Love Is All Around

Happy Valentine's Day! It's supposed to be a sunny, slightly warmer day today and I'm excited to be taking some time for myself. I'm working only a few hours today (one of the perks of having a flexible, full-time job) and am going to spend some time outside. I'm not doing anything super romantic tonight or anything -- I'm just planning on hanging out with my boyfriend and taking his niece to her dance class -- but that's alright by me. I'm supposedly going to be doing something more Valentine-y this weekend instead. I'm not usually a big fan of surprises, but I definitely could use some time away from stress... so I'm kind of up for anything.

Is it possible to have too many pink, lovey-dovey outfits in one's closet? And is it wrong that you'd still want more if given the opportunity? I think I may have too many dresses I can wear for this holiday. I actually don't even know what to wear today (or this weekend). I definitely need to do another closet clean-out in the near future... if for nothing else than to afford all of the amazing spring dresses that are on my wish list.

Outfit Details

Gena Dress in Pink Harlequin: Pinup Girl Clothing

Hair flower: similar  ||  Shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

The winner of my 5-year blogiversary giveaway has been chosen, just in time for Valentine's Day! Congratulations to Maren and thanks so much to everyone who entered! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a sweet holiday!

L-O-V-E

I throw the word "love" around a lot. I never say it when I don't mean it, but I mean it frequently. I've always felt it was important to love freely and deeply. I have never shied away from being vulnerable; even when it might have been smarter to put walls up, I've given my whole heart in many situations. I have always believed it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. That, of course, means my heart has been broken many times. But even when it hurts most, I still feel it's worth it.

I find myself in a situation now wherein my heart breaks a little bit on a daily basis. Tiny little breaks and cracks, imperceptible to anyone but me. I cover up those little breaks with bandages in the form of distractions -- friends, food, laughter, other comforts -- and try to heal myself. That's difficult to do, though, when the heartbreak in question is because the person you love is in so much pain and you end up taking on some of that pain yourself. I guess I didn't realize at first how much it was hurting my own heart. When the heartbreak doesn't come from a breakup and it happens just a smidgeon every day, it's hard to notice until it starts to be too much. And still, you solider on -- battle wounds and all.

I realize this sounds kind of cryptic and probably a bit dramatic. The point is that I'm struggling right now. All I really want to do is talk about cute clothes and chocolate and other things I really like about Valentine's Day. But I've been thinking a lot about love and relationships and having those two things with someone else relies on having love for and a healthy relationship with yourself. That's definitely easier said than done for me. But even though I will be spending this holiday with the guy I love, I'm vowing not to forget about me.

Outfit Details

Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing

Heels: B.A.I.T. Footwear (others)

Hat: vintage (similar)  ||  Necklace: similar

Friday Favorites #152: Valentine's Day Wish List

Holy cannoli, it's been a while since I put together a Friday Favorites post... I hate going on hiatus like that! I didn't have the energy to put together a normal-sized one for today, but I did create a little wish list filled with some lovey-dovey items I've been swooning over! Even though Valentine's Day is less than a week away, I think any of these items will spread the love year-round. I'd be thrilled to receive any of these from my special someone.

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e   ||   f   ||   g   ||   h   ||   i

I do have a couple of Valentine's Day posts in the works for next week (I know, I'm cutting it close), and I can't wait to share those outfits with you. Do you have any romantic or fun plans for the holiday? I've been told my plans are a surprise, so we shall see what happens. Even if it's nothing exciting, I'm still planning on getting dressed up and putting on a red lip -- because that's what *I* love.

Speaking of things to love... if you haven't entered my fifth blogiversary giveaway, don't dawdle! You have until Sunday night at 11:59 PM EST to enter! There are some really fun prizes this year, so you won't want to miss out. Get all the details and enter here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Please note that this post contains some affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of those links, I may earn a small commission that helps run my blog. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

The Soubrette Brunette's 5th Blogiversary Giveaway! [CLOSED]

I'm sort of in awe that this month marks five years (?!?!) of blogging here at The Soubrette Brunette. From the beginning, this little space has been a fantastic creative outlet for me and a way to connect with some of the most wonderful people I've had the privilege to meet. While I don't have as much time as I'd like to devote to blogging these days, it's still such an important part of my life that I truly treasure. Every February, I host a giveaway to thank all of you for sticking around for the fashion and my little musings. I have a great prize package this year that I can't wait to give away to one lucky winner! Read on to find out what's for grabs and how to enter.

One (1) reader will win:

• "Hitchhiking Ghosts" border print skirt from Vintage Inspired By Jackie x B-Rex
• Pink-haired pinup tee from Crazy4Me Style
• Choice of lapel pin from We Said Shop
• Choice of two (2) Sephora #Lipstories lipsticks (from available shades at Sephora.com)
• $25 Etsy gift card

Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. There are some entries that are mandatory for you to be eligible for the giveaway, while others are optional and will give you extra chances to win! Be sure to follow all giveaway directions and please note that you must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette to win (no unfollowing after the giveaway ends!). This giveaway is open worldwide and will run from now until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, February 11, 2018. The winner of the giveaway will be contacted via e-mail (so be sure to provide a valid email address and check your inbox on February 12!) and must respond to the "congratulations" email within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget in this blog post (and others) within one week of the giveaway's end.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Whether you've been with me since the very beginning or you're a relatively new reader, I'm so happy to have you here. Thanks for entering and best of luck!

