Lightweight sweaters are totally allowed for summer. I love cool summer days where I have the chance to wear one. Fashion is one of those things where you can follow rules or break them. Now you won't see me wearing any of my heavier sweaters because where I live, I'd melt. But when I can, I do. This lace skirt has been a fun challenge to style. It is a skirt that can stand on its own or blend into the rest of the outfit. These two seemed like a perfect pair. This is what I usually wear when I head to grocery store or farmer's market. It's a no fuss way to be stylish and remain comfortable. In previous posts with this skirt, I kept it all black, but it was time to give this skirt a pop of color.
|| Sweater: H&M | Black Crop Top: Forever 21 | Skirt: Target | Sunglasses Urban Outfitters | Purse: Betsey Johnson | Shoes: Dolce Vita ||
So as I began to layer this outfit, I loved how this part of the outfit looked together. Realistically this is more temperature friendly for this time of year.
It's summer and where I live it's prime season for a lot of plants, flowers, herbs, and veggies. Every summer I try to grow things in pots and in my big garden. Where I live there is a lot of clay in the ground so it becomes easier and more fruitful by planting most of what I grow in pots. Here are some of the pictures of what is growing this year. I'll be posting more as the garden continues to grow! Even since posting these pictures, parts of my garden are really taking off!
(From L to R) : Chives, Rosemary, Lime Thyme, Italian peppers, Cherry tomatoes, Cheyenne Peppers
The Rosemary reminds me of Christmas trees, but once it is dried, you can still make use of it like in cooking and tea. This is one of my favorite herbs to cook with.
This Lime Thyme is so aromatic. Part of the reason I bought it was because it smelled delicious. I'd like to see how it will taste in different dishes.
Tomatoes! I always have to grow them in a pot. It is so much easier to control how many your plant will produce. Most of these have already turned red and are no longer on the vine. Once one starts turning red get ready for a bucket load!
(From L to R) : Habenero peppers, English Thyme, Jalapeno peppers.
One day I found one of my new grown Habenero peppers bit. I figured whoever sampled the pepper realized it was very spicy.
My herb garden is never complete without flat-leaf Parsley. It's funny too because Monarch caterpillars always devour it before I get the chance to use it. I guess they found another Parsley plant to eat. But I love seeing them because Monarch caterpillars turn into Monarch butterflies! I absolutely love butterflies!
This year I decided to give Heirloom tomatoes a try. They are more unique in color and shape. I always seem to have it easy growing the little tomatoes, but the bigger one put up a fight. I am hoping these will grow to maturity so I can make some homemade pasta sauce.
Once again I had to plow up my in-ground garden. This year alongside my squash and zucchini I am also growing cucumbers, green & red onions, and attempting to grow carrots - as long as the rabbit don't see them. (Deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds, etc all hang out in my backyard.)
So this is in a couple spots in the yard. I grew some Lemon Balm in a pot a few years back and it transplanted itself in the yard and now grows wild. Sometimes it is used in food, but it can also be steeped in tea and is used to ease digestive problems. It's very fragrant.
That's all for now from my garden. I'll post some photos once everything is in full bloom.
The one thing I love about summer is being able to really enjoy all the cold treats. I do have a tendency to eat ice cream and sorbet in the winter, but there is nothing like a root beer float - it screams summer time! One day I was in a convenience store that had the glass bottle sodas on sale. They really cool flavors like cherry limeade, grape, and my favorite blue cream soda. They also have a few different kinds of root beer, the regular kind and a vanilla root beer. I instantly craved a vanilla root beer float.
So I will admit I tried the root beer before making it to a float to make sure it was good. I don't know if I'll ever buy it regular again! It gave the float an extra punch of flavor, but it didn't make it overly sweet.
How did I make it? You wouldn't believe how quick it took. I think I spent more time savoring the float than I did making it!
I scooped me up some lactose free vanilla ice cream in a vintage Coke glass and slowly poured in the soda. The key to an awesome float is how you pour the soda over the ice cream. If you pour it too fast it will end up on the counter. Poured over ice cream the root beer gets extra frothy so slow and steady gives you a better soda to ice cream ratio.
And with that I happily enjoyed my float until the very last drop.
So I will admit I tried the root beer before making it to a float to make sure it was good. I don't know if I'll ever buy it regular again! It gave the float an extra punch of flavor, but it didn't make it overly sweet.
How did I make it? You wouldn't believe how quick it took. I think I spent more time savoring the float than I did making it!
So this is the brand I used. I haven't seen any other brands that have this flavor so for now I'll keep buying this one.
I scooped me up some lactose free vanilla ice cream in a vintage Coke glass and slowly poured in the soda. The key to an awesome float is how you pour the soda over the ice cream. If you pour it too fast it will end up on the counter. Poured over ice cream the root beer gets extra frothy so slow and steady gives you a better soda to ice cream ratio.
And with that I happily enjoyed my float until the very last drop.
There is nothing like a great deal in fashion! I am a firm believer of good things coming to those who wait and boy did I wait! So I added this BDG plaid shirt to my Urban Outfitters shopping cart a few months ago at the regular price. As you all know I am a HUGE fan of long plaid shirts. This one was no different, but I absolutely loved this particular one for its color combination.
Lucky for me UO sent me an email stating that items in my cart were on sale. And there was the shirt - it went from $60 to $9.99. I immediately bought it because I knew if I waited it would disappear. This particular color was no longer an option but somehow remained in my cart. Trust me I'm not complaining one bit. This shirt will definitely get a lot of wear time just like the others will. And since it is not fleece, I'll wear it year round.
Lucky for me UO sent me an email stating that items in my cart were on sale. And there was the shirt - it went from $60 to $9.99. I immediately bought it because I knew if I waited it would disappear. This particular color was no longer an option but somehow remained in my cart. Trust me I'm not complaining one bit. This shirt will definitely get a lot of wear time just like the others will. And since it is not fleece, I'll wear it year round.
|| Plaid Shirt: BDG (Urban Outfitters - no longer available) | Crop Tank: Forever 21 | Shorts: Forever 21 | Slides: Payless ||
Wow! I can't believe The Couture Butterfly has not only been viewed over 15,000 times, but it continues to be seen all around the world - you guys rock!
So in trying to find ways to wear my Dolce Vita Zenith sandals, I came across this simple idea of a skirt and crop tank. When I first tried this outfit together and looked in the mirror, I was shocked. I absolutely loved it! It is so comfortable and relaxed I could see myself wearing this quite often. Sometimes the easiest way to find new outfits is to closet dive and find pieces that can be worn multiple seasons. Since the faux suede skirt is unlined, it makes it more versatile in my wardrobe.
So in trying to find ways to wear my Dolce Vita Zenith sandals, I came across this simple idea of a skirt and crop tank. When I first tried this outfit together and looked in the mirror, I was shocked. I absolutely loved it! It is so comfortable and relaxed I could see myself wearing this quite often. Sometimes the easiest way to find new outfits is to closet dive and find pieces that can be worn multiple seasons. Since the faux suede skirt is unlined, it makes it more versatile in my wardrobe.
(For all the short girls like me: remember to always keep your skirts just above or above the knee. This is to ensure that you don't appear shorter than you are, plus it's so much more flattering.)
|| Sunglasses: Kohl's | Earrings: Forever 21 | Crop Tank: Forever 21 | Suede Skirt: Made by Me | Sandals: Dolce Vita "Zenith" ||
