Under the Umbrella Tree...

Hey all! Jana, from Small Town, Big Smile! here today styling up this adorable dress from Elana.  I thought it was the perfectly appropriate autumn dress, seeing as we get quite a bit of rain here! I couldn't wait to pair it with a floppy hat and my hunter wellies!

When this dress came in, I was so pleasantly surprised! I hadn't noticed the v-neck front, so how I intended to style it didn't pan out (with a lace blouse under it)... My next option was to wear a red and white striped peter pan collared shirt over top, and just have the dress-as-a-skirt, but Marisa had a similar style (see below). However, sometimes it's fun to be simple and just accent the dress with a cardigan and tights or socks. So that's what I opted for.

I'm not sure if any of you remember where my post-title came from, but it was all I could think of when I was trying to think of a title with "umbrella"... I swear my brain was blocked from any other possibilities. Does that happen to anyone else??

Dress: Borrowed from Elana

Cardigan: local shop

Hat: American Apparel

Socks: Ruche

Belt: From another dress

Elana / Jessica

Marisa

1 / 2 

Smiles,

jana

Group Roundup: Halloween Fashion & Costumes

Jana from Small Town, BIG SMILE

My favourite Hallowe'en costume was Snow White. I dressed up as her several years ago with a store bought costume, which I think is a bit too risque for here (and honestly, it's quite short and out of my current comfort zone). I love the idea of being able to pull together a costume from your actual closet, so this was my attempt at Snow White! Luckily, I still had my black wig handy!

Lisa of Lala Faux Bois

I went to a Halloween party last night but haven't had a chance to go through pictures, so here's a flashback to last year when I was Mary Poppins. It was a pretty easy costume to put together- the clothes were thrifted and I made the bow tie out of red felt. Out of desperation, I bought the hat at a costume shop and glued on plastic daisies. I had to buy a new umbrella, but it's come in handy since :) 

Ashley of Southern (California) Belle I don't usually dress up for Halloween, but a friend of mine had a birthday/costume party last night so I gave in.  I didn't want to spend any money on my costume so I dusted off my Minnie Mouse ears from Disneyland and went with it!  I used a plain black crop top with my Hell Bunny skirt and a full crinoline underneath.  I love that it's not far off from my everyday outfit ensemble (except for the makeup, of course!).

Erica of Sweets and Hearts

Halloween is the best. I mean, costumes and candy? What could be better? I usually make my costume or build one around something already in my closet. The Cat in the Hat is one of my favorites that I've put together. A couple of years ago, I needed something to wear to my work event. I had scored this awesome Modcloth tuxedo sweater dress in a swap and inspiration struck when I realized how cartoony it was. I DIYed a small version of the hat (glued to a headband with a cat ear) based on tutorials I found online. Then I made a giant bow pin for the sweater. Adding my 2D inspired Jump from Paper bag was a no-brainer, so I brought that along too. It was a delightful (and comfortable!) costume that was inexpensive and easy.

Elana of Room 334

I've never been one to get really into Halloween. I'm usually the person who spends $5 on a nametag that says "Hi, my name is 'Life'" and a bag of lemons to be "when life gives you lemons" (like I did last year), but I decided to have a little more fun with it this year for a costume party and for work. Back to the Future is one of my all-time favorite movies, so when I realized how easy it would be to be Marty McFly, I couldn't resist. I only had to buy a white plaid button down from Goodwill and a red puffy vest from JC Penney, and I enlisted the help of my best friend to be Doc Brown. After all, why dress in a slutty costume when you can be dudes from an '80s movie? I don't know, Doc, this is heavy.

Kon Tiki

Lisa from Lala Faux Bois

I love a good Hawaiian or Tiki themed print, and no midcentury lovin' closet or decor is complete without some Polynesian influence. I may be alone here, but when I think Hawaii, one of the first things to come to mind is the classic Brady Bunch family vacation to Hawaii- cursed tiki idol ring a bell? 

Thanks to Hannah letting me borrow this amazing shirt, I was able to whisk myself away to an island party, if only for a day.

top: borrowed from Hannah // scarf & skirt: thrifted // shoes: my shop

Hannah and Jana definitely nail the true Hawaiian style and are both ready for the tiki party of all tiki parties- please invite me ladies, I'd love to share a Volcano Bowl with you! :)

Hannah // Jana

Stripes!

Hey all! Jana here from Small Town, BIG SMILE! Long time no see! It seems like it's been forever since I've posted over here... and with good reason. August and September were b.u.s.y. months for me! So let's hope this post is a good start to a great autumn-blogging season! In today's post, I'm wearing this great black and white striped dress from Taylor. Funny story: I borrowed this dress thinking it was navy and white striped, and planned on wearing it with red tights! It was actually one of the first dresses I borrowed.  When it arrived, to my surprise, it was black, not navy! I was still tempted to style it with the red tights, but it wouldn't have had the nautical style I was originally intending to sport. Not only that, the week I had this dress, the weather was HOT! So tights just weren't an option. 

