Author: hellosamanthadear

When I ordered this purse on sale from Hot Topic, I had in mind the EXACT skirt I wanted to wear it with!! I’m sure you can guess, too: my butterfly skirt. 🦋

I’ve wanted a butterfly purse for a long time, but I just never found one that I really wanted. This one was an instant love!

I love how it coordinated with my outfit, both in theme and color:

Since my outfit had neutral tones, I wanted my hair clips to extra pop, so the pink and lime green was the perfect touch! 💗💚

Next, I was sporting the pink and purple look here to stand out among the dark tones of my outfit. I added a chain necklace to my belt for an extra PUNCH!!

Lastly, I wanted to show the hardcover edition of Stover at Yale by Owen Johnson I found for a steal of a deal on Thriftbooks online! I know I just recently did a review on it a few posts back, but I had a strong desire to re-read the book since I fell in love with it. 💓

This quickly became one of my favorite books (my other favorite book being Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose). Retrospectively, it’s kind of funny to notice that my two favorite books both have the theme of brotherhood and camaraderie!

I’m so honored to own this edition! I’m excitedly re-reading it and loving every moment of it.

Here’s to finding books (and outfits) that we fall in love with. 🦋

You know by now how much I love boots with skirts – oh, and florals and bows!! The contrast is awesome, in my personal opinion! So these two looks encompass that fun mix. 😁🎀🖤

Remember recently how I mentioned I want to wear more cat ears this year? I’m crushing that goal! 😺✔️ I’ve been wearing cat ear hair clips pretty much every day and it’s made my outfits feel more fun and whimsical wearing them! I love the look. And it gives me an extra mood boost, to boot!

Shoutout to my vintage doll, Charlotte, who wanted to make a cameo in this post!

Here’s to finding accessories that make you shine not only from the outside, but from the inside, too! ✨

Springy days call for some green!! With Easter on my mind coming up, I pulled out my bunny purse to complete the look.

Oh, and pink cat ears. Because bunnies (I’m sure) don’t mind sharing the spotlight!

On a last note, I tried the Original Blended Mocha at The Coffee Bean this week when I met up to have coffee with my friend, and man oh man was it good!!! It was the perfect way to spend a beautiful spring day. 💕🌱

See ya soon!!

This tree in my backyard is full of fresh new leaves for the spring season, and it makes for quite the picturesque place to sit and read under! 📖🌿

I just finished up a book called Stover At Yale by Owen Johnson. I learned of this book from my previous read, Skulls and Keys, because it was referenced many times in the book. Stover At Yale was published in 1912! (I kept thinking: oh my gosh, it came out the year the Titanic sank). A work of fiction, F. Scott Fitzgerald described this book as “the textbook of his generation.” It follows the main character, Dink Stover, who is fresh off the train arriving in New Haven, Connecticut to attend Yale. Coming from a prestigious prep school in Andover, Massachusetts, Stover is excited and nervous for his college years to come.

Initially, Stover is determined to do everything right – play football, eventually make the rowing team, and hopefully be top choice for a secret society by the time he reaches the end of his junior year. But as his college years unfold, he begins to question everything – is striving for perfection and conformity really the way to broaden his mind, or is it the very thing holding him back from becoming an individual?

I truly enjoyed watching Dink Stover bloom into his own person, and the most heartfelt part is that the very individualistic traits he fears will drive his college friends away, end up being the very traits that draw them all to him with glowing admiration. Another thing I absolutely LOVED about this book is the camaraderie amongst him and his college buddies! The silly antics and banter within the pages prove that the comical whims of teenage boys becoming young men are timeless.

The ending was truly a gem; much to Stover’s surprise, he ends up being the last man tapped for Skull and Bones on Tap Day – something he thought wasn’t in the cards for him. But alas, the smack on the shoulder and the loud command of “Go to your room!” changes everything in a glorious instant, and draws the book to a satisfying close knowing Stover became a Bonesman after all.

I loved the book! It felt like Dink Stover wasn’t just a character in a book, but a jovial spirit of a bygone era. I would actually re-read this in the future, I enjoyed it that much! ❤️

Fashion-wise, I was inspired to create a springy look based around my “preppy” sweater I DIY-ed!

