Memorial Day Mandate: Put Your Best Foot Forward

Dress: ELLE, Kohl's

Bag: XOXO, ROSS; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Yellow and red bangles: B Fabulous; Rainbow necklace: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Red and yellow necklaces: Wet Seal; Rainbow bangle: Nimia's Boutique; Bow barrette: Carole, JCPenney

 

Fruit barrette: Whimsies, Craft Fair; Red and white barrette: B Fabulous 

Red top: Lily Rose, Kohl's; Yellow top: Forever 21

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill; Bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Necklace: The Tote Trove; Ring: Francesca's; Sunglasses: Amazon

Fabulous Felt Yellow Folk Flowers Barrette

Top: So, Kohl's

Flowers: Michaels; Ribbon: Craft drawer

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily; Bag: Macy's Backstage: Sunglasses: Amazon; Strawberry Necklace: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Flag necklace: Michaels; Ring: Wet Seal; Blue bangle: So, Kohl's

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily; Bangle: Burlington Coat Factory; Bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Bow: Hobby Lobby; Ring: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Red White and Chew Necklace

Can you believe it's Memorial Day again?!  It feels like I was just taking down my Christmas decorations.  Of course, that's because I was.  We had a lone holiday wreath on the window until very recently.  A bird had built a nest in it and the husband, good soul that he is, didn't want to disturb it.  But then the nest emptied, the husband took the wreath down, and we put it all behind us (and also in the trash; after six months on the roof, that wreath was rank).  Which meant that we were more than ready to chow down on hot dogs and hamburgers at my parents'.  

I wore the first outfit, it being the most festive but also family friendly.  And I couldn't help but think that it was my rainbow wedges' first trip outside my yard.  I got them two years ago despite the section under the toes being made of canvas.  I usually shy away from fabrics and suedes in that area, as they tend to get smudged with what I'll delicately refer to as foot residue.  But then, below the ankle hygiene has always been important to me.  When my sister and I were little, my mom often sang, "Marguerite, go wash your feet, the Board of Health's across the street!"  Not because our feet were particularly dirty, but because she was that kind of mom.  To her credit, we never had to go to the emergency room, let alone the Board of Health.   

Shoes: Impo, DSW

Anyway, when the husband and I returned home, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my piggies had left only the faintest of marks.  It was nothing that a little soap and water couldn't fix, but as I scrubbed, I thought, look what this pandemic's done to me.  There I was, all atwitter at having to expose my precious shoes to the world. 

If there's a lesson here, then I'm not sure what it is.  Don't be afraid to get your feet dirty?  The promise of pie is worth wardrobe risk?  If you love your shoes, then set them free, and if they're meant to be yours, then they'll stay blemish free?

I don't know, and maybe I never will.  Only one thing's for certain, and that thing is this:

I'm not putting up outdoor wreaths next Christmas.  

Purple Reign: Wistful for Wisteria

No, I'm not talking about the decades-old drama of Desperate Housewives.  Although maybe I should be, because that was a great show.  I'm talking about this wisteria vine that I saw wrapped around a telephone pole wire on Mother's Day.  Spring flowers being what they are, it's probably long gone by now.  But the sight of it and its spirit stay with me.  I love it when something that's supposed to be frail stakes its claim somewhere it was told it shouldn't be.

Huh.  Maybe I'm talking about housewives (and women) after all.    

That said, don't get me started on pansies.

Stranger Flings: Writing to Mr. Right

It's not every day that a toy store saleswoman and a puppeteer fall in love.  But that's just what happens in Kerry Winfrey's Very Sincerely Yours.  Their meet-cute?  Theodora "Teddy" Phillips starts stalking local kiddie TV show host Everett St. James.  Maybe stalking is too strong a word.  After all, it isn't Teddy's fault that her dud of a doctor boyfriend dumped her instead of proposing, forcing her to seek comfort in emailing an entertainer best known for curing emotional boo-boos.  

Now may be a good time to point out that Teddy could've been tiresome.  The woman wore nothing but neutrals because her boyfriend told her to, then made him dinner post-breakup just because he texted her he was hungry.  Need I say more?  A wussy-woman-scorned-turned-needy-fangirl might've made for a soggy last straw.  But Winfrey's pitch perfect prose paints Teddy as more sympathetic than sad sack, rendering her epistolary relationship with Everett as a step forward rather than a leap back.  Because there's something about pouring your heart out to a stranger.  You can tell them things you'd never tell people you know, and writing is more cathartic than speaking.  Maybe that's why I liked Teddy and Everett better on paper than in real life.  

Which may say more about me, an incorrigible introvert, than it does about Winfrey.  After all, I've read and loved three of her other books: Waiting for Tom Hanks, Not Like the Movies, and Love and Other Alien Experiences.  They checked all my fiction boxes, i.e., overflowed with the kind of colorful quirkiness and trigger-quick dialogue that make storytelling special.  What's more, I recently read another rom com about a couple who met through letters, and it left a much be desired.  (Can't remember that one?  That's because I never blogged about it.  Exactly -- and also, you're welcome.)  So although Very Sincerely Yours doesn't top my Winfrey list, I still sincerely enjoyed it.  And anyway, there are lots of other books in the sea.  

