What I Wore to Tea Time {june}

I bring this outfit post to you in between washing my car and packing my bag.  I'm ready to hit the road!  This weekend I'll be back up in northern Michigan enjoying the lake where these pictures for Tea Time were taken!

dress: Old Navy | shoes: Target (similar) | necklace: gift | ring: H&M

Thank you for all of the lovely comments on my June Tea Time post.  I'm really enjoying the idea of "hosting" these each month, and I hope you continue to enjoy them too!

Have a fabulous summer weekend!

Anyone have any exciting 4th of July plans??

Tea Time {nautical}

It's that time again!  This month's Tea Time theme was Nautical.  See how June's Tea Time guests styled their looks for a summer day on the boat:

Check out Adrienne's blog, Ma Dernière Addiction

Check out Maria's blog, DC2NYConfessions

Check out Sarah's blog, Simply Sarah

One of the joys of summer is being out on the water.  Whether you're on a lake, ocean, sailboat, or yacht, it's all so peaceful and relaxing.  If don't have access to a boat, just sitting on the edge of a dock or boardwalk is fun too.  I love "looking out to sea" even though my "sea" is actually a lake!

This month I thought I'd make the switch to iced tea!  It's much too hot to have hot tea out on the boat.  You'll want a nice cool refreshing glass of...

I hope you enjoyed this month's tea time! Be sure to check out Adrienne, Maria, and Sarah's blogs!  They all have such fun style!

If you're interested in being featured in July's tea time, please email me at cupofteastyle@gmail.com, I would love to meet you!  I only have space for three bloggers a month, but I'm always looking for new blogs to check out too!

Happy Tea Time!

Featured on DC in Style!

Today I am being featured over at DC in Style!  Elena was kind enough to do an awesome illustration of me!  I love it!

That's me and a cup of tea!  She got this look from one of my recent posts.  How sweet of her!  To view the full post, hop on over to her blog!  Thanks Elena!

Work Day Heat

One of the hardest occasions to dress for (in my opinion) is for work on a boiling hot summer day.  You really just want to throw on some jean shorts and a tank top or a cotton beach dress.  But no, you must still attend work dressed appropriately.

shirt: LC Lauren Conrad | black tank: H&M

shorts: The Limited | shoes: Target | bracelet: vintage

This is the solution I came up with today for work.  I went with this top because it's sleeveless and light.  Even though I had to wear a tank underneath, the fact that my underarms could breathe helped the situation a lot!  Wearing shorts to the office can be tricky.  How short is too short?  What kind of material is acceptable?  I decided that wearing tailored "work shorts" from The Limited qualified as appropriate.

My only real accessorizing came with my vintage chucky bracelet.  I didn't feel the need to load up with a necklace as I was trying to keep it as light as possible.  Plus the little tie on my shirt filled in my neck area quite nicely.  No need to clutter my neck area up with distracting plastic today!

On a different note, to all my southeast Michigan friends: Red Damask is having a trunk show in downtown Royal Oak this weekend!  I'm hoping to make an appearance there to check it out!  The show runs from 10am to 6pm this Saturday, June 23rd and Sunday, June 24th.  It's by appointment only so make sure to give them a call 248-259-8096.

Have a great weekend!

Switching of the Seasons

Even though it's not officially summer yet (only two days left!) I'm posting my spring recap now.  You can really see the transformation of seasons in these pictures, starting out with bare trees and finishing with full leafy green everywhere!

And now bring on those flippy flops and floppy hats!  I'm ready for the beach.  I feel like it will become harder and harder to post regularly as the days get more and more beautiful.  I've found myself just hanging out, reading a book or catching up with friends more than I did in the winter.  Of course, now that the weather is warm enough to do outfit shots with ease, I'm out socializing instead! 

Does anyone else ever feel the pressure of keeping up a style blog?  Between the constant need to photograph your outfit, edit, get posts up regularly, keep your readers engaged and coming back while trying to ramp up your follower number can be a little stressful at times!  Do you ever check your GFC number and see that it's dropped?  And you get that rejected feeling but what did I do??  I'm trying to keep that feeling in check.  I started this blog for fun, and I'm going to keep it fun.  I'm really trying to not get competitive for followers or brand interest.  If you like my blog, keep reading!  Because I like you as a reader! :)

Happy Monday!

