goodbye 2014, hello 2015.

i know it is now the 5th day of 2015, but i still felt like i needed to say my goodbyes to the past year. i put off this post, thinking that by the time i would write it i would have a new blogging schedule ready for this year and everything would be in its place for a perfect new year. but that is unrealistic. i made a list of 15 things to do in 2015 and a few of them had to do with my blog. now i have to remind myself that it was something to complete this year, not by the end of day one of the new year.

ending the new year // spring rolls + confetti cake with my favorites.

but anyway.. 2014 was an interesting year. it started off like most other years. i felt ready to conquer it all and finally get organized and lose weight and all that. being that is was 2014, i put even more pressure on the year. 14 is my number, as well as my birthdate, so to me this meant this had to be the big year for me. it ended up being anything but.

a quick recap of the year:
i worked a lot. my job was physical and stressful and man, was i always tired. i had injuries that caused me pain. everyday. then i got in a car accident which didn't make any of that pain better. i stopped working out and tried to eat well, but put too much pressure on it and didn't stick to anything. i stopped blogging and taking outfit photos and doing the things that were fun to me. and again, put too much pressure on what i wasn't doing and took away the fun.

in the summer, my sister got married. it was amazing. planning the bridal shower and going away for a weekend with her to new york were really great experiences. her wedding was amazing. terry's sister also had a beautiful baby girl, stella. these were definitely highlights of the past year.

also in the summer, there was talk of leaving boston and moving back to maine. in the fall, it actually happened. i quit my job. just quit. no new job lined up. no real plan besides leaving boston. it was scary and sad to leave the people i had become so close with. but let me tell you, it was kind of exhilarating. in a way, i was free. moving back to portland and finding a job was an adventure in and of itself, but one i happy i took.

2014 may not have been the year i had wanted it so badly to be. but it was the year that helped me make decisions that will help me be happier this year.

as for 2015, i'm starting a new job. it is full of all the things i love.. merchandising, managing, buying, some social media, and surprisingly, baby clothes! i also am going to open my online store. this was another thing on my list of 15 that i have the year to complete. this is something that has been on my list for at least 5 years and i am more ready to finally do it than ever.

and i guess the biggest thing that is going to happen this year happens in 9 days. i turn 30. i have spent the last year and a half worrying and planning for it that now i am ready to take it on. i want to embrace 30 and whatever it has to bring. i want to start my 30s as my best self and for me, among many things, this means getting healthy. i want to learn to take care of myself, so i can take on all the things i want to do and feel good doing them.

okay. there is it is. this year is going to be so much better than the last year. taking care of myself and treating myself well is going to be number one. so.. what are you planning for 2015?

buy local, portland.

this weekend is all about shopping for most of us. here are a few of the ways you can support you local favorites this weekend:

friday just got a little prettier in portland with plaid friday! plaid friday is the new black friday, putting the focus on portland's favorite local businesses. you can check out the full list of participants on the buy local website, but i am most excited about sampling sweetgrass's holiday gin cocktail and the portland flea-for-all being open on a friday (plus having refreshments while you shop!). the best part of the day.. wearing plaid!

take a photo while you are out shopping local today (and throughout december) and use #happylocalshopper to be entered to win a gift cards to your favorite portland buy local store!

and the other best part of the day, the tree lighting tonight in monument square at 5:30. you won't want to miss this because my favorite childhood musician, rick charette will be there. oh, nostalgia..

let's not forget about saturday! small business saturday is tomorrow. these days, there is no way you can't find everything you are looking for from a local business. to participate, you may not even have to leave your house. there are so many online local small business to shop right from your computer. but if you want to get out and get in the stores, portland is full of them.

here are a few of my suggestions for shopping small this weekend..

for the ladies:
bliss boutique
suncity
judith

for the men:
portland trading co
portland general store
portland dry goods

for the home:
angela adams
more & co
folly 101

vintage:
portland flea-for-all
material objects
moody lords

coffee:
tandem
bard
coffee by design

these are only a few of my many favorite portland stores. get out there and get shopping. remember to shop small this weekend!

it's official, we are residents of portland.

 

this past week has been full of moving boxes, unpacking boxes, and trying to set up our new apartment to feel like home. it has been a lot more work than i expected, but i guess thats what you get when you put detailed-oriented and ocd people together. everything is still a work in progress, but this is the first apartment in the past few years that i want to make my home. so if you were wondering what i have been up to over the past week, this is it. that, and well, taking pictures of my cats. like hundred of them...

alexander wang x h&m.

as you may have heard by now, alexander wang is the latest designer to team up with h&m. this collection is true street-chic. it is activewear, complete with design and function. it can be worn in the gym, on the streets, or out at night. the pieces are constructed with fabrics and technologies, like wicking and compression, that make them just as functional as they are fashionable. 

if this collection doesn't make you feel like hitting up the boxing ring (no pun intended!), they sure as hell will make you feel sexy. you better get in line early because when this collection hits stores (and online) on november 6th, i have a feeling it is going to go fast.

here are some of my favorite looks and pieces from the collection. i really love the embossing and foam-injected tops. and really, who doesn't love bike shorts.

