Holiday Thrift Finds

It's an unusual post for me, but I thought why not? I am a writer, and I write about various things, clothes after all is only one part of it. I don't know whether it would surprise you, but I am not really a fan of in-person shopping, and I've never been. Big crowds, pushy/fake sales people, walking/standing on concrete floor and trying on clothes in changing rooms with very little air movement are all together not my cup of tea. I mostly shop for my clothes online, and it's a huge blessing in my book - the selection is so much wider since I can shop any store (even in other countries!). I can take my time and shop nationally and internationally literally sitting on my sofa, and try my purchases on in the privacy of my bedroom. (These are pros. The cons of online shopping also do exist, but it's a subject for another story.) But I do love going thrift shopping, it is one of my favorite hobbies. It's still shopping, with concrete floors and changing rooms, but overall it's a very different kind of experience. First of all, you just never know what you'll find, and there is a huge chance that what you end up bringing home will be rare if not unique. The thrill of it just doesn't wear off! In our antique malls and Goodwill, you can browse for hours and they just leave you alone at it, but always ready to assist if you need help. Finally, it's budget-friendly and good for the planet. Without any regularity, Justin and I go on a hunt to antique malls, and since recently Anya joins me for a Goodwill trip (also not regularly, maybe once a month or so). On one of the rainy post-Christmas days, we hopped in a car and hit the road, first having lunch at our favorite Thai place, and ending the exhausting but happy day in one of our best-loved Indian restaurants. We ended up finding lots of treasures that day - at two of our usual spots.

Solstice, Christmas, New Year!

Merry Christmas!

And if you don't celebrate it, then Happy Solstice (better late then never) and New Year!

I hope each of you gather with the most amazing people in your life and simply share the joy and love you have for each other. Life is so precious, it's worth celebrating at every and any possibility!

So let us have fun and ceLEbRaTE!!!

Blurry Stripes with Blurry Dots

If you're an old friend, you might remember this space dyed sweater which I wore with a matching skirt before (in JANUARY 2015 and NOVEMBER 2014). It's a good time to play with knits right now (and the scarf I started knitting a few months ago, is slowly getting longer and longer...I guess it'll be ready by next Winter, haha!). So I wore a knit dress and knit set recently, layering a blouse under it, but this combination with a pleated faux leather skirt got just one extra vote in the family (only Justin voted! he loved both variations, but he loved this one a little better), so I went with it. I feel it's classically elegant and will probably appeal to many women. We'll see whether I'm right about it. :)

Love of Sea and New Book

Who can tell how inspiration works? Some think that things, people or events inspire them. Others say that it comes from art and stories. Some find inspiration in memories of the past, while others in fantasies about the future. Like many artists, I find that very often inspiration comes during the process of work (as they say in Russia, appetite grows with eating) - I start dressing up and new ideas come, or I start writing and the more I write, the more inspired I feel...

Cozy Edgy

When the weather stays cool for a few months, outerwear practically becomes our main outfit. This simple fact took me a long time to understand, even though I come from Siberia, which is famous for its extremely cold and long winters. When I lived there, I would have one or maximum two coats for Winter, and one or two for Spring and Fall. Since Siberian climate absolutely does not give you a break in terms of cold temperatures (unlike here where even if temps drop a few degrees, they will be back to mild in a day or two), you are stuck with coats for a bigger part of a year. So by the end of each season, you can't stand them, no matter how beautiful they are. When I moved to America, I immediately found myself in a much more comfortable climate. I first spent a few years in Southern Michigan and Southern Ohio where there are four distinct seasons and winter sometimes brings snow and cold temperatures...but not as severe, by Siberian standard. So one of the first things I quickly and happily unlearned was wearing winter coats and hats all together. Oh that felt gooood for a change!

