an outfit for apple picking

 I noticed yesterday that I had a lot of photos from our apple picking trip, so I decided to split them into two posts and make my first outfit post with a few!

Super comfy but still nice for a day out..

dress.. forever 21

leggings.. newport news
cardigan.. urban outfitters
oversize bag.. urban outfitters

Don't mind my apple picking face. Lots of concentration there. And sunlight.

The dress is one of my favorites. I think it has a very 20's influence with the column of tiny buttons, the little tie at the top, and blousing from the belt. Also, these are the best leggings I've ever owned. Leggings are like a staple for me and after extensive internet research, I finally found a pair that were long and not see through. What more could you ask for in leggings? :)

The cardigan and bag were both gifts and I love them. The cardigan is great for in between weather and even layering under a long sleeve sweater when it's a bit colder. And I absolutely love oversize bags. This one is perfect because I can actually fit my school books in it so I don't have to bring two bags to class anymore!

I always like seeing other people's outfits so I hope to do more of these in the future. :)

Have a great week! 3 more days to enter my blogiversary giveaway!

rainbow legs

I've been a black or gray jeans and leggings kinda girl for a while now. Since college times I guess. But lately I've been loving all the outfit posts I've been seeing with colored pants. I never really thought too much about them but now I keep picturing how good different colored pants could look with some of the tops I have. It didn't take much searching before I found a bunch I loved so here's five of my favorites!

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These particular pants are either mega expensive or sold out (womp womp) so I'll have to keep searching if I actually want to buy some, but these are the colors I'm loving.

Do you rock colorful pants? Whats your favorite way to wear them?

Happy Thursday! If you're anywhere near where I live, enjoy the fall weather because come the weekend, it's going back up to the low 80's. *cry*

made in the 80s

Rumor has it that my cousin and her husband (turning 30 this year) and my uncle and a family friend (turning 60 this year) are having a combined party in June to celebrate all the milestones. The catch of this party is that you have to dress from the decade in which you were born. As an 87'er I nearly died because the 80's is my least favorite decade ever. All those decades full of beautiful fashion and I get slapped with the 80's. I guess that's what I get for being a 20-something right? It's just soo overdone as a theme, and let's be honest.. the fashion was slightly horrendous.

But if I have to do this, I want to do it well. Which means none of that stereotypical workout gear, sweat band, leg warmers, leotard crap that everyone and their mom has done. Twice. None of this..

Sorry Olivia. And what is up with that pose that everyone rocked in the 80's? Was it like a requirement that you must be able to shape your body into a checkmark in order to earn your leg warmers? Seriously, look up 80's workout fashion and you'll see like 9 different women shaped like checks.

But since I do love me a good costume party, I looked up some things that I wouldn't mind dressing in to show off my era (which I lived in for 2 years of my life and wore what my mom put me in). I'm currently channeling the Molly Ringwald or Madonna-esque look. Even the Madonna thing is a little expected but I think I could put together a sweet Molly Ringwald if I haunt a few thrift stores. That way there's no mistaking that I rep the 80's, but I don't look like I walked out of a high school dance. Are you pickin up what I'm puttin down?

Anywho.. this is what I'm looking towards..


What would you wear if you had to dress 80's? This decade is not my area of expertise. Give me the 20's-70's and I'd be stoked, but the 80's? Get at me. ;)

Hope everyone's week is going well!

spicing it up

Last night I ordered this dress. I was instantly head over heels when I saw it in Anthropologie's summer catalog that I got this week. After telling myself that I hadn't bought clothes in soo long and that I don't have many summer dresses, I was able to convince myself that it was okay to splurge. ;)

Besides the fact that this dress is so swishy and pretty and one of my favorite colors, I also love it because it fits my criteria for clothing splurges these days. I now like to collect clothes that can be worn for work as well as play. Especially if I'm going to spend a pretty penny on it! This dress isn't low cut and hits the model below the knee so I know it will be long enough for me to wear in a work situation. A lot of what people consider dresses can tend to be long shirts on me at best so I have to be careful. :( It's also clearly plenty of fun to take a stroll in the summertime or go out to dinner in!

