friday favs [summer nails]

when i think of summer, i think of flowy maxi dresses, cold drinks in sweating glasses, that buzz of insects as the sun sets, never leaving the house without sunglasses, and fun nail polish.

i'm completely enamored with any color essie puts into the universe and this summer, i'm thinking i'll have blanc, st. lucia lilac, bikini so teeny, hip-anema, and first timer on heavy rotation. [in fact, i got a little dose of bikini so teeny this week!].

so come on summertime, i'm ready [or at least my nails are!]

p.s. i'm taking monday off [both work & blogging] so i hope everyone has an amazing memorial day weekend! [doing anything fun?]

(still) talking about it thursday [spend/save]

you think i'd be over the whole chanel espadrille thing. but i'm not. they're beautiful. and expensive. [damnit!] 

in the name of fashion [and savings] i took it upon myself to find a cute alternative and wouldn't you know it, tory burch + nordstrom's half-yearly sale to the rescue!

these adorable espadrilles are a steal at $77.05 [down from an also reasonable $115]!

the only question is, what are you [and frankly, i] waiting for?

wear it wednesday [what i wore]

my photographer was away last weekend [and i was a lazy bum] so there's no actual outfit post today. 

but wait! 

guess what i do pretty much every day? [mostly because i'm an instagram addict now] that's right, #ootd pictures! [instagram to the rescue!]. so here's what i've been wearing for the past few weeks.

 [old navy tee (on major sale), loft skirt, target wedge espadrilles, j.crew gold link bracelet, fossil rose gold watch]

[h&m dress & blazer, target wedge espadrilles, j.crew gold link bracelet, etsy fishtail bracelet, fossil rose gold watch]

 [target panama hat (men's section). loft striped sweater, hudson jean shorts (via marshall's), zara wrap sandals]

 [target blazer & neon sleeveless top & pants, sole society wedge, ae pendant necklace (super old)]

[h&m blazer & striped long-sleeve tee, gap pants & leopard flats, j.crew necklace (super old)]

[charming charlie's headwrap, old navy sweater, h&m shorts, converse chucks, ray-ban aviators]

[loft dress, sole society wedge heels]

[h&m blazer, old navy striped button down, target pants (old), sole society wedge heels, f21 necklace]

[h&m blazer, james perse tank (via marshall's), h&m pants, payless cap-toe flats]

[pjk patterson j. kincaid jacket, target terrycloth zip hoodie (amazing, get one), zara tee, loft boyfriend jeans (old), converse chuck taylor's]

[loft top, gap pants, target wedge espadrilles, fossil watch, j.crew factory necklace (old)]

[h&m blazer, nordstrom rack chambray shirt, gap pants & leopard flats, old navy bead necklace]

[h&m top & shorts, zara wrap sandals, kei jewelry tassel necklace]

[h&m blazer, target top, gap pants, target wedge espadrilles, loft turquoise bracelet, j.crew gold link bracelet, etsy thin hammered rose gold bracelet]

[pjk patterson j. kincaid jacket, h&m crochet top, joe's jeans, coconuts booties (via dsw)]

[target dress, nine west bow chunky heel heels, j.crew gold link bracelet, fossil rose gold watch, etsy fishtail bracelet]

[patterson j. kincaid top (via marshall's), gap pants, payless cap-toe flats, kei jewelry necklace]

[linking up!]

tuesday threads [distressed DIY]

i've always liked distressed denim [to the dismay of my grandmother who always wanted to "fix" my ripped jeans. and did once. i was not thrilled] and have owned many a pair that i've purchased already distressed [which i now realize was totally silly]. 

but ever since i saw julie sarinana in these vintage distressed shorts, i felt the bite of the distressed bug and decided to DIY my own. [that's right, i said DIY].

let me start off by saying that i'm so not DIY - i mean, i'm crafty and all, but - it's not really my cup of tea. so, spoiler alert, since i was successful in my distressing mission, you know this is easy-peasy. 

i did a little research on how to distress and all the tutorials had the same basic concept: 

• get a pair of jeans [to cut into shorts] or shorts, 
• something sharp to cut with, 
• some sandpaper, and 
• have access to a washer/dryer

step 1: get get jeans or shorts. if you get jeans and want them to be shorts, cut them into shorts [i wasn't brave enough for this step]. i went the slacker route and bought a pair of boyfriend shorts from h&m [lighter version seen here] a size bigger than i normally wear [for maximum bagginess]. 

step 2: use your sharp object [i opted for kitchen scissors] to make horizontal cuts in the shorts wherever you want them to be distressed. i did 2 sets of cuts on either side, making roughly 4 cuts per "section".

step 3: cut the pocket seams to help them fray. don't forget the back pockets! this particular pair was cuffed, so i cut the seam and uncuffed them.

step 4:  rub your seams and cuts with sandpaper. you don't have to go all crazy with this because the washer does most of your fraying for you.

step 5: throw those bad-boys in the washer. i threw mine in for 10 minutes and then let them air dry overnight [which didn't totally dry them, so i threw them in the dryer for 10 minutes that did the trick and doesn't mess up the fraying at all.] you should see the finished product when they come out of the washer and can make any necessary snips with your scissors if needed.

the finished product!

[and this is how i wore them]

pretty easy right? i think i'll be distressing a lot more stuff. [watch out, jeans, watch out!]

[linking up!]

currently craving [palm prints]

it used to be that palm-tree prints were associated with cheesy short-sleeved button down shirts [typically worn by men with protruding beer bellies at bbqs] but not any more!

brands like joie and juicy have come out with the most amazing, 0f-the-moment prints that are as far from beer-belly-at-a-bbq as you can get. 

currently, i'm craving:

1) this blazer

[image via]

2) this dress

[image via]

3) this jacket

[image via]

4) this bikini top [and whatever adorable bottom goes with it]

[image via]

5) this turban head wrap from cult gaia [obsessed]

[image via]

so what do you think of the palm-tree print trend? [but more importantly, which one of these should i get?]

friday favs [the straw]

[loft neon handbag, loft colorblock tote, gap straw tote bag, target merona straw tote bag, target mossimo orange handbag]

olivia palermo has this straw bag that every time i see, i have an "ooo gimme, gimme" moment!

[i promise you, it's not as creepy as it sounds]. 

in case you were wondering, it's by gerard darel and i can't find it anywhere [except in different color here, which just won't do].

i did, however, find some other amazing straw totes that i wouldn't mind, well, toting all summer!

which is your favorite?

p.s. olivia, if you're reading this and ever want to part with your gorgeous straw tote, i'd be happy to take it off your [stylish, stylish] hands

thursday threads [chambray cool]

when i saw amy from coffee beans & bobby pins wearing a white blazer over her chambray shirt, i knew i had to do it. the look is so clean, simple, and cool.

but of course, i couldn't help throwing in a bright pair of pants and leopard flats to spruce up the outfit!

 [chambray shirt (via nordstrom rack), h&m white blazer, gap pants (last season), gap leopard flats (last season), old navy necklace]