Orchid Grey

A Sunday

2012-01-30T11:08:00.003-05:00

Ohh, I am not ready for it to be Monday. Not ready at all. This weekend was pretty great, but as I looked over my photos last night, it seems only the ones from Sunday came out. A brief synopsis of what is not pictured: A visit to Phipps on Friday night where we bought a family membership ($75 for two people, for the year!), a much needed sushi dinner at Umi (so good!), a late night watching of Tangled (which made me want to cut my hair...even more), a lazy-ish Saturday, and a Midnight in Paris viewing (I loved it).

Yesterday was another lazy-ish day, with lots of cat time, breakfast at home, another (albeit fruitless) visit to Construction Junction, a stop at Espresso a Mano, and a visit to the art supply store (I'm feeling inspired!).

Inspired by Emma's cake, Chris and I baked a birthday cake from scratch (we used this cake recipe- substituting cake flour, and the frosting recipe on the back of the Ghirardelli baking powder can), and he made me the most amazing spaghetti and meatball dinner.

All in all, a very good, and very tasty weekend! How was yours?

Happy Sunday!

2012-01-29T11:07:00.003-05:00

Are you having a good weekend so far? We certainly are. I'll have more pictures to show tomorrow, the one above is from our evening back at Phipps Conservatory (where we're now members).

I've been slacking on posting Friday links, a habit I need to quit- I love sharing the things I love with you all!

Are you getting excited for Valentines day? I actually am, a rare occurrence. I'm thinking that we might actually choose to celebrate this year, so something like this might be nice to wear.

Have you participated in Ruche's new Shop With Us program? This dress was chosen and I think it's the perfect transitional piece: wear with tights and a collared shirt underneath for winter, and with flat sandals come spring.

Blowfish's new spring line is so cute, it's so exciting to see light colors again! Enter the code BFORCHID15 for 15% off!

Speaking of light colors, I'm kind of in love with this checkered knit dress from Le Lapin D'or! Who says you have to wear dark colors in cold months? Enter the code grey10 for 10% off!

This dress is insane! Snake print is definitely not for the faint of heart, but the cut and draping of this one is pretty amazing. Enter the code orchidgrey for 15% off!

Speaking of V-Day, how sweet is this little leather bag? I might just have to get myself a gift (or really, realllly hint that I like this)!

I am SO EXCITED to be speaking at the Texas Style Counsel Conference! March can not come soon enought, Austin is one of my all-time favorite cities! Will you be attending?

Did you see Elizabeth's new haircut? She's so brave, and she looks beautiful! I'm trying to work up the gumption to cut mine.

I've been completely obsessed with Pinterest lately! I'm feeling so inspired to make stuff, and I want to post about it all at once, I need to remind myself to slow down a bit!

We just received the new LL Bean Signature catalog in the mail, and I'm obsessed with this shirt! Perfect colors for spring and summer.

What are you loving this week?

28

2012-01-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

(My co-worker is very, very talented)

Yep, 28 years ago today I was causing a whole bunch of trouble.

ps- My usual Friday post will be out tomorrow, tonight, I'm focused on celebrating! We're headed back to Phipps tonight to look at more plants! Have a great night!

How To: Care For Long Hair

2012-01-27T15:19:00.002-05:00

Pictured: Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shampoo & Conditioner, Paul Mitchell Brush 413, Moroccan Oil Treatment, CHI Nano Hair Drier, GHD Ceramic Flat Iron. Not pictured: Fish Oil vitamins.

As the owner of a large amount of hair, I get my fare share of hair-care and hair maintenance questions, so I thought I would share my routine with you today! I've been growing my hair out from a rather artistic (read: mullet) hairstyle since 2007, but have always treated it like my best accessory. To be honest, while insecurities about one thing or another will arise from time to time, I don't often feel bad about my hair, and it certainly comes in handy when my skin acts up: instant curtain. Just kidding. Kind of (not at all). Anyways, all true life confessions aside, here's the deal:

I wash my hair two or three times a week. I know this can be difficult for some, it's a habit that I got used to when I had super short hair in college, and it just stuck with me. The more you wash it, the more it dries out. I strongly believe in using high-quality products, lately I've been using Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger shampoo and conditioner and love it (the normal sized bottles have lasted since early October). EDIT: Sometimes I'll wash my bangs alone if I need to freshen up my hair but don't have time or energy to wash the whole thing.

When shampooing long hair, only shampoo your roots, the suds will run down and give the remaining length a good once over, but shampooing the ends will dry them out and cause splits.

Do the exact opposite with conditioner: focus on mid-hair-shaft to ends. Leave on as long as you can, and rinse. Conditioning your roots will just weigh them down and make them greasy.

Post shower, apply a quarter size amount of Moroccan Oil to hair from mid-hair-shaft to ends. My bottle of Moroccan Oil has lasted for about a year and is still going strong.

Air dry your hair as often as you can. I will typically wash mine at night, blow-drying my bangs so they don't get crazy, then allowing it to dry overnight. Heat styling dries out your hair and breaks it down, so it's best to invest in high quality hot tools- I like CHI and GHD, I usually flat iron at least my bangs and roots almost daily.

I like to use Paul Mitchell brushes as well, they're great quality (the one pictured above has lasted me since 2004) and glide through hair easily.

Coloring: I do get my hair colored, about twice a year. I know a lot of people can't wait that long, and I should probably go more often, but as I'm sure most ladies with long hair can attest to: it takes too freaking long!

A word on vitamins: I take fish oil vitamins and strongly believe in them. I can't say for sure whether they have a positive affect on my hair, but I feel like they do. However, I'm no expert, so consult your doctor before starting any new kind of vitamin regimen.

Getting your hair trimmed every six weeks will not make it grow faster, it just makes it so that there is less to cut off when you do go for a trim.

So there is my routine. Once again, I'm no expert and I'm not pretending to be. But I did work in a salon for my Mother in Law, and the above is a brief synopsis of what I learned there. Enjoy!

Waves of Grass

2012-01-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

In this outfit:
Sweater c/o Free People
T-Shirt (under): Madewell ($10 sale)
Jeans: Marc Jacobs (Swapped)
Belt: Vintage (bought at a thrift store in high school)
Purse: Flea Market ($35)
Hat: H&M ($14)
Necklace: Flea Market and Dolly&Boy
Shoes c/o Lulu's

This was one of those mornings that, when I woke up, I was determined to just throw on an oversized sweater and jeans and go. Well, as most mornings seem to go, this sweater went better with these jeans, and these jeans required heels, etcetera etcetera, and before you know it, this is what happened. For the recoed, most of my weekday mornings seems to go this way. But all whining aside, this might just be a new favorite. I was comfortable, but still felt put together, I've been loving oversized sweaters lately, and the open knit of this one will be perfect as a transitional piece into spring.

I've been thinking about the older pieces in my closet lately. While I certainly was the farthest thing from stylish as a high schooler- rave pants, rainbow barrettes, and tiny No Doubt t-shirts come to mind- there are some things-two or three, maybe- that I collected during those years that stood the test of time. Like this belt. I found this vintage, tooled leather belt at our local church thrift store for probably a dollar, and in some 16 year old moment of clarity, bought it. and then forgot about it. Well my almost-28-year-old-self dug it up recently, and I'm thanking young-dumb-me for having enough smarts to know a good piece when she saw it! It makes me wonder, 12 years from now, what items will I be rediscovering in my closet?

Do you have anything from high school that you still wear? Something you bought long-ago and recently rediscovered?

Whisk-er Me Away

2012-01-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

In this outfit:
Dress: ModCloth
Shirt: Thrifted ($4)
Belt: Thrifted ($2)
Tights: AA (old)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (ModCloth)

Just so you're aware, expect puns anytime I wear the cat boots. Somehow wearing cats on your feet just causes a lack of seriousness. You know, I was wary of the tapestry trend at first, but I bought a pair of Bass loafers with a tapestry print awhile back and to my surprise found that it was more versatile that I thought it would be. With a closet full of brown shoes, I liked the change up in texture and color, almost like a camouflage. Or maybe I'm just forcing these to go with everything because they're covered in cats, that could very well be it too. It wouldn't be the first time my old lady tendencies got the better of me...and I'm sure it won't be the last.

When I add something this crazy to my closet, I always like to think about how much I loved (and still love) wearing crazy stuff of my mom's from the 70's and how, if I ever have children, I'll love passing stuff like this down to them.

What do you think about the tapestry trend, or even trends in general? Do you follow them? Do you not? Does it matter?

Moth to a Flame

2012-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

In this outfit:
Southwestern Dress c/o Everly Clothing
Cardigan: J.Crew Factory ($24)
Tights: AA (old)
Clogs: ModCloth (old)
Belt: Vintage Dior- thrift ($2)
Bracelets: gift from Punky
Necklace: gift

This dress from the sweet ladies at Everly added a much needed dose of color to last week's doom and gloom weather. Though, as happens often, just when I think I'm breaking away from "my colors", it turns out in fact I'm not. I'm just wearing them all together in a pattern. There is no denying my love for ochre, burgundy, navy, and brown, November through March, that's what I wear. But I can't help knowing what I like, if there's a long-chain necklace, 70's style platform, or pleated maxi-skirt or dress within 50 miles, I'm there. Scoopin' it up. Moth to a flame style.

Do you have go-to colors or styles you can't help but be drawn to?

Our Weekend in Pictures

2012-01-23T10:27:00.002-05:00

The best kind of Sunday date: a late lunch and a stroll around CMU and PITT, and a visit to the most magical place ever: Phipps Conservatory. I could spend all day there. And how amazing is it to finally have a functional camera again? Pretty darn amazing. Other highlights: finally making some much needed changes to this blog (more to come), making a big Sunday breakfast, lots of cat cuddles, and one raucous post-Holiday work party.

And now it's Monday, and it's raining and I wish I was still curled up under covers. Story of my life. Get me five more cups of coffee, stat.

How was your weekend?

Style Muse: Francoise Hardy

2012-01-20T10:23:00.001-05:00

Images via Google

Always lovely, always classic. She has that perfect tomboyish yet feminine look, plus she's married to Jacques Dutronc who I used to play on repeat 40 hours a week while working in a gift store in New Hampshire.

How To: Have Soft Winter Skin

2012-01-19T10:35:00.001-05:00

Hey! A new post topic! I plan on introducing some simple how-to's and DIY's once a week to Orchid Grey (including hair)! Let me know what you guys think, and if there are any specific topics you'd like to see!

Pictured: Eucerin Calming Oil Wash, Ayurvedic Dry Brush, Jojoba Oil, Alba Body Lotion

The other day, my Mother informed the that it was -17 degrees at her house in Maine. That's 17 below zero, people! While I tend to think 20 degrees is chilly, nothing compares to when the weather dips below zero. Whether your winter weather hovers in the negatives or doesn't drop below thirty, there's no denying that dry winter skin can be truly miserable. This year, I feel like I finally cracked the code for relief of winter skin, and I figured I would share it with you today:

In the shower, pair a natural bristle body brush (available at Whole Foods or a natural health store) with Eucerin's Calming Shower Oil. It may seem counter-intuitive to use oil in the shower, but it works wonders. Buff all over and, once out of the shower, pat dry with a towel.

Post-shower, use a body lotion that contains alpha-hydroxy acids (which help support cellular renewal) and an SPF. I recommend Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion (Also available at Whole Foods- one big bottle should last you a year).

If you're feeling really dry, add a couple drops of jojoba oil to the body lotion before applying. I like The Jojoba Company- they're based in Maine (and yes...also available at Whole Foods)!

Do you have any products that you swear by?

The Illusionist

2012-01-18T11:33:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, a vintage-loving girl found a pretty, green wool skirt at a thrift store, only to find that...

In this outfit:
Coat: Vintage thrifted ($25)
Sweater: Modcloth (hand-me-down)
Palazzo pants: Vintage thrifted ($9)
Shoes c/o Lulu's
Tights: AA
Bag: Swapped
Scarf & Bracelets: gift from Punky
Earrings c/o Noble Town Vintage
Belt: vintage (Dior!) thrifted ($2)

...it wasn't a skirt at all!

How could I resist? When I told my mother about this purchase, she just started singing "Free to be You and Me" and making Marlo Thomas jokes. Pallazzo pants were big in the 70's, which I'm sure was in my subconscious when I made the decision to buy them. The lesson here? Don't be afraid to try something new, even if it seems ridiculous, because these are crazy pants, but that's why I love them.

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On a more serious note, if you haven't already, I strongly urge you to send a letter to your senator urging them to vote NO on the SOPA and PIPA acts. You can read more here.

Another Casual Tuesday

2012-01-17T10:19:00.006-05:00

In This Outfit:
Sweater: Thrifted ($7)
Shorts: ModCloth (c. 2010)
Tights: AA
Hat: Thrifted ($2)
Shoes: Matiko (c. 2010)
Bracelets: gift from Punky
Watch c/o Kenneth Cole Time

A few disjointed thoughts:

Another casual look, sometimes you just want comfort. Actually, amend that to all the time. All the time I want comfort. I bought this sweater a couple weekends back on a thrifting excursion with Mandy, and I'm just a little bit obsessed with it, it's perfectly oversize and slouches in just the right way. I had been planning on pairing it with a skirt, but Chris suggested these shorts and I'm glad he did.

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was quite busy with lots of projects and trips to Construction Junction with Chris. But, I received my new lens yesterday! Which means I can finally start documenting our projects! I have a couple of home-based DIY's planned for the near future, along with some pictures of our new apartment!

