More shopping

   The other day, my aunt and her mother-in-law took my sister and I out for lunch then for a little shopping trip to thank us for taking care of their dogs the last week.  Although I wasn't nearly as lucky on this shopping trip as I was the last one, (we literally went into almost every single store at the outlet mall) I still managed to find this soft and chic yellow pin-striped Ralph Lauren oxford.  Although I set out searching for some more short-sleeved, warmer weather shirts, a girl cannot say no to a nice oxford (I now have one in almost every color...)

   One thing that I have learned from trying to pack for college: you really have no idea how much stuff you have until you have to fit everything in suitcases!  I have spent hours and days organizing and reorganizing my stuff to fit into as little number of  bags as possible... and don't even get me started on going through my computer and trying to transport everything onto my new hard drive! CRAZY!

Back-To-School Shopping

Pea Coat: Forever 21, $5

Rose T-Shirt: Forever 21, free (Buy one, get one)

Floral Blazer: H&M, $5

Gray dress: H&M, $10

Navy Capri Trousers: H&M, $7

Flare Jeans: H&M, $7

Navy Tube Skirt: H&M, $6

White Tank Dress: H&M $5

   Every year, my grandma takes my sister and I shopping for back-to-school clothes.  This year, we went to the mall to Forever 21 and H&M (besides local vintage shops, target, and the occasional TJ Maxx trip, those are the only stores I actually shop in anyway) and I stretched our budget as far as it could go.  In fact, I got everything (besides the gray dress, which I bought with my own money) UNDER my grandmother's $50 budget!  I honestly think that this has definitely been my most successful shopping mission in a long time.

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality, I had to take the pics with my iPod and try to salvage their quality with the free photoshop app... In other words, I really need to fix my old/get a new camera! Especially since I'm going to college in less than a month and will most definitely need to document everything!  Anyone have any suggestions for a girl on a budget?

Women's Olympic Volleyball

   I haven't played volleyball competitively since October or November of last year.  Our team ended earlier than I had ever hoped for, and, as bad as it sounds, by the bittersweet end of the season, my optimism, smiles, and love for the sport had worn away.  By the end of the season, I mean after the last game that I fought in 100%, after the tears I shed taking my shoes off for the last time, and after I went home where I had time to look back on the season, I had every right to be angry and let-down, because I had nobody looking up to me for uplifting any longer.
   It hadn't been until I saw the first USA Women's Olympic Volleyball game that I truly regretted not playing club ball, not going to any open gyms, and not even picking up a volleyball until months after my season ended.  The spirit, skill, and power of the women on this team is inspirational.  It might be the entire spirit of the Olympics that's getting to me (I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics, the World Cup, and basically anything that brings the whole world together like this,) but this team has truly reminded me of the teamwork, spirit, and confidence that the game of volleyball encompasses; characteristics that, at times, my team seemed to lack.
   I am so incredibly excited to see how far this team will go.  You can count on me watching every single game I can, cheering, yelling, clenching my fists, clapping, and forever sitting on the edge of my seat, or even jumping around the room, because this team has reminded me why the game of volleyball has changed my life.
   (And not only will I be watching women's volleyball religiously, but I'm watching the men, and both men's and women's beach volleyball as much as possible!)
   I seriously recommend this sport to anyone and everyone, it's incredibly fun, fast-paced, and always intense!

Dorm DIYs

"Not all those who wander are lost." -J. R. R. Tolkien 

Since my move-into-college date is quickly approaching (less than a MONTH!!) and my wisdom teeth were recently removed (finally an excuse to not go to work and watch movies and sew all day!) I have been very inspired, and have had quite a lot of time, to get some DIYs done for my dorm room!

