Thrift Haul

Hello again! I've been promising to post a thrift haul on here for a while now and I've finally got one ready! I'm a big proponent of the idea that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look great. Over time, thrifting has become a big source of fashion of me. It's one of my favorite ways to spend my days off. I love the thrill of finding something great buried deep in the racks. I think a lot of people forego a trip to the thrift store because they think they won't find anything. I must admit, I felt like that at first but I quickly realized that isn't the case at all. I can't remember the last time I walked out of a Goodwill without at least one thing. Thrift stores are full of fantastic things, you just have to be willing to do a little digging. I didn't want to overwhelm you guys by showing everything I've thrifted lately so I just picked a few of my favorite finds of late.

My first lucky find is a really pretty little green hi-low dress. I'm all over the hi-low trend (as you can see here) so I was pretty much over the moon to find this little number. It's just a super cute, super casual dress and I love it!

My second pick is a pink lace peplum top. It was actually made by ELLE and I was really excited to find it. I like the peplum trend a lot and I thought this sweet little top interpreted it in a really pretty, feminine way.

My third find is a sweet faded floral print drop-waist dress. I've been on the hunt for a dress with this waistline ever since I saw the new Gatsby movie. I think this dress is really pretty and it puts a modern twist on an old trend.

My fourth pick is probably my favorite thing ever. It's just a perfect basic denim jacket. This jacket is the perfect color and cut, I can't wait to throw it over dresses for those chilly summer evenings. This is a really versatile piece and I'm always on the lookout for great basics at thrift stores. This jacket was made by Abercrombie & Fitch. While I probably wouldn't shop in one of their stores I think the brand makes good quality clothing and I have no problem buying their clothing used.

My last thrifty goody for you guys this week is a great pair of black lace up booties. I'm so in love with these shoes! They're actually too big for me but I just couldn't put them down. I'll just have to wear them with thick socks and hope that works. I might have to sell them if that doesn't fix the problem. I'll be really sad if I have to let these go but I'll make sure to tell you guys if I end up selling them (so at least I know they'll go to a fabulous new home).

I'm really excited about this new feature and I'm hoping to make it a regular thing. I go thrifting a lot and I'm always finding new stuff. Feel free to lt me know what you think in the comments. Happy thrifting!

Outfit of the Day

Good afternoon everyone! Luke got back from the west coast so I was able to get some outfit pictures taken. His film Love Digital did really well at the CMF festival. Unfortunately, they didn't win any awards, but it was nominated for Best Picture which means that my boyfriend starred in one of the top five student films in the country! Anyhow, that's what's been happening around here. On to the outfit!

Top- gift, belt-thrifted, skirt-Forever 21 via Plato's Closet, shoes- Forever 21 via ebay, watch- Fossil, earrings- Forever 21

I think this shirt is really cool. Luke got it for me when he was in L.A. It actually has a hi-low cut so I figured why not pair it with a hi-low skirt? It was ridiculously hot out, so I wanted something that was fun and would keep me cool.

I really love the place where we shot these pictures! This wall is actually one of the locations where Luke and his friends shot Love Digital. I think it makes a super fun background. I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to be back here though. After we took these, we went down the road to get a soda and when we drove back by there was a police cruiser driving around the area, whoops!

So, that's about all I have today. I'm going in to work later and a big cup of coffee is calling my name right now!

Until Next Time,
Cait

Deals of the Week

Hi all! I'm back with some fantastic little goodies to show you guys! I found some pretty great stuff this time around and I'm super excited to tell you all about them.

My first deal is a really sweet little floral print denim jacket. I practically live in my regular denim jacket so I figured it was time to invest in a more statement making one. I found it on the clearance rack at Target and for only $20.98 I really could't say no. I plan on wearing it over solid colored sundresses for those cool summer nights. When fall rolls around I might even pair it with some jeans, the denim on denim thing can be really cute if done the right way. What do you think?

My second find is a pair of basic white skinny pants. I'd been on the hunt for a reasonably priced pair of these babies for a while and when I found them at Ross for $12.99 I snatched them up. They're super versatile and great for summer and spring and I think they can translate over to fall and winter as well.

Find number three is an adorable little mint green dress with a quirky puppy print. I got this at Ross as well and for only $10.49 the price was just right.

I love the color and I'm a sucker for a fun print. I think these are little terriers, or something equally tiny and adorable. This dress has a really great neckline too. It shows a little cleavage without being too revealing. I plan on wearing it out on a casual date with a belt and a pair of black wedges.

My fourth find for you guys is a really cool black blazer with a twist. I'm always on the lookout for blazers that have a flattering fit, I have a hard time finding ones that don't make me look like a rectangle. But, I'm happy to report that the fun zipper detail on this blazer draws attention to the waist making me look like an hourglass rather than a large box. I think this jacket is super cute, and for the price it can't be beat. I highly recommend picking this up at your local Target. It's only $14.98 and it comes in a funky greenish-teal color as well.

