Candy Kitsch Wish: Endless Love

Skirt: Dolls Kill

Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Pink bracelet: Belk; Jeweled bracelet: Zulily

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's; Socks: Zulily

Barrette: Wild Fable, Target

Disco Diva Necklace

Bag: Royal Monk, ModCloth

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's; Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Vintage valentine, mom's kitchen.

Top: Mighty Fine, Kohl's

More from Mom's kitchen.

Top: Love Fire, Macy's; Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Partying heart-y.

Rainbow Romance Necklace

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Bow: Target

Valentine's Day may be over, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from posting the rest of my festive fits.    

So here's to loving love and following your heart.  

And always looking, more or less, like a big, frilly box of chocolates. 💖🎀🍫

Dark Lark: Duchess of the Corn

Top: a.n.a., JCPenney; Skirt: Bea & Dot, Modcloth; Shoes: Impo: DSW

Dragon Duchess Necklace

Bag: Gifted

Top: Free People, Belk; Skirt: Celebrity Pink , Marshalls; Bag: Mellow World, Kohl's

Sunflower Hour Necklace

Dress: Candie's, Kohl's

Fall Flowers Necklace

Adorned Corn Earrings

Leopard bow: Carole, JCPenney; Red bow: Macy's; Shoes: Nine West, Zulily; Bangle: JCPenney; Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth

Maybe it's not quite Children of the Corn.  But duchess is the best I could do.  Kind of like how I can get into creepy cute Halloween decorations, but not the ones featuring blood or snakes.  I guess like most things in life, it's a balance. 

Anyway, I'm also getting into the, ahem, spirit of fall jewelry making with my Dragon Duchess Necklace, Adorned Corn Earrings, and Fall Flowers Necklace.  I sold the Sunflower Hour Necklace before I had the chance to blog about it, which inspired me to make more seasonal accessories.     

That said, I'm spending lots of time in the craft room.  And, of course, steering clear of those children. 🚫👫🌽

Not Quite Through With Red, White, and Blue

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Deep Blue Twee Necklace

Bad: INC, Macy's; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Flag Swag Necklace

Nine West, Kohl's

Top: XOXO, Macy's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth

American Anchor Necklace

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Some stores already have their fall stuff out.  And to that I say boo hiss!  Because here at The Tote Trove, we post Fourth of July flare a week after the Fourth.  Some may call it procrastination . . . but I call it reliving the moment (and also, yes, procrastination).  So it's with pride that I display these baskets of hot-off-the-grill red, white, and blue baubles:

Baskets: Michaels

I just love these baskets, which I found at Michaels for half off just before, not Fourth of July, but Memorial Day.  (See?  My procrastination knows no bounds.)  

Who knows.  Come December, I may channel Blink-182 and have Halloween on Christmas, festooning my tree with ghosts instead of gumballs.

Well, ghosts with gumball eyes.  Because it's not Christmas -- or, for that matter, Halloween -- without an unhealthy dose of high fructose corn syrup.

Ring Thing: Relishing the Embellished

Sweater: Hooked Up, Macy's; Skirt: H&M; Bag: Royal Monk, Mocloth; Shoes: Ami Clubwear; Necklace: SHEIN; Headband: Express; Vertical striped bangle: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Horizontal striped bangles: B Fabulous

Ring: PinkBopp

Hat: Wild Fable, Target; Sweater: Bar III, Macy's; Skirt: Mudd, Kohl's; Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's; Necklaces: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Maroon bangle: Iris Apfel for INC, Macy's; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Green bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Purple bracelet: Etsy

Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

As you know, I'm a big fan of PinkBopp rings, which are handmade by the lovely and talented Samantha.  Each one is bursting with beautiful embellishments, a colorful collage at your (and on your!) fingertips.  So when I saw this red, yellow, and blue butterfly dazzler, I knew I had to have it -- and ended up getting the purple one too!  

