Birthday Goodies

J. Crew Silk Scarf, Tocca Perfumes, Urban Outfitters Necklace, A Feast For Crows by George R. R. Martin

Saturday was my 25th birthday! Although I had to work in the morning and didn't get to see my family, it was still a great day. Paul got me all of the amazingly thoughtful gifts pictured above, and then we did some shopping downtown and had a delicious dinner at a restaurant we've been meaning to check out, Jamonera. For me, shopping + good food  = the perfect birthday.

Top Three

Two new Forever 21 Dresses: Flounced Open Back and Polka Dot Shirtdress 

I'll try not to bore you with too many details, but this week involved a lot of planning for our home renovations. We scheduled our laminate flooring, carpet, and granite countertop installation as well as out hardwood floor refinishing. I can't wait for it to all be over so we can move in and actually enjoy our new home! We did manage to finish painting this week, which was a huge relief. Aside from all the boring house-related stuff, we also took a trip to Glassboro, NJ to check out Prime (a great new burger joint opened by the company I work for) for burgers and shakes. And of course, my week wouldn't be complete without a few new purchases from Forever 21, so I ordered two dresses from the online store and can't wait to wear them this weekend!

 Delicious Chocolate and Oreo Shake from Prime Burger

New House of Harlow 1960 necklace from Paul's parents and sister Sophie

Sunshine Day

Forever 21 Shirt, J. Crew Skirt, Forever 21 Necklace, J. Crew Bag, Vintage Flats, Michael Kors Watch, Forever 21 and J. Crew Bracelets

This skirt has proven to be one of the most versatile items in my closet. The fact that the floral print is tone on tone makes it easy to mix with patterned blouses, but it looks just as great with a solid tee. It can also be winter-ized or summer-ized at the drop of a hat. Today I chose to pair it with my new yellow and white striped blouse from Forever 21 and was very pleased with the results. I think this might be my new favorite outfit.

Blossom

Forever 21 Dress, H&M Belt, Forever 21 Flats, Rebecca Minkoff Bag, Michael Kors Watch, Forever 21 and J. Crew Bracelets

This Forever 21 dress looks and feels expensive, but in reality cost me next to nothing. Once in a while I'll come across a find like this that makes all the time spent sifting through racks upon racks of sub par clothing worth it. I bought this dress for Easter, but plan on wearing it well into the summer and even through fall with some tights and a cardigan. It's definitely one of those pieces that makes me excited to get dressed in the morning.

Silver Belle

Forever 21 Sweater, J. Crew Skirt, Forever 21 Necklace, J. Crew Flats, H&M Bag, Forever 21 and J. Crew Bracelets

Here is the metallic lace skirt I was raving about a few weeks ago. With my red sweater and ballet flats I clearly copied the look right from the J. Crew model, but I added a collar necklace and ditched the chambray shirt to dress it up a bit. The result is perfect for day or night...in fact I wore it today for shopping and last Friday night at work and felt appropriately dressed for both!

409 Cross Street

My apologies for the absence of new posts last week. Things have just been so busy over here. I'm officially a homeowner and it's true what they say...the work never ends! We've been painting, cleaning, ripping out old carpets, and trying to make appointments with contractors for renovations so I haven't had much down time. Slowly but surely we're making our new house a home, and I promise to post photos as soon as it's complete!

Top Three

 J. Crew Baby Brompton in Sahara Dune

This week has been a flurry of preparations for the new house, and today we finally get the keys! I'm so excited to be a homeowner, even with all the added responsibilities that come with it. We're buying a house that was renovated in 2007 so luckily there aren't any major renovations needed...but there's still plenty of cosmetic work to be done so we're going to have our hands full for the next month or so. To help with the stress of buying my first place I treated myself to a new handbag from J. Crew and a trip to the PMA to see the Van Gogh exhibit. Both helped me preserve my sanity this week, at least for a little while!

 Van Gogh "Almond Blossom" Mug from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Forever 21 Yellow and White Striped Blouse