last week [photos]

It was a nice week indeed in good ol' DC! Here are some photos to recap the past few days:

I was beyond excited to get my new pink Hunter boots in the mail!

Love the view of DC out my window. There's the Washington Monument, the Capitol building, Pentagon, and Air Force Memorial. :) 

 So, I've been waiting a while to get a 2014 agenda. So long to the point that it became February, and then March, and most stores had stopped selling them. Even the Jonathan Adler store didn't have their agendas! However, I went to this cute little boutique in Alexandria called 3 Sisters, and they had a few left! I picked this one up. The above photo is the July 2014 divider, isn't it cute?

I visited the Botanical Gardens for the first time. It was gorgeous and made me forget about the cold, windy day outside.

My other purchase that I got the same time as the the Hunters. A spirit jersey! I had my eye on a similar one for a while, and then finally decided to take the plunge. I love it. It is so cozy. I've already worn it out once with skinny jeans for a casual look, as well as to bed a couple times.

It came personalized with an adorable, silver monogram. :)

Working 15-17 hour days means multiple coffees. For me, it's usually 2-3 per day. You gotta do what you gotta do.

 This eggs benedict for brunch during our break at Graffiato, Mike Isabella's (of Top Chef) restaurant in Chinatown. I really enjoyed it. I mean...look at how thick that slice of ham is!

While I normally don't enjoy waking up at 6am, seeing a different sunrise every morning makes it so much better. Photos cannot capture the beauty of these sunrises. Some days it looks more red, some days more orange, and one day it looked like the opening scene of The Lion King. So pretty.

Andddd we got hit with another snowstorm...boo.

xo-ally

plaid

 Madewell shirt (loving this one) | Chanel sunglasses | Hudson jeans | Max & Chloe monogram necklace | Kate Spade long necklace | Aritzia carigan (similar) | Boots from Italy (similar) | Longchamp bag | Forever 21 belt (similar)

xo-ally

cyber monday favorites: j. crew, vineyard vines, and red dress boutique!

Since I'm currently in Europe and can't do Black Friday shopping in person, I've been waiting for Cyber Monday to roll around. Pretty much every store/brand out there will be having amazing sales, so browse around online to make sure you're getting the best deal! I rounded up some items from three of my favorite stores - J. Crew, Vineyard Vines, and Red Dress Boutique - these would be perfect for any ladies in your life (or gifts to yourself)!

J. Crew: 30% off with code "MONDAY" and free shipping until Dec. 2!

jeweled stripe top, pattern mix scarf, monogram baseball cap, asymmetrical stone necklace, glitter etta pumps, minnie pants

Vineyard Vines: 20% off $200+ with code "CYBER13" until Dec. 2! (Excludes shep shirts and cashmere).

lobster crewneck sweater, neon whale hat, block print whale tee, tartan bow skirt, shep shirt

Red Dress Boutique: tons of great deals, including Christmas leggings for only $18, items marked down to $10-$15, and a free bib necklace with the first 100 orders!

leggings, sale items

Have any other sales you want to share? Comment below!

xo-ally

red, white, and blue in the garden

Ray-Ban sunglasses| J. Crew top (not available, loving this one) | Aldo sandals | J. Crew skirt (similar) | Max & Chloe necklace | Michael Kors watch | Swank bracelets, silver | Nordstrom faux pearl earrings | Nordstrom bracelet, navy | Nail polish: Color Club "Disco Dress" | Lips: Mally Lip Magnifier

Today's outfit is a repeat of what I wore on the Fourth of July -- I didn't have a chance to photograph it then, so I decided to pull it back out. If you can't tell, I've been gravitating toward stripes lately :) as well as red and white! Haha, I just can't get enough of it I guess. If my next job had a professional dress code like my last one, I'd even consider this red and white skirt from J. Crew factory. Yeah, okay, maybe I should hold off on the stripes.

I got my nails done today and chose this bright but deep purple. At first I was afraid it would be a little too "teen punk rock princess" but liked the shade so stuck with it. Now I'm regretting not doing a different color (baby blue or bright pink)! I know, I know it's a major #firstworldproblem...

On another note, I was browsing around online and came across this photo of Disney Princess-inspired engagement rings! How adorable.

