Comfort in the Cold

Top: Pimkie (France) | Cami: Charlotte Russe | Pants: JCPenney | Shoes: Shoe Dept |

Bow: Hot Topic | Watch: Japan | Green Dinosaur: Squishable

This is my comfy-when-it's-cold outfit. And my I-only-have-to-go-outside-once-today-so-I'm-not-going-to-put-in-more-effort-than-I-need-to outfit. I usually try to put in effort even if I'm not doing much in the day, but today I just felt like going to my cold weather go-to outfit. And honestly I love wearing this. The pops of color is just what I need to brighten my day and I've been in love with my fifi lapin sweater since I got it in France. 

The semester is starting to wind down here, as I'm sure it is for many others too. The stress is coming, followed by the sweet relief of winter break. I try to keep my cool by taking frequent breaks and try to get a few workouts in here and there.

What do you do to stay sane during the stressful end of semester? Good luck!

<3

Stripes and Tights

Jacket: Alloy | Dress (as top): Charlotte Russe | Skirt: Japan | Shoes: France | 

Tights: Target | Hair Bow: Hot Topic | Watch: Japan | Pin: Japan

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! Mine was a great relaxed afternoon with great company and delicious food. This outfit is what I wore for dinner, which I may have been a bit overdressed for, since apparently I am unaware about proper attire for Thanksgiving. But you know, I never really get to dress up so I enjoyed it :)

Below is the corn pudding I made for dinner. My mom taught me how to make it years ago and for any big dinners we'd have I'd usually make it so that she had more time to take care of everything else. But this was the first time I actually brought it myself to a non-family event, so I feel all grown up, ha.

Break is now almost over, which saddens me. How did the time go by so fast?!?! I guess it's time to go back to the usual daily grind.

How was your holiday? Are you ready to go back to normal?

<3

Thanksgiving Firsts

Happy Thanksgiving!

*Gobble Gobble*

I'm normally not a huge fan of Thanksgiving and don't say much about it. But this year Thanksgiving is different so I did want to share what I am thankful for, not just today, but during this season of my life.

I am thankful for:

• My family and friends who support me no matter what, even when I'm being crazy and make no sense.
• My education, because even though it drives me crazy half all the time I know that it will be very important for my future.
• The kind people at this university whom are inviting me to their home this afternoon even though I am not family.
• The clothes in my wardrobe, because even though I always complain that I hate what I have or need more, the fact that I have a choice in clothing is enough in itself.
• The life that I have. Seriously, life isn't as bad as I always think it is. Au contraire, it's quite awesome ;)

That's all I have for now, but there are many many things I am thankful for in my life! I am off to prepare my family's famous (not really) corn casserole dish for dinner tonight. This is my first Thanksgiving without my family but also the first time I actually get to contribute to the dinner! So it all works out in the end :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I want to hear all about it afterwards!

<3

Goal Completed: Make Something

Earlier this month I shared 4 goals with you that I hoped to complete by the end of 2012. I happy to say that I have completed one of these goals, Make something! I painted a flat canvas then added some origami flowers to it.

Please don't judge me too harshly on this, I really have not had much experience with painting. That is part of the reason why I added the origami, something I am at least decent in, but also just because I thought it would be fun to mix the two together!

It looks kind of small on my wall, but I enjoy it there. Now my wall isn't as boring, haha. Even though I completed this goal, I hope to continue creating more projects. It's such a great outlet and so much fun!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and any ideas for a next project!

<3

Currently...

Gaming with Secret of Mana. This is an old Super Nintendo game from the '90s that I loved but mostly watched my brother play. This is probably my one of my favorite games of all time so it was definitely time for me to play it myself and this weekend I finally beat it!!! I feel accomplished.

Watching any movie in my arsenal or on TV while I work on my craft projects, so that I have some background sound to keep me company. So far I have watched Ferngully (yes, apparently I'm 5) and The Fifth Element, which is pretty much my favorite movie ever and is my go-to film to play in background, because I know what's going on without having to look. Seriously, I can quote over half the movie, it's ridiculously awesome.

