cedar ridge post 1

Before I forget, don't miss out on my lovely GIVEAWAY, so either click on that absurdly large link I just made, or scroll down just a bit and see it for yourself!

So yesterday I made the hour-long trek west out to Jordan, to see my lovely friend Mckenna at her barn! Since equestrian fashion is always in, (kind of a classic, don't you think?) she came up with the idea for me to come take pictures of her on her horse and with some of her fun equestrian gear - like the things stores come out with, but real. But first, before I left she changed into her awesome new maxidress and the two of us took some photos out in the pastures with the lovely horses, and they turned out so well I just can't resist sharing them! So here you go, cedar ridge post 1 (there's kind of a lot more to come?)

Ponies! These are the lesson horses that we had to fly-spray (or rather, Mckenna and her sister fly-sprayed, while I held the gate closed, to the annoyance of the big one, BG ^^). Thank you to all three of them for so willingly participating in our photo shoot, even though we had nothing to feed them. Sigh. I should have brought carrots! Or McDonalds? That's what Mckenna's horse prefers. Just like it's owner.

Honestly don't know where the maxidress is from, I'm thinking Delia's but I may also have just made that up. I'm sure Mckenna will tell me when she reads this. And the boots, while bedazzled and orange, are real Western boots! Yay for authenticity

Isn't she pretty? I'm absolutely loving the print of this dress, the colors and flowers are just gorgeous! And the crochet details fit it perfectly

zara tshirt

vintage necklace

martin&osa shorts

frye boots

And here's me, being all barn-appropriate. Or maybe that's just in my head? Here's my thought-process: We're going to a barn. That means I should wear boots right? Boots, check. And maybe some denim? I can do that... I'm awesome, right?

Aren't we adorable? And of course below is the picture of the all-important boots, Mckenna's real, and mine what she calls "motorcycle boots almost trying to be cowboy boots" - kind of fair, since Frye mostly makes cowboy boots, so these could be influenced by that. Aren't they gorgeous though? They are my birthday present from my Grandma, and I had to search all. over. for them! Seriously though, only one store in the entire Twin Cities carries this specific boot in store. But I found them, and I love them! Despite how difficult they are to get on and off. Such is life

So there you go! The first of probably a few posts based around my afternoon at Cedar Ridge, since I have horse-riding/modeling shots to share, as well as this adorable little cafe we got lunch in that had the best strawberry-rhubarb pie. Yum. So if you aren't already a little stressed by my inundating you with oodles and oodles of photos, don't worry. More is coming.

Oh, and in case you didn't read the top of my post, check out my giveaway! Scroll down, yep about two inches, and there it is! Just a little something to thank all my readers. Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

simple summer day

So tonight Jenny, Natalie and I are going to see Britney Spears at the Excel Center! We went to pick up our tickets this morning and they turned out to be pretty good (especially considering we got them 50% on Groupon - her tickets are kind of outrageous). But as for right now we're all pretty casual, in some typical-summer-day outfits. Walked up to Punch for a yummy pizza lunch, then went to the mall where I found some very cute purchases (despite my resolution not to spend much money. Put me in a mall and I'm such a fail...)

hanes tshirt

born sandals

everything else thrifted

Normally I don't like short floral skirts on me - don't ask me why, I've always just felt that way. But Jenny and I were at Ordinary People (a consignment/vintage shop in St. Paul) and we decided that for $10, this was a pretty good pick. And I quite like it! It's a bit short, but I'm a bit taller than average, so what's new.

We went to the flea market in St. Germain (a town near the cabin in Wisconsin) and I picked up these charms and the purse below, which I am so excited about! I saw it and immediately wanted it, then got chastised by my mother for how many little satchels I already own. So I walked away, then ran back about 10 minutes later to buy it - it was only $12. So psyched. And the charms are an old key and a Spelling bee charm, both were $1 apiece, thought they would be fun additions to my collection :)

And here we have Jenny in a crop top from H&M (I only know that because I was there when she bought it, a.k.a. last time we were at the mall). She always forgets that while crop tops may be an ordinary occurrence in L.A., they are not as widely accepted in the Midwest. However, the crop is only minor, and I think she looks adorable. Speaking of things that are not de rigeur in Minnesota, she bought this gorgeous bodysuit at American Apparel! Maybe we'll go out to a club or something and I can take pictures of it for you all, because it's pretty amazing- here is a picture of Megan Fox in it on the cover of Rolling Stone. Jenny, however, plans on wearing it with pants. And has a bit less on top (if she doesn't mind me saying), so it looks much classier on her. Oh, and I'm sure she would want me to mention that Khloe Kardashian has also worn it. A fun purchase I think :)

Ok, now I need to get dressed. We're leaving in about 10 minutes... and I have absolutely no I idea what I'm going to wear. If only I could wear heels! Alas my heel isn't strong enough for that yet. Ok. Really need to go. Have a lovely evening :)

sweatshirt

 

The title of this post will serve as my explanation as to why I'm posting a collage instead of an outfit. I know, I know, I said I would take actual pictures today. But it was so cold! I wore an old sweatshirt all day and literally almost froze to death. I haven't seen the sun in days. Basically things are looking bleak weather-wise in Minnesota. Apparently we're supposed to get sun tomorrow? I'll believe it when I see it.

