friday's fancies: dress yourself

This week's Friday's Fancies with long distance loving is dress yourself - basically anything that's "totally you." I'm definitely a girly girl and love anything bright-colored, with sparkles, and fun! I put together an outfit (really quick - got busy today!) with a red mini dress, heels, and accessories from my wish list. Now if I had a sparkly headband to add to this outfit, it would be complete!

dress, heels, earrings, handbag, necklace, nail polish, bracelet

xo-ally

kate spade accessories

I've been loving the statement accessories by Kate Spade lately. And I don't just mean "statement" like a statement necklace - these accessories literally make a statement! The phrases make me laugh and make a simple accessory so much fun! These would also work great for gifts too.

Pick Up Your Heels Sock Set
#HandsomeStranger Tote
Arm Candy Wristlet
#BaconEggAndCheesePleaseWallet
Sense & Nonsense Journal

xo-ally

chin up buttercup

This week has been a little rough. However, some pretty quote images and some good music (just found out about The Lumineers? I like them! Kind of like Mumford & Sons, if that's your style) can brighten a mood a little bit.

And I just went to the gym and had dance practice. Those endorphins always kick up a mood!

xo-ally

PS - Click here to read a post on simple ways to boost your mood!

stripes on stripes, with a dash of pink

Shirt Nordstrom (old) Jeans Nordstrom Sunglasses Chanel Earrings Nordstrom Boots Me Too Socks J. Crew (similar) Bag Guess (similar) Ring Kate Spade Watch Michael Kors Nail Polish Color Club in "Peppermint Twist"

Today I wore my olive green striped tshirt with skinnies, ankle boots, and striped socks peeking out in between! I continued to play up the pink from the socks with my earrings and nails. The pink really breathed some fresh air into the neutrals in the rest of the outfit.

Time to go change! Can't wear heels to Zumba. This is the last class I'm teaching till next semester! I'm going to miss it over the Christmas break, however, it will be nice to have some extra time to come up with some new routines!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - black friday outfit

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with long distance loving is Black Friday. While this is definitely not the best shopping outfit, it's a great dressier outfit for any parties or get-togethers! I love the bows on the heels and the subtle floral embroidery on the peplum top. Even though most of the outfit is black, I chose a red pencil skirt to add a pop of color.

top, skirt, heels, necklace, cuff bracelet, handbag

xo-ally

thanksgiving evening

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope yours was filled with love, laughter, and lots of good food. We spent ours with football and a traditional dinner (and also a turkey malfunction that actually ended up turning out okay).

xo-ally

fair isle tank with black mini

Tank Nordstrom (similar sweater) Skirt Free People (similar) Tights F21 Cardigan old, have had it since 8th grade! Similar one here Flats Tory Burch Ring Nordstrom (similar) Watch Michael Kors

My first indoor outfit post in a while! It's been dark and rainy all day. :(

Even though Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I am already getting excited for Christmas. Christmas decorations are everywhere and my family has had Christmas music playing all day. I got excited and pulled out my reindeer fair isle printed tank.

Kind of like Seth from The OC Chrismukkuh episode (just in a more fashionable way).


Who am I kidding! Seth Cohen can always rock a Chrismukkuh sweater.

xo-ally

hello, seattle

Shirt Subdued Firenze Jeans Nordstrom Boots Ralph Lauren Jewelry, Bow Forever 21: Necklace, Hair Bow, Bracelets Watch Michael Kors

I was welcomed to the Seattle area with none other than a huge rain storm. I'm used to Seattle's typical overcast and seemingly constant drizzle, but today was a blustery, rainy day. It was the first time I've used an umbrella since I was six years old I think (and that was just to take an outfit photo! For some reason people don't really use umbrellas here. Including me. Haha it's weird.) Wishing for some sun ... but we know that's not gonna happen here. At least not till July!

xo-ally

currently packing...

This is the shoe collection in my closet.

 This is the size of my suitcase.

Oh, the decisions one makes when deciding to bring which shoes home for a few days. I often tend to over pack. I think, what if I want to wear this instead? Or, what if I need something dressier (or more casual?)

#Indecisive

#ThoughtsOfAnOverPacker

I leave for the airport in six (yes, six!) hours to fly home for Thanksgiving break. Luckily, my carry-on (I don't check bags for Thanksgiving) is packed and ready to go!

I decided on four pairs of shoes: two-tone boots (for matching many neutrals), black Tory flats (very versatile), brown booties (I have a particular outfit in mind), and my Nikes for exercising.

Safe travels to everyone this holiday!

xo-ally

paris sweater

Sweater Wildfox Couture Pants F21 (similar here) Boots Corso Como Watch Michael Kors Bracelets F21 (similar here) Ring Henri Bendel

These olive pants are making yet another appearance this fall/winter season. One thing I like about olive is the neutrality of the color, yet olive colored pants add more interest than a regular pair of jeans or black leggings.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - autumn treat [starbucks iced mocha]

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with long distance loving is favorite autumn treat. I don't really have a favorite particular one, but this week I've had an iced mocha almost every day.

I agree, iced coffee doesn't really scream "autumn." (I don't like warm drinks! I know, I'm weird.)

But the recent spike in iced mocha purchases may or may not have to do with midterms/very busy week with school.

So....this time during the fall semester is the time I drink plenty of iced mochas (just finished one, in fact.) That's how I will tie that somehow into this week's theme! Here's the outfit:

dress, handbag, watch, bracelet, flats

...I even used clear jellies to mimic the clear, plastic cups that come with iced drinks! The green bag is like the straw, haha. (And am I the only one who wishes there are Christmas cups for iced drinks too??!!)

xo-ally

fall/winter hats

Today was a day where I realized I really should've worn a hat. When did it get cold?! (A regular person would've realized that on the first snow, which happened recently. Yet I still didn't fully realize this during my weekend trip to the mountains....) Yup, today I wore jeans, flats, a tank, and a cardigan. Then ran back home to grab a coat. But I was still cold! Luckily, the coat has a hood so it acted like a makeshift hat.

I love college, but I'm moving somewhere warm and sunny when I graduate.

In the meantime, I'll wear a hat when it gets cold. Or when it acts simply as a cute accessory, like my "Blair Waldorf" hat, which you can see in this post.

Some fall and winter hats I'm loving:

This teal-green wool hat from Nordstrom would totally transform any outfit.

For super cold days, this trapper hat from J. Crew would be perfect!

Nordstrom also has this classic cloche hat in multiple colors.

Pom pom hats are so fun! I like this one from American Eagle.

I love these winter headbands! I have a older white one from Anthropologie, but this new red one subtly stands out from the crowd with the bow detail.

What hats are you wearing this season?

xo-ally

PS - one of my recent outfits is on Fash Boulevard's post on riding boots! Check it out here. I'm excited because this is one of my fave blogs. :)

keep calm and elevator pitch

I just got my first set of business cards ever. I feel way too grown-up. But. I really like them. Since I plan/hope on moving out of state post-graduation, networking is a little trickier. I'm hoping I'll find time to take short trips to Southern California and possibly other various places (Charleston, SC anyone? Who knows!) before graduation so I can go to networking events and job shadows.

This whole graduation-is-coming-you're-about-to-enter-the-real-world thing is scary. I absolutely love college. I feel so at home at Gonzaga and I couldn't imagine spending these four years somewhere else. However, I know I need to think practically and realistically and recognize that these four years are almost up. Before this blog post gets too sentimental and I start crying on my keyboard (ahh!) I'll get back to the actual subject of this post: the business cards I got!

This is what they look like:

Of course I added some social media info! (I smudged out my contact info and portfolio link for privacy reasons, of course)

I got these from Moo I was really pleased with the fast shipping, easy setup, and number of design choices. I chose this design because it defines "Elevator Pitch," an essential networking skill. I think it's a quirky/fun way to use these cards, seeing as they will be used for networking purposes!

When I explained the business cards to some of my non-PR-major friends, they were like, "Uhh, those are cute but...why?"

Must be some nerdy PR thing.

xo-ally

I love you, blogs, and coffee

But really.

Right now I am currently sipping my usual iced mocha

and

Putting off studying for my huge biology test by reading the blogs I check daily (but don't worry, I will study! Later....)

and

I love you guys. Thanks for stopping by. 

xo-ally

cozy winter knits

Vest Nordstrom (old) T-shirt Nordstrom (similar) Leggings lululemon Watch Michael Kors Mittens H&M Boots Sperry

Today's outfit is actually from the weekend as well! I wore this on the way back from the beautiful cabin in the mountains last weekend. When I think snow, I just want to bundle up in something cozy. Casual knits like this long sleeved t-shirt and hooded sweater vest do just that. I normally save my lululemon leggings for exercise, but since they wick away moisture it helps to keep me (kind of?) dry in the snow. Rain boots also kept me dry! Thick, fuzzy socks are a must underneath rain boots. Plus, no one needs to see crazy socks underneath! (The other day I wore Valentine's Day socks underneath my boots - when I got home and took them off my roommates kept making jokes about them being the wrong holiday. Haha!)

xo-ally

weekend in the mountains

We had visit from a little deer family - you can see them in the background!

