shopping with a fashionista

(please don't mind the mini-blog makeover. it is a definite work in progress as i learn the ins and outs of the blogging world. i am not technologically savvy, so if anyone has suggestions/tips, please help!)

one of my favorite girlfriends, ag, is a genuine fashionista. she is extremely well dressed; whether i see her sunday morning, or after a long day at work, ag looks polished, fashionable, and i (almost always) beg to borrow her wardrobe. i asked her to share a few tips with fellow shoppers and bloggers. ag particularly loves to shop at f21, and here is how she believes she is successful:

"usually i got to f21 when i don't have anything specific in mind. it is usually hard to find something specific, and you leave feeling disappointed. for me, f21 is the kind of place i go when i need a dress for a birthday or a cute top for going out."

"when i am ready to try things on, i typically make 2-3 trips to the dressing room. there is no way you can carry everything you find around for that long! when my arms feel tired/full, i know it is time to hit the dressing room."

"the different 'themed' rooms [in f21] helps show a variety of items, and i try to look through each room thoroughly before going to the next."

"i just started buying my black and white under-tanks at f21. they are only $2.80 and are long and wash well."

"this sounds like a crazy process, but i think looking around thoroughly, and trying on a number of things is how i usually find stuff."

here are a few recently purchased items:

i have seen both dresses on her, and they look phenomenal :) thank you again for sharing, ag! for more shopping tips, or if you would like to share your shopping secrets, feel free to comment or email me! xoxo.

outfit post

i am going to keep today's post short and sweet as i am still not feeling well. i think my cold has turned into the flu, which seems unfair because i got a flu shot this year (and i fear shots more than anything!). herbal tea + cold medicine are my new best friends :)

dress: i heart ronson for jcpenney; cardigan: uo, tights & boots: macy's

i'm not wearing any jewelry today - i must not be feeling well haha

one quick note: today marks the last day of no shop november, and i have failed. absolutely, 100% utter failure. i did practice more self-restraint than usual, but even these minute attempts were pathetic. shopping, you truly are an addiction. xoxo.

happy birthday k!

i realize this is a day late, but i wanted to introduce you to a very special girlfriend, and wish her a happy belated birthday! here are a few of my favorite memories with k :)

• wearing / living in the doggie pj's together
• testing out 81902830128 face masks (see below)
• living (unofficially) as roommates in cm and then welch
• studying for finals and deciding that lighting chemistry notes and an english book (mine; hers) on fire was a good idea...
• having the most goofy, ridiculous, fun, loving, and loyal friend i could ask for :)

this girl is amazing. i love and miss her every day. she is currently abroad in south korea teaching english. for details about her experience, see here.

(sweatshirt: juicy, tank: opal, jeans: nordstrom, scarf: tj maxx, shoes: dsw)

this is my "i feel extremely sick and cannot wear sweats to work, but want to feel as though i am wearing sweats" outfit. i will try to think of something more creative tomorrow hehe. xoxo.

sick day

m, while it was wonderful to see you and spend the amount of time that we did together, i could have done without getting your horrible cold and sore throat. these, combined with the persistent stomach pains after eating all weekend, do not make for a happy, working girl. thus i am stuck at home with odwalla juice, a giant (and now empty) box of kleenex, cold medicine, tea, lysol spray, and my faucet-like nose.

(i threw away all of the used kleenex and medicine wrappers that were previously here)

on a slightly different note, i found a new nail polish yesterday that is ideal for the upcoming holiday season. it is the perfect shade of red with just the right amount of sparkle (what could be better?).

(the color is a slightly darker red in person, but this photo emphasizes the glitter sheen to it)

what do you think?

back to bed for this girl. good night and xoxo. 

where did the weekend go?

how is it already sunday? the best weekends seem to go by far too quickly. this weekend was spent eating, baking, watching house, eating more, going on dates, taking too many naps, shopping on black friday, visiting friends, etc. etc. i accidentally left my camera at m's friend's apartment after a late night of margaritas. here are a few choice photos from m's phone :)

karaoke with c to the best song of all time - turn around (bright eyes) by bonnie tyler

more pictures to come! xoxo.

happy thanksgiving!

alas, it is here! the most magnificent holiday - binge eating, being utterly lazy, and taking more than one nap in the same day are all socially acceptable activities. i cannot think of anything better.

homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast that m and i made :)

two batches of pudding (after we burned the first), 19 biscuits, 2831820 pounds of butter, and cinnamon = heaven

guess what m agreed to do with me tonight?! black friday shopping at midnight. now that is love :) happy thanksgiving everyone! xoxo, m & m.

i am thankful for:

m :)
tights
the girlfriends
pumpkin scones
nail polish
free coffee at mcdonalds

my family + bailey

rain jackets

a new book to read

music

homemade chocolate chip cookies

laughter

heating blankets

the color purple

clean sheets

post-its

texting and phone calls to keep in touch with my far away friends

my best friend, d :)

pajama shirt/dress & tights: nordstrom rack, sweater: h&m, necklace & boots: nordstrom

happy thanksgiving everyone! i am also thankful for you, my wonderful readers :) xoxo.

ahoy tuesday!

rain, rain go away.

this morning, both loui (my car) and i nearly drowned because of the current torrential downpour; the roads are treacherous! i forgot i had parked loui down the street last night, so i meandered all over the place looking for him (in the monsoon). i finally found him two blocks down the street, sprinted, turned him on, and...

loui is a gas guzzling fiend

i filled him up next to a lady who i think actually coughed up a lung (or so it seemed) and blasted the heat trying to dry off. never mind that i look like a wet dog today...

shirt: opal, vest: nordstrom, jeans, necklace & shoes: nordstrom rack

quick pic session dialogue:

me: "okay, ready!"

d: "cute. what do you think? let me guess... 'no, we need another one'..."

me: "oh dear. yes, we need another one."

d: sighhhh

god bless him for dealing with me :) xoxo.

status update:

i think i have a case of the mondays': tired, sad, irritable, not motivated, etc. i thought a pumpkin latte would be the cure-all, alas, it was not.

here is a quick little blog post to keep you apprised of what i am up to :)

what am i listening to?
blue october - congratulations

what am i wearing?

denim jacket, scarf & leggings: f21, t-shirt & shoes: nordstrom

hello kitty for f21

what is one goal i have this week?
be less grumpy :)

what is something i am looking forward to?

• m getting here on wednesday!!!!!!!!!
• sleeping in
• the girlfriends coming home
• catching up on my laundry
• giving bailey her doggie thanksgiving platter - wait until you see this :)
• m taking me out for frozen yogurt (m, will you take me, please?)

(i suppose that list is a bit long, but i am immensely excited about the aforementioned items). xoxo.

day seven

the stomach pains are back in full force. i suppose it is a sign that i need to alter my eating habits (again). i think i will take a break from baking, ice cream (i went to three grocery stores last night looking for birthday cake ice cream to no avail), and french fries. it is time to increase time at the gym, and decrease the amount of junk i consume on a daily basis. this will be interesting considering thanksgiving is only a few days away and all of my plans with m involve food.

just another day at the boutique for this girl:

(the fitting room shots are back, i'm sorry)

sweater/sweatshirt: uo, tank, jeans & shoes: nordstrom

yep, i will take all of these candles as my apartment building currently smells like

pickles + skunk + smoke

i took my febreze downstairs when getting the mail yesterday...

my efforts did nothing to rid the rotten stench

christmas in november at the boutique!



whoops, the ipod seems to be broken. i suppose i should go attempt to fix it... xoxo.

picture post

a summary of the weekend thus far in pictures :)

my favorite little munchkin!

...guess this is what happens when you have four kids + play-doh

i finally organized my jewelry

(my organizational skills are sub-par compared to a's jewelry arrangement - i will be sure to share that soon!)

i wanted a special way to display my camp erin pictures :)

what do you think?

enjoy the rest of your weekend! xoxo.

day six / happy birthday d!

today is d's birthday! happy birthday muffin! i hope you have an amazing day :) thank you for being the best friend i could ask for, and taking 2018380289 pictures of me for my outfit posts - if you were wondering who takes the majority of my pictures, it is this boy here!

last night i decided to take a little break from babysitting, volunteering, etc. and 1. clean/organize my room (pictures on the way if you'd like?), 2. relax, 3. catch up on revenge - ahh!, and 4. try a new dessert recipe.

