Lazy Weekend

Half of my family came to visit me in Austin on Saturday. My dad and step-mom took my sister and I to Buffalo Exchange for a little shopping and then to Blue Dahlia Bistro for delicious French food. I rarely leave Austin, but I do miss my family so it's nice when they come to visit. And my mom is coming into town this weekend! The next two weeks until Spring Break are going to be a little hectic with tests, projects and papers, so I need all the family support I can get. I didn't do any work this weekend and I'm definitely going to pay for it this week and next. I guess it's time to buckle down, even though I don't want to.

On Saturday, I wore a Forever 21 top, Urban Outfitters skirt, earrings from Langford Market and Sam Edelman sandals from Nordstrom.

 

When I bought this skirt, I read on the tag that it wasn't supposed to go in the washer or dryer. That was a turn-off, but I liked it so much and it was on sale, so I bought it. Then, the dumb ass that I am, put it in the washer AND dryer on Sunday. I freaked out when I was folding all my clean laundry and realized what I'd done. Thankfully, nothing happened. I wonder why Urban Outfitters decided it should be hand-washed and laid flat to dry. Either way, I guess I'll stick to what it says on the tag from now on. It didn't shrink this time, but I really don't want it to.

Catching Up

I feel really behind on blogging. I usually post the outfit I wore the day of, but for some reason, I've been very lazy all week. It's Saturday and I'm barely posting my outfits from Thursday and Friday. Let's just say that lately I've been taking stripes to the extreme. Horizontal, vertical, black and white, colorful, you name it. I never realized how many striped items I own until I started this blog. I wonder what else I'll learn about my wardrobe.   

Thursday

I wore an Old Navy dress, a belt from Wish and Sam Edelman sandals.

Friday

I wore a blouse from Goodwill, a skirt from Forever 21, black Target flats and earrings from Langford Market. I wore black tights most of the day until it warmed up mid-afternoon when I took these pictures.

You can kind of see one of my cool peacock earrings.

These Old Things?

This skirt and top have been hanging in my closet forever. Even though it seems like everyone and their grandma has this skirt, it'll always be a staple item in my closet because it goes with so many things. I always wear it with a denim jacket and Wednesday was no exception. I decided to wear this outfit, which I've worn a zillion times, with some of the cool accessories I've bought at Goodwill to make it a little more fun. Even though this isn't a particularly exciting outfit, these are some of my favorite items worn in a slightly updated way.

I'm wearing an American Apparel circle skirt, an H&M top, thrifted belt and scarf from Goodwill, GAP jacket and Sam Edelman sandals.

My attempt at a cool angle.

I've been taking pictures everywhere around my apartment complex.

Why can't my hair always be this perfectly wavy?

Tired of Gloomy Days

I wore another one of my great Goodwill finds on Tuesday. I was pretty excited when I found this sweater, but didn't think I'd have a chance to wear it until next winter. Then, it was randomly 60 degrees and cloudy and I had a reason to wear this $5 find. Even so, I'd much rather have warm 80 degree weather and bare arms and legs. I felt so covered up in this outfit. I was pretty comfortable though.

I wore a thrifted Coldwater Creek sweater from Goodwill, a tank top and jeans from GAP, and Forever 21 boots.

 

Seeing my outfits on the computer always make me realize how I could have made them a little better. For example, I wish I'd worn a necklace or earrings with this outfit,. Just a little something to jazz it up. I don't know why, but I never really wear jewelry to class. I always wear my watch, pearl ring from Matt and sometimes a small gold necklace, but rarely anything more. Maybe I'll start wearing some of my fun jewelry again...

Gotta Love Goodwill

I've been on a Goodwill kick for the past few weeks. I've always been into thrifting and buying used clothing, but I hadn't been to Goodwill in at least a year. My favorite one in Austin is on north Lamar Blvd. near Half-Price Books, which is another guilty pleasure for me. I swear, whoever decided to put those two stores in the same shopping center is a genius. 

The clothing at Goodwill is so cheap, they're basically giving it away. Of course, I only buy things that are in good condition and that I know will work with at least a few items already in my closet. On my most recent trip this past Sunday, I found two shirts, a sweater, a pair of heels and a belt for under $30. That's the cost of ONE dress and maybe some earrings at Forever 21.

