Hello friends! Welcome back! 

I have been over to Ballantyne's Backyard twice now for two different events and each time I was enthralled by the beauty of it! It is so serene! It is certainly great for shooting! There are several places at the park that are picturesque. Finally, I picked a day and headed over to shoot! 

It could not have been a more perfect morning! It was cool and crisp, the sun was out, and the sky was so blue! 

Truth be told, I probably jumped the gun a little pulling a peacoat out this early into fall. But these chilly mornings get me so excited, I couldn't help myself! 

This one I have had for a while now and it has definitely paid itself off. I have gotten a great deal of wear out of it over the years. It is a little hard to tell in the picture, but it is subtly printed in black with hints of blue. It is those small details that I love about it. 

​Additionally, it pairs beautifully with this maroon sweater and boots. 

On one final note, I played a bit with textures in this post as well. The sweater -which was a Christmas gift from a good friend one year- is wool, while the dress it is paired with is silk, and the boots are more of a suede fabric. 

Thank you for reading and I wish you all a great weekend! See you on Monday! =)


Coat: Loft (Closest I could find! Also, on my wish list for this year!)
Dress: Target
Boots: New York and Company
Bag: Target

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." -Edgar Degas

Welcome back my friends! Today I have a fun post to share with you. I have been excited to share it with you since I went to it last Thursday! 

The Charlotte International Art Festival! 

It was a two-week festival which featured curated visual and immersive experiences from local artists to artists around the world! 

Uptown Charlotte and Ballatyne were taken over by art installations, luminariums, and live performances. There was something for everyone. Even Hurricane Ian could not stop the festivities -though he did alter them a bit. 

I had been hearing about it and I finally had to go see it for myself. The main attraction for me was an installation called 'Man,' by Amanda Parer. Presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts, Man is a contemporized version of another piece from 1880 called 'Thinker,' by Auguste Rodin. I read about it before I actually walked up to it, and Rodin's version is actually more positive than Parer's. While Rodin's 'Thinker' represents man's pursuit of philosophy, Parer's 'Man' the man is holding his head in search of answers, or "in search, perhaps, of what went wrong."

The luminaria, presented by Architects of Air, was another very fascinating installation to experience! Truly I had no idea what to expect when I got in line. Upon entering, you are basically in a maze of beautiful colors and lights! It is accompanied by soft music and is really very soothing! There is no set path once inside, you are free to wander around or even sit down and "contemplate life" as the guide told me right before I went in. It is a mesmerizing experience! 

Interestingly, all of the light and color is created from natural light, shining through individual cut and colored plastic. 

I added some pictures down below to hopefully give you a better idea of what it was like inside! 
​

While you meandered around the park you may find yourself running into 'The Birdmen!' This was one of the live art shows that had many of the kiddos in the park excited. Men on stilts with what looked to be bird skeletons on their shoulders! They would parade around the park from time to time -which I imagine was no easy feat with all of the hills! Although I am not sure of the story behind 'The Birdmen,' they were still very impressive to witness all the same! 

​And finally, throughout the park there were enormous balloon-like pieces stationed with people's faces on them. Most of them were making some kind of funny face. It was a delight to watch people taking pictures beside of them and trying to recreate the facial expressions! I even found myself doing it a time or too! xD I have no idea who the people on the balloon pieces are, I can only assume that they somehow affiliated with Charlotte International Art Festival or perhaps involved in the creation of all of the displays! Either way they were very much enjoyed! 

It was a picture-perfect afternoon and I had such a great time! I am so glad I made it! My only regret is that I did not make it back later on in the evening to see everything lit up! I also did not get to see the Lapis performance! I saw them online and really wished I could have seen them live. Maybe next year?!

​I'm already looking forward to it! ;)

Happy Monday my friends! 

I hope you guys had a great weekend! Did you get into anything fun? Friday was pretty rainy and cold here in the QC so I tried to stay in as much as I could. 

I'm glad for another week though! 

​Which brings us to today's look! 

This look is a great fall look! And very cozy to wear! This maroon drop-hem, swing dress I have had for a while now. I found it at LOFT, and I just love it! The color is very reminiscent of fall/winter and warm too. It can be dressed up for the holidays that will be upon us soon or -like I did for today- dressed down for errands, lunch dates, or trips to the Charlotte International Art Festival! 

Yes, this is the same look I wore to the festival, and it was perfect! I don't want to share too much just yet, because I am planning a whole post on it for Wednesday, but it was really great! 

Back to the look! I hadn't really planned on tying the flannel shirt around my waist, but I wanted to try something different. Truth be told, part of me really liked the aesthetic of the shirt around the waist generally, speaking. I like the way to blues and whites of the flannel shirt pop against the deep, rich, maroon color of the dress. It also actually served a purpose too! For the most part it was a perfect day temp wise! Very windy, but it felt perfect for a fall day! However, the later it got while I was out at the festival it started to get chillier -especially factoring in the wind! 

I was able to layer the flannel shirt over the dress for a little extra warmth until I got home and hopped in my sweats! ;D

This will probably be a look I repeat a few times this season! Mainly because it is just such a chic and simple style to wear! The only semi downside to the shirt-around-the-waist style especially with a dress is that there were a few times durig the day when I'd be standing still and the shirt would graze against the back of my leg. Cue me frantically swatting at my legs in an effort to get whatever was crawling on me off! Of course, then I'd realize (and be very relieved) that it was just the shirt! It had to have happened at least twice! I'm sure some people got a chuckle out of it! xD

Thanks for reading! Have a great week and I will see you Wednesday with a post about the Charlotte International Art Festival! Stay tuned...