July Budget

July is a great month for sales. The month starts off with a big push on the fourth, and finishes with season's end clearance. I placed my first ever Mango order - I know, what have I been waiting for? And came away with some cute new pieces. Still waiting on the white ribbed dress however, I wanted to see if I preferred it in the next size up.

Frequently I view shopping as a challenge I must rise to. The dress I want is out of stock online? Why not start calling stores to see who can send it to me? Loft raffia belt was a let down? Now I'm on a mission to find one I love. My favorite being to make sure I always get the best deal, such as when Ann Taylor had 50% off everything on July Fourth, so I ordered the pearl sandals, only to see that four days later they were offering 60% off, so I had to go and buy them again! Ann Taylor wont offer price adjustments for discount codes, I know, I've asked, even when I explained I was simply going to buy the item again and return the first.

Hopefully this will be it for my July shopping, though I can't say I'm not tempted by the Lucky Brand sale, specifically this dress and this duster, and yes I realize they are the same print.

Pleated Skirt, $46 at Banana Republic
Raffia Belt, $30 at Mango
Raffia Bag, $48 at Mango
Linen Dress, $43 at Banana Republic
Eyelet Lace Jumpsuit, $50 at Banana Republic 
Straw Hoop Earrings, $11 at Loft
Raffia Mules, $35 at Target*
Slide Sandals, $28 at Banana Republic
Cherri Pearl Sandals, $55 at Ann Taylor

*Returned

Wine Tasting at Stonington Vineyards

This weekend I joined the New England Blogger Babes for a wine tasting at Stonington Vineyards in Stonington Connecticut. The space is gorgeous, a large indoor tasting room, plenty of outdoor seating, along with a large lawn set up with games and places to spread out a picnic blanket and lounge. We even had our own private tasting room that can be reserved for parties and events. Our wonderful bartender Josh kept our glasses full and gave us a little information about each wine we tasted. There wasn't a single one I disliked (though I stuck to whites and rosé) and I had such a wonderful afternoon with a great group of women. We closed the place down!

The vineyard also has events all summer, the Friday night concert series, Saturday movie nights, and a food and wine festival the weekend of September 21st!

Of course as a fashion blogger I would feel remiss to not mention my new slide sandals. I know it might be questionable as to whether I needed another pair of white sandals, but I really did want a pair that was flat, and the siren song of this style was calling to me. Plus they were on a great sale for $28. I did have to go down half a size, and lucked out that my local store had them so I could exchange! I would say they took about half a day to break in and are as comfortable as a flat sandal with zero padding can be.

Thank you for hosting us, Stonington Vineyards!

           

The Rundown
Floral Tunic Dress Joie via ThredUP similar 
White Slide Sandals Banana Republic 
Raffia Half Moon Bag Mango
Floppy Straw Hat Nine West via Swap similar
Tear Earrings Etsy custom design via Bonanza Studio
Layered Charm Necklace c/o Grand Avenue Jewelry
Gold Bracelet The Cavernous Jewelry Box  
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry

Nail Color "Zip Me Up" Essie

Bag Collector

I've had my eye on this raffia bag from Mango since March. I knew I didn't need it, I already have a similar shape bag, and the raffia seems delicate - something I felt I should take into consideration as last summer I had my macrame bag fall apart on me (a friend offered to try and repair it, but still no word on if it can be saved). Yet, when it was on sale with the potential for an extra 20% off, I thought what could be the harm in at least seeing it in person. Obviously the harm would be that I wasn't about to send it back!

I have no defense, my love of summer fashion holds strong, and what's one more bag, right?

