Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

February 26, 2013

The diagnosis is...

     In my last post I mentioned that I'd come down with something this past Sunday afternoon and I wasn't feeling too great. By Sunday night my fever was rising and I had the most unbearable headache in the world. My head was pounding, and I couldn't be around any sort of light, I just had to lie in my room with the shades drawn and the lights out. I've never had a migraine before, but this was probably as close as I've ever come to one.

     When I woke up yesterday my fever had gone up, my whole body was aching and I'd begun to develop a sore throat. My mom encouraged me to make an appointment with a local doctor. One of my suitemates was kind enough to drive me over (with my still present headache there's no way I could drive). The doctor diagnosed me with strep throat. I was put on antibiotics and high doses of ibuprofen and told to miss a couple more days of classes to rest.

     The ibuprofen seems to be doing its job as far as making my throat feel better, but that terrible headache hasn't left for a second. My head feels like it's about to explode everytime I get up, even if it's only for short periods of time. I'm really stressed about having to miss 3-4 days of school this week, especially since I have to miss 2 more next week for our trip to Italy. That's another thing- it's scary to think about my first trip abroad happening in 9 days when I can barely get out of bed right now!

     On one positive note though, being sick has made me realize how many wonderful friends I do have at college. A few people stopped by my room today with food deliveries for me, and many more have sent me kind texts and Facebook messages asking how I'm feeling. My parents have also been in constant touch. It's nice to know that I don't have to go through this on my own! I'm so thankful for these family and friends that God has blessed me with.

     Prayers for me to have a quick recovery would be much appreciated!! I hope that all of you are having a better start to your week than I am.


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 24, 2013

Under the weather.

     I had planned a little post tonight showing y'all what I got when I was out shopping in the city today, but that will have to be postponed. While driving back to school in the afternoon I started feeling really lightheaded and weird. I thought it was because I was hungry but food didn't help. I finally took my temperature and realized I had a fairly high fever. My body had also started aching and I had a terrible headache. Despite the fact that I got a flu shot about a month ago I think that I may have the flu.

     This is really, really bad timing as I have a midterm and other important assignments to do this week, and in less than two weeks I leave for Italy for Spring Break! I need to kick whatever this is out of my system soon. I'm going to skip classes to sleep in tomorrow, so hopefully that will help. I've also been taking some flu medication that my (very smart) mom had sent me to school with. Any prayers for  quick recovery would be much appreciated though! I feel terribly. :-(


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 22, 2013

Fun Fact Friday {4}

      I skipped last week's FFF post due to the fact that I was en route to Gatlinburg, but I'm participating in my blogging/real life friend Emily's link-up again this week.


February 22nd, 2013


  1. This morning I got up an hour earlier then I had to for classes... so I could go to Chick Fil A and get a spicy chicken biscuit sandwhich. It was a beautiful eating experience in case you were wondering. :-)
  2. It is my college friend M's 19th birthday tomorrow! She often takes the pictures for my fashion posts on this blog. She's such an awesome girl and tonight a few of us girls are going to Olive Garden to celebrate her birthday.
  3. I leave for Italy for spring break in less than 3 weeks eek! I'm really excited to go to Italy but I'm also extremely nervous because we have lots of layovers and changes of planes...
  4. Pertaining to fact #3, I'm scared of layovers. Like, terrified. Just thinking about them makes me anxious. 
  5. I love it when guys wear Sperrys. I think it's so preppy and cute! 

      If you would like to participate in Fun Fact Friday please give credit to Emily in your post and follow her blog! Her blog is private, so shoot her a friendly e-mail at theadventuresofrosieblog@gmail.com to have her approve you as a follower!


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 19, 2013

Fashion post {2/19/13}









  • Shirt: Charlotte Russe (November 2012)
  • Cardigan: Charlotte Russe (January 2010)
  • Jeggings: American Eagle (January 2013)
  • Boots: Shoe Depot (September 2012)
  • Earrings: Forever 21 (January 2013)
  • Bracelets: {Featured in previous blog posts found here and here

