time flies

scarf - homemade / jean jacket - LOFT, thrifted / purse - Athens tourist shop / bracelets - vintage, gifts / dress - UO / tights - Target / boots - DV by Dolce Vita 

It's hard to believe these photos were only taken a month ago, it feels like in no time at all we've gone from perfect fall weather to real winter. I remember being so in love with this outfit that I refused to take off my chunky scarf, even though I was way too hot!

A lot's been going on here over the last few weeks - we're still working away on making our apartment feel like home (it's coming together.... slowly), made restorative visits to family over the holidays, and even hosted a little get-together on New Year's Eve. I've also changed jobs, and am now working on a competition for an office I've admired for years. It's really exciting and I absolutely love the work, but the 50 hour work weeks (which are now creeping up past 60 as our deadline approaches) have certainly put a damper on my plans to get back to blogging regularly. Still, I'm hopeful that once the competition is over in a week or so that I'll be able to settle in to a more reasonable schedule.

While I was off eating Christmas cookies and tamales (we always have Mexican food on Christmas Eve, family tradition) in Virginia, this little blog turned a year old. I know, *technically* if you go through my archives you'll find posts from as far back as April of 2009 (I really don't recommend you bother reading that far back), but it took quite a while for me to decide just what I wanted to do with this blog, and for me the other emily was really born in its current form with this post.

So much has happened in the last year, from the living fantasy of The Trip to reuniting with our big yellow dog, moving to New York and seeing some great friends get married (we built them a huppah!) and have adorable babies, to now feeling newly energized and focused in my professional life - and blogging through it all. Over the next year, I hope my blog keeps evolving (up next - a long-overdue redesign!) but that writing it remains every bit as fun and rewarding as it has been so far. There is simply no non-cheesy way to say it, so here goes: Thank you - for your comments, emails, and just plain reading. Over the last year, the other emily has enabled some amazing new friendships (both in real life and in blog life) and has introduced me to such an incredible community of smart and deeply funny women. I never expected my blog to grow the way that it has, and it means so much to me that you enjoy it. Thank you all so, so much.

rusty

jacket - Forever 21 / striped sweater - Madewell / necklace - Clyde's Rebirth / bracelets - vintage, gift from boyfriend / purse - Athens tourist shop / skirt - Zara / boots - vintage Nine West via etsy

Well, once again, it's been a little while since I blogged. My apologies if this post seems a little rusty (har har). I hadn't planned to go on this little blogging hiatus, but these last few weeks have been absolutely packed - and while I have been wearing clothes every day (which, I'll admit, sometimes feels like an accomplishment), between the limited number of work-appropriate options currently stuffed in my suitcase and the inevitable Sophie's choice of weekday mornings ('Brush my hair, or wolf down some cereal?'), regular photos have lately faded to a fond memory. We managed to snap these on Saturday after checking out the Halloween Dog Parade in the East Village - there were some pretty terrific costumes (Lady Gaga dog! Shark Taco dog!), but I think my favorite was the couple that came dressed as Paul Bunyan, with their pug dyed blue as Babe the Blue Ox!

While the change of season has made my limited wardrobe feel even smaller, I have definitely been enjoying the opportunity to piles on lots of comfy layers. I picked up this oversized striped sweater a couple of weeks ago and it's become a fast favorite. It gives my lightweight jackets just the right amount of warmth, and I love how perfectly it matches my rust-colored skirt.

secondhander

jacket - thrifted / dress - vintage via etsy / belt - vintage, thrifted / wood & brass bangle - vintage, thrifted / boots - Peter Kaiser, vintage via rummage sale

I didn't realize until putting together this post that everything I wore today is second-hand. It's silly, but wearing outfits that are entirely made up of items that are homemade or second-hand always gives me a little sense of satisfaction.

Today it was lovely and cool (and, ahem, seriously rainy - hence the porch photos), so I jumped at the chance to bring my favorite boots out of storage. I went to a rummage sale in Princeton* last summer with the way-too-specific-to-ever-work-out hope of finding a pair of vintage, cognac leather boots with a low heel and some kind of detail at the ankle, and immediately fished this pair of mint-condition boots made in West (!) Germany out of a rubber bin filled with shoes. They were my size, and they were.... $2. This is what dreams are made of, my friends.

*For any NJ readers, it was the annual White Elephant sale at the hospital - seriously, do not miss it!

homesewn

earrings - Anthropologie / cat print blouse - Zara / belt - vintage, thrifted / skirt - homemade from vintage fabric / tights - Target / boots - vintage Nine West via etsy

This skirt is one of my absolute favorite items of clothing, so I was especially relieved to get it back last week after my epic mail fiasco. I made it about a year ago from some vintage kitchen curtains that I thrifted, and it's since gotten more wear than all my other homemade clothes combined. I am by no means an expert seamstress, but I do love wearing clothes that I've made for myself. It's definitely a skill that runs in my family - my grandmother still does mending and alterations for her neighbors, my mom made all my Halloween costumes growing up (and I still have an incredible coat she made for herself at age 14!), and even my dad did a little home-sewing when I was a baby. He was a stay-at-home dad while my mom finished her PhD, and she still tells the story about how he called her at school one day to ask how to put in a zipper. She told him it was a bit complicated, and that she'd show him how when she got home - but by the time she did, he'd already popped me into the stroller, zipped down to the library, and taught himself how to do it from a book. It's a small thing, but I'm still so proud of him for that.

les puces

sunglasses - H&M / gold pailette necklace - Anthropologie / watch - La Mer / dress - H&M / jacket - Zara / boots - Steve Madden

I'm afraid I have to be short and sweet tonight - we need to get up early tomorrow for a day trip, and I've squandered all my blogging time over the last few days on (so far) fruitless endeavors in CSS customization. Thrilling stuff, I know (and my apologies to S. for my mini-breakdown on GChat earlier). Not to worry, I'll make these lemons into limoncello somehow, and hopefully be sharing the results with you all soon.

A trip to the biggest and oldest flea market in Paris over the weekend called for an outfit that was easy yet cool; it was the perfect opportunity to wear this cute, slightly sheer tunic I picked up last week. This outfit was one of those that I think works better in person than in photographs - I don't quite think the awesomeness of the scribbled print or the easy fit comes across in these pictures. Nevertheless, I can't seem to get enough of graphic patterns mixed with earth tones these days, so I loved the black-and-white print paired with my beat-up boots and trusty army jacket.
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