Author: jackietara

Barely There Summer Style

My new summer mantra is “less is more.” The humidity is already starting to rise and is taking a toll on my hair, skin, and any hope of looking decent without putting a ton of effort in every morning. So [for the sake of saving time, energy, and frustration], why bother? The heat [and sweaty-ness] of summer is the perfect excuse to go wild – let down that hair, wipe off that makeup, and wear lightweight clothes! I really should follow my mantra regarding my hair. Right now it’s an absolute wreck: too long, and in a million split ends. Once I do chop off an inch or two, I’m going to attempt to naturally dry my hair in the morning to give it a break from the damaging heat of my hair dryer, especially since it’s inevitably going to frizz as soon as I step out the door, oy gevalt.

For makeup, I have been using a light Jergens or Cetaphil face lotion before applying a dime-sized amount of Supergoop! Every Day Sunscreen [on days I know I’ll be outside for a while] and my favorite Physician’s Formula concealer and mineral wear foundation. I despise the “tired eyes” look I get after a long day, so to make things simple I apply a natural shadow from my Nude ‘tude palette to my lids and a swipe of mascara to my lashes. When I go for the “barely there” effect on my eyes, I usually like to add a pop of color to my lips. I’m still searching for “the perfect shade,” but I think my Revlon fuchsia stick does the trick.

I think I will be living in dresses for the next couple months – the kind that are breezy and airy and don’t take too much fuss [I don’t do the ironing thing]. Conveniently timed for summer, I found the perfect white cotton dress a couple weeks ago while shopping online at Gap: it’s super lightweight, breathable, and can easily be jazzed up with a belt or statement necklace. Better yet, it has pockets [they get me every time]. Who could ask for a better summer dress?

Outfit details:
Gap white cotton dress
Tildon ankle strap flats (on sale)

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Bohemian Vintage

There’s something about vintage clothing that gives me the warm and fuzzies; an excitement from putting on a piece of history that I don’t get from slipping on a splurge-of-a-dress or the next great find from TJ Maxx [although don’t get me wrong, I love both of these things]. I get even more excited when the piece of clothing I am putting on belonged to my grandmother, before she graciously donated it to my closet. Mima, my mom’s mom, is still young at heart and is always at the forefront of fashion, so I knew her gorgeous rust colored dress from the 1970’s would be the perfect thing for a bohemian inspired shoot.

My friend Traci spotted a rare patch of undeveloped land on an afternoon drive in Sterling, Virginia and had been itching to do a styled shoot there ever since. It was time for my rust dress to shine! The open plot of land was next to a 4-lane highway, so Traci and I darted across the road with gusto, excited to see what our photography “venue” looked like. The weather was mild that day: cloudy with a few drops of rain here and there, but the overcast skies provided fantastic light that Traci beautifully captured in her photos.

Outfit details:
Vintage dress
Frye boots

Photography by Traci J. Brooks Studios

Mother’s Day at Le Grenier

T and I don’t have the biggest apartment but we love [and live] to entertain family and friends and wanted to host Mother’s Day this year. Since having 10 guests over for brunch at our place wasn’t an option, we searched for brunch places in D.C. [with a very specific set of criteria] and settled on Le Grenier on H Street, in our very own neighborhood.

Le Grenier’s charming bistro-like ambiance [with its brick interior, shabby-chic chairs, and wire birdcages] and affordable $18 brunch deal was the perfect combination for our group. Their brunch offerings, including savory crepes, steak and fries, endless crusty bread, and the plat du joir [which happened to be flaky Arctic char that day] paired with a glass of Champagne Blanc de Blanc, were sure to please everyone at the table… and were a hit! To add a little personal touch to the table I made place cards and strategically placed everyone – a detail I recommend to anyone hosting a group of ten people!

The best thing about organizing Mother’s Day brunch at Le Grenier was having impeccable service [did I mention the endless the bread?!] that allowed us to relax, and more importantly to enjoy spending time with one another. I couldn’t have asked for a better day with my mom, and I hope everyone was able to celebrate their mother, near or far!

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Mint Condition

Ever just need a day off to clear your head, aimlessly wander, and let the day lead you rather than trying to control the day? I recently needed one of those days and immediately knew I wanted to spend my day off in Annapolis. A motorcycle ride, a whole pint of mint/raspberry chip ice cream, Chesapeake Bay air, and a few oysters later, I felt good as new and ready to take on the rest of the week.

