Sun, It Will Rise, Soon Enough

Hello there! Like I mentioned in my last post, New York is super melty hot right now, and I find myself getting up in the morning and just not wanting to get dressed. While I certainly don't want to galavant around in the nude, I don't feel like putting a full fledged outfit together either. So, I've pretty much just been reaching for light, comfy dresses and keeping the styling quite simple, like in this very outfit for example.

For those of you who follow me on twitter, you may have seen that some road raging jerk made obscene gestures at me after I guess I cut him off? I don't even know. But, anyway, it made me cry. A lot. I mean, it's not like this weekend hasn't been easy/lacking stress, and I certainly didn't need a jerk making threatening gestures at a very non-threatening me, but the point is that I got so very upset over it. Things like this happen all the time, but when they happen to me, I tend to take them personally. I've always been an extremely sensitive person. I try to help out whoever I can and when I think I've wronged someone, even a stranger, I feel absolutely terrible. So, when things like this happen, I take them seriously and personally, even though I know I shouldn't. Is anyone else like this? Or am I the lone ranger here? (Fact: I often use the phrase "lone ranger" when I have never even seen the lone ranger character/show/etc).

Oh! Also, the wonderful Vanessa of My Heart Blogged featured me today! So a big thank you to her :)

Dress: Swap with Amber Rose
Hat: Modcloth
Sandals: Nordstrom
Glasses: Mom's






Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Welcome Back

Hello there! So, hopefully I'm back from my hiatus. My mother's surgery went well (thanks for all the well wishes!) and I've spent most of the weekend running errands and just doing whatever she needs. Needless to say, things have been quite busy and I am exhausted. My running around coupled with this ridiculous heat wave New York is experiencing has led my weekend style to be relaxed and simple. I got this striped dress from Forever 21 a while ago and it has been my go to dress since I got it. It's comfortable but doesn't feel too lazy. Hence, it's exactly what I need it to be.

Oh, and big thanks to Bethany of Bunny Picnic for being a pal and doing a guest post while I was gone! That bow tutorial was too cute, right?

Dress: Forever 21
Jacket: Salvation Army
Shoes: Urban Outfitters







Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Guest Post: Bethany of Bunny Picnic!

hi this is bethany from over at bunny picnic, when nicole asked for guest bloggers to fill in for her while she's being a busy bee, i jumped at the chance! i love her blog! with my guest post, i decided to show you lovely gals how to make your own hair bow! it's a really simple process, and it involves no sewing!





so let's get started!






what you'll need:

-fabric glue (i like aleene's tacky glue, but you could also use hot glue)

-pins (optional)

-scissors

-fabric of your choice (i chose a vintage floral print)

-what you want to attach your bow to (headband, bobby pin, alligator clip)


step 1: cut out a rectangular piece of fabric. it doesn't really matter the size. you can experiment with the size and make different sized bows. mine was about 6 inches by 12 inches.






step 2: fold the piece of fabric kind of in thirds. what i mean by kind of is, don't have the edges touch. you can if you want, but i didn't. this determines the width of your bow.


step 3: fold the edges into each other. this determines the length of your bow






step 4: now pinch your fabric in the middle. it creates a bow shape!


step 5: this is where i use the pins. while holding the bow between my fingers, i shove the pins in next to each other from opposite sides to hold it together while i place a dot of glue in the middle of the fabric.






step 6: now you've got your bow glued in the center, and you need to cut out another little strip of fabric for the center. mine was about 2-3 inches by 4 inches. and i still cut off extra, so don't fret! this piece can be quite small


step 7: take the little strip of fabric and fold it in thirds. you may glue it down if you'd like. i didn't do it this time, but sometimes it helps to keep it together.






step 8: now, start with the edge of the small folded piece and place it where you glued the bow together. and wrap around.


step 9: this shows after you've gone all the way around the bow and you get confused and don't know what to do! do not fear! next step!






step 10: cut off excess fabric, and fold the remaining fabric into itself and place a dot of glue at the end.


step 11: here you can see where the fabric was folded and where the dot of glue was placed.








step 12: i used the alligator clip (optional) to hold the glued part for a minute so it can set. you don't have to let it dry completely, just long enough so it doesn't fall back apart.


step 13: now we're ready to attach the bow to whatever you picked out! i chose the alligator clip.







step 14: figure out where to place the clip/pin/headband and place some glue on the entrance 'hole'.


step 15: slide the clip/pin/headband in!






voila! you've made your very own bow!

have fun crafting!



much love from,

bethany

Alice's Tea Cup

Hey there all. Things have been, well, hectic over here. This has just been a rough week for me. I've spent the majority of my time being stressed and anxious, trying to make an important decision, and things have just been trying. Nothing serious, just stressful. That's why my presence has been sparse this week, and with my mother's surgery this Friday, I'm going to continue to be a bit out of the loop over here. I know you all understand because you're the best. Anyway, Zak and I went to Alice's Teacup yesterday, and it was just what I needed. Delicious tea, scones, and sandwiches, adorable decor, and the best company.







Nicole

I Was Old News To You Then

Hello there! So, I've been away from the blog world a bit because this weekend had me fretting, making decisions, and of course stress eating. Since summer started, I've been stressed about a lot of things. I've been trying to get a summer job - which is proving impossible for me - and trying to satisfy my internship requirements. I'm looking to have a very full week this week with Zak's grandpa's wake, heading to Governors Island for my internship, going to an internship event, hopefully lunching with a friend, errands, and on Friday my mom's having surgery. I don't even think I had a week that full during the school year! All of this worrying has also led me to eat more than I should. I don't think I've weighed myself since summer began because I'm too afraid of the number. I'm going to try to get back on track starting tomorrow. Weighing myself, eating right, exercising. I'll be busy, but I know that if I eat terribly it won't make me happy, and I'm going to need happy next week.

