, those pesky mind games!

Anyway, so all this tea drinking has me caught up in daydreams of Ireland. I've never been before, though it's most certainly on my list of places to visit one day. Until then, this little collage of Donegal tweed, wool plaid and Ballykissangel will have to suffice. Ballykissangel?! Yep, in high school when my peers were into whoever-knows-what, I would tune in to PBS for the drama-filled tales of an English priest working in a rural Irish village. One subsequent summer I borrowed the entire series from the library, but haven't watched any episodes in probably 5 years or more. Methinks its time to order them again...

Long-winded thoughts in oceano blu

In keeping with thoughts on and photos of color to brighten up winter, today I'm sharing my aforementioned ''Capri-blue'' tights:

Perhaps referring to such a name without a picture was somewhat misleading as I did not mean capri as in length, but capri as in the Isle of Capri. Think not of fabric falling at one's mid calf, but of gorgeous blue ocean water and Italian villas. Why Capri blue? Well, the color of these tights is actually called ''Maliblu,'' which, in all honesty, I found just a tad corny. Sorry Hue. And what kind of nut must I be for renaming the colors of my tights? Haha, I don't have an answer to that.

In referencing the post I linked to in my opening sentence, I want to continue my thoughts on my sometimes-apprehension toward colored tights. While at times I have no problem injecting my wardrobe with colorful leg ware, sometimes I do. Why is that? I have no issues with wearing blue jeans or even purple jeans (yes, I said purple. Maybe I'll get around to sharing those one of these days!), pink corduroys, or green chinos. I wear colorful dresses, t-shirts, blouses, and sweaters with ease. What is it then about tights that makes me second guess my appreciation of (wearing) color? Is it because they're sometimes seen in a costume-y light? Perhaps. Do I worry what people might think? Or, gasp, even worse, say? Usually not, but let's get real, sometimes yes I do. I can't help it. Most days I want nothing more than to blend in and not stand out, so while I really like my colored tights they don't always make me feel comfortable. And that is ridiculous. I should be confident and comfortable enough to wear what I want whenever I want. So, here's to embracing colored tights and breaking free from this psychological nonsense that sometimes hinders my choice of dress.

If you've made it this far through my ramblings, the dress you see a glimpse of above makes it very easy for me to wear colored tights (as most any garment with a floral spray does). While my black, brown and grey tights get paired with this little dress quite often, so do those of maroon, green and blue. As much as I've worn this dress over the last few years, I think I've only ever blogged it one other time. Let's take a trip down blogging memory lane so readers old and new alike can get an idea of what it really looks like:

Photo from November 2009// Cardigan: H&M, Dress: thrifted, Necklace: self made, Tights: Hue, Shoes: Target

This post is all about tights, though, and not the dress. So... colored tights. I like them. And I think many of you do, too. Sometimes I'm apprehensive to wear them. What about you?

Share your thoughts!