Vintage Daisy Accent

I felt so pretty in this outfit! I was running a long day of errands and I needed to be comfy, but wanted the energy and confidence of looking great. The boots are a perfect balance of both, and then I just piled on pretty sweaters, cozy tights and a fun pin until I got the right proportion.



I actually feel on top of all of my Christmas shopping--only a few last things to make, nothing even left to buy! This time last year I was scrambling.



How has your holiday season gone so far? Have you had to pile on the layers, or is it still mild where you're at?


My most recent find--a vintage daisy pin at Goodwill! I love the cuteness it will add to my outfits, plus I can use it to wrangle all of my scarves and layers in place.

Skirt: H&M via Plato's Closet
Sweater: J. Crew via Goodwill
Sweater: Unknown via Goodwill
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Boots: Steve Madden
Pin: Vintage, Goodwill

Back With Bangs

Hi everyone! I am back from my (somewhat unintentional) hiatus! I am having construction done on my house and the internet ended up being out for much longer than I had anticipated. However, I am back and I GOT BANGS! They are actually quite a bit different than what I had envisioned, but at least hair grows relatively fast. In the meanwhile, I get to play with a haircut completely different than anything I have had before! :)





Still no Gorillapod, so you guys get to enjoy more of my (dismally unkempt) backyard!




A new silk scarf I found at the Goodwill when I was Christmas shopping! Hehe, I love finding little things for me when I am supposed to be shopping for everyone else...Plus, this is the brown/black neutral patterned scarf I have been looking for!


Dress: Julie's Closet via Goodwill Outlet
Longsleeve shirt: Gap via Plato's Closet
Tights: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Scarf: Goodwill
Belt: Chico's via Goodwill

Lost Gorillapod

Readers...I have a confession. I have not posted an outfit photo for almost a week now, and it has been partially due to the fact that it has been POURING rain and very dark here in Big City. However, it has mostly been due to the fact that I cannot find my Gorillapod. I am thinking that it fell out of my purse at the grocery store, or magnetically attached itself to something (the grocery cart? the bottom of my car?) and I didn't notice. I have spent four days looking for it and it is nowhere to be seen, and I have narrowed time the estimated time of loss to a period of about an hour, so I'm pretty sure I didn't just misplace it at home. I am hoping that someone will take pity on me and gift another one to me for Christmas, but as punishment for my negligence I will be without a Gorillapod until at least then.



This loss brings about a very interesting point, however. I functioned without a Gorillapod for many years, and kept up my blog without it for many months. Granted, I think my photo quality has greatly increased with the use of the Gorillapod, but I AM capable of functioning without one. So why did I completely halt my photo-taking during this period? Did I become so dependent on the Gorillapod in our short time together that I could not function without it? Or was taking photos merely the vehicle to use my new toy, the Gorillapod? I'm not sure.

Well, I finally bucked up and took my photos today the old-fashioned way, by balancing my camera on a small shelf and taking the photos in my backyard. They're not as pretty as they have been with my late and beloved Gorillapod, but you can see what I'm wearing today.


I went to a greenhouse this weekend!

Do you have anything you psychologically NEED to do an activity, even if said item is not vital to the activity itself?

Do you have any tricks to finding something that you've lost? Or any stories to commiserate with me? (Mr. P can tell you I have been sad and mopey about my missing Gorillapod for days now!)

On a brighter note--I made this skirt! You might remember this charcoal gray dress I wore a few times. I loved the material (a wool blend) and the pintucks on the skirt near the hem, but the top of the dress was bulky and never would lay quite right. So, I busted out my sewing machine, took out my scissors, and turned it into this cute little skirt. Not only does it change a hard-to-wear item into a very wearable item, but it fills my recent desire for another casual skirt!

Are you a DIY fan? Can you point me to any awesome projects you've done (for inspiration)?



Shirt: Merona via Goodwill
Skirt: Self-made
Tights: Hue via Plato's Closet
Boots: Capelli via Goodwill
Zip-up: Marmot
Belt: Unknown via Goodwill

Fashion Friend Friday: Are you connected?