Instead of the tights, I opted for some red accessories, and my big floppy hat with black under-lining, turning my original nautical planned outfit into a more classic style. In the end, I loved how the outfit turned out, but I have to admit, if I had it again during the chillier months that are now approaching, I'd love to remix it with some bright tights like Taylor did! 

Check out how Taylor styled it!

Outfit details: 

Dress: borrowed from Taylor

 Hat: Ruche (old)

Belt: from another dress

Shoes: Bait Footwear

Smiles,

Jana

Secondhand Serenade

Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles

Hey darlings!

It's Marisa here today serving you up another swap courtesy of Dus.  This time around I've taken on the challenge of styling this secondhand sweetheart of a dress that Dus snagged up at the thrift store.  And no, I'm not talking about the red sundress that I'm wearing - I'm talking about the floral embroidered beaut that I'm wearing underneath as a blouse.  Yep, that's right...that blouse is actually a light and breezy tent style dress.  It's darling indeed but unfortunately for a 5'2 busty gal like me, tent dresses do me no favor as I always end up looking about 9 months pregnant in them.  So with that I layered it underneath my basic red dress for an extra pop of brightness and color.  Definitely a look that had me feeling a little boho, super cheerful and ready to take on the day, which for me meant doing our bi-weekly grocery haul to Wegman's and picking out paint for our hallway.  Woohoo, exciting indeed...maybe not, but at very least I felt nothing but happy vibes donning this festive little frock.

Dus // Hannah // Jana // Me-1st Remix

I just love how this dress was styled through all the seasons with the other gals...and don't they all look divine?  That's about all for now...sunny days always have me longing to venture outdoors, so out and away I go.

Until next time...Love bunches,

Outfit Details:

Blouse (Dress): Swap via Dus // Dress: UO // Scarf, Bag, Shoes: Vintage, thrifted

Aloha from Canada!

Hey all! Jana here from "small town, BIG SMILE!".  It's rare that I wear tops... I'm such a fan of dresses, but when Hannah offered to lend out this top, I jumped at the opportunity! Even rarer: I paired it with shorts!

I'm not going to lie, I did also pair this shirt with a skirt (you can see it on my blog later this week)... but when I saw the blue details in the print, I had to pair it with my blue sailor shorts! I opted to tie the front to make it a little different from Hannah's styling. I also wanted to photograph it at the beach, but it was so windy that the backyard was a better choice for the day! You can even sneak a peek at our garden! (I say "our"... but really, my hubby is the green thumb in our family).

I have to say, I was surprised by how much I loved this blouse! I actually went online and tried to find something similar. I did find some, but nothing with the same awesome pattern with the cars on it, or in the same colours. Both of which are what I love the most about this top. Such an amazing find! 

I even managed to snag a picture in this outfit (before I chopped my hair off, did you notice??) with Dominic's sportster! This is just one of his motorcycles... not the one we take the road trips with... She's pretty, but not the most comfortable for this "old lady"!! 

Outfit Details: 

Blouse: borrowed from Hannah

Shorts: forever21

Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens

Flower: Vintage Box 1947

Hannah

Hannah, thanks so much for letting me borrow this amazing shirt! If you ever decide that you're tired of it, I call first dibs!! :)

Smiles,

jana

Pass the popcorn

Hi, everyone!  It's Sammi from The Soubrette Brunette, and today I'm styling this lovely swapped dress from Jana!  I know most people probably associate red and white with more wintery days (like Valentine's Day or even Christmas), but I think it's also a great combination for summer!  It makes me think of carnivals, amusement parks and drive-in movies.  One thing that all those summer events have in common is the presence of a much-beloved salty & buttery treat: popcorn!  I knew I wanted to incorporate my popcorn novelty purse into this look, since I'm nothing if not thematic.

 I'm normally drawn to dresses that have an exaggerated fit and flare shape (full skirts are my favorite), and I was afraid this silhouette wouldn't be as flattering.  Much to my surprise and delight, I absolutely loved the fit and shape of this dress!  It's also a lighter fabric than I had anticipated, which means that it makes the dress that much more versatile.  I could easily see wearing tights with it in the wintertime (it'd be perfect for a holiday party!), but it was completely comfortable for our summer days, as well.  I also really loved the sweet little collar on this dress!

Outfit Details:

Dress: swap from Jana

Popcorn purse: Storenvy

Spectator heels: BAIT Footwear

Necklace, belt & hair bow: old

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I really adore how Jana remixed her dress!  The first way is so fun and whimsical with her pretty mint heels and hot air balloon necklace, and the second is practical and cozy.  How would you style Jana's wonderful white dress?

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi