life lately: spring & st. patrick

1,2: tea at dobra

3: white whiskey punch

4: spring cider/camel's hump

5: my first summer dress

6: dreaming of cape cod

7: solipsist (@ art club)

8: sap season

9, 10: st patrick's day @ white rock

11: mud season

in which this is the foggy dew

The past couple of days have been foggy, rain hovering (unfallen, luckily) overhead--a lot like Ireland, really, which is appropriate considering that St. Patrick's Day is this weekend. I guess you can call this my pastel tribute to St. Paddy. It's kind of funny, I really don't own any green clothes. Or purple, for that matter. They just don't really look that good on me (I'm so pale, they usually just make me look sickly and/or tired). Anyway, this is never really a problem until St. Patrick's Day rolls around and I need a green outfit to wear onstage. Last year I cheated and just wore green tights, but I may have to pull a similar stunt this Saturday...

(sweater/belt/blouse: goodwill; socks: uo; shoes: lulu*s)

Tonight is Art Club, and then I'm off into the woods for the weekend! Here's hoping my car survives the drive (you haven't experienced mud season until you've been to rural Vermont in early spring). And I'll leave you with a traditional Irish song (more for my benefit--I'll be singing it for the first time on Saturday and I need to try my best to remember the words!):

The Foggy Dew

'Twas down by the glen one Easter morn, to a city far road I

When Ireland's lines of marching men in squadrons passed me by

No pipe did hum and no battle drum did sound its dread tattoo

But the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey swell rang out in the foggy dew

Right proudly high over Dublin town they hung out a flag of war

'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than in Sulva or Sud El Bar

Then from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through

While Brittania's sons with their long range guns sailed in from the foggy dew

'Twas England bade our wild geese go that small nations might be free

Their lonely graves by Sulva's waves on the fringe of the gray North Sea

But had they died by Pearse's side or fought with Valera true

Their graves we'd keep where the Fenians sleep on the hills of the foggy dew

The bravest fell and the solemn bell rang mournfully and clear

For those that died that Eastertide in the springing of the year

And the world did gaze in deep amaze at those fearless men and true

Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew

in which girls wear glasses in the usa

For the longest time, I thought non-prescription glasses were just a silly affectation of hipsters worldwide. I rolled my (unbespectacled eyes) and carried on. And then, as with most trends that tend to linger, I found myself wanting a pair. So, I bought some (a $6 set from Forever 21), and wore them on occasion, but only for this blog. I scoured the internets looking for fun large frames and tried to convince myself that it was worth spending bunches of money on glasses that I may or may not need. And then, one day, GlassesUSA contacted me with an offer I couldn't refuse: they wanted to send me a pair of eyeglasses to style on the blog! And I said hooray!

(glasses: GlassesUSA.com; sweater/skirt/belt: goodwill; boots: seychelles; ring: vintage)

If you're in the market to buy glasses, I definitely recommend GlassesUSA. I ordered the College Tortoise, but they have a ton of options (I'm also loving the uber-hip-unhip "Jenny") and they're very reasonably priced (basic prescription glasses don't go over $138--it costs a bit more to add fancy types of prescriptions, but I wasn't going there). I decided to get a non-prescription pair because I haven't had an eye exam since high school and although I know my vision has deteriorated ($@%! computer screen) I figured I could always replace the lenses if necessary. The website is really easy to use--you can even search for "vintage/nerdy" glasses, which (of course) pulls up the treasure trove. On the website they also have this nifty feature where you can upload a mug shot to "try on" a pair of glasses before buying (go ahead, try it out [the image is clickable]):

The glasses arrived quickly and in great shape, accompanied by a sturdy case and cleaning cloth for the prevention of smash-and-smudge (aka protection against... me, basically). They appear to be well made--I'm loving the matte tortoise. It's so classic. They do draw attention to the lopsided ears I didn't know I had, but cannot be faulted for that :) As soon as they arrived this outfit materialized in my mind. K said I looked like a "librarian," but there is nothing wrong with that! All-in-all, I had a great experience with GlassesUSA and give them two thumbs up!

If you're thinking about buying a pair, you can use the code "Blog10" to get 10% off. They're also having a 50% sale right now that runs until St. Patrick's Day, so get in there while the getting is good!

in which i've got wild horses and springtime

I am fully on board with the novelty prints this year (one of the fabrics I bought a few weekends ago is covered in little ice cream cones and popsicles--could it be more amazing??), and when I spotted this scarf, with little white horses trotting around on it, it had to be mine. I had originally built a very pastel outfit around it, since it's such a lovely light blue, but decided to save that until it's actually spring. The weather has been glorious lately (not that I have had much chance to experience it from my gloomy gray office), and I'm hoping to finally spend some time outside over the weekend.

(scarf: tjmaxx; cardigan/trench: h&m; skirt: vintage; shoes: seychelles)

I always look so mean on sunny days... I have a major squinting problem. I even squint on cloudy days! Snow makes me squint, too. What can I say, I'm sensitive to light (but boy, do I love it).

I can't believe it's only Tuesday. Time feels strange lately, like it's rushing and lagging at the same time. I feel simultaneously over- and underwhelmed. Weirdness. Maybe this is what the middle ground feels like. It's been a while since I've felt so content--spring is coming, I'm being creatively productive (it's relative, people), I've been spending time with K, and my family, and my friends, I have summertime adventures to look forward to... life is good.

What are you loving about life today?

in which i dance with the daffodils

This is what I wore over the weekend to "celebrate" daylight savings. Except mostly I just like it because it reminds me of a daffodil--my favorite springtime flower!

(dress: goodwill; tights: h&m; shoes: seychelles; hat: vintage)

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

(William Wordsworth)

in which i am raspberry-ready

Every week I so look forward to Friday. I've been kind of a blog slacker lately, and I almost didn't post today because I overslept (again--I guess that's what I get for staying up until 1 AM, again, working on this silly dress!), but I rallied and here we are. This is the sort of outfit I would have put together a couple of years ago, but it's not really my style. Problem is, "my style" seems to be a pretty simple equation: dress/heels/tights/the end, and sometimes I want to mix it up a bit!

(chambray tunic: tjmaxx; striped dress: zara; tights/belt/scarf: goodwill; boots: seychelles)

The weather has been crazy lately. Must be those solar flares? The temperatures are fluctuating daily between 20s-30s and 50s. Today and this weekend will be cold, but next week is looking verrrrrry nice :) I cannot wait to wear springy outfits next week (and beyond)!

Tonight will probably be pretty low-key. I've been craving French New Wave lately, so I might browse through Netflix to see what Godard films I can find. I'm also hoping to finally finish the dress! (Trouble is, I can't really read subtitles and sew at the same time... I need to brush up on my French!)

Happy Weekends to all!