The Daily Fashionista

A Peek at My Bedroom

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:12:00 +0000

I've gotta document the look of this bedroom before I officially move the heck out, come March. I'm really sad to leave this little place, but it's time to move on. So here's the bedroom....

Getting a little SAD?

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Seasonal Affective Disorder is something that most people deal with when the time changes and it's just dark the moment you go to work and then moment you come home from work. Depression is such an ugly place to be in. Especially in the darker months. This season is a bit different for me though. I really like the idea of sun lamps and such, but I'm on a budget, and they are just so ugly!!! So I decided to invest in some pretty candle light. It's cheap and it makes my home feel so much cozier in the evening hours. I have a cozy throw on my couch and just light some candles then cuddle with the boyfriend. Or just cuddle with myself and turn on some 30 Rock. Thank you Netflix! hahaha..

Obviously, when you're dealing with a depression where you're just so full of despair, it needs to have the attention of a doctor to prescribe to you meds or alternative therapy. I've been suffering with some form of depression since high school and my doctors were really more for the alternatives to medicines. So check with the docs please!

An Off Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:34:00 +0000

It's like I look surprised that I decided to do style photos!! It was a deary Sunday morning and nothing was feeling right. You know what I mean? It was an off day. I was in an off mood, I was just feeling blah and overly exhausted. Too be more clear, I suffer from anxiety, and this past week was horrendous!! Today I started to feel more normal and everything is settling into place like it should.

Oh, so this outfit. It's your basic, roll out of bed and try to figure something out, type of outfit. I took inspiration from some photos I saw in a magazine and threw this together. I'm digging the sheer tights with the shorts. It's sexy but not overtly so. The blazer really tones down any sort of va-va-voom for a Sunday morning look. Hehehe..

Hat, Blazer, & Blouse, Thrifted

Shoes, UO

Shorts, Target

Coach Purse, Antique Store

I Made the Bed!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 16:58:00 +0000

One of my goals is to try my best to be neat and tidy. So here is my documentation that I made my bed!!! Holy crap on a stick I actually made my bed!!! Baby steps people, baby steps. Having a new duvet set with a puffy down converter makes it even easier.

Dress and Belt, Thrifted

Ring In The New Year!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:16:00 +0000

Thank you 2012 for being so good to me!!! There was so much change in my life those last 12 months. It's unreal to even think about. The year started off shaky, with my divorce from my husband, then all the money problems that are associated with that. I had to give up my Starla (roughest part of everything) to my mom and then Archie to my mother in law. But then by the middle of year I had fallen in love with a great wonderful guy who's name is Adam. He is one of the most sweetest, honest, adorable, smart, handsome, etc...guy. Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming him up. hahaa..too much? And I have my health, an excellent set of parents, a very supportive sister and a great roommate.

So, listen here 2013!!!! I've got some goals and special reminders to give to you for me!

Pay off those damn credit cards.........by moving back in with my parents. So scared about this next step in my life. If I can pay them off in 9 months...all will be good.
Get more organized. I always enjoy nice cleaning living in other people's homes...why not mine? I am perplexed at how their time management works with day life and daily cleaning.
Revisit the yoga studio. I did Ashtanga yoga for years, then I switched it up to hot yoga. And then I got lazy and stopped going to them all.
Stop obsessively buying clothes. God, please help me!!
Take my first college math course (the one I was saving for last) and be on my way to graduation!!!! Pretty Please!!!!

Little Things

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:58:00 +0000

Finally!!! A true to life style post!!! These won't be too common, but they will be included. I was feeling rather Christmasy so I donned an appropriate cream white thickly knit sweater and a faux fur collared red jacket. Something about cream and red really make me feel comfy cozy. Especially when the bitter wind is biting right through you.

I only wish I could give you a close up of my fancy shoes!!! My wonderful guy surprised me by painting my shoes with a funky gold pattern. I truly love them to death!! Every time I glanced down I'm reminded that my boyfriend is quite a charming lad and super creative when it comes to giving me a surprise.

