Style: Summer flashback

t-shirt: secondhand
capris: Target
sneaks: Converse via Famous Footwear
necklace, bracelet: Etsy
watch: secondhand Coach

You guys, I've only done two style posts since the beginning of June. TWO! I have no real excuse for June or July, but I will say that it can be a bit difficult to do outfit photos when you have a puppy running around the backyard, so that's my excuse for August, September and October. Actually, these photos are, in fact, from June...I just never got around to posting them. But we've had a pretty warm November so far, so maybe we can just pretend I wore this semi-recently?

Actually, if we're being honest, I kind of lived in outfits like this over the summer. A casual tee, a nice pair of denim and some comfy Converses...what more could you want?

I haven't taken any great outfit photos since July, really, partially because I've gotten into a groove (NOT a rut!) in my wardrobe and as a result, I'm not wearing a whole lot of "new" outfits. And partially because of aforementioned puppy running around-ness. Not sure if I'll keep up with outfit photos, especially in the winter when taking them indoors with a backdrop is even harder than taking them outside, but who knows. This blog has been a little outfit-heavy in the past few years, mostly because those were the easiest posts for me to do. But I really want to bring the "mélange" back into Verbal Mélange, so expect more variety in content moving forward :)

Similarly, I'm going through a lot of other changes in my day-to-day lately, which is to blame for my lack of posting frequency. Not 100% ready to announce anything yet, but I stay tuned! (And no, Matt and I are not expecting a baby. Just gonna clear that one up right away, haha.)

How about you guys? Anything new and noteworthy going on, or are you all (like me) hunkering down and bracing for winter?

Goal-setting and staying busy

blouse and cami: secondhand
capris: Target
sandals: BCBG via TJ Maxx
necklace, bracelet: Etsy
Photo-taking is weird. I am at a complete loss as to why the first photo is so crisp, but the third one is so grainy. They were taken at the same time, with the same settings, same focal points, everything. What's up with that? Any speculation?

I'll be honest; I'm racking my brain for something interesting to say about this outfit, but I've got nothing except that it was stupid-comfortable and I probably need more patterned and/or lace-edged camis in my life. Especially now that layering weather is here!

Anyway.

I've been thinking lately about goal-setting and keeping busy. As I said in my last post, winter's imminent arrival means I have to make a plan for things that will help stave off my SAD/winter depression. I've been brainstorming some home-improvement projects that, aside from helping me complete a 26-in-26 item, will also help keep me busy. And a busy Emma is much less likely to be a depressed Emma. Lethargy, man. It's my mortal enemy.

I'm also meeting with a trainer today, for the first time ever. I probably won't have the budget wiggle room to do regular personal training sessions, but a friend of a friend has her own personal training business, so I figured it would be worth my time/money to sit down for a little coaching session. We're going to talk about my goals and how I can best achieve them. I don't think my goals are all that difficult (increase flexibility, increase upper body strength without getting bulky linebacker shoulders, get a slimmer waist/flatter stomach)...my issue is that every time I come up with a new workout regimen, I inevitably stop doing it after just a week or two. It's really frustrating, and I'm not sure how to change that habit. How do you guys change habits/convince yourselves to stick with a workout plan?

Engagement photo outfit #1

Technically this was the third outfit of the day, but it was the only one we shot some solo blog pics of so I'm featuring it first. I'll show some of the other shots later, when I eventually get around to editing them. All photos in this post were shot by my friend and bridesmaid Emily and edited by me.








shirt: TJ Maxx
capris: Michael Kors via TJ Maxx
sandals: BCBG via TJ Maxx
necklace: gifted
Kudos to Meghan, who totally called this outfit combo in my last Budgeting Bloggers post. You win...my awe at your sartorial psychic powers! (And to the rest of you guys, she's totally working with a few other bloggers to give away a Kindle Paperwhite for the next few days...check it out at the link!)

And because it was Emily shooting me, I did all sorts of silly things in addition to actually, you know, posing. Stuff like this:






That look on Matt's face? That's probably him wondering why he ever decided to marry me. Or maybe he's contemplating how boring life would be without me. Who knows.