And finally, if you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen a post or two looking for feedback recently. One of those posts dealt specifically with me posting the prices of the clothing I wear. I've flip-flopped on this subject a number of times, mainly because I either can't remember the cost of something (much of what I wear is over a year old), or I bought it with some sort of employee discount (I've had a number of retail jobs over the past year and a half). So, with the help of some of you lovely readers, this is what I think will work best: When I can remember the honest-to-goodness price that I paid, I'll post it. When I can't remember the price or it was bought with a discount, I'm not going to guess or post what my cost was, I'm just not going to post it. I know my language here is probably coming off firmer that what I mean, I'm just in decision making mode.

And thank you so much to everyone who offered their thoughts on Facebook, I really appreciated the feedback!

Happy Friday!

2012-01-13T22:04:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's already the end of the week, are you looking forward to the weekend? Any special plans? I am ecstatic, Chris actually has a weekend day off! We have a great Sunday planned with lots of projects, I just can't wait. I'm feeling really good about how this week went, I got to the gym when I said I would, am feeling super motivated about this here blog, and am finally feeling a little more organized.

Oh, and I finally bought a replacement lens for my camera! So, if you've been wondering what the heck I've been up to, I can finally show you soon! My lens has been broken since fall fashion week, usable sure, but broken and taped to my camera. The situation only got worse when we moved, so I haven't been able to carry it with me when we're out and about for fear of damaging it more. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my lens comes today, but if not it'll be Monday. I seriously can't wait to be able to share more with you all, especially since we've been doing more exploring of our new city!

Here's what I'm loving from around the web this week:

1. I can't get enough of lay-down styling, and Ruche's new Seasonal Solutions lookbook is perfection! They offer great ideas on ways to style your glittery pieces post-holiday. This is my favorite look!

2. It's so exciting to see some warm-weather styles showing up on Blowfish! I can't wait to wear sandals again and think these are super cute.

3. This sweater would be perfect styled with dark denim and a long sleeve top for the weekend, I love the pattern!

4. A cute, belted clutch, perfect for a weekend date! Get 10% off your order from Le Lapin D'or! Enter the code Grey10 at checkout!

5. The perfect little velvet dress!

Happy Weekend!

Style Muse: The Ladies of Life 1969

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Images via Retronaut

That hair! Those tights! Yes, I'll take it all please.

Another Abstraction

2012-01-11T10:17:00.001-05:00

Sweater: ModCloth
Ithica Abstraction Skirt c/o Ruche
Tights: AA
Necklace: Swapped
Shoes c/o Lulu's

The weather here has been so strange, I'm definitely not used to having little-to-no snow in January. We had a little snowstorm last week, but the snow you see in these photos is long gone. I love snow, especially when I have nowhere to be on a snowy day, it's so cozy. Mostly, i fear that the delayed weather will just prolong winter. Because, as much as I love snow, I also really love Summer and warm weather!

Anyways, A friend passed down this little sweater to me last week, and I can't get enough (you'll be seeing it again next week). I love it paired with high-waist, longer skirts, playing with proportion can be a great way to break out of your comfort zone. I've also found myself wearing these shoes a lot, the blocks of color pair so well with so many things in my closet. It doesn't hurt that most things in my fall/winter wardrobe consist of shades of blue-grey, mustard, and shades of mauve. They're definitely a high heel, so in case you're wondering, i recommend re-enforcing all close-toed, high shoes with lots of Dr. Scholls, it makes a world of difference!

You Gotta Be Kitten Me!

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Cardigan: J.Crew
Dress: ModCloth
Wedges: ModCloth
Tights: Old (gift?)
Belt: from a Lulu's dress
Necklace: Thrifted
Bracelets: gift from Punky & F21

Yep, cat wedges. I don't think it's too much of a secret how cat-obsessed I am, one look at my Instagram or Twitter and you'll see about 90% of it is just photos of Zephyr and Zeb. So when these wedges showed up on ModCloth last week, I immediately bought them. They're so ridiculous, I could not be more in love. Do not be alarmed if an entire cat-themed outfit shows up soon, it's that bad. I have no shame, no shame at all.

I've been loving longer lengths lately, I think long skirts and dresses are just easier, and also really pretty. Despite my predilection for really high shoes, I don't like being incapacitated by my clothes (like short skirts). I like to move, and I like to move quickly. I've been told by many, many people that I walk too fast, bordering on running at times. I like to think I'm efficient. But anyway, yeah, long stuff. One downside is that I look like a granny when I head in to work: I have my winter boots on, long vintage (read: old lady-ish) coat, and long dress peeking out the bottom. It's not even close to cute. I crept in to work like this last week, and unfortunately had to pass by a bus full of high school students on a field trip, I don't think they were impressed. Whatever, at least I don't have to ride a school bus.

Put a Gull On It!

2012-01-09T10:30:00.002-05:00

Sweater: J.Crew Thrifted
Shirt: Thrifted
Skirt: Madewell (last year)
Tights: AA
Loafers: Ralph Lauren thrifted
Seagull pin: Vintage
Bracelets: gift, vintage

Oh man, it's definitely Monday, huh? Did you have a good weekend? I did. Lots of thrifting, food, and relaxing. Each weekend, I've also been making a big effort to pare down my closet, weeding out the things I haven't worn in ages, like this grey sweater. It was almost cut, but at the last minute, I decided to try it one more time. I honestly haven't worn it since this post, which is silly because it's such a great basic piece. I kept things mostly mono-chrome, save for some rust colored tights, and added my seagull pin. I realized the other day how strange it is to not hear or see seagulls anymore, as much as I kind of hate them (they steal your sandwich at the beach and ruin the paint job on your car), I do also miss their calls. They used to sit outside our windows and pester the cats.

Happy Friday!

2012-01-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

Sweet Zebby

It's Friday! Are you excited for the weekend? I definitely am, especially after having a really great week. This week, I made the time to pick out my outfits at the beginning of the week, which simplified my mornings immensely. After reading this post of Jen's, I've been thinking a lot about ways to simplify and streamline my own life. I tend to always be very scattered and dis-organized, and that's something that I'm striving to change. Having our lives turned upside down from the move certainly didn't help my state of mind either. So, I've decided that, in addition to picking out my weekly ensembles ahead of time- I'm also going to create a list of goals I'd like to accomplish at the beginning of each week. Sure, maybe not quite as radical as Jen's simplification manifesto, but baby steps people, baby steps.

So because this crazy list epiphany just occurred to me last night, I obviously didn't have a list this week, but I'm proud of the fact that I got three outfit posts up, went to the gym, and tried new things outfit-wise!

In an effort to get all caught up on Friday Links, here's what I'm digging this week:

1) In love with all things Jeffrey Campbell, I love this pair from Lulu's.
2) A polka-dotted cardigan with glittery dots? Yes please!
3) These boots look so cozy! Enter BFORCHID15 for 15% off!
4) I love this chevron patterned dress! Get 10% off your order with the code Grey10 at checkout!
5) Sarah's designs are so beautiful, I love this gorgeous necklace. Free Shipping on all orders (including international!!!)
6) Amber just updated her shop! I love this plaid coat! Enter code orchidgrey at checkout to receive 15% off your order.
7) Dalaga's having a big sale! This t-shirt would be perfect with jeans and a cardigan for the weekend. Get 15% off your order with the code ORCHID15 at checkout, can be combined with sale!

Did you accomplish any goals- big or small- this week?

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Casual Day

2012-01-05T10:30:00.001-05:00

Cardigan: J.Crew outlet
Shirt: Ralph Lauren thrifted
Jeans: Madewell High Riser
Loafers: Ralph Lauren thrifted
Bracelets: F21

I don't post many of my super casual outfits on here, usually because they're all the same (and because I'm probably woke up five minutes before I had to leave which is why I'm wearing the casual outfit in the first place). But I liked this one, the combination of mustard yellow and light blue was pleasing, especially with shiny black loafers. Man, I love a good loafer. I've been wearing this pair to death.

After a few weeks of different variations on this same outfit, I've been making a conscious effort to plan my outfits ahead of time. I definitely got off track with my sleep schedule during the holidays and I've found that having an outfit waiting for me when I wake up make all the difference in the world with how my morning goes.

Do you plan your outfits ahead? or do you like to pick them out as you go?

Braving the Snow

2012-01-04T10:00:00.002-05:00

One-piece c/o Dalaga, NYC
Sweater: J.Crew
Fur collar: Great-Grandmother's
Tights: AA
Shoes: Vintage thrifted
Woven bracelet's: gift from Punky
Necklace: Madewell (sale, last year)

Snow! It was SO COLD out when we took these pictures, and about 30 minutes later I found myself driving home from work early because of how bad the roads were. Mandy and I braved the snow and wind for outfit photos though! Lately I've felt that I've been in a bit of a style rut, so taking advantage of having Monday off, I planned my outfits for the week. This was one I put together. I'm not sure if I've ever worn a one piece before- I refuse to call it a romper...blerg- but I fell hard for the light fabric and scalloped edges of this one. My only complaint with them: I can't help but feel like George Costanza when use of the bathroom is required, do you remember that episode? Ha. Anyways, all weird references aside, I love this piece, especially dressed up for work with a cardigan and an antique fur. Definitely changed my viewpoint on...rompers.

Thoughts on Snow

2012-01-03T19:31:00.004-05:00

Well, winter has finally showed it's face in Pittsburgh! We were graced with some snow all day yesterday and all day today, it's lovely but so, so cold! Driving was certainly dicey this afternoon, PGH definitely does not treat inclimate the same way as New England, I don't think I saw a single plow truck out and about this evening, and there was a ten car pile-up near our apartment. I think we're in for an interesting winter. I love being home on a snowy day though, curling up with a book and a cat, and relishing in a guilt-free day of laziness.

I realized that, because of having Friday off and my subsequent sickness, I never posted my Friday links, so if you find yourself in a window shopping mood this snowy eve:

1) The print of this dress is so pretty, would look lovely with some grey knit tights for winter.
2) Sometimes you just need flats, I just received these and they're super comfortable! Enter BFORCHID15 for 15% off!
3) This is such a pretty little dress, perfect for brunch.
4) Kind of obsessed with this skirt, leopard is a neutral, right? Get 10% off your order with the code Grey10 at checkout!
5) This minimal clutch is so perfect, for travel or with an outfit. Get 15% off your order with the code ORCHID15 at checkout, can be combined with sale!
6) I love this bright pencil skirt, an easy way to brighten up winter. Enter code orchidgrey at checkout to receive 15% off yor order.
7) This is lovely, a perfect way to dress up a button-down and jeans. Free Shipping on all orders (including international!!!)

Good night!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T10:56:00.004-05:00

Coat: J.Crew (cinema coat, last year)
Radiant Panache Sequin Top c/o Ruche
Shirt: Ralph Lauren (thrifted)
Jeans: Madewell High Riser (last year)
Loafers: Ralph Lauren (thrifted)
Bracelet c/o Motherland

Happy 2012! Did you have a wonderful time celebrating the new year? Chris and I stayed in because I was sick, but we still had a great time cooking food and hanging out. Because of my mystery sickness (we still don't know what it was, despite going to the doctors), this is about as sparkly as things got (on Thursday). But I love having a versatile sequined top in my wardrobe now! I have so many plans on how I want to remix this!

Have you made your New Year Resolutions yet? I've actually been thinking a lot about mine. 2011 was such a great year, I want to keep that momentum going. So, here are my 2012 Resolutions:

1. Continue to learn.
I've noticed something in the past few months: I haven't been reading as much. I want to push myself to get to the library when I say I'm going to, to check out new classes in the area, and to follow my interests.

2. Explore our new city and explore our new region.
We're now living in a part of the country that neither Chris nor I have ever really explored. Now that we're close to all these new states, I want to take advantage of that with plenty of road trips and new experiences.

3. Continue to push myself athletically.
In 2011 I went from using three pound free weights in my weight training regimen, to using twelve and a half pound free weights. This is something I'm extremely proud of, I have my arthritis under control and I'm stronger than I have ever been. I never saw myself as someone who could stick to an exercise regimen, but suddenly I am that person. This year, I want to get outside more for hikes, and start swimming at the gym.

4. Pay off debts and start saving for a home.
This will be the year that I significantly pay down my student loans and my credit card. Last year was hard, this year I'm vowing to get it done.

5. Go on more dates with my husband.
more romance is always a good thing.

6. Make more of an effort to write letters, and keep in touch.
This was one of last years goals as well, but it's especially important now that I live so far away from everyone I love.

7. Be more outgoing.
Here's my little secret: I have a terrible habit of being a recluse. This is another thing that is very important for me to change since we've moved. I want to do more and meet new people!

So, these are my resolutions! Are you making resolutions? What's top on your list for things to do this year? Things to change?

2011 in Review

2011-12-30T13:43:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the largest post in the history of Orchid Grey. Steel yourselves...

This year has been- to date- the craziest year of my life. I usually find myself debating whether or not to do a re-cap at the close of each year, but this time there was no question at all. I mean, holy crap. Did I think last January that I would be living in Pittsburgh by October? Noididnot. So, without further chatter, for those of you brave or bored enough: here it is.

January

Chris and I spent last New Years literally in the middle of the woods. I was honored to be a guest ModStylist for ModCloth. I celebrated National Swap Day with Jen and Punky. And celebrated my 27th birthday.

February

In February I traveled to NYC for the IFB Conference with Jen and Punky where I caught the worst cold ever. We creeped on Lady Gaga. The Delightful Dozen launched a new blog. I started volunteering at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum running a ship-themed scavenger hunt and teaching simple machines, as I searched for a full time job.

