Dream Rooms: Printed

{ Pinterest/Unknown Original Source } { Home Edit }

Even though these wall (and floor!) prints are quite busy, the neutral color scheme in both allows them to be a bit less noticeable, so that you can layer the room in additional ways without it being too much.

Right now Anthropologie has a few great wallpapers that would help to create this kind of a look brilliantly: Painted Tulip Wallpaper, Block Begonia Wallpaper, and Watercolor Peony Wallpaper.

Love . Birds

This mated pair of cardinals lives very near our house. I love it whenever we can see them out and about, but they're especially cute in the winter when they're all puffed up. The male always lets the female eat from the feeder first, and he keeps an eye out while she gets her seeds! Adorable.

Splurge or Save: The Peplum Jacket

There's something about garments with an exaggerated peplum that I just love. Maybe it's the ultra defined structure. Maybe it's the clothing equivalent of dotting each "i" with a little heart - a perfect flourish.

Some people will probably say that you have to have a narrow body today to be able to pull off this style, but I think that if you pick the right cut and the right pieces to go with it, most anyone can get away with it.

Things to keep in mind when choosing a peplum top or jacket: (1) While the peplum itself is full, make sure that the garment has a slim fit in the arms and bodice. If it's not quite right, take it to a local tailor - it's inexpensive to have clothing taken in a bit, and it makes a world of difference. (2) Go slim with the bottoms as well, as in ultra skinny jeans or a pencil skirt. Any extra volume at the bottom and it will look like you're drowning in your outfit.

Now the question is: which to choose? Splurge on this glamorous jacket from Givenchy, a mere $4145.00, or save on this Tibi striped peplum jacket, $495.00?

Bohemian

{ 1, 2, 4, 5 } { 3 } { 6 }

This incredible unseasonably warm weather (which is taking a slight siesta today - we have snow everywhere) has led me to 100% believe that spring is like, three days away. Every morning while getting dressed, I have a little conversation with myself that involves wondering whether I can wear platform sandals yet. I can't, but I have settled on open-toed shoes a few times.

And since spring is almost surely, very nearly here, I can start thinking about summer too. Summer is filled with floaty bohemian dresses + skirts, and I've begun adding to my collection of 1970s dresses a little ahead of time:



Dress number one was a lucky thrift store find ($5.00 people!!) - it needs mending in a couple of places, but it's lovely nonetheless. Dress number two was an ETSY purchase from the very lovely Sally Jane Vintage.

Weekend homework: Let's collectively wish for spring, and it will be here in no time!!

Cuffed

I just came across these hand-painted and/or hand-wrapped bangles from Aramar this morning, and am already smitten. An armful of bracelets is an easy way to create a focal point for an otherwise plain outfit. And who wouldn't love to have some of these brightly colored, hand-crafted pretties dangling around their wrists?

It's difficult to choose, but I think my favorite is the yellow with the bicycle - it's just so bright and fun!

More designs in Aramar's ETSY Shop

Maybe In Another Life

{ here }

One of the nice things about teaching college writing is that jobs are everywhere. (The downside: the pay is pretty horrible.) So whenever I get a pinch of wanderlust, I start trolling for jobs that are more than 15 miles from where I grew up. (Yes, I'm that close to my hometown.)

I especially like looking through the out-of-country listings, and recently came across an opening in Micronesia. I had to Google where exactly that was, as I had a reference point for Indonesia, but not Micronesia. It turns out that it's kind of, sort of in between Hawaii and Australia. Like, middle-of-the-ocean nowheresville.

The pay was really, really low ($15k / year), but in photos the island nation seems like one of the prettiest places possibly anywhere, so... tempting? Besides, what would you need extra money for when you lived someplace like this? Of course, with a fiance, a mortgage, and three cats, I won't be moving to a tropical paradise anytime soon.

Still, wouldn't it be nice to wake up every day to this?


{ here }