Anyway, I was excited to shoot with an actual person instead of a tripod, and one of my FAVORITE persons at that, and in a new location (downtown Columbus)! I've since renewed my campaign to get Emily to move to Columbus and become my full-time blog photographer. I think I've almost got her...

*slowly recovering from the shakes*

t-shirt: Old Navy
capris: Target (belt came with them)
flats/boat shoes: Famous Footwear
necklace: Express via Discount Fashion Warehouse
Guys, our house was without internet for the entire weekend! I don't know how that would really affect you, but I seriously just typed "Guys, our internet was without internet." Suffice to say I experienced some serious withdrawal. And of course, no internet means no Netflix/Hulu, and I had a whole weekend of Matt-working-so-I'm-home-alone to fill. Fortunately, the lovely Ally serendipitously came to the rescue! She recently finished watching Wonderfalls, a 2004 show that was cancelled before its time, and thought I'd enjoy it as well. So she sent me the DVD box set! It arrived late last week, just in time to entertain me through this difficult time. I blasted through all 13 episodes in three days. Thank goodness for good friends, amiright?

I also got a lot of wedding crafting done this weekend. I'm handmaking all the flowers for the ceremony reception--that's my bouquet and tossing bouquet; eight bridesmaid bouquets; nine boutineers for Matt/his groomsmen; various corsages/boutineers for parents, grandparents, readers and ushers; plus approximately 30-or-so bouquets for the centerpieces. I'm not gonna lie, the whole thing was really overwhelming and kind of had me in cold sweats at first, but I've since narrowed down the styles of flowers I'm making (some are on my Pinterest board, others I learned from my cousin, who did the same thing for her wedding next month) and the materials I'm using. I'll probably do a full tutorial on each of the bud styles I'm using and how I stemmed/arranged them once I'm done.

I've also been using the string-and-fire method (a la this) to cut the tops off of wine bottles to make vases. I've ruined several of my first attempts, but after a little trial and error I think I have the process almost down. Which means I just have to keep drinking lots and lots of wine, I guess. Tutorial to come on that one as well, though the video I linked is pretty entertaining in its own right.

Oof, I didn't mean for this whole post to go wedding-centric, but lately I can't help myself. We'll be at the 11-month mark as of Monday, which is unreal, and I'm going dress shopping this weekend, so my brain is on semi-permanent wedding mode for the time being. Sorrynotsorry. Here's a pic of me making a weird face to make it up to you.

That's a wrap!

t-shirt: Old Navy
capris: Target
belt: came with the capris
sandals: Walmart
necklace: gifted
Well, these are the last of my outfit photos shot at the new house. I used the alley between our garage and our neighbor's as a backdrop. I've used it before, but only rarely. We were really close to a heavily trafficked road and I had this dumb (but given the events of the summer, totally understandable) fear of my camera being snatched while I was shooting.

All in all, these shots didn't even turn out 100% as great as I had hoped. The t-shirt isn't plain white; it's speckled with tiny, bright neon splotches. (You can see a close-up of it here.) I avoided the neon trend for a long, loooong time, but I've finally jumped on the bandwagon, albeit in a tiny way. I'm way more comfortable with small accents like flat shoes or a skinny belt than I am with big, flashy pieces.

So tomorrow I have to go in to work an hour early, meaning I'll be out my front door before 7 a.m. I'll try to have a post ready, and I want to post a little before-and-after of how the new house is coming along this weekend...but life, as usual, may have other plans. Gotta love deadlines and taking on more projects than really is wise, right? Story of my life.

Happy weekend!

shirt: secondhand
capris: Target
shoes: Buckle
necklace: Etsy
At last, I have a weekend that's not all task-oriented! The past several weeks have been jam-packed; from friends visiting and bachelorette parties to moving-related chores and errands, I've had a lot of running around and not much down time. But this weekend promises to be a wonderful balance of fun stuff, with just a few "I might as well get this done" things thrown in to keep me from being completely unproductive. A perfect blend if you ask me.

