Wednesday 3 August 2011

smug

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I think I look a little smug in these photos... but if there was ever a morning to feel smug, this might have been it. The weather was perfect, the dress was perfect, I'd finally made a bunting necklace (in the pipeline for a couple of months). True, the necklace fell apart soon afterwards--felt is just not strong enough, does anyone have any ideas what else I could use?

Other reasons to be smug: We rode our bikes up to cup+cake, a little cupcake place on a beautiful street (I was skeptical, I think cupcakes are overrated, but these are delicious), and then went to an exhibition of street photography from the 1950s in La Pedrera, one of the famous Gaudí houses. Plus, I'd just gotten 94% on my Catalan exam, though to be fair it was really easy. Still, all in all, a justifiably smug morning!

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(Note the cupcake behind me!)

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Photos by Albert

dress: See by Chloe via ebay, necklace: made by me, sandals: Urban Outfitters, bag: vintage via Mom, sunglasses: Lucky Brand via TKMaxx

72 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see no smug here, all I see is pretty girl in a cheerful dress and an adorable necklace, is so one of a kind!

Cess O. <3 The Outfit Diaries

Xavi said...

What a beautifull dress.
94% a l'examen de català!!!! Felicitats!!! És clar, passat llargues temporades a Catalunya... és la clau per apredre un idioma. Estar al lloc on es parla (tot i que a l'àrea Barcelona, no és que es parli massa).

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous dress, you look great in yellow. I also love the necklace idea, maybe you could try using thick acetate sheets and painting them with spray paint.
Cup & Cake is right next to my place, it's nice but too bad it's so tiny.

Felicitats per l'examen :)

Chaucee said...

What a beautiful dress! The color is so beautiful.

Carina said...

Love that little necklace! So cute :)

Vanessa, Take only Memories said...

Sounds like a great day! Love how your necklace matches your toes! You look lovely!

Jul said...

You look lovely! I adore that dress, looks great on you. Glad to hear you spent an amazing day :)

http://lifeisaromanticpoem.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

That bunting necklace was a great idea, but to bad felt was not strong enough. Maybe use small thin pieces of wood then paint them?

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Jul: haha, that was only the morning! The evening was a whole other adventure!

Daisy said...

This yellow dress is so pretty!

Julia Topaz said...

A bunting necklace! Great idea, I may have to steal it.

Meri said...

so you're now living in Barcelona? loved this dress! :) I'm from Barcelona too! lovely blog... following u right now!

xx

Rebeccak said...

yep! I think you definately earned points to be smug. Sounds like a totally amazing morning!

hmmm necklace-wise - would two layers of felt help? like, glue two sheets together and cut the triangles from there? Or back one piece with something more hardy, like thin tin sheeting, or hardy fabric?

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Rebecca: Hmmm, that might work. The problem is that the felt keeps tearing at the corners where I needed to make the little holes. So perhaps something sturdier behind might help.

Amelia said...

sounds like a wonderful day for sure :) still jealous that you're in barcelona. i miss that city so much.

the necklace is really cute! i hope you find a sturdier way of recreating it

Shybiker said...

Oooh, ooh! That dress and necklace were made for each other. Purrrfect!

Glad you had a fun day. Life consists of experiences like that, surrounded by boredom and misery. It's good to focus on the fun.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Shybiker: I'm stuck with boredom and misery at the moment, working on my thesis, so I'm living vicariously through my past self! And yep, the necklace was literally made for the dress! ; D

Alicia said...

Oh, girl. I am in love with these colors! Really perfect outfit; each component is just right and I'd be looking pretty smug myself if I were you! A+

Maybe Shrinky Dinks for the bunting necklace? Hmmmm.

Monique` said...

Such a perfect dress see art and have cupcakes....loving the colorful toes and necklace.

P.S. the dress i got for my niece i would have loved to send to you...would have been perfect if it were your size.

Kel said...

Now that dress is what I call gorgeous!

Such a breath of fresh air.

Lots of love from Sydney,

x Kel

musing about mohair

Michelle said...

Maybe you just feel smug (justifiable) but you don't look it. Is there anything wrong with the feeling of being proud of your achievements, I don't think so.

Pity about the necklace, it looks sooo pretty. I've seen wooden and ceramic type ones as well as leather, the last one might be the easiest option to go for if you can find a supply of mini scraps.

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Michelle: Leather was definitely my first thought. I'm going to see if I can find some scraps when I get home... couldn't get hold of any in Barcelona!

SOJOURNED IN STYLE said...

although I don't see the total smugness, you can be smug all you want! congrats on the exam score and a marvelous day! I am a sucker for yellow, and I must say I adore this dress. intersting necklace, the colours are great.

