leaves

i wanted to do something similar to what i did in the fall. but instead of watching the leaves turn colors and fall off, i wanted to do some time lapse photos of them growing back.

well.

i missed a few days here and there, and it was like i blinked and they were all back.

guess spring was serious about making its comeback. 

killed it

for me, weekends don't get much better than this. 

hanging out with my boys (lucy too of course), beautiful weather, shopping for herbs, blooming flowers everywhere and impromptu cocktails at our neighborhood spot.

hope you got to spend the weekend with the people and pets you love the most. 

circle circle dot dot

eyelet is made for spring. breezy, airy and a little flirty--i love it.

it's so versatile, you can make it work for the office, date night, cocktails, errand running.

here's some of my favorite ways to wear it.

pencil skirt | sweatshirt | striped top | dress | shoes | cream blouse | clutch | peplum top | scarf | dress

also, that item in the lower right corner might work better as a tank/tunic even though madewell is cute and calls it a dress. lolz.  

now and later

embellished tee
for now: vest | ponte pants | earrings | boots
for later: ring | ring | shorts | sandals

embellished tee
for work: blazer | shoes | pencil skirt | purse
for weekend: pants | wallet | purse | shoes | hair ties

this shirt* is so versatile and comfortable. i just bought something similar from the crew. it's gonna be perfect for these next few weeks/months when the temps can be anywhere from the upper 30s to the high 60s (maybe even 70s?!)

here's hoping anyways.

_ _ _

*i made this collage about a week ago and never got around to posting it. the exact shirt is sold out, but i've linked to something really similar.

two days

the vernal equinox is in two days. old man winter decided to have one last laugh yesterday, but they say warmer temps are on the horizon. 

_ _ _

in terms of the weather, it was a strange weekend. temps in the 60s, upper 40s, 20s. the days that were warm, trust that we took full advantage and went on plenty of long walks in the sun. my new favorite thing to do after work.

i also had time to make my favorite no-knead bread recipe, which, if you haven't tried, you have to. it'll make you look like an expert baker (check out that golden brown crust!) and i promise you it's the easiest recipe you'll ever try.

love seeing these pop up 

credit for this awesome sketch goes to my coworker/friend, alina. what a talent!

someone got some free clothes

you've got to try this recipe

the view from our porch this morning. 

my work actually didn't have an official snow day but i decided to work from home anyways. i think they're sick of all the days off.

here's to spring. glorious, glorious spring.

springy

what's worse?

everyone talking about they can't wait for fall? hashtag omg apple picking?

or the winter-weary masses who can't shut up about spring?

i've always found the fall lovers to be the more intense bunch. people are serious about their sweaters.

if you read this blog with any frequency, you know that i get more excited for spring. and since it's just around the corner, here's what i'll be focused on in the upcoming months.

jeans | shoes | dress | sunglasses | top | tote

and even though i said i can't get on board with going full on john lennon with my sunglasses yet, i like these semi-round ones.

i'm also still loving embellished clothes and i'm glad that trend is sticking around a bit longer. 

rhinestones! 

potw: spring forward

spring fever is in full effect over here.

one taste of a sunshine-filled 60-degree day and i'm going crazy for warmer temperatures. 

_ _ _

i haven't done a press of the week since i got back from maternity leave, so to get it started up again, here's six cheery designs.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

ONLY TEN DAYS LEFT OF WINTER. ten!

dig it.

_ _ _

looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

spring five

three cheers for friday.

i do one of these lists every season because there's just always something fun happening in the district. we're lucky to live in a city that constantly has new restaurant openings and cool things to get excited about. 

here's what's on my list this spring.

img source: one | two, pic by me | three | four | five

1. menu. located in penn quarter, this market/bar/full-service restaurant is right up my alley. if you follow them on twitter, you'll know they have housemade bacon jam for sale. that's pretty much all the info i need to get me through the doors.  it's run by the same guy who operates table, which, if you've been reading here regularly, you might remember me saying it was the best meal i've had in dc in the decade i've lived here. no bs. 

2. eating outside. basically i'm sick of eating at my desk. i miss the days of taking my lunch outside and enjoying the sunshine. and even though it happens every spring, i'm dying to see some of the pretty trees begin to blossom. 

3. maketto. this h street spot will bring together an asian-influenced restaurant and market. i don't know of anything like this in dc so i'm excited for the addition.

4. gcdc. love the concept. love their logo. freaking grilled cheese and tater tots man. and a sandwich with one of my personal faves on it: kimchi. what's better than that?

5. mad men. the premiere is april 13. i'm definitely a little over don draper's moody self, but i've watched all the other seasons so i'm excited to see how it all ends. 

_ _ _

want more? see my past reasons to get excited here, here, here and here.

a day at the park

nats games. one of my favorite things to do this time of year.

and even though i can't sip on a beer this season, it's still awesome.

especially when you go on pups in the park day.

(we took lucy last year.)

make sure you get out to the park this year. 

and go nats!

month five

my new favorite shirt (apparently not sold online) 

heading out on friday afternoon

brunch here. i can't believe i've become one of those people who willingly dips fries in mayonnaise. oh well. i put it on corn, too. p.s. i still like chez billy more.

catching some rays

being lazy on monday

i got rid of so much clothes this weekend, and it feels awesome. we spent a good chunk of saturday afternoon going through every drawer, basket and closet hanger and getting rid of stuff. we took an insane amount of stuff to the thrift store up the street.

i love clearing stuff out like that.