And I woke up this morning with a functioning nose! The past few days I've been suffering through the absolute worst allergies of my entire life. Now I understand why some people are so miserable for a few weeks every spring and fall. But this morning I woke up and inhaled deeply and it was beautiful.

So that's my weekend. Fun stuff like tailgating the Buckeyes game and productive stuff like cleaning the house and hanging some art. And lots and lots of breathing :)

What are your plans for the weekend?

A quickie

shirt: Old Navy
vest: Forever 21
capris: The Limited
shoes: Buckle
belt: Target
necklace: Express
Not much time for chats today, as I'm off for a haircut and a quick moral-support-slash-getting-my-hand-crushed-while-a-friend-gets-a-tattoo sesh. But I have about five outfits to post (including this one) before I can start posting ones shot with my new camera, so I wanted to get this one in the can :)

I've had this idea of a black vest/black shirt combo in the back of my head for a while. The reality of it turned out a lot less awesome than I anticipated, unfortunately. I guess that happens to all of us, right? C'est la vie.

I survived!

t-shirt, Old Navy: Old Navy
polo, heels: Target
necklace: InPink
bracelet: don't remember

So the title of today's post applies to several things. First and foremost, I survived my sister's bachelorette party! It was so much fun, and well worth the time and effort I put into making sure it would be a great night for everyone. Fortunately, the bride-to-be survived as well ;)

I also survived that wicked cold that's been plaguing me for the past week or two. Only I found out yesterday that it wasn't a cold, it was my first-ever sinus infection. Let me tell you. Sinus infections are the absolute worst. Give me the flu any day; at least that's usually over with in a day or so.

Anyway, I'm on antibiotics and my way to recovery. Which is fortunate, because from now until the end of August, I have another bachelorette party, three weddings (two of which I'm a bridesmaid/maid of honor in), a sister's 21st birthday (not the one who's getting married, haha!), and a trip to Cedar Point. Bring it on!

Orange-you...eeh, I won't submit you guys to that bad joke :)

shirt, pants: The Limited
shoes: thrifted
belt: came with a skirt from JCPenney

This outfit is brought to you by the shopping spree I debated about a while back. I think I bought this shirt after some subconscious influence from this pin:

Source: heartfeltbalancehandmadelife.com via Emma on Pinterest

To be honest, I really want to recreate this outfit piece for piece, but part of the reason I started style blogging was to figure out my own take on outfits I like.

This doesn't have anything to do with clothes, but I just picked some zucchini from my garden (in the background of the pics above). And I'm going to make this with it. And I. Can't. Wait.

Monday already?

Wow. I had one of those weekends where you get so much done, yet you still find plenty of time to just kick back and chill. I think waking up super early during the week has gotten me into the habit of being able to wake up slightly earlier on the weekends, which makes me more productive. I used to sleep in until 11 or noon on the weekend, because during the week I didn't get up until 8. Now, I get up at 6:30 and "sleeping in" until 9 or 10 is more than enough.

Because I'm sure you're all fascinated by my sleep schedule. Anyway.







shirt, heels: thrifted
vest, necklace, bracelet: Forever 21
khakis: Old Navy

Hm. I guess I don't really have much else to say this morning. I have to go pack my breakfast and lunch and dig up a tomato plant to give to a friend at work. My garden's coming along really well, I think. Can't wait until it actually starts producing some edibles :)

More weekend, please

Yet again, the weekend is over far too soon. And it was a good one too, full of sun and pools and shopping. Matt and I even made it down to the climbing wall and got a few routes in. I was pretty behind my game, though. It's been a while since I've been out. And we had dinner with Matt's family Sunday night. That's always fun :)

But perhaps the highlight of the weekend was finally getting a new mattress! The one we've been sleeping on is actually almost 20 years old. We upgraded to a queen from a full, too. I know it's only six inches bigger, but it makes a heck of a difference! I slept better last night than I have in ages.







shirt: secondhand
vest: New York & Company
capris: Old Navy
shoes: Target
necklace: The Limited

I don't know why, but I tend to wear this shirt with vests. Maybe it's the crazy-high shoulders on it. I always think it's cute, but then I chicken out at the last second and cover it up. Hm.