Declaration of Dependence

I've been noticing how much I comment on the weather on this blog.  They say that weather is a safe topic and one that people use when they don't know what to say.  I, however, would like to point out that the weather actually interests me and influences my day a lot.  I would like to make the disclaimer that whenever I comment on the weather, it is not just a fluff filler! I love commenting on the weather!  And you know what?  The weather is beautiful today!  So there.

skirt: The Limited (similar) | shirt: Urban Outfitters | necklace: gift | shoes: Report

Has anyone else ever listened to the Kings of Convenience?  I got into them about five years ago and am in love.  They only have three full-length albums out but they are each so beautiful.  Some of their songs remind me of Simon & Garfunkel; their harmonizing is just so beautiful!  So anyway, I realized I was way behind and hadn't purchased their latest album Declaration of Dependence (from 2009!!) so I finally bought a used copy from Amazon.  So so beautiful.  I recommend to anyone looking for new tunes to listen to!  It has been my soundtrack to and from work each day in the car.  Love!  How many times can you use the word "beautiful" in one blog post... so so beautiful beautiful beautiful!  Apparently eight.

Happy almost-weekend!

Nineteen76

What a great past few days I've had! A weekend by the lake was just what I needed though it didn't last nearly as long as I'd have liked it to. Back to real life now.

These photos were taken a month or two ago when the leaves were still young and fresh. Look at their springtime green! I'm getting these photos posted while it's still technically spring though so hah.

 dress: vintage (ca. 1976 c/o my mom) | shoes: c/o LC Lauren Conrad

purse: Element | necklace: gift

This is my mom's dress that she wore in 1976.  I love that my mom hung on to a few of her favorite pieces from that time.  And I love that they fit me perfectly! I'd also like to point out that the shoes I'm wearing are extremely tall.  I received them from being in the LC Lauren Conrad Blogger Contest so it's fun to own a pair of shoes I probably wouldn't have purchase on my own.  They are SO TALL.  But they're pretty and sometimes I must suffer comfort for style for at least a quick photoshoot...I think I had flip flops waiting in the car.

Have a lovely week!

{DIY} Yogurt Kisses

It's been quite a while since I shared an exciting DIY project with you!  This one I tried a few weeks ago with my friend Claire.  It was a 95 degree day and we needed something nice and cold to snack on.

What you'll need

• Yogurt
• Parchment paper/pastry bag/Ziplock bag
• Pastry styling tips
• Baking pan
• Waxed paper

Directions

1. Prepare your parchment paper cone (or use a pastry bag or Ziplock bag) with the styling tip in the corner.
2. Place a sheet of waxed paper down on your baking pan.
3. Pour yogurt into paper cone/pastry bag.
4. Squeeze your yogurt dots out onto your baking pan.
5. Place baking ban in the freezer and wait about 1 hour before removing and enjoying your kisses!

This particular DIY was adapted from the one featured on Lauren Conrad's blog a few weeks ago.  What a treat!  Cheap, easy, and tasty fun.  And if you want to be cool you can serve them in a tea cup like we did.  We also experimented and used them between two mini-butter cookies to make a mini frozen yogurt sandwiches!  Also yummy!

What's your favorite summer dessert?

Enjoy!

 

Greek Goddess

I'm counting down the days until I can go on a mini-vacation (weekend trip) up north to relax in an Adirondack chair, book & iced tea in hand.  That will be happening next weekend!  I haven't been up to my family's cottage for almost a year.  I don't know how that happens!  John Lennon's famous quotation, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans" comes to mind.  Oh life.  How have you kept me away from this particular relaxing adventure for so long?

maxi dress: c/o House of Maxi | shoes: Report | necklace: gift

Kathryn from House of Maxi generously sent me this beautiful maxi dress a few weeks ago.  Let me just say that I have found my new best friend (as far as clothing goes).  I've never owned a maxi dress or skirt, so when Kathryn asked if I would like to style one I hopped up and down saying "yes!!" (of course, she couldn't actually see me hopping, but I was!)

I anxiously waited for her site to officially launch in April so that USA shoppers could order their own awesome maxi dress online.  I got to choose from a variety of different styles and color combinations.  I ended up going with buttercup because I think it makes my hair seem even brighter than it already is, and I love embracing my natural red hair!  The quality of this dress is super nice.  Handmade by Kathryn, you are sure to get a beautiful maxi dress.  It was perfect for wearing on Michigan's 95 degree day last Monday, and then also worked when the temperature fell to 50 degrees on Thursday.  I just threw a jean jacket over it and was good to go!

I'd also like to point out the fact that the first time I wore this dress I was told I look like a Greek Goddess.  Okay, I'll take that! :)

Happy Sunday!

 

Happy Birthday to Cup of Tea!

One year ago today Cup of Tea had its first entry!  At the time I wasn't quite sure that I could keep up with having a style blog, but the past year has proven to be so much fun!  I'm really glad I became a part of the community and have met so many great bloggers in the process.

So I decided to create a silly old animated GIF for your amusement.  After reading this article, I got inspired to give my unused skill of making animated GIFs some use.

Happy 1st Birthday Cup of Tea!