This is what I wore to class and work Monday. I'm wearing a thrifted shirt from Goodwill, Old Navy pants and Sam Edelman sandals. I wanted to wear a belt with this, but realized that because I usually wear my belts on my waist, they are all too small for my hips. WTF is up with that?  

 

The White (& Black) Stripes

I hate when Mondays actually feel like Mondays. After a fun-filled weekend, the last thing I wanted to do this morning was drag myself out of bed, drink coffee and put on my thinking cap. Alas, weekends wouldn't be so awesome if the weekdays were awesome too.

This is what I wore Sunday while I nursed a slight hangover, did some homework, ran some errands and made dinner with Matt. I'm wearing a dress from Buffalo Exchange, a GAP jean jacket, a belt from Wish and Sam Edelman sandals.

These sandals are about to fall apart. As you may have noticed, I wear them all the time! The buckle on the right sandal is literally dangling by a few pieces of thread. It's a good thing my replacement pair should be arriving on Wednesday. I just hope these make it until then.

Avoiding Homework on a Sunday

I drank way too much tequila this weekend. I made delicious homemade margaritas on Friday AND Saturday and I'm definitely feeling it today. It also doesn't help that I'm pretty sore thanks to a demanding yoga class yesterday. I've been moving very slow today and will probably continue to do so for the rest of the evening.

This is what I wore yesterday for a night of drinking at home and at the bar with friends. I'm wearing a skirt and top from GAP, a Forever 21 belt and Urban Outfitter flats.

You can't even tell I've had one very stiff margarita.

 I think I was spinning too fast for Jackie to get a decent shot.

If you've never made your own margaritas from scratch, you have to try this recipe. You'll never go back to pre-made mix again. It takes a little more time, but it's so worth it.

Golden Margarita

Ingredients: tequila blanco, Gran Gala (or Grand Marnier, if you can afford it), fresh-squeezed lime juice, simple syrup

To make the simple syrup, boil equal parts sugar and water for 5 minutes and let cool. If you don't own a lime squeezer, definitely invest in one for this drink. You'll need about two limes for one shot of juice.

Combine 2 parts tequila, 1 part Gran Gala, 1 part lime juice, 1 part simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice. After shaken, pour into a salt-rimmed glass. 

Just writing all that made me feel a little nauseous. Just a heads up, you only need one of these margaritas to feel pretty good. After two, it's all downhill.

I Love Stripes

I got dressed this morning without checking the weather. When I walked outside and realized the ground was wet, I knew I should go back in and put sensible shoes on, but I didn't want to. So, I didn't. I'll admit that it was tough to maintain steady footing, but I swear the yoga classes I've been regularly taking are improving my balance. Once the sun came out and dried the ground, I had more of a comfort issue rather than a fear of slipping. I just knew that if I ever want to be comfortable wearing heels, I have to practice. And I want to be comfortable because I love being tall(er). I was 5'5" today!      

I'm wearing a vintage dress (altered to fit perfectly!) from Cream, a belt from Buffalo Exchange and Steve Madden wedges.

My Princess Peach Dress

This is one of my favorite dresses, which is saying a lot since I have so many. I even wore it for Halloween last year when I dressed up as Princess Peach. I wanted to be her just so that I could wear this dress, along with a blonde wig, white gloves and a crown. I love the color of this dress, which Matt once called "sports bra" pink. I, on the other hand, consider it pale peach. It was one of the first things I bought at Cream Vintage and the reason I keep going back. 

I wish I'd had a chance to take some better pictures during the daytime, but I got home too late. I feel like these pictures really don't do the outfit justice. If you saw me in person today, maybe you know what I'm talking about.

I'm wearing a vintage dress from Cream, a lace vest from Langford Market and Sam Edelman sandals.

 

Hump Day

I walked all around my apartment complex today looking for new places to take pictures. Of course, I really have no idea what a good spot looks like, but I'd also never been to the other buildings in the complex. It was such a nice day, I ended up spending about 30 minutes outside taking more pictures than I needed just for the heck of it.

I feel like I've been wearing a lot of dark colors lately. I need bright colors back in my life, especially with the great weather we've been having. What have I been thinking? I wore a colorful scarf today, but it just wasn't enough.