You know, I really want to go crawl back into our new bed right now. Getting up for work this morning was definitely more painstaking than usual...

Creepy crawlies

If you know anything about me, it should be that I'm terrified of bugs. Anything with more than four legs pretty much freaks me the heck out. Spiders, centipedes, nameless insects that creep into your kitchen and startle you by sitting menacingly on the wall above the fridge when you're trying to unwind with a good ep of How I Met Your Mother. Needless to say, the latter manifested itself last night.

I just happened to glance into the kitchen when I saw it. Not 20 feet from where I sat was this disgusting little thing with a flat, half-inch long body. Just chilling on my wall like it belonged there. Like it knew I'd be cool with an extra roommate. No. Thank. You. So after a cool shriek (I'm so laid back, I know), I tiptoed into the kitchen to find the spider spray. You know the kind, it has a spray with a range of five feet so you don't have to get too close to the abomination that's invading your space.

First shot. I missed by about six inches, underestimating the force of the spray itself. Second shot, nailed it. And the damn thing fell, still wiggling, behind the fridge.






shirt, khakis: Old Navy
vest: thrifted
shoes: Target
Not entirely sure how I feel about this vest. I liked it a lot when I bought it for 50 cents at the thrift store, but the front panel is made from a semi-itchy wool blend that stretches up behind my neck. And after seeing it in photos, I don't think I like the color combinations that much either. What do you think?

But wait! The bug story isn't over. I won't go into the agonizing detail of the next 15 minutes, but they definitely involved me crouching in the kitchen with a flashlight, trying to peer behind the fridge and spray a bug that just would not die. It had to be some mutant thing that was half-immune to poison. I got the little creeper eventually, though. Then I had to wash my wall, because you know something? Spider-poison stains paint.

Take two

You ever take outfit photos and love the clothes, but hate the way the photos turn out? So you decide to re-wear that outfit again at some point, to reshoot the photos? That happened over the summer for me with this outfit. Only I never really got around to reshooting the outfit, so I had to modify it a week or two ago when the temps were in the upper 70s, not the upper 90s. But I still like the overall look and, let's face it, I'll probably rewear the original outfit come spring or summer anyway.






shirt: Old Navy
vest: New York & Company
khakis and shoes: Target
necklace: The Limited
Except, these photos didn't really turn out so well either. That fence behind me is on the south side of the yard, and while I really want to get it in some of the photos (because fences are cool), the south side of the yard always has the most sun in it...so it always winds up giving me some crazy glare. Bummer.

In other news, I have Saturday off! And nowhere to be! So I'm going to get some to-do list items checked off. Like getting my bridesmaid dress for my friend Tiffany's wedding next year (yay!!), doing some freelance work and finally getting around to that dang curtain tutorial I keep promising. Hooray for a smidgen of free time!

Split minds

Every morning when I get dressed, I compose a blog post in my head that corresponds to the outfit I'm wearing. I think about talking points, like how I almost paired a different shirt or necklace with the outfit, or a funny story about an item I'm wearing.

But by the time I actually post the outfit, a few days to a week later, I've almost always forgotten what talking points I had thought up and inevitably wind up talking about something else. Like with this outfit, I'm sure I had intended to say something about how I'm not sure if this all-neutrals outfit is chic or if it just makes me look washed out. But all I want to talk about this morning is how Spazzy keeps staring at me and mewing, and how stinking cute she is.






button down: New York & Company
cami: Old Navy
capris: Target
shoes: Franco Sarto via Marshall's
necklace: Banana Republic
Sometimes I remember what talking points I had wanted to touch upon, and then it starts to compete with whatever's going on at the moment I'm writing, and the post winds up sounding like two different people wrote it. Which I'm sure is rather weird to read, particularly if you can't follow my train of thought. (But don't feel bad if you can't...few people can. Even Matt makes me stop for clarification at times, haha.)

Oh well. Spazzy is now asleep next to me on the couch, and there's more adorableness going on there, so I think I'm just going to forget about my split-personality blogging habits and bug her for a little bit :)