The Summer of Spots.

I think I've found my theme for the summer: polka-dots. I've had soft spot for them for ages, but stripes always won the battle and outnumbered the little circular beasts in previous years. Suddenly they're catching up, spilling all over everything I own. My rationalizing kicks into overdrive because yes, you do need this cream and black polka-dotted dress even though you already have have this one.

Dress: J. Crew, Shoes: J. Crew, Necklace: Alphabet Keychain from Lawrence on a ribbon, Watch: Thrifted

It's not just dresses either. I bought these shorts in one color, and I've already worn them so much I think I need to go back tonight and get another. I'm sure they'll show up on here at some point.

If I think about it's only the most appropriate thing, this dot fixation, seeing as it's freckle-weather out there and I'm collecting them like a pro anyway.

This dress I knew I wanted the second I saw it in the store. It was cream, it was silk, it had that inexplicable effortless look to it that I always wanted in a summer dress. I had visions of coastline sunsets an boardwalks, straw hats, mountains, grass, barbeques, strolling down the sidewalk, all visions of summer vacations and destinations I was pretty sure I would not be getting to. It didn't matter, I wanted it, and this dress was my gateway to daydreaming. 

Sometimes I just can't deal with posing. I think, this is so weird, what am I even doing with myself!

I held off though, and waited for it to go on sale. When it finally did I tried it on, and yeah, I loved it, but the pockets were doing something weird. Maybe it was the kind of dress that worked better if you weren't blessed with hips. I waited, and it didn't go on sale further, until one day I was at work and I hated my outfit. I felt all wrong and weird in my own skin, so during my break I snapped up this dress and felt myself again.

 

The shoes were another impulse buy. They're much, much higher than anything I've been wearing for the past few years, for more than a dinner or other function anyway, but I couldn't bear to leave them behind. Mostly I've been searching for a bright blue hued pair of shoes inspired by both this pair on Ashley of Fancy Fine from months ago, and all of the gorgeous blue in this post from Anabela. I've had blue on the brain for months. 

And they were on sale, so they had to come home with me, even if I only ever wear them for pictures or special occasions. 

I'm also pretty excited because my bangs are finally, at long last, integrating into the rest of my hair! Every few weeks I get the itch again, but then I remember how many months I've been letting them grow, and I think no, I will not. Or I think of all the ladies with hair that's all one length and how I wish I had that, and I get my fingertips away from the scissors post-haste.

House Weeds.

I'm not very good at planning. I tend to let a day have a vague sketch of activities and wing it the rest of the way, and as a result I usually end up toting several outfit options around with me, just in case an occasion requires something more practical than what I've put on. It doesn't always work out, and so there are a lot of times when I end up doing something ridiculous in a dress. In the end it's only clothes, and I usually feel like there's nothing so dirty it can't be cleaned, tears can be mended, and eventually poison ivy won't itch (the hardest part is not doing a google image search of whatever you've got).

Dress: Vintage, Sunglasses: Forever21, Bag: Thrifted, Belt: J. Crew circa 2009

Last week Amy and I explored one of the abandoned buildings that sits close to the regularly-used roads. Of course, in my excitement I just pulled into the overgrown driveway, rolling over some tall weeds, and we traipsed through some tall grasses in skirts worrying a little bit about ticks, when I could have pulled around the front of the place and not had to deal with any of that on the front porch. We figured that bit out later. 

Dress: Forever21, Jacket: Thrifted, Necklace: Etsy

Admittedly we didn't go all that far, since there didn't seem to be much around the back besides a couch on it's side, and oppressive heat often gets the better of adventurers when there is the promise of cool drinks and snacks back home. There's that moment when, trailing through the tall weeds I think, yes this is all very photogenic but maybe I should have worn pants.

This dress is one I grabbed a few weeks ago and woke up earlier than I normally would have to mend it this day. It's probably only got another one or two wears in it, so I'll have to choose them wisely, since I already had to go through and give the seams a little bit more reinforcing, fix every single button and replace a few missing ones, and make decisions about which holes to mend and which ones could stay. It has a little bit of life left in it, but I suspect it will soon be sitting in a pile of things too delicate to do much with.

Amy's tattoo for her 3 years spent in Japan, was done by Mel at Lark Tattoo. Please check out the comments to hear a bit from Amy about the story behind it!

The All this Happiness Dress and Blogger of the Moment!

 

As usual, this has taken me several moments to post about, but as the weather and my schedule have finally seen fit to cooperate with each other, I'm really thrilled to say that Modcloth has picked little old me as their blogger of the moment! 

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You can read my little interview here, and check out my favorite Modcloth items here, an activity I've become kind of addicted to since starting it and which will probably be very dangerous for my wallet in the coming months since I keep going back and gazing over my faves!

