Be Back Soon!

Hello, blogging world! By the time this is posted, it will be my second day in New York!  Please excuse my absence, I'll be back late Monday and will be super busy Tuesday (my birthday!), so my next post will most likely be on Wednesday!  I will be thinking of you as I am sipping frozen hot chocolate, enjoying some rather large toy stores, and doing all of the fun things tourists do! 

When I Was A Young Girl

When I was a young girl, I used to be OBSESSED with the Lion King.  I mean.. I would come home from the babysitter's house and literally watch it over and over and over.  My bed sheets were Lion King, my favorite nighty was Lion King, I had a giant Simba stuffed animal that I couldn't sleep without, and I knew one day I wanted to name my daughter Nala.  Yeah.. obsessed.

See my growl face?  Yeah, so this is kind of my Lion King-inspired outfit.  I just realized it now looking back on these pictures, but I guess I never grew out of the obsession in a way. I haven't worn the scarf in forever.. if I've ever even worn it?! I don't know, but I knew it had to be done!  

I'm a little stressed out this morning.. I have school, then I have to take a test after class, rush home, change clothes, stop by the bank, rush to work, work a 6 hour shift, head to my dad's because he wants to give me my birthday present early, shower, pack all of my things for NY this weekend, and go to bed and wake up around 5am for the flight! I'm ready for today to be over already! Sorry for the rant.

Outfit Details:

Scarf: ??

Sweater: Gap

Skirt: Thrifted

Tights: Hue

Boots: Sam Edelman

Currently playing: Feist, "When I Was A Young Girl"

Against The Grain

There's a part of our city that's pretty much farm houses, small, old churches, and abandoned buildings.  I never quite realized the beauty and history of this area until the other day when Patrick and I went exploring.  This why I really want to expand my interest in photography.. it makes you see beauty in the overseen.

Looking at these pictures make me so proud of Patrick! He's become such a great photographer and I'm so happy to have him around!

This dress has to be one of my favorite thrift finds.  The collar is perfect and the fit is perfect & so flattering! I love everything about it! I can't wait to wear it in summer.  By the way.. I'm not wearing tights or a coat because for a couple of days here it was SO warm.. such a tease because now it's back to chilly, but not too bad at least!

Please excuse the pasty legs!  These past couple of years I've smartened up a lot and began to embrace the beauty of safe sun!  In Virginia Beach, the popular thing is to be tan ALL year.  Ok.. I know that we live at the beach, but seriously, why do you want to be dark brown in the middle of January? I'm not gonna lie, I used to be a tanaholic too.. I even tried the blond hair to embrace the beach girl look.  NOT WORTH IT.  I felt like everyone else, but that's exactly what I wanted.  I wore all of the clothes everyone else wore and tried everything to fit in.  I found out that my grandpa had skin cancer years ago and it scared the crap out of me.  I never went into a tanning bed ever again.  I'm proud of my pasty winter skin and in summer I will be applying sunscreen like it's no one's business.  I've found that I'm so much more completely comfortable in my own skin now that I've shed the superficial.

Outfit Details:

Bow: H&M

Sweater: Thrifted

Dress: Thrifted

Necklace: Gift from Patrick

Shoes: H&M

So.. do you guys like my new layout!?  I am so in love with it!  The wonderful, superb, fantastic, sweet Bryan Whitehorne from Superior Motive has been working very hard on this for me and I cannot express how happy I am right now! Wheeee! Thank you once again, Bryan! 

Currently playing: City and Colour, "Against The Grain"

Waiting For My Blue Sky

.. so I'll wear blue, instead!  Pretty simple outfit, but I loved the shades of blue and brown.  It's been raining and cloudy the past few days, but at least it isn't freezing..!  It's restaurant week here in Virginia Beach, and since our Starbucks met our VIA goal (VIA is gross FYI..), corporate gave our store $500 to do what we wanted with it.  We went to an Italian restaurant called Fire and Vine and the leftover money was donated to Haiti.

Earlier in the day (I'm referring to Friday, by the way.. I'm a little behind), I went out to lunch with a friend who is also in the Speech Pathology program at ODU.  We coincidentally sat right next to each other in statistics last spring, and she's the only person I know in the program right now! She gave me so much information, and I'm partly at ease, but partly more nervous! She was saying that a lot of students don't make it through undergrad without switching majors or just not passing and about 1/3 of those who do make it get accepted into the grad program.  UGH, I'm so nervous! I know I can do it, but there are always those little doubts, you know?

Outfit Details:

Blazer: Thrifted

Necklace: Gift from Patrick

Dress: Thrifted
Tights: Hue

Shoes: Thrifted

Belt: Forever 21

Currently playing: Kalai, "Waiting For My Blue Sky"

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats, Christina from Second Skin!  I'm sending out an email right now.

Thank you to everyone who entered my shoe giveaway!

That It Moves

Update on my outfit photo location hunt.. I found a place that is a possibility for when I'm in the area/ it's not a weekend or holiday!  Our local shopping mall has one parking garage (although it's quite small) and I took these on the second floor in the back, where there were no cars.  A couple of people were getting out of their cars or driving by, but no crazy looks or stares! Win!