Jenny said...

Congrats on the 94% on the exam! And cupcakes and exhibits sounds like quite a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I love that dress, especially with the handmade necklace. Sad to hear it fell apart! xx

Eleni said...

I agree: cupcakes are over-rated! And, subsequently, all too often over-priced as well. Give me a big slab of an actual cake instead!

Congratulations on our exam results, too!

callie said...

The first thing I thought when I saw this post was "I need that necklace!" It is amazing, although I'm sorry it fell apart. I also love your dress and it sounds like such an awesome day. I love when that happens- a whole bunch of happy little things that add up to a marvelous day. :)

Tomz said...

Thats an elegant yellow..

caitlin said...

eeee! you made a bunting necklace! i am in love with it and quite sorry that it went by the wayside. this whole outfit is just so bright&plucky. yellow is a girl's best friend :)

i kind of feel the same way about cupcakes, and then i eat one and it is delicious. still, not entirely sure what the fuss is about. i guess it basically just helps with portion size (as some might be inclined to eat an entire cake... not me... just...)

Closet Fashionista said...

I love that dress sooooo much! :D You look amazing as always :)
and aww that necklace is so cute! too bad it died :(
http://www.closet-fashionista.com

Annebeth said...

not a cupcake fan either, they are so overrated. I prefer muffins or a good brownie anyday!
if you ever succeed at making a sturdier version of the necklace, put one up for sale: want!! so pretty and fun! love your colorful look, you are extra pretty today :)

Amber said...

hello mustard colored dress of my dreams. seriously loving your dress and the red shoes are the perfect touch. I am not much of a cupcake person either, give me a big ole slice of cake anytime.

dr.antony said...

Emily,you look out of this world. I love your necklace,and your toe nails colored to perfect matching!

Velvet said...

I love love your pedicure! Very funny and fresh. You look very beautiful next to those daisies.

Have a wonderful day!

Ashley said...

HAhahahaha! This is my favorite blog title of yours :)

You had every right to feel smug on this day! Yay for a 94% on the exam! And hey, loving the different colored toesies :)

Elise said...

Loving this outfit! The sadly deceased necklace is very cute, matches perfectly :)

gee said...

three things:
1. that exhibit sounds lovely.
2. that necklace is really amazing. to bad it fell apart. :(
3. that dress is absolulty beautiful on you. i mean it..yellow is such a amazing color on you.

Sophie said...

Wow well done on your exam you little brainbox!
I adore this dress, it is such a perfect colour for the summer!
Sophie
x

Emily, Resplendent Tranquility said...

Cupcakes are so over. And macarons, too. Apparently whoopie pies are all the rage ;) Me? I'm just a fan of cake. I don't care what form it's in!

And, um, this outfit totally takes the cake (sorry, couldn't resist). This entire photo shoot is beautiful as well. Definite fave. Pity the necklace fell apart. Here's hoping its next incarnation is more durable.

Congrats on your Catalan exam results!

Midwest Muse said...

Such a happy little summer outfit. I love that necklace so much! How in the world did you construct it?

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Dresses for Dinner: It's not complicated (just a bit time consuming cutting out all the triangles). They're held together with jump rings, and the rest is chain (and a clasp at the back). The felt really isn't strong enough, but I'll find something that works better!

jess said...

I love the dress. The color and texture are perfection! Your bunting necklace is adorable too. Maybe if you try making triangles out of shrink plastic it will hold up better.

Anonymous said...

This yellow dress is so cute!

Catita said...

that yellow dress is adorable! love it :)

Tilly Mix said...

Oh my goodness those sandals are exactly what I've been looking for! and that necklace, you clever thing! Thanks for stopping by my blog, I hope you find the time for a lovely bath soon :)

Love,
Hello, Sweetie

Georgia Rose said...

You look lovely, as usual! Sounds like you had an amazing day, I'm so jealous of the weather especially. I agree that cupcakes are generally overrated, I'd kill to try some that are as amazing as they're cracked up to be!

As for the necklace, how did you attach the felt together? Jumprings I guess? You could buy some small flat metal bars and glue the pieces onto them at the back-top of the flags, so they're almost hinged together. Jewelry/craft stores often sell the little bars with 2 holes drilled through them as spacers for multi-strand necklaces.

You could also cut your felt differently- make them doubled up, like if it were a sewing pattern there would be a fold at the short side of the triangle. So it's a diamond shape, and when you fold it in half it makes a smaller bunting triangle shape. Then when constructing the necklace, fold them over so that the fold sits along a piece of tigertail or gut, and glue or stitch the front and back of your bunting together.