Quintet

From time to time, I have a few sets of photographs/outfits that I haven't gotten to posting for whatever reasons. Sometimes I find that such outfits want to be combined in one post as if they want to make a certain statement. When I gathered these 5 outfits from the last couple of months, I started listening for what kind of music this quintet was going to play together...and what I heard was a distinct tune. When I translated this tune into words, I realized it was 5 style fundamentals that tickle my toes. I suddenly realized that that's what I express with my outfits, more or less successfully, and at the same time what I admire in others (meet my latest style crush: GEORGIANA, and yes, you are so welcome!). So here I am sharing them with you, 5 style fundamentals and 5 outfits: 

COMPLEXITY, BOLDNESS, ECLECTICISM, ORIGINALITY, OPULENCE.

Modish Matrons #18: The Most Wonderful Time

On the first day of every month, despite the fact that we live across the pond from each other and there are 9 hours time difference between us, despite the fact that we don't speak each other's languages, and English is not our native tongue, my lovely friends TINA und BEATE and myself invite kindred spirits to come over for a playdate which became our good tradition in the past 18 months. A year and a half of our thematic link-up parties! (If you count the first 6 months when we appeared under the name MIDLIFE FUN. You can find all of our past parties under the tag MODISH MATRONS.) If you ask me, it is another good reason to celebrate during this festive season, which is the theme of our December link-up. Please add your festive outfits and visit my gorgeous friends who always delight me with their imaginative approach!

Bonjour

French countryside, that's what Justin named this outfit. On a gray rainy day it seemed almost like an escape to a far away romantic place...countryside...maybe in France...and maybe even in a different century. Considering that it was raining cats and dogs all day, such a soft-colored and lighthearted outfit might seem inappropriate to some. Wouldn't it be much more practical to wear a raincoat and wellies of a sensible dark color? Yes, it would. But I am with such style icons as late Lynn Dell, one of the brightest stars of the wonderful blog Advanced Style (and the inspiring documentary under the same name) who used to say, "I dress up every day for the theater of my life." Or, as another style icon and my beloved blogging friend Vix says, "Dress for the life you want, not the life you have." 

Feeling Festive

It has been a wonderful holiday week for us. We got to spend lots of time together since Anya had the whole week off and Justin got a few days off (which isn't trivial with everyone's busy life), did a great deal of house work, and got to celebrate with yummy foods (Russian salads and sweets, and of course turkey, roasted traditionally by Justin). And my personal whimsical touch - torturing the family with culture, as I call it (there is no escape because I want to have it all). For you, my friends and readers, the latest is good news because if you're local, you can attend some of these festive events too. And as always I'm sharing my festive outfit (more coming soon) - who knows, maybe it'll inspire you to dress up too? It would make me happy!

Each Day is Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and readers!

It is my favorite holiday (I wrote more about it in one of my early posts back in 2013, called PILGRIM). Although, I didn't come to America in pursuit of religious freedom, I can definitely relate to early Americans. Even today, in the age of airplanes and the Internet and all possible ways to connect with my family and friends back home, coming to America was and is still a huge leap of faith. As a newcomer, I do and probably always will feel like a pilgrim of happiness. 

Teal with Olive Accents

Now when the weather is back to mild (low to mid 50s F), and it is gray, wet and windy, I am playing dress up more. I came to love these kind of temperatures, from 50s to 60s, it is best for layering - not too cold, so you don't wear so many layers that you feel bulky, and yet you can add something interesting to a dress or a skirt, an extra layer for warmth, texture and color. Plus, it is a good temperature to wear all my polyester dresses (which I don't have so many that I can call myself Polyester Princess, wink wink), but still I like polyester for easy care, keeping good shape and bright colors even after many trips to a washer and dryer. So maybe I could be Polyester Duchess or something like that.

Pink Play

Pink is one of the prettiest colors, but it never was one of my most favorite ones. There are generally two reasons for that: A) when something is so pretty, it becomes favored by many, and I tend to resent things that are too popular, they just rapidly loose their appeal for me; and B) even though I absolutely admire some shades of pink on others (i.e., dusty pink or frost pink), alas, there are not many shades of pink that look good with my skin tone. As for the first reason, I completely understand that it's just in my head, and I gradually overcome this shortcoming of mine. And as for the second reason, all right, not too many shades of pink work for me, but there is always MAGENTA! And magenta is MAGICAL in my book.

