animal-print overload

Xhilaration top, Target

D&Y scarf, Ross

bone necklace, Seattle craft fair

linen shorts, Macy's

 
        Just a quick iPhone photo because I thought this was pretty cute for a weekend outfit ... who knew that flamingos and animal print mixed so well?
       This top was included in my July budget, but not pictured. When I looked it up on the Target site, I was amused to see that it described as a crop top. It is definitely not a crop top on me! I suppose being short-waisted has its (few) benefits?
       My sis is in town for a little more than a week, which means we spent part of Sunday ambling around the mall. I found a cute pair of pants and a lightweight cotton shirt that I'm excited about wearing. I'm a little bummed that our summer schedules didn't coincide, but as my colleague pointed out, having family in town just gives me more incentive to leave work on time so I can enjoy some quality time at home.
    ** Hurricane update: I am so thankful that my island was spared. Hurricane Iselle did knock down some very large trees and cause flooding and power outages on other islands, so we were lucky to get off so easily - Friday was cloudy and humid, but that was it. The second storm, Julio, has veered far off and should result in larger surf but nothing else.

she sells seashells ...

Mitra cotton top, thrifted

beach INC linen shorts, Macy's

Amrita Singh "Marion" earrings, HauteLook

bracelets, c/o third-graders

       One would think that taking photos against your bedroom wall would be a no-brainer. One would also think that someone *ahem* would know how to tinker with the exposure to compensate for extremely strong 4 p.m. light. Sorry that these photos are washed out!
      I'm pleased to have scored another gauzy cotton top for summer at Goodwill recently. I really like the maroon, white and orange print, and the seashell print ended up being perfect for my visit to the aquarium!

      Before heading to the aquarium, I visited Market Day at my friend's school. The kids were selling various items and services - everything from a chance to get a massage, play games like pin the tail on the donkey or ring toss, or items ranging from keychains, brownies (there were a lot of brownies!), spring rolls, bracelets, bookmarks, and more. I picked up my new bracelets with "teacher dollars." I wish that " teacher dollars" worked at real stores ... ;)

skipping the French fries and hitting the books

INC Beach linen shorts, Macy's

top and long necklace, Forever 21

Fossil key necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance

       A recent weekend involved a visit to a Chinese buffet to celebrate a family member's birthday. The buffet included a lot of fried things, including oddly, French fries and deep-fried maki sushi. The fry-lovers in the family actually tried the fries and reported that McDonald's doesn't have to worry about the competition. ;)  For such outings, elastic-waist shorts and a flowy top are in order. My only regret about that day is that I didn't notice they had a soft-serve machine until the very end, when I was too full to enjoy it!

       One of the best parts of the semester being over is time to read. And read. And read. I blasted through Rae Carson's "The Crown of Embers," and will be diving into either the classic "The Stranger" by Camus,  "Chime" by Billingsley or "Unwind" by Shusterman next. :) Also need to tackle my pile of alterations and some neglected crafts projects, but for  this week at least I'm reveling in lots of reading time.

Try-it-out Tuesday: lace {at last}

JJ Basics cardigan, hand-me-down

Hollister "Pacific" lace tee, $15.90  (here)

denim pencil skirt, Old Navy

necklace, Forever 21

      Let it be officially noted that I usually dread entering stores like Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch. The overwhelming miasma of perfume/cologne, the dim lighting, the weird store layout so there's dead ends everywhere you go, the masses of tourists dropping $200 at a time on piles of logo tees ... ugh. 

     But, I did brave the store to get the Mr. two buttondowns, one of which I gave him for Christmas. They were too small, so I headed back into the store to return them. Since I had to squeeze past the tourists anyways, I decided to take a look at the sale section. And lo and behold, there were two cute tops in the sale section. I've been wanting something with lace for a long time, so I was excited to find this.

 

Deep thoughts? Or wondering how much candy I ate today?

     While I love both denim and pencil skirts, I have hardly worn this skirt. When I bought it, I was concerned that it was too fitted in the back for work (because who wants a bunch of fourth-graders ogling their rear? Not me.) But I decided to take a few side shots to see how it looked, and I think that while you can see my shape, it's not distracting (ha!) or inappropriate.

 

  One thing I don't like about this top is that it has a ruffle at the front hem. But I do like that its cut accommodates layering a very light cap-sleeve tee underneath (below).

 Stem turquoise tee, Nordstrom Rack

Beach by INC linen shorts, Macy's

 

That dratted ruffle in the front

     Do you have a lot of lace in your closet? (I'll confess that I've always found lace itchy and thus avoided it, but this top is comfy).  And how would you style this top? 

Try-it-out Tuesday: all-star outfit

     I wore this two Saturdays ago, to catch up with a friend. This is one of those rare outfits that makes me smile when I look in the mirror: it just looks like my style. Garnet, onyx, gray and a splash of aquamarine are a pretty good color combo.  (Note: I wore black wedges instead of the gold ones I'm wearing in the photograph.)  I haven't really worn this top due to the too-long straps, but I figured out that knotting them was an easy fix -- and I felt like a genius aaaalll night. :)
 

rayon-linen top, Old Navy (pink cotton)

beach INC linen shorts, Macy's (Old Navy's version has cotton)

Banana Republic cardigan, passed down from Mom

Carole necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance (this one is cute, too!)

Oia Jules bracelet, giveaway win

    And before you go, let me sing the praises of these linen shorts for you: a) great length and fit = not too short or too long, not too tight or too loose; b) linen = cool; c) pull-on waist = comfy and lots of room for that Greek pizza; d) black, so even though they're made out of wrinkly linen, the wrinkles are harder to see.