     I think that mint and black is one of my new favorite color combinations! There aren't any close up pictures of my eye make-up here, but today I coordinated that as well by using mint colored sparkly shadow and black liner! 
     My jeggings and earrings were both bought on my trip to NYC at the beginning of January, at flagship stores for the brands that they're from. I haven't worn the earrings before today, but I love them! They're so blingy and over the top but sometimes I like to wear tacky things like that on occasion. The best part is I paid under $10 for them- Forever 21 always has the best earrings for cheap!
      I first spied this shirt at a Charlotte Russe store on Black Friday this past year. However, by the time I saw it I'd already made a lot of other purchases and since it wasn't on sale I didn't want to spend anymore money that day. I couldn't get the image of the cute little mint green top with the gold buttons out of my mind though, so a few days later I browsed the Charlotte Russe website and was pleased not only to find the shirt, but also to find that the company was having an online sale! I quickly decided to buy it and it became my first online clothing purchase. :-) The white camisole that I'm wearing under this is from Wet Seal.
     The black flowy cardigan is also a Charlotte Russe find, but I've had that since my sophomore year of high school! I brought the whole outfit together with these black heeled boots. I've worn them in a prior fashion post back in October. And last but not least y'all get a great shot of my "desperately-needing-to-be-repermed-and-highlighted" hair. I love wearing my hair down but sometimes I get bored, so I decided to add in two mini braids today.


     What are some color combos that you're loving right now?


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 18, 2013

Fashion post {2/18/13}






   



  • Vest: Gift from my mom (2011)
  • Sweater: Target (November 2010)
  • Jeans: American Eagle (2012)
  • Scarf: Christmas gift from a cousin (December 2011)
  • Shoes: Sperry Topsider {Bought at Dillards'} (January 2012)
  • Ring: Lia Sophia (June 2012)
  • Nail Polish: Borrowed from a classmate on this past weekend's French club retreat :-)

     This is a very casual look for me as far as my classroom attire goes. But affter such a busy weekend retreat spent in Tennessee with my college's French club, I was too tired to dress up for my Monday classes and commitments. As you can see in these pictures my hair was a bit unruly this morning- noramally I'd try and through it into a cute style but my attitude of the day when it came to my hair was Meh, let it hang loose. Haha. :-)
     I'm not usually a big fan of bootcut jeans but I wear them occasionally. Same goes for vests. My mom had gotten me this purple vest a couple years ago but I'd never actually worn it until this past weekend! I brought it on my trip to Gatlinburg and realized I could make it look cute by pairing it with coordinating accessories and cute shoes. I was psyched to realize that my favorite scarf matched it perfectly! I added this white v-neck sweater as the base of the outfit. The icing on the cake was my lovely Lia Sophia ring! I've featured this ring in fashion posts before- since I didn't get an official class ring from my high school this ring filled the void since I got it as a graduation gift from my parents and it's in my high school colors.
     A few weeks ago I blogged about how excited I was to get these shoes- my first pair of Sperrys. Well, my excitement for them has died down. Today was only my second day wearing them because they give me the worst blisters ever and make my heels bleed! :-( Surely not what I was expecting. Some of my suitemates have told me that this is normal and I just have to keep wearing them until my feet make calluses or the shoes become softer and break in, but I'm not sure how much more of this I can put up with! I have been wearing them without socks which may be part of the problem, but I don't think they'd look cute with socks either. Do any of y'all have suggestions for breaking in Sperrys?


     I'm off in about an hour to host my weekly radio show at our campus radio station! It's the highlight of my week- I get a whole hour to play songs from my favorite time in music, which would be late 90s/early 2k billboard hits, or the music popular in my childhood. :-) If you'd ever like to tune in please e-mail me at rainbowflash94@yahoo.com and I'll let you know how to listen online! My show airs from 6-7 pm on Monday nights EST. 


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 17, 2013

Gatlinburg Weekend.

     I just came back a couple hours ago from a fun-filled retreat with the French club at my college! My French teacher, her husband, and our French teaching assistant each drove a car filled with French students to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee for a weekend in the tourist town of Gatlinburg. It was a wonderful chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of school and a trip of a couple "firsts;" my first time in Tennessee and my first time seeing snow south of the Mason-Dixon line! Here's a few pictures of Gatlinburg:








     On the way out of Gatlinburg we took a different route, driving through the neighboring town of Pigeon Forge. Piegon Forge had more strange tourist attractions then I've ever seen in one place in my life! Here's just a few of them:

(I was especially curious about the "Biblical Times Feast" that advertised having "holograph technology." Umm what?!)