March

In March, Punky and I attended the TjMaxx spring preview. We had Buddy Brunch with some of our favorite friends. And Visited home more as we ramped up our wedding plans.

April

In April, I volunteered at the Earth Day Clothing Exchange, where I won tickets to Wine Riot for putting on a mint colored snow-suit and dancing like a robot. We also attended the Whiskey Plank party for the schooner being built next to the Shipbuilding Museum. I was volunteering a lot for the Swapaholics and the Shipbuilding Museum at this time as I continued my job search.

May

In April, Chris and I celebrated our seven year anniversary! We spent the night in Portland and saw Steve Martin and the Canyon River Band, which was one of our best dates ever. Our friend Hans moved to California and we welcomed his sweet cat, Louie, into our home. We also went to Brimfield for the first time. And helped out at the Canal District Swap & Shop.

June

June had us traveling back and forth to Maine almost every weekend as we scrambled to plan our wedding. Somewhere in there I landed a contract position at Swap.com with the Swapaholics and left my retail job for a barista position at a local coffee shop. After this move, things improved significantly. I was working for a company I love, drinking way too much coffee, and enjoying summer.

July

July began on a sad note with the sudden passing of Louie.We celebrated the 4th of July with our wonderful group of friends. I participated in ModCloth's Dear Creatures/Be The Buyer collaboration (my dress was picked!). Took some photobooth pictures with my husband-to-be. And saw Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood. I was also running around like a chicken with my head cut off because we were getting married in one month.

August

August was the best, most friend filled month ever. Chris and I received our engagement photos. I had an amazing bridal shower. We saw Alison Krauss and Union Station at Meadowbrook. Even though all our wedding photos were posted in September, we were actually married on August 20th. Looking back, I'm so glad we decided not to elope (something we had discussed). Now that we find ourselves 1,000 miles away from home, the days spent with friends and family leading up to our wedding day hold so much love and meaning for us, those days made all the stress worth every second.

I actually never finished posting about our wedding. But it was the most amazing time. The love showed by our friends and family still gets me a little "verclempt".

September

We rolled right into September with the start of NYFW and the Lucky FABB conference. The Swapaholics hosted ModSwap with ModCloth. I attended the Lulu's.com brunch. And announced the blogger jewelry collaboration with ModCloth! The Orchid Grey Bracelet is still available! My contract with the Swapaholics also came to a close.

October

October was the slowest month blog-wise, but quite the opposite life-wise. In early October, after many, many interviews I received some of the most exciting and anxiety producing news ever: I got a position at ModCloth as a Blog & Fashion Writer and would be starting in...THREE WEEKS! Bold, italic, capital. Needless to saw, we were excited. and terrified. We also needed to find a place to live, immediately. After an extremely tough year and a half looking for a full-time job, I never expected to find it in Pennsylvania. All of our energy went into finding a place to live in a city we'd never even seen, and spending as much time with our friends and family as humanly possible (included in this was a night of re-living high school at a NOFX/Anti-Flag show and having the greatest time ever). It didn't seem real, and I admit that I shut out blogging a little. After so many close calls with job interviews, I felt like I was walking on eggshells with this news. That if I talked about it, everything would be taken away. So, that's why I dissappeared a little in October, and the explanation for the hinting tweets, etc. Thanks for sticking with me.

November

In November, we started settling into our new home of Pittsburgh. We explored parks and new places, and I started getting back into the habit of blogging again. Through my job, we started meeting new friends. We also spent our first holiday ever with just the two of us. Thanksgiving was the most perfect this year, with a hike, the Muppet Movie, and too much food.

December

And now it's December. We're still settling in to our new city, and think of New England probably too often. We traveled home for the holidays. And I found some new places to thrift. Life feels like it has slowed down a bit, but I know it's just because we're settling in.

I know that each year brings it's lessons, and this year's lesson was all about looking forward. There were times of panic, of being unsure of what the following day, week, or month would being. I started 2011 by giving myself an ultimatum, that I would either figure my life out, or else just go to trade school. I felt bleak at the beginning of 2011. The last few months of 2010 had been rough, I had been chewed up and spat out and I just wanted things to get easier or at least better. But the thing about ultimatums is: they're unrealistic. It's ridiculous to put a time-line on your life. Somehow the puzzle pieces started coming together though, and even the bad experiences that I'd had began to take new meaning and I noticed how those experiences contributed to the possibility of success. I hope I'm making sense. I guess I'm just glad that we kept looking forward and pushing forward.

I'm very interested to see what 2012 has in store for us. 2011, you were a real doozy, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Thanks for the memories.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this blog, I have exciting plans for Orchid Grey in 2012, and I can't wait to have you all along for the ride! Please have a happy and safe New Years! See you next year (har har har).

There's no place like home for the Holiday's

2011-12-29T11:49:00.002-05:00

Top row: From PGH to BOS, Our feet firmly planted on New England soil (concrete), A very sleepy drive to Maine
Bottom row: Finally home!, Afternoon sun streaming through the trees, Chris's Grandparent's wedding photo

Well after a glorious four-ish day trip North, Chris and I are back in Pittsburgh. It was definitely hard to leave, especially after being greeted with a white Christmas. This was really our first time having to travel a long distance home, and it went surprisingly smooth, we met my Dad and Step-mom at Logan airport in Boston, and then drove to Maine/New Hampshire.

We made a conscious decision to keep things more low key this year, our typical holiday has always been incredibly stressful, so since we were already coming a great distance too see everyone, we just wanted to relax. We spent Christmas eve with both our families at Chris's grandparents house (that's their incredible wedding photo above), which was lovely. There were lots of walks in the woods, catching up with friends, and movie watching.

The gift giving was light, which I prefer. I received a sweater and some gloves, and Chris got some whiskey. We haven't given each other gifts yet, and will probably wait until the first week of January to do so. And now we are home, we definitely miss New England, but at the same time, it's nice to return to our own space (and cats!).

Top row: The woods, my boots, messy driving
Bottom row: More woods, rabbit tracks across a frozen pond, me...in the woods

Did you have a nice holiday? Receive anything special?

Friday on Wednesday

2011-12-28T14:00:00.003-05:00

New Hampshire

Please forgive me as I play a little game of "catch-up". I know, I know "the holidays", blah, blah, blah. I'll have a little re-cap of our trip up tomorrow morning, but until then, here's what I'm loving, despite the fact that it feels wring, wrong, wrong to talk about shopping so soon after Christmas and Hanukkah. We can still look and like things right? Right.

1. A cute zodiac print from Ruche (I'm an Aquarius).
2. A smart idea from Blowfish. Receive 15% off your order with the code BFORCHID15
3. These lace Lita's totally won me over, so pretty! Lulu's always offers free shipping!
4. Dalaga's having a mega holiday dress sale! I love this one.
5. Pretty geode necklaces from Noble Town Vintage. NTV is offering free shipping on all orders!
6. This leopard dress/coat is pretty amazing. Bluesville, USA is offering 15% off orders with the code orchidgrey

Re-cap and outfit post tomorrow!

Shake! Shake! Shake!

2011-12-27T15:31:00.003-05:00

Dress: Thrifted
Tights: Hue via TjMaxx
Shoes: ModCloth

OK, so I admit that these photos are from a couple of weeks ago. Because the holidays completely ambushed me, I have quite a few outfit posts on the backburner, BUT now that all that insanity is over, back to business! On this particular day at work, we were instructed to wear something with sequins. Easy, done. Or so I thought. Turns out, this dress is the only item I owned that remotely resembles having sequins (at the time- I have recently acquired a glittery shirt). I thrifted this sweet dress back when we were living in Beverly, put it in my closet, and pretty much forgot about it. It was perfect for a day of sequins though, especially because it's super fun to do this:

(imagine lots of manic shaking)

Did you have a nice holiday? We're back in Pittsburgh from our trip North, and I'm sadly home sick today. I'll be posting photos from our trip tomorrow though!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

...And Happy Holidays!

xoxo Julie & Chris

Do Good

2011-12-22T20:07:00.003-05:00

This year Christmas really snuck up on us, I'm not sure if it was due to the move, or the distance from family, but we were a little blindsided. The holidays for us have a history of being incredibly stressful, because Chris and I grew up only about 20 minutes apart, we usually have six or seven houses to visit, and have always bought everyone in those houses gifts. It finally got to the point that this year, we decided to do something different.

So here's our new tradition: Each year we'll choose a different charitable organization to donate to in the names of the children in our close circle of family and friends. They'll receive a certificate saying that a donation was made in their name, and I'll also make them a little "commemorative" ornament to go along with it:

This year we chose the Humane Society of the United States. I made little kitty ornaments (because I can pretty much only make cats), and I printed out the mini certificates to include in the envelops.

I strongly believe in supporting organizations year round, but during the holidays, donations can make simple and meaningful gifts, especially to children.

Below are a few more organizations worth supporting:

Find more info on:
Heifer International
The ASPCA (depressing Sarah Maclaughlin commercial not included)
Charity : Water

Do you have a favorite charitable organization?

A Day in the Sun

2011-12-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

Dress: ModCloth
Flannel shirt: Thrifted Ralph Lauren
Tights: American Apparel
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (2010)
Coat: Thrifted vintage

For those of you who follow my Instagram, I had to push the post with the little kitty ornaments to tomorrow. With the holiday's pretty much here, I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Anyone else feel that way? Yeah, a little overwhelming.

With that out of the way, lately I've found my little dress collection lacking in the warmth department so I've been on the hunt for wintery dresses. A wintery dress for me translates to something made of warm material that I can easily transform with layers and/or accessories. This forest green, wool dress fit the bill perfectly. While I love the challenge of making a summery dress work for the cold, I also love the ease of just wearing something made for the specific season.

Expect to see a whole lot of this coat this winter:

Win a Vintage Hat From Bluesville, USA!

2011-12-19T08:18:00.004-05:00

Today's giveaway comes to us from the lovely Amber of Bluesville, USA. She's offering one lucky winner this vintage, camel colored hat from her shop with the tag: "The Hats Company by Filippo Catarzi"! This is a super versatile accessory, perfect for pairing with black or dark brown winter coats!

To Enter: visit Bluesville, USA and leave a comment telling me what your favorite item from the shop is! Good Luck!

Tiny print: One comment per person. This contest is open to ALL. be sure to leave me an email address if you do not have a blog where I can easily reach you. Giveaway ends Monday December 26th at 10PM EST. This contest is open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator.

Tis' the Season

2011-12-16T12:23:00.001-05:00

I think I'm in denial about the holidays. Can you believe that Hanukkah and Christmas are only a few days away? I certainly can't. Chris and I are flying to Boston for a short visit with family next weekend and I couldn't be more excited to see everyone for Christmas. These are a few things from my lovely sponsors that I think would make great gifts, either for yourself or for someone special:

1. A cute colorblock clutch that would work for all seasons.
2. A pretty patterned sheer shirt, for adding a bit of glamour to New Years Eve.
3. The must-have book for any interior design-loving friends.
4. Something to make you smell divine, and perhaps remind you of home.
5. A versatile, go with everything bootie, for exploring new places in style.
6. A cute, knit cap, for chilly mornings.
7. Some statement earrings to wear with a high bun and a simple dress.

Don't forget:
Blowfish Shoes is offering 15% off orders with the code BFORCHID15
Bluesville, USA is offering 15% off orders with the code orchidgrey
Noble Town Vintage is offering Free Shipping on all orders, including international!

I'll be back to regular posting next week, in the meantime have a wonderful weekend!

American Living 12 Days of Giving: Holiday Picks

2011-12-13T19:30:00.001-05:00

Well, my mom has officially found out about her gift, darn! I guess that's what I get for posting about it on the internet. But, she is really excited about it, it's always nice to know your gifts are well received. I thought I would show you all a few things from the American Living collection that I think would make perfect holiday presents:

Cozy pajamas are always a great holiday gift, a tradition in our family.
The perfect, socially acceptable, holiday sweater.
This rustic plaid jacket would be perfect for a husband or brother (Chris has one very similar)
This quilt would be perfectly cozy for a wintertime nap.

Find more great gifting ideas here!

Statement

2011-12-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

Shirt/ Tights/ Belt: American Apparel
Skirt: Vintage/ thrifted
Shoes: Irregular Choice

I love the simple power of an easy outfit dressed up with a statement shoe, the easiest thing ever. You all know how much I love the combination of blue, black, and brown, but this day my favorite conglomeration needed something...more. So, I added my most insane shoes, which I assure you, I can not walk in for the life of me.

I've been on the fence lately with my hair. On the one hand, when I take the time to style it, I love it, but of course, when I don't, I can't stand it. It gets caught in car doors, wraps around my neck when I sleep (yeah), etc. I don't know. Maybe it's just this time of year. Or maybe the joy of waking up with my freakishly long hair wrapped around my neck is wearing off. Life is full of mysteries.

This is serious business:

American Living 12 Days of Giving: Day 9

2011-12-09T19:30:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned here, I was so excited when American Living invited me to choose a gift from their collection to give to someone close to me. I knew exactly what I'd choose: The Fletcher Quilt, and exactly who to give it to: my Mom. I have always loved purchasing gifts for my family, finding the perfect thing for them, and I felt like a quilt would be the perfect thing for her this year. A quilt is a practical gift for sure, which is perfect for my no nonsense, New Englander Mother, but a quilt is also warm and comforting. See, my Mom has had a few bad weeks recently, she lost both her dog, as well as our family cat, so, while I can't be there to comfort her, I can still send a little warmth in the mail, all the way from Pittsburgh.

