Thursday, July 22, 2010

Summer marsh

Being right in the middle of summer is so surreal to me! You're right in the midst of it, yet you cannot believe how fast it's gone and yet you're already planning for the autumn season. It's baffling, especially because time is going too fast for me right now! I feel like I can't hold onto my days - they're just flying past. It always happens in summer though. I swear every summer I always say that I'm excited for cooler weather so that the days slow down. But I'm truly enjoying this summer so far. We've had such a beautiful one here in Michigan!

I received this dress quite a while back and truly wanted the perfect setting for it, because I love this dress more than words can describe. The heart cut-out back was a definite must-have and for a reasonable price, it was instantly in my cart and being checked out. I fell in love with the heart cut-out design a few months ago, but could never find a dress that was reasonably affordable, until I came across this one from Ruche, of course! Plus the longer length is refreshing, the muted pink color and floral pattern. Love at first sight! It's currently sold out, but they do have a darling sage one available!

I've been wanting to try this summer floppy hat style for quite some time, but I didn't want to spend too much on a trend I might not enjoy thoroughly or even wear more than once. Brett and I always peruse TJ Maxx (loveee that store) and I came across this for $10 and bought it up! I really love it for this look, but I'm not sure when else I'd wear this giant hat! It's perfect for summer though - blocks the shade and looks so cute with a summery floral dress!

(oh it is love sweetheart pink dress - c/o ruche, floppy brim hat - tj maxx,
basketweave skimmers - ecote via urban outfitters)

So, Brett and I trespassed for these photos, of course! This time it was someone's private property right on this marsh swampland. We were trying to cut through the woods but all of the trails were overgrown, so we looked at each other and said, "Alright, let's book it!" So we ran as fast as we could through someone's back yard into their wayyy back yard on this dock! When we were all finished, we ran back through the middle of their yard and found out it was all swampy and we kept sinking as we ran! Haha! And by the time we hit their driveway, there was a dog we also had to dodge! Hehe. Typical day in the life of us. We're off camping for the entire weekend by Torch Lake, so I won't be around, so be sure to enjoy your weekend!

currently playing:
living with lions - a bottle of charades

107 comments:

eleanor said...

Oh, I've been so looking forward to you styling this dress :) I fell in love when I saw it too but didn't snaffle it up in time. It looks beautiful on you!

I have a big floppy hat like that I can't wait to wear again in the summer. And hehe, you make trespassing sound like fun!

X

PS. I'm in love with the very bottom picture! Stunning.

Estefany said...

These pictures are adorable! The dress looks perfect on you! I love reading your little stories of you trespassing private properties. I can just imagine you! haha

=)

Jasmine said...

ahh i have been waiting for you to post this dress ever since you did your spotlight on ruche :) love your floppy hat and that last photo of you dear :) these photos are so worth the trespassing!

Little Sparrow said...

Oh, you look utterly lovely!

Beautiful photographs, as always.

x

libys11 said...

awww that dress is love!!!! i was wondering when you were going to wear that! i remember you blogging about it before when you featured ruche! :D aaahh, i love that shop!!!

Animated Confessions

ainikki said...

I think this are yours best photos:-) And the outfit is amazing!

Eunice said...

what a darling darling dress!! its truly a gem Tieka :) you look gorgeous!


heyfancypants.blogspot.com

reckless daughter said...

yay, I love this dress and it looks lovely on you!

awesome hat too! it's huuuuge!

Jen said...

tieka, these pictures are absolutely stunning with the sunlight streaming in behind you and the floppy summer hat! you really hit the jackpot with this dress with the heart cut-out on the back! i'm in love with it :)

onemoreblog said...

What a cute dress, and lovely photos.

I love your fashion shoots. You always find such gorgeous yet affordable clothes and style them so well.

evie x

http://onemore.eviekemp.com

Shelby said...

I have the same dress. I felt the same way when I was looking through the Ruche lookbook and I immediately bought it! I am just about to leave for a folk fest, and I have an entire "summer music festival" outfit planned out for it. I only regret not having some sort of straw hat. Maybe I will come across one on the way there! Let's hope!

crazypig said...

You're so beautiful! Awesome outfit, as said on lookbook already <3 The heart on the back is so original :)
Love your blog.

Midwest Mayhem said...

I absolutely adore this dress and the lighting in these photos is phenomenal.

kelly ann said...

you are the most darling thing! i think that is THE perfect summer dress. the colour is perfect, and the heart! ahhh, so adorable. and i'm a big fan of floppy hats... ;)

i am loving the atmosphere, too. so dreamy! like something out of a movie. xoxo.

Bella said...

Beautiful photos and lovely dress :)

Charlie said...

love the heart on the back of it! too cute ^^

Fashion Butter said...