A Wardrobe Formation

Early November surprised us with cold air and even a few snowflakes here and there this year. With temperatures dropping to the mid 40s, it was time to get my cozies out. This outfit is in heavy rotation lately, and I am happy to report that it contains only stuff that I have owned for years, but in a new combination. I've finally arrived at the feeling that my wardrobe is complete. If you read my blog since the beginning, you might remember that I started creating a wardrobe practically from scratch back in 2013, after a prolonged period of very low interest in clothes (let alone accessories, let alone style as a creative process). My body has been changing in the last several years in size and shape, which provided additional challenges. I was learning not only what can look good on my body, but also my tastes, preferences and my comfort zone. I discovered that when it comes to style, I've become much less conservative compared to my younger self, more curious and open to new ideas. I discovered a new born willingness to try new (to me) things and maybe even look ridiculous at times - it does not bother me now. So what if someone won't appreciate my experiments? It's only clothes!

Modish Matrons #17: Art Deco

I am so happy to welcome friends to the new Modish Matrons party!

In November, the theme is inspired by my writer's imagination...and my writer's closet. I've chosen Art Deco, one of the most fascinating styles of visual arts that became truly international and dominated the world of art, design, fashion, jewelry, cars, trains, ocean liners, and of course architecture - for decades between the two world wars. I simply could not resist picking this theme for our Modish Matrons improvisations! I hope you are as eager as I am to read my beautiful co-hosts BEATE's and TINA's posts and see their visual/wearable interpretations of the theme.

Best Accessory

It seems Fall stepped into its full rights only by the end of October this year. We are having a mix of wonderfully sunny days with some heavy rains here and there, which has a good effect on foliage I suppose. It started getting colorful just recently, within a week or so. Justin and I took an opportunity to visit the Arboretum up in Seattle once again, and we think the peak season is only beginning! So if you're in the area, you have a great chance to enjoy colorful leaves for probably the next couple of weeks or so.

Autumn Textures

Thank you, my dear friends, for your warm, heartfelt comments to my last post! Please know that your sincere words and our friendship mean a lot to me. I will keep it short and sweet today. As Fall progresses, I continue with my explorations of boho/folk style, the Writer's Closet version. 

Replace with Goodness

Sometimes, I get into a particular style (or rather it gets into me), and I just can't stop experimenting with it. This time, it's boho. I often hear that boho looks very organic one me - in fact, they say that it feels very me. To tell the truth, even though I love boho, to me it isn't very me, really. I appreciate its free-spirited vibe and whimsy, which does indeed feel like me. But I crave for a little more structure in clothes. And I think it is not only visually or how it literally feels on my body, but also emotionally, or spiritually, if you will. I think it's my inner craving for more structure in my life lately. I think that I am looking for a balance between freedom and structure.

Northwest Does Southwest

On my recent thrifting trip with my daughter, I was immediately drawn to this vibrant Southwestern inspired jacket. I inspected it thoroughly: it was well made, 100% cotton, thick tapestry kind of weave. It looks very 1980s to me, and I'd say that the boyfriend jacket cut and especially shoulder pads are a dead give away, but I must admit that the label looks completely contemporary, as if it was produced just yesterday. So I really couldn't say how old the thing is. It is in excellent condition though, no signs of wear whatsoever, and the price was $7.99. I held on to this find until the very end of our shopping, and then...I put it back on a hanger and left the store.

Fall Berries

I believe that I mentioned before that recently I fell under the charm of feminine dresses offered by Old Navy. The colors, the patterns, the cuts - everything was spot on, so much so that it was difficult to pick only one dress. But my dilemma was solved quickly with a 50% off offer, and I bought three! All of them are in heavy rotation in the writer's closet this season. One of these irresistible dresses you've seen in my post HERE, another one is in the post that's coming soon, and the third one, in rich Fall berry colors, is in front of your eyes right now.

Modish Matrons #16: Tomboy / Dandy / Garçonne

Welcome to the October style challenge with MODISH MATRONS! 

Beate is leading the way, it was her turn to offer a theme, while Tina and I followed. Do not miss the fanciful and creative interpretations of my dear friends: BEATE und TINA. 

Talk about a challenge! 

