totally thrifted

hello! i finally have internet!!! this may not seem like a big deal, but alas, anthony and i have been living in the stone age this week because our apartment has not had wi-fi for 10. whole. days. as soon as we moved in we were supposed to be able to set everything up, but after many, many problems with comcast we were told there was something wrong with our connection or box or something. i am not aware all of the details here people, i am no rocket scientist. all i know is that i have not been able to watch orange is the new black on netflix and i don't know what i did to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment. they finally sent someone out today to fix it. so praise baby jesus i can finally see what happened in the piper/pensatuckey brawl at the end of last season. (no spoilers, please!)

 our first week in dc has been incredible. in between unpacking and decorating, we've been eating fro yo, drinking beer, going to the movies, etc. basically it's the same stuff that we usually do except now it requires a lot more walking and we are constantly surrounded by tourists asking us to take their photograph in front of the [insert whatever monument is closest to us here.] but honestly, i love it! there's just something about the hustle and bustle of the city that makes me feel more awake and more alive. it sounds cliche, but it couldn't be more true.

i can already tell this little denim dress is going to get a lot of use this summer. it's comfy, lightweight, and bonus-- it has little studs on the pockets. i paired it with a slouchy bag, a skinny belt, and my trusty brown sandals and i was all set to walk around and explore our new neighborhood. you can easily recreate this look at h&m. i linked to some cute and affordable items that will help you master the comfy + chic look this summer!

dress//belt//bag//sandals

i'm happy to be getting settled into our new place and excited to share some fun stuff here on this little blog soon. as always, thanks for reading! 

xxoo,

n

may in instagram

well hellooo, june! how ya doinn? not only does today mark the beginning of a new month, it's also the beginning of our new life in dc! we are officially all moved in-- and by that i mean all of our belongings are physically inside the walls of apartment, not that we're unpacked. because yeah, not even close. i thought i hated the packing park, but it turns out that unpacking is actually a hundred thousand million times worse. i just want to fast forward to the fun part where i get to hang up pretty pictures and make crafts. but anthony keeps telling me that unpacking our toothbrushes and pots and pans is more important. yeah, i know, he's crazy right? strategically placing my knickknacks throughout the apartment seems like a much better thing to do. i'm just so excited to get this place set up! i have been craigslisting (yes, that is a verb) a whole lot lately and have found so many wonderful things from various individuals in the area. there's nothing like walking into a strangers home and giving them cash for a gold, vintage mirror and never seeing them again. i'm going to be posting my decorating adventures on here because it's something i enjoy and i think a lot of people could use some realistic tips for making a small, rented apartment feel like home. be sure to keep reading! 

1. cinco de mayo is officially one of my favorite holidays because there's pitchers of margaritas and queso involved (obvi).
2. my first 5k went great! i managed to run the entire time and have tons of colored powder thrown in my face. yay!
3. lana del rey live + budweiser = happy nikki
4. anthony finished his master's and i bought him a cupcake. (yes, i ate most of it but it's the thought that counts, right?
5. his + hers beers.
6. a bagel with cream cheese is my weakness. and black coffee. lots + lots of black coffee.
7. mexican food calls for mexican drinks.
8. spring essentials.
9. memorial day feast for two.

you can follow me on instagram at nikkiwilliams11 <3

xxoo,
n

date night in baltimore

a few nights ago, anthony and i got all dolled up for a night out on the town. we decided that since our time in baltimore is coming to an end, we should have one last shabang. while baltimore isn't my favorite city in the world (pittsburgh very clearly has my heart), it's been a fun place to live the past year. even though our apartment is a few miles outside of the city, we visited every so often. there are so many great restaurants at the inner harbor and never a shortage of yummy seafood. but it's safe to say i am more than ecstatic to be moving to dc. i'm such a city girl and can't wait to be living back downtown again. 

we decided to go to ale mary's for dinner because we just wanted some drinks and appetizers. they had a great draft menu (big plus for us) and a huge menu. they seemed to be all about the tator tots. like they had a whole section of the menu dedicated to just tots (!!) so we figured that we pretty much had to order some. we got the sweet potato ones and omg they were so amazing! we also ordered the crab dip and yes, i was in heaven. crab in any and all forms is my jam. 

i wore this new lacey coral dress i recently purchased from target. and i felt awesome. you know how there are just certain items in your closet that make you feel like your best self? well that's how i felt the minute i put on this dress. i love the bright orange color and fit is just right. it has a cute little belt that cinches at the waist and it paired great with my favorite nude heels and a pink necklace. i knew that simple accessories were the best way to go because i wanted the dress to be the main focal point of this look.

