clicks of note: only you...

get your week off to a colorful start...

SWOON.

• DIY ear cuffs from Britt + Co. are Oscar-party perfect.
• A soft, lovely wedding moodboard from Grown-Up-Shoes.
• From NPR, a super sweet and very Catholic love story.
• At SMP, a photographer's tribute to her grandparents.

SIMPLIFY.

• Nicole's helpful advice on starting anchor habits.
• A 30-day minimalism challenge from Into Mind.
• Raluca's tips on creating the ideal Sunday home.
• Share how you're getting organized this month.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year my Olympic fever continued as I got a little obsessed with the bobsled song and rounded up some Sochi and Team USA inspired wardrobe picks
• Two years ago I shared Cinderella-inspired blue and pink wedding ideas, rounded up Oscar Party tips from around the web, and shared my February blog loves.
• Three years ago I shared a very pink Sunday Simplicity and some snapshots from my weekend.
• Four years ago I shared inspiration for our wedding in textures, recapped our Valentine's Day as an engaged couple, practiced my flower arranging skills, and shared some of my favorite contemporary instrumental music for weddings.

sunday simplicity: love is...

Love, the Nelsons via Southern Weddings

“Love is that condition in which the happiness 

of another person is essential to your own.”

― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

style challenge: business casual for valentine's day

Here's my second Style Challenge entry for Putting Me Together this week!  The challenge was to wear red, pink, or purple for Valentine's Day.  I wanted to put together a work-appropriate casual Friday outfit even though school was closed on Friday for the long weekend.  As a teacher, it's fun to dress for a holiday theme, and it is possible to do so without looking cheesy!

I like this ombre pink blouse, but I really don't wear it enough.  To dress it down a little, I paired it with dark rinse Old Navy sweetheart jeans, then added some office style with a gold boucle Lou & Grey jacket from LOFT and heels from Payless.  If I really was going to wear this outfit for work, I'd swap out the heels for flats!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Linking Up With:

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style to Inspire at Rhea Et Cetera

Style Sesssions at Style Elixir

Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On

the circle: a letter to my younger self...

This month's idea for Kiki's link-up, The Circle, is to write a letter to your former self.  I tried to think of when my little old younger self could have used the most advice, and instantly thought of the exhausted, confused girl I was my first year of college.  Here we go!

Dear first-year Heather,

I know that you are excited and proud of yourself for taking the next step in your education and beginning your adult life.  The next five years are going to move very fast, although some of the days will seem slow.

Trust your gut on who will be a true friend and who won't - most of the time, you're right. Just because your friends think someone is cool doesn't mean you need that person's friendship or approval - a small, tight circle of friends is more valuable than being a social superstar. People will surprise you - people you underestimate now will be some of the best friends you'll ever have, and some of your favorite high school friends will drift away.  You wouldn't believe it now, but you won't miss them.  When your high school friend invites you to his fellowship's large group worship, GO.  You'll find your brothers and sisters there and wish you'd gone sooner.

Focus your energy on the people and activities that give you energy rather than the ones that take it away. Your roommate is right when she tells you not to take on too much.  As time passes, you will begin to identify more and more as an introvert - yes, you like people, but you need quiet time to recharge.

Your easygoing nature will lead some people to absolutely adore you - especially people who need a little extra attention.  Remember to keep your guard up, maintain boundaries, and not take advantage of others' feelings for you.  By the way, that thing you do when you don't want to hurt a guy's feelings by dumping him so you start acting like a lunatic so he'll dump you? Not doing anyone any favors.

You will always want to live your life ten times, ten different ways.  Don't waste this one.

Sincerely,
Almost-30-Heather

style challenge: pinterest inspired

I've fallen a bit behind in the Putting Me Together weekly style challenges, so if I can get my act together and not get totally overwhelmed with school work, I'll try to do two this week! Challenge #3 was one I knew I could handle - a Pinterest inspired outfit.  The challenge was picking which Pin to copy.  When the weather turned unseasonably warm this past weekend (By warm I mean for Virginia in January), I really wanted to break out my herringbone vest. Since it's one of the trendiest pieces in the blog world, I knew there'd be lots of styling ideas on Pinterest.

Here's my version, and here's the Pin:

Recently I had a conversation on another blog about how certain items are popular on blogs but maybe not so much in the real world.  Remember when every blogger was wearing bubble necklaces from J. Crew?  I bought a mini version from GroopDealz and called it a day, and today one of our math teachers had on the large version - the first large bubble necklace I have ever seen in real life.  I haven't seen another herringbone vest around here, but my co-workers make fun of me because I paid over retail on Ebay for it - my work BFF sent me a Snapchat of a girl wearing one when she was traveling in a college town.  I've worn it so many times, though, that I think my silly over-spend was worth it!  Have you bought any "trendy" items after seeing them on blogs or Pinterest?

Linking Up With:

Passion 4 Fashion at Rachel the Hat

Style to Inspire at Rhea Et Cetera

Style Sesssions at Style Elixir

Style Me Wednesday at Shopping My Closet

I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On

clicks of note: this is a crash landing, we're living a dream...

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• You probably remember Eric Hutchinson from "Rock and Roll" back in 2008 (my personal favorite song of his is "Outside Villanova").  His new album Pure Fiction sounds like a great blend of soul and pop. I'll be linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

• Sophisticated meets organic in a San Diego wedding at EAD.
• The Knot rounds up trendy copper registry picks...
• the copper KitchenAid is a must-have for a 2015 registry.
• SMP features an enchanting bridal shoot with rich florals.

SMILE.

• Get ready for fashion week... hey, it's happening either way.
• These Kate Spade Saturday New Balance sneakers = amazing.
• Rom com lovers, can you ID all these movie wedding gowns?
• Last minute ideas for Valentine's Day on my Pinterest board.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I rounded up sporty save-the-date ideas and geeked out about details from the Sochi Olympics like the Dove of Peace.
• Two years ago I featured inspiration for a poppies and lace wedding and recapped my Cupid Swap experience.
• Three years ago I shared my first Photo-A-Day Instagram challenge round-up, a couple of snapshots from my Valentine's Day, and my first ever round-up of blog loves.
• Four years ago I rounded up table number inspiration for our wedding and shared some of my favorite poetry just in time for Valentine's Day.

sunday simplicity: the things we love.

First Mate Photo Co. via Ruffled

 “We love the things we love for what they are.”

― Robert Frost

Jessica Burke

12x30 challenge: inspiration for getting organized

The theme for this month's 12x30 challenge is organization - which is something I basically put off throughout the month of January.  I signed up for Apartment Therapy's January Cure, identified several spots in the country townhouse that need serious TLC, and promptly ignored all the e-mails.  In my defense, we are using a new approach to teaching English this semester and I have been so tired when I get home every day that I just want to eat junk food and watch trashy television.  I may not know the expiration date of anything in my refrigerator or makeup drawer, but I can tell you all about Scott Disick's trip to rehab, all of the drama on Total Divas, which Golden Globes outfits Kelly and Giuliana hated, and the ladies Stacy London revamped on Love, Lust, or Run.

In case you're feeling as lethargic as me when it comes to working on your organization goals for 2015, today I'm keeping things simple with some Pinterest inspiration.