Apartment Tour

A lot has changed for me over the last few months. Besides starting a new job, I also moved into my first "real" apartment. I had apartments in college, but none that I truly decorated and made my own, so I was really excited to put my stamp on the new place. Now that it is (mostly) complete, I'd love to take you on a tour of my new place:

So I didn't end up finding a yellow couch, but red was a close second. I settled for mustard accents to satisfy my yellow craving. Also, there are quite a few thrifted finds and DIYs seen here. The lamp, end table, and vase were all DIYs, and the mirror on the table was thrifted.

My gallery wall is still a work in progress, but I absolutely love it. I got my inspiration from here, here, and here.

This is the view of my living room from the front door. It's still a work in progress as well (I need curtains and would like some more coffee table books), but I really like how it is coming along so far!
 

Cube shelves were one of those things "I just had to have". After seeing lots of shelf styling ideas on pinterest (here, here, and here), I was so excited to try it myself. I love being able to display all of the fashion books I've accumulated over the years. I also adore my new Anthropologie vase.
 

I knew I wanted to work mint into my decor somewhere, so I decided to paint my bedroom walls that color. Well, let me rephrase that...I picked out the color and then let my dad paint :) There are a lot of DIYs in this room too...my uncle made my headboard and my mom and I spruced up an old dresser by stenciling the drawers and adding knobs from Anthropologie.

After seeing this tutorial on pinterest, I knew I had to make this plate stand to display my jewelry. I found the plates at Anthropologie and got the candle stick from the dollar store. Not only did it it turn out super cute, but it's functional too. I like having my jewelry on display because I know I'm much more likely to wear something if it is out in the open and visible.

Well that's my place! You like?

A Weekend at Home {in instagrams}

The trip home to Cincinnati (ignore my dirty car window!)

 

Getting ready for my graduation party

 

My GORGEOUS graduation cake, made by an extremely talented family friend

 

Spending a little time with my favorite boy. He's getting so big!

 

Home decor shopping at Anthropologie to get ready for my big move!

 

My loot from a little trip to the outlets. Oh yes, that's a Michael Kors bag you see 

It was a nice, relaxing, family-filled weekend in Cincinnati. And no trip home is complete without a little shopping with Mom. I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a "big girl" purse to replace my beat up brown tote from Steinmart. I guess that's one of the perks of having a grown-up job now! It will definitely be making it's appearance on the blog soon :)

Day 12: Doing My Research

What I'm wearing: Anthropologie top (sale), Gap blazer, Zara colored jeans, Target sandals, Urban Outfitters earrings, Mondani bag via Steinmart

I've noticed that over the past year or two, I have really become a "researcher" when it comes to shopping. Take this top, for instance. I saw this top on Anthropologie.com and absolutely adored it. I pinned the yellow version and dreamed up lots of ways I would wear it if it was mine. When Anthro had a big sale over Memorial Day weekend (which also happened to be my birthday), I purposely went in searching for this shirt. And I found it, for $30 less than the original price. I have found that when I research an item and really think about the purchase ahead of time, it helps eliminate buyers remorse and helps me fill my closet with things I love, not just things I decide I need spur of the moment. Right now I'm in fall clothing research mode, mainly focusing on tall riding boots and some new jeans. What can I say, I'm definitely a type A personality...a planner to a T!

Short on Words

What I'm wearing: Anthropologie top, Forever 21 leather jacket, Gap Always Skinny jeans, Target ankle booties

The birthday boy and I

This is what happens when Alex gets behind the camera and tells me to "whip my hair back and forth"

I'm a little short on words today. Last night I celebrated two friends' birthdays, and it was a lot of fun but boy am I tired now. Tomorrow starts week 10 of winter quarter which means finals are looming in the near future. It's time to hit the books!

Valentine's Date Night

What I'm wearing: Anthropologie cardigan, J.Crew painter tee, Loft Outlet jeans, Aldo boots, Forever 21 necklace

{The fashion section at the Book Loft}

Last night, the boyfriend took me out on a date to celebrate Valentine's day. We don't take the holiday too seriously, so we opted for a casual dinner and a trip to German Village to visit the Book Loft. The Book Loft is a discount book store that is made up of 30+ rooms of books. It's like a huge maze of books (you could easily get lost) covering pretty much any subject you can think of. The fashion section was obviously my favorite. We'd never been to the Book Loft before, so it was a fun way to wrap up our night out. I'd been wanting to wear my new Anthropologie cardigan for awhile now, but I wasn't quite sure how/when to wear it. I knew date night was a great excuse to finally try it out. I ended up pairing it with one of the J.Crew tees I got for Christmas, and I really like how it turned out. Later in the evening, I came home and did a quick wardrobe change for the Valentine's party my roommates and I were throwing. Look for a post all about the party tomorrow!