And Mom, if you're reading this...please try to act surprised on Christmas morning?

What are you gifting your loved ones this season?

Happy Friday!

2011-12-09T10:08:00.006-05:00

So, I finally got one of those rolls of film developed I mentioned a few weeks ago, above you'll see a couple of images from summer 2010. Yep, I really need to get it together when it comes to my film and actually get it developed on time. It was a nice surprise to see some pictures of the ocean and Halibut Point State Park though. I'm really missing the ocean these days.

Do you have any fun weekend plans? I'm looking forward to finally getting a Christmas tree this weekend, and hopefully getting into the Holiday spirit with some crafting.

Do you have a wish list this year? We're not doing big gifts, but here are some things I'm loving:

1. This lime colored skirt from Ruche would be the perfect way to brighten up the dark winter months.
2. I'm loving the Hat Field boots from Blowfish, wouldn't they be perfect for tromping around the snowy city? Don't forget, you can receive 15% off your order by entering BFORCHID15
3. This striped top from Lulu's would be so easy to dress up or down, I'd pair it with a suede skirt and booties.
4. Dalaga carries such a great selection of pretty dresses, this one would be perfect for a holiday date.
5. I love this copper penny charm from Noble Town Vintage, the perfect simple necklace.
6. This might be the most perfect Holiday dress, Bluesville, USA always has the cutest things and you can get 15% off your order by entering orchidgrey at checkout!
7. Are we friends on Pinterest yet? I've been looking for hair-inspiration and it's the perfect place to find so many ideas!
8. This dress would be lovely for New Years!

How do you all feel about gift guides? Would you be interested to see my take on gifting? or are you already experiencing gift-guide overload?

Have a happy weekend!

Nearly Winter

2011-12-07T23:47:00.005-05:00

Top: Thrifted
Sweater: Swapped
Pants: J.Brand
Shoes: Matiko
Purse: Dear Golden VIntage
Earrings c/o Noble Town Vintage
Bracelet: Forever 21

Photos: Christen

This bag was a little Christmas gift to myself last week, although I'll admit to not feeling very wintery, or having much Holiday spirit at all. The weather here has been unseasonably warm, which just makes listening to holiday songs feel unnatural. Chris and I have decided to try out a tree this year, as we finally have the space for a small one. We've been cautious in the past because of our cat's penchant for destroying things, so we'll see, it could be perfectly fine. Or it could be a total disaster.

Anyways, last Saturday while Chris was at work I did a little exploring: hitting up an amazing Estate Sale and a Gabriel Brothers (which is like Reny's for those of you who live in Maine...or Building 19 for those of you who live in Massachusetts...anywhere else I don't have a comparison) where I found these J.Brand riding pants for a scant $20, I'm pretty excited about them. I usually shy away from non-denim pants, but I couldn't resist the velvet knee patches.

You're Standing On My Neck

2011-12-06T08:32:00.005-05:00

Vest: Thrifted

Skirt: UO (old)

Tights: AA

Shoes: Thrifted

T-shirt: Madewell

Bracelets: F21, Swapped, ModCloth

Necklace c/o Noble Town Vintage

Photos: Mandy

I mentioned last week that Mandy took me thrift shopping a couple of weekends ago, the thing I love about thrifting that always has me coming back (no matter how many times I say I'm taking a break from the bargains) is that, if you look hard enough, you find the things that have been on your "want" list forever. I'd been pining for a little jean vest to throw over t-shirts and dresses for the longest time, there was a nice one from J.Crew awhile back, but I just couldn't shell out $70 for something that, stylistically, I wasn't totally sure about. $3.99 on the other hand is much more reasonable. I found these Doc Martin mary janes at the same place, they're so comfortable and they remind me of 1997 and middle school.

Happy Friday!

2011-12-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

Zephyr's tootsies

How was your week? This week it looks like the weather finally rounded the bend to winter, I loved the extended Autumn we had, but I'm ready for frosty mornings and hot chocolate. I feel as though we're starting to settle into life here, we still miss the coast (and our friends and family) like crazy, but things are starting to feel more routine and normal. I'm starting to get excited about the holidays as well, I wasn't at first- the holidays for us are always a little crazy- but I think we'll actually be able to get a tree this year!

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Chris has sunday off so we've planned to grab breakfast and take a trip to Ohiopyle with friends for some hiking. I'm really excited to venture outside of the city!

Have you started your Holiday shopping yet? We're keeping things small this year, but below are a few items I have my eye on:

I love the print on these flats from Blowfish, wouldn't they be perfect with dark denim and a cozy sweater?

Blowfish is offering Orchid Grey Readers 15% off with the code BFORCHID15!

I'm so excited to welcome Dalaga as a sponsor of Orchid Grey, I've had my eye on this scent for awhile (you'll see why)

I would love to laze around the house in this cozy cape, I love the neutral pattern!

Ruche's lookbooks are always so spot-on, I love the holiday theme and chalkboard effect of the Sparkling Soiree book!

I'm in love with this beautiful necklace, I think it looks perfect with the black blazer in the photo! Noble Town Vintage is offering free shipping on all orders!!!

Wouldn't this be the perfect dress for New Year's Eve? Bluesville, USA is offering 15% off your order with the code orchidgrey!

This dress would be perfect for a weekend road trip!

I love all the holiday cards at Pressbound, even better? They're based in Beverly, MA where we used to live!

I'm completely obsessed with all the recipes on Food Coma, all I want to do is cook this weekend!

Flannel & Lace

2011-12-01T10:06:00.004-05:00

Cape: American Apparel (last year)
Dress: ModCloth
Flannel: Thrifted
Tights: UO (old)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via ModCloth

Photos: Mandy

I've been using this flannel tactic quite a bit lately, as the temperature slowly decides to act it's season, I've been experimenting with new layering techniques to keep warm. I really love the mix of a boy-ish and rugged flannel with a girly lace dress, a look I wasn't totally sold on when I left the house, but decided mid-day that I really liked. Does that ever happen to you? You're not completely sure, but decide to take the chance anyway? I'm feeling super inspired lately, and am planning a big closet over-haul this weekend!

Life has been busy lately, I'm starting to get excited about the holidays, about seeing my family for Christmas. Yesterday it snowed!

Can you tell these are my favorite shoes?

Like Dylan in the Movies

2011-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Vest: Rebecca Taylor via Swap

Flannel & Belt: American Apparel

Jeans: Marc Jacobs via Swap

Necklace: Dolly & Boy + Flea Market

Shoes: Buffalo Exchange

Bracelets: Swap & F21

Photos by Christen

Well, blogger hates me. I had a whole post written out and...poof, gone. So, suffice to say, this vest and these jeans are two of my most favorite swap finds to date. It doesn't hurt that they're a little fancy either. I'm not a big designer label person, but it's always nice to find something that I normally wouldn't seek out for myself. What about you, are you a major label fan or do you steer clear?

To make it extra fluffy, I flipped the vest inside out, and added a cozy flannel. I love the finished product, very 70's, which as you all know, I'm a big fan of.

Can you believe it's nearly December? The weather has finally decided to ACT like it's winter, at least a little bit, I hear it might snow today!

Announcing the American Living 12 Days of Giving Campaign

2011-11-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Chris and I both have big families to shop for, and every year they just seem to get bigger and bigger. This holiday season, I am excited to be partnering with JCPenney on their American Living holiday campaign. I was invited to choose a gift for a loved one from the collection, and knew just what to choose: This cozy quilt. I'll be gifting it to a very deserving someone, which I'm keeping secret for now. I chose a home item because Chris and I have actually turned to JCPenney on many an occasion to decorate our home, and each time we've been more than pleased with the quality, and everything is always super affordable (like the amazing yellow velour pillows in this post). So stay tuned to follow my gift to it's recipient! And for now if you like, you can check out the cute holiday video below to get you in the giving spirit:

Disclaimer: All opinions and anecdotes expressed in this post are my own

Dress Up in You

2011-11-28T19:42:00.006-05:00

Dress: vintage via Avalon
Cardigan: J.Crew outlet
Tights: American Apparel
Shoes: ModCloth
Bracelets: F21 & ModCloth
Photos by Mindy at ModCloth

Well, Monday just flew right by. I really need to teach myself to get Monday's post scheduled on Sunday night, I always have good intentions of getting a post up- and sometimes it works out- but more often than not Monday morning is spent running around, getting ready for the week. Did you have a good weekend? I got some thrift shopping in with Mandy, and actually got some work done on this here blog. I love having an office now, but we really need to make it more welcoming. At the moment it's pretty dismal, which makes it hard to motivate myself to sit in there and work.

I found some great things on our thrift shopping trip! A leather skirt, jean vest (which has been on my want list forever), and a pair of Doc Martin mary-janes (remember those?). I made a stop at Avalon (which is like Buffalo Exchange- for those not from Pittsburgh) before picking Chris up from work that night and my good luck continued: I found this sweet vintage dress and a vintage skirt as well. I was wearing these tights when I tried this dress on, and I really loved how the little flowers popped against the color of the tights.

A tip: My trick for making cotton spring/summer dresses work for fall and winter is adding a slip underneath as an extra layer that also prevents your dress from catching on your tights. I have a couple of nice silk slips, but I will also buy them (in good condition of course) from thrift stores and just cut them to the desired length. Polyester slips won't fray or run if they're cut!

Happy Friday!

2011-11-25T10:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! How was your holiday? Our Thanksgiving was perfect, in fact, if the way yesterday went becomes our Thanksgiving tradition, I think it just may be my new favorite holiday. We started the day off with some baking and Alice's Restaurant (the Arlo Guthrie film), went on a long hike in the afternoon, returned to cook our holiday feast (while listening to the audio version of Alice's), and finished the day by going to see The Muppets! It was awesome. Alice's Restaurant is always a big part of our Thanksgiving, the classic rock station back home plays it on repeat on Thanksgiving day and we usually listen to it while driving from house to house. It was so nice to spend the day together and listen to it while we cooked.

Are you hitting the sales today? I'm headed into work today, but even if I wasn't, i don't think I would be shopping. Too much mayhem! I will, however, be checking out a few sales online:

Noble Town Vintage is offering free shipping on ALL orders, including international! Have you entered the giveaway yet?

Lulu's has a great sale going on today, you can save up to 90% off!

Ruche is offering 15% off with the code BFSALE15, I would snag this comfy striped dress!

Blowfish is offering 15% off for Orchid Grey readers with the code BFORCHID15!

Bluesville, USA is offering 15% off as well with the code orchidgrey!

A few more things I love:

The Delightful Dozen is offering a great necklace giveaway this week!

I'm in love with everything in this shop.

Happy and happy (and thankful) weekend!

A Lot to be Thankful For

2011-11-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! What are your plans today? Are you traveling to celebrate with family? Hosting your own Thanksgiving feast? Hanging out at home? Chris and I are doing something totally new to us this year: relaxing. Since we grew up within 20 minutes of each other, our holidays are typically hectic affairs that last from morning till night. Last year we ate five thanksgiving dinners. I'm not exaggerating...five. In one day. So, this year a new tradition was born: we're staying in Pittsburgh, going hiking, making our own Thanksgiving feast (while listening to Alice's Restaurant), and maybe (just maybe) seeing the Muppet movie tonight!

I always love Thanksgiving though, no matter how crazy it can be, I think it's a great time to reflect back on the previous year, and count your blessings. 2011 was incredibly good to us, and while there were moments where everything seemed like it would fall apart, we still managed to scrape by. So-in no particular order- this year I am thankful for:

Having the most amazing friends ever. After typing that sentence, I sat for a few minutes trying to think of a way to compose my gratitude for our loved ones, and found no words. They worked their tails off at our wedding, they helped us pack up our lives when we were moving, they deal with our incredible disorganization. We love them.

New opportunities. While I was sad to leave the home we knew, I am so thankful to have a job that I love, and a new city to explore. As hard as it was to leave, I know it was the right thing for us. But it's not just a new job I'm thankful for, this year I was able to realize my dream of seeing a design go to production.

A roof over our heads. We moved to Pittsburgh sight unseen, to an apartment we had never stepped foot in. Things could have gone very, very badly. But they didn't, and every time I think about this, I breathe a sigh of relief.

Having a husband that's up for a little adventure. Oh what's that? We're moving 13 hours away from friends and family to a city we've never seen? No sweat. And for that I am thankful.

Our family. This includes cats.

What are you thankful for this year?

Noble Town Vintage Giveaway!

2011-11-23T14:00:00.001-05:00

I'm so excited to announce today's giveaway with Noble Town Vintage! Sarah creates some seriously amazing jewelry, all made from vintage pieces, and each piece I have from her, I love. She is offering one lucky winner these amazing triangle earrings, aren't they incredible?

To Enter: Visit Noble Town Vintage and leave a comment here telling me how you would style these earrings if you won! Good luck!

Tiny print: One comment per person. This contest is open to ALL. be sure to leave me an email address if you do not have a blog where I can easily reach you. Giveaway ends Monday November 28th at 10PM EST. Winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator.

(The winner of the Ruche giveaway will be announced in tomorrow post!)

Sponsor Orchid Grey for the Holidays!

2011-11-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

I'm currently accepting sponsors for December and beyond! If you're looking to gain exposure for your business large or small, let's talk!