        

The Rundown

White Eyelet Midi Dress Madewell similar
Wedge Sandals Loft similar
Raffia Half Moon Bag Mango
Straw Hoop Earrings Loft
Gold Bracelet The Cavernous Jewelry Box  
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx

Evening in the Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park in Hartford has been around since 1904, and yet last week was the first time I ever visited. The stunning grounds, perfectly and symmetrically manicured are accentuated by eight paths lined with rose covered arches leading to a vine covered gazebo in the center. The park is free to visit, free to park at, and there is even a cute cafe called the Pond House you can visit. (Incidentally a few years ago I attended a baby shower at the Pond House and had no idea the rose garden was just beyond it!)

While the roses are said to peak in late June, even by mid July they were still just as beautiful, and as I saw photos cropping up on my Instagram feed, I knew I did not want to miss out visiting the garden this year. I decided to reach out to Courtney and we settled on a weeknight in the hopes that the park might be less crowded. Of course it was still bustling with photographers; engagement shoots, maternity shoots, senior portraits - everyone was taking advantage of the gorgeous evening light.

When Courtney arrived I was excited to see her husband Matthew had come with his drone and we got some really fun aerial photos as well! I love that while no discussion of what we'd be wearing had been had, Courtney and I both showed up in our sundresses with straw hats.

I'm so delighted with how these photos came out, and if you are in the area, a trip to the rose garden is well worth it, even simply to take in the beauty of it.

            

The Rundown
Polka Dot Dress J.Crew
White Slides Ferragamo via Coco's similar
Vintage Japanese Bamboo Bag via eBay similar vintage
Straw Hat Kate Spade similar
Pearl Earrings Maris Pearl Co. 
Pearl Anchor Bracelet Made by Me similar
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Chevron Ring Etsy via Silver Canyon Jewelry
Nail Color "Canyon" Ten Over Ten

Photos by Live Lovely Photography

Bohemian Festival

Yesterday I attended the Connecticut Bloggers Bohemian Festival, it was a fabulous event put together by Nonee, and had all the fun vibes of music festival, with live music, lots of food, and local vendors providing so much tempting shopping. (I was good for once!)

When I arrived I met up with Meg and we headed to the Rebel Hair Artists tent to get our hair braided. It was very hot out, so I only asked that my hair be pulled back and let my stylist take creative liberties. She gave me a gorgeous fishtail braid adorned with gold charms.

Next I went to make a flower crown; piles of fresh blooms were at my disposal, so I decided to coordinate my crown to my dress with white roses and red carnations.

There were several fun photo spots set up, and plenty of great spaces for relaxing and socializing. I'm always so grateful that Connecticut now has this amazing blogging community, and I always look forward catching up with those I've met before and meeting new bloggers.

        

The Rundown

Dress "Milanira" Joie
Huarache Mules "Camila" Rebecca Minkoff
Vintage Japanese Bamboo Bag via eBay similar vintage
Beaded Hoop Earrings Gorjana
Flower Crown Made by Me
Nail Color "Canyon" Ten Over Ten

Why I'm loving black this summer

While it may be the unpopular opinion, I don't love black. When I walk into a store, my eyes usually dart right past racks of black and on to colors, prints, and white - my favorite color. Even in my own closet, black gets lost. During the winter I often gravitate towards cozy greys, but in the summer I fall in love with bright colors again and again.

So what is with my sudden black love affair? I haven't even worn a single white dress this summer, and I'm on record having said that if my closet was nothing but white dresses I'd be perfectly happy. Perhaps it has to do with a saturation point - I really couldn't justify getting this jumpsuit in white, as I've already got piles of white eyelet in my closet. Black eyelet on the other hand was unexploited. Once I put it on, it just felt right. Simple, understated, freeing of worry that I might get coffee stains, loving how much less pronounced wrinkles became, and throwing caution to the wind that wearing black in the summer would make me hotter.

I'm by no means done with white, but I'm enjoying this little love affair with black.

     

The Rundown
Black Eyelet Lace Jumpsuit Banana Republic
 Ankle Strap Sandals Target
Black Straw Bag Zara similar
Pearl Hoop Earrings Thrifted similar
Bracelet The Cavernous Jewelry Box
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry