Summer Favorites

I feel a little silly telling you that these are a few of my favorite pieces of clothing this summer. I mean... jeans and essentially what can be called a jacket? For summer? Erm. I know. Doesn't seem quite right to me either but this summer has been very mild here in Michigan (or perhaps my body is still thawing out from the ridiculous winter we had) so things I would normally cringe just thinking about wearing in our normally hot and humid temps have gotten a pass this year. As much as I would like to say that has annoyed me, it really hasn't. This girl will take the chance to layer any day of the week. :)

Jacket: Lady Bayard (vintage), Estate sale find, $1.00 [similar idea but different print/colors]
Jeans: Pilcro & The Letterpress (ANTHRO BRAND!), Salvation Army, $7 [exact pair but full price]
Tee: Cheapie old-as-dirt Kohl's buy
Sandals: Guess via T.J. Maxx clearance, $10 [similar w/ studs]
Earrings: Blossoming Trio, made by 4 All Humanity via c/o 9th & Elm
Bracelet: Fitbit Flex (keeping it real!)
Glasses: Zenni Optical

When 9th & Elm contacted me earlier this summer and asked if I would like to try out their site and pick a few items out, I was all ears. HAR HAR. But really, I was looking to add some statement earrings to my wardrobe seeing as how I seem to have quite an array of necklaces and bangles but just a few pairs of earrings. Summer always feels like a good time for earrings, right? Minimal skin contact and easy. Earrings feel like less work than a necklace or a bracelet does. At least to me.

I was eager to give the new-to-me 9th & Elm a try as I am a huge fan of any shopping site that promotes the work of handmade and independent designers. When I'm not spending money at thrift stores or estate sales, I like to spend it on items that are handmade or one-of-a-kind. I love supporting small businesses by purchasing their well made, unique items! I like that 9th & Elm puts together a daily email that shows me all of their sales and hot items - it's a nice curated look at handmade items at great prices.

The earrings I am wearing here are the Blossoming Trio earrings from 4 All Humanity. I loved the shape, size and color of them but I also really liked that 4 All Humanity employs artisans in impoverished areas that use fair trade and homemade products to create their items. Fashionable and friendly? That's a great combination. I was pleasantly surprised when I received these earrings to find out that they are super lightweight! When I ordered, I was actually worried they might be a bit hefty on my ears and I am not a fan of sagging lobes due to a pair of earrings. These give all the look of a beautiful statement earring without all the weight they so often seem to have.

Unfortunately, these are no longer available on the 9th & Elm website, but, no worries, there are lots of beautiful earrings you can choose from! Here are a few of my favorites that are all under $27:

(1.) Silver and Green Glass Earrings by The Glass Bird, (2.) Cream Chevron Earrings by Megan's Beaded Designs, (3.) Faceted Turquoise Studs by Pink Avenger, (4.) Aqua Tassel Earrings by 4 All Humanity

Stay tuned for more looks that include jewelry that I picked up from 9th & Elm!

{Linking up with What I Wore!}

A Casual Asian Inspired Friday

I'm slightly happy I never got around to posting these last Friday because the sun that is in these photos is a welcome sight today! I was initially annoyed with it on Friday when we were taking photos but after today's RAIN, RAIN and MORE RAIN, I will take it!


Top: Forever21, Hand me down from Miss Vinyl Ahoy!
Jeans: Old Navy, High Waisted Retro Flare Jeans, $19.50 (on sale) - but free for me,
bought with gift card!
Shoes: Fioni, Thrifted, OLD
Polka Dot Bangle: Tagless, Thrifted, $1.00
Red Metal Bangle: Given to me by a former co-worker
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

So, funny story about this asian top. I was telling Suze about an asian top I found at my favorite Salvation Army recently but never bought... Well, I tried to buy it but realized I had left my debit card at home when I went to the register. I think I about cried. Yes, I could have driven back home and driven back to the store, but I was so annoyed with A) the amount of annoying people in the store and B) myself for leaving my card at home that I didn't bother. I figured that with 2957374674 tops for sale, I'd be able to come back in a few days and find it.

NO. NO, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. I went back to the store two days later and could not find it on a single rack.

I don't think I need to tell you how sad I was. It was red, cream, vintage and perfect. Ugh. Let's just say I hope to never make that mistake again.


Lucky me - I happen to have a fairy fashion friend! :) Suze told me she had a similar top that she didn't wear very often and would be willing to pass on down to me. She brought it and some other goodies for me when we went to an Anthropologie fashion show the other week!

All I have to say if she gets total first dibs out of my swap bin (um... bins? I may have more than one!) at the Michigan Blogger Meetup! (Psst! September 24th! Be there!) I owe her big time! Thanks, Suze! :)


By the way, I recommend hightailing it to Old Navy and buying yourself a pair of these jeans. They are the perfect flare, perfect fit and perfect colors. And they stretch. Girls with hips need stretch, am I right? I love them.

Camo Dreams (4/30)

Let's talk about camo today, shall we? I have been obsessed with the idea of owning a camo jacket for a while now. The obsession got further out of control when I came across this photo at All The Pretty Birds! Doesn't she look amazing? The camo jacket just totally makes the whole look and the necklace she paired with it? Oh, swoon. Needless to say, I have spent great amounts of time dreaming up my own camo jacket and what I would pair it with.

Then came one fateful trip to Old Navy. And there it was. Hanging alone on a clearance rack amidst tanks and sundresses. My perfect size. A dream come true!


Pleated Skirt: Peter Popovitch, Thrifted, $1.50
Black Tee: Forever21, Thrifted, OLD
Camo Jacket: Old Navy, $20.99 (on clearance)
Braided Belt: Tagless, Thrifted, $1
Wedge Sandals: Mossimo "Pilar", Target, FREE ($29.99 but bought with gift card)
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
Bracelet: Inherited from grandma
Watch: Inherited from grandma
It got a simple styling today - all black and camo. It doesn't get much easier than that yet it still looks good, you know? Classic with a twist. Pleats with an edge. My favorite belt to cinch the jacket in...


And my favorite jewelry ight now...


Both are pieces I inherited from my grandma... The watch doesn't work at this point but I wear it because it reminds me of her. Out of all the jewelry I inherited from her, this is my favorite. It is the one of my favorite memories of her - she was always wearing a watch and it was always a small, dainty watch like this. In fact, this was the one she wore the most and the only one left in her massive jewelry box at her death. Clearly, it was her favorite, which makes it a fast favorite for me as well.

In closing,



1. A favorite jacket
2. A favorite skirt
3. Favorite jewelry

It all makes for a happy Katie.

Lemon and Lime (3/30)

How do you combat the back-to-work Monday blues? I dressed up in a color blocked, bright as can be kind of outfit! Truth be told, I think it really did help my outlook today.


Yellow Henley: Old Navy, Thrifted, $2.99
Vintage Green Skirt: Tagless, Thrifted, $7.50
Nude Flats: Mossimo Supply Co, Target, $6.48 (clearance - in store)
Necklace: Gift from friend, Bought in Italy!
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
The minute I picked out my thirty pieces, I had this outfit in mind. I mean, bright yellow and bright green? It's a match made in heaven or, at the very least, a match made for summer! Plus, I have a lot of great, bright jewelry that can go with it so well - the piece that made the final cut is this amazing beaded necklace a friend of mine brought back with her for me from Italy.

Molto bello!

Now... what shall I ever wear tomorrow?



Chow! :)

Every Body, Every Wear: LACE

Guys, I have a confession: I am exhausted. I feel like the past two months have ran me ragged and the effects are beginning to show. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I feel like my outfit is lackluster today and I took the photos in literally two seconds. I'll be a better fashion blogger tomorrow maybe. :)


Tank: Old Navy, $5 ($5 tank sale)
Lace Top: Tagless, Thrifted, $2.99
Wide Leg Pants: Max Studio, Thrifted, ?
Shoes: LEI, Sears, ?
Necklace: Candies, Kohls, $13
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

This outfit didn't have the flow I imagined it having when I put it together late last night. I never seem to learn my lesson about picking my clothes out right before I go to bed. I'm sleepy. I'm in a hurry. It doesn't turn out well.

Despite that, how are you feeling about this hot pink lace top? I actually snatched it up this past weekend while on a mini pre-birthday shopping gander through Salvation Army. Neon and lace? Sign me up. It reminded me of the Christopher Kane Spring 2011 collection that I was drooling over not too long ago.



This necklace was one of the few things I have paid full price for in probably... well, a very a long time. I bought it last Christmas to complete an outfit that I knew would not be complete until I had this necklace. I've worn it twice since. Oops! Attempting to get more use out of it has proven tough but I'm trying... I kind of like how it adds a new level of pink craziness to this outfit. I actually got the comment at work today that I looked like a pink explosion. I'll take it.


Finally, can I have a moment of silence for one of my favorite pairs of shoes? Yes, I seriously wore these like this today. Ha ha. I couldn't help it... I had to give them one last wear before they are retired. I made the mistake of leaving them on the floor, out of their box, the last time I wore them so my sweet cat had himself a nice little treat overnight. So sad. So sad.

EBEW: Maxi

I have actually come to realize that I have quite a few maxis in my possession. I spent last night with all of them - trying on this with that and trying on that with this. I originally decided on a pretty, colorful look but when I woke up freezing this morning, I decided to switch it up to a heavier skirt. If you're a regular reader around these parts, I know you've seen this one before so I hope it doesn't bore you too much - I just love it so! (Don't worry, I put that other look away for a warmer day!)


Pink Tshirt: City Streets, JCPenney, $5 (sale)
Skirt: Juno, Thrifted@Salvation Army, $2.99
Belt: Alfani, Thrifted, $1
Black Flats: Diana Ferrari, Thrifted@Salvation Army, $3.75
Snake Bangle Watch: Studio Time (Buy it!), Kohls, Gift from my mom for Christmas (2010)
Necklace/Earrings: Avon, Gift from my aunt
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
I think that pink and grey together just look so fresh. It's still spring worthy but since the skirt is pretty thick (and actually a little heavy... there's a lot of fabric to this thing) it's perfect for a breezy spring day like today. I added some simple black flats just to keep the emphasis on the skirt and the colors. Though, to be honest, I never like the look of any shoes that I pair with this skirt. I wish I could walk around barefoot sometimes. Anyone else with me on this?


I love this belt. I always feel limited in wearing it with things but I'm trying to get over that. My boyfriend thought it looked strange because it's on an angle but I actually liked it that way. It adds a little funk. Can angles add funk? Or am I just a total grandma for saying that?


I made my mom buy me this for Christmas. Well, actually, it went down more like this: I picked it up. I said I loved it. She said put it in the cart, you're getting it for Christmas. I obeyed. This occurred on our annual Black Friday crazy-early-are-you-kidding-me-that-I'm-shopping-this-early Shopping Event of 2010. She's usually been up for zillions of hours when we do this (she works nights as a nurse) so this tends to work in my favor. Merry Christmas to me.


Finally, it's important to note that my boyfriend took these photos for me. He has since been given his pink slip due to including the corner of our grill in nearly every single shot - hence the smaller size of my photos today. Want to see a pretty funny outtake from today's photo session? Click on over to my facebook page and take a look... and while you're there, you might as well click the like button. :)