Building A Snowgnome

Oh the joy! In my secret heart of hearts was a dream that I did not think I could even dare to close my eyes to think of. It involved my children playing in the snow. In our yard. Building a snowman.

IMG_2200.JPG

It doesn’t seem like a big dream, but there it was in my heart of hearts.

So when my husband woke me up on New Year’s Eve excitedly exclaiming that it was snowing, I thought I was still dreaming. It was still dark outside, and it did not seem real.

IMG_2269.JPG

But it was. In Southern California, it snowed.

IMG_2246.JPG

We woke our kids up and told them to quickly get dressed in warm clothes and shoes. And we all traipsed outside to play in the snow in the dark. Our silhouettes were lit by the streetlamps and Christmas lights twinkling on the street. It felt surreal and I understood how Harry Potter must have felt when Hagrid greeted him in the lighthouse that very first night.

Anything seemed possible.

gnomegif

My kids built a snowman with my husband that I turned into a snowgnome.

He was much happier that way.

As one always is in a red pointy hat.

Did you build a snowman or snowgnome this season? Please tell me I am not the only one with a gnome hat or two.

*Outfit details: My sweater is one that I purchased from the flea market last month. I talked about it more in this post. Anthropologie has a cool cardigan out right now that is also reminiscent of an afghan or blanket. I also found this one on Etsy. If you can crochet, there are many different crochet cardigan patterns available for purchase there for around $3 so you could make your own. I was very lucky and only paid $30 for my sweater. The sleeveless chambray dress was an Anthropologie popback last year from Cloth and Stone (now sold out, similar shaped dress here).

*I shared this on The Pleated Poppy.

Stylin’ The Torsade Dress

A few weeks ago, Anthropologie’s Torsade Dress* popped back for me for $30. And I pounced on it. I had been waiting for it for this price because $98 was just too much for me. Unfortunately when it came, it reeked of garlic. This is a mystery I would not like to examine further. This might seem gross. But it was an easy fix with a quick wash in the washing machine. Although if I had to guess, I would say the dress was worn previously by some awesome female vampire hunter. This makes the dress more special. Sadly its special garlic powers washed out of the dress and thankfully I was able to wear it.

But now am weak against vampires. Oi.

20140322-223806.jpg

Here is the dress as it is. Without playing with it. This is actually the way a vampire hunter would wear it except my accessory would be a wooden stake. I just wanted to give you that visual.

20140322-224041.jpg

20140322-224801.jpg

* Pairing the dress with different colored bottoms will momentarily confuse the vampires in order for you to get away.

20140322-224408.jpg

I thought it would be fun to pair it with rain boots even if this outfit will probably never make it to my reality with California’s drought. I think the teal matches well. I would love to have the opportunity to wear this.

I also hope any vampires near me are having their own drought as well.

20140322-224836.jpg

My favorite way I paired it was using it as a top. I have been wanting a floral top with some pink in it to pair with my red and white striped skirt. But I did not want to pay for one. And I am not sure the exact shirt I had in my head exists in reality. Then I happened to see these two pieces next to each other and I could not wait to try it!

20140322-223903.jpg

Or you could use the dress as a skirt. This is perfect for those chilly nights when you need to arm yourself with more than just garlic.

Do you own this dress? A floral dress? What is your favorite way to style it?

* This is the link to the dress, but it is sold out. However a brick and mortar store might still have it if you call customer service. I cannot, however, guarantee that your dress will have any anti-vampire properties. Sorry about that.

** This has not been proven. If you happen to see a vampire, I doubt that the way in which you style this dress would be enough to scare them away. Well, unless you covered the dress in mirrors. But I think I would rather take my chances with the beasts.

* P.S. I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!