new year's day outfit

//dress: cotton on / sweater: thrifted / tights: fred meyer / shoes: thrifted / earrings: my grandma's//

By the time New Year's Day rolled around, I was pretty tired of coming up with dressy outfits for the church services, after having to do so four times already, and so I reverted back to an old favorite. I picked up this dress from Cotton On on clearance for $5. Although I usually shy away from form-fitting dresses because of my pear-shaped figure, I could hardly pass up the price and the beautiful shimmery fabric. I love wearing it with this boxy, cropped sweater over the top, which I think adds a nice bit of contrast to the style of the dress, and neatly covers up the somewhat immodest (and unflattering) top of the dress. Then, to add another touch of fanciness, I topped it off with the crystal earrings I inherited from my grandmother.

My New Year's Day was amazing. I spent New Year's Eve, after church, with my boyfriend, and we rang in the New Year (and our first anniversary!) by watching Die Hard. One of my sillier dreams ever since I was a little girl was to be able to welcome the New Year with a kiss, and that dream was wonderfully fulfilled this year. On New Year's Day, after the church service, Josh and I went to see the final Hobbit movie (so good!). We took a walk to see the Ivar's Clam Lights, a holiday light display at a nearby beach, which is something that has always been a holiday tradition in my family. I had tried to show them to Josh last New Year, but we were too late, and they'd been taken down...he was fairly certain I'd made them up so we would go on a moonlit walk, so I had to prove their existence to him this year. And I was finally able to give Josh the gift I'd been working feverishly on throughout the month, an art nouveau-inspired portrait of the two of us. He wasn't expecting it at all and seeing his reaction was pretty wonderful. :)

How was the start to your 2015?

back to school

//top, skirt, necklace, ring: forever21 / shoes: charlotte russe / tights: target / ring necklace: gift / backpack: thrifted//

This skirt has quickly become one of my closet staples. I don't typically like to wear pencil skirts, because I don't think they quite flatter my figure, but I'd been looking for a new denim skirt for quite some time when I found this one online at Forever21, and since I had a 30% discount code, I snapped it up. When it arrived, I was so excited to try it on, after which I realized it probably would have been a better idea to size up. Still, I was determined to make it work, and so I've been wearing it with layers or untucked tops/sweaters. And I'm pretty happy with it. It's great for more casual outfits, though its fittted nature doesn't make it the most practical of skirts. For a day of lounging around, a lunch date, or for going out to see a movie (which is what I wore this for), this is the perfect outfit. 

Well, school is starting up again, and I'm still waiting to see how much of my time these classes--intternational relations and research methods--are going to consume. After these classes, though, I've only got three more to go before graduation...how crazy is that? I can't quite believe it myself, though it really does seem like I've been in college forever. In some ways, I'm fearful for the time after graduation, when I'll have to enter the real world and get myself a job, but in other ways, I'm excited to be reaching another milestone and beginning yet another chapter of life, to see what God has in store for me. 

I'll talk to ya'll soon. :)

a very merry Christmas

//dress: forever21 / faux fur stole: cotton on / tights: fred meyer / shoes: charlotte russe / earrings: my grandma's / hair pins: DIY / lipstick: forever21//

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was hectic, but quite lovely all the same. Josh and I were both part of the choir for the Christmas Eve service at church, which was followed by the traditional family party at my aunt and uncle's...I always forget how large my family is until we're all crowded into one house with excited children running all over the place. I got up early Christmas morning to help Josh cook breakfast for his parents, after which we spent a nice, quiet morning together before church. After church, we headed to my house to exchange gifts (Josh has learned that the way to my heart is through Doctor Who...he's a keeper, guys), then back over to Josh's parents' for our first Christmas dinner with his family, before winding up the day at my family's huge Christmas party. We played a ridiculous game of Scrabble with my uncle, as per tradition, where the winning word was "Clackenwaggle"...because it just sounded right. It was a lovely Christmas, despite it being long and exhausting...I felt so incredibly blessed and grateful to be surrounded by all the people I love best, and to be able to add a whole new family to the mix, most of whole I've known all my life, but have become much closer to over the past year. 

I picked up this dress at Forever21 after searching high and low through the mall for the "right" dress (Josh was very patient with me and my indecisiveness). I was looking specfically for a velvet dress and I ended up asking one of the girls who was working there if she knew where any were. She was so absolutely sweet and took me throughout the store pulling out a variety of velvet dresses that she thought would suit my style, and colors that would suit my skin tone. I was so impressed and grateful that she went out of her way to help me find the perfect dress, and Forever21 will for sure continue to be one of my favorite places to shop. 

Anyway, as you can see, I went for a look inspired by the glamorous styles of the 1920s. I curled my hair and styled it in a faux bob, and went for fairly minimal makeup except for the red lip. I decided to style the dress a bit more simply, with black tights and my crazy black heels, and having the statement piece be my cozy fur stole (which my little cousin thought was a cat!). I'm quite happy with how it turned out...I did indeed feel quite glamorous! :)

How was your Christmas?