In other news, I had my day of shadowing at the carousel today! For those of you who haven't read my blog before, I mentioned previously that I'm volunteering at this historical carousel at a zoo/park in St. Paul. Despite the cold it was really fun! I spent a normal shift (3 hours) following around some of the women who were working the carousel today, learning the routine and all the safety regulations. And let me tell you there are a lot! I spent most of my time on the carousel stressed some small child was going to fall off or some teenager was going to break the leg off a horse. Thankfully none of those things happened. Also, getting on a moving carousel is difficult! I know, they don't move that fast, but still! There are poles everywhere, the horses are moving up and down... needless to say my first few tries were quite graceless. But I think I got the hang of it! Hopefully I can sign up for a shift on my own soon.

  I have a busy day tomorrow! I can't make any promises, but I should be wearing something cute (and if its hits 70 that should make it a lot easier!) Good night :)

in the alley

 So we decided to have a little photo shoot in the alley, post Jenny and I attempting to go bike riding. Yet again. Last time, after we finally got the midget bike (a.k.a. a bike Natalie or I used when we were like 10, a.k.a. the size Jenny is now) out of the garage, we found it had no air in the tires and neither of us was crafty enough to figure out the bike pump. Or remember to bring money with us when we went to (multiple) gas stations to attempt to use a working air pump. We're awesome. But today, even though dad put air in the tires, the handlebars were too short and we didn't know how to fix them, and Jenny is a bit of a weeny and was worried her back would hurt if we went on an actual bike ride. So I suppose I will be going solo, now that she's at work.

 Sisters. Aren't we cute? Natalie doesn't like this photo, but I think she looks gorgeous. How could you not with hair like hers? Just kidding, she would be gorgeous even without her amazing hair :)

 Don't know the outfit credits for Jenny, but isn't her shirt cute? Apparently she got it from her roommate in exchange for a black cardigan. A good trade, no? I love the back.

 thrifted necklace

urban outfitters top

thrifted belt

martin&osa shorts

teva flip flops

And now we get to me. Oh goodness. I really need to find a good pair of summer sandals. Problem is I still need supportive shoes, and when we went to DSW and asked for the more "supportive" sandals, apparently that was code for "ugly." I actually couldn't imagine wearing any of them in public. I think I might just suck it up and buy myself a cute pair. It's been almost half a year! You'd think I could wear normal shoes right now, and supportive flip flops just aren't cutting it for me in the fashion department right now.

Isn't it weird how we can all look at photos that others tell us we look perfectly fine in and think that they are absolutely horrible? I made Natalie and Jenny pick which photos to use of me on the blog, I'm just to biased against pictures of myself... so why did I decide to make a website devoted to pictures of myself? Very good question...

 Have a lovely Monday! xo

new dress!

So now I get to show off my favorite new dress! Technically I wore it yesterday, where it got its grand unveiling at a Taylor Swift concert. I was appropriately boho yet not as horribly fake-country as some of the girls there (seriously though. I have decided that Taylor Swift concerts are some of the best places to people-watch) and more people than the 5-year-old and 7-year-old I was babysitting earlier that day got to see it! So I'm pretty happy. Here are some photos of the outfit, taken in my new favorite place for self-timer photos, the landing. Perhaps one of my lovely family members can start helping me take photos more often soon? We shall see.

 vintage dress

vintage necklace

h&m flats

If anyone reading this lives in the Twin Cities, may I suggest the vintage store Lula? They have such a great selection of dresses and are really quite helpful. Last time I was in there, I fell in love with this ruffled shirtdress, and as I was checking out we noticed a little hole in the armpit of the dress. The owner of a store took out a needle and thread right then and there and sewed it right up for me, no charge! She was so sweet, even asked me if I would like to model for her fall showcase (sadly, I was already at school by that time, otherwise that would have been so much fun). Also, anyone with a subscription to Lucky Magazine may have noticed that the Twin Cities were the subject of the City Guide in the June issue (I for one was beyond excited that we finally got some recognition) and Lula was in the spread, with a photo of some of her gorgeous dresses! Seriously, go check it out.

 When I first saw this dress I just couldn't put it down, mainly for two reasons - the pattern, which is so beautiful and luscious (good word, don't you think), and the sheerness of the fabric, which gave it a light, airy feel. The girl working in the shop at the time even suggested that I put different slips under it when I wear it, to give it a different feel each time, something that I would do if I owned slips - maybe it's time to get some? However, when I first tried the dress on, I wasn't sure if I could make it work, even with the fabric and pattern, and here's why:

Here is a picture of what the dress actually looks like! Very flowy, long, and boho, something that some people can just inherently pull off. Me, not so much. However, the fun thing is if you roll up the sleeves and use the tie blouse the waist (like seriously blouse it. You may be able to notice in some of the first photos, but there is like a foot of fabric bunched on my waist) it looks adorable and much more modern! And it's really easy to pull off, so much so that I probably won't even hem it - although that's mostly because I'm cheap. But who knows, once my leg is accustomed to wearing heels again, I may toss on my wedges and keep it long, just for a change of pace. I'm a fan of options. 

On another note in this extremely long post, the Taylor Swift concert was so much fun! I hadn't originally planned on going, but on the day of my friend Jenny looked up tickets on Stubhub and found some she really wanted to buy, and as a treat got me one for my birthday! So we sat 7th row on the floor and watched Taylor put on a really good show (I don't see why people criticize her live performances, she really is great) and wear some amazing outfits. Probably I will steal some photos off of Jenny's facebook and put up a post of Taylor's fashion, as she brought a camera and I only took pictures on my iphone - slight quality difference. Anyways, have a good night!