pinspiration: summer's around the corner

With Wednesday being the last day of school for students, Friday being the last for teachers, and Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer, kicking off next week, I'm channeling some serious summer vibes this week on my Pinterest boards. Also this week - the made-for-television remake of Dirty Dancing. Are you planning to watch? The original, filmed in Virginia at Mountain Lake, is one of my all-time favorite movies and I don't think it can ever be topped! Whatever your plans for this week, make it a bright and colorful one.

Here's what I'm listening to this week while packing up my classroom and thinking ahead to summer fun, rest, and relaxation:

this week's clicks.

get your week off to a colorful start...
SWOON.

The Everygirl

• Maybe the most millenial apartment ever? From the Everygirl.
• Snippet and Ink rounds up nontraditional wedding dresses.
• From SMP, a stylist's soft and breezy at-home wedding.

SMILE.

• Desktops: Cross Cards, Mollie Makes, Soggy Musings, Red Stamp.
• Non looks based compliments to give the little girls in your life.
• One of my fave Roanoke events, Local Colors, is this weekend!

FLASHBACK.

• 2015: My third Stitch Fix, Memorial Day inspiration, and spring in Instagram.
• 2014: summer memories, nautical fashion, and strawberry wedding inspiration.
• 2013: patriotic home decor ideas for Memorial Day and beyond.
• 2012: bridal portrait inspiration, mint fashion picks and wedding inspiration.  
• 2011: flower girl inspiration.

sunday simplicity.

Courtney Beck Photography

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we 
should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 
-Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Pinspiration: Labor Day Weekend Style

Labor Day is next Monday, and I'm already thinking about what to do with my Monday off work - I'm hoping for an invitation to the lake, but staying home, turning on the grill, and watching Norma Rae again also seems like a good option. We've been in school for three weeks already and this teacher is exhausted.

What are your plans for Labor Day?

Simple Photography from a Backyard Wedding

Mr. Q and I recently had the pleasure of attending my dear cousin's intimate backyard wedding. He and his wife planned their day around their favorite things: bright colors, dreamcatchers, rock music, and family. As our gift to the couple, Mr. Q served as wedding photographer and I lent my creativity to editing the images. Here are a few of my favorites.

sunday simplicity.

Christina McNeill via Snippet and Ink

“Never love anyone who treats you 
like you're ordinary.” ― Oscar Wilde

travelogue: charleston, south carolina - part 4 - sullivan's island

My #1 criteria for our vacation spot this summer was that it had to have a beach. I needed the ocean. One of the reasons Charleston was so appealing was because it was surrounded by beaches - there's Seabrook Island (private and serene), Kiawah Island (pristine and luxurious), Folly Beach (young and eclectic), Isle of Palms (family friendly), and Sullivan's Island. Since we stayed in Mount Pleasant, we were right between Charleston's historic downtown and Sullivan's Island, and we visited the beach almost every night of our stay in the Lowcountry. From our first drive through the pastel houses Mount Pleasant's historic district and out to the island, we were in love.

My travel outfit: Ann Taylor tank, handmade necklace with 

charms from Michael's, and olive shorts. Love this color combo!

This beautiful coastline was our first taste of Sullivan's Island after arriving in Charleston - quiet, serene perfection. The island is just 3.3 square miles with more homes and rentals than businesses - Middle Street just a few blocks, is home to quirky restaurants like Taco Mamacita (which we loved) and the famous Poe's Tavern (Edgar Allan Poe was stationed at Fort Moultrie during his time in the Army).

Sullivan's Island has a vibe that reminds me of the Outer Banks - laid-back. One of the most interesting things we saw on one of our visits there was a group of volunteers working in shifts to monitor a sea turtle's nest.

Sullivan's Island offers a great view of the Charleston skyline and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge, which connects downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

Most of the beach houses on Sullivan's are quaint and unassuming - I think this one is my dream house! I love the tin roof and double porch but I'm pretty sure the string lights were what really did it for me.

A newer Sullivan's Island beach house - I loved the teal color and the construction is a modern take on traditional Charleston style, including the great plantation-style staircase.