This one was perhaps the most challenging over all for me, starting with pants. 

Potpourri

 

A Merriem-Webster dictionary online defines the French word potpourri (literally: "rotten pot", a name for a meat stew popular in 17th century) as "a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent" or as "a miscellaneous collection". In the last September post, I decided to bring you a potpourri of my outfits, suitable for a transitional season. I wore these ensembles either in Spring of this year or in Fall a couple of years back, and even prepared photos for publication, but for whatever reason changed my mind and did not post them before, with one exception, when I posted and then changed my mind and deleted that post (yes, my mood can be that changeable - women, eh?). In this mix, I threw together a bunch of colors, shapes and styles; some leaves, petals, and even some bark; and a few classical paintings to make my potpourri more interesting and palatable. Have I stirred up your curiosity? No more introductions then - dive into my recipe!

Arboretum in Autumn

 

This Fall, when it comes to dresses (my favorite item of clothing), I am looking at budget options. I learned to trust my intuition, and when I feel a nudge to look at a certain store, even if it is not my usual shopping spot, I don't second-guess myself and don't ask why. This strategy pays off - I find plenty of beautiful, feminine affordable options. Perhaps the most unexpected find was the red dress from my previous post (HERE). Target started doing much more in terms of stylish plus size clothing in the last couple of years. The red dress that many of you liked so much is by Ava & Viv, Target's plus size line that they launched two or three years ago. At the price of $35, it won't break any pockets. It is my first purchase from this brand, so I really can't say much about the quality, other than I am pleasantly surprised. We will have to see how it holds up, of course. I can recommend to pay attention to the Who What Wear line as well, which offers both straight and plus sizes. I also found quite a few great dresses at Old Navy, including this beautiful Autumnal boho number. With a 50% discount, it came down to $32.50. So even if you are on a budget, there are wonderful options out there right now for us, plus size girls. Don't be afraid to experiment! Trying something new keeps our wardrobes and our lives exciting.

Being Russian in USA and Podari.Life

Being Russian in America, means that I miss my native language and culture a lot. I am definitely not the only one, so from time to time we gather for special Russian events. Last weekend, I had a unique opportunity to see a famous, gifted Russian actress, strong and beautiful woman, and warm, wonderful person Chulpan Khamatova who visited the USA on tour. Seattle was one of a very few cities where Chulpan stopped (others being New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles). 

Outside My Window

Seals and sea lions have such lovable faces!

This post concludes my stories about this year's staycation (which included day trips to various places locally), and is probably the most unusual post on my blog to date. No outfits or any cultural events - but many photos of beautiful nature and wild animals! Most of the pictures were taken by Justin, and only the few photos of a bald eagle and seals at the end are by me.

(Unofficial) End of Summer

Happy Labor Day to my American and Canadian friends and readers!

Unlike many European countries (Russia included) which celebrate Labor Day on May 1st, the USA started celebrating it the first Monday of September since late 19th century. So for many families, the long Labor Day weekend became the last opportunity to have a summer vacation, plan trips, family reunions, friends gatherings and barbecue and pool parties so popular with many people. Outdoor pools typically close after Labor Day and many schools start a new school year right after Labor Day (though, in some states, school start as early as August). Evenings become cooler, and even though we experience a new heat wave since late August, it really feels that Autumn is just around the corner.

Modish Matrons #15: Inspired by Nature

Hello, dear friends, and welcome to the 15th issue of MODISH MATRONS!

This month, Tina is leading the way with the theme she offers - Inspired by Nature! And what can be better, especially when I am such a huge fan of green? And, as you will soon discover, I am not the only one. Do visit my adorable friends TINA und BEATE to see all the masterful details of their, naturally, GREEN outfits!

Honest, Kind and Brave

I noticed that at the end of Summer, I usually loose interest in fashion and style. I think it's the same at the end of the cold season, and I am probably not the only one who experiences it, and my explanation is really simple. I think I get bored with the sameness and just want something different for a change - in other words, I am ready for a new season! Here in the beautiful PNW, there are really only two seasons, and I call them simply Rain and No Rain. We've done some No Rain, and I guess I am getting ready for Rain now - don't shoot me!  