My next deal is one that you guys might recognize from a previous post. I'm in love with this sweet little chambray dress. It's pretty but funky with a really great back cutout. I picked it up at TJ Maxx last week and I've already worn it three times. I really like that it can be worn on it's own for a pretty outfit on a hot day or paired with a cardigan for a more demure look. It's an awesome dress and for $19.99, I suggest grabbing yourself one today!

Find number six is an adorable little cat printed blouse. It's a super pretty sage green color and has a cool upper back cutout (that I unfortunately couldn't get a good picture of). This is a great little sheer top for the summer.

 I picked it up at Ross on sale for $7.99 and I love it. It looks really good with white skinny pants and when it gets hotter outside I plan on wearing it over high waisted shorts and a black bandeau.

My seventh deal is a pair of pretty lilac skinny pants from Target. I was wandering the store earlier this week and as soon as I saw these I snatched them off the clearance rack and took them home where they will be very well loved. These pants and a similar pair in mint green had been marked down to $13.99! Have I mentioned how much I love the sale racks at Target?

My final find for you guys is a lovely little black lace number. This is such a gorgeous dress! I found it at Ross for only $13.99 and I just couldn't put it down.

This is a great little date dress and I'm in love with the lace and the exposed zipper. Also, the back of it is unlined so it's a bit sheer which I think is a sexy little detail on an otherwise modest dress. I can't wait to wear this out. If only someone would take me out to dinner and a movie (hint, hint Luke)!

Well, that's all I have for you now! I hope you saw something you liked!

Until Next Time,

Cait

My Current Obsessions

Two blog posts in one week?! I know, sheer madness! It's been a pretty slow week for me, Luke's been taking on Hollywood so I've had a lot of time to myself. Unfortunately, when left to my own devices I live a hermit-like existence. I don't leave my apartment except for necessities like food and redbox DVDs and I pretty much stop wearing makeup and putting on pants. That might be too much information, but I feel like that's something people should know about me. My name is Cait, I'm 21 years old and too lazy to wear pants. I think that's why I wear dresses so much. They're easier to put on than pants and look instantly put together. It's one piece and done. Anyhow, all that to say that my obsessions of late are geared towards my more reclusive tendencies.

1. The Sims 3- I've been a fan of the Sims game for a long time now. I remember playing the original Sims as a pre-teen and loving it. I tend to go through phases of playing nonstop and hardly touching the game. I've been itching to get back into it for a little while and I recently got a new expansion pack and can barely put my computer down. I've already ordered two more expansion packs. It's a problem. If your'e a Sim fan, I really recommend getting the Generations expansion pack, it's pretty awesome. And if you don't believe me, take it from an expert. Luke's brother runs Lazy Game reviews, he's a bigtime Simmer and covers all of the games, stuff packs and expansions that come out for it. His reviews are really in depth and funny, I always watch his videos before I buy a new Sim pack.

2. Sonic milkshakes- This is pretty much self-explanatory, but I'm going to explain it anyways. There's a Sonic right down the road from my apartment. They have like twenty different shake options and all the shakes are half price after 8 p.m. I like to borrow my roommate's dog and take a walk down to Sonic for a chocolate covered strawberry shake. Walking there makes me feel a little better about eating a milkshake and the dog is just for fun.

3. Thrifting- I've always been a big fan of shopping at thrift stores but lately I've been almost manic about it. I've hit four or five different stores in the last couple of days and I have plans to go shop at more in the coming week. I'm still considering doing a thrift haul post so you might be seeing something like that in the very near future. I've also been considering starting an online shop to sell vintage clothes and some of my crafts. I've seen other bloggers have some success with it and I think it's something I'd like to try. I'm planning on building up a collection of stuff before I open up, just so there's some backstock and I have time to keep the store full. Not that I expect to sell out or anything but it'll make me feel better if I'm ridiculously overprepared.

4. Pottermore- I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter. I love the books, I love the movies, I love the theme park, pretty much anything that's even vaguely HP related I'm guaranteed to love. When I first heard about Pottermore, I was totally jazzed but unfortunately it was still in beta testing and I couldn't play yet. Last year, the first book became available for the public to play through and I immediately jumped into it. It was pretty great, but the first book was the only one open at the time so I really couldn't play much more. Recently I found out that the second book and the first half of the third book were up and running so I logged back in and have been reading and playing like mad ever since. If you're a fellow Harry Potter fanatic and haven't joined Pottermore yet, you should definitely check it out. You're going to love it.

