A Wednesday of Lovely Things

Things To Want:

• Dooney and Bourke Petunia Classic Satchel - Is there anything more Springy than bright florals? Is there any purse more useful than the satchel? I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need a $200 purse, especially one that's not even leather. I'm failing miserably, while deciding between the purple and pink versions.
  
• Lipstick red Change Of Venue heels from Seychelles (my favorite shoe brand) - Don't know what to wear with your new blue polka dot dress? These shoes. Don't have a blue polka dot dress? Sew one, so you have an excuse to buy these shoes. (Sidenote, Seychelles are the most comfortable heels on the planet, I swear. I have one style of theirs in four colors my feet loved them so much.)
• Emma Book Clutch from Kate Spade - One day, when I'm a fabulous NY Times bestselling author, I will be able to afford my Kate Spade addiction. Until then, I will daydream about that day when I can buy little clutches based on redesigned covers of my favorite book.
  

Things To Admire:

• Sarai of Colette Patterns made this delicate white eyelet dress that has me combing the internet for comparable fabric. It's so wonderfully season-appropriate and feminine.
  
• Shalyn of Ars Gratia Artis made an amazing mustard-colored blouse, complete with Peter Pan collar and front buttons. Absolutely retro adorable.
• Bea W. of Butterflies and Hurricanes (Have you ever checked out her Etsy store? Prepare to experience clothing lust.) also experimented with eyelet and made a red-trimmed shirt and matching retro red shorts for a look that is so Summer of 1963.
• Stitchy Witch of Green Apples posted her version of Vogue 8380, made up in a charming polka dot sateen. Doesn't this dress just make you want to attend a balloon-bedecked birthday party?
  
• Gertie of Gertie's New Blog For Better Sewing modeled her finished Crepe dress, the product of the recent sew along she hosted. Not only does it fit her divinely, but the Liberty lawn she used is possibly the most gorgeous fabric ever woven.

Things To Read:

• I Think I Love You by Allison Pearson - "In 1974 Wales, 13-year-old Petra is in love with David Cassidy, an obsession she shares with her best friend, Sharon. When they hear that Cassidy is playing a concert in London, the girls sneak away to see him, bringing Petra into brief contact with Bill, who writes for The Essential David Cassidy Magazine. Nearly 25 years later, Petra is separated and seeing how she had sacrificed her ambitions for her husband's when, after her mother's funeral, she discovers a letter her mother had intercepted years before. The letter was informing Petra she had won the Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz, and her prize was a trip to meet the star in California. A magazine picks up the story of Petra's missed opportunity, and suddenly Petra and Sharon, along with Bill, who now works for this magazine, are headed to Las Vegas for a belated meeting." - from Publishers Weekly
  
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - "Paula McLain brings Hadley Richardson Hemingway out from the formidable shadow cast by her famous husband. Though doomed, the Hemingway marriage had its giddy high points, including a whirlwind courtship and a few fast and furious years of the expatriate lifestyle in 1920s Paris. Hadley and Ernest traveled in heady company during this gin-soaked and jazz-infused time, and readers are treated to intimate glimpses of many of the literary giants of the era, including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald." - from Booklist
  

Things To Wear:

• Sunny Soiree Dress from Anthropologie
• Kingston Road Dress from Anthropologie
• Nostalgic Floral Print dress from Ann Taylor
• Candy Shop Jeanette dress from Kate Spade