Wrong Side of the Bed

Blouse, French Connection. Shorts, J. Crew. Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell.

     As mentioned earlier, I have become quite taken with night time separates for day time enjoyment. I finally decided to debut these shorts, purchased at a J. Crew outlet store. When I purchased them, I did so because of their very pajama-like appearance, which is probably what set me off in that direction of inspiration (along with the Teen Vogue editorial). The title stems from the fact that my face looks positively perturbed in these pictures- I suppose I was channeling what I really do feel like when I wake up!

     The idea behind the outfit also gave me a chance to play around with some different camera/flash settings indoors (usually I abhor flash, but I recently purchased an excellent 360 swivel head flash in a lot of old SLRs at an estate sale). Although I softened (and pink-ened) the results somewhat, the original pictures had quite nice lighting as opposed to the harsh effects that the built in camera flash gives. Maybe I will show off my bedroom more often with this discovery!

Supermarket Sarah

Images via Supermarket Sarah, click to enjoy full magic.

     Although I could have found many more wall from Supermarket Sarah displays to share, I thought they are more visually pleasing when isolated (so please, PLEASE visit the wall archive). I came across Sarah's concept in the book Creative Walls and am deeply inspired. I have been a bit preoccupied with not only creative careers, but showcasing collections as well. Sarah's story combines both.

     Sarah set up her treasures in a pleasing manner to be sold to the public. Her walls have since become a signature and she has partnered with many designers and stores. What started as a departure from the corporate world has now become a full fledged career, and one filled with visual delights to boot! Check out more about the story here, and browse the shops while your there!
P.S. I don't know how I haven't discovered this before!

Beautiful Dreamer

 All images via teenvogue.com

     Perhaps the languid days of summer are finally seeping into my style, or perhaps I am living up to my namesake (Ashlyn means "beautiful dream" after all), but lately I have loved the idea of incorporating chic pajamas into daytime outfits. Don't get me wrong, a flannel pajama ensemble in public makes me roll my eyes as much as the next clothes horse. But lately this editorial from the March 2009 issue of Teen Vogue has been haunting my thoughts. The editorial ranks with this one and this one as one of my all time favorites from Teen Vogue. Some of their shoots have a way of permeating every style related thought until I hunt them down in the archives (my shelf full of past issues or their website). 

     If I were to start with the pajama idea, I'd definitely start with this Kensie set and these sleep shorts. Too pretty NOT to wear out of the house!

We're in Cute Country

Corset top, Free People. Skirt and braid belt, American Apparel. Bow ring, F21. Sweater, Target (YEARS ago).  Shoes, Land's End. Bag, handmade by my Mamaw.

     I'm not exactly sure how obvious I make my location (this is intentional), but I'll give you a hint: Elvis, Dolly, Billy Ray, and Justin Timberlake. The common thread between those things is, as you may have figured out, Tennessee. The Volunteer state has always been my home and although I plan on moving to a bit more urban of a place after college (I never said out of state, though), I will always be just a "lil" country. 

     The country was precisely the inspiration for my outfit. Picking fresh berries, walking in open fields, cute floral print, and sturdy canvas are just a few of the things that I love about the picturesque landscape that surrounds me. Although I might have to drive a few miles to get to truly rural surroundings (by no means am I a farm girl), I appreciate rolling green hills and a big blue backdrop dotted with barns and bales of hay just about as much as any other scenery.

     I complain about the lack of polish and shopping opportunities from time to time, but when it comes down to it, I would not want to have grown up anywhere else.

DIY: The Easiest Floral Crown You'll Ever Make

     Lately, floral crowns and headbands have been popping up EVERYWHERE. Tumblr inspiration, other fashion bloggers (Stylish Wanderer), Chictopia,catalogs...the list goes on. While the trend may fast be on its way to being cliche (like rhyming?), for the last blissful months of summer, why not make one for yourself? I made mine using materials I had readily available: most crafty types probably have some if not all of these things on hand.

Materials Needed:

-Pliable craft wire (gauge is personal preference)

-Wire cutters, scissors

-Fake flowers, removed from bouquet (I got mine at the Dollar Tree)

-Ribbon (satin is pictured, I don't think it matters)

-Clear Tacky glue (optional)

-Bits and bobs for extra decoration(optional)

1.  First and foremost, wrap the wire around your head where you plan on wearing the crown. Allow for some slack because the closure method you'll be using requires some extra wire. I had a picture of this, but I think you can probably figure out how to wrap something around your head without visual assistance.