Both rings inspired me to build super bright outfits.  The rainbow sweater is an old favorite that I wear a lot, whereas the checkerboard sweater is new (I bought it last summer on clearance but never wore it).  The butterfly ring reminded me of Snow White, so I went with red, yellow, and blue pieces to complement it and set off the rainbow.  The purple ring demanded (what else?) more purple, plus green and orange to make it pop.  Without meaning to, I ended up with one look in primary colors and one in -- yes -- secondary colors.  Talk about a happy accident, art class edition!  Even if this isn't an art class, but a blog.     

So yeah, I had a lot of fun styling and wearing my new rings.  But I can't sign off without showing you their packaging.  How cool is this fruit-tastic box, beach-themed ribbon, and thank-you written on Lisa Frank stationery?!  

Samantha put so much thought and creativity into every detail, making for a one-of-kind handmade shopping experience.  So if you love unique accessories that will make people ask, "Where did you get that?," (my mom asked me this when I wore the butterfly ring yesterday!) then be sure to check out PinkBopp.

And, as always, keep that color wheel spinning! 

Mid-Century Modern Merry

Top: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Almost Famous, Kohl's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth; Brooch: The Tote Trove

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's

Dress: Modcloth; Wrap: Macy's; Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW; Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Earmuffs: Betsey Johnson for Trolls, Macy's

Ornaments: Wondershop, Target

Bag: T-Shirt & Jeans, Kohl's

Sometimes even I don't feel like getting dressed up -- or, quite frankly, getting out of my PJs.  And that's where the flat lay comes in!  Today seemed like a good time to do a few -- with a nod to mid-century-modern-merry-slash-nifty-fifties-Noel.  These girly styles make me think of a simpler time.  You know, before feminism, instant oatmeal, and the internet.

Maybe the fifties weren't quite so nifty.  

Now excuse me while I go make a JELL-O mold with leftover Christmas crab cakes.

An Orchard of Awesome: Some Old, Some New, but All for You (and, Okay, Also Me)

Fabulous Felt Cherry Cheesecake Barrette

Fabulous Felt Cherry Mousse Barrette

It's true.  Of the nine handmade, cherry-themed accessories featured throughout this post, I made four in the past couple of weeks and five in the past couple of years.  There's a cherry pie in it for anyone who can guess which is which.  Just kidding; anything baked by me is more punishment than prize.  

Tights: Poof, Boscov's

Top: Gypsies and Moondust, Macy's

Cherry Charm Necklace

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Black Cherry Blossom Barrette Brooch

Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth; Pink bangle: Target; Red bangle: B Fabulous; Black bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Red rhinestone bangle: XOXO, ROSS; Pink bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Rose brooch: JCPenney

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Bag: Olivia Miller, Amazon; Sunglasses: Zulily; Barrettes: SHEIN; Black bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Maroon bangle: Iris Apfel for INC, Macy's

Tank: Eyeshadow, Macy's

Wild Cherry Necklace

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, DSW

Top: Kingston Grey, Macy's

Black Cherry Bow Necklace

Skirt: Alythea, Modcloth

Bag: Xhilaration, Target; Bow barrette: Carole, JCPenney; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City NJ; Love bangle: Boscov's

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Top: Bongo, Sears

Cherry Rose Necklace

Headband: New York & Company

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Skirt: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Rainbow Cherry Necklace

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Polka dot and striped bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Purse charm: Carole, JCPenney

Bag: Skinnydip London, Macy's

Fabulous Felt Cherry Pie Barrette

Speaking of prizes (as we just were), earlier this summer, I finally tracked down that elusive Revlon cherry lip gloss at CVS.  It was my reward for going to the gyno.  Still unopened and pristine, some may say that it's the cherry on top of my ensemble sundaes.  Then again, some may say something else.

Fabric: Hobby Lobby

Moving on to actual cherries! 

I purchased these from a grocery store instead of a stand, and they ended up looking better than they tasted.  But then, you can never depend on produce.  Which is why I prefer to get my fruit fix from flip flops:

Flip flops: Katy Perry Collection, Nordstrom Rack

Inedible cherries never go bad.

Or give you diabetes from collateral Cool Whip.