My favorite is Ariel's, followed by Cinderella's. Which one is your favorite?

xo-ally

friday's fancies - stars + stripes

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is stars + stripes. I recreated a very similar outfit to the one I wore yesterday (unfortunately didn't get photos - however I know I'll definitely be re-wearing it sometime soon!) I went a little crazy at the J. Crew sale - where I got a very similar shirt and skirt -  I'll definitely post about the awesome sale sometime within the next few days.

shirt, skirt, sandals, necklace, watch, bracelets, earrings

xo-ally

a spring outfit

J. Crew shirt | Swank Boutique pink necklace | Max & Chloe monogram necklace | Sanctuary jeans | Sperry boat shoes (they brought back the original pink!) | Kate Spade bag (similar) | Kate Spade ring | Nordstrom belt (similar) | Nordstrom sunglasses

Today we went out near the small lake on campus to take photos in the grass! I love a good blue sky/bright green grass combo for photos. The geese were there today, and luckily didn't start chasing me (yeah, that happened sophomore year....)

I pulled out my favorite pair of Sperry boat shoes, which I've had since I was 13 years old. They've stood the test of time and are still in fantastic shape! They definitely look "worn." The pink Sperrys match my necklace perfectly, and with the necklace's gold accents, I added some gold jewelry and a bag. It was fun to add pink (my favorite) and gold to the neutral blue and white of the shirt and jeans.

xo-ally

bright, electric stripes

Dress Red Dress Boutique - sold out, but I'm loving this one too Belt Nordstrom Shoes GUESS (similar) Necklace Max & Chloe Sunglasses Chanel (similar)

You can't really see the earrings in the photo above so I added this photo below - I've worn these earrings almost every day since I got them! Finding a Bendels in Las Vegas was wonderful :) [Get the earrings here!]

Jenn and I got our nails done and then went to lunch before saying goodbye! It was a great spring break and always fun to see the bestie.

xo-ally

with a pop of pink

 Bag Juicy Couture Shirt Subdued (Florence) Jeans Rock & Republic (similar) Heels Nine West Watch Michael Kors (similar) Bracelet J. Crew (slightly similar) Earrings Nordstrom Necklace Max & Chloe

Wow! What a day. I can't believe I'm just getting around to blogging, and it's almost midnight! Tomorrow morning I need to get up SO early - 4am - to get in line for Vegas basketball tickets at 4:30. I'm so excited to see Gonzaga in the WCC Vegas tournament, but I'm definitely not excited about my 4am wake-up call. I also have my first midterm tomorrow in marketing - wish me luck! I hear the tests are pretty tough for this particular class...maybe I'll study tomorrow in line while half asleep. :P I think that'll work out well.

Also - what do you think about the .GIF outfit posts? Yay or Nay? I'm leaning toward YAY because I think they're fun, but I'd love your feedback since it's something new I've been trying out!

xo-ally

colored denim in winter

Long necklace Kate Spade Monogram necklace Max & Chloe Boots Corso Como Watch Michael Kors (similar) Jeans GJG Denim Shirt Nordstrom Tank Nordstrom

Happy President's Day! We have the day off of classes, so I am sitting in the library as I type. I'm taking a break from writing a paper to blog! I tried the .gif outfit post again, hope you like it. :) With winter still (sadly) in the air, all I want is spring. That means that I will begin to phase in my spring pieces in any way that I can! Colored coral pink skinnies make the typical jeans + boots combo a lot more fun.

xo-ally

monograms

When I was little, it seemed like everything in our house was monogrammed. Everything from kitchen glasses to bedding to towels was embroidered with letters. My pink, monogrammed Vera Bradley duffle bag even had an accompanying mini size that I used to use for doll stuff. (Which was very helpful when I left it on a plane once - they identified the initials on my bag and safely returned my American Girl doll hair accessories to me! Haha).

A monogram necklace has been on my wishlist for a while. I think most monogrammed jewelry is timeless and very versatile. A few options on the wishlist...

This one is beautiful! It's my favorite one I've seen so far. $210 in Sterling Silver - Max & Chloe

I like this one too! It's in gold and a lot cheaper than the one from Max & Chloe ($84) so I'm not totally sure about the quality. From Sweet Tea Paperie

This one is acrylic rather than metal, which I think is a fun alternative. I haven't seen an acrylic one in person, however, so I don't know how it would look on. I think I'd like it, though. There are plenty of colors to choose from too! $64 - Bauble Bar

More monogram ideas!

Thinking about getting a Maybook in these colors. So hard to choose which design and colors to use!

Love this. $199 - Sweet Tea Paperie

You can design your own Ralph Lauren shirt! You choose the shirt and embroidered color, and if you want your monogram or the pony. I personally think I would choose the pony, but both are cute options! $110 - Ralph Lauren

xo - aAq ;)