Beauitful photos. We do a lot of trespassing too. Totally worth it though!

http://www.fashion-butter.com/

Selma said...

like a dream this dress with the heart cut out. The floppy hat looks great on you! Have fun Camping, I wish you a great weekend already! xXx bisous!

*rachelwears said...

i love dresses with heart shapes at the back, this look adorable on you!

Anthea said...

Beautiful! That dress is lovely. What more can I say? I am stunned each time you post pictures :)

CINTANTYA said...

hey i love the dress!

http://diewiththesun.blogspot.com/

L said...

i love the back of the dress!
i always love your photographs.
i hope you have fun camping!

afewsillylittlethings.blogspot.com
always;L

Mikhaila said...

These pictures are beautiful! I love that hat on you, I tried one on recently and yeaaa not so much! haha But you pull it off perfectly.

Mikhaila @thriftaway.blogspot.com

Ania Alonso said...

Nice outfit!
I like your blog!!

Sweet said...

Beautiful photos and the heart shape on the dress made me fall in love with it three times more than the floral details on it.

Love the hat as well...

take care love
Sweet
PensandLens

Style Philosophy said...

Goregous pictures, as allways when I read through your blog!

Brianna said...

I love the back cut out of that dress :) and the last picture is amazing.

http://the-not-so-secret-loves-of-bri.blogspot.com/

PrettyDamnCute said...

What a great local -definitely perfect for the dress. I saw a blogger who was making and selling those heart-cut out dresses a while back, now if I can just find her blog!

Lynzy said...

Too funny, I just took photos with this dress on over the weekend! I just love it (and it was a great price)! You look so darn adorable :)
xo Lynzy
http://fromskirtstoskillets.blogspot.com

Lindsay said...

You look fabulous in this dress/hat combo!

eatsleepwear said...

ahhhhh this GIANT hat is sooooo PERFECT for summer. u look like a little sweet heart!!!!

xo, Kim www.eatsleepwear.com

Chaucee said...

What a cute dress! The cutout in the back is just adorable! And the floppy hat is perfect for summer : )

Emily Kennedy said...

You look gorgeous in this outfit. These pictures are among some of the best I can remember seeing on your blog, and that's saying something. You always have outstanding pictures.

Sydney -- PetiteGorgeous said...

Beautiful and lovely dress! Love what you did on the back :)

If you haven't done so, I hope you will enter my giveaway of a $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory :).

Sarah K. said...

love the hat!
you look like a sweet southern belle in these photos; must be the marsh and the hat. :)

sarah said...

i love that dress!!!! & i love the hat with it!! perfect summer outfit!

i am a photographer & i have had to trespass for the perfect photos before too... it's worth it! :) these photos are amazing!

have a wonderful weekend camping!

amanda lynn? said...

lovely dress and photos! and i totally agree about summers going by too quickly! I can't believe it's already the 22nd

Dip-tea said...

The dress is very Tieka-esque! The dress is very beautiful, magical and very you!

KP said...

You are wearing the CUTEST dress! And great pictures!

tess said...

that hat is fantastic! wow! and the lighting in these photos is just beautiful

Megan said...

T, I absolutely love this dress AND the hat! So beautiful. :)
And major props to the boy for these photos. Totally worth the trespassing.

Kate Russell said...

My husband actually just bought me this exact dress! I love it. You look great in it.

x

katrina said...

loved this set of photos! you're right-- the setting was perfect for this dress and your outfit is beyond charming!

(p.s. i love TJ Maxx too!! since you mentioned it, i'm itching to make a stop by the store tonight. hehe)

Chloe Trayner said...

Another set of stunning photos. You should get Brett to do a post on photo tips! Lovely dress, the heart cut outs are so cute and they're everywhere at the moment. Sigh for the demise of Luella. Cute hat too, I need a new one in my life.

lyri said...

I love this dress (and these set of pictures!), but I HAVE to ask: Is there any way to wear a bra with this thing?

Ames said...

what is your post processing work like

Jenni said...

This is too cute! It's absolutely perfect with the hat!

Sara Lynn said...

lol you guys are so cute! You might see my parents this weekend! The love torch lake :)

The dress looks stunning on you and that hat is great :)

alice's adventures said...

Love the last picture, sun flares are so magical. Summer is so enjoyable through your lens!

sweetersalt.com said...

Love the heart cut out - so darling.

meowsk said...

Such a cute outfit! Open-backed dresses are one of my favorites this summer.

Joanna said...

Such a cute dress! I am in love with the back of it...I've actually been wanting to make a heart cut-out on some of my dresses, but I'm afraid of messing it up and ruining them somehow. You've inspired me so perhaps I'll try it soon!