Mostly this post is late because I wanted to get some decent outfit pictures of the dress named after the blog. Somehow everyday I reached for it was a day when it wanted to rain! That just wouldn't do, this dress has sunflowers on it for Pete's sake, something sunny had to happen! And then when I did get these pictures, the sun was so bright it was revealed that I am truly a summertime ghost, and my Photoshop skills were really tested! I think it came out alright though, even if that top picture looks totally different from the rest! Always learning, I guess!

Dress: All this Happiness dress c/o Modcloth, shoes: Chelsea Crew, Bag: Thrifted, Sunglasses: My floor

As you can see, I'm pretty skilled at grinning like and idiot. I tried taking serious, fashion-y pictures but honestly not one of them seemed right. This dress is just the right mixture of ladylike and summery, without being too flimsy or short so I can still run around and get things done and not worry about a thing. Plus it's super flattering. At first I was a little unsure of how often I would wear a sunflower print (I love it, but, you know, sometimes I feel a bit too girly), but that worry was all for naught, since this is easily one of the most comfortable and flattering summer dresses I've got in my arsenal. 

A big thanks and love to Modcloth for including me and for everything, this has been such fun and I couldn't be a happier clam!

Simplified.

Shorts: J. Crew summer 2011, Shirt: Vintage, Shoes: J. Crew summer 2011

Every few months I start to feel weird about my clothes. It's a little bit of what I expressed in yesterday's post--suddenly I can't be bothered with cloying things like belts and fussy jewelry. I waffle between wanting to dress and be ridiculously girly and that cool, effortless almost tomboyish thing. Maybe it's the impending heat.

I've been throwing on my favorite shorts and some variation of a blouse lately, going back to my tote bags instead of purses (I think I said that already, yesterday) and wearing the same grungy flats just about every day. I've only gone back to wearing my usual swipe of eyeliner in the past two or three days, and I've been letting my hair go straight instead of clinging to my curls. I switched to a makeup with a little less coverage after seeing some pictures and feeling a little too done. I've started using my summer blush every day, now that it's warm out and the light is all apricots.

I wouldn't say this funny shirt is the catalyst for such kind of behavior, but it's one of the recent purchases that is enforcing it. It needs a better soak than the one I initially gave it, but a little wear around the edges and discoloring hasn't ever stopped me from wearing something before. I've got a weakness for nautical details, and this was one I left behind at my favorite vintage haunt so that I could bring these two tops home instead. It was waiting for me a week later, and now I've already worn it three or four times. 

So we'll see. Looking through the archives (which I've got to buckle down and organize more soon!) this seems to happen every few months. Dresses for ages, ridiculous pinks, curls, lace and then all of the sudden it's cuffed jeans and button-ups. I try not to think about it too much, and just wear what feels right for the day, because there isn't anything worse than getting dressed and realizing halfway through that it's all wrong.

Puppy Days.

I know, a puppy, on this blog! I generally categorize myself, and am categorized by the world at large, as a cat person but that isn't to the exclusion of other animals. My dear, long-time, once-internet friend Amy moved back into my area recently, and after a few while she and her husband procured the sweetest little corgi puppy! Of course this means I need to run up to her neck of the woods as often as possible so that we can be unabashedly girly in our outfits, eat delicious meals and snacks, and hang out with the little corgi puppy named Sansa.

I've been struggling lately with accessories. I'm suddenly sick of necklaces, belts, all the extra bits that I normally love so much. I just want easy summer dresses and blouses with minimal frills (but a few, because I feel so unlike myself without something of a bow somewhere) and flats. I'm back to tote bags instead of little beaded things, and my hair is staying either down with minimal curl (who can be bothered when the threat of humidity is around every corner?) or plopped in a ponytail. I've forgotten how to do things like belts and jewelry.

 Kater- Dress: Cumulus Laude Dress c/o modcloth, Shoes: Urban Outfitters circa fall 2010, Hat: Forever21 circa 2009

Amy- Dress: Vintage, Shoes: random mall store in Japan, Belt and hair flower: Forever21, Necklace: gift

Like this dress, I kept trying to belt it or put things over it, but nothing really felt right. It just seemed better on it's own, with a sunhat, with some simple flats.

I was really excited when Amy moved back to the area after being gone for ages, partly because we were friends in high school when I didn't have a car so even though she wasn't that far, neither of us could drive. But it's really nice to have a gal-pal to hang out with who has a defined personal style and always looks adorable. 

Things devolved into silliness about ten pictures in, because we're girls incapable of being totally serious and graceful.

Hopefully this is only the first of many posts together! I'm still getting the hang of the self timer in more public spaces, and of course of posing with other people, so we'll have to do more posts to practice!

Sponsor All this Happiness in June!

