pocohontas

slub knit dress, belt: forever 21 // leggings, scarf: target

just a short little simple post today.. i was feeling somewhat put together for the first time in days, haha, so i decided to record the moment on camera. :)

i think this outfit kind of channels a little native american vibe - i love the earthy colors, and comfy fit. perfect for a day when i didn't feel like being out in public running errands, but had to anyway.

sick day inspiration

hi guys..

unfortunately i have been struggling with some health issues lately (no big deal, just distracting) so i haven't had much time/attention for "the modest muse." it's always in my mind though, and when i ran across this cute, inspiring video (which i found at this pretty lady's blog) i just had to share!

be back soon!

quarter of a century

today i turned the big 2-5. it was a quiet, fun day. matt took olive and i out for coffee this morning (well, coffee for us, oatmeal cookie for little miss) which is a rare treat on a work day. the ups man brought me a package when we got home - husband surprised me with TWO boxes of french macarons, overnighted from my favorite bakery in the world "pistacia vera" in columbus, ohio. he also took us girls out for gluten free pizza at uno's chicago grill this evening. such a treat! i got a few cards and phone calls from loved ones, and lots of well wishes on facebook. all in all a nice day.

four-eyes

hi!

my new glasses came in today!

we so excited!!

channeling peter pan

dress: forever 21 // tights, shoes: target // "star" hair clip: handmade


i am so glad i ordered this dress. i'm in love...with the color, the print, and (best of all) the peter pan collar. as soon as i got it, i knew it would pair well with any crazy colored pair of tights, so i pulled out my craziest (they're teal, but it's hard to see how colorful they are in the photos.)

i felt sooo confident in these pretty duds, that i started getting a little too silly in front of the camera, and totally didn't notice i had a major faux pas going on...

i'm off to cut those pesky things off now! :)

summer song

dress: target // cardigan: target (buttons changed by me) // collar: crocheted/vintage // shoes: target

(i've had this silly song stuck in my head ever since it popped up through pandora one day..the one lone person really getting into the song in the video kinda cracks me up..)

i have been soaking up some wonderful weather, and have just felt really blessed to be alive lately...able to enjoy my family, my friends and how awesome God's creation is. i love sitting in the hammock swings in our backyard, with olive, just enjoying the breeze and the sun. (i guess some sun-created vitamin D is a crazy good drug!) :) love these perfect summer days...

on a non-fashion related note (but a still a cute one!) olive and i got to check out some wee little chickens today at a friend's house. yes, they're in their "ugly" in between stage, but we still thought they were adorable!

we're going camping this weekend, and i have to confess - embarrassingly, this is my first time. ever. so i'm compiling lists this afternoon of things to remember to take, and praying that we don't get rained out. do you guys have any camping tips for me? and how does one go camping and stay cute amidst the bugs, sweat and lack of hair dryers? (my fringe is so stressed out about this trip, ha.)

xo

guest posting!

today i'm guest blogging for kerri at "old lady chic!" this is my first time guest blogging, so i would love it if you'd take a moment to stop over and say hello!

coming soon..

hope you all had a loverly weekend! it finally cooled down around here, and we've been soaking up the nice weather outside as much as possible. (which translates to spending lots of time out at the park with miss olive!)

i'm excited about this next week here at the modest muse! i've been working on some guest posts for some wonderful ladies, (one of which should air this week! i'll keep you posted!) and i'm getting a box of new dresses in the mail tomorrow, which i can't wait to share with you!

so stay tuned for better, exciting things soon!

Xx!

no ordinary day

happy friday! 

because of my crazy week of traveling, today does not feel like a friday, but i'm not complaining that the weekend is only hours away. :)

i was too lazy to take nice outfit photos today, (i blame it on this ridiculous heat wave we're having in the greater DC area,) but i downloaded "hipstamatic" for my phone and was fooling around with it so i thought i'd share!

have a great weekend, dears! xo

giveaway winner!

hi all! so today i used random.org to pick a winner for my vintage collar giveaway! and the winner is... [[drumroll..]]

