Beauty and the Beast

Last weekend I went with some friends to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D at the movie theater :) The movie is a favorite from our childhood, and it was such fun to see it again in the theater. I love the story and the music!
Maybe some people would say we're too old to be watching Disney movies, but honestly I still really enjoy watching them occasionally.
I was inspired by Kate's tribute to Belle's gown that she wore to the film, but I don't have any yellow dresses myself (I don't think yellow is a great color for me). I still tried to pick an outfit that would go with the theme of Beauty and the Beast though, so I ended up wearing this dress with roses on it since the rose is an important part of the movie :)


Outfit details:
Dress - Ruche
Tights - Francesca's Collections
Cardigan - H&M

Precious time

I know that I've only had classes for about a week, but so far it has been so much easier than past semesters! I have only had small amounts of homework, making me able to actually be done with homework for an evening because I've done everything I need to. Usually, I try to squeeze in as much homework as I can but still feel like I should do more, but this past week I actually feel as if I've finished. I even have extra time on my hands... 

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3

I know that once the semester gets going, I won't have as much time and will wish for more. It's too bad we can't store up hours in a bank, but I've been trying to stay productive since we only have the time we're given each day. I've exercised several times since classes started, which is a great improvement over last semester. My goal is to really make it a priority to exercise regularly this semester because I've slacked on that in the past. But so far, so good. 

How do you try to make the most of your time? 

Re-organizing my closet

When I arrived back to college with a couple suitcases full of clothes (I have nearly all of my clothes here with me) and started unpacking, I realized how many clothes I seem to have. I've never had trouble fitting everything in my apartment closet and drawer, but this time I was having trouble squeezing in everything! I did receive quite a few clothing items for Christmas, but I also realized that I have a number of pieces that I just don't wear anymore. My style naturally has changed some over the past few years as I transitioned from high school to college attire and I've also changed in clothing size (I've gone down, thankfully) - so I've been thinking it's okay for me to get rid of some things that I honestly never wear anymore. 

My side of the closet

I've gotten rid of some clothes back at home, but I'm thinking I will need to here as well since now even here I have things I don't wear. I'm planning to go through them soon and donate them or maybe sell a few to a consignment shop, though I doubt I'd really make any money. 


Today on the Ruche website, I found their ideas for re-organizing and revamping your closet.

Read the full article here. It gives ideas for not only getting rid of things you don't wear but also for being creative with what you do have :) 


So what are your ideas for re-organizing? How long do you wait before you get rid of clothing? Do you give it to friends or Goodwill or try to sell it? 

DIY - Redecorate Your Toms Shoes

About a year ago, I got my first pair of Toms Shoes. I really liked that the company gives a pair of shoes to a child in need with each purchase of a pair of shoes. When I got my shoes, I also discovered that they are super comfortable, and I think I wore them most days last winter and spring. They were even surprisingly comfortable to wear when walking around Italy. And so, even though I think they are good-quality shoes, they got a little worn out from my rather excessive use of them. I tried mending the hole they got in them, but they just weren't looking so great.

Sad Toms

Then last month I saw my friend Kelsy's adorable Toms, which she had redecorated herself with fabric, and I decided that I would try to do the same. I personally wouldn't try this with Toms that are in good shape, just in case something would mess up and ruin them, but these were nearing their end if they didn't get help soon!


I found this tutorial to use as guidance, but did mine a little differently.

The only supplies were a few types of fabric and fabric glue

I stuffed the inside of the shoes so they would keep their shape

I started with the toe, and tried to line it up with the fabric on the shoe
Then I cut it so it was close to the same size and glued it, tucking in the pieces at the bottom so that they would not look frayed

Here it is after the first section is finished

Then I did the rest of the shoe in two more sections
It's a little tricky to explain exactly how to do it... I played around with it some, trying to line up the fabric.  I'm sure you could do this in a variety of ways. One tip I have is to put glue on smaller sections at at time. 

Here's the finished product!

The only problem I had was that on the tan section, the glue showed through (as you can see in the pictures). I'm not sure if I used too much glue, or if that type of fabric just did that. I'm trying to decide if I should try to do something to fix it, or leave it as it is because I don't think it will be too noticeable when I'm wearing them. Let me know if you have any advice on how to improve them :) 

Fun-fetti

When I bought this shirt, it reminded me of fun-fetti cake... it has little bits of color against the cream, like sprinkles in a cake :) 

Here's a closer look 

blue shirt - H&M

cream top - Forever 21

Pants - Ruche

This is an outfit that I've worn several times this fall and winter. I really love these burgundy pants from Ruche, which I ordered a few months ago. They are very comfortable corduroys, and I love having red pants! Unfortunately, if you want some, they are currently out of stock, but they have some similar ones in other colors. 


I had some difficulty taking these pictures today because I couldn't really take them outside, and my room is so small that I just had to try to squeeze into a spot. Sorry they are kind of dim :( I hope you can see the outfit kind of okay anyway. 

Go, Create, Do

With the new year, I've been thinking a little more about what I want this blog to be, how I can give it more focus. I read several personal-style blogs, and so I've kind of based some of my posts on that idea. There are so many cool and unique blogs that it's hard for me to know how to make mine interesting, but not copy-cat anyone else's blog.

So, here are some thoughts I have:
I enjoy fashion because it's a way for me to try to be creative and express myself. I believe that how you dress sends a message about yourself. I want my personal style to be a reflection of me - I'm kind of a girly-girl, I try to take good care of myself, I am young, I try to have a healthy confidence about myself and how I look, I'm creative. I try not to get caught up in materialism and buying new clothes all the time, but I have to wear something (obviously) and clothes do get worn out (or too big/small) so it's fine to buy them when I need them. Basically the fashion aspect of my blog then has to do with self-expression and being creative :)

I also think creating other things is important for people to do. I like creating, whether it's food, craft projects or writing. I'd like to share some of the things I create on my blog.

Finally, I really want to embrace my life and really do things. I want to have an interesting life, love my friends, go on exciting adventures. I want to do things that are worth sharing on a blog, and not just feel like I'm going to sit around all of my life.

I want to go, create, do.

Here's an outfit I wore earlier this week, which includes several pieces I received for Christmas (sorry for my squinty eyes - the sun was shining right in my face!)
Pants and belt- Maurices
Shirt and gloves- H&M
Poncho - Forever 21