Outfit details:
Gap mint button down
Gap high-waisted jeans
Electric mint sunglasses

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Tried and True Blue

I tell you what. I am LOVING this bright blustery beautiful spring weather [although the wind turns my hair into a stringy tangled mess, c’est la vie] and T and I took full advantage the weekend after last with a visit to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. Our “visit” was actually more of a long nightmarish excursion in stop-and-go traffic across town. I guess that’s what we get for venturing out on a gorgeous Saturday amongst tourists galore. Once we finally found a parking spot, T and I eagerly leaped out of the car in our crisp spring outfits ready for our cherry blossom adventure.

We have recently changed our dress code at work to just pure “casual,” meaning I have actually been able to pull out my denim during the week. This has been a completely foreign concept to me these past couple of years, so I feel like I’m going through a reacquaintance phase with my blue jeans. A pair that I have had and loved for years are a light wash pair of Levi’s. They are simple: not too tight around my waist and not too loose in the knees, can be dressed up with cuffs at the bottom and worn with a blouse and heels, or my personal favorite: worn with boots and a snazzy blazer.

I’m pretty sure my standard spring uniform will be comfy jeans paired with a graphic tee and blazer. It’s perfect because you can wear boots with it when it’s a little chilly out, or slap on a pair of leopard flats on a sunnier day! I gravitated toward a more summery look for our cherry blossom adventure because it was so warm out, and nothing screams summer more than white and blue. Teddy even jumped on the blue train with his light blue cotton shirt!

Outfit details:
ModCloth white peplum top similar
Levi’s blue jeans

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Parka Happy

I think I might be in love… with my parka. I went spring shopping with my mom a few weeks ago and felt like a kid in a candy store gawking at all of the new colors, styles, and trends of this season. An item that was on my list before we even set out on our shopping adventure was a green parka jacket. I kept seeing them on Pinterest and around town, and thought it would be the perfect addition to my spring wardrobe. Trench, move over! My parka’s casual trendiness makes me happy, and keeps me dry on rainy days.

The day T and I took these photos was one of those days that was just plain old grey and nasty. Not rainy, but windy and unsettling. We had plans that night to celebrate our friend’s birthday at a “micro grant” dinner called CRAVE in Old Town, Alexandria. The premise of the dinner was amazing: panelists would speak to you about the projects they were working on and how they could use your contribution, then all of the guests would vote on their favorite platform. The winner received all of the proceeds to complete their project, so it was a great feeling to help someone do something great [big or small] in the community.

We took a pit stop at the Bethesda metro station tunnel on the way to dinner so Teddy could take some photos of the art installation, “Tunnel Vision,” for a Washington Post Express article. My favorite was the painting of the red bicycle.

Outfit details:
Zara khaki parka
Gap high-waisted jeans
Zara graphic black & white tee
Audrey Brooke black booties
Madewell gold bangles and knot ring

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

DIY Berry Basket

Hi there and happy Friday! It’s been a roller coaster of a week, so I’m glad the weekend is finally here. Spring always takes forever to get here, but when it does finally arrive, it ignites with a fury and steamrolls into summer. There is always so much to do and so much I WANT to do, and at the end of every day I end up saying “there just isn’t enough time.” I have to say though, even after long days at the office I’ve been managing to stick to a basic workout routine during the week [big win for me!]. Working out even when I’m tired has dramatically increased my energy level [weird, I know] and has given me a much needed confidence boost. And I need both energy and confidence in huge doses right now with the amount I need/want to accomplish!

By basic I mean I am still no fitness pro [or even close], but I’ve gotten to a point where I exercise at least 3 days a week. On Tuesdays I join a small group that does Zumba together at work, after work, and interchange that with the Shirlington running club, also on Tuesdays, that I joined last fall. I have also picked up barre classes with a friend who is training to become an instructor, and the classes are free which helps my bottom line [literally]. And then there’s my at-least-once-a-week visits to the industrial building in Springfield that hosts the largest dance party workout class I have ever experienced: Kazaxe. Kazaxe has become my favorite part of my routine because it’s not only a great cardio workout [trust me, you sweat constantly] and endorphin booster, but it’s become a social gathering with some of my closest gal pals. And what could better than getting your twerk on with your closest friends?! One of those friends has recently started a fitness blog, which is amazing and you should follow along!

With all of this extra energy I have been pushing myself to keep my crafting going. Something I had been really wanting to do is to create a berry basket from clay. I already had extra Sculpey from my clay planter project, so I dedicated an afternoon a couple weeks ago to making one for my newly redecorated bathroom. I followed the basic steps from the post from A Beautiful Mess, tweaked it a bit, and voila! My very own berry basket. It took me a bit longer than I expected (about 2 hours), so I ended up only making one. I painted it black to match my sea glass and black decor in the bathroom and I think it feels right at home on the shelf. They are perfect for any nick nacks or do dads you have lying around… I started with q-tips and it’s now it’s holding three nail clipper kits, previously without a home [don’t ask me why I have three]. I’d love to make another to have on my bedroom dresser, leave the white clay color, and then paint the bottom gold!

