Oh Me, Oh My... I need this dress.

So... I get almost daily emails from Anthropologie. It is the only shop I allow to send me daily emails because I adore just about everything that is sent to me. Today, I received an email with this fabulous layered stripe dress and have a bad case of the needs... wants... no.. needs... no wants.... needs.. Oh, I am so confused and so sad I can't buy this dress right now on the spot. If I could buy it.. I would wear it every day. Promise. Okay and I kind of really love the sofa she is sitting on with the brick wall and the big windows that are looking out to an evergreen forest with a lake just beyond and the huge stone fireplace across from her with a roaring fire..... You see all that too, right? I am sure the bathroom has a fabulous soaker tub too.

For the love of Bobs...

I'm not talking about a bunch of men named Bob here...I'm talking about the timeless and classic haircut. Do you love it as much as I do? I've pretty much had a bob all of my life. I know that when you all come to my funeral I will be laying in a cheap casket with a really great bob. Please make this come true. 

Here are some of my favorites.

How could you not love this! I even love the bangs, but I AM a bang person.

I would happily sport this bob as long as I can have the body to go with it.

Even Jen got her hair cut into a bob again...

It's a haircut for urban or suburban. If you have no idea what to do with your hair, get a bob! You will never regret it. How often do you look at pictures of people from 20 years ago with a classic bob and think their hair looks outdated? Never. It's a haircut that spans across many generations. 

I've been growing out my hair to give to Locks of Love and am well past the ten inches I need to get it cut. For some reason I can't part with my long hair just yet. Maybe I'm holding onto my youth? Wait, I never had long hair in my youth. My hair is longer than it's ever been. Soon enough, though, it will be a bob.

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

I love vintage jewelry. I am a jewelry fanatic and have way too much of it. Some might say it's completely out of control. By some I mean a certain husband. However, I have NO problem at all giving my friends suggestions and showing them some of the great jewelry that I run into on a daily basis! So today I share with you a necklace that I love. I hope you do too. And, no, I won't be buying this...but you should! Don't feel guilty, you deserve it. I'm very encouraging aren't I?

This is not vintage but it looks a little vintage to me. I love that it has silver and gold in it, and you can wear it with a t-shirt or something fancier. Yes, I did say fancy. So this beauty is $38...I don't think that's too bad. I would wear it for a long time; I bet you would too.

Say hi to Etsy for me!

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

Sometimes I see things that I think are so cute I want to buy ten of them. I must tell you that I need NOTHING in life. I have lots of "stuff." I've been getting rid of lots too. However, when I found these, I knew I had to get one and my only problem was deciding WHICH! Here are the ones I like:

See what I mean? How do I choose? They are only $8...so I think they are the perfect gift too.

Keep shopping!

Stacy

Come visit my neighborhood!

My husband and I have lived in Northeast Minneapolis for almost thirteen years now. We moved here from South Minneapolis seeking a quieter more relaxed life. We love our neighborhood for it's mix of people, fabulous art, and sense of community. If you are ever in search of a place to visit, please consider coming to Minneapolis. Contact me and I will show you all of the great things we have to offer. If you already live here then you know how lucky we all our to live in this beautiful city. I wanted to show you a few of my favorite places to walk to in our neighborhood. If you haven't been over here, come for a visit!

My absolute favorite place in the neighborhood!

The Coffee Shop Northeast is a great place to meet friends for coffee and really yummy food, or bring your computer and study or look at blogs. The atmosphere is friendly, the people are nice, and the food is spectacular. Seriously...my favorite place in the hood!

Who doesn't LOVE a good old fashioned bakery? Umm, I DO!

Sarah Jane's Bakery is my pick for old fashioned goodies. Bring some of the maple bars to your older, crabby neighbors. I guarantee you will be friends for life.

Next, let's walk down to Crafty Planet and buy some of the latest fabric, or take a sewing class. They offer knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and sewing classes. Sew yourself a new summer skirt! Crafty Planet is an independently run shop and I love to support them. I'm so happy to have them in our neighborhood!

Are you more of a vintage kind of girl? No sewing required when you stop into Rewind. They're website is currently down, but I will update the link when it is up again. Plan on spending a lot of time in Rewind. They are loaded to the gills with clothing, shoes, jewelry and sunglasses. Even if you don't wear vintage, you WILL find something to take home. I promise.

More food. Hazel's is where you must go for breakfast on a lazy Saturday morning. When you eat the Drunkin Banana French toast you will think you died and went to heaven. Cliche, I know, but I don't care. I have never eaten something so yummy in my life. Hazel's is always busy, the ambiance is great...and you won't mind waiting once you taste their food. Yes, those are turkeys. We have turkeys that roam our neighborhood. They even follow the garbage men. Hilarious!

Not a great picture of  Amici and I apologize for that. The pizza and pasta here are fabulous. My husband and I head here often for middle of the week dinners. Grab a glass of wine and some homemade pasta but save room for the flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel ice cream. The service is great here too!

If you live close I hope you'll consider visiting my neighborhood. If you live a bit further away, I'd love to hear what your favorite neighborhood places are! I love supporting my local neighborhood shops and restaurants. I don't know what I would do without them!

Happy weekend!

Stacy

Simple Summer Style...on a budget!

