An Epiphany and Leather Bracelets

You may have (or probably not have) noticed that I tend to stray away from advertisements, sponsored posts, and the like on this blog. The reason has usually been that while getting free stuff is fun (SO much fun) I never wanted to accept something that I wouldn't buy myself.  I hadn't completely ruled the idea out, but I wanted to be picky when it came to accepting gifts for sponsored posts.

HOWEVER. I started an Etsy shop several months ago, and after experiencing first hand that sales don't magically come in the first (or 30th or 75th) day after posting your stuff, I quickly learned that interacting with the community and supporting your fellow crafters is one of the best things you can do to run a successful business. Literally the day that I had this epiphany, Joey of Sewsephine contacted me about featuring some of her handmade bracelets on the blog. Joey has built up quite an impressive (and completely affordable!) empire of accessories that she sells on Etsy. I love supporting independent businesses, and I obviously love cheap stuff, so I just had to share the love.

I was so excited when the bracelets arrived in the mail a short three days after our initial contact and couldn't wait to show them off with the world. 

 I love Etsy sellers who take the time to put together cute packaging for their products!

Sewsephine's bracelets are so simple but can go great with so many different outfits. I wore the pink one to work on Friday and then out that night for drinks, and then tied the green one with the tassel on today for cleaning around the house and a trip to Trader Joe's. If there is any fashion crime that I will admit to committing, it's falling in love with an accessory and wearing the crap out of it. Every day. The way I see it, I'm just making the best use of what I have, so that I don't have to go out and buy more. 

HA. I'll just keep telling myself that.

Ok but for real. Go check out Sewsephine right now! She is everything I hope to be in an Etsy entrepreneur. (One day, Brenda....one day.)

Hot and Cold

Just when I thought I had this weather all figured out, I was thrown for a loop on Sunday when I stepped out for some coffee with a new friend. The past few days had been quintessential Fall weather, so I whipped up a cozy outfit for a brisk day.

Imagine my surprise when I stepped outside to a balmy 77 degree day! Northern VA, you got me again. I was already running a little late and thought I could just suck it up, but I got to the car and was sweating. I was NOT about to ruin a good hair day with sweat from dressing too warm, so I ran back inside to rethink my outfit. Luckily, this was an outfit that was easy to alter for a warmer day. I simply peeled off a few layers and changed my shoes, and was still left with a cute and comfy outfit perfect for coffee and chatting. Never mind that my legs are in dire need of a shave. Who's gonna notice?

Now that we are in this fickle season, it's great to have a wardrobe that can be easily interchanged for when the weather just won't make up its mind. The addition (or omission) of a few accessories can be just the thing to create a whole new outfit. It's like doubling your closet, really.

I've been waiting for the day where I could finally introduce these high heeled boots to the world, but it looks like I'll have to wait until the temperature decides to drop again. Sigh. Guess it's time to break out the razor again...

What are some of your favorite ways to take outfits from hot to cold?

Who Loves Fall the Most?

Answer: Me! Me! Pick me!

In all seriousness, I fully expect my Google reader today to be stuffed to the brim with weekends that included pumpkins, apple cider, fall foliage, and baked goods. 

And mine is going to be one of them.

My weekend started with a trip to Trader Joe's, which turned into a Fall decorating, baking, and cider-drinking extravaganza when I returned home (in that order!).

Pumpkins were only $3.99 at Trader Joe's and the mini pumpkins and gourds were only 69 cents!

Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting -- Recipe here. 

How was your weekend?

Three Ways to Wear Ankle Boots

Happy Friday, kids!

Is it just me, or did Fall come out of nowhere at full force? Today I'm excited to do another joint blog post with three of my favorite blogger buddies, Madeline and Stephie. (Check out the post from our DC Consignment Crawl adventure from this summer!) We all agreed that ankle boots are a must-have for the transition into Fall, when it's not quite cold enough to bundle up with boots up to your knees, but too chilly for sandals and flats. As you can see, we all styled this wardrobe staple in three very different, but fabulous, ways!

I had originally planned on wearing them to our Reston Oktoberfest excursion from my previous post, but I decided at the last minute that the heels were not conducive to walking around with beverages in hand. Now I'm kicking myself for vetoing the outfit where I could have had pretty weather backdrops like the other girls, but the next day, I woke up to a wet, cold, and blustery Sunday morning. Alas, the blog must go on! I had to make myself look presentable for church, so I set up my camera in front of the cinderblock wall to capture an outfit perfect for the chilly conditions.

This long-sleeved paisley dress is one of my favorites because it's great for transition weather like this. I think that the addition of the black tights and ankle boots really kick it up a notch. When I need some extra warmth, I like to throw on a blazer with a chunky scarf. Because, let's face it, a blazer is always a good idea. (As you can see in Stephie's outfit!) And how cute is the glittery detail on Madeline's boots? Sigh, my friends are just so fashionable!

Go ahead and hop on over to Stephie @ Thrift and Style and Madeline @ Style me Thrifty to hear all about their adventures in ankle boots!