Jackietara

Wedding Wear: March

Wedding season. The season of love and romance, old traditions paired with the new, gorgeous color palettes, and of course the best season [and reason] to put on that fabulous dress. A dear colleague of mine is getting married this Saturday in Clifton, Virginia to the love of her life and I can’t wait to witness their “I Do’s” and share in their celebration! What I am not looking forward to so much is the sub 50 degree weather and rain showers that are sure to make an appearance. It’s March for Pete’s sake, isn’t it supposed to be NICE outside?! But the wedding will commence and, hey, at least the rain will hide our tears… of joy of course! I am surely in for a good cry.

With this silly transitional weather ahead, I am going to go with a black and white patterned dress I found on ModCloth. It’s a neutral option that’s not quite “wintery” but not too “springy” either, which is great because I can continue to wear this sleeveless dress into warmer spring days, and maybe even the beginning of summer, too! I do want some pop of color against my black, white, and grey ensemble, so I luckily purchased a little neon number in time from a Banana Republic online sale!

Outfit details: dress: ModCloth // cape: vintage // necklace: Banana Republic similar

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Leopard + Brights

Spring is finally here! Although it may not seem like it quite yet, it’s time to pull all those cute dresses, bright flats, and fun prints out from hiding from under your bed and the dark corners of your closet. I had a taste of spring in Mexico with their delicious 70 degree weather, so I just couldn’t help packing one of my favorite bright and breezy coral blouses and my leopard Steve Madden flats to wear strolling the beautiful streets of Colonia Roma. One of my favorite destinations was a local park with a pond full with ducks, great paths in the shadows of tall trees, and lots of happy dogs of all types: Great Danes, Labs, Terriers, mutts and mixes, and the dog of our dreams-a darling white Bull Terrier.

Outfit details: coral blouse similar // Levi’s light wash jeans similar // leopard flats: Steve Madden similar // black leather crossbody: Coach similar

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

Spring is not only an opportunity to shed some light on our forgotten clothes, but to also dust off our goals, plans, eagerness, and excitement that may have been hibernating during those cold months. Through the winter I thought about my blog and what my goals should be for 2014, the biggest of which was to purchase a domain and get serious. It’s been one year since I started my blog and, even though I had no idea what I was getting into a year ago, I realize now I couldn’t have made a better decision. Having this blog has been such a positive outlet for my creative endeavors, SO, I’m happy to say that I finally “did it”: my url is now officially jackietara.com!

Thank you to Teddy Wolff, my partner in crime, for helping me create photographic content for the past year [and for teaching me how to use a camera along the way!] and to all my readers who make this process even more enjoyable. Keep reading and don’t forget to follow my adventures on Instagram @jackietara, too!

Jackietara

Life is [hectic, but] beautiful

Where have you been all my life?! Well, my answer lately is “working late in a deserted office” or “cleaning and organizing my apartment.” It’s that time of year when everything speeds up, double time, and I feel like I’m standing still with the world around me whirling around me like a twister. Despite everything going on in my life, I feel restless and an urge to clean and purge, to start anew. It must be something about spring that just gets you going.

My most recent projects have been redecorating my outdated bathroom and creating a gallery wall above the couch in the living room. Somehow I took on both of these projects at once. Just a quick trip to home goods with a couple gal pals, and I was in deep. I finally got rid of all of my navy towels, shower curtain, and bathroom accessories that I’ve had since college [it was time for them to go] and replaced them with a new sea glass motif. Even more exciting, I got rid of our terrible “over the toilet organizer” from Target and replaced it with a hanging basket, which makes our tiny bathroom seem so much more roomy [trust me, it’s the little things]!

The gallery wall project is something that has been in the back of my mind for at least a year. We two lonely photographs on our wall that were just begging for some company, so I watched A Beautiful Mess’ gallery wall tutorial and got to it. I was also inspired by their DIY art collection blog post and decided to mod podge and paint an empty canvas – what a great outlet for my pent up energy! Although these projects took up a significant part of my weekend a couple weeks ago, they made me feel incredibly accomplished. I’m not normally that “handy,” so it was a good feeling!

I can’t say enough how happy I am it’s finally spring. My list of projects is quickly growing [so I’m glad I got to check two off my list!] and I’m itching to be outside as much as possible. Sunday brunching, here I come!

Jackietara

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