Alright everyone, this is my first time participating in Fashion Friend Friday! The topic this week was 'Are you connected.' To see what other bloggers answered to these questions, check out this week's Fashion Friend Friday post on ModlyChic.

I also have one question to pose to you, my lovely readers! What can I do to improve the blogger/reader dialogue on Developing Style?

1. How important do you think reader connectedness is to the success your blog?
I think that reader connectedness is one of the most important pieces of a successful blog. I think that readers need to feel a connection to the blog, whether through a feeling of like-mindedness with the blogger, a good dialogue with the blogger, or something else entirely. When I am choosing a blog to follow, both of those pieces come into play for me.

2. What do you do to draw readers in and create that writer-reader bond?
I usually pose at least one question to the readers, whether it is to express their opinions, tell about an experience, or make a connection to something personal. I also almost always reply to questions and comments readers leave me in the comments on my blog! Finally, I love to participate in the dialogue on other people's blogs by leaving comments and relating something another blogger has said back to my life.

3. What is one way you could improve this connection?
I want to try to explore more new blogs--I have been busy lately and it hasn't been as much of a priority as it could be. I also loved hosting the last poll and would love to host another one to learn more about my readers!

4. Is there a blogger you think does a great job creating that writer-reader bond? Why?
I think that Scholar Style Guide does a fabulous job of talking about interesting issues and then posing thought-provoking questions. I always feel like I'm in a conversation when I comment in their blog. This is facilitated by the fact that they comment on my blog, and they are all so nice! :)

5. What do you do to cultivate new readers? How do you get them to your site in the first place?
I try to find other blogs that are interesting to me (and hopefully vice versa will be true!) and leave thoughtful comments. I also participate in blogging events, such as Kendi's 30 for 30.

Quick Update

Hi everyone! I am having some technical difficulties, so I haven't been able to post outfit pictures these last few days. I'm hoping to resolve my problems this weekend and post some outfits up then!
Happy Friday!

Featured Artist

This week's featured artists are Ryan and Lucy of Berkley Illustration. I have been a fan of their work on Etsy for awhile now and I wanted to share my love!























Their work is always whimsical, but with a crisp-lined appearance that is very appealing to me. I love the different animals they choose to feature and the relation between the clothing and the animals themselves. Plus, they use micron pens and Prismacolor pencils, two of my favorite art mediums to play with!






















Isn't this cat just the MOST AMAZING THING EVER?! Yes, I do think so.

Random Plummy Facts

The awesome S. of Narrowly Tailored tagged me for the ubiquitous seven random things meme, so here they are!

1. I love to travel and enjoy going backpacking in foreign countries with my husband. However, don't expect to see outfit pics when I am traveling since I usually just rotate through a few items of clothing for the trip (reason: I am a weakling and physically cannot carry a huge bag when backpacking).

2. I actually enjoy rainy weather...but I hate it when it is overcast and on-and-off drizzly. That is the WORST!

3. My kitten is both mentally challenged and also gimpy--she was hit by a car when she was small, so now she's very simple-minded and has bad vision, hearing, and three legs. But she's my kitty baby!

4. I am sort of a loner. I love hanging out with groups of friends, but think that being in a huge group of people I don't know very well is stressful. I am trying to get over this dislike by being more of a 'yes person.' This also creates an interesting problem given my propensity for travel and moving frequently...

5. I double majored in Biology and French and I love studying, especially studying science (organic chemistry? human genetics? yes, please!).

6. I have an unhealthy attachment to candy corn. And nerds. And coca cola. Besides those items, however, I really don't like sweet foods (besides fruit, which completely doesn't count). I would take plain yogurt over pre-sweetened yogurt, bread over cake, and veggies over ice cream (except sorbet, since sorbet equals fruit and fruit doesn't count! I have my rationalization completely worked out).

7. I am a complete organization freak. I cannot focus unless my space is clean and organized. I am also a huge fan of lists, so this meme works well for me!

















A mushroom from a recent hike.