hint of spring

saturday afternoons are my absolute favorite. today, i got to wake up after 10 am, make eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast, and go for a run. the sun was shining and the temps were in the 60s (!!!). can you believe it? i don't know if this is some kind of global warming situation happening right now, but it feels like spring and i am way more than okay with this. i've been experiencing extreme lack of inspiration with all of these dreary winter days and a dose of vitamin d made me feel a million times better.

it didn't hurt that i checked my mail yesterday and had a lovely package from my sponsors over at persunmall. when i picked out this emerald green dress from their site, it was hard not to order it in every color. the fit is perfect, and i love the three-quarter length sleeves. it can be dressed up for work or dressed down for a day out and about. and the best part-- the length! i have the hardest time finding dresses that don't become shirts after one wash (that's what being 5'8" does to ya). but this hits right above the knee. perfecto.

the also sent me this necklace. if you don't know by now, i'm obsessed with all things turquoise. and just a bonus-- it's only $2.99. i mean come on, you can't beat cute accessories for great prices. my jewelry collection is getting a little out of hand, but when you can find cute pieces like this for next to nothing, i just can't resist.

guess what i'm doing tonight? going to a ball. doesn't that sound fancy? it's a ball celebrating the founding of american university (where i work) and a bunch of girls in my office signed up to help out. we'll have to check people in, take coats, etc. but i'm guessing we will get some free time to eat yummy food and dance, not to mention we get to dress up! i'm really loving my new job so far. the first month has been great and i feel so lucky to enjoy what i spend most of my days doing.

hope everyone can get out this evening and have a fun saturday night! you deserve it. :)

xxoo,

n

outfit details

dress: c/o persunmall

necklace: c/o persunmall

bag: brandy mellville

boots: dwds 

tights: target

autumn fallin'

i'm attempting to hold on to every last moment of fall that i possibly can. the winter temps are coming in way too fast for my liking. all last weekend in south carolina it was freeeezing and that was even farther down south than home! i was hoping that i at least wouldn't have to wear my huge puffer jacket, but nope, still needed it. but it was so beautiful down there i almost didn't care about the weather. almost.

my hair finally grew out a little bit so i can put it up in a little mini ponytail now! yay! i totally love the low maintenance of short hair, but i definitely miss the easiness of throwing it all up in a top knot when i haven't washed it in a day or two. since my hair is so thin it's get greasy really easily and i never know what to do about it. any other thin-haired gals out there experience this problem? help!

this is my most favorite pea coat. i got it after christmas last year for a steal at target. if you really want some good deals on winter wear, just wait til the day after christmas! sales galore. this beauty was half priced, so i did what any normal person would do and found another pea coat that was half priced as well and bought both. ha!

i wish the fall leaves could stay on the ground all winter long because i'm not quite ready yet to see bare trees and snowflakes yet. i very much prefer the beauty of fall over the craziness of the christmas season, but i think i'm probably the only one. christmas is a little bit too stressful sometimes! thanksgiving is more my speed-- food and family. two of my fave things ;)

it wouldn't be autumn without over-the-knee socks, am i right?! these brown ones are so warm and cozy and are perfect for pretty much any outfit. i wish i could buy about 38478 more pairs but that might be a tad bit excessive. i'm surprised i don't already have these in every color because that's just what i do when i like something. if i like it in brown, then i'll probably like it in black, blue, grey, green, red, etc. you get the point. i have a problem, people!

hope everyone is having a great thursday. one more day til the weekend! we can do it, y'all.

xxoo,
n

outfit details
jacket: target
scarf: urban outfitters
jeans: tj maxx
boots: dwds
sunnies: charlotte russe

shape up

happy monday! and for once, this monday is actually a happy one ha. it's the first day of my week off (!!) for thanksgiving break. i couldn't be more excited to spend the day with anthony. we plan on watching movies, going on a frozen yogurt run, and eating leftovers. we have lots because yesterday we decided to make a little thanksgiving feast. we are both going home to celebrate thanksgiving with our own families, but still wanted to celebrate together. we made so many yummy things. check out my instagram for some pics!

