Author: jackietara

Friday Fancies

It’s Friday, and the first day of November! Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving is around the corner, with lots of events, parties, rehearsals, and family gatherings in-between. I have had my eye on a few staple pieces to get me through to December that would also make great holiday gifts! And I have always said that a great gift is something you would like to get yourself, too.

1: Stella & Dot Zora Crystal Necklace // 2: Marc Jacobs “Blade” Chrono Watch // 3: Steve Madden Legacy Boots in Taupe Suede [currently on sale!] // 4: Black and White Striped Blouse [TJ Maxx has them for under $40] // 5: Stella & Dot Pyramid Studs // 6: Stella & Dot Madison Tech Bag in Poppy

Jackietara

Halloween Costumes on a Budget

It’s that time of year again: pumpkins wait eagerly on doorsteps, grocery stores fill their shelves to the brim with bags of candy and treats, and I raid my closet to put together a “homemade” costume. I’ve never been one to spend a large amount of money on a pre-made store bought costume and tend to opt for a DIY option. It’s less expensive and more fun to see what you can pull out of the arsenal and pair together to complete a themed look!

This year, Teddy and I decided to give X-Men’s Wolverine and Rogue a try. T has been genetically blessed with plentiful facial hair, which we knew would be a slam-dunk for Wolverine’s distinctive beard, and we owned mostly every other piece needed for both costumes. If you are struggling to come up with a look this year, this is what you’ll need for Rogue and Wolverine:

Rogue:
Black leggings or pants (leather is a plus!)
Black top
Black knee-high boots
Leather jacket
Grey or silver hair spray

Out of all of these supplies, the only item I bought was a $5.00 can of silver hair spray from the Halloween section of CVS. I luckily own a lot of black and even had a hand-me-down one piece black cotton/spandex suit. If you don’t own a leather jacket, you can always borrow one from a friend!

Wolverine:
Trimmed facial hair
White or black tank (white preferred)
Jeans with a thick brown belt
Dog tags (a chain necklace does the trick!)
Boots
Leather jacket

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

Happy Halloween!

Jackietara

Fall To-Do List Update

I have had the craziest last couple of weeks. Between work, friends, projects, quartet rehearsals, and family obligations, it’s hard to find a moment to slow down and reflect. Saturday was the first day in a while that I was able to sit down and think about how I have been coming along on my fall to-do list, so cheers to the weekend!

Even though I have been incredibly busy, I have been happy. I am the sort that gets a huge amount of gratification from accomplishing things, and that’s what fall has done for me. Here’s what I have been up to lately:

1. Keeping up with appearances. I am now into my second month of Birchbox, and loving it! Since I’m not adventurous enough to buy a full-sized bottle of product to try, it’s nice to get a few samples to see what works. I’m currently loving the Dr. Jart+ tinted moisturizer from the September box and still getting a feel for a few items in the October box.

2. Exercising. I joined a running club in Shirlington and it has done wonders for my energy level. It’s also a great way to release stress after a long day at work, and to socialize! It’s hard for me to motivate myself to work out, but so much easier with a great group of friends. My goal is to be able to run the entire 5K loop without stopping to walk, but I must say I am quite proud that I have even completed between 3.1 – 3.7 miles AND I am no longer a running hater!

3. Getty crafty. After a realization that I need to channel my younger more crafty self, I decided to host a monthly craft night. There’s nothing too much more relaxing and comforting than creating art, drinking, and laughing with friends. Our first craft night featured one of my childhood favorite crafts: Sculpey. In addition to some creative planters, we decided to make a few octopi friends for our rooms and offices. DIY steps and photos to come!

4. Practicing. Strike Quartet is keeping me busy with rehearsals and preparing for our first performance on October 18th at the Fridge. It has been awesome getting the group together to do something that we all love. Our show at the Fridge was a great first gig (check out our mention in the Capitol Hill Corner blog!) and I’m looking forward to performing more and more. And look at this awesome poster that my friend Dan made for us!

If you have any suggestions for crafty night projects or have great fall “to-do’s,” please share!

Jackietara

Street Chic

Heading out for my friend’s surprise birthday party, I realized I was wearing an entire outfit by Zara [minus my boots]. Zara’s basics, that come in almost every color, are the perfect essentials for fall layering and solids go a long way when the right colors are paired together. On my most recent shopping trip to Georgetown, I saw this mustard knit scarf hanging amongst a collection of cozy wraps and scarves and it called out to me. Mustard is a nice complement to classic navy and gray pieces and pops against bright colors, like a red blouse.

Wearing: moto jacket, red blouse, mustard knit scarf, black pants: Zara // brown suede boots: Franco Sarto from DSW

Photography by Teddy Wolff

I can’t wait to cozy up in more knit layers: I think the city streets will see me in many over-sized sweaters and chunky scarves this season!

Jackietara

Koda Bear

There really is something wonderful about a furry friend greeting you at the door upon your arrival, nuzzling your knee in admiration, and plopping their head down on your lap, content with your mere presence. Dogs, in particular, provide a incomparable comfort as loyal and loving companions.

I have had several dogs in my lifetime, but Peanut was my favorite little buddy. It was love at first sight, so he came home with me from a farm in 4th grade and quickly became part of the family. My friend Chelsea has a similar bond with her pit bull mix, Koda Bear. It’s kind of hard not to love this sweet [mischievous] face!