I decided to make up two mood boards to give an idea of how I would wear the dress for each occasion. I styled one for work and one for vacation since I'm going to Miami at the end of May. I tried to use some things I already own but there's also some super cute things I wouldn't mind adding to my collection thrown in there just for fun.

The first look.. for work.

Spiced Dress with coral layering necklace, olive cardigan, slouchy brown handbag, brown oxford heels, or brown oxford flats.

I love the coral necklace with the olive and mustard colors. I already have an olive cardigan from H&M. Mine is shorter and would probably hit the dress right at the waist but this was the closest cardigan I could fine to the one I have. I also have this slouchy brown bag from Urban. I found a link to it but I don't think they sell it anymore because I bought it two Christmases ago. For the shoes, I picked out two pairs of oxfords, both of which I already have. There's heels for when I'm feeling a little extra spice and flats for when I'm not in the mood to be any taller. So basically I have the whole outfit minus the necklace. I bet it's something I could make though.. ;)

The second look.. for play.

Spiced Dress with the pet octopus necklace, 70's sunglasses, tooled handbag, linen skimmers, or crocheted oxfords.

I think my octopus necklace from Mod Cloth would be awesome with this dress. Especially at the beach! I got this for Christmas from Charlie. :) Sadly this is the only part of the outfit I currently own but I may get the the sunglasses since mine are busted from being crushed in my bag :( and also the crocheted flats because I don't have many summery shoes. Apparently I've been buying more clothes for the fall and winter months instead of the sunny and warm months. I don't really care for sandals so I think these nice airy flats would be a good trade off. I also love the linen flats with the bow for a slightly more dressed up look. And this tooled bag is gorgeous. Again it has that coral and olive in it and the detail is stunning. Apparently I like this color palette because once I saw this bag I knew it would be perfect with this outfit.

It's fun to try to make a piece you love work for totally opposite situations. It saves money and expands your options for when you're staring at your closet wondering what to wear. I think I need to revisit some pieces I already have and see what I can do with them!

Hope your week is going well!

cozy winter things

Without a doubt my winter uniform this year has been leggings and either a plaid flannel shirt or a dress with a long warm cardigan. This is typically accompanied by boots of some sort and leg warmers or over-the-knee socks when appropriate. And I couldn't be happier. I'm infatuated with layers and comfort. That is pretty much the inspiration behind today's post.. a curation of things that warm my soul and make me feel cozy in the dead of winter.

To be at your most comfortable this winter,
think layers, flannel, and boots for ultimate warmth.

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1.. I got a couple new flannel shirts for Christmas and I'm very excited. I can now stop rotating that same ones I've wearing with some new colors! They are so comfortable and warm, even when the sleeves are rolled up. I've had a few people (relatives and such) twice my age telling me they wore exactly this when they were in college. Though all they had then were men's shirts so they weren't nearly as cute. Hooray for fashion coming back around and getting more tailored! ;)

2.. I did exactly this in my apartment in college. I had the cutest faux fireplace with this beautiful tile floor surrounding it. I got three of these candle multi-packs from Ikea. I liked how they were all different levels. It looked really sweet and gave off a surprising amount of heat. If I find a photo of my actual fireplace I'll post it one day.

3.. I saw this from Lune Vintage and am sort of devastated that it's been sold! It's so cute and warm looking. Perfect for walking through the snow while sipping hot chocolate!

4.. I love this headband/ear warmer from Emmadime. My ears are always freezing, especially when I was walking to classes in the city. So my choices were to either have frozen ears or wear a hat and look a mess when I got to class. This is stylish enough to keep on wearing so you can be cute and smart about the weather. :)

5.. I got these slipper boots for Christmas and I love them. I rang in 2011 at a mountain house with a bunch of my friends from high school and college. It was tons of fun and since we stayed in the house most of the time, I wore these all weekend. They are like walking on clouds. My feet were so content. But sadly, due to all the merrymaking and a little thing we like to call "Beer Olympics", they got a little dirty and the fur on the bottom got all matted. In a moment of insanity (or genius?) I reordered them as soon as I got back. Now I have a clean pair for at home and a worn in pair should that sort of weekend repeat itself :). I told you my weakness is boots!

6.. Part of the go-to in my closet this year. I like that they add a little pop when I wear black leggings with knee high black boots. And, of course, they add extra warmth!

7.. Forgive me for the lack of link but this was in my "inspiration" folder and I have no idea where I saw it. If anyone knows, feel free to inform me and I will gladly link to it. Anywho, I really want to make a granny square quilt and this one has such a great color palette. It looks like the perfect thing to bring warmth on a cold and gray day.

Well that's my round up of things that make me happy and warm during the winter months. Bring on the snow east coast! I'd love to hear about everyone else's favorite winter survival gear too. :)

christmastime

This weekend I was away in Atlantic City, and apparently the elves were busy at work while I was gone. When I came home, all the decorations were in place and the every window was outlined in a rainbow of bulbs. I'm actually glad to be home for Christmas for the first time in four years. In the past, I was only home on the weekends, if that, and I felt like I really missed out on things. I usually didn't even come home from school until the 23rd of December because finals always had me at my wit's end. Which is why it never failed that I always came home with some illness due to lack of sleep, improper nutrition, and plenty of stress.




I'm glad to be here for it all this year, and have decided to share photos of just a few things for now. Things that have been around for longer than I can remember. Things that were passed down from grandparents and have a permanent fixture in my memory.

Some of my favorite decorations are my family's Christmas stockings. My great-aunt knitted them for the entire family, so all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles, have the exact same stockings. They are all personalized with everyone's names and are added as new members are married or born into the family.




One thing about traditions though is that people have to keep them going or they just fade out. Concerned about this, I asked my grandmom if anyone was planning on carrying out the family stocking business. She talked to her sister-in-law and found out that none of her children or grandchildren had been interested in taking this on. She was very excited that I was interested in keeping it going and offered me the pattern she used. I gladly accepted and have made it my mission to perfect it so I can take over since she can't knit so much anymore due to arthritis.




Unfortunately, they are knitted. And if you've been with me for a while, you know how I feel about knitting. I do know how to knit, I just don't prefer it. So I added this to my 101 things in 1001 days list in hopes of practicing before the next family member is added.




The next thing on the list of Christmas fun is marathon cookie baking. I picked up Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookie magazine and found a few new ones to add to the list of things to try. I have very high baking ambitions this year. :)



I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a great time celebrating a friend's birthday on friday and going to Atlantic City on Saturday. We kicked off Charlie's mom's birthday by going shopping at this mall on the boardwalk. They had a lot of crazy expensive stores in there which made for fun window shopping but not too much buying.

His mom bought me this really nice sweater in White House Black Market. Having two sons, I think she likes to be able to do girly things with someone, like having a daughter. I'm happy to fill that position :). It's always good when you get along well with your SO's parents.




The sweater is black and white with cute little silver buttons down the side. It's got a little sparkle woven into it which would make it perfect for a holiday event.




After shopping and lunch, Charlie and I checked into our room and took a nap until dinner. We are old. We all met up later for dinner and ate at this really nice restaurant inside the Borgata, where we stayed. We celebrated with champagne and steaks and good conversation. Afterward, we went into the casino for a little bit. I'm a noob at casino-going so I kept it simple and played video poker. I won $70 so I was happy :). We then went to the Water Club lounge which was so pretty. The atmosphere in there was just so relaxing. We had more drinks accompanied by a lot of funny stories.

On Sunday, we came back home and I decorated the Christmas tree with my family while Elf played in the background. Then I went to Charlie's to watch the season finale of Boardwalk Empire (so good). I'm gonna miss it until season 2 starts. That's the first show I've actually made it a point to keep up with in a while. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, watch it.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend! How's your Christmas prep going?

ode to boots

If I have one fashion weakness it would be boots. Boots and dresses. But today we're talking about boots. They are my preferred choice of footwear year round. I really believe that this stemmed from the fact that I have always felt limited in my choices.