Shirt American Eagle (similar) Jeans Nordstrom Necklace Forever 21 (old, similar ring) Watch Michael Kors Ring Henri Bendel Boot socks Nordstrom (old, similar here) Boots Corso Como Sunglasses Chanel Coat H&M

This weekend I went to Schweitzer in Northern Idaho with a few friends. We stayed at my friend's cabin and  had a relaxing day watching the snow fall outside. While I'm not the (biggest) fan of snow, I loved having it in the perfect setting - on a mountain! That makes sense, right?

And we also had a little visit from some deer right as I was taking my outfit photos! How cute.

xo-ally

a light snow at night

just a tad too blurry! :/

Coat: H&M Rings: Kate Spade, Henri Bendel Shirt: Nordstrom Pants: F21 (old, similar here) Boots: Ralph Lauren

The first snow of the season came shortly after daylight savings. I wanted to do an outfit post, but there was barely any light! (And it was only 4:30pm!) It was the first time I've taken night photos with this camera, and quite a few came out blurry (like the full-length one in the middle). I'm excited I got it to work, though! I kept my aperture wide and shutter speed at 1 second. I'm excited that I know how to work light settings at night - this will come in handy during Christmas time and taking pictures of all the lights!

xo-ally

friday's fancies - bonfire beauty

This week's Friday's Fancies with long distance loving is bonfire beauty. Here is my look for staying cozy around a winter bonfire! While the outfit stays neutral in creams, black, and denim, I love the pop of pink with the pom pom hat. :)

boots, hat, jeans, coat, sweater, over the knee socks

xo-ally

zumba set list 11/06/12

It's been a while since I've posted a Zumba set list! (You can see previous ones here and here.) I have been teaching Zumba once a week on campus for almost nine weeks now! It's fun and a great workout.

xo-ally

presidential election 2012

[image]

Wow! It's already election day in the grand ol' USA. That came up fast. I sent in my ballot this morning, so I didn't get one of the cool "I voted" stickers. One of my professors wore one, though!

Happy Election Day! If you haven't already....it's getting late - go vote! Quick!

xo-ally

sally hansen salon effects nail stickers

I recently tried the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail stickers. I received them as a gift about a year and a half ago, and finally decided to try them for Halloweekend! The majority of the sparkles were green and silver, which were perfect with my mermaid costume.

Pros: Easy to apply, no nail polish smell, no mess, no need for a top coat (but base coat is recommended)

Cons: price - they're $7-9ish, the price for one set is the same as a whole bottle of nail polish, and not all of the stickers stuck.

I'm guessing that not all of the stickers stuck because they're so old? This was my first time trying this, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

Since I had three "unpolished" fingers, I just applied a beige color to let the sparkly nails take the spotlight. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the nails and have received plenty of compliments on them. Even though they're a little pricey for just one application, I'd consider buying another box.

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On another note, I am proud to say that I was able to capture my depth of field (blurriness of the background) perfectly in the photo above! I shot that photo on the manual setting on my SLR camera. I was so happy! Oftentimes, I test the shot and throw my hand in front of the lens to see if my settings are correct (how I got the photo above).

So I tried it to test indoor lighting, and it worked, for the most part....

The subject (hand) is in focus, and the background is blurred! Hurrah!

...and then when I tried having myself as the subject, it didn't. Fail! 

Ugh. The lighting ended up being overexposed in this photo instead of casting the glow it did on the hand test shot. I want to figure this out. I think it would make my photos look much cooler. Sigh. I will continue to try.

Any tips for camera settings to get a shallow depth of field???? If anyone can help a girl out...I would love you forever. :D

xo-ally

throwback outfit

Yesterday I decided to recreate an outfit I wore two years ago. Two years ago, when I applied for an internship with College Fashion (and got it! Yay!) I attached photos with the application. I went outside on a beautiful fall day with a friend in the outfit I wore to class. I loved how the bright pink popped against the fall leaves.

Guess what - I still have almost all of the same pieces of clothing! Here's what I wore yesterday.....

and what I wore two years ago....

The only differences: The gold bracelet broke, so I wore a different one yesterday. The old jeans were from Forever 21 and ripped (so sad...they were my favorite), and I wore different Sperrys yesterday (but I still have the plain pink ones I wore in the old pics!)

What I liked about wearing this outfit was realizing that classic pieces of clothing can really build a wardrobe that lasts. A favorite pair of jeans, shoes, a cardigan, a scarf - the same outfit can still be worn years later!

Do you ever repeat outfits? Do you think repeating outfits (even years later) is "breaking a fashion rule??" 

xo-ally

friday's fancies - sweater season

This week's theme with Friday's Fancies at long distance loving is Sweater Season. I pulled together an outfit with an adorable scottie dog sweater dress, fleece-lined leggings (can you say warm?! Must be a gift from Heaven...), yellow Hunter rain boots, and gold accessories. This outfit will brighten up any dreary day!

sweater, leggings, boots, ring, bracelet

xo-ally