Jacket, Vintage

Jeans, Sweater, Thrifted

Shoes, UO then handpainted

Necklace, Made by me

Christmas Skirt!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 23:40:00 +0000

One of my good friends recently let me go through their vintage collection of gorgeous dresses. While I'm no where near their size, I decided to not let it stop me from creating something that would fit me. The green silk fabric was just fabulous and I thought it would be perfect for a cute Christmas skirt to be worn with a cute vintage kids holiday sweater.

It's super duper easy to make a skirt like this. I just chopped off the bottom of the dress and then cut up vertically to create a long piece of fabric. Then I took the fabric, wrapped it around my waist and pinned it where it fit, then cut off the excess. Then I folded and sewed a 1 inch hem at the top. I am using the original hem for the bottom of the skirt since it's even easier that way. Then you just thread some elastic (cut to the size of your waist plus maybe an inch and a half) through that hem you made, gather the elastic then sew the ends of the elastic together with the fabric. Done and done!

(don't mind the missing needle...I had just broken it before I decided to take this photo. hehe)

Tour My Living Room

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:50:00 +0000

After much moving around through the apartment, I decided to turn my dining room space into my living room space. Living in a turn of the century apartment definitely has it's advantages. Such as, really big spaces!!! Currently I'm just using my original living room as a bedroom for my roommate. Win Win!! Without further adieu, here is my new living room!! Complete with a newly acquired bar space, just in time for the holidays. Many thanks goes to my awesome boyfriend for figuring out the best furniture placement and for making the bar and buying some liquor.

Rainy Day Boredom

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:19:00 +0000

One thing always leads to another. On a rainy afternoon I decided it would be in my best interest to go ahead and clean out my closet. Of course I start getting sidetracked and opening up old purses and whatnot to see if I had forgotten about anything cool. Like my favorite vintage necklace, which just so happened to have broken. Here's what I did to distract myself from cleaning!

Super easy! I just used some old jewelery chain I bought from Micheal's and slid on the beads then added the clasps! Easy Peasy!!

Staycation!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 02:15:00 +0000

A nice staycation was in order for me last week. I had a glorious 10 days away from work and the end that glorious time off, I decided to head to DC for a weekend with my beau. Unfortunately, we were planning on spending a whole Saturday afternoon wandering through DC and visiting museums, but what is normally a 3 hour drive actually took us 8 hours, so those plans were smashed. But we did treat ourselves to a really awesome dinner at this place called Dirty Martini and then spent the following morning walking all around DC for about 3 hours. It's amazing how much ground you can cover in 3 hours of walking!!!

Thankfully, after hours of walking around DC we were able to retire to a really sweet hotel. Seriously, if you're in DC you have to stay at the Mayflower!!! I've never been to a hotel so pretty and hospitable!

Bar Night

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:08:00 +0000

I'm not sure about you, but I enjoy visiting a bar that feels cozy and fun. I'm definietly not one to go out to dance clubs (too loud) so I enjoy the more simpler pleasures of heading out with my guy and friends for an evening of drinks and pool. I mean, the dudes even play chess at this bar. That's how cozy it really is.

Changing Direction

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:39:00 +0000

My life has changed so dramatically in the last year. And accordingly, my blog tastes have changed as well. You have already noticed that I haven't updated my blog since August. Life slowed down for me in a way and then sped up. I have seriously limited my time on the internet in the past few months and have started living life and finding beauty in everyday things. While I do enjoy this new point in my life, I've noticed I haven't been documenting it!!! I was given a wonderful gift of my Nikon and lately its been a dust collector.

Now, I have come to a point in my life where I can better handle my time management with life, internet, and finding the beauty in the day to day life. I can't wait to change the direction of my blog!!! I am keeping the blog url, in case you want to follow along, but have changed the title. This may or may not be a temporary decision. I hope that when I do change the url, that you all decided to continue to follow along!!! But this direction is also a little more personal for myself.

So, as you may have guessed by this point, I am now a lifestyle blogger. No longer a style blogger. But I do plan on throwing some cute outfits in the blog on a weekly basis. Just for kicks, ya know? hehe..

