A Little Diversity

thrifted pants, Old Navy blouse and trench vest,
Forever 21 necklace, Banana Republic heels

Yesterday, one of my favorite bloggers, Eli from Thrifteye, was nice enough to include me on her list of favorite Hispanic/Latina bloggers. I completely agree with her introduction about how people with similar heritages are not all the same. It sucks being thrown into one category because of your background. I like to think I don't really fit into any certain stereotypes though. I'm just me.

Reading Eli's post made me realize that some of my favorite bloggers aren't even from the United States. Here's a collection of some of my favorite foreign bloggers:

-Her Waise Choice: I'm in love with this Canadian blogger's classic, feminine style.
-Garance Doré: She is the epitome of French chic.
-Raspberry and Red: This blogger from Poland is super young with an amazing sense of style.
-High Street Cardigans: Ana, a personal shopper from Romania, is sassy and sexy and I love it.
-A Pair & A Spare: This Australian blogger living in Hong Kong is a DIY genius.

The Advantages of DIY

thrifted dress (re-designed by yours truly), thrifted Gap shirt,
belt from Wish (closed), Banana Republic wedges, Forever 21 earrings

Would you like to know a little secret about this skirt? Once upon a time, it was a dress. I bought it fully knowing that I would have to alter it if I ever wanted to wear it. I just couldn't pass up the beautiful fabric. Before I transformed it, it had a strange wrap-around skirt, full 80s sleeves, a high neckline, and buttons on the back. I wish I'd taken a "before" picture, but I'm not lying when I say I wasn't going to wear it unless the shape was totally different.

I must have had the dress for almost six months without touching it. I almost forgot I had it until I was on Pinterest one day and stumbled across this photo. I thought to myself, "Wow, I really want a floral skirt now." Then, I remembered that I already had a floral dress and decided to make it a weekend project. It definitely took some vision, but I'm so happy with the results. After I cut off all the parts I didn't like, it was as easy as sewing the seams back together. I didn't have to mess with any elastic or zippers, which made it that much easier.

What do you think about my dress-turned-skirt?

Almost Over

thrifted skirt, Old Navy tank top, Gap denim jacket,
Seychelles wedges from PB&J Boutique (giveaway win)

My first "real" week at Texas Monthly went by super fast. I can't believe that in three weeks, it'll all be over and Matt and I will be living in Houston. It doesn't seem real.

We've been trying to enjoy the little time we have left in Austin. In other words, we've been partying it up for the last week and will probably continue to do so until we leave. Last week was a blur of work, hanging out with friends, and going fun places. I've been keeping track of all the things I'm going to miss about Austin with this countdown. Check it out and let me know what you think. Even better, remind me of the things I need to do/see before leaving Austin!

Floral Escape

thrifted blouse, Halston Heritage skirt from Julian Gold, Banana Republic shoes

I started training at my new (temporary) job on Monday. I'm not going to lie; I feel in way over my head, but my supervisor seems to have total confidence in me. That's great for now, but she's leaving for vacation next week while I take over her position for the next month. I won't be able to turn to her when I have a question or ask her when I'm unsure about something. Luckily, everyone at the Texas Monthly office is very friendly and willing to help. I'm just worried about being the "new girl" who doesn't know what she's doing. Either way, I'm so excited to be in an office again!

I wore this outfit on my last day of work at the bridal salon Sunday. I wanted to wear something fun and floral to celebrate how happy I was to be done. It was the perfect outfit to wear to end my bridal stylist career, at least until I put on this ensemble as a farewell:

I definitely went out with a bang. 

Lazy & Unashamed

Forever 21 shirt and earrings, vintage thrifted skirt, Zara wedges from Buffalo Exchange
(worn for work at the bridal salon)

I have a couple of days off of work until Saturday, but I'm finding it really hard to convince myself to leave my apartment today. It's been way too long since I could just hang out in my pajamas and veg out all day. OK, so maybe the real reason I don't want to go anywhere is because I started watching True Blood again. I have a whole season to watch, so I stayed up super late last night because I couldn't stop. My sister is a huge fan of the show and she convinced me to start watching it again. I suppose I could be using my time in a more productive manner, but while Matt is (still) gone, I'm really unmotivated to do much of anything.

Here's to enjoying a day of laziness!

Before I forget, I'm linking to Laura's Work It Wednesday. Even though I'm not working today, I did wear this outfit to work yesterday. It's definitely a very "me" outfit, but I looked pretty darn bright standing next to the brides in wedding gowns. It's a good thing I won't be doing working there much longer because I'm not so good at toning it down.

Flying Solo

Gap shirt, denim jacket, shoes and thrifted Anne Klein pants, Forever 21 necklace

I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. Everything is on the verge of changing: my job, our apartment, the city we live in...basically my whole life. I get anxious every time I think about it. I might just be in a strange mood because Matt has been gone for a few days and won't be back until next Saturday. It feels like forever away. I've being doing a pretty good job of staying busy with work the last couple of days, but I'm already starting to feel lonely. Luckily, I have Angus and Charles to keep me company.