Like Winfrey's Just Another Love Song, which will be out in August.

May Play: Strawberry Feels Forever

Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Fabulous Felt Pink Strawberry Barrette

Top: Anthropologie, Zulily

Shoes: Shoe Carnival; Bracelet: Don't Ask, Zulily; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Bag: Candie's, Kohl's; Sunglasses: Party City

Yellow Daisy Dessert Necklace and Bracelet Set

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Sugar Thrillz, Dolls Kill; Striped bangle: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Strawberry bangle: B Fabulous; Gingham bangle: Candie's, Kohl's; Brooch and barrettes: The Tote Trove; Ribbons; Craft drawer

Dress: Live To Be Spoiled, Kohl's

Skirt: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Bag: Dolls Kill; Headband: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Watch: Zulily; Bangle: Don't Ask, Zulily; Small ring: Miami accessories cart; Big ring: Making Waves, Ocean City

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Candy Crave Necklace

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Braided bangle: B Fabulous; Rhinestone bangle: XOXO, ROSS; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Ring: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Barrette: The Tote Trove

Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Strawberry Bow Necklace

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Pink skirt: Amazon; Yellow skirt: H&M

Headband: So, Kohl's; Ring: Delia's; Bag: Dolls Kill; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Celadon bangle: Burlington Coat Factory; Barrette: The Tote Trove

Top: Juicy Couture, Kohl's

Green Daisy Dessert Necklace and Bracelet Set

May means lots of wonderful warm weather things, like flowers, Memorial Day -- and strawberries!  Here in the Garden State, the farm stands are ripe with the red ones.  They last only a couple of weeks, which makes them even more special.  Thankfully, my mom was kind enough to give me a pint (if it were up to me, then I wouldn't get around to it until it they were gone), which I promptly photographed next to her berry-themed teapot:

Also, on a less seasonal but nonetheless delicious note, I'm excited about my newish strawberry lip gloss.  It's Revlon (as are all of my favorite lip products), and I stocked up on it during the same Walgreens buy-three-and-save sale that rekindled my romance with colorful eyeshadows.  

I actually wanted cherry (don't we all?), but it was sold out (see, I told you).  Don't tell strawberry, though.  

I don't want it to hold a grudge and give me around the mouth acne.  

Goodwill Spill: The Lion, the Ditch, and the Wardrobe

 

For those who heart clothes, a wardrobe is an endlessly magical place, a skeleton key to Narnia.  That's why it's so hard to part with the things in it.  But after putting it off, I finally sorted the clothes I want to ditch donate.  And as always, it was weird.  There were some things that had always been too big, others that had always been too small, and those that used to be just right but now cut off my circulation.  Like my beloved purple and turquoise skinny jeans:

I bought them at JCPenney more than a decade ago for less then twenty dollars each.  We spent many a happy casual Friday, mall crawl, and, yes, photo shoot together.  And now they'll start over with someone new.  Maybe they'll get to go places I never went.  Like Hollywood.  Or space.  Or Chipotle.  

But whatever their journey, I know it'll rock.  And that their new owner will love them.  Because if I've learned anything from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, then it's that these jeans will be perfect for someone.  

You know.  A bargain bin boss with a barely there butt and a taste for candy-colored denim.

Big Prints, Big House: A Symphony for Sephora

Dress: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Barrette: Carole, JCPenney

Polka Dot Posies Barrette Brooch

Top: Crave Fame, Macy's

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Unlisted, Marshalls

Skirt: Nine West, Kohl's

Hilda Harmonica Necklace

Fabulous Felt Desert Design Barrette

Green and yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Orange and striped bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Barrettes: The Tote Trove; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy; Belt: Marshalls

 

Pants: Vylette, Kohl's

Barrettes: SHEIN

Bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Necklace: Candies, Kohl's

Socks: Zulily; Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's

I never shy away from bringing big prints.  And in this post I bring a bunch, including polka dots, zebra, plaid, checks, and hearts.  Also, a harmonica necklace.  You may remember the first harmonica necklace I made using a bright green New Year's Eve party favor.  Well, last week I found its tangerine twin behind the TV.  I can only imagine that it landed there during one of my long-ago, four-person ragers.  Anyway, I was excited to spot it.  Even as I tried very hard not to think about how harmonicas are associated not with fun and games, but with jail and, in this case, orange jumpsuits.

Still, I'd be remiss in not mentioning that other big house big on big prints, namely old-timey prison-esque black and white stripes.  And that house, of course, is Sephora:

One opened in my local Kohl's recently, so I checked it out for Mother's Day gifts.  And it was a different world.  There were women rocking expertly winged eyeliner and others seeking that unicorn known as the perfect foundation.  As someone who buys most of her makeup at Walgreens (save for a few temptingly packaged lipsticks), I found it fascinating and glam, so much so that I photographed the wall art behind the counter.

I love its sentiment as much as its billboard-bright colors: "We belong to something beautiful."  

We do, Sephora, we do.  So think of this orange harmonica riff of a necklace as a symphony written, not in a penitentiary but in a palace, its bittersweet citrus notes sounding -- and in the spirit of perfume also smelling -- just for you.