sweet william vintage.

last week, i set up shop at the portland flea-for-all. i am so excited to finally be able to share with everyone the pieces i have collected over the past few years. along with selling some really amazing things to you, i am very excited to meet people, see what interests others, and be able to help you find the perfect pieces or help you put together the perfect look. as you may know, i have a love affair with clothes and the stories and feelings they create for different people. i am so happy that someone is going to let me share this love of mine with other people.

here is a tiny selection of some of my favorite pieces: 

lady clansman pretty flower wool cardigan.

southwestern print jacket.

vintage wool plaid cape.

sequin trim black jumpsuit.

oh look! matching sequin trim dress.

red pleated evening dress.

plaid trousers.

plaid wide leg pants.

if you see something you like or are looking for something you don't see, let me know! i am happy to help you find whatever it is you are looking for. and if you can't make it to the flea, i'd be happy to be business with you here!

wore: sunday.

it has been a long time since i have done one of these posts. and i am happy to be back to it. i am happy it is fall and time to wear layers. it makes getting dressed much more fun and allows you to be able to wear more of your favorite things!

this fall, i don't feel like i added too much more to my wardrobe than what i already had. with moving and packing and unpacking and all that, it made it a little hard to focus on much else. and not to mention having less spending money, it was easy to not buy many new things. however, in this outfit, i am wearing two of the few of my fall must haves.

you may or may not be familiar with the baader-meinhof phenomenon. well i recently learned of it, and like so with this phenomenon, i heard about it again and again. (the phenomenon is when you learn about something new, you start to see or hear about it multiple times soon after). well when i saw this sleeveless j.o.a coat, i fell in love. i didn't buy it because it was not cheap. but i kept thinking about it. at the same time that i kept thinking about how i had to have this coat, i kept seeing this type of sleeveless coat everywhere. (get the connection, now?) well, my days were numbered as an urban employee, and so was my discount. so i did it. and i am pretty darn happy i did. this may be the first look i put together with it, but it will be fun to try more. with the before mentioned layering that this season brings, i will be able to show off more than just my coat.

as for the rest of the look, the boxy windowpane plaid sweater comes from the loft. while i do like what they sell, it tends to be a bit more business casual than i wear. i went in a couple weeks ago with my mom and found this on the sale rack. it was exactly what i had been looking for. not to mention, exactly what i had envisioned with this coat. a 50% off sale surely helped me make the purchase. and an added bonus, it buttons halfway down the back. 

and then the jeans. for those of you who have a hard time buying jeans, these are my all time favorite (so far). they are bdg brand from urban outfitters, which means they are moderately priced. these ones are the high rise twig. i do prefer a super high rise, but these fit almost as well. the best part of them, and the reason i want them in all colors, is that they are a grazer length, which is 26 inch inseam. they hit just about my ankle bone, look great with all shoes, and show a little skin when you want it.  

oh, i wouldn't want to forget the shoes. these were a recent $3.99 find from the salvation army. they are vintage jordache, with a little heel, cute tassels in a great green color. score.

to describe this look, when my sister saw me, she asked why i was dressed so fancy. i told her i am not. i was wearing three pieces; a sweater, a coat, and jeans. not to mention flat shoes. to me this outfit was simple, easy, and comfortable. knowing that i looked 'fancy' made me feel confident and chic. just think how you can look with a few simple, nice pieces..

oceans, emotions, and birkenstocks.

I went to run an errand today. I had nothing to do after for a few hours. They keep saying this is the last of the 70 degree days we will have this year. Just in case this time is really the last time, I decided it would be a good idea to stay  outside. Being near the eastern prom and soon becoming a member of the east side of the portland peninsula, it seemed like the right place to go. 

There was a mention of fleetwood Mac on the radio as I was pulling up and thought how crazy it would be if one day I threw my headphones into my new purse. And low and behold, they were there! Had all intentions to put on fleetwood Mac radio, but the last time I listened, it happened to be to the head and the heart. Down in the valley came on and the line I'm on my way back to where I started really got me. This first week of not having a job and being home as been harder than I expected. I am alone all day. My life is in boxes and up in the air. Sitting here, I see an old man with his old dog playing fetch then sitting down for some water and a snack, a young couple not far from me with their dog. I thought it was cute and then I saw him with his head in his shirt and her rub is back. Life's a struggle for everyone in one way or another. Lots of tourists for sure. Cute old men taking photos on their phones, another reading a paper.

Even with no real job, it is so hard to find time to sit in nature, with the sun on your back, the wind on your face, and a huge beautiful ocean in front of you. Boats go by. People go by. Everyone with their own story, their own plans, but all in the same place. The leaves are changing, the tides are changing, the clouds (very slowly) are moving by. Nothing stays in one place, everything changes or grows or dies. It's hard. But what a beautiful thing it is to not only watch it, but to be a part of it all.

And man, how good does it feel to have your barefeet in the grass..
(Also, I did change it to the fleetwood Mac station. It is, after all, friday.)

**i copied and pasted this from the notes section on my phone where i wrote this, so don't mind the grammar or the capitalization.  i want to keep it real, you know.