The bland day

Skirt: H&M, $16

Top: Old Navy, $5

Scarf: Old Navy, $9

Necklace: Gift

Sandals: Forever 21, $15

Sunglasses: Forever 21, $5

I spent this past long weekend relaxing (and getting sunburned) at the lake, hanging out with my family and my boy, making some delicious cake pops, and sleeping alotttt.  So get ready for a few catch-up posts!  

This outfit is from last Thursday, when I was just burned out (having few clean and even fewer put away clean clothes just kills your creativity.) As you can see, it was a good thing I took a quick blog break :)

For me, scarves are always my go-to to spice up a boring outfit- even in the summer!  I've found that lightweight summer scarves are perfect for keeping you a little warm in a chilly office without overheating you when you go outside.  Perfect!  

Summer faves

Dress: Forever 21, $15

Vest: Thrifted, $5

Scarf: Swap with Ramsey

Sandals: Forever 21, $15

Deer Ring: H&M, $8 for four

Belt: Mom's

Watch: Thrifted, $2

Bag: Mom's

Things I can't stop wearing this summer:

1. Loose wavy hair- so easy!  It only takes me 10 minutes in the morning!!
2. My mom's vintage belt and purse. Classics.
3. My swap items from Ramsey!  That girl sent me scarves, belts, tops, jewelry a skirt, and a jacket! 
4. Fun nail polish.  I never do my nails during the school year... But now? Blue, mango, red, fushia, lime-  Just to name a few
5. Dresses and skirts.  The other day my boyfriends mom asked me if I owned a pair of jeans.  The answer is yes.  Too many.  But I just can't make myself wear them when the weather is this nice! 

I may or may not have bought a cupcake that matched my outfit...

Top: Target, $9

Skirt: Swap with Ramsey

Necklace: Banana Republic Outlet, $6

Wedges: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx, $20

Belt: Swap with Ramsey

I know a lot of people have a hard time dressing up during the cold weather months, but for me it's the summer that really challenges my creativity!  It's been so hot in Knoxville (90s allllllll week) that all I want to wear is a flowy dress or simple skirt and tank.  Yesterday I went for this breezy skirt from Ramsey paired with a simple white top and my new necklace.  I also started out with a navy cardigan, which, surprisingly, looked really good with the bright colors of the skirt.  But after about 10 minutes, that layer came right off.  Hellllo summer.  

Does anyone else have the summer uniform problem like I do??  

Also, here is how I cure my bad days-  a cupcake from the local cupcakery and a tall glass of milk.  I know some people are saying that cupcakes are "out" and pies are "in"  but whoever is saying that has obviously not had the Knoxville from Cities Cupcakes.  At this little local place, all of the cupcakes are named after cities (France is a delicate strawberry pink and cream, New York black and white with a cingular mini oreo garnish, and my favorite, the Knoxville, is orange flavored- of course- with an amazing buttercream topping.)

yummy.

Red Lips and Big Flowers

Dress: Thirfted and hemmed, $2

Belt: Steve and Barry's, $8

Wedges: TJ Maxx, $20

Earrings: Claire's, $3

Purse: Vintage,  I think it might be my great grandma's?

I promise I have been getting dressed and taking pictures the past few days, but with the warm weather outside and the last few days without work, I just couldn't bring myself to come inside and blog.  So here I am.  And here is what I wore last Thursday.  We had a little bar-b-que birthday dinner for one of my mom's friends, and then I ditched the purse/heels/lipstick for some sandals and headed downtown for Sundown in the City, a free summer concert series in Knoxville.  Even though there's usually good bands, I never really go for the music.  To me, the best part is the ice cream and people watching (They estimate that 10-15k people come on good weather nights!)

Alright, back out to the sun!  

I have blogs already written for the next few days though, yay for being productive :)

Summer Days

{Dress: Random Outlet, $20}{Heels: Store in Hollywood, $7}{Earrings: Puerto Rico, $12}

{Bangles: A mix of Forever 21, Rue 21, Wet Seal and Vintage}

Today I was all geared up and ready to get some good outfit pictures, especially since it's been a little while... And it rained. All day. So instead of getting some poor quality shots in the hallways of my dorm, here are some pictures I found of an event this summer that I just forgot to post about.