-Joanna

Little Woman said...

Love, Love, Love the hat. It's big and cute and perfect with that dress. :)

Madeline said...

Ack! LOVE THE DRESS.

jenloveskev said...

simply beautiful!

Destined For Now said...

What a sweet dress! I love the light in these photos...it fits with your theme of summer waning.

Haley said...

I LOVE that dress! So cute! I love the pictures too. The lighting is really good.

http://hisforhaley.blogspot.com

naomi said...

i heart your dress. hehe.
I love your trespassing stories! I need someone to do risky things like that to take my pictures!

naomi.

Rio said...

That is by far the sweetest dress ever! Awesome location, too! :)
(http://showersofsunflowers.blogspot.com/)

projectvee said...

how adorable is that dress?! seriously. heart-shaped cutout? so cute. so youuu! hehehe. loving the floppy hat too. i've been debating whether to get one as well, since i don't know if i'd get much use out of it!

Josephine said...

The heart cut out in the back, the design & everything of that dress just screams awesome!
and nice location too even though it was private property but those are probably the best!

Morgan and Lua said...

Giant hats like that are perfect for the beach!! but a little tricky to take pictures in, you can never see my face when I wear mine haha.

Have fun this weekend!!
www.morganandlua.blogspot.com

myedit said...

Winners is the Canadian version of TJ Maxx. It's one of my happy places.
You look downright adorable.

C.Sarah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
C.Sarah said...

Hey Tieka! Just wondering if you've stopped by the Ann Arbor Art Fair yet.. or more importantly, the ridiculous annual sale the Ann Arbor UO is having (50% off sale items-- they basically save up all year for this!)

Also-- this dress is adorable, and it looks so good on you! Love that you guys trespassed for the shots :)

princesspolitico said...

so so so so adorable tieka! this dress was perfectly crafted for a lovely summer day :)

xo.
princesspolitico.blogspot.com

Gracie said...

Drrrrooooooolllll. I've been thinking to myself 'must buy the sweetheart dress' and now I'm convinced, it's amazing! Love love love it.

violette said...

This dress is soooo pretty! And your pictures really are amazing.

http://roseetviolette.blogspot.com

Laura, Owl Eyes said...

Trespassing is practically a necessity to get good photos! ;) And these are lovely! So summery and dreamy. Love the hat, and I think I love the dress even more.

amberly said...

I think a floppy hat would look really cute in the fall with a chambray or denim top, a skirt with fall colored tights and booties or green cargo pants and brown heels! Or a belted shirt dress?

You could also wrap a scarf in it, or pin a flower or decorative pin. My grandma pins her hat sort of like this: http://images.asos.com/inv/X/27/180/1029807/straw/image1xl.jpg Only instead of a bow, a pretty brooch. Or tie feathers on the string that goes around it so they hang off the end!

I also like how this girl styled hers in the winter: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/pub/21publish/stylehunter/main_153.jpg Maybe you could wear a grunge/floral dress with a trench coat and some black heels, and put a black ribbon around the hat?

Sorry for all the ideas, feeling crafty and I have a floppy hat of my own to style. :) Adorable look, love the cut-out on you!

Rhitbee said...

I love love love this dress so much. I'm thinking about getting it in the sage but still haven't totally made my mind up but I better decide quick.. Oi it's just so adorable. You look fantastic in it.

xx Robyn

rhitbee.blogspot.com :)

Joanna Ladrido said...

i loooove your heat back dress! super adorable!

Anna-Lisa said...

So idyllic and sweet. Now all you need is a glass of lemonade to be perfectly summery. :-)

Anna-Lisa said...

So idyllic and sweet. Now all you need is a glass of lemonade to be perfectly summery. :-)

closet365 said...

This summer IS flying by.

This is such a great post. I love the setting, the dress, and especially the floppy hat. Too cute.

I hope you're having a wonderful summer!

Roya said...

I'm so in love with that dress. Not mention the photography and scenery here are perfect... love this look.

Michelle said...

gorgeous as always :]

when i saw the dress i was like ohmygosh she got it too! but then i saw the back and i realized it was a different dress but with a similar pattern and shape. really nice touch with the heart. enjoy your trip!

Jo said...

I'm in love with floppy hats too and that dress is lovely :) adorable pictures as always!

Zoe Winters said...

Hello!
I just came across your blog (whilst at work!) and you and your boy are the sweetest! My fella and I are saving for a big trip around the world! When we go to America we will have to drive through some of the places you have taken pictures of because they look lovely! This marsh looks awesome, tell your boy he's a great photographer!
Have a wonderful weekend! Zoë x

Catherine - The Girl In The Paper Dress said...