Wilder West

Happy 2018, everyone! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted. The wintery weather has temporarily turned me into a bit of a blanket burrito who wants to wear pajamas constantly and never go outdoors... but I just had to get a little dolled up to show off a few pieces from the latest collection from Erstwilder! This range, "Wilder West," is filled with cacti, cowgirls, and critters. As an East Coast girl, the concept of this range wasn't necessarily something I was drawn to at first. But when I saw these adorable pieces in person, I did a total 180°.

I'm styling three different brooches here. "Aces High," the pair of cards with an arrow going through them, is such a great piece that I think I'll be wearing for Valentine's Day this year. And as the girlfriend of a guitarist (who has been known to play a mean banjo), "Stay Plucky" was a must-have. But I think my favorite of the bunch is "Billy the Kid," since I have a bit of an obsession with goats and I love a good pun! They're all perfectly sized and beautifully made, as always. I can't wait to see how others style products from this range!

Details

Brooches: c/o Erstwilder

Red faux leather jacket: TJ Maxx (similar)

Grace Dress in Black: Hearts and Found

Dolly Dress in Lavender Gingham: Hearts and Found

Erstwilder also made a really cool, one-of-a-kind resin wall hanging that looks like a decorative buffalo skull – there's a brooch to match it called "Sacred Ground" – that they're giving away to one lucky winner! For every piece you purchase from this collection on their site, you'll receive one entry to win it (you can receive an additional two entries if you buy the matching brooch!). And since Erstwilder is giving away double loyalty points for 24 hours, now's the perfect time to add those brooches to your shopping cart and check out. Keep in mind that you'll have to act fast to take advantage of both these offers; the double points offer ends at 7 AM EST tomorrow (which is 11:59 PM AEDT on January 17), and entries for the wall hanging end at 7 AM EST on Thursday (11:59 AEDT on January 18). Please note that time zone conversions are NOT my strong suit, so I'm going off a tool I found online! If you want to avoid missing out, I'd suggest ordering right away! :)

If previous Erstwilder launches are any indication, the "Wilder West" collection is bound to be a big hit. I found one cat in the OK Corral who thinks so, at least...

Have a great day!

2017 Outfit Round-Up!

I can scarcely believe 2017 is coming to a close. I know this year was difficult for many of us, and I wish I could say with certainty that this next year will be better. The truth is that I don't know that it will be. But I'm going to do everything I can to try to make the best of things and bring joy to those I love in the new year.

It was a challenge to keep up with my blogging over the last 12 months, but it's also been a wonderful respite and creative outlet (as always). To that end, I'm looking back on 2017 and sharing some of my favorite highlights in outfit form.

January   ||   February   ||   March

April   ||   May   ||   June

July   ||   August   ||   September

October   ||   November   ||   December

Did you have a favorite post from this past year? A definite highlight was my trip to NOLA with Ashley, but I also loved going on weekend outings with my mom, spending time with my work besties, and getting to experience lake house life with my boyfriend's family. Despite how difficult this year was, there were some great moments too. I'm still making my resolutions, but I'd love to hear about yours. And if you're interested in seeing my outfit roundups from previous years, click here!

Have a safe and healthy New Year's Eve! Hope to see you here in 2018!

Merry and Bright

Merry Christmas Eve, friends! I've always loved the holidays, but I've been really looking forward to Christmas this year. I've been listening to Christmas music for the past month and I'm infatuated with all my little decorations. (By the way, I got my pink Christmas tree here – it doesn't look like it's in stock right now, but they have some other fun colors and styles!) I'm probably going to leave them up for as long as humanly possible to keep the cheer going for a while.

This vintage ornament print dress is one of my favorite holiday purchases this year. It seriously goes perfectly with my tree and I'll definitely be wearing it tonight for our family festivities. I've mentioned this before, but Christmas Eve is really a bigger deal for us than Christmas Day. We eat a lot of delicious appetizers (like meatballs, cheese fondue, shrimp cocktail, and – new this year! – latkes) and open the majority of our presents to each other. It's a special tradition that I cherish even more as I get older. We actually don't even know what we're doing Christmas Day. We've often seen a movie and gone out for Chinese food, but I think we may end up going even more low-key... which is totally fine by me, to be honest. Whatever we do, I'll just be glad to be with the ones I love.

Outfit Details

Ornament Print Jenny Dress: Pinup Girl Clothing

Christmas Ornament Lapel Pin: c/o Kate Gabrielle

Gold Heels: ModCloth

Have a very happy and safe holiday! Wishing much love to you and yours.