Surprises in big and small

“Pick blogging back up? Make it a weekly update?” says I. “NO,” exclaim the hands of time, “you mustn’t dream silly dreams! Here, let me dump more than enough to keep you busy within a 24-hour period. Get used to it, this is your summer.”
So things get in the way from blogging, I get it. But I do miss keeping up with it on a regular basis. It gives me time to reflect, create, and invigorate. Days go by when I put outfits together that I really like, but there’s no time to snap pictures of them, I'm just going about my day (thinking I’ll remember to recreate it. PAH. Right.). Well, regardless… I will do what I can. Even if Darling Dentelle is resigned to few and far between posts.
As I mentioned, I have plenty to keep me busy during the remainder of this summer. I am taking two online classes which more or less consume my morning hours. It’s absolutely doable and I’m thrilled to complete them from home rather than in the classroom, but it requires devoting the proper amount of time. My evenings and Saturday afternoons are dedicated to rehearsing for the musical at the local arts center here in Manchester [this is the part where I boast and exalt my current theatrical endeavor in which I am currently involved]. I have been incredibly blessed to land the role as the Baker’s Wife in Sondheim’s Into the Woods, a musical/character I have been particularly fond of for the past couple of years. The moment I was offered the role as the Baker’s Wife figuratively kicked me in the chest, as it is an enormously huge deal to me. I felt fairly confident about my audition, but I had a hard time believing it when the cast list was formed nonetheless. It has been a beyond incredible experience thus far and will only continue to grow to something phenomenal. I urge everyone to make plans to see it, and not because of bias… it’s just going to be that good.

 

 

 

 

Between school work and rehearsals, I have chunks of free time that swiftly become occupied by whatever events or people that reserve the spot. But sometimes days I expect to be left empty are suddenly filled out of nowhere. Last week, I was preparing to leave for the night’s practice when I heard the doorbell. Not expecting visitors, I reluctantly answered the door only to find my friend from college, Libby, awaiting me! She lives in Virginia and had sent no previous forewarning of a visit in the slightest; this was one of the biggest shocks and most pleasant surprises I’ve had! Erin and I, as we had done for our friend Ariel on her visit a few weeks ago, took Libby around Manchester. We went to lunch at the Patch Manor tea room, where the pictures were taken. It’s one of the quaint gems Manchester has to offer and is run by Erin’s aunt.

 

Dress: Old Navy, cardigan: Forever 21,
shoes (altered): ModCloth, scarf: thrifted
necklace/purse: Charming Charlie,

 




The denim dress I am wearing is my summer staple. It’s very easily my favorite piece lately. I lucked out and stumbled upon it deep within a sale rack at Old Navy, snagging it at a stellar price. Remixing with it is a dream: I have paired several over/under shirts, cardigans, jackets, and skirts with it, accessorizing accordingly to dress it up or down. What I love most about it, however, is its simplicity; it doesn’t require anything under it, it’s breezy and comfortable, it’s precious. Especially for rehearsals, throwing it on before running out has been super convenient.
Ok, enough about the dress. The shoes have a renovation story! Due to the realization that I owned too many pairs of lace-up Oxford style shoes, I decided to remove the laces from my cream Oxfords and fill the holes with “studs.” I placed brass paper fastener brads in the lace holes, lightly took sandpaper to them for a more rustic worn in look, and voila!, they are now slip-ons. A practical decision on my part.

 

 

 

 

  

It’s that time again for me to begin making the next big decision about life. After this upcoming year at Florida College, I will be transferring—somewhere.
Anywhere?
*cue anxiety*
I’ve been weighing my options, and where I do end up may be an unexpected surprise, you never know. By Christmas of this year, I must have a concrete idea of what I’m doing, so everyone (including myself) will have to hang tight until then. I have a hopeful, positive disposition regarding the choice that needs to be made. And ultimately, that’s all I need.

Two lives, one shirt (How She Wore It)

The shirt you see on Erin is the topic of this week's post. It's my top, purchased from Papaya. No, there's nothing particularly special about the shirt; the two of us don't have a Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants thing going on with it... nothing like that. I have decided it'd be cool to do a "How She Wore It" feature every now and then where two people wear the same article of clothing in different ways, piecing together an outfit that is distinct to her style. The picture above gives you an image of the skeleton (minus the added belt) we worked with for today: a cream colored, ruffled flower top. I actually find it hilarious that we chose similar outfit structures, considering that neither of us knew how the other would wear it until we met up. We both paired it with dark washed jeans and had some sort of sleeved cover. However, this works to my advantage in a way. It displays our personal outfit styles by the differences in the parallels, if that makes any sense at all.
 

 

  

Top: Papaya, cardigan: Marshalls,
shorts: A'GACI, shoes: Marty and Liz's Shoes

 

I chose a cardigan, Erin went with a blazer. Erin wore long straight-legged jeans, I chose trouser cut shorts. My color palette brought out cool tones, hers were warm. See? Similar, yet very different. I find it interesting how an item's look can be changed like that. A person can emphasize various aspects and details by piecing it in another ensemble, giving it a new feel. To describe this shirt for just a moment, it's made of an incredibly comfortable fabric; it's light, soft, and breezy. Cute wooden buttons add an earthy feel. The colors for the flowers aren't the typical "spring flower" colors. I appreciate that. It gives an early fall vibe, to me. It seemed to match the woods around us, com to think of it. Brown and dry, contrasting with the lush green vegetation. I don't have much in these colors, so I like messing around with combinations of what to wear with it.

                                                          

I also have to share my unadulterated love for these oxford cut-out shoes!! I lucked up and found them in the depths of Marty and Liz's Shoes thrift store. Caramel brown is the new black, if you ask me. Erin will probably be the first to argue that, but to each her own, eh? But seriously. This may easily be the coolest pair of shoes I own, and they're so convenient for most summer days. My feet hate being confined in stiff closed-toed shoes during warm weather, but I don't like doing sandals all the time either. These shoes are the perfect blend of unique, comfortable, practical, and versatile. Mega win for me.



Repurposed



Top/pants: Forever 21,
collared shirt (underneath): thrifted, altered
shoes: Shoe Carnival



 So what if I'm writing this at 2:45 am? Sleep is for the weak. Or maybe it's "sleep is for the week," in which case I've got it all kinds of wrong. Anyways, I simply MUST share with you my latest inspiration. Rouche's newest lookbook, "Under the Tuscan Sun," is utterly gorgeous. I have literally swooned through it a dozen times by now. Besides the fact that I generally love all things Mediterranean (particularly the food), I absolutely adore the essence of everything found within the electronic pages of the lookbook. The colors, patterns, and fabrics have the breezy flow to them, and the clothing combinations? It blows my mind to see the art put into action. Way to go, Rouche. You've won my approval. Of course, it's not like I didn't admire them before. Because I did.

 

While we're on the subject (except not really because I hadn't directly mentioned it), allow me to explain the alterations to the blue, floral collared shirt. When I bought it several years ago, it was originally a dress. Or, sort of a dress. The bottom was a spandex sort of material with ruffled tiers for the "skirt" part. It was an awkward shortness, and I would never have worn it without pants. Needless to say, I preferred it to not look like that, so I removed the skirt section until where the buttons began, and then hemmed along the base. It soon became a short sleeved, button down blouse. The length was a bit shorter than a regular shirt, so it's more of a crop-top, good for layering and whatnot.

 

Before



After







                                    



Necklace: Charming Charlie,
earrings: thrifted,
ring: antique (great grandmother's)



I LOVE being able to reuse items for new purposes. Whether it be altering thrifted clothes or uncovering treasures from old jewelry, finding a way to make them work brings me joy. In my opinion, incorporating legit vintage items into one's wardrobe is a process that takes continual trial and error. Similar to being able to remix/combine outfits, you must be fearless and just attempt certain things sometimes. More often than not, the result will surprise you for the better. I admire those who are able to do it so effortlessly. Admiration and jealousy are two different concepts, right?