     ....And the last but not least, a picture of the most blunt sign for a store that I've ever seen in my life. While I'm definitely not a fan of adult stores, this sign made me, my French teacher and the other girls in our car laugh until we cried! Gosh... wonder what this store with the red sign sells? ;-)




     Have any of you gone on a weekend getaway lately?


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 16, 2013

Dissapointment.

     I hate rejection.

     That's really all that this posts comes down to. I applied to be an RA (resident advisor) for next year at my college. I was recruited a few weeks ago while on my way to lunch in the caf by a staff member for housing. After a brief conversation he told me that he thought I'd make a great RA and encouraged me to apply. I learned that RA's make a better salary then I thought and also got to use their leadership skills to plan events for residents of the buildings they were assigned to. This sounded like the perfect job for me- flexible and sporadic hours as well as getting a chance to be a leader in campus.

     RA training was last Saturday. It started at 8 a.m. sharp which means that I sacrificed my sleep-in time to go to this. There were only 13 or 15 students trying out, so the odds were technically in all of our favors. Training involved lots of group activities and ended with an interview. I tried to stay positive and do the best that I could. I was told I'd find out if I got the job or not by 5 p.m. today.

     My e-mail came around 4:55 this afternoon (talk about waiting until the last minute). One of my good friends was also going out for being an RA and she'd found out earlier in the day that she got the job. I was so excited... and then my spirits were quickly crushed when I found out that it didn't happen for me.

     Tears came to my eyes and I kept wondering "Why didn't they want me? What did I not have that the other students did?" I was so excited and I knew that I would have given my full dedication to this job, so I just didn't get it.

     But I'm trying to remember that God has a great plan for my life, and I suppose that being an RA my sophomore year of college just wasn't what He wanted. I'm trying to stay open minded and realize that by not being an RA it means that I'll have more time next year and that could open the door to another great opportunity that I might not even know about now. I'm taking comfort in this bible verse:

     "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)


     I'm sorry if this post had such a negative mood to it, but I really needed to vent about this. This weekend I am away in Tennessee (my first time there!) with the French club from my college for our winter retreat so hopefully this will provide me with a nice distraction and allow me to let go of my dissapointment. Expect some fashion posts next week!


     xoxo Miss ALK
    
Share:

February 14, 2013

While I'm Waiting. (Valentine's Day post 2013 part 2)

     Yesterday I wrote down some very jumbled yet honest thoughts of mine on love and purity, and how I'm waiting for God to bring a great man into my life. Today's post is my conclusion to yesterday's!

     First off, I hope that y'all are having wonderful Valentines' Day! Take the time to tell everyone in your life that you love them, not just your significant other. :-) Next year I'm going to try and make homemade valentines for my college friends.

     I think I made myself pretty clear in my post yesterday that I'm currently single and waiting for God to bring an amazing guy into my life. So until then... what to do? In high school I definitely spent my fair share of time moping around my house because I didn't have a boyfriend. But what did all of that wasted time accomplish? Absolutely nothing. God wants us to make the most of our single years by spending time getting to know Him better, and also getting to know ourselves better. After observing friends that are dating I realize that having a significant other takes up a lot of one's time! So here are the things that I'm focussing my time and attention on until I have a boyfriend!

1.) Relationship with God: As I've said before, one of my goals for 2013 was to spend more time with my Heavenly Father and deepen my faith. I need to remember everyday that God is my everything and not to take him for granted. I'm making going to church every Sunday a must, and I've been blessed to find a wonderful church near my college that I attend with some sweet friends. I also make it a priority to attend the worship service that my school holds every Tuesday night, and I'm a member of a girls bible study on campus. These 3 things have immensely helped me to grow in my faith! I'm also reading the bible a lot more as well as devotionals, and making daily prayer time important. These things all take time out of my day, but it's time well spent!

2.) Schoolwork: I've always been a pretty good student, but I've learned that you have to work a lot harder in college for your grades! I'll admit that my senior year of high school I slacked off a little bit in a couple classes... but in college I take my schoolwork very seriously. :-) I was blessed last semester to make the Dean's list and all A's for my first semester of college! But this doesn't come without hard work and attention. Not having relationship commitments and problems occupying my brain means that I have more energy to focus on my homework.