These pictures are from mid-July when I was asked to be the keynote speaker at an event during a Jr. High 4-H conference. The topic of my talk was about how the 4-H program had impacted my life and why I felt like it was important for youth to be involved in the program. The banquet and talk went really well and the kids all seemed to like it- they liked my dress too, they told me! Sometimes I see kids today that are so disrespectful and just plain mean, and to see kids like this that were so driven and nice and happy... it made me happy. haha.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my summer post now that it's November and freezing. Tomorrow I promise to have a cold weather outfit post, and Sunday I'll start my 30 for 30!

Rascal Flatts Concert!

One of my friends from Pittsburgh won tickets to see Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler, and Chris Young and actually offered two of them to my friend Ashley and I! The concert was AWESOME (and thats coming from a non-country music fan) and we all had a great time.

I'm sorry I don't have any good pictures of what I wore to the concert :( But it was a one shoulder turquoise ruffle top with a white skirt, vintage brown belt, and vintage brown, white, and turquoise flats. I felt like my friend Ashley and I were some of the only people that weren't in denim and cowboy boots. Oh well, we liked our outfits!

Easy Summer Look

What

Dress: Old Navy, $15

Sandals: Charlotte Russe, $12

Bracelets: Rue 21, $5

Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4

Where

A quick dinner with my dad

Why

This is one of my grab and go dresses for summer. The longer length keeps my legs from freezing at restaurants, movies, etc., but the flowiness keeps me cool too. I think that technically this dress is supposed to be worn with the strapless bandeau style top tied with the straps left hanging down, but it looked really droopy on me, so I made it into a halter for a little extra support. I just topped it off with a ring and my gold summer bangles for a quick and easy look.

Trendy Tuesday: Tribal Print

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Like nautical, tribal is one of those trends that come back every spring and early summer. It's a fun trend to experiment with because the print can be found in almost any size and color on almost any type of clothing and accessory.

The easiest and perhaps most common way to wear tribal is to throw on a printed dress. Add some simple accessories and throw on a denim jacket if it's cold and you have an instant fashion-forward outfit.

How I Wore it:

What

Dress: Belks? , $20

Camisole: Forever 21, $3

Denim Jacket: Gadzooks, $20

Gladiators: Old Navy, $5

Earrings: Rue 21, $3

Ring: Gift

Just to illustrate the fact that tribal is a reappearing trend, I bought this dress on clearance 3 years ago. Its a string halter with a bandeau style top. To make it work appropriate I layered the dress over a plain white camisole and under a denim jacket. Simple gladiators and drop earrings completed my "trendy tuesday" look.

Other Ways to Wear Tribal:

If you've been following my blog, you know one of my signature looks is a high-waisted skirt with a plain top, belt, necklace and flats. Following that combination, here is my first tribal outfit. The whole look is based around the fun printed skirt. However, since this outfit is pretty loud (graphic skirt, bib necklace and gladiator sandals) this outfit is for someone who isn't afraid to experiment with the trend

Another hot way to wear tribal for the warmer weather is with shorts. Since busy patterns draw the eye toward them, if you're self conscious of your legs and thighs, this style may not be for you.

If you're really wary of tribal print items but still want to give the trend a try, get some fun tribal-inspired bangles. I love the wooden/gold/muticolored combination in the bracelets below, plus it's an easy way to test out the trend.

So, what are you're feelings on tribal print items? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Going There Series

Now that it's summertime I'm so excited to do more than just outfit posts. One of the projects I'll be working on is the "Going There" series. It will consist of outfit ideas and advice on what you should wear and bring to any type of event that might occur during the summer. I have so many fun event ideas to start working on, but I need your help! Let me know what you'll be doing this summer and the type of events/places you would like me to work on.

Have a wonderful summer!

Simple Again? Yes, Please.

What
Shorts: American Eagle
Top: Old Navy
Flats: Old Navy
Headband: Forever 21
Turquoise Ring: Bought from Tibetan Monks at a museum

Where
Hanging out during my last day of Easter break, and then flying back to Pittsburgh

Why
I know this look more than a little resembles what I wore yesterday, but again- I was a bad packer for this trip : ( I made sure to wear flats so that I could easily slip them off at the airport, and I chose the floral headband to amp up the in girly-ness in the top- but honestly that's all the thought that went into today's outfit.

I'd love to say I'm super excited to get back to school, because I ALWAYS am... but honestly, I'm dreading going back for this last month. I'd so much rather just stay in TN and start on my internship now (I'll post details as it gets closer!) So I blame my lack of creativity on today's (slightly) sad mood. Better looks to come, I promise!