Busy Busy Busy...

Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the huge gap in posting... But here's what I've been up to these past two weeks:

• Last minute hanging out with my friends before getting ready to come back to school.

• Packing... packing... and more packing...
• Moving back to Pittsburgh! Gosh I missed it here!

• Realizing that my non-existent summer workouts was a BAD decision during our college's cheerleading camp. We got so much done together though, I can already tell the squad is going to be great this year!

• Getting trained to work as a barista at the campus Gristmill Coffeehouse... which I LOVE by the way
• And lastly, sleeping seriously 14 hours the past two nights due to a terrible sinus cold :(

However, my 30 for 30 is DONE (whew!) Outfit posts of that plus some to come!

Cheater.

What

Jeans: American Eagle, $20

Ruffle Sleeved Top: Target, $7

Sandals: Forever 21, $17

Scarf: Old Navy, $2

Necklace: Forever 21, $4

Where

To dinner at my neighbors house... As amazing of a cook as my dad is, it was nice to have something other than burgers and grilled food. haha. We had salad with shrimp creole and then fresh peaches for dessert. SO good!

Why

I came home from work and was planning on cheating. I know... bad. So I threw on these jeans and this ruffle sleeved top just by coincidence... and then I realized I wasn't cheating at all! Relieved and awful proud of myself I added this headscarf I just wore as a belt, and my funky elephant necklace- And then rewarded myself by online window shopping :)

The Final Countdown

What

Dress: Forever 21, $20

Scarf (Worn as Belt): Old Navy, $2

Bracelets: REALLY old

Sandals: Forever 21, $18

Why

I love this little dress, but sometimes I get a little stumped on how to mix it up. This time around I added a scarf belt to give it a pop of color and my black bangles for a little mod touch. Thats pretty much it for the day- only 3 more days of summer!

Pattern Mixing 101

What

Shorts: GAP Outlet, $10

Top: Forever 21, $12

Belt: Vintage, My mom's

Sandals: Forever 21, $17

Scarf, Target, $10

Earrings: Vintage, My mom's

Where

I actually wore this outfit about 2 weeks ago on the car trip to 4-H Round-up, but for some reason the pictures just didn't turn out so I'm just now posting new ones. Also, I know I'm REALLY late to jump on the pattern mixing train, but it was hard to break old habits of really matching. haha. I really loved this floral scarf and striped top together though. I think I'm going to do more of the pattern play soon :)

twenty.

What

Skirt: gift

Top: Target, $7

Belt: J. Crew Outlet, $6

Necklace: Puerto Rican Market, 50¢

Sandals: Forever 21, $18

Why

I tried to lighten up this all black outfit with the flower belt and pearl necklace, and overall I liked it.... but this was one of the days I was REALLY tempted to cheat. Seriously, a pair of little black pumps would have been so much better than sandals with this outfit. But of course, I didn't include them in my items. Lesson learned! haha.

Hippie?

What

Jeans: American Eagle, $20

Top: Forever 21, $7

Scarf: Vintage, Mom's

Bangles: Lots of places! haha

Sandals: Forever 21, $17

Where

Working and then out to lunch :)

Why

I love how a few accessories can completely turn an outfit around. Seriously, the jeans + plain white T shirt + sandals combo is SO simple and common, but adding a vintage scarf and bangles gave it a completely new feel. Maybe this is one of the reasons I have such an obsession with scarves.

The Substitute Skirt

What

Skirt: Old Navy, $15

Top: J.Crew, gift

Belt: Target, $12

Earrings: Vintage, my mom's

Sandals: Forever 21, $17

Why

Ok, I know... this skirt wasn't in my original 30 items, but I'm not cheating, at least not intentionally. In my original 30 I had included fabric that I planned on making a skirt out of... and although I'm definitely not complaining, I've been way busier than I thought I would be this past month, and haven't had time to make it. So I finally gave in and substituted this cargo skirt from Old Navy instead. PLUS, this is outfit #18, and the first time I've worn this top.

Looking at other blogs I've noticed that I included hardly any outer pieces for layering when compared to everyone else. It definitely has its pros and cons. As for the pros, I use less pieces to create each outfit, so I don't have to rewear things too often, and in this terrible summer heat (it hardly gets under 90º) thats not a bad thing! The only con is that my outfits look simpler than normal... but in the end, the heat wins and I go for simple.