Snapshots From the Weekend

On Friday, my roommates and I had a little movie/fro-yo date. We saw Black Swan, which was really, really good. I wasn't sure if I was going to like because I heard it was very dark, but I really enjoyed it, despite some pretty weird/creepy parts. Natalie Portman is so talented, and Rodarte did an amazing job on the costumes. I would definitely recommend it.

Yesterday, my mom came to town to take me to get some x-rays done on my back, and afterwards, we did a little shopping. I was looking for leopard print pumps for an upcoming semi-formal, but I wasn't able to find any I liked. But no worries, I didn't walk away empty-handed. Anthropologie had a big sign in their window saying they were having a sale, but I was a little skeptical. Usually their version of a "sale" is still way more than I am willing to pay. I stopped in to check it out anyway, and I'm so glad I did! I found this chiffon, grecian-style top for $20 and this cream cardigan for $40, originally $128! Bargain shopping can be such a thrill, especially when its at a store I can't normally afford.

Since I wasn't able to find the leopard pumps yesterday, I spent last night scouring the internet for a pair while watching Easy A. Both of these are from Endless.com (gotta love free shipping!); the first is the Franco Sarto Luxe Platform pump and the second is the Nine West Escher pump. They're both $80, which is more than I would normally spend on shoes, but its a special occasion and I'm wearing a dress that was free from my internship last summer. Since I didn't spend a cent on the dress, I'm justifying a little bit of a splurge for the shoes. Which one would you choose?

You Can Never Have Enough Nail Polish

After professing my undying love for Anthropologie in yesterday's post, today I decided it would be fitting to wear my one dress from there. This dress and a pair of jeans are surprisingly the only things I have ever bought from Anthro. Whenever I go in there, I usually browse around a little but walk out empty-handed because of the prices. Some people have extraordinary luck with their sales rack, like Kendi, but I have never experienced such luck. I'm much better at navigating the J.Crew sales- now that is something I am definitely good at.

Occasion: work
What I'm wearing: Anthropologie Staysail Dress (2008), Vintage earrings via Talk of the Town Vintage, Isaac Mizrahi for Target sandals (not pictured)

In other news, I bought my first bottle of Essie nail polish today. I am a devoted OPI fan, so this is quite the departure for me. I never can keep up with what makeup trends are in or out, but I always follow what the "it" colors of the season are for nail polish. I can always come up with excuses to buy more bottles of OPI; you can never have enough nail polish, right? Its funny because up until this summer, I hardly ever painted my own nails. I don't have a very steady hand but I love having painted nails, so I would always buy new bottles of polish and then have them sit around until someone else was willing to paint my nails for me. When I got to NYC, I decided this method was no longer going to fly. I bought a Sally Hansen manicure clean-up pen (basically a nail polish remover pen that is a godsend) and have gotten much better at doing my nails on my own. Every Sunday night before the new workweek starts, I paint my nails. I have made it a part of my routine, and I kind of like it. This Sunday I will be trying out my new Essie color, Fiji.

Fiji by Essie

I am also currently on the lookout for a baby blue or periwinkle color. If anyone has any suggestions or have seen something similar, let me know. What is your favorite nail polish brand/color?

Splurge or Save?

Today one of my work assignments was to go to Anthropologie and do a little inspiration shopping (yes, my job is kind of amazing). It was nice being able to stand in line there with a pile of clothes in my arms and not have a panic attack about how much I was about to spend…oh, the perks of shopping with someone else’s credit card. While I was there, I may have done a little extra research for myself. I have been wanting to buy a utility jacket for fall, but I was looking for one with a little bit more of a feminine take on the trend. And I think I've found it.

Anthropologie Lift Off Jacket

The flower adds a lovely girly touch, but its also removable if you want to toughen it up a bit. I also like how it has the cinched tie waist to add a little bit more shape to the jacket. Its more than I would normally ever spend on one clothing item, but I have been giving a lot of thought lately to quality vs. quantity. This blog has made me realize how many items I have from Forever 21 and H&M that are really just disposable fashion. It has also helped me realize that a lot of the items in my closet are solids or other "basics", and it might just be time to spice things up a bit. The more I think about it, I should be investing in things I absolutely love that will make me happy every time I put them on, not just buying things because they are inexpensive or a "necessity". I think my 30 day shopping ban that starts August 9th (the day I start the 30 for 30 challenge after I get back from New York) will be a good opportunity to mull this idea over and really figure out what kinds of things I should be buying. In the meantime, what should I do about this jacket? Technically its within the budget I have set out for myself for my time here in NYC, but it would mean I probably can't buy anything else until September. Should I risk it and wait and see if it goes on sale? Oh Anthropologie, how you tempt me...