random and spontaneous date nights are the best. and i'm sure they are going to happen a lot more often this summer. living downtown combined with the fact that neither anthony and i will be in school for the first time since we started dated (hello, free time!) i know that we are going to have so much fun getting out and exploring dc. i can't believe that tomorrow is finally move in day!! wish us luck. i'm thankful to have my whole family coming to help out. hopefully we can make it at least a little bit fun ;)

happy friday, all! enjoy your weekend.

xxoo,

n

outfit details

dress: target (it comes it so many colors!)

heels: famous footwear

necklace: forever 21

clutch: vintage

memorial day

 i hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! gotta love when it feels like monday, but it's actually tuesday! (it's the little things that make me happy). the weekend was great--equal parts fun and productive. we were very successful on the packing front. i'm talking all my clothes are packed, people! this is a huge deal considering most of my apartment consists of clothes (oops). 

 in order to make said packing easier, on sunday, anthony and i headed to buffalo exchange in dc to sell some of our clothes. i had a huge bin full of all of the items i cleaned out of my closet. some of it was older stuff, but i managed to sell over $100 worth of clothing! in exchange for what they buy from you, you can get either 50% of it in store credit or 30% of it in cash. i took the store credit (duh) cause i do so much shopping there anyway. it was a very successful reverse shopping trip. on the way home, we donated all of the leftover clothing to goodwill. feels great to have a downsized closet and a giftcard to do some more shopping! :)

yesterday, we spent the day relaxing and eating a lot of good food. we had chick fil a for lunch, my favorite. and then we headed over to the movie theater to see neighbors. i was so surprised by how funny it was! we were cracking up almost the entire time. plus, zac efron is just so darn cute. celebrity crush all the way! after that, we did some packing. i hope you're noticing a trend here. there was a lot of packing happening. packing sucks. and it takes forever. the end. 

 we made a small feast for dinner that could have easily fed a family of 5 but nope, it was just for us! safe to say we will be eating bbq food leftovers all week. i made some pasta salad and egg salad, while anthony cooked up some chili dogs and baked beans. there's just something about cook out food that gets me! i love it. we cracked a few beers and enjoyed our day off. i have no complaints! well except for the whole packing thing. did i mention i hate packing?

i wore my new shoes all day and i can already tell these bad boys are going to be my new summer obsession. i ordered them on sale (only 30 bucks) at modcloth and was so happy when they arrived! i feel slightly like a 5 year when i wear them but that's okay. why should 5 year olds be the only ones allowed to wear bright + comfy flower print sandals?! i also threw on a green tee that i easily made into a DIY crop top by tying the front in a little knot and paired it with a cool skirt. it was the perfect outfit for a very summer-like weekend.

thanks for checking in! happy tuesday, folks.
xxoo,
n

outfit details
tee: target
skirt: tj maxx
sandals: saltwater via modcloth
purse: h&m

totally thrifted

praise the lord for three day weekends! while everyone else is heading out of town, anthony and i are staying in. we started off this morning with a nice 4 mile run followed by some yummy watermelon. we have so much to do in order to get ready to move next weekend. only 7 days!!! i can't believe it. packing is probably one of my most hated things ever, but we can't procrastinate much longer! this weekend we are cracking down starting to get things boxed up. wish us luck!

 this totally thrifted post is one of my favorites. i found these jeans at goodwill a few weeks ago and fell in love. the lose + baggy fit screamed boyfriend jeans to me and i couldn't resist. all i had to do was cuff the bottoms a few times (they aren't skinny jeans so the width was a little awkward) and i loved the way they turned out. paired with my favorite summer sandals i scored last year, i was one happy camper.

you can easily recreate this look at urban outfitters. while i am a huge fan of this store (i mean i practically start drooling upon my entrance) it's just a bit out of my price range. i usually try to close my eyes and head straight to the sales rack. i've learned that they have some awesome stuff in the clearance section and the prices are even better. i've linked to some similar items in sale section of their website. let me know what you think!

jeans//vest//tank//sandals

i hope everyone enjoys their three day weekend (for those who have it)! get out and enjoy some sunshine.
xxoo,
n

white hot

i honestly don't think this weekend could have been any more eventful. thursday night, anthony had his last final for grad school!! so he's officially done with his master's degree. i couldn't be more proud. i threw him a little mini grad party with dollar store decorations and a crumbs cupcake. it was fun and i am so happy for him! now we have the whole summer to enjoy not being students before i start grad school in the fall, ha!

the weather here has been magical lately. sunny, warm, and perfect. i love bringing out all of my summer skirts and dresses. this skirt is one of my favorites because the fit and length are just right. it's thrifted (as is this shirt) and i thought it made a great outfit for work. so this look is half totally thrifted and half 9-5. i couldn't decide which to pick, so we will say it's both. :)

with this simple look, i continued the trend with some simple accessories. i usually prefer gold over silver, but this vintage silver bracelet is too pretty not to wear. and my two biggest spring staples so far this season have been my nude old navy sandals and my trusty h&m bag. you can catch me wearing at least one of these two items 99% of the time. you can never go wrong with the basics. what is your spring staple right now? 