a little while ago, this great website chicnova reached out to me about working together. after browsing their site, it was pretty obvious that they were right up my alley. fun prints, cute sweaters, etc. i couldn't wait to get my hands on some of their items!! my first pick was this geometric patterned cardigan. it's quirky and light and the perfect thing to throw on before i run out of the door to class. 

i'm in love with all of the crazy shapes and the cool sleeves. it goes great with a slouchy tee and some simple jeans. i wore this to the mall the other day with anthony to get a head start on some christmas shopping! i can't believe that it's exactly one month til christmas! how crazy is that? have you started your christmas shopping? so much to do, so little time!

i won this great black & gold necklace in a giveaway through delightfully tacky! giveaways are so fun and i won five awesome pieces from juicy dealz. they have new items all the time and at great prices. i felt so lucky to receive so many awesome jewels. and again, i couldn't resist from my favorite combination, black and brown. although i love color, sometimes i just want to wear all neutral colors. and of course no comfy outfit is complete without glasses. (they're fake, shhhhh...)

hope everyone has a great week. happy almost thanksgiving, y'all!

xxoo,

n

outfit details

cardigan: c/o chicnova

tee: thrifted

bag: urban outfitters

boots: dwds

jeans: tj maxx

necklace: juicy dealz

glasses: amazon

secret garden

so i'm thinking there should be a show called "it's always snowing in pittsburgh" instead of "it's always sunny in philadelphia" because yes, it's november. and yes, i woke up to an inch of snow on the ground yesterday. don't even get me started. it is autumn and it's not supposed to snow in autumn but pittsburgh does not care about these so called "seasons" and prefers to get really, really unnecessarily cold before thanksgiving is even here. i'm not exaggerating when i say that i had to go to burlington coat factory and by a big puffer jacket yesterday because i was freezing. dramatic? maybe. okay, who am i kidding, dramatic is my middle name. 

these photos were taken before said snowstorm; when life was great and i could just wear a simple chunky cardigan to stay warm. i've been living in this comfy little number lately. it's so warm and cozy and you can't see it in these photos, but it has elbow pads. and yes, those elbow pads make me feel awesome.

i wasn't kidding a few posts back when i said i wear scarves 6 out of 7 days of the week. they are just perfect for spicing up a simple look. this one is from urban, and safe to say i get a lot of use out of it. it's big and square and perfect. anyone have any tips of places that sell huge, awesome scarves? help a girl out!

brown and black has been my favorite color combination this fall. i'm not really sure why, but i just like the way the colors look together. i don't really believe in any of the "fashion" rules that tell you what colors not to wear together or what colors to avoid in certain seasons. if i like the way it looks when i get dressed in the morning, i will wear it. simple as that. except for red and green. you will always look like a christmas elf. sorry people.

i can't believe it's already wednesday and almost halfway through november. i just can't wrap my brain around how fast the weeks are flying by lately. most of my time is spent applying for jobs and going to class and soaking up the last few weeks of school before graduation. i have 29 days left (but who's counting...) and then i'm done! off to the real world. it's crazytown. i'm just trying to stay as productive as i can while simultaneously having fun at the same time. let me tell you, it's not an easy task. 

alright well enough of my rambling. happy hump day, folks! thanks for stopping by.

xxoo,

n

outfit details

pants: tj maxx

shirt: thrifted

sweater + bag: h&m

boots: dwds shoes

scarf: urban outfitters

downtown living

it's been a slow week over here, and i'm currently sipping coffee and relaxing because wednesdays are the most low key day in my schedule. some days i work and have class 12 hours straight, and some days (like today) i have one class and then nothing else to do! while i enjoy the little moments of free time, i wish it was a little more balanced. oh well, i only have two more months (omg!) of the crazy college student life so i guess i better enjoy it while it lasts.