For rates and stats and questions answered, email me- with a link to your shop- at jkoboyle @ gmail.com

Sensing a Pattern

2011-11-22T08:15:00.005-05:00

Dress: Thrifted
Tights: AA
Shoes: ModCloth
Bracelets swapped & f21
Earrings c/o Noble Town Vintage

Photos by Mandy of The Curvy Model

In the few weeks since we moved to Pittsburgh, I really haven't done much thrifting... or shopping in general. When unpacking my closet, I came to the grim realization that my clothes and shoes are pretty much at capacity, with very little (if any) room to spare. So my new goal is to only purchase things I really, truly love. I know that probably sounds a bit silly, like wouldn't I do that anyway? But I think, especially with thrift shopping, it's a little too easy to justify a purchase because it's cheap, or unique, or just plain bizarre, and if you continue on that path, you just end up with a closet full of things you really- only sorta- love. So my new goal is this: I will still thrift, but I will do it mindfully, and I will still shop, but I will only purchase items that I love, and that are good quality.

So that is my new goal, a goal I kept in mind when I went on a little thrifting field trip this past Sunday. The place I went reminded me a lot of thrifting in Maine, the crowd was weird and the pickings we're slim, but what I found was good: This good-as-new vintage dress for a short $1.50! I have not found decent vintage at a decent price at a thrift store in a long time, and this beauty is pristine: not a stain, or tear, or snag to be found. And while it is polyester, a fabric that I try to avoid as much as possible, I could not resist it's beauty. And I'm glad I didn't, with a silk slip underneath, the polyester effect was negligible.

With such a strong pattern, I didn't feel the need to over-accessorize (do I ever?), I kept things simple with a pair of earrings from Noble Town Vintage, who makes the only earrings I ever want to wear. Hint: there might be a giveaway tomorrow...hint...hint...very big, obvious hint.

Over the Weekend

2011-11-21T08:45:00.006-05:00

Top to bottom:
Early morning Bob Dylan/ Rediscovered our record collection this weekend highlights: Bob Dylan, Patty Smith, Lou Reed/ The Z's spent their weekend following sunbeams as usual/ A thrifted Brownie to add to our collection

Good morning! How was your weekend? All too short? Yeah, mine too. Although very relaxing. Turns out, being afraid to drive your car is a great excuse to hole up at home and clean the heck out of your apartment. Which is what I did. Since our move, I haven't had much time to decorate or move stuff around, so taking advantage of some alone time which Chris was at work, I listened to records and cleaned. That's not all I did though, no. I also took a short field trip out of town to do a little thrifting. I found that mint condition Brownie Hawkeye for a mere $9.99 and an amazing dress for a short $1.50, it was like being back home in Maine where the thrift is cheap! The dress you'll see tomorrow, as I'm wearing it to work today, all I can say is I'm in love. The cats spent their weekend following me around and demanding entry to the basement, where they are not allowed.

Thank you to everyone who cast their vote and gave their opinion on Disqus. It's definitely something I'm considering trying out for Orchid Grey, I would love to be able to engage a bit more and Disqus seems like the best option. A little more work, but hopefully worth the effort for the benefit of discussion.

How was your weekend?

Have a Beautiful Weekend!

2011-11-18T08:35:00.004-05:00

You can really see where my priorities were this week: Zephyr. His little face kind of kills me, and I find myself focusing on him when I get stressed out. I think that may make me sort of insane. But, I'm not gonna lie, this week was a little stressful, and I'm so happy it's almost over. Nothing horrible happened, but ending a long week with car problems is not my idea of a good time. But the good thing is, it's sunny today and I have an appointment to get my brakes (yeah, scary) fixed on Monday! It was wonderful waking up to sunlight streaming in our bedroom windows, such a nice way to wake up. I'm not sure what this weekend has in store for us, Chris will be working, so I may take the opportunity to do some thrifting. And then there's talk of Light Up Night, which sounds awesome.

Here are a few highlights of this week:

I have a poll going on my Facebook page about the Disqus commenting system, if you have a minute, I would love to know your thoughts!

Are any of my Pittsburgh readers members of Venture Outdoors? I'm thinking about joining this winter.

Noble Town Vintage is offering free shipping on all orders (including International!) through December!

This sculpture is amazing. That's all I have to say.

Elizabeth was the prettiest bride ever! And congratulations to Miss James who ties the knot this weekend (can't wait to see her BHLDN dresses)

Love these vintage Levi's, perfect pants for the impending holidays!

I would love to spend the weekend wrapped in this cozy sweater, reading a book. I need to get to the library!

Have you seen this fun wishlist from Lulus? You can take a peek at what I'm wishing for this year!

Speaking of wishlists, what kind of wishlists would you be interested in seeing on Orchid Grey? Anything in particular?

Have you seen Blowfish's new accessories category? I love the boot-tights, genius!!

What are your weekend plans? Anything special?

In My Element

2011-11-17T08:22:00.005-05:00

Sweater c/o Lulus

Dress c/o Lulus

Tights: AA

Necklace: gift from Chris

Bracelets: Forever 21

Aerin Boots c/o Blowfish

Photos by Christen of From the Woods

This rain is officially driving me bananas. Yesterday was day three and I was determined to actually get some outfit shots. It's definitely been an adjustment getting back to a normal 40 hour week, especially since Chris is now on a similar schedule as well. I've been shopping around for a new camera lens in hopes of being able to take self-portraits again soon. I love having other bloggers to collaborate with at work, but I've also been taking self-portraits forever (before this blog was even an idea) and I miss those projects.

Well, the weather has finally cleared a bit today and it's actually feeling like chilly November. Rumor has it that we might even see some snow this weekend! I have my fingers crossed, I would love to have a little (a little) snow on the ground for Thanksgiving.

A la Gloria

2011-11-15T08:17:00.003-05:00

Photos by Mandy of The Curvy Model

Top c/o Pineapple Mint Vintage
Jeans: H&M
Shoes: Matiko (2009)
Bag: VIntage Thrift
Sunglasses: Vintage
Belt: AA
Bracelets: F21
Orchid Grey Bracelet: ModCloth

I may have mentioned my love of Gloria Steinem before, but if I haven't: I love Gloria Steinem. I have a general appreciation of strong, smart women who aren't afraid to admit to enjoying fashion
and/or personal style. When I put together an outfit inspired by the seventies (which is often), I typically have one of two women in mind as inspiration: my mother or Gloria Steinem. Last week, it was Gloria. I picked up these jeans over the summer, finally finding a pair of high-waisted jeans that went up to my actual waist. I paired them with a vintage tie-neck blouse, and a vintage D&B satchel.

In other news: Chris starts his new job today! I'm so excited for him, he found a great position at a small boutique here in Pittsburgh. I'm very proud!

Happy Tuesday!

Have a Happy Weekend!

2011-11-11T09:06:00.003-05:00

Yay, it's Friday! Do you have any fun weekend plans? I have to work on Saturday, but aside form that we don't have much in the books, maybe another hike? Maybe I'll finally get all that film dropped off an developed! One of my goals this weekend is to finally get the upstairs of our house in order, get our little office set up, and maybe take care of the tangle of clothes on our bedroom floor.

The weather has definitely cooled down over the past few days, and as much as I love it, it also puts me in the mood for winter shopping, which I'm trying to resist. I've been very good about not spending frivolously, so let's just do some window shopping on the internet:

Have you entered the Ruche Giveaway yet? It's not too late to get your name in! I absolutely love these sequin shorts from them!

Did you like my new shoes from Lulu's in yesterday's post? You can find them here!

I love this beaded dress from Bluesville, USA- perfect for a holiday party!

The new styles from Noble Town Vintage are so pretty! I'm obsessed with these earrings.

These cute little flats are so sweet, Blowfish makes the most comfortable shoes.

I loved Kaelah's tour of her bedroom, so pretty!

Have you seen all the wedding outfits on Delightfully Tacky? So pretty!

I love this simple bracelet.

End of Autumn

2011-11-10T08:20:00.005-05:00

Photos by Mandy of The Curvy Model

Top: AA

Cardigan: J.Crew

Belt: AA

Skirt Thrifted Vintage

Tights: AA

Shoes c/o Lulu's

Aren't these shoes amazing? I received them over the weekend from Lulu's and decided to plan my Monday morning outfit around them, I love the different colors of them! The weather over the past couple of days has been gorgeous, which I love but always throws a wrench in my mindset of fall dressing. I opted for a dusty rose hued pair of fishnets over my usual opaques, and donned a short sleeve shirt beneath a light cardigan.

I'm so excited to be posting outfits more regularly, something that has definitely helped is having a photo partner at the office! Mandy of the blog, The Curvy Model, has been helping me with outfit photos, we've been having little photo sessions as a way to get outside during the workday. You can check out her amazing blog to see the photos I took of her!

Win $50 to Ruche!

2011-11-08T19:29:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited to be announcing this giveaway today! With the launch of Ruche's new and improved site and their new look book "Homemade for the Holiday", it's the perfect time for one lucky reader to win something special! Here's how to enter:

To Enter: Visit Ruche and leave a comment telling me what new arrival item you would wear for the holiday season! Good Luck!

Tiny print: One comment per person. This contest is open to ALL. be sure to leave me an email address if you do not have a blog where I can easily reach you. Giveaway ends Monday November 14th at 10PM EST. Winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator.

These are my favorites!

Into The Woods

2011-11-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

Photos: Chris

Jacket: Urban Outfitters sale

Sweater: Thrifted (last year)

Button-up: VIntage Thrifted (2009)

Scarf: Thrifted (2010)

Riding pants: AA

Boots: Matiko via LF sale

Camera: Vintage AE-1 (mothers)

I think these are some of my favorite photos that Chris has ever taken for me. Sunday was such a beautiful day. My favorite late-fall sight is the sun streaming into the woods, through almost bare trees, to the leaf covered ground below; it's the perfect time to go for a walk in the forest. Though, that day we didn't get very far, Frick Park was much more than we expected it to be and we realized that we (and by we I mean me) simply weren't dressed right for a hike. From what I've seen, this park is amazing, I can't wait to get my hand on some snowshoes for the winter. We were so unfamiliar with the Pittsburgh area when we found out we would be moving here, we were both concerned about keeping up with the outdoor activities we enjoy, like hiking and snowboarding. While we still aren't sure what to expect for winter- we've heard mixed reviews- we were really happy to have at least found a place where we can get some light hiking in.

Sunday was one of those fall days where you can't decide if it's cold or not, so I wore lots of layers. I like to stick to pants on the weekends, but am a little sick of jeans, so I wore these stretchy riding pants per Chris's suggestion. After that, I just piled stuff on, no real formula. I found a spare roll of film (who knows how old) while unpacking, and decided to take my mom's old AE-1 out for a spin. I have five or so rolls to get developed dating back to summer 2010 (I'm a procrastinator), if any come out, I'd really like to share them on here.

Over the Weekend: Fall Back

2011-11-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

Top to bottom:

Our canvas print from Spring Smith Studios came! Thank you again to everyone who left a comment on our wedding post / Cinnamon buns for breakfast, my favorite / Zeb spends the weekend trying out sunbeams / One last lawn mow before the snow / A sweet face / In the stairway mirror before heading out the door / Color / Autumn details at Calvary Cemetery.

What a beautiful weekend this was. We had grand plans of getting the rest of our stuff unpacked, organizing closets, and hanging artwork, but all that is hard to do when you wake to a beautiful sunny day with no clouds and a new city to explore. On Saturday we strolled around Calvary Cemetery, which may seem morbid to some, but the fall foliage is gorgeous and I love how tranquil cemeteries are. We did some walking around downtown as well: had the world's worst latte and went to the worlds most expensive "thrift" store. Sunday was a bit more successful, maybe due to the time change, we visited the Shadyside neighborhood and took some photos on my old AE-1, and "hiked" around Frick Park. When I say hiked, I mean we took outfit photos (coming tomorrow), walked around a bit, and realized we weren't dressed right for the magnitude of this amazing park. I can't wait to go back next weekend and actually do some exploring. My two major resolutions for this move are: take more film photos, and get outdoors more. So far, both resolutions are playing out perfectly. We were introduced to Venture Outdoors by our neighbors, an outdoors organization that hosts hikes, walks and activities all around our area, I can't wait to join!

How was your weekend?

Friday Favorites

2011-11-04T10:00:00.002-04:00

Ahh, I'm so happy it's Friday! This week has been great, but now that we're a little more settled, I'm excited to maybe do some exploring this weekend. These photos are some of my favorites from last weekend. While the early snow was strange for us, I think Zebby and Zephyr we're a little more confused. We have a lovely window in our new dining nook, and Zeb took some time to admire the snowfall from the kitchen table on Saturday morning. The kitties are very much enjoying their new home, with new stairs to zip up and down, and new wildlife to obsess over through the window (a wide variety of wild rabbits, one enormous groundhog, and some excessively friendly squirrels). We're all settling in nicely.

Thank you all so much for your incredibly kind and supportive words on my post last friday! I'm so excited to be working where I am, and so excited to see where Orchid Grey will go in the future. Hanna asked me what exactly my job entails, and basically my job is split in two: half my time is spent dreaming up blog posts for the ModCloth blog, and the other half is spent composing product descriptions (like this one). Any more questions? Feel free to ask!

Below are just a few of the things I've been loving this week. My imaginary shopping cart is full as usual:

Have you seen Ruche's new look? The whole site looks amazing, and I'm loving this lace dress.

I cannot get enough of these earrings from Noble Town Vintage, they're so simple and understated.

Wouldn't this skirt look amazing with an oversize black sweater and tights? I love the bright colors.

I can't wait to get these boots in the mail, I love the color and they look so cozy! DOn't forget, you can receive 15% off your order form Blowfish Shoes with the code BFORCHID15!