I named this post after the Greg Laswell song, "That It Moves," because it was FREAKING (haha, Christina from Second Skin knows it's serious when I use the "f" word) windy out! The chorus of the song repears "Oh do you like the way that it moves?" Over and over, and it was playing in my head the whole time while snapping these because my outfit wouldn't keep MOVING! My tripod too.. my poor camera came out of the battle with a few scratches.  Some of these pictures are tame, but as you can see from the second picture, the wind was not nice to my skirt! Walking out of class was a little scary, there's sort of a long walk to my car from the building and my hands were full with books! I'm pretty sure that while taking these photos, my skirt flew up once, but I don't think anyone was around! Haha! I didn't even realize it was so windy until I was fully clothed and already running late for class.. I guess being on the second floor of a parking garage doesn't help much, does it?

Alright, so I have to tell you about these shoes! People.. these were $5! I have been looking all over for this style in my size at the thrift stores and was about to give up and buy a pair of Steve Maddens that were on sale for $50.  But you just can't beat $5, and I like these better than the Steve Maddens, anyways! 

Outfit Details:

Coat: H&M

Scarf: Gap

Shirt: H&M

Skirt: Thrifted

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Thrifted

Currently playing: Greg Laswell, "That It Moves"

Minnie Mouse in the House

My Minnie Mouse Blouse! Hahah, oh how I love saying that out loud. Say it! I promise you a chuckle. I bought this beauty from Etsy a while back, and I cannot believe it has not been worn yet.  I've put it on several times with a black skirt, but the only thing that matches without looking weird is white tights but then I COMPLETELY look like Minnie Mouse! So I gave up the fight and went with PANTS.  I always feel strange wearing pants, I'm so used to dresses and skirts these days.  I missed them the whole day. I'm not completely crazy about this outfit.. it's very, very basic, but I am glad I wore the blouse!

I apologize for the different colors of the sky in these pictures.. don't know what's going on with that! Whatevs.

As I mentioned before, I've been having trouble finding locations to take outfit photos that are near campus and/or my house.  It's so frustrating! Yesterday, I drove all the way down the road my college is on in hopes of finding something.  I found a really cool abandoned shed that Patrick and I are going to shoot at on Sunday.. I was kind of scared to take them by myself.  After searching and searching and finding nothing, I just turned into a random neighborhood and settled for this fence.  It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but it did make me happy to see (after shooting my outfit photos) that there were two horses in the backyard! How neat.

Outfit Details:

Blouse: Etsy

Pants: Jolt

Flats: don't remember

Currently playing: Mickey Mouse, "Minnie Mouse in the House"

P.S.- Remember the enter the shoe giveaway from CNSstores.com! Ends Sunday at 9:00pm.

Outfit Exhibits: Art-Inspired Fashion

 The fifth and final look of my art-inspired fashion series!  As I mentioned earlier, I lost some of the pictures I had taken at the museum, but this teapot is very similar to the one I had fallen in love with!  Image courtesy of Love for Vintage Network.  At all of the vintage and thrift shops I've been visiting lately, I've been swooning over all of the tea pots and china.  I can't wait to buy a house to decorate..!

Occasionally, if we are in the area, Patrick and I love to cruise through a neighborhood called Bay Colony down at the oceanfront.  They have a wide variety of types of houses: some are super modern, some look like they are from the victorian age, and some are the typical beach house mansion, but all are beautiful in some way.  The neighborhood just has such a serene feel and if we end up staying in Virginia Beach later in life, this is where I want to live.  There are about 3 or 4 houses that I absolutely adore and I've just added this one to the list.

I've never been a mansion girl.. I could never picture myself living in one.  My family doesn't make bundles of money, and never has, so I've always lived in apartments or townhouses.  What would I do with all of the space in a gigantic house that people could get lost in?!  They are fun to look at, but just not for me.  Anyways, when I look at this house, I can see myself having tea parties with my girlfriends, practicing soccer with kids in the yard, tending to my vegetable garden, organizing my vintage jewelry collection, the list goes on and on.  It's so sweet.  And they kept their grass nice and green for winter.. bonus points!

It may be pretty evident from recent posts, but I've been really, really into the romantic look lately.  This is actually probably my favorite outfit that I've had in a while.. when I bought the skirt (worn as a dress) at the thrift stores (for $1.50! Gotta love 1/2 off Wednesdays at the Salvation Army!) I thought for certain that I would pair it with white tights, but the red just added the right amount of pop.  I knew I needed white somewhere, so I layered the tank and the yellow cardigan added a nice soft contrast to the tights as well.  As for the shoes.. well, let me just say that this is the first time in two years that I've worn a heel/ wedge... the last time was graduation, and these were my graduation shoes.  I gotta say.. I love how feminine I felt!  I might have to make a gradual shift to wearing shoes with height more?  Who knows.