3.) Preparation for my career: I mention in my About Me page that I'm a communications major and my goal is to work as DJ on the radio someday. I'm very blessed to attend the school that I do because my college has a radio station that I volunteer at! Since the second week of school I've been DJing two afternoons a week, and a few weeks ago I just started my very own radio show on Monday nights! I got to pick a theme for my show, and I chose to do 90s/early 2000s pop! Yes- I'm bringing boybands back. :-) I hope to have an internship at a commercial radio station my senior year of college, and possibly junior year as well. (If you'd ever like to listen to me on air in the afternoons or my evening show e-mail me at rainbowflash94@yahoo.com and I'll let you know how to listen online!)

4.) Doing things for myself: When I'm stressed out after a long day or week, sometimes the best medicine is forgetting about all of the things that I have to do for a little while and taking the time to do something that make me happy. Typically with me this involves a trip to Chick Fil A for a milkshake... :-) Other things that I enjoy doing are reading non-school books, catching up on my favorite TV shows, painting my nails, straightening/curling my hair, finding a friend to play tennis with, and blogging! It's honestly amazing what a little "me time" can do to lift your spirits. Another favorite past-time since coming to college is napping!

5.) Girl time: I never had a ton of girlfriends in high school, so it's been wonderful to meet so many sweet Christian girls at college and to be able to call so many of them my friends. A perfect day for me at this time in my life would involve spending some time in the city with some girlfriends, eating at a yummy (and hopefully cheap) restaurant and then doing a little shopping! I'm prioritizing my girl friendships here at college and I love letting my friends know how much I appreciate them.


     For you single girls reading this- what are some things that you like to do to occupy your free time? And married/taken ladies- how do you balance your relationship with your other responsabilities? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :-)


     xoxo Miss ALK <3
Share:

February 13, 2013

What I'm looking for. (Valentines' Day 2013 part 1)

This is part 1 of my thoughts on Valentines' Day, love, purity, guys and a bunch more things... part 2 will arrive tomorrow!

Tomorrow marks Valentines' Day #18 for my as a single lady. This will also be my 18th Valentines' Day. Hopefully most of you can make the connection that this means that I've never been in a relationship on a February 14th... :-)

     In the past I've been much more bummed about about never having a "Valentine." I honestly believe that most of this is because I went to a public high school where there was a lot of peer pressure to have a boyfriend and be in a relationship. I found myself being jealous of my friends that did get to celebrate the holiday with their significant other. These feelings caused me to have a giant pity party every year instead of just realizing all of the blessings in my life.

     This year at college my views have totally shifted. While it would have been awesome to spend the holiday with a great guy, I'm trying instead to have positive views. My faith has grown so much since I've been at college, and I know that God will bring the right amazing man into my life at the right time. So until then, I'm trying to deepen my relationship with God and work on being the best person that I can be, as well as taking time to really enjoy things that I like to do (more on that below).

     A wonderful book that I'm almost finished with reading is called "Wait For Me" by Rebecca St. James. Rebecca is a Christian artist who waited faithfully for God to bring her the perfect man in His timing. She's a great role model and I thouroughly enjoyed this book! In the past I've felt weird and immature because I don't have much experience with guys or romantic relationships, but this book made me start to value my purity and desire to hold onto it. It made me realize how when I meet the right person he is going to be so honored that I saved myself for him and stayed true to my Christian morals. A bible verse that has been especially encouraging to me during this time is this:

     "...Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." -Song of Solomon 8:4 (NIV)

     The book encouraged readers to set purity standards for themselves so that staying pure won't be a challenge in future dating relationships. I think this is a great idea! While it would be amazing if the first guy I date is my future husband, I realize that the likelihood of this is small so I decided to set purity standards for myself so that I'll never "go too far" with someone that I'm just dating. One of them is that when I'm still in the beginning stages of a dating relationship I'd like to do as much stuff in groups of friends as possible, it'll give me a way to see how my boyfriend acts around my friends and also to help us stay away from getting too physical. 

     And finally, here are some characteristics that I hope my future husband will have. I don't like to get too specific in terms of physical appearence because ultimately God will decide who I marry and they could be totally different from what I'm expecting. All I'll say in terms of looks is that I should find them attractive. :-)  But I do hope that my guy will:

1.) Be a Christian (Not being a Christian isn't really an option!): My faith is so important to me, and I honestly can't even imagine spending my life and being intimate with someone who doesn't believe in the same amazing God that I do. If the guy is a true Christian then this also means that he won't pressure me into having sex before marriage, and he'll also be pure.