This sheer top would look great with dark skinny jeans and a cardigan, I love the pattern. Plus, you can receive 15% off your order by using the checkout code orchidgrey!

I've been obsessed with this perfume since receiving a sample during NYFW, it smells so fresh and happy!

Umm, I'm in love with this. #catlady

Have a wonderful weekend!

Leopard Print and Navy

2011-11-02T07:58:00.001-04:00

Sweater: ModCloth (2010)
Top: VIntage thrifted
Jeans: Madewell Hiriser
Shoes: Matiko (2010)
Belt: AA
Necklace: Black Sparrow (gift)

What's that in the background? Snow?! Yep, we're stepping back in time today, only by a couple of days though. On Saturday morning I woke up and looked out the window, only to find a wintry wonderland had replaced the late-fall glory of the changing leaves. While we only got about a half an inch (compared to the foot my mother had at her house), it stuck around for the rest of the day. Winter, I'm just not ready for you. Thank goodness it melted! Chris and I really haven't had much of a chance to explore our new city, between jumping right in to work, and having a new apartment to settle into, we mostly just ran errands on Saturday. I have been enjoying the fresh dose of fashion inspiration that moving has provided, even when just going out to the grocery store, I've been loving actually getting dressed for it. For Saturday, I donned a leopard print silk top I've had in my closet forever, and paired it with the coziest sweater I own, it was perfect for what the day had in store for us, and for a drive around the city. Did you get snow where you live?

Black and Blue All Over

2011-11-01T10:00:00.002-04:00

Dress c/o Ruche

Booties: Kate Spade v. TJMaxx

Tights: American Apparel

Necklace: Black Sparrow (gift)

Bracelets: Forever 21

It's strange seeing these photos and knowing they weren't taken in Beverly, I absolutely love having new locations for outfit photos now, although I will definitely miss my old haunts. You know what else I love? Getting dressed for work in the mornings! I'm so excited to have an office to get dressed up for again, I feel as though I've had so much inspiration over the past few months, but was unable to express much because I was either in jeans and a t-shirt for the cafe, or working from home. So, when I received this amazing dress from Ruche over the weekend, I knew it would be the first thing I wore this week. The temperature has definitely dropped over the past few days, so I paired it with some thick black tights and warm booties.

For Halloween Night

2011-10-31T19:15:00.001-04:00

Stay safe!

Halloween Sounds

2011-10-29T15:55:00.004-04:00

Image from the book Haunted Air

Happy Halloween! No costume for me today (still sorting through my boxes and boxes of clothes), but I spent this weekend compiling some creepy sounds for your listening pleasure today. Man, I found some good stuff, but for the sake of wanting people to still read this blog after listening, I split the list in two: the first is fairly safe, the second gave me nightmares. I'm not joking. If you're looking for some seriously sinister sounds, here you go:

Do you have any Halloween music recommendations? Any cool costume ideas to share?

New City, New Job

2011-10-28T09:59:00.004-04:00

Photo: Courtesy of ModCloth.com

I have some exciting news to share with you today! In last week's post about our big move, I alluded to a new job with a new company, many of you had some very close (if not entirely correct) guesses as to where I would be working: on Monday I began my new career with ModClot h as a blog & fashion writer! The words "Dream Job" do not do this justice, I'm so excited to be working with such an amazing company.

I've wanted to share this with you all so badly, and now I can! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of interviews, apartment-hunting, saying our good-byes to New England, and getting settled in to our new home. I'm so happy to finally be here, and be grounded.

So, you may be wondering what does this mean for Orchid Grey? Things will stay roughly the same, but I will be taking advantage of our move and introducing some new topics (unrelated to my position). I've wanted to expand my repertoire for a long time, and now that we have a new place, with new space, I'll be able to! I will continue to have amazing sponsors on Orchid Grey, but ModCloth will no longer be one of them. Essentially, everything I do for my job will be completely separate from Orchid Grey, so if you'd like to keep up with me on ModCloth, you can definitely check out their blog.

If you have any questions, you can definitely ask me either on the Orchid Grey Facebook page, or below in the comments section!

And lastly, thank you all so much for being so patient with me over the past few weeks, I know posts have been scarce, but I'm so excited for what the future holds for Orchid Grey! Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement (and recommendations on what to do in Pittsburgh!).

We're here!

2011-10-25T18:21:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the radio silence over the past couple of days, life sure has been a whirlwind! The good news: we're getting internet on Thursday! Yayyyy! So I'll be back to regularly scheduled programming, it can't come soon enough too, I keep having stress dreams about not blogging! Chris and I departed Massachusetts way behind schedule on Saturday, turns out we have a lot of stuff, and when you have a lot of stuff it takes a loooong time to pack! The drive to Pittsburgh was long, but beautiful, and the kitties were so good! That was a big concern of mine, anyone who has ever been in a car with a cat for more then 10 minutes can sympathize, it's not usually a fun time.

Anyways, I thought I would share a few things I love today, until I'm back in outfit-taking action:

How cozy is this poncho from Ruche? It would be perfect for a night by the fireside!

These fringed boots from Lulu's are so rad! I would wear them with dark skinny jeans and an olive colored sweater.

This post of Jen's makes me heart sick for a good old New England pumpkin patch!

Have you seen the latest 12 Delightful Things?

This cocktail dress is just incredible, perfect for a New Years date or swanky holiday party.

Velvet must just be on my mind, because I'm loving this one as well!

How perfect for fall is this bag? I'm in love!

October 19, 2011: Live Free or Die

2011-10-19T12:12:00.004-04:00

(photos by Chris)

Coat: ModCloth (bought with a gift certificate provided by the company)

Sweater: J.Crew outlet

Tank (under): J.Crew

Jeans: Madewell hiriser

Boots: Matiko via LF

Necklace: Flea Market

Bracelets: Forever 21

Well, Chris and I are back from the saddest weekend ever. Goodbyes are never easy, and when you're from a place where you can see your whole extended family within an hour, and all of your oldest friends, those goodbyes are even more difficult. After a great couple of days with my brother down here, we trekked up North to see family and friends before heading out on our new journey. We saw just about everyone we wanted to see, though for a shorter time than desired, even though we'll be back for Christmas (only a short couple of months away) it was still rough. While in New Hampshire & Maine, we made sure to visit all the places we love, including Cathedral Ledge. Chris and I used to take picnics up here all the time when we lived in NH, and I think it's one of the most beautiful look-outs, especially in the fall. It's strange leaving New England, I feel like being from northern New England is such a strong part of my identity, it'll be weird not living here anymore.

I've pretty much been living in this outfit lately, I bought this sweater last weekend and I love it so much, it's so easy to just throw on with jeans and be done with it. Crisp fall days are my favorite, I love being in a cozy sweater and jacket and tramping through the woods.

Our big news...

2011-10-17T10:00:00.003-04:00

After a brief hiatus due to a technical difficulty over the weekend I'm back! And with some big news! Remember that top secret news I had last week? Well this is it: Chris and I will be packing up and moving to the city of steel this Friday! I know, super sudden, right? But I assure you it's for something amazing. I found out a couple of weeks ago, but needed some time to make housing arraignments and wrap my head around the whole thing.

We're both very sad to be leaving the North Shore of Boston, I've been living in Beverly for almost 10 years, 5 of those with Chris. We're leaving everything we know and all of our friends, to go to a city we've never even stepped foot in, it's understandable that this idea might sound completely crazy to some. But, I'm also so excited to have a new area of the country to explore, and a new city to become familiar with. While I can't tell you exactly what I'll be doing yet (soon, I promise), I can say an amazing opportunity arose with a company that I adore, an opportunity that could not be turned down.

So, we've been spending every free moment with friends and family, preparing to say goodbye. It's been really tough, and incredibly surreal, in a way I feel like I'm going off to college all over again, leaving the comfortable bubble of our community for something new. I'm so excited to see what this adventure holds for us though.

I'm sorry for not telling you all sooner, but we didn't even know where we would be living until this past wednesday. We are going to be moving into a great new apartment, and I can't wait to start decorating! I've always wanted to add some home decor posts to Orchid Grey, and I'm so excited to start sharing my ideas (and hearing yours as well). Thank you all for sticking with me these past couple of months, I know that I've been a bit distant with my posts, but I have some amazing things planned for Orchid Grey's future. I can't wait to start sharing our new life with all of you!

Chris and I are in Maine today, visiting with family and friends. I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!

xoxo

-Julie (& Chris, Zeb, and Zephyr)

Have a great weekend!

2011-10-14T18:27:00.004-04:00

Halloween 2005

(a crappy zombie, Richie Tenenbaum, a troll doll)

Are you excited for Halloween? I am but I have no idea what I'm going to be this year. I always end up being something kind of ugly or off-putting, never anything cute for some reason. Maybe this year will be different!

Have you seen Jessica's genius Halloween ideas? I think the Hamburglar is my favorite!

Did you know I used to play the trombone? For a brief stint in the 8th grade, until it got too cold out to practice in the barn! I think I need this darling dress to remember my time in the brass section!

I would love to get this very manly notebook set for Chris to keep track of things with.

Have you seen Ruche's new fall look book? This is my favorite look of all, I love the lace top!

I love this cute denim dress, can't you see it working for all seasons?

A classic bomber jacket is perfect for fall.

I'm completely in love with these creepy-cool candlestick holders, they would look great on my kitchen table.

I love this DIY of Elsie's, wouldn't it be great to do with a quilt?

I'm on Pinterest now and completely obsessed!

Have a great weekend!

Polkadots!

2011-10-13T10:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! Interested in the details of this outfit? I'm posting over on the Delightful Dozen blog today, where you can read all about it!

October 12, 2011: Orange, Pink, Leopard Print, Gold, Black

2011-10-12T10:11:00.002-04:00

Dress: Thrifted

Belt: J.Crew

Boots c/o Lulu's

Tights: AA

Necklace: Swapped

Bag: Coach/ Thrifted

This is one of my all time favorite outfits, as someone who usually gravitates towards more neutral tones, I love how bright it is and I love the pop of leopard print these amazing boots from Lulu's provide. This is what I wore a couple of weeks ago to the Boston Fashion Week Sip & Swap with The Swapaholics, but completely neglected to get a shot of. I'm glad I waited though, I was so sick during that event, and my hair was a disaster. For the past year or so, I've been pretty ambivalent about my hair, since leaving my old job at The College I just didn't have the money to put into it anymore and allowed it to grow. It wasn't until about a month ago that I finally got fed up: my "ombre" (ha) style was starting to look like a weird hat and the ends were destroyed beyond belief from a year and a half of straightening, curling, etc. Things had gotten out of hand, and the only style I could wear it in was a (admittedly bodacious) topknot on top of my head. This past weekend, I spent four hours in the salon chair of my friend Kristin, and am happily back to a warm reddish brown, with lighter highlights, and clipped ends. Certainly not an enormous change for some, but I feel so much better! I have a lot of plans for this blog over the next few months, one of which is getting back to my hair tutorials! Are there any styles you want to learn how to do?

Over the Weekend: North

2011-10-11T13:07:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the Instagram overload, I know I mentioned that my camera was broken recently, but at the end of last week, I managed to make things worse and am now only able to take photos if another person helps me by holding the lens on. Yeah, stinks. Anyways, I thought I would share some pics from our weekend adventures. Chris and I travelled up north on Friday afternoon to see family and relax. That afternoon, my mom said goodbye to the last of her golden pups, Penny went to her home in Vermont, isn't she cute? We spent the evening at the Fryeburg Fair, eating lots and lots of food and looking at the animals. We got to watch my brother in action too- slinging pizza for a local vendor.

On Saturday, Chris and I both got our hair done: he at the barbershop and I at the salon. It has been since April 2010 since I last had my color done and I was SO happy to say goodbye to my "ombre" hair (really just code for "I can't afford to get my hair done"), even if it did take four hours! I have a lot of hair I guess.

On Sunday we had brunch with my dad, and "dinner" (at 2 o'clock in the afternoon) with Chris's grandparents. Needing to walk off some of that italian cooking, we took a quick hike to the Tamworth Fire Tower, which looks out on to part of the White Mountains. After a quick stop to see our friend Jamie (and do some impulse shopping) at the Tamworth Lyceum, we headed back to my mom's.

Fall in Maine and New Hampshire is my most favorite time of year, and it's the time of year I miss home the most. Nothing beats a crisp, sunny day spent walking along a dirt road, or hiking to the top of a mountain. We're headed back north again this weekend and I can't wait!

Are we Instagram friends yet? My username is OrchidGrey! How about Twitter? Facebook? I haven't forgotten to tell you all about my big news, a post to follow later this week!

Happy Friday!

2011-10-07T09:53:00.005-04:00

A few photos from last night's Anti-Flag/NOFX show. It was so good seeing our friends from up north again and maybe reliving high school just a little bit. We're headed to Maine this morning to see our families and go to the fair! I'm so excited to eat food that's terrible for me and look at farm animals! I'm also getting my hair done on saturday for the first time in a year and a half, I can't wait! I've loved how my grown out highlights looked but I'm getting a bit over it, it's time for something new.

What are you up to this weekend? Any fun plans?

October 6, 2011: Chambray, White, Gold, Tapestry

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sweater: Swapped

Dress: J.crew

Shoes: ModCloth

Necklace: Swapped

It took me three wears to actually get a photo of this outfit, sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging! I first wore it this past weekend at the Gloucester Grand Prix, and then I wore it yesterday to work (that third time, I have no idea what I was up to). This sweater was one of last weeks Boston Fashion Week Sip & Swap finds, I love it! Give me breton stripes and I'm a happy girl. We're finally getting some cooler weather, and I love that I can add some layers to my outfits.

