Grand Plans

What I'm wearing: Old Navy button-down, Old Navy skinny jeans, J.Crew flats, Urban Outfitters earrings, Forever 21 cowl scarf

Whoaaa boy, the new quarter is already in full swing, and it just started today! I left bright and early this morning and wasn't back until after 9 PM, which is why I'm blogging so late. Hopefully, I'll get into a new routine soon with regularly timed posts. These pictures were taken on my second to last day of break, a full day of errands. Every break, I have a full list of things I want to accomplish. I have all these grand plans, and then at the very end of break, I realize I haven't done any of them and try to cram them all into one day. This particular day involved dropping off a bunch of stuff at Goodwill, heading to the consignment shop to sell some clothes, stopping at two different thrift stores, and multiple runs to the craft store. I left the thrift stores empty handed, a decision I'm now regretting. I found this great vintage cross-body Coach bag for only $17, but since it wasn't something I was looking for in particular, I passed on it. Now I'm kind of wishing I hadn't. It's not often you find great things like that in thrift stores in Cincinnati. Is there anything you regret not buying?

It's that Time of Year: Winter Break is Here!

It's official...I'm finally on winter break! Its been a pretty brutal quarter, so I'm beyond excited to go home to Cincinnati and enjoy some "me" time. Here is what is on my agenda:

1. Watch as many Christmas movies as possible. Love Actually, The Santa Clause, Elf, and Home Alone 2 are among my favorites.

2. Visit the Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum. No I'm not getting married anytime soon, but I still think this exhibit sounds really interesting.

3. Do some thrift/vintage shopping. A friend from class let me in on a little secret and told me the best Goodwill to go to in Cincinnati, so I'm excited to check it out.

4. Finally finish The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which I started back in August. Needless to say, I've been a little busy.

5. DIY's galore! I've been wanting to get crafty for a few weeks now but haven't had time with finals. I'm excited to try some ideas from Erica Domesek's book P.S.-I Made This as well as some other projects I've found around the web, like this one from the blog The Tortoise and the Hare

I've been wanting to make my own rosette bib necklace after seeing the one I talked about in my last post about Etsy. If it turns out okay, I'll be sure to share pictures :)

6. Finally getting caught up on outfit pictures and finishing the 30 for 30! My goal is to be done by Christmas (I want to be able to wear any presents I may be getting on Christmas day!)

7. Celebrating my two year anniversary with the boy! As now, the plan is to spend a romantic evening in Columbus, hitting up all of our favorite places.

8. Vegging out! I can't wait to just relax and enjoy this time of year.

What are your big plans for this holiday season?

Day 23- Making Up For Lost Time

Yesterday marked the last day of my 30 day shopping ban. I think a lot of other bloggers who participated in the 30 for 30 challenge waited until they were done with the whole challenge before shopping, but I decided to just stick with the literal 30 days. I am leaving for school right when the challenge ends and really didn't want to miss out on the back-to-school shopping fun. As someone who grew up wearing a uniform from grades 1-12, I think I feel like I have to make up for lost time or something. Today I went to my favorite thrift store to ease back into shopping (already shopping the day the ban ends-shame on me, I know). Thrifting is one of those hit-0r-miss things; and today was a hit. I walked away with a cardigan (DIY post coming up soon involving it), blazer (very Ralph Lauren-esque), necklace, scarf, and belt. Grand total? 10 dollars.

Occasion: Thrifting and errands
What I'm wearing: Forever 21 ruffle tank, Target dress, Banana Republic outlet sandals, Forever 21 pearl earrings, Tiffany's bracelet (gifted)

Something about this ruffley outfit makes me feel like a little girl and makes me want to act silly (hence the last picture). This combination was another look that I have had in my head since the beginning of the challenge and just hadn't gotten around to trying yet. It turned out surprisingly well, although I did have to pin the shirt to the dress to keep them together. I have really surprised myself with this challenge; I thought by now I would be completely out of ideas and wearing the same thing over and over. 7 days to go; lets finish strong!

J. Crew Love

The weekend is finally here! I'm looking forward to a relaxing night of sushi, the latest Lucky magazine (it finally arrived!), and season 2 of Gossip Girl. Hopefully all of this relaxation will rev me up for my thrifting/vintage shopping excursion tomorrow. I'm a pretty amateur thrifter, but I have heard that its much easier if you go into it with a list in mind of what you are looking for. Here is my list, in no particular order:
-belts
-jewelry (preferably statement necklaces or other bold pieces)
-chain strap purse
-jean shorts
-printed skirt
-anything striped
-brooches/flower pins
-silk scarves

Okay, so obviously I'm not going to find everything on my list, but I figured that it at least gives me a starting point. Wish me luck! I will be probably be heading to the Brooklyn area if anyone has suggestions for stores around there! Before I get to my outfit photos, I wanted to show you what was in the surprise package my aunt sent me...

A J.Crew tee and matching J.Crew flipflops! It was so thoughtful of my aunt to send me this; she knows how much I love my J.Crew! They make the best t-shirts; I wear them to class all the time because they are casual but so much more interesting than a plain tee. They also can be dressed up with a skirt and the right accessories. Thanks, Shelle! And while I'm at it, I would like to do a little shoutout to Shelle-

Happy Birthday! I hope you had an amazing day!




Occasion: Work
What I'm wearing: Dress from Ali's Boutique in Cincinnati (Northside), Vintage necklace, Vintage bracelet, Banana Republic sandals (not pictured)

I have only worn this dress a few times, but I always get complimented when I wear it, probably because its very unique looking with the mixed prints. The only issue I had with it today was that it was not made to withstand the strong winds that were blowing through the city; I had quite a few Marilyn Monroe moments while out running errands for work. Well I think its about time for me to unwind...I hope everyone else has a relaxing weekend as well!