Classic Lace

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:32:00 +0000

What's not to love about a white lace dress? It's so classic and pretty. This particular one is very reminiscent of something a young lady would wear during the 1960s. I know this because I've become obsessed with Adam-12 (a cop drama from the 1960s) and mini dresses are a recurring theme amongst the damsels in distress. haha.. I mean you're kind of helpless when your dresses are so short that you can't even bend over or reach up high for fear your whole rear end will be exposed. Who came up with the idea of dresses that are so short they are almost impossible to walk around in? I'll look that up later.

Anyways, again, it was once again hot as Hades and the idea of wearing anything was becoming troublesome, so that's where the mini dress came in. Complete with short briefs underneath for some modesty. Oh and I am definitely having a love affair with these sandals from ASOS. They were such a steal too, during their summer sales. I'm so glad I bought them when I did. I hope they last me at least 2 more summer seasons.

A note about my heart ring. I've been wearing this everyday for the past few months. After taking off my wedding rings, my hand started feeling bare and naked and off balanced. I found a ring that belonged to my mother when she was 20 and decided to borrow it for awhile and it's now become a part of my entire being. Its a nice connection between my mom and I. A heart shaped turquoise stone is timeless and its now my favorite piece of jewelry.

Dress, H&M
Sandals, ASOS
Sunnies, Urban Outfitters
Necklace, Etsy
Ring, Vintage (mom's)

Photos by Molly

Day Trip to Williamsburg

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 02:05:00 +0000

Wanna know what I love? A good deal. Any time I find something that intrigues me from Groupon or Living Social, I geek out and buy it. A couple of weeks ago a few deals popped up for Williamsburg and I snatched them up and planned a fun day trip for myself and my friend.

Since it was going to be hot as hell, I decided on a very sheer and pretty floral blouse, some linen shorts with little ruffles, and then my super comfy and cute leather sandals. It was quite perfect for the hot hot humidity (hey I live in southern Virginia, so I feel compelled to complain often about the heat) and it was also something I felt stylish in. I try to look my best for traveling for some obscure reason. Hehehe....

And so our trip to Williamburg included a fun outting to Colonial Williamsburg, which was free, a tour of Williamsburg Alewerks with a free tasting afterwards, and then we finished off our day of fun with a yummy dinner at a bakery. Here's some pictures of our sights.

It was so nice to have a cold one after walking around for two hours in Williamsburg.

Top, Modcloth

Shorts, ASOS

Sandals, ASOS

photos of myself and the skull by Adam

Best Meal of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:28:00 +0000

Just a quick post!!!! Working long days has made for picture taking to be more difficult this past week, but that doesn't mean I can't take time out for a yummy breakfast!!! It is the most important meal of the day, you know. I went to Cafe Stella the other morning as a treat and made sure to finally order the challah bread french toast and a very strong iced cappacino. Three shots of espresso is usually right up my alley. Mmmhmmm...

Oh yeah!!! And I recently took on the task of cleaning out my closet completely. I had too much stuff and I am happy to say that I purged about 14 bags of clothes, shoes, and purses and donated all the stuff in one day.

Hot to Trot

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:10:00 +0000

Nothing like a nice stroll on the hottest day of the year!! It really wasn't that bad, especially since I was walking with my guy to get out in nature for a little bit. I also spent the better part of my day planting a mint plant and then laid around on a couch watching an almost endless marathon of Bob's Burgers. Hehe..

Oh and when the weather is this hot and humid the best thing to wear is a loose jersey dress with a pretty cutout in the back. Mine happened to be covered by lace for that easy breezy feeling. I also decided this summer to be the summer of sandals. There isn't anything I hate more than having my toes covered up in the summer, so I make sure to have pretty nails and opened toed sandals for as long as possible during the summery months.

Dress, Marshalls

Bag and Belt, Thrifted

Shades, Urban Outfitters

Sandals, Old Navy`

Unearthing Vintage

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:08:00 +0000

Since I had a few extra hours to myself on vacation last week, I made sure to get to fixing some vintage items that needed some hemming and mending. This dress had been in that pile for a few months so I was happy to finally fix it up. I wore it twice in one week!!

