Outfit and Occasion

Dressin’ Up in Ottawa: Part I

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfits:

Necessary Clothing dress gifted (necessaryclothing.com), around $30.00, Forever21 necklace (forever21.com), $8.00, earrings gifted

My fashionista sister, Jess, got me this dress for a birthday one year and I love its fun pattern.  Necessary Clothing is like a smaller, pricier Forever21.  It is still pretty cheap and often surpasses Forever in quality.  This dress is one of my favorites for special occasions!

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Forever21 The Beagles “I want to hold your paw” graphic (forever21.com), $13.00

This conversation-starter shirt is pretty hilarious if you ask me!  I packed this in my suitcase to wear for a casual day on my trip to Ottawa!

Occasion:

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Hung Sum

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Allium

Tom and I journeyed to Ottawa, Canada for a four day weekend!  We made it in only 3 1/2 hours with a detailed itinerary to implement!  With every meal planned based on reviews from trip advisor, we were seriously excited to experience some delicious eats.

We started in Chinatown at Hung Sum and had out of this world dim sum.  After exploring beautiful Parliament Hill, we got ready for a classy night at Allium, a fancy bistro with innovative dishes.  No lie – one of the best meals I’ve ever had!  Just look at the pictures above!  Our meal included braised short rib tart, mushrooms on toast, Cornish hen two ways and braised beef cheek/crab cake.

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Parliament Hill 

Happy Halloween!

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Outfit and Occasion:

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Cheetah costume (Goodwill, Burlington), $10.00

In the past, I’ve spent a pretty penny on costumes at Old Gold, the high-end costume store in Burlington.  This year I randomly found this at The Goodwill!  The costume was comfortable and easy and I didn’t have to spend a fortune.  Along with the suit were white gloves and an orange bag.

What did you dress up as for Halloween?

Shark Attack

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Forever 21 Shark Sweater (Forever21.com), $14.50, BDG pants (Urban Outfitters on sale, Burlington) $20.00.

This sweater is definitely an attention grabber.  It’s also not something that I would expect to find at Forever21!  It’s bedazzled to an extreme with hot orange teeth that would actually hurt anyone receiving a hug.  It’s a good combination of comfortable and snazzy 🙂  The red pants are pretty bold as well!

Occasion:

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On the way to Snake Mountain, Tom and I stopped for a scrumptious bite at one The 3 Squares in Vergennes.  It is a special occasion because it’s a bit of a trek from Burlington, but a perfect stop on the way to our hike.  I got the challah fresh toast.  Splurgin from my diet and it was totally worth it!  So sweet, so decadent :).

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Snake Mountain is not incredibly difficult but it aint easy either!  It was the perfect temperature for a hike – not too chilly or sweaty.  We took an unconventional way back, but it was very beautiful and lots of fun!  Great day hike!

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Later, I switched up the pants and went to JP’s  for karaoke with a bunch of friends and performed Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.  JP’s is a guaranteed good time for me.  I believe I’ve even earned the title of a “regular”! 🙂

Celebrating one year with my main squeeze!

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Free People Sweater (Loehmans, NY), $20.00, Max Studio Skirt (TJ Maxx, Burlington), $15.00

I’m in love with the periwinkle color of this sweater (even if it is a little spring-y).  It goes well with this skirt, which reminds me of a boho Free People style. Luckily with both, I avoided Free People’s steep prices!

Occasion:

Tom and My One-Year Anniversary!

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a bottle of Champagne courtesy of Stacey and Tom Senior ; happy together 🙂

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Starry Night Cafe is a sweet and stand apart little restaurant in Ferrisburgh that has the ambiance of a tastefully decorated and beautiful home.  It is very romantic and the perfect spot to celebrate a whole year with an exceptional significant other!  Tom is everything I could possibly ask for and more!

We were greeted with a Happy Anniversary bottle of champagne from Tom’s dad and stepmom to set the mood for a phenomenal meal.  We reminisced over a wonderful year of fun and happiness.  We split calamari and THE best beef tartare, probably in the world.  For our entrees, I had pork loin and Tom had Shepard’s Pie.  Definitely a great place for a special occasion that will be delicious and memorable.