An Oktoberfest in Reston

One of the things that I constantly make sure Ian knows is on our bucket list is to plan a trip to Europe before any kiddos come along. Luckily, until that day comes, we are lucky to live in an area where we can have just about any kind of cultural experience within a short car drive from home.

Obviously, now that Fall is upon us, there has been no shortage of Oktoberfests around the DC area. On Saturday afternoon, antsy after a day of football watching, I was ready to get out of the house into the crisp Fall weather. Finally: a perfect day for leggings, boots, and a coat and scarf! (Not to mention straight hair. Heaven!)

We actually had a few Oktoberfest options on that particular day, so after about twenty minutes of driving around and indecisiveness (definitely not from me....hmmmmm) we decided to take the trek out to Reston to see how the Restonites (?) celebrate October. Or, excuse me, Oktober. Turns out they do so with an abundance of beer, food vendors, and old people dancing to polka music. Imagine that!

After circling around several times, we decided on a very German feast of chicken kabobs, rice, and naan. We had just had bratwurst for dinner the night before, and the line at the German booths were so long. With our beer in hand and empty tummies, we figured some food in the stomach ASAP was probably best. And I topped off my dinner with some homemade baklava which was absolutely divine.

The polka dancers wrapped up and gave way for the next act on stage, a cover band comprised of people my parents age. We enjoyed our Indian food and sipped our Autumn beer to the sounds of Crocodile Rock as we watched little kids on the dance floor and creeped on the cute dogs that people brought.

An authentic German experience indeed. But seriously--so fun!

Can I Take Your Order?

When I was a kid, my friends and I loved playing restaurant. Between all of our basements, we would have a sweet setup of tables, chairs, and fake food that would would serve to our fake guests until all hours of the night. I pretty much decided that being a waitress was my destiny in life. 

So then I majored in hotels and restaurants in college, and after a four-stint in the food service industry and several serving gigs, I realized that my childhood dream was actually not my thing. Turns out imaginary people are a lot easier to serve than real people with hungry tummies! Not to mention that when we were kids, we didn't have to work on evenings, weekends, and holidays. We could just quit when we got bored.

Hence, why I now work in an office. 

The other day I wore this little ensemble that, after leave my apartment, I thought maybe seemed a little more appropriate for a 1950's diner than a corporate office. All I needed were my plastic cat eye glasses that I wore with a 50's girl outfit in 5th grade. Since I didn't have enough time to take photos in the morning when I left, I hurried outside when I got home to take advantage of the remaining evening daylight, which gets less and less every day. So sad.

This button up houndstooth shirt was a fantastic find at Wears Like New in Hershey, PA. An Express top for two bucks--how could I not buy it? It's actually been sitting in my closet for about a month and a half because I usually don't like the way collared shirts look on me. However, it looked a little less waitress and a little more polished when tucked into a black skirt.

I think the automatic flood light adds a nice touch, don't you think? 

Blogger Bum

I have a huge problem with motivation. Who doesn't? You never hear anyone complain that they are just too motivated and get too much done. If they did, Pinterest would fail miserably because people would spend less time pinning and more doing. HA! The thought. 

Actually, it seems like there are some people who don't have an issue like this. Like Ian. I sure envy people like my husband who, when they put their mind to things, will do it. And get it done. And pay no attention to their wife trying to tickle them, sing for them, or distract them in any way. 

Personally, I get motivated in very brief spurts, and they are usually at the most inconvenient times. For example, today at work I got a huge streak of motivation for a string of blog topics, overhauling my Etsy shop, and a blog makeover. Too bad I wasn't able to get a start on any of these things until now, when all I want to do is go to sleep.

After a week of feeling particularly unmotivated, last Sunday evening I met up with some of my favorite blogger gal pals Stephie and Madeline for dinner. We all seem to share common blogger frustrations, so it's always refreshing to get together and bounce ideas around not only for our blogs but also for our personal projects and life topics. I left feeling refreshed and motivated to tackle my blogging to-do list, but I fell right back into the daily grind on Monday which leaves zero energy for creative things by the end of the day. I like to think that I could never be a full-time blogger/photographer/Etsy entrepreneur because I love having a job and having a routine where I'm out of the house, but maybe I'm a little bit jealous of those who are lucky to do what they love full time and be able to make a living off of it. It baffles me, but that is awesome. OK and yes, I am way jealous! 

However, the thought of having a blog that people pay me to write would mean that I couldn't fall off the face of the blogosphere for days at a time and then come back and complain that I haven't been motivated to do it. Ah, it's give and take! 

I guess the point of this post is kind of to complain, but also to ask how you do it. How my friends with successful blogs find the motivation to sit down and do something they love, even when they might not feel like doing it. And I don't even want to limit it to blogging--also for working out, reading books, doing projects, you know. Things that are much harder than parking on the couch in  front of the TV for the evening. I want to hear your wisdom!

So until next time friends, I'll leave you with an inspirational quote that I searched for on Pinterest for 15 minutes: