Two Days 'til Autumn!

It will officially be Fall on September 22nd, but I'm already in a very Autumnal mood. This is my very favorite season. Today I thought I'd write down a few things I'm enjoying right now. In no particular order:

1. Starbucks iced coffee with hazelnut syrup. Delicious! And perfect for the pleasantly warm NorCal transition from summer to fall.

2. Essie's Head Mistress nail polish. It looks dark pink here, but it's more of a deep, blue-red with pinkish undertones (kind of a dark cranberry). I love it! I really think it's the perfect shade of red for all year-round. But especially late summer/early fall, and I plan to wear it a lot during the holiday season.

3. Reading for fun. I recently started reading Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell and so far it is excellent! I've ALSO been enjoying all the reading I've done for school so far, so I think I can count it as reading for fun.

4. Wine tasting! I went last Saturday in Lodi with some friends and it was a blast. Lodi, CA has a special Roadtrip Passport to Lodi event that runs from September 1-October 6 and it only costs $15 for the booklet which gives you access to numerous winery events and free tastings at 27 wineries (which works out to to about $0.55 per tasting!). I'm going again on the 29th with some gals from church and I'm sure it will be just as much fun as last Saturday was.

5. Foyle's War. I recently started watching this show on Netflix and it's really good (ok, the first 2 episodes are really good - I haven't watched the rest yet!). Something about Autumn just makes me want to make a cup of tea and delve into all things British.

Floral Scarf Round-Up

In case yesterday's post didn't make it crystal clear, I'm kind of addicted to scarves! In fact, I pretty much wear them everyday, all year-round. Sure, sometimes they're not the most convenient accessory (think puppies trying to play with them, or the wind blowing them all about), but most of the time they not only add a stylish flair to an outfit, they also serve a practical purpose.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is also a scarf-enthusiast and I think we scared those around us a little bit with our passionate discussion of the benefits of scarf wearing. Here are just a few of the things we mentioned:

- Scarves add instant color or pattern to an outfit
- Scarves are absolutely wonderful in the winter when you're in that in-between state of too-cold-in-just-a-shirt and too-warm-in-a-jacket-or-sweater. You can simply take your scarf from your neck and wrap it around your shoulders. Voila! Instant maintenance of a comfortable temperature.
- Scarves are absolutely marvelous in the summer when you need protection from the sun - wrap it lightly around your shoulders or over your head.

Anyway, after organizing my scarves, I realized that one thing I am sorely lacking is floral scarves! So today, I decided to round up a few under-$20 scarves from around the internet. In no particular order:

$12.97 from Lands End Canvas. Also available in a pale coral palette. 

I've had my eye on this one for quite a while and may have to snap it up soon.

$16.94 from Old Navy. A beautiful, orangey-red tone.

$19.95 from Gap. Technically not floral, but I'm calling it "close enough."

$12.00 from Pier 1 Imports. So bright & fun, perfect for summer!

$14.99 from World Market. A more sedate floral scarf.

$14.99 from Target. I think this one may be my favorite of the bunch.

Bedroom Changes

I recently made two changes in my bedroom. Unfortunately, I forgot to get before pictures, but here are the afters!

The first change I made brought more organization to my scarf collection. I was given a couple scarves for Christmas and I also recently purchased a couple more. My once stuffed-full scarf drawer had been overflowing for a few weeks so I knew it was time to reorganize them. My bedroom has two closets, a large walk-in one and a random, very small one. So I decided to move all my clothes into the large closet and use the little one for scarf storage:

I still have some knit scarves in my drawer, but all the flow-ier scarves are now hung in my closet. I used a chrome tension rod from Target along with doubled-up plastic shower curtains rings to hang the scarves. I didn't put much thought into the order in which they're hanging, but I generally put the winter-weight scarves on the left and the summer-weight scarves on the right...though the thickness of my summer-weight scarves does vary quite a bit!

My summer-weight scarves.

My winter-weight scarves.

Here's the second change I made:

I've been meaning for a very long time to set up a little jewelry station on top of my two (stacked) bedside tables and I finally got around to doing it last week.

The great thing about this organization project is that I merely used things I already had. The white tray I got on sale from Target last year for only $5! The multi-colored dish is a present my sister brought for me when she went to India back in Fall of 2001. The other items are from a variety of places, including Target, Marshall's, World Market, and Ann Taylor Loft.

I purchased this ring holder a number of weeks ago from Amazon for $8. It's definitely worth it to have my rings so easily accessible.

  

 This dish came from World Market a couple of years ago and I use it to hold some of my more frequently worn bracelets.

So these are the two little changes I made. So far, I love them! My jewelry and my scarves are so much easier to access that I actually do put things away more often than I used to. Hooray!

(Linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's closet link party.)

Holiday Nails

I thought I would share some of my favorite nail looks for this holiday season - to go along with Adri's holiday outfit post from yesterday :)

First, can I just say that essie has the most gorgeous shades of polish I have ever seen? I love, love, love them! At $8 a pop it's a bit pricey, but not only are the colors beautiful but it holds up amazingly well - I've been wearing essie on my toes for a month and it hasn't even started chipping yet!

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This shade is on my buying list - I like it as a substitute for red - I think it makes its own statement, but can also be a more neutral choice too.

