Outfit Repeater.

Dress: Marshall Rousso {similar here} || Shoes: TJ Maxx {similar here} || Necklace: H&M || Bracelet: c/o Swell Caroline || Ring: c/o A-List Greek || Lips: Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick in Pink Light/Medium

     When I received this beautiful bracelet in the mail to review from Swell Caroline a few weeks ago, I knew that I just had to style it with this dress- which is one of my all-time favorite dresses! There was only one slight, teeny-tiny problem... I had worn this dress on my blog BEFORE. #gasp

    I got this dress on my trip to Las Vegas in June 2013, and wore in for an outfit post on my blog shortly after!! I can't believe that this was already almost two years ago. This was the summer between when I transferred colleges (and right after I cut my hair!). 

   

     Here's the truth everyone: it's great when bloggers can wear an item once and then be able to have enough money (or sponsorships with clothing companies) to be able to get new clothes constantly and never have to re-wear anything, but let's be honest, that isn't realistic for a lot of people!! However, being able to re-wear something in a way that makes it look different and sort of new is definitely a skill, and this is something that I always challenge myself to do! I have re-worn certain dresses on my blog before, but they're usually solid colored and very simple. A patterned dress like this is a lot harder to re-wear since there are more limited accessorizing options, but I think that I was able to make it work a second time around! Since I do enjoy re-styling things, I have added a "re-style" label to my blog post labels and to this post, and I will be using it for future posts where I re-wear an item!

     Anyways, let's talk about this beautiful bracelet that I was sent! When Swell Caroline, a jewelry and monogram shop, reached out to me about doing a product review, I was ecstatic. Everything in their online shop is so cute!! (Especially the monogram items. Y'ALL.) All of their items are very affordable, and everything is also so on-trend! I picked this cute black and white bracelet to style since I knew that it would coordinate well with lots of items in my closet, and the pattern reminded me of big flowers (and who doesn't love flowers for spring?!). 

      On a TOTALLY different note: there is currently a LOOP GIVEAWAY happening on my Instagram (@miss_alk)! I actually planned this loop giveaway (which was way more work and organizing then I thought- haha!), so I would really appreciate it if y'all would enter! You have the chance to win a $150 Nordstrom gift card. :-) The giveaway will run until tomorrow, Tuesday April 14th, at 6 p.m. EST. 

     xoxo Miss ALK

Easter Outfit 2015.

 

 

Dress: c/o Gabes || Jean Jacket: Forever 21 || Shoes: Jack Rogers || Purse: {old} || Earrings: Target || Bracelets: Francesca's, c/o Urban Peach Boutique || Ring: c/o A-List Greek Designs || Lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Temptress || Nails: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in No Hard Feelings {My all-time FAVORITE nail color! I can only find this shade at Walmart}

     This was my Easter outfit this year! (And since I ended up spending this year's Easter Sunday in airplanes between Maine and North Carolina, this happened to be my airport outfit as well.) The two occasions each year that I really look forward to getting a new dress for are Easter and my birthday. This year, I had it in my head that I wanted to go with a maxi dress for my Easter dress, since I knew that I would be spending the day of Easter in both Maine (which tends to be very chilly in early April), and in and out of airplanes, which can also be on the chillier side.

     So I was so thrilled to find this gorgeous floral maxi dress at my nearest Gabe's store for only $14.99! What a steal! Y'all know that I am just a sucker for anything floral, but I am especially loving the color combinations in the pattern in this dress- I think that it almost looks like a watercolor painting! The adjustable straps gave it a modest neckline which is perfect for Easter church services. And the light, sheer fabric would also make this dress perfect for any beach type wedding, vacation or other occasion, so I know that I will definitely be getting lots of use out of this dress during Maine's summer beach season! 

      I was one of the featured bloggers for the Gastonia, NC Gabe's store opening back in March (which you can read about here!), but I'm so happy that I popped back into the store recently because it was my return trip that allowed me to find this dress, and also some beautiful (and super on-sale!) spring jewelry. I'll definitely be wearing some of the earrings that I bought in future blog posts soon! 

     These pictures were taken at one of my favorite beaches in my hometown, and also in the neighboring town to mine (which is where I work in the summers), near a row of stores right by where the store that I work at is located! These two locations are places that I spend a lot of time at in the summers, so it was fun to head back to both of them last weekend for a little summer preview! My sweet friend Katie took these pictures, and she actually ended up using them as assignment for her photography class as well, so win-win for both of us! Speaking of Katie- have you checked out my blog post from Monday yet, about how I gave Katie quite the April Fools prank?! 

     xoxo Miss ALK

Introducing the Millenial Blogging Network!

     This is a special announcement for all of my fellow collegiate bloggers, any high school bloggers or 20-30 something bloggers who are looking to be apart of a tight-knit and interaction based blogging network. If this describes you, then I have some good news for you! :-) Myself and Caroline, a college lifestyle blogger from The Caro Diaries, have founded a new kind of blogging network in the form of a Facebook group! I am one of the moderators for it, as is Caroline, and our third moderator is Allison from Allison Leighann!