A casual night out: T.J. Maxx lace tank, handmade tassel 

necklace, Jessica Simpson clutch, StitchFix striped skirt, 

and Old Navy flip flops to survive the sand!

On our last night in Charleston, we had dinner at Shem Creek Bar and Grill, which was highly recommended by friends. It's a local favorite and the seafood did not disappoint. Afterward, we headed over to Sullivan's for one last beach walk before saying goodbye to the Lowcountry.

Linking Up With:

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Let It Shine at Still Being Molly
Mix it Mondays with Fizz and Frosting

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

clicks of note: quick-thinking and kind of sly...

get your week off to a colorful start...
WATCH.

• An interviewer from Cosmopolitan noticed that Scarlett Johansson seems to get stuck with the same sexist questions in most of her interviews for her role as Black Widow, so she decided to flip those questions around. Mark Ruffalo gets asked about his go-to photo poses and whether he felt pressured to loose weight for his role, and Scarlett gets to talk about her stunts and her favorite thing about playing Natasha. Brilliant.

SWOON.

Daniel Cruz Photo via Style Me Pretty

• From Apt. Therapy, affordable tile alternatives.
• SMP features a pretty, simple backyard wedding.
• SW gives perfect pastel blue bridesmaid inspiration.
• At Wedding Chicks, a rustic multicultural wedding.

SMILE.

• Have you seen Time's name tool? Just call me Bessie.
• Reading recs from The Everygirl and Modern Mrs. Darcy.
• So happy that Hulu is saving The Mindy Project!
• Wes Anderson designed a café and I want to go to there.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared a Sunday Social full of summer memories, rounded up nautical fashion picks for Memorial Day and inspiration for a strawberry-themed wedding, reviewed the Nester's book,
• Two years ago, I rounded up patriotic home decor ideas for Memorial Day and beyond.
• Three years ago, I shared bridal portrait inspiration, my favorite mint fashion and beauty picks, and blue + mint wedding inspiration.  Two years ago, pretty flower girl inspiration.

 

style challenge: new hairstyle, oscar inspired casual outfit, and grace

Audrey's fourth style challenge over at Putting Me Together was to try a new hairstyle.  I decided to go big or go home with this one and booked a color and cut appointment. You see, my Pinterest hair and makeup board had started to look like this...

so I booked an appointment to get two inches cut off the bottom of my hair and attached a picture of beautiful balayage highlights. My stylist Tess loved the idea of very subtle dark caramel highlights. She did use foils, so these aren't strictly balayage highlights, but she did go from subtle at the roots to more intense on the ends for an ombre effect. Instead of painting highlights on the top layer of my hair (where roots growing in would be really obvious really fast), she did three "peekaboo panels" on each side and a "mohawk section" at the crown.  She also left the toner on for a bit longer than usual so that the highlights would be fairly dark, since it's still winter - they will lighten over time with repeated washing.

I love it so much! My hair gets so dark in the winter that the white hairs that are coming in around my temples really stand out. I don't hate aging, and I don't really hate my white hairs, but highlights make them a lot easier to live with until they grow out enough to be in full Susan Sontag/Bonnie Raitt/Stacy London/Rogue from the X-Men cool streak mode:

Here's the very casual outfit I put together for Oscars night dinner with Mr. Q and Breeze - I definitely wanted to get some gold in there, and my art deco necklace always reminds me of Old Hollywood glamour.

Cardigan: Merona for Target  Tank: Old Navy (Similar, Similar) 

Necklace: Lia Sophia (Similar, Similar) Jeans: LOFT  Boots: Merona for Target

I also wanted to share something from a celebrity I love this morning. I have a little addiction to Fashion Police and usually agree with Giuliana Rancic on all things red carpet. However, I thought young actress Zendaya had one of the most beautiful looks at the Oscars this year with her faux locs, rosy makeup, and goddess-worthy dress.  G, on the other hand, made some comments that were meant to be humorous but came off as reenforcing negative stereotypes. I saw her apology to Zendaya on my Facebook feed this morning, and thought, "Now that is an example of grace." Check it out:

Linking Up With:

PMT Style Challenge at Putting Me Together

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera
Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet
Oh Hey Girl at Pumps and Push-Ups
Let Your Light Shine Thursday at Made With Zeal

style challenge: hey there, delilah...