Another plus to having lots of vintage dresses and skirts to mend is that I don't have a sudden impulse to go shopping or thrifting. Living on a limited budget doesn't lend itself much to weekend jaunts to the thrift stores or malls. I've been treating myself to one or two pieces of vintage or thrifted once a month. It's kind of interesting to see that I really didn't need to spend so much money doing my regular 4-5 trips to the thrifts. It's cool having a new perspective.

Dress, Vintage

Shoes, Ross

Belt, Vintage

Stormy Weather

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:54:00 +0000

I don't know about where you live, but every time I'm ready to do outfits pics of any sort, the sky seems to transform into an ominous state and I have to rush before the heavens open up and drop water all over me. Its a sticky situation living so close to the ocean, I suppose. But at least it gives my photos a nice eerie look to them.

So, can I tell you how excited I was when I unearthed this vintage 1960s treasure at the local thrift store? The hem was torn to pieces and its so old the fabric is decaying just a little, but I had to mend it so I could actually wear it once before it fell apart on me. So far so good, but this might be more of an archive piece in my closet. Something I can wear for a couple of hours and then put back into its safe place. It's handmade from a nice cotton fabric with ruffles along the edge of the sleeve and the perfect length for a mini. I'm kind of sad it will only see the light of day every now and then.

Oh and for the record, these photos were taken with my iphone, so forgive the lackluster quality. I have misplaced my trusty memory card for my Nikon.

Dress, Vintage

Hat, Urban Outfitters

Shoes, Old Navy

Brought to you by the letter M

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:45:00 +0000

As in M.I.A. Oh my!!!! I've been away for far too long!!! Most of my time has been spent doing grown up stuff like giving my poor little Archie loads of attention. A few weeks ago he was attacked by a pit bull and ever since then he's been going through post traumatic stress disorder. It's been awful!!!! The other part of my time has been spent hanging out with a new guy friend. To be clear, this guy is super special right now so I've devoted more time to doing fun things with him and less time on the internets. If you follow me on instagram, you'll be noticing more and more photos of food, mostly because we love cooking together and drinking good beers. We've also been spending time going on long walks and hikes and enjoying loads of scientific educational programs and npr. I'm telling you, he's a great guy :)

So now that you're a little caught up in my life, I thought I'd share some photos from my recent trip to Baltimore. Lots of fun things happened in and around Baltimore and I wanted to document a few activities!! Like the car ride, the aquarium and an art museum.

Swimwear Style

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:54:00 +0000

In case you were wondering, I wear underwear. Yep. I also have a knack to picking out matching lingerie once a month as a treat to myself and I thought I'd let you know about a new site I've tried out that is a monthly showroom company that lets you cater your style of undergarments to your liking. It's called Adore Me and I have to say it is pretty awesome. The fabrics and construction far out weigh their competitors like Victoria Secret. If you have a minute, go ahead and take their style quiz and take a gander at their pretty things. They also have super cute swimwear too and this is how I would style my favorite bathing suit.

My Princess Dress

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:48:00 +0000

If it seems as if I may be ignoring my blog and my blog reading, please note that I'm really just becoming more preoccupied with exploring life more intensely. Mixing and mingling with friends and spending time with a certain someone has kind of made it harder to want to open up my laptop. I have been spending time reading blogs, just not commenting much since it takes time out of my day, time I don't really have at the moment. We all go through spurts of busyness in our lives and at the moment I am immensely happy just turning off the electronics and connecting with people.

Ok, so now on to the outfit. This is a pretty vintage dress my friend gifted to me last year and I couldn't wait to wear it for a pretty spring day. It reminds me of something a child would wear on Easter what with all the chiffon and pretty pastel green. Or a pretty princess dress. I wore this to take my friend out to drag brunch on Mother's Day and then kept up the same look when I headed to my own mom's for dinner and Sopranos. That's right. Four hours of Sopranos. Quite the family event.

I hope your week is a wonderful one!!! I'm going to try and be more proactive about posting on my blog since I miss it so much.

Summer Lovin'

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:31:00 +0000

Okay, I blink and its summer. Like, the kind of humid heat that only negates shorts as appropriate clothing. That and a sheer top are among my priorities at the moment. This is one of those outfits that is perfect for lots of things. Hanging around the apartment, meeting friends for late night drinks, or cruising the thrift stores. Anyways, I just hung around with my sister watching Workaholics in this particular outfit, but it deserves its place on my blog. I'm sporting some new loafers from Urban Outfitters, so why not, right? Plus the black and brown version of my purse from Handbag Heaven.