Until college, I never really understood why women could be so obsessed with shoes. I mean sure, there were a lot of shoes I loved, but I begrudgingly felt like I could never join the shoe shopping club like everyone else. Why? Because I am 5'10. And everyone knows that the cutest shoes usually have a 2+ inch heel on them.





I have since come to terms with being a lady of height but it wasn't always easy. When I was younger, I was taller than everyone. Even the boys. And by eighth grade I was taller than most teachers too. No one ever made fun of me, they just made me feel super awkward without really knowing it..

Anyone: "OMG you're, like, soo tall."
Witty Classmate: "How's the weather up there?"
Strangers: "Excuse me, you're tall, can you reach this ridiculously high item for me?"
Random relatives: "Wow you've grown since the last time I saw you.. How tall are you now?"
Me: "Same height as I've been since I was 14, aunt/uncle so-and-so."

This lead to a lifetime of ballet flats at proms, squatting to everyone else's level in pictures, and hating that every rap song object of lust was dubbed "lil shorty".. or should I say "lil shawtay". Booooo.

I have since gotten over this (for the most part) and even own some really cute heels now (gasp!). I started wearing them to my internship last summer because they made me feel more like an adult and people cared more about their jobs than the general vertical range of people.




I also have an awesome boyfriend who is exactly my height and has told me he doesn't care if I wear heels. He knows all about my heightophobia :). Now, I know there are a lot of cute flats out there but I don't always like the way they look on me. I do have some awesome flat oxfords I love and a few others but they are not my favorite choice of shoes. I'm also not a huge fan of flip flops. Once again, they're something I don't care for on myself. I wear them to the beach, sure, but not really anywhere else. One big reason for this may be the fact that every male I know hates and ridicules them. They don't wear them and they hate when other people do. Conversations when wearing flip flops pretty much go like this..

Flop Wearer: "I'm cold."
Dad/Brother/Boyfriend: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "You're walking too fast!"
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "I'm laying on the ground with my shoe in the gutter because you just stepped on the back of it."
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."

F.W.: "I hear global warming is becoming a problem."
D/B/B: "You shouldn't be wearing flip flops."


That's where the boots come in. We're still talking flats here but with SO much more variety. The ones above are the ones currently on rotation at the moment. The reason I wanted to share these is because I just added four new pairs to the bunch. Remember that birthday I recently had? Well I took all of my birthday money and bought boots. There was a reason for that sort of madness. After last winter I had to throw out about that many pairs of boots because they got completely destroyed from walking many blocks to classes in the city, and sometimes through snow. The bottoms were all detaching from the soles and they had creepy salt stains from all the salt that remained on the sidewalks for months after the snowstorms which was reactivated every time it rained.





I wore those things to death and recently realized that I had almost none left for this winter so I went crazy and bought a bunch more. Hopefully they will last me longer since I don't do nearly as much walking as when I lived in the city.

I also had a couple pairs that had to go because they were literally melting.. allow me to explain before you think I'm crazy. Did you ever have a pair of boots that were about knee high and made of a fairly soft but stiff fabric? Well after wearing said boots for a while, the fabric gets softer and softer until it has finally fallen and bunched down around mid to low shin area. Not fun. No amount of pulling, tugging, cursing, or begging will make them stay up. This, my friends, is melting.

So here's to hoping I won't have to buy boots for a while, even though I'll probably want to! I also wanted to let you in on a gold mine for boots in case you haven't been able to find any good ones lately. Ready? Victoria's Secret. Not just for undies. They actually have an amazing section of shoes.. flats, heels, and the like. That's where I got all of my recent ones from. I originally started looking there because I had a birthday coupon from them and I was not disappointed. So I recommend checking this out at some point.

And that was my rant about boots, growing up tall, and the impracticalities of flip flops X).


Happy Friday!!