Girly with a Twist

What

Dress: Target, $17

Top: Forever 21, $12

Belt: The Limited (came with pants)

Chain Necklace: Forever 21, $6

Pearl and Chain Necklace: Puerto Rican Market, 50¢

Sandals: Forever 21, $17

Why

This isn't by any means a risky outfit, but I had so much fun with it because I really did step outside my comfort zone. Normally I would've just paired this dress with a cute jacket and vintage looking necklace, but I really like how it turned out with the layered top and tough looking necklaces!

For other remixers, have you noticed yourself taking more risks throughout this challenge?

Chattanooga Cupcakes

What

Skirt: Target, $25

Dress (Worn as top): Shopmamie.com, $30

Flats: Old Navy, $9

Necklace: Forever 21, $4

Where

Visiting little shops on the riverfront in Chattanooga

Why

I know I say this everytime- but I LOVE this airplane & roses dress. This time I tucked it into my skirt and wore it as a strapless top. I added one of my owl necklaces- for some reason I'm completely obsessed with owl accessories- and really liked my outfit today... maybe my favorite so far :)

Also, if you're ever around the Chattanooga area, visit Whipped Cupcakes across the street from the carousel- SO good!

First Half...

So this is the overview of my first half of the 30/30 challenge- I have outfits 16-23 already done too, but I just haven't had time to post them yet... Overall I'm pretty happy with my outfits, but I really want to try to step outside of my normal comfort zone and try some fun new combinations...

I was SO afraid of constantly re-wearing things during this challenge- but as I was looking at all the outfits back to back, I noticed that I've only re-worn 4 items (not counting shoes). I also thought I would get bored with what I had, but I still have a top and skirt I haven't worn yet! To the other 30 for 30'ers, how has your challenge gone? I'm surprisingly still having fun with it :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

What

Shorts: Old Navy, $4

Top: Forever 21, $17

Sandals: Forever 21, $18

Belt: Forever 21, $3

Bangles: Rue 21, $2

Where

Smokies Baseball Game

Why

I love watching sporting events at my school because since it's small, I usually know at least one person on the team. Bigger sporting events are generally a different story though- it's SO hard for me to stay focused on them. But the other night we went to the Smokies baseball game up in Sevierville, TN, and it was a blast! We even got a foam fan finger... which may or may not have happened due to the fact that it matched my belt. haha, anyways...

That reminds me, if you haven't joined livingsocial.com, you seriously need to. You select your city (although they don't have them all, they have most of the major ones) and then they send you a daily deal via email once a day in which local retailers, restaurants, and entertainers give out awesome discounts. We got this Smokies package the other week- 4 field level seats (which we got to pick), 4 drinks in souvenir cups (the little things like getting to take home a free cup make me smile), 4 hotdogs, and 4 bags of chips for a total of $25- which originally would have cost around $60!

Yay for good deals! And also for the eight full outfit posts waiting to be posted!

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the recent gap in posts; my friend Sara is visiting from Pittsburgh and we've been having a blast... unfortunately, that means I haven't really had time for blogging. I'll be back with a few posts on Tuesday or Wednesday though :)

Ruffles

What

Dress (worn as top): Forever 21, $21

Skirt: Gap, $20

Wedges: Target, $20

Belt: NY & Co., $4

Ring: Forever 21, $3

Why

I'm actually still enjoying this challenge. Its really forced me to look into new ways to wear things, like wearing this one-shoulder dress as a top. Since the skirt was already pretty full, it was easy to hide. The only thing I didn't like was that since the dress was an empire waist, I had to wear the skirt pretty high too.. still, I'd rather compromise just a tiny bit and get a lot more wearability in my 30 items.

Kid Friendly

What

Shorts: Old Navy, $4

Top: Banana Republic, $25

Shoes: Forever 21, $8 (Temporarily taking place of the MIA forever 21 gladiators)

Ribbon Headband: gift

Bracelets: Rue 21, $3

Why

Though my internship this summer I've learned so much about dressing for the part you want to portray with the people around you in various situations. For example, on days when I'm working in the office I usually wear something semi-professional with my own personal and fun touches to show that while I take my job seriously, I still enjoy (and want to enjoy!) it. When I work with kids I want to portray myself as an authority figure- but one that they can still totally relate to and have fun with. I think I've finally found the perfect balance- for "kid friendly" days, I normally wear bright colors with some kind of a fun touch, usually not with much jewelry because of the constant running around. I try to avoid plain Tshirts and sneakers because I still want to be seen as someone they can go to for "adult help."

*Confession- I actually wore longer white shorts instead of these while with the kids.... but I'd rather cheat just a little bit to be safe