Best Style Tip

I love adding new clothes to my ever-growing collection and wearing brand new outfits, and I also love finding ways to incorporate new items into my existing wardrobe. I have a feeling this scarlet sail shirt will become a staple and make good friends with many of my old friends, and this chevron skirt is one of them (previously worn HERE in 2016, HERE and HERE in 2015).

Maudie, or Bursting with Joy

Blue and green are so pretty together, yet this is probably the first such a bold combination I've done. I probably told you on numerous occasions that I was a huge fan of green for as long as I can remember, yet in the last few years I've done very little of it, and this skirt (bought back in Spring) is one of my first attempts to add back more green to my closet. It's made of thick cotton, and I love that it keeps its shape.

Vacation Situation

The Writer's Closet and all the writers are on vacation! (If you're not aware of it, all members of our family, including two cats, are writers.) I keep posting in my usual semi-regular manner though, because we are doing staycation this year. No extra pennies to spend on hotels (all are spent on pretty dresses!), so we are exploring our own region, which to be fair, we do year-round anyway, for over 10 years now, and we still did not run out of places to go, plus there are quite a few repeat offenders (it's a gorgeous area, what else is there to say). Still, vacation means we have more freedom and explore a little more intensely. I already took you to Olympia, our state capital, a few days ago (HERE), and our next stop is a unique award winning garden on beautiful Bainbridge Island.

The Kiss

Last weekend, practically by mistake, we found ourselves in Olympia, the state capital of Washington. I'm saying "by mistake" because our plan was to visit Tumwater Falls (my 2016 post HERE and 2015 post HERE), which is on the way to Olympia, and when Justin mistakenly took an exit just a few feet apart from the exit to Tumwater, I said, "Let's go to Olympia, then!" I am saying it was "almost" by mistake, because Olympia has been on my mind for a while now, and I think we haven't visited since we took a tour of the Capitol when my parents were here two years ago (lots of pictures and historical information in my 2015 post HERE).

Six She-roes from around the Globe

VIX of the VINTAGE VIXEN blog (England)

At the first glance, you will not find much in common between these wonderfully unique women bloggers, most of whom I was delighted to "meet" years ago (only with Ann we connected relatively recently, a few months ago, but I already feel like I've known her for ages!). If you look at all these photos at once, it's like a colorful kaleidoscope - and that same feeling I get when I visit their blogs too. But if you look closer, you'll realize that they share a love of color, good design, fun and thoughtful accessories, slow fashion and often vintage and/or secondhand clothes. And another thing they have in common is that each of them has her own, unique, truly individual and absolutely unrepeatable sense of style.

Discoveries

One of my favorite things about Sunday nights is to sit down with my laptop and go through the pictures we took during the weekend. It brings me a delightful mix of feelings, both excitement and peace, and the feeling of satisfaction, to look at the photos, sort of re-live again and remember what we were up to - our little trips, events and, of course, outfits. One of my favorite things about this Summer has been a growing sense of finally finding my Summer style, or at very least the core of it (I know it will grow and develop infinitely from here, and that brings me so much joy just to think how much play is ahead of me!). 

Modish Matrons #14: Sealife

Hello and welcome to the 14th installation of Modish Matrons, a creative link-up that my beautiful, charming and talented friends BEATE and TINA, as well as myself offer on the 1st day of every month. Join us with your interpretation of the theme or come as you are, we stay open for the whole month.

Mountain Peaks

Yesterday was the day to admire and conquer some snowy mountain peaks. To complete that challenging task, I started with my bimonthly visit to Erica which always makes me feel like I'm on the top of the world. Erica is my hairdresser and one of the first people I got to know after relocating here from another state. We know each other for almost 10 years now, and I can't imagine my life without her. As usual, I had a fresh pixie cut, great chat over a cup of chamomile tea, and waxed my eyebrows and upper lip where I have some random hair. I also returned to my favorite and I almost want to say natural copper red (after a side trip to brown for the last couple of months) - I was born a redhead, literally, but then changed into a blond, and finally dark blond as I grew up. So it really feels like coming back to myself when I color my hair copper red. Thanks, Erica! I think everyone needs their own Erica in their life.

