Words of Wisdom from Claire: Valentine's Day

Earlier this week, I mentioned my little brother to you guys. Today, the focus is on my sister. 

My sister Claire is 22 and she lives in Brooklyn. She is an aspiring actress (not a fake one, like with a real degree in it and stuff). 

Our love lives have followed different paths. I've always been the one in a relationship and she flies solo. I think this has mostly played in her favor: she gets to watch my train wrecks/ridiculous decisions while she lives it up on her own. Not that she's opposed to relationships. I mean obviously drinking is a lot more expensive when you're single. Also she lives in New York where there just happens to be a straight man shortage. DC has a great gay crowd, but I've never been on a date where the guy admits he "might be bi". Womp womp. 

Today I thought I'd share some words of wisdom from Claire. This idea came about when we were chatting this morning after she said something funny. 

Me: I should have a "Words of Wisdom from Claire" column on my blog. 

Claire: I do have a lot of wisdom. 

So without further ado, here are some words of wisdom from Claire on Valentine's day.

#Clairebear
"It would've been cooler if that had been the reason we took that picture but really my friends were just making me pose with all the animals on the course."

On being single on Valentine's Day

"I don't understand people freaking out about being single on Valentine's Day. Did you go the other 364 days not realizing you were single?"

"And really, it just means that chocolate will be on sale tomorrow."

"I don't dislike Valentine's Day because I'm single, I dislike it because everyone on Facebook is annoying."
"I'm a little disappointed my okcupid account hasn't seen more activity today."

She also gave some words of wisdom via her Facebook status:

"If you're sad about being single on Valentine's day then cheer up! you're in luck! 14 Best Valentine's Day Craigslist Ads"

On Valentine's Day activities

"I should've bought some awesome chocolate. Like salted caramel whatever."
"I think I'll spend today trolling the craigslist personal ads. They're bound to be golden today."
(On second thought...) "Maybe not a great idea. A lot of those messages are not exactly safe for work."

Stay tuned for more wisdom from Claire in the future!

Valentine's Day Decor

Valentine's Day is less than a week away! Looking to add a little love to your space?

paper lantern | picture frame | ikat cloth napkins | heart round tray | red foo dogs | for like ever poster | love bookends | neon heart pillow cover | gold love print | floral heart print | pink origami pillow | palm springs blocks pillow

The paper lantern from Cost Plus World Market would be a fun addition to your dining space if you plan to host some friends for a Galentine's Day event, and the red ikat cloth napkins from C.Wonder would add some fun to your table setting. The pink frame from Target would look really cute with some simple DIY heart art in it (gold glitter paper perhaps?), especially on a bookshelf paired with the Love bookends from PB Teen or the foo dogs from C.Wonder (I need some foo dogs in my life). I'm waiting for the day that I can appropriately hang the "For Like Ever" poster from Super Rural in my space without it being totally meaningless, and hopefully sooner than later I will just buy the floral heart print from Rifle Paper Co. that I've had my eye on for over a year (btw, have you seen Rifle's prints? They're awesome.) Jen Ramos of Made by Girl added this small horizontal gold Love Print to her collection, but if you desire your love vertically oriented and in an assortment of other colors, check out her website.

The pillows are all great, but I really love the Trina Turk palm springs blocks pillow from Layla Grace. I debated not including it in this roundup because it's a little pricey, but I just like it way too much to leave it out. I may try a DIY version soon. The very affordable round hearts tray from Target could work in so many ways--on your coffee table, corralling keys and sunglasses on an entry table, holding Valentine's day cookies and cupcakes. I'm sure you could find a use for it in a girls' bedroom or bachelorette pad year-round.

Have you added any extra love to your space for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day Outfit

There's something about Valentine's Day that makes me want to wear a feminine and fun outfit. I even remember in middle school when my friend and I planned what we were going to wear and put our hair in foamed-roller ponytails the night before so that we'd have super curly ponytails the next day.

Fast forward almost 15 years and I still love to look especially cute on Valentine's Day. Here's a completely over the top Valentine's Day outfit for you.

Sweater | Pants | Earrings | Scarf | Watch | Ring | Shoes

Red pants and a pink sweater are a bold look, but how fun is this if you could pull it off? The appropriately titled Merino Boyfriend Sweater from J.Crew is a little oversized and comfy, and looks great with a scarf (I know because I saw my sister wearing this sweater with a scarf in different colors a few weeks ago). And I LOVE this scarf. It reminds me of Andy Warhol's Lips print. I really hope it goes on sale soon so that I can actually afford it. I've wanted the Kate Spade Locked In studs in gold for a while, but these pink ones are a lot of fun for Valentine's Day. The watch is an affordable piece from Target and comes in many other colors (I think gold and leopard are especially cool), and the ring is from BaubleBar. If you're looking for something more delicate, you could try other versions of the arrow ring--there are a ton on Etsy. The Printed Pointy flats from Gap look to be a cute and practical every day item. They come in other cute prints, including navy and white dots and leopard. 

Of course, any one of these pieces individually would be a fun way to add a little Valentine's Day to your wardrobe. If you want to see some other pieces that would be fun for Valentine's Day but didn't make it into this outfit, check out my So Stylish pin board on Pinterest.