Midnight Masquerade

 

Black is my favorite color to wear and I can't imagine having too many black dresses in my closet. When this stunning Midnight Masquerade dress from Lively Ghosts dropped I knew I needed it! Definitely more on the formal side but comfy enough to dress down, I had a lot of fun wandering the woods in this hauntingly ethereal piece.

Dress- c/o Lively Ghosts (use code SCB10 for a discount)

Shoes- Amazon

Hat- The Beheaded

Lipstick- Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Sad Girl

The Midnight Masquerade is a layered dress of satin, lace and mesh and features a satin collar with self ties at the neckline, mesh cap sleeves with a lace trim, voluminous skirt with lace adorned throughout and finished with a side zippered closure. I'm wearing my usual size small in Lively Ghosts (although sometimes if it has a button front I will wear a medium) and the fit is lovely! The skirt of this dress is fluffy enough to be worn without a petticoat and it's the perfect dress for twirling. This dress, like all their clothing, is available in sizes XS-5X. They also carry unisex and men's clothing, housewares, harnesses, hats, bags and so much more! I get so many gifts (for myself and others) at Lively Ghosts because there's so much to choose from. You can get an extra 10% off your order with code SCB10 too!

I'm a little out of sorts lately because my family is going on our first family vacation in a few weeks! Since we rescue and rehabilitate senior/special needs dogs, we've never had the chance to go away as a family. Someone always gets left behind! So we decided to take Bianca to Disney World! We're going all out for this trip and while I'm excited, I'm also stressed about what to pack. I'm used to California weather, what do you mean it just rains on a whim?! Wish me luck trying to get everything together before we leave!

xoxo

Ashley

Mourning Dove

 

Welcoming 2024 with lots of realistic hope! While I know we're probably gearing up for lots of big changes, I want to make sure I keep a positive center whenever that's possible. I've had my share of loss these past few months (two of my dogs passed away) and this mourning dove print dress from Sister Jane felt like the representation of how I've been since then. I also have a very big family of mourning doves that I feed daily in my backyard so this dress works in more than one way!

Dress- Sister Jane (on sale)

Shoes- ASOS

Hat- old

Bag- La Femme En Noir

Belt- from another dress

The Evening Dove Midi Dress is a poly dress that features puff sleeves, contrast collar, functional pearl button down bodice, midi skirt with hidden side pockets and a side zippered closure. I've said it many times before but Sister Jane dresses can be tricky when you have a big bust! This dress is a medium and it *just* fits in the bust but I am swimming in the waist. I opted for a belt to complete the look. I love that this dress has pockets (most of my Sister Jane dresses do not) and I hope to see more pockets in 2024! I am a huge fan of this dress and I love that the print feels very personal to me.

While I love Sister Jane designs and I look forward to every release, I do want to mention that they do not carry sizes above an XL or US14. I know they've revamped their chart and now offer up to an XL, but there's always room for inclusion and I hope they continue to move in that direction.

2024 marks the 13th year here on this blog! I'm impressed that I've continued (although sparingly) to post here through so many major life milestones. While social media comes and goes, I'm glad I have this space to share a bit of what I'm feeling at that moment. Hoping this year has a lot of great things in store for me and you!

xoxo

Ashley