Last week, Audrey's Putting Me Together Style Challenge was to wear a bright color.  Even though I tend to wear more neutrals in winter, I love color, so the challenge for me was just picking which one to wear!

Cardigan: Old Navy (similar)  Necklace: Lia Sophia  Tee: Target  

Pants: Wal-Mart (similar)  Shoes: Sam & Libby for Target

I consider coral one of my "power colors:" it flatters my complexion, I often receive compliments when I wear coral pieces, and I feel happy when I look at it.  When I follow my usual "formula," for work outfits, I like to pair a colorful cardigan and plain pants with a dressier top, but I was inspired by this outfit seen on Pinterest to try a plain white tee (hence the title of this post... excuse my four year old reference) and teal necklace instead.  I'd also usually wear black shoes with these pants, so I swapped those out for some springier Sam & Libby flats with a cute bow.  Wearing a bright color on a rainy winter day really did lift my mood - I felt great yesterday!

Do you think what you wear affects how you feel?

Also Linking Up With:

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera
Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet

currently pinning.

I decided to use one of Helene's winter blogging prompts today: my current favorite Pins from Pinterest! Here are four pins that I am in love with at the moment...

My January {Fab} Favorites

Disclaimer:  Amazon links contain an affiliate code.  Thank you for supporting Beyond the Aisle!

1. Marc Jacobs Salty Pretzel Stud Earrings - These were my special Christmas gift from Mr. Q this year.  I'd had them on my Pinterest forever, but apparently they'd gotten really popular and he had to order from a store in London, England to get the rose gold - which, to me, makes them even more special.  I had a pretzel (and beer cheese, let's be honest) obsession in 2014 that I don't see stopping any time soon.  They're a great conversation piece - I wore them on a teacher workday and got a lot of "are your earrings pretzels?!?!"

2. Xhileration French Terry Lounge Pants - My mom got me these pajama pants for Christmas and they are the greatest - they are styled like jogging pants but made of super soft jersey.  I pretty much put these on every single day when I get home from work (sorry, Mr. Q.)

3. Orange Circle Studio 2015 Wall Calendar by Katie Daisy - I've seen several of Katie Daisy's lovely watercolors online (her Etsy shop is full of awesome), so when I saw a whole wall calendar of her work with nice big boxes for writing I knew it would be perfect for the new year.  It includes quotes from Shakespeare, Rumi, and Emerson among others and it's so cheerful!

4. Old Navy Fleece Dress - My love of sweatpants material really knows no bounds and this dress is my own personal heaven.  I wore it with tights, boots, and a cardigan to a baby shower and no one called me out on basically being in sweats.

5. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater - Finally got around to the newest book in my favorite YA series.  This one's got a lot of material from Blue's point of view, as well as Adam's, which I appreciated because I missed his voice in The Dream Thieves.  I'm hoping that the fourth book will have more chapters from Gansey's perspective.  

6. Bath and Body Works Cinnamon Caramel Swirl 3-Wick Candle - Another Christmas gift from my mom, this candle is the current key to creating cozy in my house.  Be careful, though - with all three wicks lit, it doesn't take long for a whole room to smell like the inside of a cinnamon bun, and it can be a little overwhelmingly spicy.

sunday simplicity.

Todd Pellowe Weddings

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories 
and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again 
at Christmas time.”  - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Fall Trend: Graphic Sweatshirts

For most teachers, Election Day means a workday, and workdays are the perfect day for something comfortable and full of personality - like this season's fun statement sweatshirts.  The trusty cold-weather wardrobe staple has come a long way!

Disclaimer: ModCloth links contain an affiliate code.

1. Forever 21 France  2. Hello Merch Champ  3. Madewell Buffalo plaid (similar)  4. Sundry Clothing from Piperlime  5. J. Crew Gold heart  

6.  Kin Ship from ModCloth (as seen on The Mindy Project)

Which of these fun sweatshirts is your favorite?