     The Millenial Blogger Network is a closed Facebook group (which means that anyone can search for the group on Facebook or add a blogger that they know, but moderators have to approve the request). It is based around the idea of daily commenting feeds: one per day for blog posts, and one separate one of all social media. Here is an example of what a commenting feed looks like:


WEDS 4/8 BLOG COMMENTING Thread: leave a direct link to your post, you must comment on them all. If you participated in a previous thread, you must finish your last thread before adding to this one. Thread closes at 9 pm EST. Like the comment when you've completed their link. Please don't comment "done" until after the thread has been closed at 9pm


     So if you would choose to participate in that day's blog commenting feed with a link to your post of the day, it's your job to check back into the group throughout the day and comment on other blogger's links!! Same with social media feeds. But the great thing about the Millenial Blogger Network is that it's totally optional each day for if bloggers participate in feeds! So if there is a day you didn't post on your blog (or a day you know you won't be online much), you can just skip the feeds for that day. :-)

     This is such a great way to get more comments/page views on your blog, to meet other bloggers, and also to get to find great new blogs to read! I highly encourage any of you who are interested to look for the group on Facebook and request to join! All types of blogs are accepted (although the primary members are fashion and lifestyle bloggers currently!).


     xoxo Miss ALK

Trend Spin Link-up: Prints.

     After a weekend at home in Maine, I am very happy to be back in the warm weather of Charlotte! Sunny days in the Queens City mean lots of opportunities to wear outfits like this one:

Top: Target || Shorts: J. Crew Factory || Shoes: Jack Rogers || Belt: L.L. Bean || Hat: Target || Sunglasses: Le Chateau {Canadian store} || Purse: Michael Kors || Necklace: Charlotte Russe || Lips: NYC Color Expert Last Lipstick in Coralista || Nails: Essie in Mojito Madness

     This top was an impulse buy at Target this past fall. Anything with bright colors and a fun print is bound to be a weakness of mine,  and I loved how the print on this top was perfect to wear in all seasons. I got a lot of use out of this shirt in the cooler months by layering it with some of my favorite cardigans and jeans for casual looks, or pairing it with dress pants and heels as a business-casual outfit for sorority chapter meetings. And now that spring is finally here, I was able to find a whole new way to style it! 

     My shorts are from J. Crew Factory, and I adore their chino shorts for the warmer months. They come in such a wide range of colors and have a pretty reasonable price point! I also feel that they're just the perfect length- not too short, not too long, just right!

     You might have noticed that I don't wear my hair straight in many of my blog pictures! Fun fact: I actually used to have naturally straight hair. I got a perm at the start of my freshman year of college (right around the time that I started this blog!), and it truly did permanently change my hair. My hair is now wavy (kind of like beach waves 24/7 unless I add more curl it), but lately I have been desiring to straighten it more again and take it back to its original "natural" state. What do y'all think?
 

     I have linked some similar outfit pieces to mine below! I am also linking this outfit up for this week's edition of the trend spin link-up, a really fun weekly fashion link-up hosted by Walking in Memphis in High Heels and The Fashion Canvas- this week's theme was prints!

     xoxo Miss ALK

My Big April Fools Prank & Surprise Planning Tips.

      Taking a break from the fashion posts today to share something else on the blog.

     Confession: I lied to you all in this blog post from last week when I said that I didn't have anything planned for April Fools this year... ha. ha. ha. ;-) In fact, I had what was without a doubt the biggest April Fools prank that I have ever pulled off planned! But before sharing that, I have to take things back a little bit....

      I think my obsession with planning surprises for other people started after my 8th grade graduation party. My parents planned me a surprise party for my 8th grade graduation (to date this is the only surprise that has ever been thrown for me). They rented out the gym space at our church at home in Maine, and invited all of my extended family (and friends at the time). The only problem was that my dad brought me to the party about an hour and a half early, while my mom and other family members were still setting up!! So everyone was surprised, haha. After that, it became one of my missions in life to plan well-executed (and on-time) surprises for the people that I love in my life. I planned my first surprise party for an old high school friend's Sweet 16 during my sophomore year of high school. (I even coordinated renting out the banquet room in our local town library to host the party in!)

     After planning a few more various types of surprises over the past few years, this past December, I had the chance to plan a really awesome surprise. Two of my best friends from home, Katie and Jules, are sisters in the same sorority! (What is weirder is that I knew them both separately- Katie was my best friend from childhood and then we lost touch for several years, and Jules was my best friend from high school. And then they both ended up being sisters!!) Their sorority formal was being held the night that I flew home to Maine for Christmas Break. If I was able to make the times work with my flights, Katie asked if I would be her date to Formal. It would be a tight squeeze, but I said absolutely! My only condition was that I didn't want to tell Jules. Both Jules and I had crazy work schedules for the next couple of weeks so I didn't think that I would get to see her until near the end of my time home, so I thought it would be so fun for me to show up at her sorority formal and surprise her!