I'm wearing a GAP dress and jean jacket, a thrifted scarf from Goodwill, Mootsie Tootsie sandals bought at Buffalo Exchange and Forever 21 earrings that you can't really see in these pictures.

 

I spent my evening at Langford Market for a multimedia project I'm working on. They were holding their Style 101 event with Indiana Adams from Adored Austin helping shoppers pick out clothes and style them. I had a fabulous time! It was awesome meeting Indiana and all the girls who work at Langford Market. I've been reading Indiana's blog for quite some time, so it was really cool actually getting to talk to her in person. She's so nice! I can't wait to talk to her again at the Texas Style Council in a few weeks.

Job Well Done, Natalie

I love ending the day feeling accomplished. I was pretty busy and on-the go all day, but I actually enjoyed it. Well, maybe not during, but I feel pretty good about myself now. I always end up getting more work done on those days like these. Go figure.

To unwind from my fast-paced day, I went to an evening yoga class and just polished off a delicious homemade breakfast taco. Potato, egg and bacon, if you're wondering. Yum.    

This outfit is the perfect example of how I try to mix vintage and thrifted items with clothes I've bought at the mall and Target. This purse was another great Goodwill find for only $7. I really love it, but I do wish it was bigger. I love gigantic bags that make me feel like Mary Poppins. 

I'm wearing a dress from Target, leggings from Old Navy, a vintage shawl from Cream, Sam Edelman sandals and a purse from Goodwill.

 

I've been messing with the color scheme on my blog a lot lately. Maybe you've noticed? I'd like to find something that can become my permanent design, but it's so hard to do. I want it to be a reflection of my style but that's asking a lot, especially for a person with my very limited web design capabilites.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm about to head to my yoga class, so this is going to be a short post. After yoga, I'm going to help Matt cook our surf 'n' turf dinner. That also includes drinking a whole bottle of pink champagne. So, it's probably better I'm writing this now rather than later.

I found this skirt at Goodwill for $7! It was just sitting in a heap on top of some other clothes, waiting for me to find it. It's so flowy and romantic, I knew it would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

I'm wearing a thrifted skirt, GAP v-neck, a belt from Wish and Sam Edelman sandals.

Weekend Recovery

I woke up today feeling better than I have all week. I tried to rest and relax as much as humanely possible this weekend. I got 10 hours of sleep both Friday and Saturday night and went to yoga both Saturday and Sunday. And, voilà! I'm almost back to 100% healthy.

I'm so excited for this week because it's supposed to be in the 70's every day. It's always easier to dress for warm weather because you don't need as many layers. The only reason why I dread the Texas heat is that my car doesn't have A/C. Luckily, I don't drive my car that much during the week, but when the weekends and summer come around, I have to mentally prepare for windblown hair and slightly sweaty clothes. 

This outfit is definitely going to become a repeat. I've totally bought into the current fashion trend of midi length skirts and dresses. A midi has a hem that falls somewhere on your calf, about midway between your knee and ankle. I never used to wear anything below my knees because I thought it would make me look shorter than I really am. I quickly threw that rule away when I fell in love with maxi skirts and dresses a couple of years ago. Now, I'm loving the midi!

I'm wearing a vintage skirt, a v-neck and jean jacket from GAP, a belt and sunglasses from Forever 21 and Urban Outfitter flats.

 

If you didn't notice, I'm holding a flower from the bouquet that Matt got me for Valentine's Day. The delivery man brought it a day early, but I didn't mind. I love flowers!

New York Fashion Week: A Dream

Since I've been feeling so under the weather, I've had no desire to even get dressed today. I didn't want to go two days without blogging, so I decided to try something a little different today. I've been checking out some of the photos from the happening-now New York Fashion Show. Man, I wish I could be there! It would be so cool to be invited to a fashion show. That's definitely going on my bucket list.

These are some of my favorite looks from various designer's fall 2011 collections.

   Rebecca Minkoff

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Rebecca Taylor

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

 Jason Wu

Photo: Marcus Tondo / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Photo: Marcus Tondo / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Ruffian

 

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com via Style.com

Although all the things at Fashion Week are completely out of my budget, it's nice to get some inspiration from the designers that influence the stores I actually shop at.