What I Wore to Work: March 2020.

    It's an understatement to say that a lot has changed since I shared my February work outfits about a month ago! Lots of you are now working from home, and some of you I'm sure sadly aren't working at all right now. 😓What crazy times!

     I have still been documenting my work outfits in March since I've still been going to work M-F. (On-air radio staff are considered essential personnel.) I've still been dressing the way I normally do on weekdays, and I hope that seeing these outfits might bring a little bit of normalcy to your Monday, which is why I'm still sharing! March has continued the trend of January and February for being unusually warm, so I've enjoyed wearing lots of spring looks this month. 

5 Life Lessons I Learned When I Lived in Vermont.

    This month marks two years since I moved from Vermont to Virginia!! (March 18th, 2018 to be exact.) Last year I celebrated my first move anniversary by sharing a detailed post on all things Charlottesville: things I loved about living here, things about the area that confused me, and how the first year had been for me from a work and personal standpoint. This year I wanted to do something different to celebrate year two! Instead of focusing on all things Charlottesville... I wanted to go back down memory lane to Vermont.

     I lived in Vermont for 11.5 months- I love to joke that I couldn't quite make it to the full one year mark! 😂April 2017 to March 2018 was by far the most unique, trying, confusing, and lonely phase of my life to date. But with that said- it was also a time of reflection, growth, refinement, and some special happy moments as well. 11.5 months of high highs and some low lows!

     To commemorate two years since the move, today I wanted to share the five most prominent life lessons that I learned while living in Vermont:

Midweek Ramblings.

{Saw the prettiest spring tree while out for a walk the other day! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk} 

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How To Design Color-Coded Statement Shelves.

     One of my favorite things about my current apartment is the color coded statement shelves that I've designed in the living room! I've never had bookcases be the center of a living room in past apartments, but now I'm obsessed and think I'll always do something similar with shelving in future apartments or homes that I have. Designing these shelves was a lot easier than I expected, and I'm excited to share more in today's post! 

    This post has been on my editorial calendar for quite some time, but seems even more appropriate now given social distancing and spending more time at home! This would be an easy project to stay busy with indoors.

BETTER than the NSale: The Best Picks from Nordstrom's Surprise Online Sale!

     While I do enjoy browsing and doing a little bit of shopping in the famous Nordstrom Anniversary Sale each summer, I'm pretty open about the fact that I do find it to overall by too hyped up by bloggers. Are there some decent deals to be found? Yes! But is the NSale life-changing or worth updating your entire wardrobe for? No.

Midweek Ramblings.

{Social distancing = lots of Delilah cuddles in the near future. Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

101 in 1001: 6 Month Update

     A week ago marked six months since I started my first 101 in 1001 bucket list! If you missed my original post or are unfamiliar with the concept of 101 in 1001, they are categorized bucket lists with 101 items to complete in the next 1001 days (which is like 2.75 years). The concept was started by blogger Mackenzie of Design Darling, and I've seen tons of other bloggers do them over the years! I wanted to wait until I was in a place in life where I felt somewhat "settled" to do my first one, and my 25th birthday seemed like the perfect time to finally share a 101 in 1001.

     The past six months have gone by really quickly, and looking back now I'm amazed at how many items on this list I've already checked off! Some of them are also items that are in progress, and might be completed by the one year update in September. Time to share what I've done so far!

The $20 Spring Dress I Would've Worn on Vacation.

     This Monday is a very different one than I was expecting- and I'm sure I'm not alone in having a major change of plans! I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off from sharing new blog posts with all of the crazy news last week (it was a weird few days at work and blogging wasn't really my focus), but I'm ready to be back full force with new posts this week! 😊 It won't be the vacation content I was expecting to give you, but I'm doing the next best thing today: still styling a dress that I was going to wear on vacation!

Midweek Ramblings.

{Enjoying the beautiful spring weather on Monday at Barboursville Winery- one of my favorites! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

Vera Bradley x New Hope Girls.

     Starting off this new week by sharing my first spring outfit of 2020, and introducing y'all to some cute bags for a great cause. Happy Monday!

Travel Diary: NYC Girls' Trip on a Budget.

     Last weekend, a group of my Charlottesville girlfriends and I enjoyed the best weekend in New York City! I've been to NYC tons of times before, but with the exception of NYFW last year with my friend Gentry, it's always just been with my parents. This was my first time in NYC for a group girls' trip, and it was even more fun than I than I expected!

Midweek Ramblings.

{Loved this gorgeous decorated door I found in SoHo this past weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

🌴Shopbop Sale Picks for Spring Break.

      If you read my weekly Wednesday Midweek Ramblings posts on the blog, you might have noticed that the "Purchases" section of those posts has been a little smaller each week in 2020. While I'm not doing a shopping fast or specifically trying to not purchase new items, I have found myself recently wanting to be more mindful about the things I am purchasing. I still like cheap fast fashion brands for very trendy items, but as I get further into my 20s and adulthood I'm realizing that I definitely do want to be investing more money into staple pieces, that I can take care of well and wear for years to come.

     Shopbop is a great online retail destination for those more splurge-worthy and designer pieces! I've followed my favorite bloggers posting their Shopbop Spring Sale picks for years, but I always assumed that everything on the website was out of my budget. Turns out that's not the case! While Shopbop does carry some exclusive designer lines that are at very high price points, they also have tons of items on their website for under $200, and a lot for under $100 and $50 as well! Shopbop also carries a great selection of some of my favorite brands like Madwell and Tory Burch. 

     The Shopbop Spring Sale is running now through Monday, March 9th at 4am EST. Save 15% on your purchases $200+, 20% on purchases $500+, and 25% off on purchases $800+, by using code SPRING. If you've been craving a new designer purse or a really nice swimsuit for the warmer months- now would be the time to get that and save. Minus the Tory Burch Miller sandals, everything I'm sharing today is under $200, and cheaper with the sale currently going on! I am headed on a warm weather spring trip in a couple weeks, hence the Spring Break theme of my picks. One more thing to note about Shopbop- they also offer free shipping and free returns!