Tonight I'm headed into Boston with our friends from up north to see NOFX and Anti-Flag and I'm stoked! Just like old times!

October 5, 2011: Black & Blue

2011-10-05T09:35:00.003-04:00

Top: Thrifted

Skirt c/o Ruche

Shoes: Swapped

Necklace: Swapped

Belt: Vintage

A few photos from before the rain. Yesterday we had crazy flooding, and I ended up with a few inches of water in my car. Not fun. I've had this skirt from Ruche for (admittedly) a couple of months, I love the polkadots and uneven hem! I paired it with one of my favorite combinations: black and gold. I think I may be in the minority when I say I love blue and black together, and black and brown too.

I'm keeping today's post super short, things have been crazy around here and I have to run out the door to work! Happy wednesday!

October 4, 2011: Rose, Navy, Grey, Olive

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sweater c/o Lulu's

T-Shirt: Madewell

Jeans: Madewell

Belt: American Apparel

Booties c/o Blowfish Shoes

Happy October everyone! The weather has been so summery lately that September seemed to just flash right by. Yesterday though, we finally had some cooler weather. I'm still getting over last weeks nasty cold (thank you for all the get better's), so comfort is key to me. When I received this cozy sweater in the mail from Lulu's, Chris saw it on the bed and said "is this a blanket...with arms?" I can tell you thats exactly what it feels like when I wear it! I paired it with some super soft jeans, an easy t-shirt, and a pair of surprisingly comfortable heels for polish. Blowfish makes the most comfortable shoes, I love this pair of houndstooth booties, perfect for fall.

I can't get over how insane the past month and a half has been. I thought things would calm down after the wedding but not the case! Something pretty big has gone down this past week and I can't wait to tell you all about it! BUT it's still a big secret...so you'll have to wait! And no, I'm not pregnant. People always seem to think that when a newlywed has news.

September 28, 2011: Some Summer Leftovers

2011-09-28T15:47:00.003-04:00

Top: Thrifted ($5?)

Belt: AA or J.Crew...can't tell

Skirt: Madewell (sale)

Bracelets: Swapped

Sandals: H&M ($7)

I've had these photos on my desktop since June, no joke. Since I'm feeling under the weather today, I thought what better time to share them? Especially since Fall decided to masquerade as summer anyway. I've been taken down by a nasty cold that I'm pretty sure a handful of my friends have, along with half of the customers at the cafe, I didn't stand a chance against this beast. Ugh, what makes you feel better when you're sick? I like laying in bed and watching tv and reading magazines.

September 27, 2011: Floral, Chambray, Brown

2011-09-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

Dress: Vintage via thrift (old)

Shirt: American Apparel

Belt: American Apparel

Shoes c/o ModCloth

I'm back in action! After nearly a month of not taking my own photos, I dragged my camera out of hiding, dusted off the cobwebs, and took some outfit shots yesterday. I admit, I've been off my game, since I've had the wedding photos and NYFW to tide me over, I've taken a little break from getting dressed up. Which, believe me, wasn't a good idea. It took me for-ever to piece this outfit together yesterday. Like, way too long for what it is. It doesn't help that my camera is broken: I dropped it while running out the door to catch my bus for NYC, and the lens broke. Not good! It's all duct-taped up right now and not working very well. I guess I'll be saving my pennies for a new lens.

Yesterday was my kind of day: I did some work in the AM, grabbed a coffee with my husband (aka Chris...I just like saying Husband), and then headed off to Portsmouth, NH for lunch at the Friendly Toast and a stop at The Enormous Tiny Art Show with the wonderful Elise of Argyle Whale and Daphne of The Living Words (two amazing- and amazingly funny- ladies), there may have been a Savers pit-stop in there somewhere, too. The weather has been extremely summery lately, much to my chagrin. This always happens: I put away my summer clothes in favor for autumnal wools and flannels, and then BAM! it's 80 degrees again. Boo hiss. So, I made due by quickly taking in this dress which has been languishing in my to-be-altered closet for a year and a half. I added a little button-up and a belt, and then went with some almost-sensible-but-still-heeled clogs.

Mini Spotlight: ModCloth, Blowfish Shoes, Bearcat Vintage, & Le Mode Accessories

2011-09-26T20:24:00.009-04:00

Chambray Sashay Dress: ModCloth, Espoir Bag: Blowfish, Collar: Bearcat Vintage, Architectural Diffusion Bracelet: Le Mode Accessories, Take the Heel and Drive shoes: ModCloth

Chambray is one of my all time favorite fabrics, so easily taken from day to night, season to season. As the weather cools, this summer fabric is easily transitioned with a light sweater and tights, along with some darker accessories. I'm loving this cute dress from ModCloth, paired with a sweet vintage leopard print collar and some dark shoes, it's perfect for an evening date. Add some sparkle with a simple cuff and lacy bag, you're ready for a night out on the town, whatever the weather!

Looking for instant satisfaction? ModCloth is having a HUGE sale right now with items up to 70% off!

Orchid Grey & ModCloth Jewelry Collaboration!

2011-09-22T18:27:00.007-04:00

Frock Band Dress c/o ModCloth

That Ain't All Folks Heel c/o ModCloth

Belt: Vintage

The Orchid Grey Bracelet: ModCloth

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to announce this collaboration with ModCloth! A few months back they contacted me about creating a vintage inspired piece of jewelry for their site, I was so excited, I immediately set about scouring northern New England's best vintage and antiques shops to find something amazing. I had all but given up hope when I finally found my muse: An amazing gold bangle with lion heads. Lion heads! I mean, you all know how cat-crazy I am, it was the perfect inspiration piece. I loved the power represented by the two lions, juxtaposed by the femininity of the bracelet.

I'm so proud of the final product, I've been wearing my bangle in secret since I received it in the mail. Well, today is the big reveal! You can check out the ModCloth blog post here and snag a bangle of your very own here!

Funny story: When Chris and I went to take these photos in the park, what I expected to be a quiet and quick photo session turned into mayhem. When we arrived at the walled garden-in-the-park, there were pre-teen boys everywhere! It was like Lord of the Flies. Seriously, they were playing some kind of insane running game and screaming their heads off and jumping out of trees. Miraculously, and to my astonishment, one of the boys told his brethren "Hey, don't run over here because there's photography happening". Surprisingly considerate! Anyways, that's why I look a little grumpy, it was the most awkward blog-photo experience I've ever had.

You can grab a bangle for yourself here!

NYFW: Aubergine and Chambray at Lucky FABB!

2011-09-21T10:41:00.005-04:00

(Photos taken by Jen)

Blazer: Vintage thrifted ($5)

Dress: J.Crew sale ($15)

Hat: H&M ($15)

Belt: J.Crew (gift)

Bag: Vintage/Thrift Coach ($14)

I Got Sole Heel c/o ModCloth

When planning all my outfits for New York, I got a little frustrated, as much as I wanted to wear all my favorite combinations of fall attire, the weather had other plans and decided to call for rain and humidity. On the day of Lucky FABB however, I got my wish for a relatively cool and rainy day. Out of all my NYFW outfits, this one was by far my favorite. This vintage blazer has been in my closet since spring, but went unworn until NY. I love the deep purple, velvet elbow patches and purple buttons. I paired it with a new dark eggplant hat from H&M and a J.Crew dress, and the most versatile shoes in my closet from ModCloth. This specific dark purple is my all-time favorite color, but is so hard to find, whenever I come across a piece of clothing of this hue, I immediately scoop it up. You will definitely be seeing this outfit again this fall!

Lucky FABB was a great experience, it was incredible listening to what Diane von Furstenberg and Rachel Roy in particular had to say, two independent women who managed to remain relatable despite their fame and notoriety.

NYFW: Polka-Dots and Hot Pink at ModSwap!

2011-09-20T13:51:00.006-04:00

(Jen took my photos)

Dress c/o ModCloth

Chain Bracelet c/o ModCloth

Shoes: Urban Outfitters sale ($9)

Watch c/o La Mer via Lucky FABB

The highlight of our NYFW trip was definitely Friday night's ModSwap. For this swap, The Swapaholics teamed up with ModCloth to host a night of swapping and socializing, not only was it super fun, but this swap was also my first "away game" as Brand Ambassador for The Swapaholics. By the time Friday rolled around, I just wanted to wear something super easy and comfortable, setting up swaps is tiring and I needed to be able to move. I chose one my favorite polka-dot dress from ModCloth, and added bright pink accessories and shoes.

It was such a great night! All of the fabulous ladies (and gent) from ModCloth were amazing and I was so excited to see 1/3 of the Delightful Dozen as well!

Jen and I

Veronika, Jen, Me, Punky

Kim, Punky, Me, Ashley

The amazing ModCloth team & The (amazing if I do say so myself) Swapaholics

(photos c/o Adam Towner)

NYFW: Cornflower and Cranberry at the Lulu's Brunch

2011-09-19T11:46:00.013-04:00

Dress c/o Lulu's.com

Belt (from a dress) c/o Lulu's.com

Tights: AA Super Opaques

I Got Sole Heel c/o ModCloth

Chain Bracelet c/o ModCloth

Bag: vintage/thrifted coach ($14)

Man, it feels great to post some non-wedding outfit shots! I do have a few more wedding related posts planned, but I'm taking a break. It has taken me about a month to get back to a normal routine after August-wedding-madness, and I'm SO HAPPY it's all over. Don't get me wrong I loved my wedding, but it's crazy how one event can completely consume your life, where the HECK did summer go? This week, I'm looking forward to taking it easy, and welcoming autumn air into my life. It's been a bit chilly and I think it's time to switch over most of my summer wardrobe to fall. Also, after a few weeks off from styling outfit shots, I have so much inspiration and so much to share with you guys. I'm totally pumped.

Anyways, I digress. This outfit is from Fashion Week! I'm working a bit backwards, as I wore this on my last day in the city. I've had this dress from Lulu's for awhile, but have been saving it to wear with tights...it's a tights kind of dress i.e. it's short. Anyone who has been reading O.G. for a while now will probably recognize my favorite colors here, I love muted blues and purple-y reds, especially paired with my favorite brown shoes. Lulu's was very kind and invited me to a brunch they were hosting at the Crosby St.Hotel, possibly the fanciest hotel I've ever seen. It was great to catch up with/ finally meet some of my favorite ladies like Tieka, Ashley, and Emily.

Mini Spotlight: Lulu's, Ruche, Pulp Vintage, & Bluesville, USA

2011-09-19T09:03:00.004-04:00

Clockwise from left: Personal Stylist Dress from Lulu's, Morado Floral Front-tie Cardi from Ruche, 80s Embroidered Blush Pink Cardigan from Pulp Vintage, Bluesville, USA bag (similar), Purple Heels from Ruche

I always love the challenge of bringing your summer wear into autumn. Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons, but layering is top of that list. I love that this dress from Lulu's can be a dress, a skirt, or a top, depending on how you choose to style it. Add some warmth with a sheer floral cardigan from Ruche, and a vintage knit from Pulp Vintage, sling a classic shoulder bag from Bluesville, USA over your arm and finish with a pair of contrasting heels from Ruche. The possibilities for fall are endless, have fun!

Like what you see? Receive 10% off your order from Pulp Vintage with the code ORCHIDGREY and 15% off your order from Bluesville, USA when you enter orchidgrey at checkout!

Boston Fashion Week Sip & Swap!

2011-09-16T15:56:00.004-04:00

SWAP.COM PRESENTS:

2ND ANNUAL BOSTON FASHION WEEK SIP + SWAP
a celebration of fashion + technology in the hub

with OpenRunway, 9Tailors + Boston Tweetup

Thursday September 29th, 2011
6 to 10 pm

Microsoft NERD Center
One Memorial Drive
10th Floor
Cambridge, MA

For tickets go here!

Enter code ORCHIDGREY to receive 25% off!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

6 to 7 pm
Registration opens & clothing donation window for the Swap.

6 to 7:45 pm
Sip on complimentary beverages from our bar sponsor while networking & tweeting with local fashion bloggers, editors, designers, social media mavens & startups. Social media & door prize contests begin. (10th floor)

8 pm SHARP
The clothing swap begins on the main floor (8th floor) and it's a mad dash to find the best items from other Bostonians’ closets — along with brand new items hidden throughout the swap like buried treasure, donated by local sponsors.

8:30 to 9 pm
"Shop" our local fashion startup marketplace with demonstrations from a dozen mass-customization, e-commerce, shopping sites & mobile technology based in New England while noshing on complimentary snacks from our food sponsor.

9 to 10 pm
Fashion blogger/editor runway show featuring Swap Style — outfits created completely on-site during the night from clothing & accessories found at the Swap — sponsored by and MC'd by our media sponsor, followed by a few words from each of the local fashion startups and sponsors participating in the night's event.

SPONSORS:

The Microsoft New England Research & Development Center (NERD) is a research and software innovation campus located in the heart of Cambridge. The NERD vertical campus spans two buildings with its primary presence and conference center located at One Memorial Drive and a recently renovated and expanded space located at One Cambridge Center. NERD is home to some of Microsoft's most strategic teams. NERD has also become a hub of activity for the local tech community and has hosted more than 800 events and welcomed more than 60,000 visitors during the past two years. Visit us atMicrosoftCambridge.com, follow us on Twitter or attend one of our upcoming events.