Feathers on Leaves

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Forever 21 Sweater (Forever 21, White Plains NY), $15.00 Vera Wang Princess Jeans (Plato’s Closet, Williston VT), $10.00, Sam Edelman (splurge alert) (Zappos.com), $90.00

Occasion:

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Another Fall fair to add to the books!  Autumn on the Green was everything you could want from a small town festival.  There were plenty of cute country knick knacks and beautiful VT photographs, with a great cover of The Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and Pure Prairie League playing in the background.  I even got this cute sterling silver skinny ring for only $5!

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After the fair, Tom and I went to Rainbow Sweets in Marshfield.  Holy moly – we are obsessed!  We split a meat empanada and a B’stilla for lunch and had chocolate whipped cream cake and brown sugar pie for dessert.  It may be an hour and a half away, but we are determined to go back to one of our new favorite (yes, really) spots in VT…try it, it will blow your mind!

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Views from the car…

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Goodbye On the Rise, Hello Fall

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Laurie B. Sweater (Loehmans, White Plains NY), $15.00, Necessary Objects Skirt (Goodwill, S. Burlington VT), $5.00, Route 66 Boots (Salvation Army, Burlington VT), $4.00

Occasion:

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On the Rise in Richmond is one of my favorite places for brunch in the world!  Their bagels are unreal.  Devastatingly, this Monday was their last day of existence.  Over the weekend I went for a last hurrah before a day of fall festivities!

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Tom and I went to the Bristol Harvest Fest and it was quaint and adorable.  Lots of great handmade crafts and lemonade!  After, we went leaf peeping and stopped at a few amazing views!

Feelin peachy :)

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Outfit and Occasion
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Outfit:

Estam Dress (Chic Boutique, White Plains NY), $22.00

I saw this dress while window shopping and it stood apart. The color is cheerful and the flower print is tasteful.  I have a weakness for all things floral and definitely didn’t need to add to my collection, but for this, I thought I could make room.

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Occasion:

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Vermont Maple BBQ is a food truck in Randolph between the gas station and McDonalds.  I found it by chance on route to a Pet Lovers Expo and I was blown away.  So local, so meaty, so saucy.  So worth a stop when traveling on 89!  It certainly will not disappoint!

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A group of friends and I journeyed to Danville to the most enormous corn maze.  For $15 you can wander for an eternity with peeks of fall foliage.  Two hours later we reached the end!  It was challenging to say the least, but a great way to end a perfect weekend!

Boho Roadshow

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Angie dress (Second Time Around, Burlington VT) $25.00

We stopped to take this picture on Dorset Street.  This hippie, printed dress is fun to wear on a breezy day.  I feel like a lady when the fabric flows all around me.  The picturesque background was the perfect complement!

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Accessories:

 Me & Ro gifted necklace (Peridot, Larchmont NY), Bangles (Sweet Lady Jane, Burlington VT), $8.00, Gifted lava bracelet (France)

It didn’t suck when my mom worked at a gorgeous jewelry store and suprised me with a gift like this necklace on special occasions.  Me & Ro jewelry was actually featured in the movie, The Black Swan!  I found these bangles at a Church St sidewalk sale and the other bracelet is made from real lava!

Occasion:

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Lost Nation Brewery in Morristown has pretty good beer, but their BBQ is right on target.  Tom and I cruised around VT on this randomly warm and clear day in September and enjoyed some great pork shoulder in the process!

Last day of summer summer dress

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Outfit and Occasion

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Outfit:

Lavand dress (Stella Mae on sale, Burlington, VT), $27.00, Brandy Melville bandeau (Brandy Melville NYC), $12.00, Shoes (Marshalls, White Plains NY), $20.00

 

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Accessory:

Gifted necklace (Global Pathways, Burlington, VT)

I was surprised to find an affordable piece of clothing that I liked at Stella Mae.  This adorably patterned little frock was ON SALE. I was very excited and squealed a little as I walked out the store with dress in hand.  On this glorious labor day (possibly the last full on hot day of the summer) I decided to wear this number to people watch on church street and bask in the sun.  Paired with a brandy melville basic and a stunning quartz necklace that my amazing boyfriend, Tom, got for me for my birthday, I was feelin pretty darn good 🙂

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Occasion:

Last Lake Monsters game of the season!  Can’t say I’m much of a baseball fan, but with a group of friends, Citizen Cider, and $ 3.00 hot dogs, I can definitely handle it.

What did you do for Labor Day Weekend?