Stylish Friends

Hi, {SS} here.

Last night the bf (who does not like to have his picture taken, but will be appearing on the blog sometime in the near future... ahahaha) and I got together with some friends for a casual night of grilling and celebrating one of our friends' birthdays. It was the perfect temperature and we all had a great time relaxing with good food, good friends and even a good fire! As we sat around the fire I  snapped up some photos of my stylish friends, instagram style... and promised they would be today's blog post (they weren't as excited about that as I'd hoped they would be... ha):

{KD & AS with their dogs Bella and Piper}

{BD & DL}

"After all, {style} can be as simple as a smile... "

{AS & GK}

To quote the great John Lennon, "I get by with a little help from my friends..."

xo, SS

{ wonderful weekend }

{SS} here!

I am loving this sunny and cool Sunday afternoon after a perfect weekend with friends :)

{ Source }

Friday night the {BF} and I had a lovely dinner on the patio at W.A. Frost's in Saint Paul... the perfect summer date night spot. It was so nice to just sit and chat and relax while we enjoyed some fine Saint Paul people watching.







Saturday morning I went to a bridal shower for a good friend who is getting married in a few weeks in CO (I just bought my tickets, and I can't wait!!) which was fun!

And last night, on Stella's rooftop in Uptown I sat with the {BF} and four of our closest friends and enjoyed good conversations, good appetizers and some 

I am so lucky to have such wonderful and STYLISH friends :)

Being stylish starts within yourself, but I know that the love and support from my friends and family help keep my smile big and my style shining!

Hope everyone had a great weekend too!

xo, SS

{KH} + {SS} = Saturday {Style} Stories

{KH} here-
I woke up Saturday morning and it was pouring rain. I was sleepy. I wanted to throw a temper tantrum. I just didn't think it was fair that I had to work on a Saturday morning when the rest of the world got to sleep in! {It's not, right?!}

Getting dressed was the last thing on my mind during my self-righteous morning. I remembered that awhile back I had seen this outfit on Pinterest:

At the time I thought to myself, "I have all of those pieces". So, I went to my closet and put that {almost} exact outfit on:

At Lynden's Soda Fountain

Top- old J.Crew but similar on sale here

 Necklace- J.Crew {gifted from a friend}

Pants- old Express but similar here

Bag- J.W.Hulme Co. {scored at a sample sale for MUCH less!}

I was too tired to battle the humidity so I threw my hair back and put on the ol' {fake} glasses so I didn't have to worry about anything other than tinted moisturizer and mascara. The outfit was a hit! Everywhere I went I received compliments about my necklace and style as a whole. It helped my rainy disposition!


Later in the day I met up with {SS} (who is taking over now...) I also had to work on Saturday.

we hit up a few favorite stores in the area without much luck... (though I did score a cute little navy & white striped blazer from Hot Mama)... but we both got some ideas and inspirations for outfits to create with things we already have!

On {SS}:

Shirt: old J. Crew but similar style here
Necklace: old J. Crew factory

Belt: old J. Crew Skirt: old J. Crew but similar style here
Purse: J. Crew, same bag in new colors here
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Gold pumps found @ DSW, same style new colors here 

Of course after some shopping it was time for a treat... and what better than Ice Cream on a hot summer day!! Off to the fabulous Lynden's Soda Fountain we went...

Stay tuned for more collaborations and even some possible PHOTOSHOOTS in the weeks to come!

Hope everyone has a great start to the week!! 

Train Travels

After a wonderful week in Amsterdam, it was time to head to France-- we {SS, BS and AS} boarded a train from Amsterdam which took us through Antwerp and Brussels to Paris. In Paris we quickly caught a cab in the rain (with a fantastic driver who sang "Sur le pont d'Avignon" with me) from one Paris train station to another and got on another train to Marseille.



We happened to strike up a conversation with the woman sitting next to us in our little quad spot on the train. {Leonie}, who was traveling from Rotterdam to Nice and then to Thailand with her boyfriend, was a fantastic English speaker and we had a great time chatting. We talked about the differences between Europe and the United States, style, and the excitement of a trip to Thailand. When I told Leonie about my blog she was excited and we thought we should take a picture. It's always fun to meet new people when you travel. I can't wait to hear all about your travel adventures Leonie!

My new friend {Leonie} who shares a second name with me :)

xo, SS

Summer Blues

There are many things I like about summer. Tan lines, freckles, dresses, going to the beach, patios, etc.

There are also many things I dislike about the summer. Frizzy hair, shaving your legs every day, sweating (so much sweating!), humidity- you get the picture.

This past week has been brutal in terms of weather. There were 3 or 4 days where the heat index was over 100 and the humidity hovered around 70%. It was the kind of week where you didn't want to do anything outside or too far from air conditioning. Brutal.

Yesterday was lovely though! It was warm without being unbearable. The humidity was lower and the sun was hot. So of course I had to work all day. I got a text from my pal saying they were going to be on a patio. I jumped at the opportunity! St. Paul has some beautiful patios. Especially downtown- the views are phenomenal.

When I got there I laughed because all three of the ladies were wearing some variation of the same outfit: white and denim:

Look at JB in the background!

On {CG} (left):

Not sure where her outfit is from but look at that scarf! Made by {KK} (on my right)

On {KK} (right}:

Shirt- Gap 

Shorts- Gap 

Jacket- old J.Crew (similar here)

On {KH}:

Dress- Anthropologie (similar here)- on sale in store+additional 25% off

Shirt: J.Crew- on sale in store+additional 30% off

I hope this bearable weather continues!