On Repeat

thrifted skirt, vintage blouse from Cream Vintage,
thrifted Nine West wedges, Forever 21 earrings

Lately, I've been feeling like my life's stuck on repeat. I've been working full-time at the bridal salon, coming home and playing with Charles, eating dinner with Matt, then going to sleep and starting all over again. Oh, and I've been trying to make exercising a priority, but so far it's only happening about two or three times a week.

At this point in my life and with my current work schedule, blogging just isn't a priority. I know I've said this all before, but I'm still unsure if I want it to become part of my routine again.

The good news is that I only have a week and a half left to work at the bridal salon. Once I start my month-long job at Texas Monthly in July and go back to a normal 8:00-5:00 M-F schedule, I have a feeling blogging will come back naturally.

Just like yesterday, I'm participating in Open to Interpretation. We were responsible for picking our own inspiration and this was my choice! If it wasn't so hot here in Austin, I'd love to keep my sleeves unrolled. And those shoes are just begging to be in my closet! Needless to say, I've found a new blogger to follow.

(image courtesy of Visionary Dreams)

Whew!

thrifted skirt, Old Navy tank top, Gap cardigan, vintage belt, thrifted Nine West wedges 

I love this outfit. I was in a great mood after running three miles with Matt before work and this outfit really showed how I felt. I thought I was going to have an awesome day at work, but little did I know that everything was going to go wrong that day. I literally had a mini-breakdown in the back room while I was trying to handle a certain bride's situation. I just wanted it all to be over, but it was just problem after problem. It was the first time I'd felt so overwhelmed at the bridal salon that I actually started tearing up. Let's hope that never happens again, at least in the three weeks I have left.

Even though I had a rough couple of days at work, I have two days off starting today. It'll technically be my "weekend" for this week, so I'm going to take full advantage of my 48 hours of freedom. Matt and I are going for a run at Town Lake this morning followed by a trip to the grocery store. Not the most exciting stuff, but they're errands I wouldn't normally have time for on a workday. The fun stuff is happening on Thursday...

We're going to Houston to check out some apartments! We're only going for the day because we don't want to leave Charles overnight. It's going to be a lot of driving, but we really need to jump the gun on a few places we've found and possibly put a deposit down. Wish us luck on finding the perfect place!

We're Back!

vintage floral pants from Cream Vintage,
Forever 21 shirt and earrings, Steve Madden wedges

The title isn't referring to that awesome movie about dinosaurs from my childhood, in case you were wondering. Instead, "we"refers to my awesome pants. I found them at the vintage store where I used to work, hiding among the random items in the racks. Even though they probably used to belong to an elderly woman who wore them with a matching blouse and white orthopedic shoes, I love them all the same. They've been sitting in my closet, unworn, since last summer and I was so excited to break them out. It's like wearing pajamas!

I haven't worn these shoes since last summer, either. After wearing them with this outfit, I accidently left them at my best friend's apartment. It was pouring rain that evening and I didn't want to slip in the parking lot, so I wore flip-flops to walk to my car and forgot my wedges. Hopefully, I'll get them back soon and you'll see more of them than you can stand!

A Very Good Friday

Old Navy shirt, Gap jeans and wedges, Forever 21 earrings

I haven't worn these pants since last summer and I was pleased that they still fit. Not that I really thought they wouldn't, but it was definitely reassuring. I really wanted to showcase my awesome floral wedges and figured white jeans would do the trick.

I'm so excited about this weekend because I finally have a day off! I've been working every weekend at the bridal salon since I started in January (minus the weekend I took off for the Texas Style Council during SXSW). I'm so ready for a weekend day off and it's finally arrived! Now all I need is a whole weekend off, but that's probably not happening anytime soon.

Have a happy Friday and enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Stripes & Florals

Gap tank top, thrifted skirt, Bakers sandals, Forever 21 necklace

This outfit is my second attempt at dressing in patterns rather than my usual solids. The tank top was one of my final purchases with my Gap discount and I can definitely see myself remixing it a lot this summer. It's a basic and neutral piece, but the stripes make it a little more interesting. This was the perfect, comfortable outfit for a day off before I started my new job.

My first day at Texas Monthly was awesome. It was pretty short, but I spent the few hours that I was there organizing and getting ready to actually start fact-checking today. I was so excited to find out that I have my own office with a desk, computer and phone. I'm super pumped to decorate! I'm taking a couple of things to spruce up my office and I'll be sure to post pictures soon. In the meantime, here's a quick peek at the project I'll be working on for the next two months.

 I'll be sure to post outfit photos from my first day of work tomorrow!

Thirsty Thursday

Old Navy pants and chambray shirt, Gap wedges, Forever 21 earrings

Along with the latest changes in my life (new job, new computer, etc.), I've been craving a new go-to drink. Obviously, I need something to look forward to after a long day of work. Fortunately, I've found my new favorite -- an old-fashioned. I'm not sure what prompted my decision to try one, but ever since I did, it's the only drink I've been craving. It was the perfect drink to have last night while catching up on the Madmen premiere from Sunday. There are many variations to the old-fashioned recipe, so I'm still working on perfecting it. As soon as I figure out the perfect proportions, I'll post the recipe.