_ _ _

hope your weekend was nice and relaxing.

perfect friday weather

today, dc's showing us exactly what a friday afternoon in may is supposed to look like.

hope your weekend is a good one. 

put it in the air

one of the most beautiful details of this great city happens after the cherry blossoms have come and gone. as the leaves begin to take over the blossoms, the light-as-air petals are swept up and across the streets of dc.

you may have noticed this phenomenon before, but it's especially breathtaking on a windy day. it's really cool when you're walking outside and you notice this petal shower happening.

...and you never know where they might end up, like these guys, trapped under the seats at nats park.

they're a little hard to see in a few of these pictures, but you can't miss em in real life.

see a few more district deails here

i hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

brighter than sunshine

just a few pictures from the weekend.

pretty flowers downtown 

a sunny sunday afternoon in my neighborhood 

pretty cool salt and pepper grinders at chez billy

on 11th street, before the storm on friday

with the latest update to instagram (actually, it was kinda a while back) i'm finding i don't take near as many pictures as i used to. maybe it's in my head, but i feel like the quality of the camera has really decreased. and i'm firmly in the camp of "no dslr uploads to instagram" because i think that's missing the point of the whole app.

*steps off high horse*

anyways, this weekend was pretty good. still cooler than i'd like it to be but i didn't have to wear a coat so i can't hate on it too much. 

in other news, i've been talking with some coworkers who know way more than i do about gardening. i've been listening to their advice and i'm thinking we're gonna do some tomato and pepper plants this year. i've never grown anything in my life (except for mold on some overlooked produce in the fridge) so i think it'll be a fun experiment. 

here's to a great week! 

i'm off to the nats game tonight.

weekend sunshine

java house for breakfast

back to the park like old times 

out and about early saturday 

under my feet

spring colors

did you have a good weekend?

it cooled off quite a bit, but the sun was still shining so i'm ok with that. 

my weekend was pretty good. we bought some curtains for the bedroom which has really helped my sleep habits. i can really only sleep in pitch blackness and our master bedroom never really got dark enough for me (even with blinds). we had a bed bath and beyond gift card that needed to get used too, so that worked out.

my nephew's second birthday party was also this weekend. so we had a good time with family yesterday at his little celebration.

here's to more nice weather and an awesome week.

springtime fun

so i go out of town for five days and it's summer.

huh.

i'll take it. i'm never one to complain about the warm weather.

_ _ _

i've been really neglectful of this blog lately, but to be honest, i have no excuse other than simply not feeling like it. and i think that's ok sometimes. everyone needs a break now and then.

since the weather's been so nice lately, i thought i'd share three outfit ideas for three of my favorite springtime activities: day drinking, going to a nats game and having a dc day.

by "having a dc day" i mean doing something with out-of-town guests that you normally wouldn't do as a resident: go see the monuments, spend some time in a museum. that sort of thing.

so let's get started. the outfits and accessories are below, and everything is less than $50.

day drinking: top | jeans | sandals | purse | earrings | hair ties | bracelet
nats park: dress | necklace | sunglasses | clutch | sandals
d.c. day: dress | cuff | rings | bobble | jacket | sandals

for my day drinking outfit, i wanted something comfortable and loose-fitting on top. i chose pants here since i get a little grossed out by the back of my thighs touching what can be gross/sticky bar/patio seats. i also picked out a purse that allows you to have your hands free and i threw in some hair ties because i almost always end up putting my hair in a big messy pile on top of my head when i'm drinking. 

for the baseball game, i'm usually a fan of dressing in the teams colors in lieu of wearing actual team-sanctioned attire. i really wanted to find a dress with sleeves but i couldn't find one i liked within this price range, so this one will do for now. i also chose a small clutch here since i really don't like bringing a huge purse to sporting events. see my football post here.

for the dc day, i chose to go with some layers. museums can be chilly and so can restaurants (if you plan to stop somewhere to grab a bite). i went with sandals here, because i really don't mind walking for long periods of time in shoes like this. but if you need more support, feel free. i threw in a bobble here also. if you're walking around on the mall, it can get hot and there aren't really that many places to get a drink. this bobble will keep you hydrated while filtering your water for you. 

_ _ _

i know i've been bitching pretty incessantly about the cooler-than-normal spring temperatures, but i think we've finally turned a corner with the weather and i'm so happy.

last year

just a sad reminder of what it looked like during the first week of april last year.

sigh.

chunky

i've always been more into flats than heels.

i have a couple pairs of heels in the arsenal, for work and for the rare occasion i go out on the town.

so i have been really happy with these thicker heels i've seen lately. this is a heel i can get behind.

top image: madewell

from top: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

a little thickness for extra support? 

i like it. 

plus, the patent leather j crew ones are on sale at the moment. 

asos also has a couple pair that are much cheaper. 

score. 

cheers

here's to a great weekend. 

this is a picture i took a few years back. it's one of my favorites.

right now, it's making me miss days that look like this.

next week better be the last of thirty-degree mornings. this isn't boston.

happy friday, people.