friday's fancies #135.

Happy Friday, friends! Nailing the beachy chic look is a true summer dilemma. In order to increase the inspiration and lessen the anxiety for every bathing beauty, this week of Friday's Fancies is devoted to getting beach ready! I can't wait to sport something similar next week for the 4th of July :)

Zadig & Voltaire White Carly Brun Boxy Trapeze Tank  //  J.Crew End-on-End Shorts

Calypso St. Barth One Shoulder Swimsuit  //  Warby Parker Downing Sunglasses in Walnut Tortoise

Jack Rogers Palm Beach Navajo Midwedge Sandals // Mar Y Sol Adelaide Tote {30% off!}

La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk

Join in the #FridaysFancies fun! If you blogged about fashion this week, your post is positively welcome. The themes are only a suggestion to get your creative gears turning. Sign up for the {newly revamped} newsletter to get those themes in your inbox every week! As always, I'll send this little love note to my loyal Friday's Fancies linkers: you make even the crazy weeks worth it for me. Thank you for always inspiring and encouraging me to do even more. I'm biased....but if you're not a part of this little family, you should be.

We're finally greeting our movers on Saturday morning, so I imagine this weekend will be quite a whirlwind. We may not be ready just yet, but we'll get there {at least I'm telling myself we will}. If you do hit the beach this weekend, please don't forget your sunscreen. I'll see you all on Monday! xoxo {av}

P.S. Click here to see how to follow {long distance loving} after the Google Reader cliff :) Do it now!

say it ain't so.

The July 1st deadline to transition from Google Reader to another service is ever-present in the blog world this week. I'm trying to lighten the sadness of Google Reader's exit with this pretty snap from last Friday ;)

I hope you'll decide to stick with {long distance loving} for the long haul! If you haven't chosen your next feed reader, I happened upon this extensive list of options via LifeHacker. Simply add this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/longDistanceLoving to whatever option works best for you. If you don't read blogs with a "reader" of sorts, then keep on doing what you're doing!

As always, you can also keep up with {long distance loving} using a plethora of social media outlets--including but not limited to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and even Google+. You can also follow along via email by clicking here! Last but certainly not least, you can catch every post using Bloglovin' by clicking here.

What "reader" will be using after July 1st? I've created a number of different accounts using Feedly and Bloglovin'--I just haven't made my final decision. I do apologize I am not sharing a more creative post today, but it is a necessary one! See you on Friday for a beachy round of #FridaysFancies! xoxo {av}

embrace your imperfections.

Truth be told, I am still on my "high" from Alt Summit NYC. I understand it sounds a bit cliché, but it is the absolute truth. Being surrounded by inspiring people from every corner of the country {and world} isn't something that happens often. When it does, I make every effort to soak up as much as I can. In this case, it may take me a few posts to adequately capture my takeaways from Alt. My first takeaway came from Alt's closing keynote speaker, Garance Doré. In her fabulous French way, she touched my heart--and offered a poignant everyday reminder for me, the queen of all perfectionists:

{click here to see Garance Doré in her own words!}

At a certain point, we all have to step back and realize we don't know it all. We can't be it all. These imperfections are what make us unique. The blog world can often feel like one big hamster wheel of competition, but in the long run, the only person you should be in "competition" with is yourself. 

My nerdy quirks make me different--and for once, I'm not trying to shed them just to "fit in". The blog world can have a tendency to feel a bit like high school: the cool kids sit in one table {and have their inside jokes on Twitter}, the artsy kids all hang out in another corner {and curate joint Pinterest boards}...you get the picture. What I took away from Garance Doré was that this doesn't matter. AT ALL. The sooner we stop trying to fit ourselves into a particular bucket, the better our blogs {and lives} will be. I wish I could have told myself this when I actually was in high school, but I digress. I'll leave you with this...

This is my thank you note to all of you, whether you've been following for days, months, or years: 

You are so much more than a reader to me. You are a friend. You take time out of your day to spend with me, be it reading one of my posts or pinning from Pinterest. However you spin it, you're there. There are plenty of times when I question why I blog--and the answer is reading this post. YOU. Thank you for giving me a little place on the internet to call home--and one where I can finally feel comfortable to be me, nerdy quirks and all. Thanks again for the advice, Garance! Much love to each of you today and every day. 

xoxo {av}

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friday's fancies #134.

A quick hello to readers old + new! After a fantastic day at Alt NYC, I'm enjoying a little more of the New York sunshine before hopping a bus back to Rhode Island. I have plenty to share, but today's post isn't about Alt Summit: it's about #FridaysFancies! Since today is the first day of summer, it is only right to celebrate with a true summer outfit. With a bold pop of color, this outfit is absolutely summer weekend material.

Madewell Silk Bow-Back Tank   ||   J.Crew Denim Shorts in Patina Wash
(shh...30% off everything at J.Crew through 6/24/13 with code THEBEST!)

Hat Attack Panama Hat   ||  Kate Spade Gayla 52mm Sunglasses
Christopher Kon Ellena Large Woven Tote   ||   Bernardo Maverick Sandals

Did you blog about fashion this week or have you posted a recent summer wish list? If so, please add your link below! All fashion posts are welcome. There are no rules to this link-up! If you'd like to get the themes in your inbox every Monday, simply click here to sign up. The themes are just a way to get your creative juices flowing, but as always, the sky is the limit with your posts!

Soak up the first real weekend of summer for me--I'll be inside packing four years worth of our stuff for the big move! Most importantly, don't forget your sunscreen ;) See you all on Monday! xoxo {av}

FIND ME HERE: INSTAGRAM + TWITTER + FACEBOOK + PINTEREST + BLOGLOVIN