Both my roommate and I have pretty neutral colors (I'm not sure what her's are, but my bedding is black and white, and I have one set of purple sheets) so many of my wall/miscellaneous decor will contain the chaotic color that my creativity craves.  So far, I have made a little hanging wall decor, and sewn a new pillowcase from some fabric that my friend got be for graduation! (You know you have AWESOME friends when they buy you fabric as gifts;))

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

After seeing the many posts, pictures, and quotes from the John Green book Looking For Alaska on tumblr, I added the book to my increasingly long "Must Read" list.  It wasn't until my mom got The Fault in Our Stars from the library, finished it, and couldn't stop raving about it, that I finally started to actually put my goal into action and read a John Green book.  Let me tell you, I haven't regretted any second of it.  I'm currently reading Looking For Alaska but have since finished The Fault in Our Stars and one of my new favorite books, Paper Towns.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book was unlike any book I had ever read before.  Although the main characters were somewhat younger than me and were living through much more hardship, I immediately felt connected through our mutual trouble with growing up, keeping friends, parental relationships, and getting lost in literature.  All of the characters were so enjoyable and, as cliche as it may sound, inspirational.  While I call the characters inspirational, do not assume that they are ever-optimistic and content with their numbered days.  I find these characters inspirational because, although they don't let their diseases dictate their every move, they each have a different approach to their own lives, and none of them are perfectly optimistic and happy.

This story really put my own life in perspective.  Again, as cliche as it might sound, it did truly show me how lucky I am to be healthy.  I have known, and I'm sure almost everyone has known, at least one person that has been affected by cancer.  John Green really puts into perspective how someone so close to my age can be affected by such a horrible disease, and how much appreciating my family, friends, and health is important.

Building the Nostalgia

We had a little surprise get-together for my friend's 18th birthday the other day, and it was a huge success! Somehow, she had no idea of our intentions, even with the multiple times we knew that she had to have seen our secret Facebook messages or sly texts... Somehow though, we pulled it off and our night of surprise food, music, cake and friends was fabulous (just like her!)
We spent the night siting around on our other friend's back deck, over looking the lake, forgetting about the ten-page English paper that was due the next morning and the multiple tests that we should have been studying for, and instead enjoyed each other's company because we knew that although we still had two more months of summer, this would be one of the last times we would all be seeing this group together, and it marked the end of an era of seeing each other, the same people that we've spent the last thirteen years growing up with, every day.
This year, I couldn't wait until the day of graduation came when I wouldn't have to step through these hallways or see the same people ever again, but as the days numbered and the real "lasts" started to happen, it really sank in. These people, that at the beginning of this year I couldn't wait to get away from, were the people I held the most memories with. These were the people that I had grown up with, that I laughed and cried with, that I fought with, secretly hated, but ultimately loved. Suddenly, the thought of spending the last thirteen years with the same groups of people became not a burden, but a gift. I am so thankful for all the memories that I have been able to create with my classmates, and although I never let myself admit it before, I will truly miss them all a ton.

The Kooks

After a long day at work, I ventured to see The Kooks this weekend: my 15-year-old self's impossible dream!  Although it was insanely hot, it was SPECTACULAR!  I drove down with my friend, and it took a lot shorter than we had expected, which was awesome.  When we arrived, we waited in the quickly growing line for a while, talking to his brother and his bro's girlfriend, before I met a girl that I'll be going to college with next year! I talked to her for a while, met her friends, and then we went inside, and reconnected after a little while.

The openers were (surprisingly) excellent, so the concert started off on a good note.  Plus, it seriously helped that we were just two rows of people away from the front!  After a while, due to the insane amount of people in the small, standing-room-only bar, it got hot and crowded very, very quickly.  Before The Kooks even came on stage, four people had to be carried away because they fainted of heat exhaustion!  Thankfully, they started giving away their $3 waters into the crowd and spraying us with the leftovers to cool us down.  I was pushed, elbowed, and crowded by sweaty people the whole night, but it was fantastic.  I was literally within feet of the beautiful Luke Pritchard, and it was all worth it.

After the concert, we went to the gas station next door and got huge ice-cold water bottles, and sat outside in the cool (finally!!) air to talk for a while.  It was such a fantastic night, I'm so glad I was able to go, meet new people, and listen to AWESOME music!

What I wore:

An old tank from my Grandma that I fitted, my mom's old shorts

What I heard:

Sway The Kooks

Slave Northern Faces (Formerly Around the World and Back)

Wild #2 Royal Teeth

What I saw:

Luke Pritchard from The Kooks my friend's photo

Northern Faces (formerly Around the World and Back) their website

Definitely need to do it again sometime SOON!