Linking Up:

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style Sessions at Style Elixir

Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera and Life in the Fash Lane

clicks of note: show the world the you inside...

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• If you like 20-year-old Meghan Trainor's radio single "All About That Bass," you'll love the super-positive "Close Your Eyes."  This girl has such a powerhouse voice!  I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

Brett Heidebrecht Photography via Style Me Pretty

• The Bride's Cafe features the perfect black and white palette.
• A simple, stylish backyard wedding from Elizabeth Anne Designs.
• How sweet is this hot air balloon birthday party from HWTM?
• Style Me Pretty features a gorgeous blue desert engagement sesh.

SMILE.

• Cool stuff from NYFW: Luis Antonio, Lela Rose, Alice and Olivia.
• From SheFinds: 8 things brides forget to do after the reception.
• Pretty printable fall gift wrap and tags from designer Lia Griffith.
• I enjoyed reading this essay about Joan Rivers from XOJane.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year, I put together a rainy game day outfit.
• Two years ago, I shared lilac and rose wardrobe picks for fall, inspiration for a neutral pastel wedding, a roundup of ballerina bun hairstyles, and my personal manifesto.  
• Three years ago, I showed you my bridal portraits taken the morning of the ceremony and recapped our wedding's prelude.

clicks of note: in this life, we can see everything...

get your week off to a colorful start...
LISTEN.

• Saint Raymond's "Everything She Wants" popped up on my Pandora this week and I was instantly hooked on the catchy tune and slightly melancholy lyrics.  You may have also heard their song "Fall At Your Feet."  I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SPARK.

Doerman Photography via Wedding Thingz

• Andrea's family built the cutest farm fresh flower cart.
• Casey writes about the places she's learned the most from.
• The Inspired Room rounds up beautiful patterned floors.
• Wedding Thingz features a sweet park engagement sesh.

SMILE.

• BRIDES rounds up all the most striking TV wedding gowns.
• Five little practices to add more happiness to your lifestyle.
• Easy Instagram photography tips from the West Elm blog.
• Interesting: visitors' most surprising things about the U.S.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I participated in a forward-thinking Sunday Social, shared my favorite new coral and gray work outfit, and rounded up colorful kitchen pieces and inspiration for a soft coral and teal wedding.
• Two years ago,  I shared wardrobe inspiration and home decor ideas in shades of navy blue, daydreamed about a bohemian citrus-inspired wedding, and rounded up my favorite brides in forehead bands.

Style Inspiration: Summer Chic Palette

Today I decided to put a different spin on a Tuesday style post.  I fell in love with the color palette in this Boden pencil skirt - hydrangea blue, cherry red, and freesia yellow.  These primary colors sing summer!  For these three looks, I chose classic preppy summer staples.  Don't be put off by the high-end names I've used for inspiration here - click the "similar" links to find affordable versions that are just as adorable!

View this set on Polyvore

Look #1: J. Crew Factory blouse, Kendra Scott earrings (similar), Lilly Pulitzer bangle bracelets (similar), Merona handbag from Target, Dior "Reflects" nail polish from Nordstrom (similar), Boden pencil skirt, Tory Burch sandals (similar)

Look #2: Merona top from Target, D&G sunglasses from ASOS (similar), J. Crew Factory scarf, Merona shorts from Target, Merona wristlet from Target, Dior nail polish in "Captain" from Nordstrom (similar), ModCloth sandals (similar)

Look #3: NYDJ peasant blouse from Lord and Taylor (similar), Allurez monogram earrings (similar), GAP clutch, Deborah Lippmann "Walking on Sunshine" nail polish (similar), Merona shorts from Target, Jack Rogers sandals (similar)

Linking Up:

Manic Monday at More Pieces of Me and The Daily Express

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style Sessions at Style Elixir
Style to Inspire with Rhea Et Cetera

Stylish Tuesday at Life's a Party, Dress Like It

sunday simplicity

Astrid Photography via Eat Live Run