today was wonderful...

Today I went on a day out with my mom and sisters, and it was just absolutely wonderful. It was like our last day out together before school starts, in these last few lingering days of summer. First we went to downtown Duluth, and stopped by one of my favorite vintage shops only to find that it's now only open by appointment. It was sad. Buuuut, we decided to go to this antique store across the street. Oh. my. word. It was huge, and was filled with a million antiques and vintage treasures. I walked around it in an enchanted haze...like seriously. I could've looked, browsed, searched, admired, and loved everything in that shop for hours on end. Me and Wendy both found gorgeous vintage suitcases, mine for about $10, and hers for $5. Mine is so beautiful...it's the vintage suitcase of my dreams! I'll be sure to post pics soon. :)  Then we went to Ragstock, which is where the above picture is from. If you have one near you, you should really go and check it out. Then we headed off to the mall! It was a really lovely day. :)

I got the amazing shirt dress I'm wearing from Fancy Treehouse earlier this week, and I'm in love with it. It's so sweet and darling, and I've been brainstorming tons of different ways to wear it. It's just so pretty, I couldn't wait until fall to wear it, so I paired it with a nautical inspired cardigan and rolled up the sleeves. And Wendy decided to use my favorite oversized cardy with shorts (one of my fave combinations) which is accompanied by strange stares from people, as from behind it looks like you're not wearing anything. Haha! We were going to take outfit pics downtown, but we were running out of time and me and Wendy were scrambling down the sidewalks with our vintage suitcases, so it didn't work out. So it was photos outside the mall again! :)

xo

Maria Elyse

my outfit:

dress: fancy treehouse

cardigan: thrifted

shoes: wendy's, target

bag: wendy's

wendy's outfit:

top: target

cardigan: mine, vintage

shorts: mine

shoes: mine, target

bag: mine

sunglasses: target

those frozen coffee drinks

Today I went out for a fun shopping day with my mom and oldest sister, Hope. First we went to a cute little burger place that was actually featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" a while ago, and it's for sure one of my favorite burger diners. Not only is it an adorable diner, but the food is amazing. (You can see the Food Network video here.)  Then we stopped at David's Bridal so Hope could try on a bridesmaid's dress for one of her best friend's wedding. The dress worked out great, so she was able to order it in the wedding theme color. After that we shopped around the mall for a while and then headed to Target. It was a wonderful day with my mommy and older sister. ♥

When we first left our house to go out for the day, Hope and my mom instantly scolded me for wearing heels...for both practical reasons and then for their own personal opinions. "Why do you have to wear those heels? We're just going shopping; a casual shopping date and you wear that." I know those sort of comments aren't truly meant to be hurtful, but it frustrates me. Sometimes I think people in general don't understand why some choose to wear something that's not "typical" or "normal".  I wish I could just always wear whatever I wanted without other people, even my family, having a problem with it. I don't wear the clothes I do to please other people or make them feel comfortable. I wear what I want because I like it. (And for the record, I walked around in these heels for a good three hours with no discomfort to my feet. I can't believe how comfy the are!)

My mom quickly snapped these photos of me outside the mall, haha. Isn't my mommy the best? I sure think she is. ♥

Did you guys do anything fun this weekend?

xo

Maria Elyse

blouse: vintage

shorts: vintage old navy

bag: walmart

platform sandals: target

"I almost wish we were butterflies..."

"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days - three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain." -- John Keats

I've had such a lovely, incredible day today. We didn't end up going out yesterday evening, as my poor mommy got sick. But she was feeling all better today so we had a fun day out shopping, getting pizza, and riding go-karts! I swear, those things are super fun but they scare the heck out of me, haha. I found the most adorable little black dress for just thirteen bucks, and it's totally makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn. I just adore beautiful, summer days spent with my family, and today was wonderful.

 This white dress is so versatile, and it's perfect for summer. The locket I'm wearing was a gift from my grandma a few years back, and while I don't wear it all that often, I think it's beautiful and was so thoughtful of her. The other day I was trying to think of something to put in it, and I don't have any little photos to cut into heart shapes, I thought I could write down a little line or verse and put it in there. I did a line from Peter Pan, "To love will be an awfully big adventure." It was on the teeny tiniest piece of paper, but it still didn't fit. Oh, well!

I'm watching Becoming Jane right now, and it's one of my favorite movies. I know it's not entirely accurate at all, but I love it anyway. It gets me crying every single time, as do most Jane Austen films. If you haven't seen it before you should. It's just wonderful.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

xo
Maria E.

dress: forever21
belt: vintage
heeled oxfords: target
ankle socks: charlotte russe
hat: thrifted
locket: gifted
bag: vintage, for sale in my shop here, listing # 2