Category: sweater

Pretty Party Dress and Lush Faux Fur

(Tobi provided these clothes to me for free in exchange for my post and honest review!)
Can you TELL by this photo how GLAM I am feeling in this crazy-cozy faux-fur collar cocoon sweater? It’s like a little winter sleeping bag of glamour that I can wear with anything. It’s so luxurious one lady thought it was real. The only thing that would make this EVEN better is a tiny little clasp to hold the two sides of the cardigan together, but I can add that with two stitches so it’s no big deal. This also comes in burgundy, which I think would just be FAB with dark red lipstick and sunglasses. So movie-star-esque.

This is the lace skater dress I chose to wear for my birthday brunch with my boyfriend. He was horrified at the amount of skin showing since it was January, but I am wearing hose, thick high wool socks, a cashmere sweater, a scarf, and the big cocoon coat on top. I was quite cozy in our little round booth as we ate deliciously soft scrambled eggs with local bacon, fresh fruit, and seasoned potatoes. Mmmmmm, can it be my birthday every day?

Tobi also sent me a “boss lady” jumpsuit and I picked up a top of theirs on my own, so I’ll be back with another post. In the meantime, go check this company out. I was quite worried, having never heard of them before, but now I’m seeing their stuff everywhere. I even saw a new with tags attached dress at my favorite consignment shop. The sizes fit normally (just pay attention to the measurements, but these are all smalls and fit me just fine!), the shipping and packaging was great. They have SO many cute things! 
I’m excited for the weather to warm up a bit so I can shed a few of these layers and take this dress out for a spin again. I think that means the boyfriend will have to treat me to a half-birthday brunch. Totally legit, right? 

(aaaand I totally just saw Tobi is having a 1/2 off site-wide sale so get overrrrrrr there!)

xo
Natalie 

Luxe Girl


I think the combination of pink pearls, gold buttons, and suede boots just says “luxe.” Don’t you think?
I think the key is to keep them monochromatic.
Also, there’s like ONE day a year where you can wear a light sweater, shorts, and suede boots. 
Maybe two days, one in the spring and one in the fall. 
And for those one or two days, I kinda love it. 
xo
Natalie

Birthday {Part I}

Hi 🙂 
It was my birthday 🙂
I received the most luscious bouquet of hot pink and light pink roses 🙂
My family and friends really went all out to make sure it was a special day…sending flowers, gifts from afar, cards, and bringing pink champagne and presents. They really indulged me, and are ever-so-good to me. Thank you, dears, for making my day so special 🙂

My brother calls this my Neopolitan Ice Cream skirt. I call it my Birthday Tutu! I’ve worn it for my birthday before (see this old-as-the-hills post). It’s just so perfectly pinkly party-y! I wore it with my grandmother’s crinoline underneath. Can you believe she used to wear it under her poodle skirts in the 50s?! I love it so much it’s not even funny.

The feather headpiece was a birthday gift a few years ago from one of my very best friends. I love it so much and have worn it on many birthdays because it is just so birthday-y! I wore some vintage costume jewelry earrings, and my polka-dot tights too.
A birthday only comes once a year, so it definitely requires some party clothes! Don’t you agree? 
Check out PART TWO here, including my green-ombre cake with pink frosting!

2013

Here’s to the beautiful, my dears!

The beautiful unknown.
Who knows what this year will bring. Heartaches, to be sure, will find their way in amidst the cracks. But I’ve been finding that the best way to deal with heartache is to embrace it. Find it, quiet it, bring it before God, and heal. And once you’ve healed, get back to the beautiful just as soon as you can. I’m working on that myself!
Because who knows what marvelous things lie right around the corner from our heartache, within reach!

It is not a sign of weakness to share heartache. No, no, it is our privilege to share heartache. I think you’d be mighty surprised who says, “I am going through something similar!” or “Your sharing really helped me.”

Multiply joys, divide griefs. That’s what doing life together is all about, right?
 I know it’s not always easy. In fact, it can be downright tough.

But God loves when His family gathers and shares life.
What beauty lies there.

What privilege.

Happy 2013, my dears!
xo!
Ps. Yes this skirt does fit my fingertip rule!

My Heart is Full of Christmas

{pearls, light pink sweater, chartreuse skirt, metallic/brown vest with fur, brown Hunters, red fingernails. in love with this color combo!}
I’m a sucker for tradition.
Some traditions are more hysterical than others {that wishbone tradition? this year my mom and I both snapped off a short section and the middle ‘wishbone’ part went flying. oops}.
Some traditions are tradition even though we have NO idea why we do them anymore {lutefisk and pickled herring stopped tasting good um…forever ago, literally}.
And some traditions are weighty, worthwhile, and a little bit heart-wrenching. 
Like laying wreaths on family graves. 
This is not a tradition that we generally write about or talk about, but it’s a good one. Oh, it’s a good one.
This is the first year I’ve been present for this tradition, and goodness if the rainy day didn’t suit my mood. I tried hard to smile for these pictures (you should see the ones where I didn’t try. actually, you shouldn’t). I wasn’t somber, really. I wasn’t heartbroken, really. I just felt the weight of it inside my poet’s heart. It feels beautiful to lay wreaths in remembrance this time of year.

Don’t forget to let your heart feel the weight of tradition. It is healthy to remember and reflect, so long as we seek to take strength from there to carry us forward. We mustn’t belong to the past, but we can let the past belong to us in a deep part of our selves, should we want.