i'm trying to soak in all of my favorite pittsburgh hot spots while i can. whether it's hanging out at my favorite bar or getting sushi at the best restaurant in town, i feel compelled to cram all of the things i love about this city into to the next couple months while i've still got my lovely downtown apartment and easy access to all the fun stuff. and by fun stuff i mean anything that will distract me from applying to scary, full-time, big-girl jobs. eeeek!

i guarantee if you see me anytime in the next four months, there is a 86% chance i will be wearing a scarf. i just love these things! they can take a simple outfit (ie. jeans and a tee) and make it pop. for this purpose, i usually choose bright colored and patterned scarves so they can add that extra oomph to a casual look. i have an entire drawer in my room dedicated to scarves, so that just gives you an idea of what we're working with here!

these boots are becoming a fall staple in my wardrobe. i will wear them with dresses, skirts, jeans, tights, tall socks, and leggings (when i'm feeling lazy, don't deny it, you love them too!) so i think you get the message that i wear them a lot. i just can't help it! it's not my fault they match everything and are super comfy. some days you just want to be cool and casual, and this was definitely one of those days.

i hope everyone is having a lovely week. thanks for checking in!

xxoo,

n

outfit details

jeans: tj maxx

top: american eagle 

scarf: zara

boots: dwds shoes

bag: urban outfitters

sunnies: doubledutch boutique 

city of bridges

last weekend was a great one, and this one is bound to be even better. when anthony got into town on friday, we had an extremely picturesque pittsburgh day. the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and we spent the entire day outdoors exploring the city. i've been so busy on campus the past few weeks with school and work, i realized i haven't ventured outside of my little downtown bubble where my school is. it was nice to get off campus and enjoy some of my favorite things pittsburgh has to offer.

pittsburgh is famous for having the most bridges out of any city in the entire world. it has 446. crazy, right?! the bridges downtown are this cool yellow color dubbed "alohmon," a phrase combining the names of the three rivers that intersect downtown at point state park: allegheny, ohio, and monongahela. just a little pittsburgh history lesson in case you're interested. ha! this city is so dang awesome i can't even handle it sometimes. 

our first on the list of things to do was ice cream. because i clearly have an obsession with candy and sweets and pretty much all different kinds of food in general. we went to dream cream ice cream which is one of the best spots downtown. it's a little ice cream parlor that allows people with "dreams" to choose a fun flavor, and everytime that flavor is sold they give a portion of the sales to their cause! i got a cup of "fools gold" and helped support a girl who is running a marathon to benefit the leukemia & lymphoma society. like i needed more of a reason to eat ice cream! ;)

this shirt is my first time venturing into the world of peplum, and i must say: i love it! i got it at forever 21 a few weeks ago for suuuuper cheap. it's so simple and comfy. but makes me feel like i look a little more dressed up. i paired it with my fave gray skinnies and my brand new boots. i got these babies on amazon for 30$. i also have a prime account, so all i had to do was click "purchase" and two days later they were at my door! man, i love the internet. i've been doing A LOT of online shopping lately. hehe.

the next part of our adventure was visiting the andy warhol museum. andy warhol was from pittsburgh, and it's the largest museum in the world featuring a single artist! this place is so cool. andy warhol was super unique and creative and the museum does a kick ass job at displaying that. i've included some of my favorite pieces in this post so you could see.

i would seriously love to decorate my house with warhol as inspiration. it's so bright and colorful. each floor had a different colored wall. and these skull paintings were my ultimate favorite. what are some of your favorite museums? pittsburgh has so many cool ones within walking distance. and with my school id i get free entry! sweeeeet.

spending the day out and about doing some of my favorite pittsburgh things made me fall in love with this city all over again. living in baltimore this summer was great, but i'm happy to be back in pittsburgh, the first big city i ever lived in, as well as my first home away from home. even though i don't plan on living here forever, pittsburgh will always hold a special place in my heart.

this coming weekend is going to be filled with wedding fun! i'm excited. as usual, thanks for reading.

xxoo,

n

outfit details

peplum top: forever 21

boots: dwds shoes

jeans: tj maxx

purse: urban outfitters

necklace: forever 21