Where did May go? Something is happening to time, and it isn't just me because everyone I talk to is as shocked as I am about how fast everything seems to be going this year!

Anyway, if you're a shop or otherwise awesome person who is interested in advertising with this here little blog please send an e-mail to alllthishappiness@gmail.com!

Image found here.

Instagram.

Ages ago I posted a bunch of the pictures that were collecting on my phone, but haven't bothered much in recent months because it seemed like the kind of thing everyone was doing, and I don't want it to seem terribly repetitive for people who've already seen them. But then, there a lot of little bits of outfits and accessories that don't ever make it onto the blog, so I thought it was high time I threw them on here. 

It's a lot of flowers and food, especially these days!

 -Some of the goodies I snatched up at an estate sale last weekend

- One of my favorite things is when I can flip to the new month in my lunar calendar (from KinOfKin on etsy).

- Snapping some outfit and hair details before leaving for work.

- Picturesque logs hanging out and waiting for next winter.

- Watching Downton, again, and staring wistfully at Michelle Dockery's perfect eyebrows.

- All gussied up in my favorite shorts and antique blouse to go gallivanting with some gal-pals (including a trip to Target, of course).

- Minnow inexplicable climbing into my closet and hanging out in my shoe collection.

- And climbing in and out of hat boxes.

- Flowers in the driveway.

- Snapped an outfit picture on my way out of work, wearing my new shoes out of the store!

- A look into the life of Minnow.

- Another outfit picture, things I should probably blog properly but never seem to get around to doing. And I also wear this dress about 4 times a week.

- Splurged on some nail polish (Chanel's 'June') and took some quality claw-hand pictures.

- Bloggin' snack wrappers and some cat tchotchkes on my desk.

- Deliriously pretty 1920s beaded dresses at the museum.

- Pancakes for dinner!

- Lily-of-the-valley bush that we didn't buy while flower shopping.

- Making meringues at work.

In the past two days I've managed to take almost nothing but pictures of flowers, since it's been so humid and hot here that everything is just oozing petals all over the place. We got hit by a bad rainstorm tonight so I ran outside and grabbed handfuls of roses and peonies, worried that they would be pelted to bits, so we're surrounded by them at the moment. My username is katerspie if you'd like to follow, or you can just watch on instagrid! Someday I'll make some non-internet friends and they'll be in my feed, but until then it looks like I'm best friends forever with flowers and cats!

Something on my Head.

Dress: Vintage, Necklace: Vintage

I feel weird if I don't have something on my head. Hair, it seems, is not enough. I don't wear hats all that often if it isn't to protect from cold weather or the sun, but I'm fond of barrettes off to the side and a pony tail is almost never left on it's own--it must have a ribbon. If I've got a scarf on my head it's usually because I felt I was missing something, or because I had little idea of what to wear that day and I always feel 50% more fashionable if I have a scarf on my head.

Last week I met up with Jess for a game of catch-up over lunch and macaron purchasing before heading to a nice little park area for a shoot so that Jess could get to know her new camera and photograph some hats for her shop. You can see a bunch of shots on her blog, and most of the hats are now listed, but I thought I'd post some of my favorites from the day! She captured some of the more fun aspects of my rather simple outfit for the day, so I'm sharing those as well.

My new favorite necklace, this is one of the things I spent my pennies on at Brimfield a few weeks ago. I've been calling it my Lady Mary necklace, because it's long and beaded and has a strange, thin and willowy look to it. As an added bonus it matched my nail polish (Chanel's 'June', which I totally splurged on but it's already become my favorite shade and, I'm convinced, goes with everything for summer thus far). I don't normally like to be so match-y, but in tiny doses it makes everything feel properly aligned.

This hat isn't listed yet, but I will update the link when it does go up. In the meantime, keep an eye on the shop if you're interested in it!

1940s straw hat

1950s veiled teal hat

1950s veiled headpiece in blush pink

I love this hat a lot. It's pink, it has flowers, and a veil, and it fit my head. Someone needs to have this hat, I don't have a dress for it, but I know someone out there does.

I don't know that my dress particularly goes with these hats, but it's quickly turned into my grab-and-go summer weather solution. I bought it last October, just when the weather was starting to turn chilly, when my mind was fixed on sweaters and tights and I didn't care if I never saw another sun dress as long as I lived. But in that one moment I was given the gift of foresight, and I snatched it up and tucked it away for the long winter. I've already worn it about six times since it's gotten warm out, and am thanking my lucky stars I thought ahead, for once.

  1950s satin rose headpiece

1950s triple strand pearl necklace

There ya go! Now that I have subjected you all to more pictures of my face, head on over to Jess's shop to see more details about the hats (and a few extra items, I only picked a few!) and take a peek at all the goodies she has over there!