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I also like the idea of using a neutral base and then putting a bit of sparkles on the tips :)

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Holiday Fashion Guide

In an effort to make December less stressful, I decided to put together some fashion mood boards with ideas of what to wear for different events I plan to participate in this Christmas season. I thought I would share them in case they can be of help to anyone else. Enjoy!

1. Ice Skating with Friends and Family

Ice skating is one of my favorite winter activities and I haven't gone at all in the past two years, but I'm hoping to change that this year. Here's what I'm thinking about wearing:

The red scarf and gloves provide a pretty contrast to the cream-colored
sweater. Boots keep your feet warm on your way to pick up your
skates. Broken-in bootcut jeans let you move with ease and grace.

2. Caroling

Growing up, my family would spend several evenings caroling each December. We surprise caroled our music teachers, close family friends, pastors, and my parents' colleagues. It was always a lot of fun and my siblings and I have some great memories from that tradition. This year, we won't be caroling as a family, but I will be surprise caroling a few people with some friends.

A festive plaid or print scarf adds Christmas cheer to your outfit,
while the wool tights and jacket keep you warm.

3. Open House Holiday Party

Every year, my family has an open house on Christmas Eve and it is so much fun! I think it's my favorite event of the entire year - our house is filled with food, laughter, music, and lots of friends, some of whom I only see once a year at our open house. Since our house is so full, it can get pretty warm, despite California's cool night temperature at that time of year. As a result, I usually opt to wear something less warm knowing that I can always add a jacket if I go outside.

Comfort and ease of movement are key when you're hosting
an open house. A satin-y top, wool slacks, pretty ballet flats,
and elegant but simple jewelry help keep you cool, collected &
gorgeous while you juggle the responsibilities of hostessing.

Post (Almost) Without Words: Costume Ideas for Halloween

(The costume mood boards in this post were created by Adri using Polyvore)

Singin' in the Rain

Christopher Robin

"My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music

Gift Ideas For Her: Earrings

I stumbled across this gorgeous collection of earrings, and had to share! I think they would make a great gift. Here are my three favorite:

I'm not going to lie, I swooned as soon as I saw these. Beautifully understated gold studs - a staple every woman should own.

$89

I thought these were pretty too - very delicate. These aren't my style so much, but I know a few ladies who would love something like this.

$89

And these? Well, let's just say they earned another swoon :) I usually tend toward neutral colors for earrings (like gold or silver) but this gorgeous shade of blue has won me over.

$72

I liked every single pair of earrings in this collection - which is rare for me, since I tend to be picky when it comes to jewelry. They are all very classic pieces that are fairly affordable, especially as a gift for that someone special.

I also really like the idea of buying jewelry from a unique source like a website or artist's shop - I think it adds another layer of meaning and thoughtfulness to the gift.

Fashion Inspiration: Jaqueline "Jackie O." Kennedy

The other day I noticed that the miniseries "The Kennedys" is available for streaming on Netflix and though I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, when I do watch it I anticipate enjoying a glimpse into an era in the United States' history that I completely missed out on. Growing up, my mom would tell me and my siblings stories about the Kennedys, but I have never had a very concrete idea of who they were or the vast influence they had on American politics, culture, history, and fashion.

I decided to do a Pinterest search for "Jackie O." and I found some common themes among her outfits that I though I would highlight here:

1. Dresses with fitted bodices and full or flared skirts

2. Short strands of pearls

3. Jackets with curvy, rather than boxy, elements

4. Over-sized sunglasses

5. Fitted tops and sweaters

Vintage Beach

I'm loving these beach pictures. Wouldn't it be glamorous to go to the beach wearing one of these gorgeous swimsuits?

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I thought I would try to choose a favorite to share with you but I decided I like them all too much to choose just one :)

Nail Polish Color Wheel

image from here

Don't you love this collection of nail polish? I am going to use this to help fill out my own assortment. I mostly own the shades in the 10am - 2pm section. Time to fill out the hours of 3pm-9am :)

A Grand New Store

You may remember that I was disappointed not to be able to visit the new Costco in Lodi on my birthday due to the fact that they delayed its opening. It opened last week however, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go in on the first day! Here are some pictures from the event:

Yay for a shiny new sign on the side of a shiny new building! So glad there's finally a Costco in Lodi, now we just need a Trader Joe's!

I went with my mom, brother 2, sister 2, and my friend Ri. We were shocked to see the pricey items that were for sale at the Lodi Costco, like the $100,000 car above and the multi-thousand dollar mirror below. We have never seen anything like these items in the Stockton Costco. My mom observed that the demographics for Lodi must be vastly different than those for Stockton and I think she must be right.

Just so we're clear, I do not like this mirror. I think it is gaudy and tasteless.

We were also surprised to see these expensive jeans - again, something you'd never see in the Stockton Costco. I think the most expensive jeans I've seen in the Stockton Costco were $36.99. I could be wrong though. At any rate, you'd never see $89.99 and $112.99 jeans there!

I love that these three ladies got all dressed up to go to Costco on opening day! (Okay, okay, so they probably weren't dressed up for Costco, but I like to imagine they were.)

Me and my friend outside Costco after our tour of the inside. Photo courtesy of my mom.

Congratulations, Lodi, you're finally getting on the map! Perhaps someday soon people will stop calling you a "farm town" and will instead apply the label I've been lobbying for the past couple years, "agricultural community."