5. Spring Garden Bakery- This is a local bakery that I've fallen head over heels in love with. They have great coffee and their pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are the literal best. This is my favorite place to go read and write. They also have some fantastic specials. Every Friday is bogo muffin day so if you head over there on a Friday afternoon you're pretty much guaranteed to see me sitting in the corner stuffing my face and playing around on my computer.

So, that's about all I've got for you today. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts/suggestions.

Til Next Time,
Cait

Outfit of the Day

Hey guys! I know I've been promising an outfit post for a while and I finally decided to bite the sartorial bullet and do it. I feel like I ought to preface this by saying that I have no idea what I'm doing. I've never done anything like this and I'm pretty nervous about the whole thing. So, here goes nothing.

Dress-TJ Maxx, Sandals-Kmart, Watch-Fossil, Earrings-Forever 21

I'm pretty much obsessed with the back of this dress. I love the cutouts trend and I think this little number shows off the right amount of skin in a pretty way. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything racerback.

I thought I would be super awkward in front of the camera (and I kind of was) but having Luke be my photographer really helped. He knows how to make me loosen up and laugh when I'm getting too uptight about things, which is pretty much always. I think he got some pretty good pictures, despite me and my inability to act human in front of a camera. Seriously, what are you supposed to do with your arms? I felt like I was on some nature documentary. I could practically hear the narrator, "and here we have the amateur style blogger, frolicking about in front of trees and flailing her arms as though she's never had her photo taken before."

It was a weird experience, but a fun one that I hope to replicate soon. Luke's out of town this week but I'll see if I can bribe him into doing this again when he gets back. Well, I hope this wasn't as awkward for you as it was for me.

Til Next Time,
Cait

My Current Obsessions

Hi all! Things have been pretty strange around here lately. It still hasn't quite hit me that I've finished school. I feel like it really won't until August rolls around and my roommate starts hitting the books without me. I've been trying to figure out what non-students do with their time and I've been spending a lot of time just doing some of my favorite past-times like thrifting and crafting. I'm looking forward to sharing some of my projects on here in the near future. Also, I've seen other bloggers do posts about thrift hauls and I was considering doing something like that on here.

I went to a couple outlet stores earlier this week and I'm planning on doing some more bargain shopping in the next few days. That being said, you can expect a "finds of the week" post coming up soon. I can't wait to show you guys some of the great goodies I found! Anyhow, that was just a brief update on what I've been up to. So, moving on, here are some of my current obsessions:

1) Crock pot recipes- To say that I'm not much of a cook would probably be an overstatement of my abilities. The only thing that I can consistently make with any degree of success is ramen noodles. But thanks to a tight budget I've been forced to eat in more often. And, trust me when I say that having ramen every night gets really old really fast. On a recent thrifting expedition, I discovered a really nice crock pot and thought "why not?"It's awesome! Seriously, it's super easy to make really yummy dishes and I've been collecting crock pot cookbooks like mad. I must have at least six of them by now. It's probably kind of sad how much I love my crock pot but I don't care. If having a variety of hot and delicious meals is wrong then I don't want to be right.

2) Tattoos- I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't actually have any tattoos...yet. Every summer since I turned eighteen I've spent about a month telling everyone that I was finally going to get one. I spend this month obsessively considering the perfect placement for whatever tattoo design I've currently decided is "the one." Maybe I'm just engaging in my yearly ritual of deluding myself into believing that I have a bad ass side or maybe I'll actually take the plunge this year. Who knows?

3) Saturday Night Live- I love this show! It's well written, well acted, smart, and entertaining. I've been watching some of the old episodes from the early 2000's on netflix lately and I can't get enough! When I was in NYC a few weeks ago, my mom and I went on the NBC tour. While the tour in general was an overwhelmingly disappointing experience I would still recommend it to hardcore TV fans. I got to see the SNL set and I almost died. I got to see the stages where the host speaks and the band plays and best of all I got the see the Target Lady set. I was this happy about it.

4) Top knots- This is the perfect hairstyle for summer. I wear my hair like this all the time. It keeps my hair up off my face and neck which is great for the hot weather we've been getting lately. I really like that I can make the bun look really neat and elegant for nicer occasions but I can also make it pretty and messy for a more casual look. It's great!

5) Pretty Little Liars- I know, I know, this is probably really lame but I can't help it. It's just so compelling! It's one of those shows that you can't stop watching once you start. The new season just premiered two nights ago and I'm so happy. I can't wait to see what happens and more importantly, I can't wait to see what the liars are wearing. I would love to raid the costume department of this show. There's some seriously great fashion going on there. If you aren't into stories of murder, mystery, and romance, you should at least watch for the clothes. So needless to say, I will be incommunicado from 8-9 p.m. every Tuesday in the near future.

So, that's what I'm doing right now. How have you been spending your summer so far? Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.

Until next time,
Cait