Gypsy Life

I couldn't believe how hot it was today! I had all but given up on us having a summer at all, but it went up into the triple digits in many places around the central coast...yay, for summer arriving at the end of August! I may have gotten a tad excited at the prospect of actual hot weather and headed out in this daringly short skirt....to work. Don't worry, I wore my bloomers;)

In a former life this was a long, early 90's gypsy skirt that, I'm pretty sure at some point, my high school English teacher sported with Birkenstocks and a sweater vest, but I digress...

I chopped it off, ran my overlock machine along the edge, and Voila!

tank...New York and Company (gift from a friend)

Cardigan...Zac Posen for Target ($29)

Skirt...Thrifted ($3)

Shoes...Jessica Simpson thrifted ($15)

Necklace...Kohl's ($4)

I apologize for the excessive twirling and curtsying...but, I live with a 4 yr old professional princess, it comes with the territory....

...now if you'll excuse me, I have some essays to grade.

Shock of Color

This was my outfit for work today. This area of California has had a very non summer this year and it really stinks. I had high hopes for atleast a glimmer of sun so I rolled up my pants slapped on my sandals and hoped for the best.

 

 I love these pants. They are totally 80's which of course I love, but my favorite part about them is the pleats in front that cross over each other. I think that is so unique and fun!

 

One of my favorite tricks when I'm putting an outfit together is to think about color in a kind of "out of the box" way. For example, everyone knows that complimentary colors work well together because they are colors that are across from each other on the color wheel.  Colors such as blue and orange (War Eagle!), green and red, yellow and purple. If you also think of variations of these colors when coordinating outfits it will bring out alot of unexpected matches. I loved how these olive (variation of green) pants and hot pink (variation of red) belt complimented each other and made the outfit work. Paired with a basic black and white graphic tee.

In Bloom....ers

Charlotte went through a phase where she would wear nothing but dresses or skirts. The only way that we could convince her to atleast wear a pair of shorts under them, to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions, was to call them "bloomers" (Dave's brilliant idea). I guess maybe I've been harboring some bloomer envy because when I saw these on Etsy they were in my cart quicker than you can say, "are you actually gonna wear these in public!?"

Charlotte and I went to have lunch with Aunt Mo in downtown Santa Cruz, where some chick wearing her underwear as outerwear is on the normal end of the spectrum.

Whatcha think of my bag? Found it in a vintage/antique shop in Fairhope, AL when I was roadtripping with my Dad and Sis. It was so serindipidous because we found two (my sister has the other). This style of artwork is called Mola and is native to Panama where my dad was stationed when I was in 4th and 5th grades. It is very intricate and detailed and I have defintely developed more of an appreciation for the handwork since then.

Mo love.

Flower Girl

Last weekend we were witness to one of the most beautiful weddings I have seen.  Picture this, a redwood grove adjacent a beautiful mountain lake in the heart of the Santa Cruz mountains, late afternoon sunlight twinkling through the trees and glistening off the water, accents of orange and blue dot the background and an amazing couple pledging their love for always....

They were sweet enough to invite Charlotte to be a part of their big day as the flower girl. Let me tell you, as nervous as I was for her that she may feel the pressure of the moment or get stage fright, she came through with flying colors and took her job VERY seriously. I volunteered to give the beautiful bride a last fluff at the beginning of the aisle which also allowed me to whisper some last encouraging words to Charlotte before her big moment. Each of my assurances was answered with a cool and confident, "I know that...I know that, Mama..." as she stared dead ahead waiting for her cue.

I was one proud Mama.

A little known fact about my husband is that he breaks out in hives at the mere mention of him and I "matching" in any way, shape, or form. Even if we accidentally wear the same color he will insist on changing. HOWEVER, when he realized that he had a shirt in his closet that exactly matched the color of Charlotte's custom made (wink,wink) flower girl dress....well, as you can see he was one proud daddy.

After the wedding brought lots of savory Mexican food, , awesome 90's dance music ( I heard some strange chick even busted out both the Running Man AND the Roger Rabbit...weirdo.)...

delicious beverages...

...and of course many heart-warming romantic moments...precious.

Congratulations you guys, thanks for letting us be a part of your special day!