2.  Once you have the wire cut to size, find flowers that do not have stamens and the like in the middle. These are often attached to the stems of the bouquets by small pieces of plastic and therefore have holes in the bottom. Flowers like these MUST be used in this version of a floral crown. All you do now is slide the flowers onto the wire (pictured above).

3. Once you have filled up the crown to the desired appearance (pictured above) you can move on to the closure method.

4. Because I knew that I would be covering the back with ribbon, I simply made loops with the extra wire that I had left myself when cutting it to size. This was down by folding the wire on both ends and making sure one end was inserted in the loop of the other.

Please note that steps 5 and 6are unnecessary if your crown is fully filled (that is, it goes around your entire head with flowers).

5. Do a simple knot in order to start wrapping the ribbon around the uncovered parts of the wire.  I had to put a dab of glue on this knot so that it wouldn't keep spinning around the wire when I began to wrap the ribbon around. I wrapped the ribbon fairly loosely around the whole thing, but pulled it taut enough so it didn't wrinkle too much.

6. Keep wrapping the ribbon until you reach the end of your flowers. Do another simple knot, and dab with glue if necessary. With the leftover ribbon, tie a knot around where your closure is in order to ensure comfort. Plus, ribbon down the back of your hair will look so pretty (albeit a little bridal)!

7.  Tie on any extra embellishments (I used a few pieces of lace and twine). Enjoy your trendy near head wear!

See How They Resemble One Another?

Top, French Connection for Sears. Skirt, vintage. Clutch, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Belt, stolen from my little sister. Shoes, AE.

     In the case of this batch of pictures, I definitely feel like I saved the best for last! At least, I feel like that particular photograph captures the essence of this outfit the best. To be a lime green tennis skirt from Goodwill, the skirt is actually very practical, as long as I have some Under Armor to wear underneath! As far as the brown clutch with the black stripes and shoes go...I thought it just worked. The clutch was definitely a case of practicality over being completely anal about matching. 

     I saw the movie Horrible Bosses in this outfit a few days ago, and if you can go, I highly suggest seeing it! As soon as your done with the midnight premiere of Harry Potter, of course!

La Vida Es Un Carnival

I am such a goofball.

    For my step dad's birthday, we decided to take a day trip to a place right along the Georgia/Tennessee border called Lake Winnepesauka (or Lake Winnie for short). Basically, for twenty one dollars, you get to enjoy an entire day of unlimited turns on carnival-like rides with no lines. It would have been a blast no matter what I wore, but I am only truly comfortable if I like what I am wearing.

Top, Delia's. Shorts, Martin + Osa via Marshall's. Belt, vintage. Shoes, Target. And by this point all make up was gone to the point of no return!

     

     The top is one of the rare Delia's finds that I actually purchase. Although it looks fairly ordinary from a distance, up close the stripes are a watercolor, celestial print. Add that to the cropped cut and it is the perfect summer top! I hope to transition it into fall with skirts and tights, too.

     As far as the rides go, I rode all varieties of spinning rides (always a favorite) along with a seemingly harmless airplane ride called the "Fly-o-plane" that was once used to train pilots in World War II. Why might an amusement park once be used for such a purpose? That would be because flying upside down and accomplishing full barrel rolls are both possible (and encouraged) feats.

Although I'm not in this picture with him, here is a small example of what Reid put me through the other two times I was on the ride with him.

     If all of my other praises don't encourage you to check out Lake Winnie (if you're in the Southern U.S., that is), the next picture probably will. Yes, it IS a Star Wars dance number!

Dorm Potential

(To view image sources, click here.)

     Over the weekend I saw exactly what I will have to work with in my dorm. And guess what. It wasn't all that horrible. I'm not sure how my taste in decoration will mesh with my room mate's, but I am scouring the internet for potential items and inspiration. Personally, I think it would be pretty unique to have a permanent sheet fort over my bed. Right now, I'm walking the Christmas light tight rope between being a teenager and an adult; therefore, I'm going to have a little fun decorating when move in date arrives.

Life is a Party

(Thanks to my lovely Aunt for the last photo. All others taken by me.)

    

Snapshots of my Fourth of July weekend with a title inspired by Anthology magazine's third issue.