2012 in Blog Posts

I've been reading all the overview posts that have been popping up in my feed and I thought to myself "I want to go over my year in blog posts." I wondered if I would have enough to even make a post and as I was scrolling through my posts from the last year I was so suprised by how much happened! Here are some of my favorite DIYs, road trips, important dates, and favorite posts from 2012!

DIYs

1. Painted terracotta pots

2. DIY floral wedges

3. My favorite DIY was when I painted my dresser mint.

4. I saved my favorite sweater from extinction by sewing on heart elbow patches.

Road Trips

1. Missouri -Me and Jordan went to Missouri to visit his family in June and had a blast! There was vintage everywhere I turned.

Part 1  -  Part 2  -  Part 3

2. Duluth- Me, my mom, and my sister went to Duluth on a mini road trip. We went on a dinner cruise, thrifted, and explored downtown.

Part 1  -  Part 2  -  Part 3

Important Dates

1. I opened my vintage shop on May 7th

2. The Antique Pearl got a makeover on July 11th

2. Me and Jordan celebrated our 5th anniversary on September 28th

3. The Antique Pearl became Dotti Dee on October 18th

My favorite posts

1. How to find and identify vintage clothing

2. My mom, sister, and myself make new traditions.

3. I thrift my favorite dress

4. Goals for October

5. My take on weekends

6. What makes a home?

7. The first day of fall

8. My first guest post

9. My favorite iphone apps 

10. On reinventing myself

I hope 2012 was a great year for you. See you in 2013!
x Sarah

These winter days

My toes are frigid and my nose cold. Minnesota winters have never been my friend and I admit that when the first snow falls I begin counting down the days until March when the weather begins to warm again. But there's still so much beauty in these winter days. The way the sun reflects across the snow and fills the house with bright light is just enough to make me smile even on the coldest of days.

Bundle up and stay warm.
x Sarah

The woes of minimalistic packing

"I miss my velvet blazers..."
"I should have grabbed my Ralph Lauren maxi skirt...."
"Where is my striped Breton top..."

I took the day to page through blogs and take in the inspiration I was lacking and it really has me bemoaning my tiny suitcase. I said in an earlier post that the packing I did for the next few weeks was a rush job with a minimalists mind, and now the fashionista in me is being a bit of a diva. Today I wanted more than anything to be wearing an over sized sweater with my favorite maxi skirt. And the upcoming new years parties? I think my blue velvet blazer that hits my curves in the right places would have been the perfect little number. Moral of the story? Minimalism isn't always key. Next time you're packing make sure you grab the essentials, but don't forget to throw one or two fun pieces in the mix to keep things interesting.

x Sarah

The Calm

I've been reunited with my bed. It's been a while since I've visited this spot, but as promised, I'm checking in after finals week. It was crazy. I may have hyperventilated at times, and I most definitely had a panic attack in a coffee shop when I realized I wasn't as prepared for my pediatrics final as I would have liked (I got an A, but that's beside the point.) I shared coffee with friends, went on a sushi run, and stress knitted my heart out. Grades won't be in for a few days but all looks bright.

And then came the cleaning spree of my room that lasted several hours as I threw clothes in a suitcase without much thought. Seriously, I packed three sweaters and a couple dresses for three weeks. It's been four days and I'm already getting strange "outfit-repeater" looks.

Then the chaos of the holidays. In all its apple pie glory, came and went in the blink of an eye. I captured moments with photos that only seemed to flit by. The last few days were bright and my heart is filled with joy.

That brings me to now, reunited with my bed. Me and Jordan have spent the last three blissful hours in a silent state of catching up on blogs and relaxing. The holidays may be over but this break has just begun. I'll be back in a tick to share some details on what's in store for the shop, this blog, and the new year. I hope your holidays were filled with family and love.

x Sarah

Keep calm and knit

There is calm in the air. The exact calm felt before a storm. Finals week on a college campus is ripe with angst and stress. I try my best to avoid such extremes in feelings but sometimes it's unavoidable when you help run a floor full of freshman. So I created a game plan for studying this week and its a really simple formula; coffee shop + lattes + studying with frequent blog and IG breaks + folk music (headphones are key) + knitting while reading. I've been testing it out all weekend and it's been pretty effective in blocking out stress and distractions. Now all I need is a butt cushion.... Seriously, it's numb.