Um... I wish I could draw a diagram- I am a visual learner, but I make jewelry for a living so I'd like to think I could be a tiny bit of help :)

I never meant for this comment to get so long! Whoops

Cel said...

That necklace is awesome, too bad it fell apart! I love the yellow dress, it's such a bright happy colour, and it looks lovely on you.

I felt the same way about cupcakes, but had one from a special bakery a while back and nearly died from taste bud happiness haha...

Ellie said...

That necklace is darling! Even after the first picture I couldn't wait for the outfit details to see where I could get one myself- and then to see it is a diy! amazing! :D

Katie Burry said...

What an adorable outfit! I love your dress and shoes, and I adore your necklace! It's too bad it fell apart. That's tragic. ♥ I'm addicted to pennant banners.

Anonymous said...

the bunting necklace is a cool idea and the dress is really beautiful in this light. You have my permission to be just as smug as you wanna be, but in return I'd like a photo of the Gaudi!

lauren, curious constellation said...

That necklace is gorgeous! I'm going to have to try my hand at making one although I'm not too sure what to use besides felt..

Emily, Ruby Slipper Journeys said...

@Georgia Rose: the spacer idea could work actually. I thought of doubling the felt but thought that a) it still might eventually rip and b) it might be a bit bulky. I'm really going to try and get some leather when I get back to Canada.

@Terri: we took a couple of pictures inside the Gaudí building, but due to our lens cropping everything quite a lot, they were nothing special. ; )

Dus of Cuddly Cacti said...

Haha I can definitely see the smugness you're talking about in the first and last picture. I love it though, the last is like "yea, I rocked that exam!" Which huge congrats btw! So what if it was easy, the important part is you're learning another language. Anyway, smug or no smug you look amazing here! I'm so jealous how you look so great in yellow & you made an awesome necklace!

Katie said...

You are such a cutiepatootie! Everything about this is lovely xo

Lauren said...

LOVE the dress, but even more than that, I love your necklace. xo

Louder Than Silence said...

What a gorgeous dress, the colour is so cheery! Sally x

Kara Endres said...

That is the cutest necklace.. I want to make one!! Love the matching toes- very cute :)

Beverly Houpt said...

That necklace and those toes <3 <3

Rosalind said...

Not smug, no, but certainly 'content' - as well you might be, looking so relaxed and enjoying such a glorious-sounding day.

Anthea said...

Love love love this outfit! I can't believe you made that necklace. It goes so well with the dress!

Anonymous said...

Your necklace is so cute. I just couldnot help but say it. NOt one to go for casual jewelry I have to say I would snap them up in a heartbeat. Paired with the dress and those red sandals you look like summer personified. :)

out of order said...

ohmygoodness, your toenails and necklace are suuuch wonderful accents to that cheery dress!


<3Meghan

Penny said...

I thought cupcakes are delicious when I fist came to UK- then I noticed my weight increase and our story ended there! :D
ps) I ve loved this dress since the first time you posted it- really I can't get enough of this colour or fabric or shape!

lifeisamaze said...

Pretty outfit ! :D

Closet Fashionista said...

What are you talking about!! You have an awesome figure! (and woohoo for giving you an idea for your top! :D )

Tilly said...

Smug nooooooo! Beautiful yessssss. Well done on your exams! X

Brittany said...

Ok, wow! This yellow is such a beautiful color on you--you look like sunshine! Hope you're having a great weekend :)

Lorelai Sebastian said...

congrats for the exam!
i adore the necklace! colorful fest flags!!! how u made it? is it plastic?

Sian Thomas said...

Oh my goodness, this is the cutest outfit!! The yellow of the dress is so perfect, and I love how you wore so many colours in the necklace and on your toes with it =D Plus those shoes are just so cute!
http://xrebelangelx.blogspot.com/

Raquel said...

I've read these posts of yours (this and the one bellow) a while ago on my google reader and I must say they're both some of my favourites of your all time posts so far! You look so different in both but absolutely amazing! :)
And congrats on your catalan exam result!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing dress (awesome colour, beautiful texture and wow! the bodice is so pretty!) The necklace is the cherry on top :)

Great stuff that others had ideas for the bunting.. I think I might have to get myself some felt too :) I think I'd probably sew them together.. I got dark memories of my attempts to glue felt to a doll house lampshade.. ugh

Amber Schmidt said...

If I looked as amazing as you, I'd be smug too.

Candycane said...

What a beautiful necklace - sorry to hear it broke!

CC
xXx