I've given you a couple of outfit options in the past but this time I decided to find a great outfit on a budget. With gas climbing to $4 a gallon I feel like it's time to be realistic when it comes to spending. There are so many great things out there if you just spend some time looking. Again, stick to the classics and you won't have any regrets! You will be able to pair all of the items that I have suggested in my style posts with many things you already have....and for years to come.

So we will start with this super cute ruffle tank. Get it in white because you will look fabulous in this when you have a little color. Please wear sunscreen though...I am here to tell you that age spots do happen! On your face! Don't ask me how I know, and don't assume that I bought a really super expensive prescription skin bleach cream to get rid of them! Also don't assume that I learned my lesson and stay out of the sun at all times. Learn from my mistakes!  Back to this tank...it's $8....yes, $8! Bargain!

Now lets add this really cute and bright ruffled boyfriend cardigan. It's lightweight and you can push up the sleeves. It's casual and cute, but more important it is classic with a twist! The price is right on this at under $23! It would be cute with white jeans, blue jeans, skirts...whatever you have in your closet.

How cute are these?! I'm not one for short shorts. I guess I'm a "leave something to the imagination" sort of girl. If you prefer them shorter, go for it! I won't judge. These are about $27. Remember, they are classic. Stay the same size (I have not mastered this) and you will wear them for a few years. Especially if you live in Minnesota like Alyssa and I do. Summer is a very short season here! You can find all three of the above pieces at Old Navy. Watch for sales because they are always having a sale for 15% off it seems.

Let's keep the shoes simple and go with white. You can wear them with anything and they're flat. These are from Macy's and they are on sale for about $20.  Macy's always ships for free so if you can't get there just order online!

Etsy, Etsy, ETSY! I told you it's my addiction. Go there and get this cute little mod bird necklace for $15 and you are all done with your simple, budget friendly summer outfit. You're going to look so cute! Not that you don't look cute every single day of your life, but you're going to look ULTRA cute when you wear this. You'll feel cute too! I promise.

Happy shopping!

Stacy

The truly mini - Mini Pick-Me-Up #3. Sewing edition.

This weekend I decided to have a play date with Ricky. Just for me. no burp cloths, blankets, pillows, skirts for Avery.. Something just for me. A few weeks ago I purchased a kit to make the cutest fabric scarf from Sewtropolis. The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner and is called 'Figuring 8'. This scarf is worn in a figure 8 pattern around your neck.. I took a few photo's along the way and love, love, love my new scarf..

 Pinning the rights sides together... I did learn to pin one side at a time as the fabric shifts along the way while sewing. I had a little shifting and had to do some minor trimming but overall not so bad.

 For those of you who have not met Ricky yet, say 'Hello!' This is Ricky the Riccar. He is my mother's old sewing machine still a chugging away after about 30 years of hard labor.

 This was the fun part. I am being facetious for those of you who don't know me. Next you aline the bottom edges after you sew the 2 long sides together. This was nothing short of an amazing feat for me. The edges didn't want to line up properly and for some reason an half an inch one side did not match the half inch on the other.. argh. major fudging here. After sewing the velveteen (the gold fabric) together you next blind stitch the sateen fabric (the purplish one) together to give it a nice finished edge. Yes, it looks nicer than a top stitch but it was so painful, I couldn't bear to photograph it...

If you go to Anna Maria's site she does a great job of photographing the process.

 But alas, I finished and love the outcome... 

My newest scarf addition. Love it and can't wait for fall. Knowing Mother Nature in Minnesota that should be in about 2 weeks. ;) Ha. Ha. 

Have a great day folks! Thanks for stopping!

Alyssa

Summer Style!

I love this outfit! Casual summer style at it's best. You will see I prefer classics.

I love this classic blouse from Eddie Bauer. It's simple and that is key with me!

These white jeans are perfect. Slight bootcut. If you know me, you know that I am not into the legging jeans or slim leg jeans. In all honesty, I feel that if you are not a size 4, they do not look particularly great. These jeans are a good balance. Not too baggy, but not too tight. You can find them at

Banana Republic and you can pair them with a t-shirt, or dress them up.

Do you know about Toms? For every pair you buy, they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. You can actually feel good about wearing these. I like them in midnight Blue so you aren't too matchy.

Now go to Etsy (yes, again!) and buy this right away! I love it and I bet you will too! It is so simple, it will look great with your tan, and it only costs $17.50!

As long as you're on Etsy you should probably buy this too. Just because you are wonderful! It's a fun Hobo bag that will add color to your new outfit.

Happy Summer! Time to plant flowers, sip gin and tonics, have picnics by the lake, lounge on your favorite chair in the backyard, and be with the people you love!

-Stacy

Pinterest find of the day. Shoes. Fabulous Shoes.

    Every urban, suburban and country woman out there needs some fabulous shoes. Their own dream outfit. Today these are mine. Yummy. I don't know when or where I would where them but I love the bold graphic. Could you imagine these with with the perfect little black dress and emerald jewelry? I will admit to drooling right now. As I sit here in my pajamas.

        

The shoes. By Prada.

(The link is the link provided by Pinterest.. 

but alas I could not find the shoes on their blog. :( boo.)

 The dress.

The jewels. Thank you Angelina for modeling them for me.

My dream outfit of the day. Now to decide on real life issues. To shower today or not to shower. 

Alyssa