day six:

t-shirt: gap, sweater: target, jeans: nordstrom, shoes: uo, necklace: f21

i <3 vans

today's outfit is fairly boring - i apologize. i was trying to find something versatile enough that i could wear it to work and then to babysit four little munchkins later tonight. tip: find work attire that can multi-task just like you do :) xoxo.

day five

i think i may have been overzealous in the amount of extra activities i have taken on recently... it feels a bit like i am drowning in the world of responsibility (though perhaps this is what being an adult feels like?). this week i have stayed up far too late, have not cleaned my room, and didn't get a chance to finish my book for book club last night. bad book club member, megan! i also have not gone to the gym in ages - hence my strategically chosen outfit/bag dress below :) keeping busy does help the week go by more quickly, so perhaps it is not all that bad...

AND in only six days, several of the girlfriends will be home from school, and m arrives here from san diego! he said the first thing he wants to do upon his arrival is stop at top pot for donuts and visit his real girlfriend, bailey. i suppose i cannot blame him as she is the cutest little bean of all time :)

day five:

dress: uo, tights: target, boots: nordstrom, necklace: borrowed from

my roommate's gem of a closet :)

hahaha my sweater tights are identical to the carpet

tip: strive to incorporate your summer wardrobe into fall. this dress is wonderful with sandals and a light jacket in the summer, but can also be worn with boots and tights during the fall. the dress + sweater tights combination today feels like wearing pajamas. so comfortable and forgiving of my lacking gym time this week :) xoxo.

day four

wednesday, welcome; so happy you are here. do you remember when i said i needed a treat yesterday??

cake balls from starbucks - mmm!

last night i babysat my favorite little eight year old, k. we went on our usual adventure to frozen yogurt + fred meyer. i must share with you what i found:

i thought this was the most beautiful stuffed wiener dog pillow...

it's actually a daschund door draft stopper

naturally, i had to get it. it looks like a pillow, right (sort of)?!

day four:

tank: store in SD near m's apartment, sweater: tj maxx, leggings: f21 (only $4.50!), shoes: toms, necklace: jcpenny

tip: leggings = love. i love leggings for fall. they can be dressed up or down, but feel like you are wearing pj's. i think you could dress this outfit up with boots, flats, a dressier sweater, etc. it also needs a splash of color, but i couldn't find quite the right item. maybe purple or turquoise? curse you no shopping november. got to run! book club is tonight and i still have 145 pages to go - yikes! xoxo.

day three

goodness gracious, how is it only tuesday? this week needs to speed up because i. am. tired. i think i need a treat and a nap and a day off. okaythankyougoodnight.

day three:

shirt, tank, & necklace: nordstrom, jeans: opal, grandma shoes: steve madden

hahahaha

d made this hat!

i love this shirt and necklace, but wish i had worn different pants and brown boots with it... darn. today's tip: mix 'n match. these are the same jeans i wore on day one of the work wear challenge, but they look somewhat different with a dressier top. i was going to try to avoid wearing jeans during the regular work week, but this morning i was simply too tired to find an alternative. you can substitute jeans for black pants, leggings, a fitted skirt, etc. with a boxy top similar to this. i will try to look more professional/awake tomorrow :) xoxo.

diary of a doggie

my name is bailey, and i am a very happy dog. i have a wonderful family; i especially love megan because she feeds me cheese and sneaks me extra treats. she taught me how to shake, play fetch, lay in the sun, and beg for food :) while i spend most of my time asleep, or resting, here are a few pictures of me throughout the day!

stay tuned for more pictures of me. xoxo, bailey

p.s. i just found out that my (dog) dad's name is tarzan :)

day two

helloooo monday morning at mcdonalds...

m, look what i found for you at whole foods:)

(m loves penguins. we are going to see happy feet two next week!)

work wear challenge day two:

dress & cardigan: f21, necklace: jcpenny, shoes: vera wang via khols

i love this necklace - even though i despise/fear birds :)

i love this dress because it is incredibly versatile; it is sleeveless, and thus could be worn throughout the year. i think it would look amazing with a black blazer in the evening, or a simple cardigan (black or any bright color) for work. tip: find versatile items in your closet, such as this, that you can piece together with different layers and accessories.

*i probably should have worn tights with this as it is freezing here today, whoops.