Rock On!

This was a couple of weeks ago, on a warm sunny Sunday, when we went shopping for The Real Adventure Man (a.k.a. Justin) and found, to our delight, colorful shirts and a few pairs of shorts just to his liking and in his size, and since there are semi-annual sales right now, the prices were good as well. Later, we planed going to a park and at first had something particular in mind, but when we were passing Steilacoom, a charming old town on the way to our destination, I noticed a beach park that we haven't visited before, and spontaneously decided to stop there.

Indian Spice, American Revolution and Soviet Clown

I don't wear boho often, but I have a few pieces and love playing with them from time to time. Neither the blouse nor the skirt are new to my closet (showed previously HERE and HERE), but until just recently, they sort of lived in the same town, but on different streets, and didn't have a chance to cross each other's paths. Then they bumped into each other during a town meeting so to speak, went on a date once, and what do you know - pretty much immediately decided to get married. Kids! 

111 Years

One of the most admirable qualities about Americans is the way they treat the history of their young country. I'm not talking now of the famous historical figures and events about which we all can read in school textbooks, and it isn't only the pride they take in the Declaration of Independence and feeling of good fortune to belong to a powerful nation. I'm talking of the sincere interest in researching and preserving their "small homeland", starting with a family history and continuing with the history of small towns and neighborhoods where they live. They treat their small communities with care and respect, and the people who have built or are building these small communities remain true local heroes. I'm a bit of an outsider here as you know, and I have both the privilege to be a part of it and the privilege to see things a little bit from a distance, being able to compare with what I know about different cultures and countries, mostly of course with my own. Today, I invite you to take another walk in my 'hood, enjoy the laidback atmosphere and learn a bit about 111 years of its life. 

Dainty Flowers and Big Reveal

 

Dresses are and quite possibly always will be my favorite garment to wear - I dream of a closet full of dresses in every possible color, hue or shade ... some day. This wrap dress in the 1950s style with dainty flowers all over it was a Spring find earlier this year and became a very welcomed addition to my growing dress collection. It's made of lightweight breathable cambric, with a lightweight breathable cotton voile lining - perfect for hot days! In fact, so perfect that I got a little lost waiting for the hot weather to arrive, and when I realized that it's already mid-July, I put the dress on without hesitation, even though it wasn't a hot day, but rather cool and breezy. But I thought I'd wear it anyway, before the Summer is over.

On Bottomless Closets, Childhood Flavors and Infinity

This time, I wanted to take my green dress for a walk. I didn't know where exactly we were going, other than grabbing a bite in our favorite local cafe. After we filled our bellies with yummy club sandwiches (that would be me and my dress, though come to think of it, Justin and his shirt too), we decided to go to the movies, and then for a walk in the nearby park where we took these pictures, and then...

A Walk in my 'Hood

I am not very big on "thematic" dressing, as in wearing green and red for Christmas, pink or red on Valentine's Day, and red, white and blue on Independence Day. While I don't have anything against this idea, I guess it reminds me too much of uniformity of which I had more than enough when I was growing up in the USSR. Still, I like to incorporate some elements of the common symbolism as a nod to the history and my own ties with the country I love living in. 

On a Whim

Happy Independence Day to all my American friends and readers!

Last Saturday, on a whim, Justin and I went to a park that we love for its awe-inspiring views and small crowds. The park is sort of tucked away from the main traffic, and the public rocky beach isn't big enough to attract many visitors. So even during this busiest weekend of the year, we were able to enjoy the tranquility and solitude of this rare natural setting.

Modish Matrons #13: Safari

Our July theme was offered by Beate, and it sounded like this:

Heia Safari: What would you wear if you only could shop your closet for packing that suitcase.

Now, that's a challenge! Anyone could feel puzzled if not defeated by this theme! Anyone but fierce and fearless MODISH MATRONS (insert drum roll here)! Tina and myself followed Beate's lead and created our own versions of African travel worthy outfits. As always, I cannot wait to see the girls' interpretations. Please join me - let's go visit BEATE und TINA! 