     So eventually, the big night came. The time between my flight landing and the Formal was so close that I had to actually fly home in a semi-formal dress, with my hair in an updo and false lashes and make-up already on!! (Talk about making it hard to nap on the plane...) But somehow, both myself and my luggage made it right on time! Now all that was left to do was surprise Jules...

Katie and I right after I flew in for Christmas Break last semester!

....But Jules never came to Formal! She had decided to skip the dance to study for one of her difficult final exams (which she ended up getting an A on- YAY!!!). But this was horrible for our surprise! I had never taken into account that she might not show up! The joke was on me.

     Anyways, I still had a most wonderful time at the Alpha Xi Delta Formal with Katie and getting to meet all of her and Jules's sisters, but I still had an urge to plan and execute another successful surprise....


     So when I planned my quick trip home for Easter weekend, I decided to surprise my friend Katie! I told Jules about the trip, and she said that she wanted to pick me up from the bus station (I was flying into Boston and taking a bus to New Hampshire). She would bring Katie with her, come up with some plot for why she needed Katie to come with her on a random afternoon to the bus station, and then I would be there instead! It sounded far fetched, but I had faith that we could pull it off.

     As the weeks got closer and closer to my trip, I had such a hard time not spilling anything to Katie! But I was somehow able to keep it together. And Jules's "excuse" for needing Katie at the bus station that day? Her family had bought a new puppy online (from Delaware specifically) and it was getting bussed in from the Boston airport on the afternoon of April 2nd, and she wanted Katie to come with her to take pictures of the new puppy's arrival. When I heard that, all I said was "Jules, how is she ever going to believe that?!" but apparently she was very excited about it!


     Finally, the big day was here! I had actually been feeling under the weather all week, so it took all my strength to finish packing and get myself to the airport! I did make sure to have time though to make a sign with the song lyrics on it that I believe define all long distance friendships:

I just made sure to change the "walk" lyric to "fly" :-)

      My flight actually came in early, so I was able to get on an earlier bus to New Hampshire. I waited patiently at the bus station for Jules and Katie to arrive. I had about an hour to kill before they got there, and my anticipation and nerves were kicking it! What made matters worse is that Katie randomly kept texting me (even though she was with Jules!) to ask "how my homework was going" that afternoon. Clearly she had no idea that I was home, (and thought that I was having a mellow afternoon in Charlotte doing homework), but it still made me so nervous to be texting her.

      But finally, I saw my two friends walking into the bus station. I stood by the doors with my sign, and screamed "APRIL FOOLS!" when they came inside. Katie's face was priceless. I had pulled off my surprise! And Jules screamed "I'm not buying a dog from online! Annaliese is your surprise!"  Hahaha.

Jules and I with victory smiles after a well-executed surprise!

    
     It was so much fun getting to surprise my friend Katie with my trip home! And also so fun to have two of my best friends pick me up from the bus station. Right after they got me, we went to my favorite Mexican restaurant, and my other dear friend Shara (from Shara Lynn Photography) met us as well. This current semester has been one of the most stressful that I have ever had, so getting to have a little dinner date at home with my favorite Maine girls was much needed and such a treat!


     Lastly, I thought that I would leave y'all with a few of my best tips for pulling off surprises. I have figured out these tips between this recent trip home surprise, the surprise parties that I have planned in the past, and also the failed sorority Formal surprise in December!

1. Start planning your surprise way in advance: Time doesn't truly fly until you're planning a surprise of some sort! Time is also your best friend in a surprise type situation, and it's always good to have extra time on your hands to allow for when things don't go as planned (as if the person or people that you're surprising change their plans way ahead of time, you want to try and work around that without blowing the surprise!). In the case of my recent trip home, it was also good for me to let Jules know when my bus and flight were arriving way in advance, so that she could talk to Katie and they could make sure their school schedules allowed time to pick me up (or pick "the new dog" up ;-) ). 
2. Involve other TRUSTWORTHY people: It can be a lot to pull off planning a surprise all on your own! That's why it can be good to involve someone else, especially if you are planning a surprise party! That way you can split things like party duties, being responsible for who will bring the person being surprised to the location of the surprise, etc. But it's super important to make sure that the person you tell is trustworthy! Otherwise they could blow all of your hard work.
3. Add some personal touches: It's not everyday that someone has a surprise planned for them! So don't be afraid to show this person how much you care about them and add some special personal touches to their surprise. For example, I made a little sign with the lyrics of "1000 Miles" by Vanessa Carlton for Katie's surprise (this is one of our special friendship songs that has meant something more to us after I moved far away for college!). And for both of the surprise birthday parties that I have planned, I have made sure to plan them at venues that I know the birthday girl would really enjoy and with food that includes their favorite foods! And to read about a personal surprise that I once planned, check out this blog post here. :-)

     Did any of you plan April Fools pranks or surprises this year? Or did someone surprise you?!


     Back to the fashion tomorrow here on the blog, so stay tuned!


     xoxo Miss ALK