See you there!

Our Wedding: What They Wore!

2011-09-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

On the ladies:

On Jen: Dress via TjMaxx & shoes via ModCloth

On Amber: Dress via ModCloth, shoes via Jellypop

On Emily: Dress via ModCloth, shoes via Target

On Bea: Dress via ModCloth, shoes via ?

On Adria: Dress via friend, shoes via thrift

Necklaces: Gwen Delicious via Etsy

On the gents:

Shirts, Pants via Lands End Canvas

Suspenders via suspenderstore.com

Sneakers via Vans Authentics

Ties via DiBi Ties

I've been a bridesmaid before, so when planning for my bridesmaids, I made a point to think back to what made being a bridesmaid great when I was one (helping a friend plan one of the best days of her life), and not so great (an expensive dress that still hangs in my closet). Since our wedding was going to be more garden party casual than black tie, I chose a color (pink) and then let my bridesmaids choose a dress, any dress, in that color family. I sent along affordable suggestions as I found them, but when it came down to it, each girl chose a dress that they liked and felt comfortable in. As a gift, I picked out necklaces from Etsy that had the first letter of each of their names on a letterpress block. For his groomsmen, Chris chose a more uniform ensemble, but I think they all looked great. He special ordered blue Vans Authentics through the store he works at, and as an added touch of pink they each wore a small boutonniere.

(mayhem)

(Watermarked photos by Spring Smith Studios, non-watermarked photos by Desarae Repass)

Someone asked in one of my last posts why I didn't end up wearing the orange and pink heels that I originally planned to wear: unfortunately we had some rain the week of the wedding and the ground was too soft to walk in stilettos on, I would have aerated the lawn!

Wedding Style File: At The Salon

2011-09-14T12:06:00.004-04:00

(photos taken by Adria)

Dress c/o ModCloth

Belt: American Apparel

Cat Pin: Thrifted ($1)

Shoes: Thrifted ($10)

Please excuse the picture-heavy post. And the bra-straps. It was my wedding day after all, and on your wedding day you can get away with these sort of things. As much as I will preach DIY and low-maintenance hair, I've always loved going to the salon, especially for big events. I've been going to the Cut Off Salon & Day Spa since high school, and even worked there from 2006 to 2007 as a receptionist. So there was no question where I would be going for my wedding-day hair and make-up. Per my practice appointment, I knew my hairstyle would be vintage-inspired, and decided to dress accordingly. I had a few last-minute errands to run afterwards, and didn't want to be running around town with fancy hair, and no fancy outfit to match! I chose this ModCloth dress by Dear Creatures because it's comfortable and conveniently buttons up the front, a key feature so as not to have to pull the dress over my perfectly coiffed hair when it came time to change. I kept the accessories simple by adding a brown belt and little kitty pin, something I had completely forgotten about until I found it buried in a bag full of thrifted wedding supplies!

Also, this was too cute not to share:

This little diagram is from my practice appointment with my stylist, Michelle T. After wrangling my hair into a beehive, she smartly decided to draw herself a diagram for my day-of hair. I have so much hair to wrangle, it requires scientific formulas!

A model for a minute

2011-09-13T15:28:00.003-04:00

Taking a break from the wedding madness (which I swear is almost over), this little video from the Lucky FABB conference was too fun not to share. Life has been busier than ever, it's amazing how much was put on hold to plan our wedding, and now it's all rushing in. I'm attempting to slow down, and really focus on goals, one of which is updating Orchid Grey, and another is hopefully cleaning the heck out of our apartment (which was severely neglected during the past few months). I can't believe fall is here, where did the time go?

I'll be re-capping all the NYFW fun and festivities next week, including the outfit details of the above ensemble. How have YOU been, dear reader?

Our Wedding: Save the Dates & Invites

2011-09-12T09:40:00.002-04:00

When I came across this post on Ruffled, I bookmarked it immediately. Since we were planning to have our wedding at my childhood home in Maine, I loved the idea of using vintage Maine & New Hampshire- Chris's home state- post cards as save the dates (left image). We spent the remainder of last summer and early fall scouring flea markets and Ebay searching for unused postcards for our project. Once we had accumulated enough, it came time to get stamping. We bought an inexpensive stamp set from Staples and stamped the backs with our information.

For our invitations I knew I wanted something special. We toyed around with the idea of designing our own postcard, or reproducing a postcard we both liked, but in the end thought of something better: hiring an extremely talented friend. Our dear friend and talented illustrator, Adam Ziskie, designed a custom postcard for our invitations, he took what we loved about the old postcards we were sending out as save the dates, and turned it into a modern postcard of our very own:

Our Wedding: The Ceremony

2011-09-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

Want the full experience? "Click play"!

Processional:

Recessional:

Want the full experience? "Click play"!

Ahh, I get weepy just looking at these photos! When planning our ceremony, we focused on keeping it simple, short, and sweet, we've sat through some loooong wedding ceremonies and didn't want to do that to our guests or each other. For our processional music we chose Going to the Chapel by the Dixie Cups, it was fun and fit the vintage atmosphere perfectly, when I finally made my entrance with my dad everyone started clapping in time with the music! We asked our friend Dave to preside over the ceremony, he's the one person that has been friends with us both separately (I met him at the SAT's as a Junior in high school, Chris met him at the different high school they both attended), as well as a couple. Dave wrote something personalized to read for us, and Chris and I each wrote our own vows. For the recessional, we chose a cover song by Joey Ramone, Chris and I both love older punk music and this song was classic enough while still being fun and celebratory. As we walked out, bubbles floated in the air above us, it was perfect!

Watermarked photos by Spring of Spring Smith Studios / Unmarked photos by Erica Ruch

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on yesterday's post and also to those that too the time to comment on Spring's blog post as well! Because we received well over 75 comments on her post (!!!), Chris and I won an 11x14 gallery wrap print! Thank you!

Our Wedding: What We Wore!

2011-09-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

On Julie:

Dress: Betsey Johnson via The Closet Consignment, Boston, MA

Shoes: Pair 1: Anne Klein via Macy's/ Pair 2: Jeffrey Campbell via Lulus.com

Necklace: Vintage via Flea Market

Bracelet: J.Crew

Hair & Make-up done by Michelle T. at The Cut Off Salon & Day Spa, North Conway, NH

On Chris:

Suit: The Ludlow Suit via J.Crew

Tie, Shirt, Belt, Socks via J.Crew

Shoes: Florsheim via Zappos.com

Wanna know a secret? I bought my wedding dress before we were engaged! One day in March 2010, while Chris and I were window shopping on Newbury Street in Boston, we wandered into Betsey Johnson (ok, I dragged him). That year Betsey was doing a lot of wedding-esque party dresses and I pointed out this dress to Chris and said: "If we ever got married, this is what I would wear". Well, one month later while window shopping with a friend on Newbury again, we strolled by The Closet Consignment, and you know what was in the window? This dress. In my size. for $80 dollars. How could I not buy it? And hide it in my closet? And hope I got engaged someday? Well, as luck would have it Chris proposed a few months later and the first thing that was taken care of was my dress. After some late night ironing with a flat iron (yes, for hair), and fluffed up by a couple of vintage petticoats, it had the perfect 1950's vibe I was going for. I have never loved a dress more.

There will be plenty more wedding pics this week, but if you're feeling antsy you can head on over to the Spring Smith Studios Blog and check out the rest!

Also while you're there, I would love it if you could leave her a comment. Spring is running a little contest with me, if I can get 75 comments on the post, I win something special. Thank you for taking the time! xoxo

Some words about love to pass along

2011-09-04T17:17:00.003-04:00

via

In the spirit of love, finding love, weddings, and marriage. I'm not usually a quote person, but I find this one to be particularly true. Also, you could easily change "guy" to 'woman" and it would still be true. Anyways, did you know listening to reggae can help calm anxiety? The beat synchs with your heart and calms you down (I read this in Women's Health, but also swear by it). Have a happy (and calm) Sunday!

Mini Spotlight: Pulp Vintage, Bluesville, USA, & Bearcat Vintage!

2011-09-02T14:53:00.004-04:00

Top: Pulp Vintage dress 1, dress 2

Middle: Bluesville, USA dress 1, dress 2

Bottom: Bearcat Vintage dress 1, dress 2

Seriously, is there anything better than a vintage dress? I've been very slowly picking out some outfits for fashion week next week, and the most versatile items in my bag seem to be dresses of the vintage variety. Here are a few I'm loving from some of my sponsors, can't you picture each of these transitioning into fall so easily?

See something you can't live without?

Receive 20% off your order from Pulp Vintage with the code LABORDAYCRAZE

Receive 15% off your order from Bluesville, USA with the code OrchidGrey

100 Years of Style

2011-09-02T09:55:00.003-04:00

You may have already seen this video going around, but I loved it so much I couldn't resist posting it. I think my favorite outfits are the 40's and the little glimpse of the 90's with the denim jacket. Any favorites?

Our Wedding: Preparations & Rehersal

2011-09-01T08:41:00.007-04:00

Photos taken by me and Benjamin Colbath

Photos top to bottom:

Mom bakes pies for the dessert table

Our center pieces and table numbers ready to go

Bea, Emily, and Chelsea string up the ball jar lanterns

Chelsea letters the menu chalkboard

Escort cards and directions

My brother was extremely popular/ Jamie & Eric

Eric found some chains? / Me and beer

To say our wedding was DIY would be a total lie, while most everything was done by hand, it certainly wasn't done solely by me or Chris. We count ourselves extremely lucky to be surrounded by a community of creative (and hardworking) and extremely kind people, all of whom we owe way more than a simple "thank you".

The week of the wedding I drove up to my mom's house in Maine to start organizing everything and pulling the last few things into place. It was nice to be home again, but very stressful. I couldn't wait until that Friday, when my bridesmaids rolled into town. We spent most of Friday setting up, my mom baked the last of the pies, we strung up lanterns and twinkle lights, and decided where everything was going to go.

That evening we hosted what must have been the most casual "Rehearsal Dinner" ever: hotdogs, hamburgers, beer, paper plates. But you know what? I wouldn't have had it any other way! It was nice to finally be able to relax a little and enjoy the company of our friends and family. Do you see how dark the sky is in those last images? We missed torrential downpours by a couple of miles!

Our Wedding: The Engagement Photos!

2011-08-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

What he's wearing: All J.Crew except the shoes, the shoes are vintage and resoled

What I'm wearing: A ModCloth dress, Forever21 shoes, & a Spotted Moth necklace

Here we go, time to recap this shindig! For those off the grid: Chris and I finally tied the knot last weekend in front of everyone we love. Now it's time to undertake the task of recapping everything that happened! Since I'm still waiting to see all the photos, I thought I would start with our engagement photos!

Back in late June, on a hotter-than-hell evening, Spring of Spring Smith Studios came to Massachusetts to take our picture. Chris and I wanted our location to mean something to us, but also be fun, so we chose the Salem Willows Amusement Park & Casino (that description should be taken very loosely- it's an arcade). We have been taking photobooth photos there since our first date, so incorporating the photobooth was of top priority!

You can see more of our engagement shoot on Springs Blog, and on the Style Me Pretty: Massachusetts blog!

Mini Spotlight: Lulus, Blowfish Shoes, & Mitu Vintage!

2011-08-29T19:00:00.000-04:00

Dress: Lulu's, Belt: Mitu Vintage, Bag: Lulu's, Booties: Blowfish Shoes

Ahh...Do you feel it? Fall is on the horizon! There's a little change in the air, when our closets start to make the transition to deeper colors, and richer fabrics. A little fall outfit I'm looking forward to: This sweet pleated dress from Lulu's (see similar), a vintage belt from Mitu Vintage, a classic cross-body bag from Lulu's, and some cozy booties from Blowfish Shoes!

Ruche Giveaway!

2011-08-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

It's giveaway time again! This week, Ruche is offering one lucky winner $50 to spend in their fabulous store! What a great way to kick start a new season, a new school year, or even just celebrate the last couple of weeks of summer. Have you seen Ruche's new lookbook? It's the perfect blend of late summer and early fall styling.

To Enter: Visit Ruche and leave a comment telling me what your favorite new item is and where you would wear it this fall! Good Luck!

Tiny print: One comment per person. This contest is open to ALL. be sure to leave me an email address if you do not have a blog where I can easily reach you. Giveaway ends Thursday September 1 at 10PM EST. Winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator.

Backyard Family Time

2011-08-24T15:11:00.000-04:00

Hello Orchid Grey readers! I'm Starr from A Thought is the Blossom, excited to be here guest blogging for Julie today while she and Chris celebrate their new marriage. I'm thankful that Julie left us with such a great topic to talk about before she left, because not only was it easy to come up with all the things I love about summer, but it was also kind of fun. What's not to love? There's late sunsets, no school (and thus, no homework), lake/beach trips, my birthday, shark week, my birthday during shark week (win for me!), sandals and sun dresses, and gosh, I could probably go on and on for days. . .

My boyfriend recently gave me another reason to smile about the summer when he brought home a ten-week-old Puggle as my birthday present! In the evenings when he gets home from work, we like to take Louie and our cat Monkey outside to play. Lately, that's when I've been doing my tripod shots. Jake will get the soccer ball out and kick all around me while the little dude chases him around. Needless to say, it's made outfit photos a lot less lonely and whole lot more fun. My boyfriend's usually a no camera/no facebook/off the grid kind of guy, but I tricked him into a family photo just for you guys!

Big thanks to Julie for letting me guest blog for her today, and CONGRATULATIONS on tying the knot!