Anyway, today I went to my cousin's communion party on Long Island. The party was...uh...loud? Between all of the people talking and the DJ blasting kid friendly music (the Glee soundtrack?) I was more than happy to escape for windy outfit photos by the water. I actually saw this dress first on the lovely Lea's blog, Pretty Prudent, and when I saw it in Forever 21 I had to have it for myself as well! My sister was also looking super cute so she joined me for some photos!

Dress: Forever 21
Cardigan: Zara
Shoes: DSW
Fox Brooch: Three Blooms etsy
Bag: Urban Outfitters









Until tomorrow,
Nicole

In a Geometric Pattern Dress

Hello there! So yesterday, Zak and I went to see Fleet Foxes! It was beyond amazing. Their music is so beautiful and wonderful to listen to, but to see them in person was incredible. I won't go on too much about them because soon this will just turn into incoherent blabber about how much I love them. I will say that I am so very happy I had the opportunity to see them perform live. They sang all of my favorite songs, and the very last two they played were the two I was most hoping they would (Blue Spotted Tail and Blue Ridge Mountains. I suppose I have a thing for songs with "Blue" in the title?). I tried to take some pictures, but since my camera is inept at taking photos in weird lighting, most of them are awful. We did have amazing seats (sixth row!) though you wouldn't really know it from the pictures! It was a really, really great night, though - one of the best I've had in a while!

So, I wore this dress because it reminds me of a line from one of their songs. In the song "Bedouin Dress," there's one line that goes "In the street one day I saw you among the crowd, in a geometric pattern dress." So, by wearing my own geometric pattern dress, I was secretly hoping the lead singer would see me "among the crowd" and think I was awesome. That didn't happen. Though, at one point, the houselights went up and he was all "this is a good looking audience!" I'm included in that, right? Right! Also, I thought it would be fun to include Zak in some photos since he was all dressed up for a night out on the town. I love his vest!

Dress: Modcloth
Sweater: Zara
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Tights: Hue+DIY










The opening band, The Cave Dwellers (well, two thirds of them). They were lovely as well!


Fleet Foxes!





Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Book Worm

These photos are from last week, when it was sunny and actually spring-like. As you can see by my last few posts it has been rain city in New York this week, and is supposed to be for the rest of the week as well. I do love the rain. It's good for a lot of things like reading, putting together puzzles, watching movies. I just don't want to miss out on too much spring weather after waiting so anxiously for it to arrive!

Speaking of rainy day reading, I finished my first book of the summer thanks to the rain! I read Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and it was wonderful. I didn't know what to expect when I bought it solely for the interesting title and subject matter, but it's actually really smart and interesting and well thought out! I have a load of unread books on my shelf, and I was looking through just now and saw that I had a copy of Jane Eyre. I was thinking of reading that, since I want to see the movie that's out now, but I'm not sure if I want to jump into a Bronte sister novel (I had to read Wuthering Heights in high school and just could not finish it. Do you have any suggestions for good books to read? I'm all ears!

White blouse: Macy's
Floral top, skirt: H&M
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Belt: Delia's







Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Rainy Day Daydream

Hello there! This weather has caused my most recent posts to turn into a series on how to style loud, clashy rain boots. Today's been incredibly gross and rainy, just like yesterday, so I pulled out the rain boots again. Since I liked how yesterday's outfit turned out, I was determined to find a decent way to style the boots. This yellow dress is quite old and too big, so I hardly wear it, but I felt like wearing something ironically bright today. Also, the dress kind of reminded me of those classic yellow rain coats. I think it turned out alright, though it is a bit riskier than yesterday's monochrome look. So what do you think? How would you style these boots?

Dress: Macy's
Jean jacket: Salvation Army
Hat: Modcloth
Boots: DSW, I think





Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Why In the Night Sky Are the Lights Hung?

Hello there! So, I took a bit of a break from the blog world for a little while there (it feels like a longer amount of time than it actually was!). After the semester ended I just wanted to relax. I had spent so much time glued to my computer the last few weeks that I really needed a break. I'm back now, though, and with too many photos (and posts to catch up on!). Today is one of those days that I love. It starts out really slow, and boring, but develops into a fun day. I woke up late this morning (I've permitted late sleeping just for this first weekend of summer) to dark, rainy weather, which I actually love. At about 3 in the afternoon I started to pout about my lack of doing anything, so Zak suggested we take a drive over to this wonderful park a little ways from my house. It's a huge park (bigger than central park!) and so much fun to explore. One of my favorite areas is the playground because, being the five year old that I am, I love playing around on the slides and the swings (especially the swings). It's not often that I have a wide variety of photo locations available to me, which I'm sure you've noticed by all of the pictures on my porch, so I got a bit overwhelmed and took took too many pictures!

It was surprisingly hot and humid today so, even though I brought a sweater to the park, I immediately put it away. This outfit is fairly simple and monochrome mostly because my rain boots are so ridiculous and loud. I love wearing them, but it's so hard to plan an outfit around that bright colorful pattern!

Top: H&M
Skirt: Urban Outfitters
Boots: DSW, I think?






Until tomorrow,
Nicole