I can’t wait for the day that T and I can get a dog. Right now our schedules are just too crazy to even think about getting a dog [and it doesn’t help that our apartment building doesn’t allow pets of any kind], so I just have to live vicariously through my friends, and I’m OK with that… for now.

Jackietara

Oatmeal Makes the World Go ‘Round

Happy holiday weekend! Although the root of this holiday is not so noble, I am thankful to have an additional day tacked on to my weekend. I’ve been under the weather the last couple of days, so some much needed rest is in order! T made this amazing oatmeal to warm me up – the amazingly comforting kind that transports you back to your childhood. This recipe had almonds and figs in it, so I couldn’t help but take a picture and share!

In addition to a handful of chopped almonds and figs, add a dash of sugar and top with a light pour of maple syrup. Here’s to a cozy [long] weekend!

Jackietara

Apple Picking

If you remember from a couple weeks ago, getting outside more was a must on my fall to-do list. Aside from my weekly runs in Shirlington, I had been having trouble checking this off my list, until two weekends ago… my friend Lizzy and I thankfully [in advance] penciled in a fun trip to go apple picking and, by golly, we made it happen!

We decided to visit Stribling Orchard in Markham, Virginia, just an hour south from D.C. Lizzy grew up picking apples at this particular orchard and hadn’t been back in years. We arrived an hour and a half before closing, which ended up being a blessing in disguise. The bustling orchard was beginning to quiet as young and old apple pickers alike rang up their spoils of the afternoon, and we almost had the place to ourselves. It was a gorgeous evening as we scoured the orchard for each different type of apple. We collected McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, and Lizzy’s all-time favorite, Stayman apples.

Apple Picking - Jackietara blog

I have also been trying to find any reason to wear my navy blue floppy hat from Anthropologie that has been sitting on top of my wardrobe all year long. I feel like the perfect time of year [now] to wear a hat like this goes by in a flash and I usually forget to pull it down! Keeping with my button down + cardi go-to outfit, I wore a new darling polka dot and heart shirt that I got from Madewell a couple weeks ago [on sale!].

Wearing: button down: Madewell // camel cardigan: ModCloth // legging jeans: Express // black boots: DSW [old] // floppy hat: Anthro // turquoise butterfly necklace: family vintage

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

The best part about apple picking [aside from snacking on all of the delicious apples along the way] is all of the fun recipes we get to try!

Jackietara

Sunsets and Alleyways

I can’t believe how quickly the sun is setting already! A couple days into October and a chill is lingering in the air as the sun sneaks behind the neighborhood houses. It’s always a little bit of struggle to dress for this in-between weather [not warm enough for short sleeves, but not cool enough for a jacket or heavy scarf], so my go-to is a button down with a cozy sweater layered on top. I’m eager for autumn’s greens, mustard yellows, and coppers, but I’m reluctant to let go of summer’s bright color palette. Pairing a bright coral cardi with a black and white gingham shirt is a nice compromise.

I am also incredibly excited to again be wearing my black short boots that I bought last year for $5.00 from H Street Playhouse’s closing sale. T and I were sad to see the playhouse close only a few weeks after we moved into our new apartment a couple blocks away, but it was neat to see all of their props from various plays over the years, including this pair of boots which happened to fit me perfectly. It’s like wearing a little piece of history.

Wearing: gingham button down: Old Navy [old] // coral sweater: Madewell // gold coral necklace: ModCloth // black pants: Zara // black boots: thrifted

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Reflections on a Sunday

As I sit here listening to the folksy guitar riffs and syrupy lyrics of the Bellevue Rhythmaires while working a rental event, I realized with all of the organization going on in my life I should also organize my blog! You may have noticed the new categories on the menu header that I hope will help you to navigate easily for more specific content.

Although I had to work today, the event we hosted was beautiful and fun, and the gorgeous weather didn’t hurt either. I hope everyone had a chance to get outside and enjoy it!

Jackietara

Operation: Organize Apartment [part 1. living room]

Organize, organize, organize: it’s in my DNA. However, this summer I was way too busy to even acknowledge the fact that our living room was a complete disaster. A couple weeks ago, T and I looked at each other and mutually agreed that something needed to be done… fast.

Browsing online and through catalogs, we finally stumbled upon a beautiful “grey-blue” sideboard table on One Kings Lane. A perfect mix of shabby chic and functionality, T and decided it was a must have for our living room. Finally, a place to store music and to display our coffee table books, no longer to be used as coasters!

After we assembled the table [in 3 easy steps], I got to decorating the top and bottom shelves. The first thing that came to mind was to move was our cookbooks, hidden away in the corner cabinet. The top of our fridge is overflowing with booze [mostly left over from this summer’s parties], so I took down two Costco-sized gin bottles and transformed them into book ends for the row of cookbooks. It’s an attractive space-saving way to turn a nonfunctional item functional, don’t you think?

Our little cacti were getting too much light in the bedroom, so I decided to relocate them to a new sideboard table home. Paired with a couple other “homeless” items, including our wine bottle opener set and a collection of corks, these little cacti are perfect table top decor.

I’m so happy to finally have some things in “their place.” There is a part of me that insists on everything having a home, whether it be my laptop on my desk, keys in the basket, or shoes lined up in the closet. Now these lost items have a home, too!

For additional organizational inspiration, check out The Kissters‘ post on maximizing space in the bathroom and Redesigned by M‘s tips on making over a linen closet. Next on my organizational to-do list is refinishing our dresser and organizing T’s home office work space. Stay tuned!

Jackietara

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