My heart is full of Christmas.
It is full of the meaning of the Savior’s birth, so that, as my grandpa’s grave boldly states:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit who gives you life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” 
Romans 8:1, 2
What a powerful statement.
Hold Christmas in your hearts, my dears. Hold memories, blessings, and the hope in the promise that we shall be reunited one day, close to your hearts this Christmas season. 
Much love, 

Ugglebo Clogs for Autumn

What says Autumn more than….
Tights! Sweaters!
Mustard yellow!
Burgundy! Tights!
Hmmm…what else?


Vintage tote bags with a bird pattern?
Yes.
Am I missing something?
OH! YES! Clogs!
These beautiful handmade-in-Sweden clogs are beautiful heirloom pieces. The quality is outstanding. The leather is gorgeous and soft, the wood is solid, the construction is old-fashioned, handmade, generations-worthy, well-done work. They have been made the same way in the same little Swedish factory since 1965. I love the way these “rock” when I walk. See that pretty cut of the wood where it meets the sole? Gorgeous. Ugglebo means “Owls Nest” in Swedish, hence their adorable owl logo.
My one sadness when it comes to Ugglebo clogs is that they run extremely narrow. I had originally picked out these stunning babies: 
You can see the beautiful that eggplant color of  the “Berry” Lisbon clogs. I very dearly wanted to keep them but they were simply too narrow. I just had to send them back in favor of the Etnas you see above, and I sized up. Unfortunately, that means my Etnas are about 1/2 size too big to fit the width of my (pretty-average) foot. The super wonderful customer service representative assured me they were working hard to get their sizing appropriate so we can all wear all of their beautiful clogs. Until then, I figure I’ll be wearing socks inside them soon enough 🙂
Above image courtesy Ugglebo clogs
Friends, if you need some great-looking, comfortable, beautiful clogs for fall and winter, I highly recommend Ugglebo! I have several pairs of Swedish clogs, and these are incredibly beautiful and feel more “solid” that my others. Not only that, but the customer service is unparalleled (especially compared with a more well-known Swedish company based in Sweden with a rather distasteful slogan).
Thank you, Ugglebo!

Disclaimer: Ugglebo sent me these clogs free of charge for review, and the words, pictures & opinions are my own. The links are not affiliate links. Thanks, Ugglebo!

Country Girl Natalie

It’s so funny. Today my friend sent over this picture, and said, “If you go fishing, this is how I envision you’ll look.” I just had to laugh and say, “I was playing country girl yesterday and I wore a very similar outfit.” See:

We were experiencing the remnants of Hurricane Isaac, so it was rain & fog on and off all day. This outfit took me from the office to the farm perfectly well! 

I’m telling you: A farm bathed in fog, wrapped in love, warmed with the happiness of old friends…it was wonderful. It was just what I needed: a tour of the lush vegetable garden, a good romp with the new little baby cow, and collecting eggs in a red pail. We enjoyed a dinner composed of everything fresh from the farm, served in cast iron, with linen napkins and monogrammed silver. In the quiet after dinner, we started to catch up on life. Old friends need to do that, you know? To sit, and stare at the last of the beeswax candles burning down into the silver candlesticks, and to say to each other, “So, how are you?” in a voice that begs the real answer.
The night ended with a round of hugs from some of the best hug-givers I know, and the most precious gift of a beautiful, beautiful cake plate. I will cherish it. 

See how the dress has little gold polka-dots? So cute.
Just because I happen to like fashion doesn’t mean I don’t LOVE a good “country girl” day. Oh yes, I love a good Country Girl Day. And I absolutely adore this certain family who occasionally takes me in as one of their own, lets me play country girl, feeds me, encourages me, and sends me on my way, bearing the most beautiful gifts and a heart full of inspiration and happiness.
Thank you.

Fall Textures

It felt like Autumn today. 
So I broke out my new little fall sweater (new = 25 cents from tag sale!) and paired it with some classy patent pumps for a texture swtich. These pumps have a rattan heel, which I thought matched the texture of the sweater nicely. 

And I don’t really have much else to say except I’m tired.

So I’m going to have some coffee and get to work on business plans. 
Sounds good-ish, right? 
{trying to pep-talk myself, ha}
Have a good one!

Summer Layers

Did you feel it?
That subtle beckoning from autumn in the form of a cool breeze, reminding us to get our fill of gelato, berries and warm nights on the porch before things turn crisp?

I can’t lie, it felt a little bit wonderful. I’m not actually ready for fall, but I AM ready for a break from this extra hot summer! Just a few weeks of perfectly-warm days would be most excellent. I haven’t been to a drive-in movie yet, and I haven’t had my fill of maple creamees either. 

When we get down to it, I love layers because they are cozy. I’m such a creature of comfort. I’m SUCH a sweatshirt girl. Luckily, this light orange sweater is a linen blend, so I can have my layers and my summer, too! 🙂 
Now, weather, please cooperate with my plan for the next few weeks. K, thanks.
xo!

Fave New Sweater

This sweater. I’ve been seeing similar versions all over the internet, so when my local thrift store had half off all sweaters, THIS had to come home with me. For $3! It’s like a big old blanket from the comfy couch in front of the fire at the log cabin….in sweater form. And besides, I’m always looking for an excuse to wear my colored jeans to work, hehe.

Style Secrets
Coat: J.Crew splurge
Scarf: Hand-me-over
Shirt: Gap
Sweater: Thrifted
Belt: Thrifted
Jeans: F21
Boots: Thrifted

Psst..if you’re wanting a sweater like mine, I noticed F21 has a few similar ones!

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