Midday in Maroon

Today was so beautiful and  I was lucky enough to have it off! After making some homemade smoothies and painting my old thrifted sun hat ( it desperately needed an upgrade), I decided to do a shoot with it! I was ecstatic when Aaron got home so we could enjoy the remainder of the day after the shoot!

I wanted to do a flirty outfit for my date with Aaron afterward, so this hat was perfect. I was able to use my Ruche belt to bring the entire look together. I really adored this outfit and couldn't wait to share it.

I usually end up posting late at night as I'm currently very busy with work and freelance, so my days off are spend crafting or with Aaron, so I have to edit and post when he falls asleep.

I'm a night owl, so I don't mind!

I wore my Christian Seriano shoes from Payless, they're a gorgeous nude tone and super comfy! They really made the outfit look classy, which I'm always a fan of!

I'm so happy with how the hat looks, I was scared that it would turn out terribly wrong, but I really love the maroon look, it's almost spiraled, as you can see here.

belt & bracelet {Ruche}

top&dress {H&M}

necklace {forever21}

sun hat {thrifted}

blazer {gifted}

purse {nine west}

So, we're nearing the end of March and April is on the horizon  I'm excited because April is my birth month as well as Easter! It should be a great time to take pictures and come up with cute new outfits!

xox, a modern dame

DIY: Natural Bath Salt

Recently a friend of mine came over and made some bath salts with me. We had such a great time mixing the oils and smelling the fragrances  I had to share! Not to mention how easy this particular bath salt is to make!  I've made about 4 different ones for myself, so I thought I'd go ahead and post my most recent one, which only contains one of the essential oils: clove. 


I have really been enjoying the essential oils from Mothers Market, it's pretty close to my apartment as well which makes buying new scents easier. I also tend to favor the more floral like aromas, mainly because of the warm and sweet sensations they come with.

My favorite ones right now are: lavender, jasmine, clove, rose, and ylang ylang extract.

The benefit sensations for these particular oils are: uplifting, soothing, calming, relaxing, comforting, focusing, balancing, and romancing. 

Clove's are: warming, soothing, comforting. 

The cool thing about how easy it is to make this bath salt is how much you can do with it. It can be as simple as you'd like it or as complex. You can add different oils or even add crushed up dried plants!  I'm definitely going to try out different ways to create this stuff, but for now I'm enjoying the simplicity of this little concoction. :}

Natural Clove Bath Salt

1.  1 1/2 cups Dead Sea Salts at Mothers (or Epsom salts at Target for $5.-)
2. 5-10 drops of clove essential oil
3. Stir thoroughly

I cannot emphasis enough how much I love the simplicity of these bath salts. It's super easy and such an a wonderful thing to look forward to after work. It definitely helps cleanse my skin and sooth my stresses!

xox, a modern dame

Random Encounters

How wonderful it is to be wearing spring dresses again? I do love winter, but boy am I glad to feel the sun on my skin!  This dress is probably one of my favorite go to dresses because it's lightweight and super cute. I never thought of pairing it with boots and a denim jacket before, so I just tried and I really adore the look.  

I think the boots balance it out and, of course, my old ModCloth purse that seems to go with everything. 

I've also been using this Ruche bracket more than I thought! It goes with so many outfits and seems to be quite the versatile little piece! 

 I wore this knitted cardie underneath and really loved the contrast between the knits and the polka-dots.

I'm about to sneeze, can you tell? 

Dress {H&M}

Cardigan {thrifted}

Necklace {Forever21}

Boots {Payless}

Bracelet {Ruche}

Purse {Modcloth}

During a shoot, of course there are pedestrians and cars, etc, well yesterday Aaron and I encountered another bird lover. Aaron keeps our bird Marley on his shoulder during the shoot, but this man's bird was riding on the front of his bike! He was kind enough to stop and take a few pictures with us as we discussed the joys of having and caring for our little pets. 

She loved to give kisses, haha. Aaron was smitten.

Have you ever had an amazing random encounter? 

xox, a modern dame

Blush

It's finally starting to feel like spring again! Don't get me wrong, fall and winter are my favorite seasons, but I'm ready for all the new and exciting things spring is going to bring! Not to mention, April is my birth month! Then Aaron's is next! And then our 5 year anniversary comes up in July! Phew! A whole lot of excitement!

I'm super excited about this post because my entire outfit is made up of mostly Ruche items (yay!) The really cool thing about this outfit is that I have so many more ideas for each article of clothing, I can't even wait to pair this cute top with some simple jeans and cute heels! And this darling skirt is literally my new favorite thing ever :}

shirt, skirt, bracelet, and shoes {Ruche}, earrings and necklace {Target}, purse, {thrifted}

xox, a modern dame

P.S: Aren't these flats just adorable? I can't even contain myself. They are simply precious!