Sunny Afternoon Off

What an amazingly beautiful day today! Since I will be working on Saturday, I had this afternoon off from work. What to do with sunshine, time, and no commitments? - Whatever I wanted!

I started with a little sunning in my back yard. In my lounge chair I read a few chapters from The Story, listened to an eclectic variety of music from my iPod, and got a little bit of color (see below).

Then I went for a little shopping. I started at Plato's closet. I hadn't been there in a couple years. I was quickly reminded that it takes a lot of patience and time but you can hunt down some great pieces at amazing prices. I found this taupe Banana Republic dress. Actually the person in the dressing room before me found it tried it on and passed up on it. I added to my try-on pile last minute and it was the only keeper.

 

Can you see the sunburn?

I usually choose a more structured dress, but the looser cut and delicate fabric worked for me this time. I usually worry about adding unnecessary volume, but the movement prevents the dress from looking bulky. The light floral embellishment, thin monochrome tie, and posterior button detail are the perfect finishing touches.Although pre-owned, the dress is like new and was a steal at $10 (especially considering all of the dresses Banana Republic sells online are more that $100).

It took a little convincing but my husband helped me by taking these pictures to share with you. And of course I need to partner the dress with some accessory possibilities. The red ruffle T strap shoes are my favorite favorite high heels. I found them in grey at Target, yes Target, and they were so comfortable and adorable I ordered them in red too. The necklace I am wearing was gift from my friend Sara that she purchased while traveling in Israel. I wear it nearly everyday. It is perfectly simple for work but has a hammered texture that gives a little sparkle making it more formal as well.

Still not the best picture but better. One side is inscribed with my name (in Hebrew). And on the other side Sara picked Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are those who keep his statutes, and seek him with all their heart" (again in Hebrew) for me. I love the necklace, but I love Sara more!

After Plato's Closet I walked over to T.J. Maxx. T.J. Maxx is a go-to shopping destination for me. If I've understood the recent commercials, I think that means I'm a Maxxinista. Usually I am there for home decor items, but since I didn't have much of an agenda today I also looked at some accesories. I found a belt that I thought might pair well with my new dress and some of my other dresses too. However, the girl at the dressing room would not budge on the no accessories in the dressing room policy (seriously if I was trying to steal it I would have been sneaky and not directly asked and explained sweetly that I needed to see it over the dress I had just purchased next door). However, I don't have a picture for you because after trying it on over proper clothes it wasn't as awesome as it needed to be. So I had my husband return it on his way to class.

In terms of a source for clothing Forever 21 is kind of like Plato's Closet. You can find stylish pieces at good prices but it takes an inordinate amount of time and effort. Upon walking in to the store my Type A personality does a little freak out, but then I get in a wander and pick up grove and forget that the lack of organization is driving me crazy. Then comes trying-on way too many pieces and finding one or two worth buying. I ended up with a charcoal v-neck t, nothing too exciting. I found a really cool yellow vintage-styled boyfriend cardigan, but there was only one and I noticed a stain on it after I tried it on. : (

My next stop was Target! Who doesn't love target? After F21 I was tired of looking at clothes so I went straight to the Home Decor section, and what did I see ...

 Man what is temping to just buy for the sake of a good deal, but I resisted even though they had one of these bad boys...

 Handsom horse right? But alas I did not purchase him. I also made a mental note of this quirky color scheme: coral, red (or was it hot pink?) and navy. Quite captivating.

Then off to Lowe's to pick up paint swatches for my front door decision.

Any new insights or votes: Emerald, Deep Teal, Navy, or Plum?

I also picked up this sweet perennial! Red Heart Hens & Chicks - I plan on having a whole coop (garden) of these chickadees in a rainbow (well probably mostly shades of green). 

And then I did a responsible adult errand and had my oil changed. 

What a fun and productive afternoon!

What did you do today?

p.s. Thank you to my husband for documenting my awkwardness.

p.p.s. We are still doing some research and development on Project Paint the Kitchen Cabinets.

We are choosing hardware and perfecting the process.

Reminder: I want to know- What did you do today?