Wearing: Rainy Day Layers

Honestly, all I wanted was to run all my errands and melt into the corner of my couch with a big cup of hot chocolate. It's so cold and rainy this summer that a girl's got to be extra creative with her wardrobe, 'cuz even I'm not gonna run around in the pouring rain wearing a silk dress and heels. Shocker, I know. Besides, with my frizzy hair, there's just no good solution for a rainy day.

(Gap dress, J.Crew paisley shirt, Walmart chambray shirt, LOFT blazer,

American Eagle belt, Charlotte Russe fedora, Steve Madden sandals)

Even the rain can't dampen my enthusiasm, however. I've been working on something really important to me for several months now, and have only really hinted at what's going on here at Kristina J., although if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I'm sure you've probably already guessed. Some things just aren't concrete enough to talk about until they reach a certain stage, and I had to make sure I had the guts to see this project through. On Wednesday, I'm finally gonna spill the beans here on zee blog! Can't wait to hear what you think! Until then, hope everyone has a beautifully delicious week...

Wearing: ASOS Pleated Midi

My favorite thing about summer is how the world seems to come out of it's shell.

Everyone emerges from their winter hibernation and suddenly, there are people everywhere...

riding bikes, walking their dogs, and sipping green tea on the Starbucks patio.

I love spending laughter filled evenings with friends and family as we watch the sun begin it's orange-shaded descent

over a bowl (or two) of Graeter's ice cream. Idyllic...

What about you? What's your favorite way to spend a summer evening?

(ASOS pleated midi, LOFT blazer, Target tee and Maryann suede pumps, Anthropologie Modern Master watch)

I'll be taking the next week off from blogging to spend time with my family, but I haven't forgotten the inquiries about another color scheming post. I want to use a color combination that you'd like help with, so I've built a mini editor with lots of different items of several colors from which to choose. This will help me get an idea of what colors to work with. (This is about building a combination of colors, not an outfit.)

1) Build a color combo using up to five colors that you'd like to see worked together using the mini editor.

2) At the end of the week, I'll choose two color combinations to use in subsequent color scheming posts.

That's it! Have fun and enjoy your week, mah dears!

Get your own Mini Editor from Polyvore

Wearing: Triple Buckle Belt

"I am sick of four walls and a ceiling.

I have need of the sky,

I have business with the grass."

Richard Hovey

Good evening, mah dears!

Finally, some pictures that don't include snow...

I might be imagining it, but it seems we all breathe deeper and

laugh easier the minute we cross the threshold from winter into spring.

After months of hibernating, I always anticipate the change of the seasons and

long to escape the confinement that is both physical and mental.

Part of the lure of the outdoors is that it represents so many things that the indoors does not:

pure freedom, a lack of restrictions, unlimited possibilities, and the space to dream and play.

Perhaps that's why I'm so often telling my children to "go play outside,"

because nature fosters exactly the qualities I want to nurture in them.

(LOFT blazer, Anthropologie Triple Buckle Belt, Target Merona tee, KristinaJ. Sedona skirt, Rampage oxfords)

Photos courtesy of LookNook

Thanks for being so patient with me during the time I've been absent

from the blogosphere...I've missed the interaction with all of you beautiful people,

and can't wait to show you what I've been up to--can't wait to see what you've been up to either!

The past two weeks have been a time of purging and cleansing for me...

a time to finally get an overload of information and inspiration trapped inside my head

out into a form that is visible, and I'm beyond excited to share these things with you.

Nothing changes your outlook like a couple weeks of solitude and silence.

So, here's to spring...to new beginnings and fresh perspectives.

I'm overwhelmed with the excitement one feels when setting off on a new quest.

Great possibilities lie in the pathways just beyond...

a new source of delight awaits discovery around the next bend and I

can't wait to see the freshness that comes next!

Much love, as always.

Wearing: Wool

It always makes me laugh when I see a magazine that promises to

uncover yet another celebrity's secret to everlasting beauty.

I always think, "What secret?"

Give me 24 million dollars and a team of experts and I bet I'd look stunning all the time, too.

But show me a woman who buys whatever she can afford from her

favorite stores and works them together in interesting and cohesive ways:

then you've got my attention.

They way women put things together is so revealing.

I love how two women can take the same piece and mix it with something else in a way that makes sense for their lifestyle and end up with two distinctive looks.

You never see those women wearing a blazer with three sleeves, or heels so outrageous they can barely stand.

They understand that what works on the mannequin in the store, might possibly look ridiculous on them.

Give me the flawed perfection of the woman next door over the air-brushed celebrity any day,

'cuz more than likely, she's the woman who will touch a life.

Whether she's a piano teacher to your children or the nurse who cares for you in the hospital.

She's real. She's smart. She's you.

(LOFT Jacket, Target Merona Skirt, UO Belt and Kimchi Blue Oxfords, H&M beanie, Hue tights)

Constructing: Stewart Dress

My bags are packed and we're headed north...

The husbie actually took these pics as we were walkin' out the door.

Mulled apple cider, marshmallow salad, sweet potato casserole...these are just a few

of the tasty things that await us at my Gramma's house. Oh, and lots and lots of snow. Yay!

I featured this dress earlier this fall, but the only reason I made it

was for this right here...black tights and a blazer.

I kinda noticed that I have the whole two-toned hair trend thing goin' on with the dark roots and whatnot.

Total coincidence. One of the many side effects of having dry, frizzy hair...my ends are always darker than the top. So unfortunately, I'll be livin' out the trend umpteen years after it's long gone.

But these things always come back around, right?

(Kristina J. Stewart Dress, LOFT blazer, Anthro triple buckle belt, Walmart plaid scarf, Mia cadet booties)

Reconstructed: 1970's Vintage

I will never understand Indiana weather.

It was frigid here last week...snow, hail, sleet...everything.

Then, all the sudden, it's 68 degrees outside.

So glad I could be organized for once and have everyone's summer clothes put away, (apparently, just in time for the second Indian Summer).

You've seen this before, but over here on this blog, you're likely to

see most everything WAY more than you really want to.

I loved this great, little vintage dress when I found it tucked away obscurely in a small store.

And, I only had to replace the lace!

(Vintage Dress, LOFT blazer, J.Crew Patent Belt, Steve Madden booties)