See you next time!! 💛🧡

When I recently spotted the totally cool and colorful Tracy over at The Tote Trove wearing a stunning black top with ribbons down the front, I remembered that I owned a very similar top. I hadn’t put together an outfit around it yet, so I figured it was the perfect time to do so!

Pairing it with my new iridescent seashell purse I got off of Poshmark, I thought it turned out to be a very fun look with my orange cat ear clips and frilly white socks! I’m enamored with the beautiful shades of colors in the purse. 😍

Is it just me, or do cat ears just make any outfit instantly quirky?!

I’m thinking I’ll wear cat ear clips a little more in the future (I have them in different colors), because they’re just too darn fun! 😻

I am actually sad to say that I finished Skulls and Keys, because I enjoyed it SO much that I didn’t want it to end!!

Informative yet still maintaining its bewitching mysteries, Richards went above and beyond in his research for this 696 page book filled with so many things I never knew existed. It almost felt like stepping into a hidden world – a world filled with prestige and tradition that began as far back as the 1700s.

It was amazing to see the transition from how Yale’s secret societies first began to its modern day existence. I especially loved the eyebrow-raising drama that stirred up between and within the societies, down to how they got their names and how they inspired the formation of newer societies. For me, it created a landscape of mystery that I never knew existed in New Haven, Connecticut!

With that said, my completion of reading this book inspired me to write a poem! I wanted to capture the essence of mystery, so with some creativity, I managed to name a few of the secret societies towards the end of the poem without blatantly writing their official titles. 😉 Finally, I typed it up into a nice visual!  

On a different note, I feel like this outfit I recently wore fits with the ambiance of the poem – the white flower hair clips remind me of bright moonlight, while the blue and black reminds me of night time, and the letterman sweater has that old-fashion collegiate feel to it! 🖤 (Of course, I had to make it whimsical with the socks 😉)

May you find creative inspiration in the most unexpected places! 🌙✨📖

Spring is definitely my favorite season, and while I know it’s not officially spring yet, the weather has been acting very spring-like this week where I live!! The essence of spring made its way into this outfit I put together, with lots of yellow tones!

Now, feast your eyes upon some spring photos I took during an afternoon walk this week!

Signs of spring always puts me in an extra happy mood, so I enjoyed every moment of it! And if you’re seeing signs of spring where you live, I hope you’re enjoying it too! 🦋

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! ❤️ It’s been a fun week of baking sugar cookies, trying a new Starbucks Valentine’s drink, and going with a purple theme for my Valentine’s Day look!

One of the reasons I love Valentine’s Day is because it inspires me to reflect on all the little things I love in life – even things as simple as watching the breeze rustle through the tree leaves, hearing the sound of a distant airplane high above in the sky, to enjoying my first sip of coffee at the start of each day. 🥰

Here we go!

I still can’t believe my mom gifted me this adorable doll purse for Valentine’s Day!! It’s so perfect and fits my style really well, and thankfully it will go with so many outfits!

I hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day! ❤️🩷

I remember long ago, way back in college, someone told me I reminded them of the bride of Frankenstein. Which I found to be a major compliment, and to commemorate that compliment from long ago, I bought this adorable purse a few months ago – and how perfect is it for Valentine’s month?! Both of them are about to smooch! 💋

I put together a dark romantic look to compliment the purse! The necklace I’m wearing, I’ve had since I was around 8 or 9 years old. In fact, I think I got it for a quarter out of a quarter machine outside a K-Mart back in the day.

Pictured below is me wearing it, holding my beloved doll!

And then here’s 37-year-old me wearing it now! ⬆️

I have my Valentine chocolates ready to go for my mom and sister; I think they’re so cute:

Who else is ready for Valentine’s Day?! I have some festive cookies to bake this week, and I’ll be sure to show them in the Valentine’s Day post! 💘

This isn’t a color I’ve worn before, and I totally love it!! Blue-green tones make me think of mermaids, and when I think of mermaids, I feel like anything is possible – and magical! 🧜‍♀️

I also added a fashion crest to the other shoulder of this letterman sweater I DIY-ed, and now it feels complete! 🩵 The crest was a cool find on Temu.

This might just be one of my new favorite colors! 🩵💚 It was definitely my favorite outfit this week!

I hope you all had a lovely week – and have a great weekend ahead! ☕️