I love that dress. I wanted to buy it, but never got around to it. It does feel wierd to be in the middle of summer. I find myself skipping buying the summer clothes and now planning my fall wardrobe. Where does time go?

The Girl in the Paper Dress

Daisy said...

Such pretty photos !!

Sara, Swing The Day Away said...

These are so pretty, Tieka! You really captured the essence of summer. :)

maggeygrace said...

Haha, I love that you and Brett always end up embarking on crazy adventures to get your pictures :) It's well worth the adrenaline, if you ask me ;)

I LOVE this dresss!! I want it!!! I am going to go stalk Ruche right now.... seriously.

And if you ever wanted to know, it takes all of 17 minutes for your blog to load using dial-up internet. I'm not even kidding!! Hahaha :)

What us bloggers go through on a daily basis...

Love,
Maggie;)

Dana said...

I agree, summer is the season that passes the quickest for me as well. Just about one month left and we will be heading into fall. the photos are incredible and loving the heart shaped back and your hat just completes the outfit. Thanks for the post.
Dana

Caitlyn, Bees with Feathers said...

Yay this dress is sooo pretty. The backs of dresses can seriously make the dress sometimes. In this case it does (obviously!). Trespassing for pictures is so fun especially when your a goody two shoes like I am and it makes you feel 'rebellious' Hahah.

Christy said...

Your setting for your photos is just magical and I love your hat. It's to die for. I just got a floppy summer hat as well and I've been enjoying it.

Amazing photos.

Christy of Dress Rehearsal

Meg! said...

Aw you are so lovely in these photos! I'm glad you and Brett trespassed. ;)

Henni et Wiebs said...

beautiful pictures! and the dress is sooo pretty :)

Rach is Ordinarily Urbane said...

The light is so perfect in these! And the floppy hat looks adorable with that dress.

Hope you have a blast camping!

xo

cherie said...

the dress is simply goooorgeous! :)
and yes, the summer is fantastic this far. and one of the hottest I can remember too. :)

hugs
www.lemontartsweetheart.blogspot.com

Heather {A Measure Of...} said...

love the heart back and oversized floppy hat! And the look of lovely summer days.

xoxo Kellz* said...

so awesome n i love dat hat wowerz

Ali said...

That dress is so perfect for your location!! :) I love the cutout on the back, it's just precious. Your pictures look so nice and warm. <3

Josh Healy said...

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Cindy said...

I love the heart cutout!!

I'm so glad I found your blog because my bf is from Michigan, and I'm visiting for the first time this summer. Get this: He's from Muskegon, also! *cue Twilight Zone music* I am not a stalker, I promise. :p

Kansas Couture said...

These pictures are gorgeous! I love the darling cut-out on the dress and that fabulous floppy hat. What a perfect summer look. :)

madame.lala said...

this dress is so cute!
I've made one by myself ;)
you can see it on my blog in 'Do it yourself'!

check out my blog if you have time ;)
its all about FASHION.

xox
sarah from http://madame-lala.blogspot.com/

nyc lu said...

that dress is to die for! i think sterling style has it, too, no? love the heart cut out

CLOTHESURE

Sarah said...

Jusst beautiful! I love this cutout on the dress. Bug floppy hats are perfect for summer!

thequeenofwanderlust.blogspot.com

Jessica said...

Ah, these photos are stunning! I love the hat on you. I think it'd be great for a day at the beach too- just to wear with your swimsuit to keep the sun at bay and look super chic!

Piia said...

I totally feel the same way about summer!I feel that so much is ahead, but so much is past too, and everything goes so quickly! And I already buy clothes and think about autumn, like" hey, I could wear that and that at school". Awful! I should just enjoy summer :)
Plus your dress is sooo adorable. The heart cut-out is perfect :)
-P.
bowtiediary.blogspot.com

Kushú said...

I love the dress =D

Natasha xoxo said...

LOVE the hat! Very "southern belle" of you! :)


Natasha @ twenty-something blog
http://poshxoxo.blogspot.com

Danielle said...

That's such an adorable dress!

Emily said...

I too have been loving the heart cut-out look. Going to check out the sage option now, though I imagine it's also sold out...

http://rubyslipperjourneys.blogspot.com

Hana, Dear Lovely said...

This is such a darling dress and I absolutely love this photoshoot you did! It compliments your outfit quite nicely :)

Laura Loo said...

I'm glad you did post about this dress finally, I've been waiting! I didn't notice it until now. I bought this dress too, but the construction was so poor... Instead of coming down to a point to make a heart, it just went straight across so it was more like a triangle. I was so disappointed!!! But it's nice to see that it looked good on you, I guess I just got a dud (they refunded me) I want to try to get it again, or maybe make my own?? It's perfect on ya