A Bevy of Brooches, Part 3

Today's post is the final installment of Emily's Excellent Broochstravaganza (…for now…), featuring the Sparkle Bakery, Summer Blue Jewelry, and VivaLaLux!

Glitter and hearts and Vader, oh my!

A Bevy of Brooches, Part 2

Broochstravaganza 2K16 marches on with its second installment, as I share the next third or so of my collection, and my experiences shopping with Femme De Bloom, Luxulite, the Oblong Box Shop, and Pin Em Up Designs.

Brooches of the day.

A Bevy of Brooches, Part 1

Brooches are pretty much my favorite accessory. They take up much less room than a purse, making them easier to store in a cramped apartment closet. Also, unlike purses, you don't need to worry about making sure your entire life is transferred from the one you wore the day before into the one you want to wear next. I wear the same necklace, bracelets, and ring every single day, so along with earrings, brooches are my best shot to add a little pizzaz to my outfits. 

The best thing about brooches, though, is the sheer variety that you can find. Oh, and the fact that many of them are sparkly! My collection has been growing steadily since I moved to Chicago, and today I'm going to share it with you, and tell you a bit about the various places I've gotten them.

Every brooch I own in one super-duper collage.

Wishlist Wednesday #6

Happy Wednesday, everyone! For this week's wishlist, I went with lots of cheery sundresses and prints, a handful of super nerdy housewares/houseware-adjacent items, and plenty of fruit. Feast your eyes on this list 'o lovelies!

$25 and Under

I'm not 100% sure what draws me to this top, but I've had my eye on it for a while, and now it's on sale!

Technically, I suppose you could classify this Quorra figurine under 'housewares,' but to be honest, I'm not ashamed of my dorkiness. Gimme gimme gimme!

I want to replace all of our bath towels with Star Wars towels.

$50 and Under

This hot-air balloon skirt is so whimsical and colorful that it had to go on the list. Just look at this lovely print and tell me that you don't have five different tops that would look stellar paired with this skirt!

Ok, I admit that I sort of have a thing for modes of transportation (planes, spaceships, cars, etc), but I really love sailboats. Last year I got to actually go on one, and it was just as amazing as I'd always imagined it would be! Right, this is a wishlist, not an entry about That One Time… anyway, this shirt is a lovely color with an adorable print, and I'd wear it with a red gingham skirt.

Strawberry-themed? Check! Mostly red with a hint of green? Check! This brooch from Erstwilder's newest line is definitely calling my name.

$100 and Under

A strawberry romper combines two of my favorite things: strawberry prints and rompers. I saw this on Modcloth and told Jeff that if he wanted to, he could start getting me strawberries with rompers printed on them, because talking is hard. He got the message.

Ah, toile. So classic, so pretty, and so woefully underrepresented in my wardrobe. This swing dress from Collectif fits the bill nicely, thank you very much.

This Effie's Heart skirt has heart-shaped pockets. It would probably be a little too long on me, but if I were taller, I'd wear this everywhere!

I Sleep in Scrooge McDuck's Money Bin

The grey version of this Nancy dress from Pinup Girl Clothing is one of my favorite PUG purchases. I agonized over whether to get the grey or the peach, and while I don't regret my choice, I'd rather have both ;).

Taking a Level in Print-Mixing

This outfit was so exciting to me that I had to give it a post all to itself! A few weeks ago, I took my first step into a larger sartorial world, and paired a printed skirt with a graphic tee instead of a solid-colored shirt. That single outfit (and about a thousand amazing outfits I saw on blogs and Instagram…) was all it took to convert me forever to the ways of the Patterned Outfit. First, it was another skirt-and-graphic-tee combo, then patterned skirts and stripes. But in this outfit, dear reader, I went for some NEWT-level print-mixing, and this outfit totally Exceeds Expectations.

Hey, I've been saying that leopard is a neutral for ages now!

Review: Pinup Girl Clothing Mermaid Mexican Circle Skirt

Happy George Washington's birthday, everyone! The skirt I'm reviewing today is one of those things that I fell in love with quite gradually. I'm sure you've all experienced this before. You're browsing a website for the umpteenth time and suddenly, your eyes fall on a piece that you'd passed over the first 987234 times you saw it. This time, though,  you see it in a whole new light. All of a sudden, the skirt/dress/whatever sheds its glasses, gets a makeover, and bam! It's the end of every teen movie from the 80s and the 90s, you're at the prom, and you're in love. That's exactly what happened to me with the Mermaid Circle Skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing.