#3 - martinalynne! 

thanks to all who entered! i hope to do some more fun giveaways later this year! xo

troublesome ruffles

dress: alice temperley for target // shoes: american eagle //necklace: F21

i'm enjoying being back home so much, even though being in ohio with friends and family an extra couple of days was fun. i'm very attached to my own bed, and my own space i guess - i miss them when i'm away too long!

the only downside to being home is that the east coast is melting in ridiculous heat. it was 92F here at 10:30 this morning!

i wore this little black shirt dress around town this morning, getting groceries before the sun got toooo, too hot. i love the excessive ruffles and feminine details about this dress, but it is a bit troublesome.. i think the ruffles add a little too much extra bulk to my shape, and maybe draw too much attention to areas that i don't really want noticed. :) AND the cute little buttons keep coming undone if i wiggle too much. not cool in the grocery store.

i'm so excited - i have a package coming in from forever 21 next week! i can't wait to style some new dresses up and share with you!

XO's!

the big storm

today's our last day in ohio. what was supposed to be a very quick weekend trip turned into a 5 day trip due to my husband's work, but it's been nice to take our time visiting with family and friends.. (though i'm kicking myself now for not overpacking like i usually do!)

this afternoon we watched this big storm roll in over the fields at my in-laws' farm. it was the perfect kind of storm - dramatic looking, and noisy enough to be scarily exciting, yet it ended up doing nothing more than giving the grass and trees a good watering. olive and her cousins got a kick out of it!

i promise to be back soon with actual personal style posts! thanks for hanging in there with me, dears! xo

spreading some sunshine

i'm still in ohio, visiting family and friends and enjoying some very lovely summery weather.. and i was so pleasantly surprised to find out this morning that the lovely  kelly of "elegantly academic" awarded me the "sunshine award." (thanks kelly, i appreciate it so much!) so to continue the tradition, here's ten random facts about me..

1.. i have lived in fifteen different houses in my 24 years of life

2.. i have lyme disease

3.. i took piano lessons for 8 years, and still try to play a little every day

4.. my favorite book is "a tree grows in brooklyn" by betty smith (go find it and read it immediately!)

5.. i think i wore blue jeans every day of my life until i turned 24. now i wear dresses every day. ;)

6.. i've lived 100% gluten free since august 2010, and plan on living without gluten for the rest of my life.

7.. i hate sewing machines, even though doing clothes altering by hand, (something i love,) is super-tedious.

8.. i absolutely adore french macaron cookies, and have tried to make them several times, with little success.

9.. i love quirky movies. ("amadeus," "the sweet and lowdown" and "harold & maud" are some of my favorites.)

10.. i love my savior, Jesus Christ, and am not ashamed to say so. :)

here are some of my favorite girls, that i know you'll love too:

Coffee & a Cardigan

Sock Monkey & Gee

29 Skirts

citytocity

My Favorite Fashion

Old Lady Chic

pretty prudent

The Cardigan Queen

the velvettes

Shades of Monet

frugal nerd

two posts in one day! i should be packing for our weekend trip to ohio, for my sister in law's graduation party, but no...all i can think about is blogging about my new favorite dress, [and thinking about what's going to happen next on "twin peaks." man, i've fallen hard for that show!]

dress: vintage, from goodwill // shoes: target ($4, guys! this frugal nerd is having a very good week!)

as you could probably see in my previous post about treasure hunting at goodwill this week, i had a very good time, and some pretty good luck! i don't frequent our local goodwill very often because their selection is usually pretty bleak, but i think i'm going to try to stop over there more often from now on. i got this dress for $4, and i adore it. it's going to get lots of love this summer (and probably this fall too, with the help of some tights and a cardi!)

have a happy, fun weekend, all! i'm looking forward to our quick little trip, and the chance to see friends and family! be back soon! Xx

ps: one week left of my giveaway - a crocheted, detachable collar's up for grabs! enter HERE!

my tiny dancer (and my june wishlist)

my little olive is getting more imaginative, more creative, and more cute by the minute. can i let you in on a secret? two year olds are so much more fun than infants, haha. i am loving this age so much!

some other things i am also loving right now...

forever 21

ASOS

i'm hoping to maybe purchase these two lovelies later this month. hopefully they stay in stock! do you have a summer wishlist? i would love to hear what you're loving this month! XO

P.S: hardly anyone has entered my little giveaway! :( it's so easy to enter, and i promise the detachable collar is super cute! click HERE to enter!

goodwill hunting

top: forever 21 // collar: vintage // shorts: target // shoes: steve madden

i decided to do some treasure hunting at our local goodwill today...

left: banana republic dress // right: vintage

both vintage..the one on the right had shoulder pads that were made for a linebacker..

i ended up taking home the light blue vintage, and the plaid vintage. summery, old fashioned loveliness. and definitely worth $10!

think i made the right choices?

ps: it's sweltering in my hometown. i love the month of june, but i love it more when it doesn't feel like august..