Thursday, February 27, 2014

navy blue sparkles :) #ootd

J. Crew top | J. Crew skirt (similar here and here) | French Connection bag | DSW heels (similar) | Michael Kors watch

The day before I left for DC, I was going to take photos of this outfit...and then I realized I had left my DSLR camera at a friend's house. I took to the phone camera mirror selfies instead...so here they are! This is a fun way to wear sparkles-on-sparkles at night. For work, I wear the same top-skirt combo but with navy tights and flats instead.

xo-ally

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

casual blues

Vineyard Vines hat | J. Crew tee (similar) | GUESS coat (similar from Patagonia) | Hudson jeans | C. Wonder necklace (similar here and here) | Diva Shoes boots (from Italy)

Went to the Botanic Gardens the other day as part of a casual outing in DC. The gardens were gorgeous and it was nice to get out of the cold and into warm, jungle-inspired rooms. Seeing palm trees and smelling the flowers and greenery made it feel like spring despite the chilly winter air outside.

xo-ally

Monday, February 24, 2014

insta-lately


My first time ever having a donut from Dunkin Donuts...it was filled with brownie batter. So worth it. So delicious.
Airport Starbucks & my bright pink passport case
A few of you weighed in on which shade of blue I should paint my nails for my Seahawks Super Bowl pride. I chose the blue Butter shade and layered a silver Revlon sparkle topcoat to make it extra festive. 
 Obligatory Capitol Building photo when I first got to DC ;) it looked beautiful covered in a blanket of snow.
 The perfect day for my first day back: spending it on M Street, getting some Georgetown Cupcakes and doing a little shopping!
 That day's stack (Laurenly ring, Michael Kors watch, J. Crew yellow bracelet and Nordstrom gold arrow bracelet).
Hot pink nails with a glittery leopard bag! 

follow me on instagram :)

xo-ally

Thursday, February 20, 2014

m street at night

C. Wonder top (on sale!) | Longchamp bag | Martin + Osa peacoat (old, but similar here and also loving this blue one) | Trouve leggings (similar here and here) | Nordstrom sunglasses (similar

Just quickly posting a few photos from strolling around M Street earlier this week. M Street is definitely my favorite shopping spot in the DC area. Now it's back to work - I've been working some pretty long days but love what I do, so it's all good. I will say that I am very excited to get some sleep tonight!

Thanks for stopping by :)

xo-ally

Sunday, February 9, 2014

back to this place for a little bit :)



Today I'm going back to DC and I could not be more excited. I was working in the city for the first time last summer. I didn't think I would really like the city all that much, but I happened to fall in love with it. Hopefully I'll still enjoy it just as much even in the (freezing cold) winter!

xo-ally

Friday, February 7, 2014

the top pins from sunny sweetheart

Whether these are pinned originally by me or by someone stopping by my blog, there are a select few pins that just get the most activity. Here are the most popular pins from Sunny Sweetheart, as of today:

(Click the images to be taken to the pin!)

Of course, anything fashion-inspired by Blair Waldorf tops this list. My personal favorite is this summer spread inspired by Queen B's Hamptons wardrobe during season 2 of Gossip Girl.
blair waldorf spring fashion inspiration
blair waldorf's wedding dress
outfit inspired by blair waldorf's wedding dress
An outfit inspired by Blair's wedding dress
tulle midi skirt outfit


Mermaid Halloween Costume #halloween #costume #college
Mermaid Halloween costume
fridays fancies - easy weekend wear
tory burch jewelry
winter outfit | navy coat | riding boots

Thursday, February 6, 2014

nautical charms for your sperrys

It is no secret that I love my Sperrys. I sadly had to say goodbye to my black Sperry rain boots in Italy last month. After two years of wearing them in the Seattle rain, around my college campus, and through the cobblestone streets of Europe, I eventually had to let them go. Luckily I still have four pairs of boat shoes, though - one of which I've had for 10 years and is still in great shape!
 While browsing the Sperry website, I noticed that there are charms for your boat shoes! You can personalize your Sperrys with your initial (great if your friends have the same pair as you - I know quite a few people with the traditional brown), or choose from other fun charms. I like the pink flamingo because, yes, it's pink, and also because it reminds me of summer. (Summer needs to be year-round, in my opinion). There are other sea-inspired charms like a little sailboat, anchor, starfish, or seahorse.
These charms would be a fun way to discreetly add some summer to your wardrobe, don't you think? I mean, I wear my Sperrys all year round, even in the winter... ;)

^similar gold Sperrys here

xo-ally

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

tips for cleaning out your closet

Now that I've been back home for a couple weeks, I finally did a much needed closet cleanout. I've barely been home much between jobs since graduation. (And in a few days, I leave again!) There was stuff from my old house before the move (like high school stuff that I hadn't seen in years), stuff from my college apartment that still hadn't been organized, and things from Europe that just fell apart or got ruined. I finally got rid of old shirts with holes - and sewed up a few favorites that I couldn't bear to get rid of - and donated some clothes and shoes to Goodwill. It feels so nice to pick out something from my closet that isn't falling apart.

I also listed some of my wardrobe on Tradesy. Feel free to check it out if you're interested; I'm selling stuff from Free People, Splendid, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, J. Crew, Forever 21, and Guess. A Coach bag and some designer jeans should be up soon.

My tips for cleaning out your closet:
Go through everything. Keep the items you absolutely love and wear all the time.

Get rid of anything you haven't worn in a while. Some people use the "two months rule" where you ruthlessly throw out anything you haven't worn in two months. I personally just look at whether I've worn it within the past year, since some things are seasonal. It doesn't make sense to get rid of something you haven't worn because of the season, right? But if you haven't worn that sundress you bought in summer 2011 since summer 2011, then it's time to rethink whether or not to keep it.

Donate, give away, or sell clothes you no longer want to keep. I sell my clothes on Tradesy if they're still in good condition or give them to friends. Anything else that's wearable is donated to Goodwill.

Set aside anything that has holes, is falling apart, missing buttons, has a broken zipper, etc. If it's worth it to keep it, then fix it. Sew it up, take it to a tailor, or wherever you need to make it wearable again. If it's not worth it to you to fix it, or if it's beyond repair, throw it away.

When you have everything leftover that you want to keep, organize it! Maybe there are some items that you haven't worn in the past year because they were tucked away in the corner of a drawer that you forgot about. Make sure your clothes and shoes are easily accessible so you remember all your options when getting dressed in the morning. As for clothes hanging up, I like to organize them from left to right starting with dresses and then tanks, short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops and sweaters, button-downs, jackets, skirts, jeans, coats. Color coordinating these sections also helps.

Make a list of anything you need to add or replace to your wardrobe. Maybe you need to update your basics or get a new pair of jeans. If you started a new job, you might need a different type of wardrobe than your previous one. That's the fun part - where shopping comes in!

xo-ally