I received a very generous gift from Solanah of Vixen Vintage. She asked my for my address last week and a pretty package arrived on my doorstep last night. I'm so overwhelmed by her generosity and kindness. I've been eyeing this gigantic Forestbound tote forever and it has been so helpful in the last day for toting around my textbooks and laptop from one study spot to another. Thank you again Solanah for making my finals week a bit brighter.

I hope your week is beautiful. If you too are studying for finals remember. keep calm and knit.

xoxo Sarah

Emulation

The last couple weeks have been a blur of textbooks, scrubs, and coffee. Switching in between scrubs for the hospital and sweats for studying I realized yesterday that I've been feeling a disconnect with my "pretty side." I'm going to make more of an effort this finals week to study hard but feel good while doing it and I think this outfit is just the ticket; comfy boots, a cozy scarf, barely there makeup with just a pop of color. The perfect look for being comfortable but feeling amazing.

I got this photo at Blooming Leopold's blog but this adorable lady is one of the writers for Larkspur blog.

I hope your weekend is cozy.

xoxo Sarah

p.s. I was on the Modcloth blog yesterday sharing my fave find. Check it out here!

Flashback: 2010

by dottidee featuring falke tights

I was going to write a post. But this seems to be a pretty lofty goal for the brain fog I'm currently experiencing after writing my obstetrics care plan. So here is a Polyvore outfit I put together a couple years ago when I was reinventing my sense of style. It's funny really, when I pulled this up today the first thing I thought was "Dang 19 year old Sarah, you had some lofty style goals" and now I'm glad to say I rock tights in the winter all the time (although I'm far from owning the "Alexa" Mulberry bag). Nonetheless, Mission accomplished.

I hope your week started off with a bang.

xoxo Sarah

11/18 - 11/20

There are a couple things wrong here. First off I was just going to pretend these photos weren't a month old and try and play it cool but it's all a lie. I took these photos a month ago and apparently that's how long it's been since I did a personal photo post. Secondly, I am writing a post on Hell Week. What is hell week might you ask.. Hell week is the week before finals when everything is due. You need to figure out when you're going to finish all the papers/presentations/and in my case care plans, that are due, all while trying to study for finals. So there it is. It's wrong that these photos are so old and it's wrong that I am even writing this because I should be nose deep in a textbook right now but lets get onto the pretty pictures (this is my way of cheering myself up :)

I knit this scarf! Yippee! This monster took me forever to finish. For whoever is interested the yarn is 100% wool, I used size 15 needles, it's a garter stitch, and I cast on 25 stitches.

I found a little nook to relax in (ahhh relaxing, just a thing of memories).

And I found a pretty moped that goes by the name of buddy! Overall it was a very pretty day :)

But this is where I leave you. I'll pop in in a few days if I make it out with my sanity.

xoxo Sarah

Craft Show

Here's some photos from a craft show me and my mom went to a couple weekends ago. It was such a fun day and was nice to spend some quality one on one time with my mom. The day started with a bit of a coffee dilemma (milk in my coffee!) so we had to stop for me to get a soy and like most days that start with coffee it just got better from there. We found a awesome candle and potpourri booth, my mom bought some lefse (a yearly tradition), I stocked up on cute things, found my new favorite print shop (more on that later), and had some good laughs over life and the funny things strangers do at a craft show.

I hope you have a lovely Wednesday!

xoxo Sarah

Late Fall Wishlist

Fall Wishlist by theantiquepearl featuring striped socks

A pathetic Polyvore attempt in the wee hours of the night (don't judge). These are some things that have been on my wishlist for a while but are too expensive to justify! Hope you're having a great week!

xoxo Sarah