Where Transformation Happens and What I Wore

Last Saturday, Tacoma Little Theatre (I wrote about it a few times before, e.g., HERE about its almost 100 year history) presented a one evening benefit reading of LOVE, LOSS AND WHAT I WORE by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the bestselling book by Ilene Beckerman. Directed by Suzy Willhoft, one of my favorite local directors, it was a wonderful evening of both laughs and tears, and on too many occasions I felt like I was having a conversation with my dearest blogging friends. It was a series of monologues and dialogues about clothes, style, relationships with our mothers and sisters, and about life. That feeling that we have nothing to wear, or how we can never can find anything in our closet, or how when we finally put an outfit on, we are now too sweaty, and how impossible a simple act of going to the bathroom becomes when we wear a jumpsuit, and finally THE question - when and why black became our favorite color... these and many more things that Justin said he hears from me on a regular basis. What can I say? I wish you were there! And maybe we all need to check out that book!

Nautical in Tacoma

Nautical outfits are always appropriate in my town - not in the sense of "rightness", of course, but in the sense that they feel at home here. Tacoma is a port city, and in many places here you see and experience closeness to the water, boats and all things nautical. 

Character vs. Elegance

This was such a fun and easy outfit to wear to a lunch date with my sweetheart (a.k.a. husband). I have lots of orange in my closet, I'm sure you've noticed by now. I love colors, but if I had to pick just one, for the last few years orange has been a strong favorite. I love all the shades of it - rust, pumpkin, carrot, coral, 'orange' orange...you name it! And I also love polka dots (which you've probably also noticed by now), so you can see how this skirt came to my radar. It's a last Spring Lane Bryant skirt, and I sort of "lurked at it" for a while, and when it finally went on clearance sale, I snapped it at a very low price (which is my frequent tactic - I rarely buy anything full price). 

Dress Up and Off You Go, or Do You Know Oprah?

This gorgeous mixed prints dress was spotted by me on eShakti back in March,which seems like eons ago. I ordered it without hesitation, thinking that such dresses don't show up often and would be gone in the blink of an eye. I was right because it really disappeared rather fast. I think they came out with quite a few incredible dresses back then, because they seemed to be a little overwhelmed with orders, and delivery from India took a bit longer than usual. To the company's credit, they sent me a gift card as an apology for the delay, which was a very nice thing to do to appreciate a faithful customer, such as myself. You might think I'm reviewing a free product, but I'm not - I as always just share my personal experience with you, at my own expense, so to speak. 

My Life in a Castle

It's time to tell you all the whole truth about myself, guys. Not sure whether you're ready to accept it and accept me for who I am. If you aren't, I won't blame you - the truth can be harsh. But, you know what they say. Three things cannot be hidden for long: the sun, the moon and the truth. And it waited for long enough, so embrace yourselves. Ah. All right, here it comes ... I live in a castle. Now the truth came out, it's out there, the harsh, naked, unavoidable truth.

Oopsy Daisy, or Curiouser and Curiouser

 

A "daisy" here refers to the clusters of daisies we witnessed as we walked along the trail we choose for a walk last Sunday, which felt almost like fields of daisies and foxgloves covering the softly rolling hills, very poetic. And an "oopsy" refers to my orange linen pants (previously worn last Summer and shown here: JUNE, JULY, AUGUST in all sorts of inspiring places, so you might want to check out those posts if not for pants, then for beautiful nature and wildlife, which by the way will be plentiful in this post, and I really need to finish this loooong sentence right here ... I'm sure I will hear a sigh of relief now ... there!).

Overgrown Beauty

My photos today are not from an unusual city park or professionally landscaped, meticulously manicured award-winning garden, but from our own little cottage garden by the sea. It is overgrown and practically wild, with dandelions taking over the lawn and bees buzzing busily around the abundantly blooming bushes. The people who planted all the trees, shrubs and flowers around the cottage many years before us did really an amazing job, so even without much care everything grows and blossoms beautifully, and every Spring we have our own marvelous display of blooms. It is especially generous this year due to the enormous amount of rain we received last Winter, I suppose, and I wanted to share this beauty with you before it's gone for the season.