in other news, anthony and i officially signed the lease for our new apartment (!!!!!!) and i couldn't be more excited. we are moving in on may 31st and i can't even put it into words how wonderful our little apartment community is. great location, nice neighborhood, and a pool! i can't wait to do some swimmin' and sunnin' this summer. it's going to be amaazinnggg. we've already started furniture shopping and scored an awesome couch at an antique store on saturday. things are really falling into place! 

i hope every had a fabulous monday. thanks for stopping by!
xxoo,
n

outfit details
shirt + skirt: thrifted
bag: h&m
shoes: old navy
bracelet: vintage

sweetlife festival

over the weekend anthony and i went to the sweetlife music festival in columbia, md. sweetlife festival is sponsored by sweetgreen, a restaurant chain that features healthy and local options.  i heard about this festival because it's at one of our local venues (only about 10 minutes from our apartment) and lana del rey was one of the headliners. she is one of my absolute favorites of all time and i couldn't resist seeing her so close to home. as much as we'd like to-- we can't all go to coachella, now can we? 

we didn't get there until later in the afternoon, and almost immediately after our arrival it started pouring. we prayed that it would blow over, and eventually it did, but i was most definitely soaking wet for a large majority of the day, haha. i decided to keep it comfy in high waisted shorts and a simple top, but piled on the accessories. there was so much great fashion inspiration it was hard to not just go up to every girl in a flower crown and ask to take her picture (i resisted because, hello, creeeepy).

festival fashion is definitely one of my favorite types of outfit inspiration. i love the bohemian vibe that everyone gives off and the fact that most people aren't afraid to go a little bit out of their comfort zone. if there is ever a time to rock something a tad bit more on the dramatic side, it's at a summer music festival, and sweetlife definitely didn't disappoint. it's like a flashback to the seventies and allows us all to pretend that we're hippies for a day. and who could argue with that?

photo c/o sweetlife festival

we ate yummy food and drank lots of budweiser. we're not even going to talk about how much one can costs. okay, we are. $9! WHAT. it's like they knew how desperate i was to sing along to lana del rey with a red, white, and blue beer can in my hand that they knew i would pay the price no matter what it was. the sun eventually came out and dried us all off just in time for lana to come on stage. i had so much fun dancing and singing along to some of my most favorite songs. it was the perfect (almost) summer night. i've had this song stuck in my head ever since:

red, white, blue is in the sky 

summer's in the air and 

baby, heaven's in your eyes 

i'm your national anthem

have you been to any music festivals so far this year? i'd love to hear your go-to festival style tips!
xxoo,
n

outfit details
shorts + shirt: thrifted
bag: vintage
boots: target
jewelry: forever 21

denim days

it's friiidaayy! i'm so excited for this weekend for two reasons. one: i run my first 5k tomorrow! i've been stepping up my running game for the past month or so in preparation. completing this 3.1 miles without walking is one of my personal goals for this year and i know that i am totally ready for this. i'm heading to visit my sister at school tonight and me, her, and her roomies are running the race tomorrow morning! after the race, i'm heading back to baltimore for the number two reason i'm excited-- anthony and i are going to the sweetlife festival! and lana del rey is performing. so. I'M SEEING LANA DEL REY TOMORROW! i could not be more excited because she is my absolute favorite. be prepared for lots of instagram photos and videos documenting the concert because it's going to be amazing. cause i mean duh. it's lana.

i took these photos while in pittsburgh last weekend and holy cow, it felt so wonderful to be back in that city. spending three and a half years living downtown while going to college was one of the best experiences of my entire life. it was so good to see some friends and catch up before heading back to maryland. i miss those people!! it's sad having friends you're used to seeing everyday and then everyone grows up, gets jobs, and moves their separate ways. but that's life. and it's awesome to see everyone graduating and going on to do awesome things. :)

i wore my new all time number one favorite pair of jeans ever on saturday. and i'm wearing them again today. i am officially obsessed. i got them at old navy last week. it was pretty much a miracle because they were on the clearance rack-- someone bought them online and returned them. they were exactly my size and 50% off! i mean it just doesn't get better than that. total, they cost me like 20 bucks. i snatched them up so fast and almost wore them out of the store. haa! they are just the perfect spring jeans. light wash and comfy fit. is it possible to be in love with denim? 

well, i hope everyone has fun plans this weekend! TGIF <3

xxoo,

n

outfit details
jeans + sandals: old navy
top: urban outfitters
purse: vintage