Black and White and BB-8!

This week, I went with Jeff to a panel discussion on campus. I'm not going to lie to you. My motivation for going was equal parts interest in the topic and interest in the reception after the panel. I've been to a few receptions since my fiancé started teaching at the university, and they're always rather impressive. In addition, I haven't met very many people in Chicago yet, so I like to go to these events as a way to meet new people.

At this point, you may be wondering: "what does all this have to do with the title of the post?" Here's the answer:

Struggling to keep my eyes open because the sun is so bright = a great look!

One Sweater, Three Ways: Voodoo Vixen Faux Fur Cardigan

This week's installment of 'One Piece, Three Ways' features one of my current favorite sweaters, and that's saying a lot. I'm slightly obsessed with green, faux fur collars, and wearing my sleeveless dresses all year round, and lo and behold, I found a garment that ticks all three of those boxes: the Voodoo Vixen Faux Fur Collar Cardigan in olive green.

That somewhat smug face means two things: 1) I really like this sweater, and 2) I'm trying really hard to take a good selfie.

Wishlist Wednesday #5: A Dream of Spring

This week's edition of "Stuff I'd Buy if I Made More Money" doesn't have a theme, unless the subconscious 'I wish winter was over' vibe counts. Everyone, please take a moment to imagine how awesome life will be when it stops snowing and we don't need coats any more. 

$25 and Under

Every once in a while, I get a bad case of 90s nostalgia. These Sun Jellies would 1) sate that nostalgia, and 2) trick me into forgetting how bitterly cold it is outside my apartment.

The print of this hair scarf reminds me of those old advertisements that occasionally show up in articles about the perniciously sexist side of the 1950s. But the colors are fabulous, and it also reminds me a little of Archie Comics, so I want it.

$50 and Under

Strawberry prints are the very best fruit print of them all (closely followed by lemon print, as you'll see below!), and I've wanted this sweater since Black Friday. Who says I don't have self-control?

Another pair of mint-green shoes? Yes. The bows are just so sweet, and a 2.5" heel is about as high as I can handle before my arthritic knee makes its displeasure known.

This one is a little nerdy, but that shouldn't surprise anyone. I love the style of these posters. They remind me a bit of the posters for the attractions that you pass as you walk into Disneyland, and they'd look great on the wall opposite my vintage aviation gallery. (Yes. There are numerous pictures of planes in my apartment.)

$100 and Under

Little known fact: I am in love with lemon prints. Better-known fact: I am also pretty much obsessed with Effie's Heart, and this style of dress. I have two of this cut, and they are the most comfortable and flattering dresses ever. They're perfect for those nights that you want to 1) look super cute and 2) devour half a side of beef. I ought to review them on my blog! In the meantime, please join me in drooling over the newest Guest of Honor dress.

This wicker purse would be super cute for a bride, right? Right?!? (In case you couldn't tell, I'm trying to rationalize my future purchase.)

My Backyard is Filled with Money Trees

The planets have aligned this week to render me utterly obsessed with this dress. First, I saw Bristol's post on her purple and sky blue Trashy Diva dress, and decided that it was the most perfect color combination in the history of the world. Then Miss Victory Violet posted photos of this Miss Candyfloss dress on Instagram. I've been fighting temptation ever since…

I am an avid cook, and the second I saw this Bernie Dexter dress, I fell in love with the print! It has ovens, stand mixers, and other kitchen-y goodness all over it, and a cute patent leather belt.

#7ShadesofRed and Valentine's Day Recap

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day, in whatever way you chose to celebrate (or not celebrate)! Today's post is a first for my blog: a recap of a week's worth of outfits! I'm very susceptible to themed things, be they outfits, parties, meals, or some fourth category I haven't yet thought up. It's fitting, then, that my first outfit roundup features everything I wore for #7ShadesofRed week. The idea of 7 Shades of Red was simple: people would wear something in red or pink every day in the week leading up to Valentine's Day. I embraced this idea with the wholehearted enthusiasm I generally reserve for self-invented challenges, even though there was absolutely nothing challenging about finding a week's worth of red in my wardrobe, and it was so much fun! Here's everything I wore:

My very first Ur-Collage!