This is also the first time that I've tried red lipstick! I think the last time was when I was playing with my mom's makeup as a little girl!  At first I was in shock and almost wiped it off, but Patrick convinced me it looked good and I ended up LOVING it, especially after seeing the pictures.  Not an everyday look, but great to make an outfit instantly chic!  If you're wondering, I just bought the cheapy stuff... Maybelline in Royal Red, only $5!

Outfit Details:

Cardigan: Old Navy.. super old

Tank: Old Navy.. old too

Skirt (as dress): Thrifted

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Charlotte Russe

After snapping pics, we headed over to Pelon's, which is one of my favorite restaurants! It's right at the oceanfront on 37th street, which happens to be only three streets down from Eat, the restaurant I work at.  Coincidentally, I'm there ALL the time, especially in summer.  The owners are from southern California, and they are there everyday.. very nice people!  

Pelon's has the coolest surf/skate vibe as well.. surfboards and surf/skate shop posters line completely cover the walls and they always have surf videos playing. They have everything from quesadillas to burritos, seafood or just steak and chicken or veggie options.  Of course, since all of the seafood is caught in the backyard pretty much, the seafood dishes are the way to go.  If you only get to go once, the thing to get is the chips and salsa (most amazing and simple and delicious I've ever had!) and the FISH TACOS.  My god.. they are to die for. If you're ever in Virginia Beach, this is another place you don't want to miss out on! Local's secret, but I'm telling you guys because I want everyone to enjoy the best fish tacos you will ever eat :)

(I don't know if you've noticed yet, but yes, that's pretty much the only shirt Patrick wears.  I've tried to drag him to the thrift store because of the ABUNDANCE of flannel, but I think enjoys that I squirm when I see him wearing it about 5 times a week! Do any of your men do this?! Seriously, once he finds something that he loves he will wear it nonstop for months!)

And don't forget to enter my giveaway! It ends Sunday at 9:00pm.  I'm thinking I'm going to have to buy a pair for myself now that I'm exploring shoes other than flats!  The natural color would go with so much in my wardrobe right now, especially since I bought some sweet dresses for spring in pale colors, especially pink and blue.

Currently playing: Dusty Trails, "Est-Ce Que Tu"

First Giveaway!

You all know the feeling.  You take the trek to your mailbox, only to have a sinking, empty feeling when you realize that all that's awaiting you is bills, spam, and.. oh wait.. could it be.. IT IS! A BANK STATEMENT! 

Yeah, that's what I thought.  I know the excitement all too well.

So, let's change this, even for just one day.  What if you walked to your mailbox with actual excitement!  

Yesterday, I got an email from CNSstores.com telling me I could pick an item for a giveaway!  Of course, the first thing I thought of was shoes.  I know all of you girls have a hot date for Valentine's Day (even if it's a date with your girlfriends), so I was immediately drawn to these lovely heels.

This lovely pair is from ShoesGotSole.com and I can envision them completing the perfect romantic outfit; perhaps a cream-colored lace dress with fluttered sleeves, floral tights, finished off with these stunning t-strap heels.  

The link is here, so check them out yourself!

All you have to do to enter this contest is leave a comment with your name, email, shoe size (note that these don't come in half-sizes, so please check the measurement chart!), and what color you'd like if you won (I'm a huge fan of the grey and natural).

Good luck, everyone!  This contest ends Sunday, January 24 at 9:00pm.

Outfit Exhibits: Art-Inspired Fashion

The name of this painting is "Waiting for William." It's the only one that stuck with me, and I love the emotion behind the portrait. I can feel what she feels, waiting by the see for the man who she loves, wondering if she will ever even see him again. Her eyes tell her story, a story of longing, wishing, and hoping. I wanted to capture the romance of her wind-blown outfit.

This skirt was such a great find at the thrift store.. I believe that it was handmade. It's even prettier in person, where you can get a good look at the details. Most importantly, the color is an ever so soft sky blue.. something I don't own very much of but truly adore.

It was a lucky day at the thrift store the day I found the skirt, because I also found this vintage Oscar De La Renta blouse! I grabbed it as soon as it caught my eye, and halfway through looking through everything, I saw the tag and almost flipped! After buying everything and going home, I realized that the blouse had a coffee stain ALL over it! It looked like the stain had just happened that day, so there was hope.. and thanks to my fabulous washing machine, everything came out! Thanks, Tide!

Outfit Details:

Blouse: Vintage Oscare De La Renta, thrifted

Skirt: Thrifted

Earrings: Forever 21

Tights: Target

Shoes: Etsy
Scarf: H&M

Just to let you guys know, I created a Twitter for Finders Keepers!  I am completely new to Twitter and have no clue what the heck I'm doing! Any help is much appreciated!  My twitter name is finderskeeperss, so add me! I have so many exciting things planned for the blog for the next few weeks, and I'm so happy with the direction that Finders Keepers is headed towards.  I want to keep you guys updated as much as possible and also get to know you guys on a more personal level!

Currently playing: Nouvell Vague, "Making Plans For Nigel"

P.S.. Tonight, I will be posting something very special! Cough.. giveaway.. cough.. awesome shoes.. Stay posted!