Making a ton of origami. So far I've made a few different types of flowers, a crane, and a dinosaur (pictured above). I can't stop folding!

Looking forward to having a Thanksgiving dinner, even though I'm away from my family. One of the directors in the Residence Life department here at Virginia Tech so kindly invited me to her home for dinner, along with some other staff in the department. It was such a sweet gesture!

Planning an art project. I want to practice painting, plus I have some canvases that are looking a little white and need some color on them! I may even be adding a unique element to it. I really hope it turns out well! I'll be sharing it with you all upon completion :)

Working on a paper. I included this just to say that I'm actually doing something school related. Nothing interesting to say about it.

I hope everyone is having an amazing day!

<3

Ready to Break

And by break, I mean take a break! Because I've got one full week off!

Top: Charlotte Russe | Long sleeve top: Kohl's (old) | Shorts: Charlotte Russe | 

Tights: Target | Boots: Shoe Dept. | Bow headband: Japan

Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I have one full week off from classes which I have been longing for all semester! I'm staying in Blacksburg for the first time to work a little, but I should have a good amount of time for myself to catch up and recuperate. Some of my plans for the week:

~Complete a few assignments and get a head start on some upcoming ones.

~Beat a video game I've been playing all semester!!

~Take some time to read for fun

~Accomplish one of my 4 goals

~Have fun :)

What do you have planned for yourself?

Enjoy the holidays and thanks for reading!

<3

Gifting on a Budget

At the end of October, my fiancé CJ and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. I could not believe we've been together for so long now. Time really has gone by fast! But I've been enjoying every minute of it :)

We unfortunately couldn't see each other on the actual date of our anniversary since it fell on a Monday, but sweet, sweet CJ had cookies delivered to me that night! They were from Campus Cookies, a local store that delivers a variety of yummy, warm cookies to the Blacksburg area. It was such a sweet unexpected surprise!

We ended up seeing each other the following weekend, which I would then give him my gift. But since CJ knew I've been on a tight budget (college student budget, woo), he made me promise not to spend more than $5 on him. After some thinking, I got inspired to create a fun little project. If you know anything about Pokémon, then hopefully these will be a little familiar. 

I painted these on two separate flat canvases. These are Umbreon and Jolteon, the two Pokémon that we chose to represent us. Yes, we are huge Pokémon nerds, in case you hadn't already realized ;)

This is Jolteon, as CJ. This is the half of the painting that he took home with him.

And this is Umbreon, as me, which I keep with me at my bedside table, haha. Then, once we can be together for good next year, these two will be joined together. Is that super cheesy? It's cheesy. But we're kind of cheesy like that :)

This isn't one of the 4 goals I had mentioned, since I made this before the goals. But this was a great way to get me inspired into more painting or crafting. I'm not very good at painting/drawing, but it's definitely something I would like to work on!

With the holidays coming up, doing small things like this are a great way to show how much you care about your friends and family, but without spending too much! If any of you create something, I'd love to see it! Thanks for reading!

<3

Winter Layers

Yeah, I'm a little cold, haha

Dress: Charlotte Russe | Top: 579 | Jacket: Macy's (I think?) | Scarf: Charlotte Russe | 

Tights: We Love Colors | Shoes: Blowfish | Headband: Gift | Watch: Japan

The winter cold is officially setting in and it makes me a little sad :( So I counter it by wearing my favorite tights and a cute dress! Because it's the little things that can always help cheer you up!

For some reason I have the hardest time buying winter clothes. I don't like sweaters that are super thick and swallow me up. Which usually means that I spend winter freezing, oops. But I do enjoy layering what I do have whenever I can, so that I can still enjoy my summer dresses throughout the year!

I just realized this week that I have one week of classes left before I my Thanksgiving Break. I'm not always crazy about the holiday, but I am surely grateful for getting a week off ;) This year I'll be staying in Blacksburg, which while it may not be as fun to go home and see my family, it'll be a week where I can take the opportunity for some "me" time, so I can re-energize myself to finish off the year! Almost there...!

<3