{Polyvore} Prints

Prints by heytherehayley featuring Current/Elliott shorts

Lately, I've been all about wearing more colorful and unique prints.  I've always been a sucker for floral, and I've recently jumped on the tribal printed bandwagon.  I haven't gotten confident enough yet to mix different prints, but I can't wait until summer when I'll finally have enough money to go shopping again and try out some new pairings!

A Parisian Morning

Since my end-of-year french club field trip freshman year to a local creperie, I have been a die-hard crepe addict.  As a lover of French culture and new foods, this little trip opened a whole new world to me.  Since then, I have tried almost every single crepe on the menu, shared the fabulous find with my friends and family, and found a creperie in almost every one of my favorite places.
Saturday while grocery shopping with my mom and passing by a display of Nutella, I decided to try my own rendition of the food that I haven't had in so long.  So, I threw the tub of Nutella in the cart and went home to search for a crepe recipe.  I simply googled "easy crepe recipe" and just clicked on the first link, and it happened to be a huge success!
The recipe just gives directions for the actual crepe, and I just added a little flair and spread some Nutella on it then sprinkled some freshly chopped strawberries and folded it over.  I must say, the recipe was INCREDIBLY easy and the outcome was equally delicious!

DIY: Cut-out Oxford

I have an abundance of plain white large men's oxfords that my dad has kept, but hasn't worn in ages.  I've grown out of simply belting over-sized garments, so I decided to add some life to some of them!  This is the second one that I've refurbished (I haven't photographed the first one yet, but I will soon and share!) and I am really pleased with its turnout.  Since this is the second white oxford I've upcycled (and this one is clearly a lot older, shown by its oldness stains) I think I'll dye it... I just haven't decided what color or if I'm going to just dye it one color, or do sort of an ombre-look.  (I'll have to practice that a lot though- I'm thinking it'll be really difficult, so I might just stick to one color!)

Anyway, this is the find that inspired me this morning, while catching up on cool finds that I've missed out on lately on StyleSays (shirt originally from Lulu's):

Lulu's

I'm really digging the neon mint color as well, but I don't think I'll be able to find a cheap dye in that color!  We'll see what colors I'll be able to find at Joann's or Wal-Mart, and if I decide to attempt the ombre look, here are some pieces I'll be using as inspiration:

topshop

asos

shopbop

Before:

After:

I simply trimmed the front to give the shorter in the front, longer in the back look (which I thought was hideous when I first saw the trend, but have since fallen in love with it and admired its flattery on my frame!)

I then cut the fabric, along the line where the collar buttoned on, creating a diagonal about one-inch wide stripe.  I then just removed the buttons that kept down the collar and sewed them on again, though at a wider angle, outside of the cut-out rather than inside of it.

To add another little touch, I cutout a little trapezoid in the middle of the back, which is a bit awkward shown on camera, and looks kind of stupid in person too, but I can't do anything about it now... haha. On the bright side, though, it'll be easy to cover up if I wear my hair down...

So that's it!  The total cost of creation was $0, since I had the shirt and all of the sewing tools already, but if I decide to dye it, it'll cost me about $3.  3 bucks for a brand new, trendy shirt?  Yes please!

I'll keep you updating with the dying technique I decide to use!

Happy Easter or Passover to you and your families and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!

Disposable

Everything I'm Looking For by The Dirty Heads

One of my favorite Dirty Heads song! It happened to start playing while I wrote up this post and its chilled out melody and lyrics seemed to fit perfectly with the summery vibe of this post!

Little Reilly on the lake in his favorite spot in the world

The Adirondack chairs with the best Adirondack view

Reilly and Dad bonding in the greatest place on earth

These are just a few pictures I took with a disposable camera last summer.  I've been looking through them and realizing how quickly this year has really gone by... Each day and each week seems to be taking forever, but when I look back on it, my senior year really did fly by like everyone warned me.  But I'm so ready to make loads of cash this summer (or am I?) and spend as much time (or hopefully MORE!) on the beach as I did last year.  Only a few short months and I'll be sitting on the beach, or on the boat, done with high school forever... I can't wait!