2.) Have a love of travel: I absolutely adore travelling. I get bored easily if I'm in the same place for too long. Moving to the south for college was definitely the best decision that I've ever made for many reasons, but one of my favorite parts of this is that I've gotten to know a new part of the country very well. This coming spring break I'll be going overseas for the first time (to Italy!) and I hope that this is just the first of many big trips for me. In the future, I'd rather have a smaller and more modest home versus a big house if it means that I can use some of the saved money to travel more! I'm honestly not sure if I could be with someone who is a homebody or is afraid of flying. With that said I hope my guy will love the south! So far I'm loving life here and hopefully I'll be able to stay in the south after graduation in a few years. 

3.) Be content without children for awhile: Kids are great, and I think that I'll probably want 1 or 2 down the road but honestly I don't feel that God is calling me to motherhood anytime soon. The idea of birth freaks me out beyond belief (there's a good chance I'll adopt). When I get married I'd like to take a few years to really get to know my husband and enjoy married life. We could use our extra time to focus on our careers and our relationship with each other, as well as volunteering our time to get involve in a church and ministry! I also want to fufill my lifelong dream of having a puppy before a baby comes along. :-) Now granted, if I don't get married until my mid 30s or later then this could change, but if I do get married soon after college then these thoughts will stand true! 


     If you've read this far and made it through my jumbled post I am quite flattered! I'd love to hear your responses to everything I've talked about so feel free to leave a blog comment! And part 2 of this will be coming tomorrow- I'll be talking about things I can love in my life before falling in love.


     xoxo Miss ALK 
     
Share:

February 12, 2013

One of my favorite senior year memories.





     Around this time last year I was shopping for my senior prom dress. For junior year I had bought a fairly cheap dress at JC Penney and worn accessories that I already owned, so my mom said that I could splurge senior year. We headed south to the Boston, Massachusetts area in search of some specialty formal stores. Had I gone with a short dress for prom I would have gotten the multicolored one in the first photo. The puffy and sparkly purple dress that I'm holding in the second photo isn't really my style, but I really liked the color of it, and hoped to find a more form-fitting long dress in that style. Buuutttttt that's not what I ended up with! :-)




     I said "yes" to a very bright neon orange high-low ballgown! Since the photos at the dress store were taken with my phone the color isn't well represented, it's definitely a much prettier and brighter orange if you were to see it in person! The funny thing is that this isn't the type of dress I pictured buying at all (Nor in the budget that I hoped to buy from, but that's another story!) I only found this dress because the girl in the fitting room next to me tried it on and didn't want it. My mom told me to try it on for fun and it fit perfectly! I knew I had found the most beautiful and perfect senior prom dress.

     So the moral of my little dress story is a.) whatever type of occasion you're dress shopping for, don't be afraid to try something out of your comfort zone. When I say that I don't mean something that's immodest, but what I do mean is a color that you might not have pictured yourself in or a different style. You could surprise yourself! And b.) treasure these special shopping moments. Whether it's an Easter dress, prom dress, or your wedding gown, the shopping experience will be over in the blink of an eye, and it's definitely something that you'll want to remember. To be honest I think I enjoyed the whole prom dress shopping process more than prom itself!


     What's the next event that you'll need a beautiful dress for? For me it'll be my college's upcoming spring dance!


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 10, 2013

Fashion post {2/10/23}










  • Dress: Hand-me-down from my mom 
  • Cardigan: Kohl's (Fall 2009)
  • Shoes: DSW (October 2009)
  • Necklace: Bought by my mom (Origin unknown-I found it buried in my room at home over Christmas break)
  • Earrings: Hand-me-down from my cousin (June 2010)
  • Bracelet: Kohl's (2011)
  • Ring: Lia Sophia (June 2012)
  • Headband: Charming Charlie (November 2012) 


     I'm big on dressing up for church on Sundays. I usually wear a pretty dress or skirt to church, and I only wear dress pants if the weather is bad. I feel personally like church is such a special time of week and dressing nicely is a way to show respect to God and to the act of going to church itself.
     This was my church outfit today! My dress is actually a hand-me-down from my mom. We're pretty similar clothing sizes and she gave it to me last year. I'm not quite sure where it came from (my guess is Macy's or TJ Maxx) but I love it! The fabric is stretchy so it's very comfortable to wear. It is a little low-cut so I put a tank-top from Wet Seal underneath it.
     I chose to accessorize with the colors black and white. My shoes are from DSW and are like a wedge/heel combo and are quite comfortable to wear! I've used this black cardigan in past fashion posts, and the newest item that I'm wearing is my flower headband from Charming Charlie. I opted for fake pearls for my earrings and necklace- always classy. :-)
     Since my other accessories were on the simpler side I wanted to go blingy with my bracelet and ring. Altogether I think that it makes a pretty bright Sunday best outfit! Haha. And a big shout-out to one of my awesome suitemates for taking these fun pictures! Isn't the lighting awesome?
     This is what my natural hair looks like y'all. I straightened it last night. I permed my hair in September shortly after I started this blog, so almost all of my pictures here have shown me with wavy or curly hair. For the first 17 years of my life I had pin straight hair. I love having permed hair now but every now and then I miss my natural look.
     Last but not least, sorry for the awkward picture of my eye but I wanted to show y'all my cool teal eyeliner. I get very bored with doing the same eye make-up everyday so I like to mix things up! This teal color is one of my favorites! It's by Almay which is found at all drugstores. Their make-up is hypoallergenic and since I have sensitive skin I have a bunch of their products.


     What do y'all like to wear to church? Do you go casual or dressy or somewhere in between?


     xoxo Miss ALK
Share:

February 8, 2013

Fun Fact Friday {3}

     What a long week it's been for me, and an equally long Friday today. I plan to blog more about my some of the things that happened to me today in another post though, because now it's time for another round of Fun Fact Friday inspired by my real life and blogging friend Emily from The Adventures of Rosie!


February 8th, 2013


1. One of the things that I did in this busy day was head to a mall for a little bit. I found an adorable black dress at Belk (The ultimate southern department store in case all you Northerners didn't know ;-) ). Orignal price was $50. I found it on a clearance rack and want to know how much I paid? $7.46 Yes that's right, over 85% off! Talk about the ultimate bargain! I guess this was more of a story than a fun fact, but I thought this might encourage all you fellow bargain shoppers out there.
2. Apparently Maine and the rest of New England is getting pounded tonight with quite the snowstorm. I can definitely say that I'm very, very glad to be in the South.
3. I recently discovered Lifeway Christian Stores, and I fell in love! I went to the one closest to my school twice in the past week. What an awesome blessing it is to have stores like this that sell all Christian resources. :-)
4. I strongly dislike art museums. I think they're one of the most boring things on earth. Minus a fun trip to one in Boston with some of my high school friends at the start of senior year I've never had an enjoyable experience in one. The ironic thing is my mom is an artist and in high school I had a lot of artsy friends, but I guess that never rubbed off on me!
5. This will be Valentine's Day #18 for me as a single woman... woot woot. ;-) Honestly though I'd rather be single anyday than be with the wrong person- I trust that God is saving me for an amazing guy!


     If you would like to participate in Fun Fact Friday please give credit to Emily in your post and follow her blog! Her blog is private, so shoot her a friendly e-mail at theadventuresofrosieblog@gmail.com to have her approve you as a follower!


     xoxo Miss ALK

Share:

February 7, 2013

Fashion Post {2/7/13}








  •    Shirt: Forever 21 (January 2013)
  •    Jeans: American Eagle (Fall 2011)
  •    Boots: L.L. Bean (September 2011)
  •    Scarf: Old Navy (Winter 2010)
  •    Earrings: Gift from a friend (Fall 2010)
  •    Bracelet: Gift from a family friend (September 2012)


     First off, I want to proudly announce to y'all that this is my first fashion post in quite some time where I'm not wearing my famous leather boots! I am still wearing boots though- just cowboy boots instead. :-) It was a chilly and rainy day in NC and sadly I don't own a pair of rainboots, so these are the best shoes that I have for wet weather! I'm not a 'cowboy-boots-all-day-every-day' kind of girl, but I do enjoy wearing them from time to time, especially when paired with sundresses and my jean jacket.
     I'm in love with the color of this shirt! I got it at Forever 21 last month when I was in New York City. Another reason that I love this shirt is that it's high cut enough to be modest, and I think it's cute with the 3/4 length sleeves. I thought that this floral scarf that I've had for a couple years was the perfect addition to complete the outfit, along with my favorite pair of skinny jeans. I'd gotten this scarf my sophomore year of high school at Old Navy. I'm not usually too big on Old Navy (I'll only go there if someone gives me a gift card usually.) but I must say that they have some beautiful scarves!
     My bracelet and earrings were both gifts from two different friends, but they match together almost perfectly! Since I'm wearing such a bright scarf I didn't want to over-accessorize, but I think these work well with the colors in my outfit without being 'too much.'


     Happy Friday tomorrow everyone! Have a great end of the week.


     xoxo Miss ALK


   
Share:

February 5, 2013

Obsession/Vera Bradley favorites.



     Two words. Vera. Bradley. The title of this blog post may have been a bit off... I'm not sure this is a "little obsession." There are 18 Vera things in this picture, plus I have had two purses in the past that I wore out, and I have a lunch bag that I keep at home in Maine. This collection didn't happen overnight for sure- I got my first Vera item for my 13th birthday!
     So why do I love Vera Bradley so much? Definitely the top reason is because it's colorful. This might seem a little obvious, but I'm obsessed with anything that has bright eye-catching colors. I think for while Vera's motto was "Be Colorful!" The fact that most of the patterns involve floral designs is simply an added bonus, since I have a weakness for anything with flowers.
     Vera Bradley can be a bit expensive, but I think that all of their accessories are worth the investment. They last a long time and are well made. They also have products to fit literally every aspect of your life! Here are a few of my personal favorites from the Vera website.

1. Zip ID Case



     I own two of these, one in "Doodle Daisy" (left) and the one on the right is "Safari Sunset," which is the one that I'm currently using for my car keys. Inside of these IDs is a handy place to store important cards. I keep my drivers license and AAA cards in here so that I don't always have to grab my large wallet when I have to drive somewhere. On the other side of these ID's they have a clear panel so that you can see the first card displayed (I just am showing the back side of them for privacy :-) ). These are some of the cheapest Vera products that you can by. New prints sell for $12.00 and retiring prints are sold for $9.99. They come in every Vera pattern! I think that these would make great gifts for almost any occasion for a special friend or family member in your life. Since mine comes in so handy at college I might buy one for a friend who is graduating high school this spring!


2. Laptop Portfolio




     Out of all of my Vera items this one has probably gotten the most use! I have this laptop bag in "Very Berry Paisley" which is now a retired color, but Vera Bradley still makes this bag in all of their current colors! It's one of their more expensive items, for a new pattern it costs about $84.00 and for a retired print around $63.00. I honestly believe though that this bag is worth every penny, because it's one of the most well-made laptop cases around. Underneath the pretty print there is a ton of really think padding to keep your computer safe and sound. Seriously, you could throw this bag off of a cliff and your laptop would probably still be totally fine (Just don't try this at home :-) ). There's also two large handy pockets on either side of the bag. It makes a great airplane carry-on! Not only does it fit my computer but when I fly I'm usually able to stick a journal and a few books in the pockets as well.


3. Good Book Cover



     This is one of my newer Vera items. It was a Christmas gift from my parents last month. I gave them a couple names or prints that I liked, and they picked out this one, it's called "Indigo Pop." The official name for this product is "Good Book Cover" so I took it to mean that this was a cover designed for the good book of ALL good books... the bible! :-) I got my bible in Christmas 2006 so it's looking a little ratty now and I figured it was time to invest in something to protect it. Like my laptop case this has a large pocket on the outside under one of the handles, and the inside has a few beautiful ribbons sewn into the cover that you can use to mark the pages in whatever you're reading. It's roomy enough that I can keep my sermon notes journal in with it, or it would also be big enough to fit a few fiction books- perfect for a day of beach reading or travelling! Regular price for a new pattern is $34.00 and for sale patterns it's currently $20.40.


     Do y'all like Vera Bradley? Or is there a different brand of accessories that you're going nuts for?


     xoxo Miss ALK


     P.S. I finally have an updated "About Me" page... click here to check it out!

Share:
Blog Design Created by pipdig