While I may be looking like I'm ready to hit the town, unfortunately I'm sick with the common cold. Stuffy and just super lethargic don't lend themselves to hanging out with people so I figured the safest bet would be just to sit around with my sis, watch t.v. and drink some mojitos. Not that a doctor would suggest drinking mojitios to cure the common cold, but it does dull it's nasty side effects. Hehe..

Alrighty, so I hope you all have a very pleasant evening. I will try and keep myself from ordering anymore summer shoes online;)

Blouse, Forever21

Shorts, Ross

Shoes, Urban Outfitters

Necklace, Vintage

Purse, c/o Handbag Heaven

A Feel Good Look

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:02:00 +0000

I'm feeling pretty right now. I love having those days, don't you? When you put a little more effort into your appearance and put on a pretty little frock and prance around like a moron because you feel so amazing. I've been enjoying happier moods as of late, so I guess that explains my high confidence and the fact I'm feeling pretty. As vain as all this sounds, sometimes it helps to feel good about yourself.

Another mood booster is listening to all kinds of music during my time to myself and reconnecting with bands I have lost touch with or forgot about. It takes me all back to highschool days. Reconnecting with my more youthful self has been kind of liberating. Except now I have bills, my own apartment and no one telling me what to do and when to do it. Again. This is a mood lifter.

Alright, about my outfit. I know it's sort of matchy matchy with all the grey tones, but it was easy and I felt good in it. Isn't that okay? I think so anyways. Summery dresses are still an awesome staple in my closet as of late, so I can't help but be tempted to throw one on when I'm on the go. On this particular day I was meeting a friend for some old fashions. Ever have one? They are delicious.

Dress, Charlotte Russe (many moons ago)

Shoes, Target (again....many moons ago)

Peaches

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Hello, Hello!!!! Can we all believe that May is around the corner already? I'm quite taken aback by this realization. I'm thrilled that we've had such an awesome spring so far, but I am totally ready for summer to start rearing its ugly head. It's all in perspective. The hot sticky heat is miserable at times, but its also pleasant to be able to spend those warm summer evenings sitting on restaurant patios sipping on mojitos. Anyways, my mind is wandering to warmer places and I think having a new spring/summer bag is the reason for my wanderlust for warmer and hotter weather.

If you're in the market for a new bag and want to get something super pretty at a nice price then I totally suggest checking out Handbag Heaven. They have such an awesome selection and I can't wait to find another bag in a crossover style. Like this one in cream and turquoise!!!

To compliment the pretty yellow in my bag I decided to pair it together with this orange creamsicle dress I found while thrifting a couple of weeks ago. The denim jacket and black heels kind of pulled it altogether in a work appropriate outfit.

Dress, Thrifted

Jacket, Gap

Heels, Forever21

Bag, Handbag Heaven

Doing It By Myself

noreply@blogger.com (The Semi Sweet) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Gosh guys!!! It's really hard doing this blogging thing all on my own. Taking my own photos has proved to be a chore, but I'll get a handle on it. Thank god my lens is automatic!!! Hahaha!! So please excuse these rather ridiculous photos, but I just really loved the outfit I was wearing this day. The Canvas by Lands' End dress is my favorite thing ever!! And I'm not much for plaid either, so I'm rather surprised this dress happens to be my go-to garment at the moment. The quality is just fantastic. I tried to make a rather wintry frock into something more summery since it happened to be 80 degrees this particular day. My suede platforms and cognac belt did the trick.

So here are the going ons in my life. I took a mini road trip to Ikea to purchase a few more things to make my apartment feel more homey and more me. Pillows, kitchen towels, trash cans, etc. Ikea is always a good excuse to take a road trip in my opinion. It's just fun to walk around and pretend you have unlimited cash flow and start planning your decoration ideas. Then you take those ideas and you run to the closest thrift stores to see if you can recreate it for less. That's how I roll.

Dress, Thrifted

Platforms, Forever21

Necklace, Vintage/Gift