The take over, the break's over

This morning D.C. said goodbye to me with mild temperatures and rain. Chicago greeted me with cold and flurries.

Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: H&M, Tights: Kohl's, Socks: Target, Boots: Liz Claiborne

I was thankful I packed my scarf and headband in my carry-on, because I needed them the second I stepped out of the airport. As much as I am not really a fan of cold weather, I do really love dressing for it. Expect to see a lot of boots, socks and tights combos soon. I'm glad that there's not too much to do this week - maybe on Thursday I won't go outside...

DIY weekend

A while ago, I posted about a knit headband I saw on Anthropologie's website and how I wanted to make my own. Well, while I was home for the holiday, I did just that and now have my own facsimile.

It's not perfect, but it's a start. I'll probably make more in different colors when I'm home again. And because I was having so much fun, I made another knit headband - this one with a bow.

They were super easy and quick to make - maybe over winter break I'll experiment with some different patterns.

Sunshine Day

Jacket: Gap, Dress: H&M, Tights: Kohl's, Boots: Liz Claiborne

Tomorrow I leave for school again, but I'll be back in less than two weeks. I lucked out today with some gorgeous weather - 50 and sunny. I'll surely be dreaming of it tomorrow night when we're supposed to get flurries back at school. When I'm at home I usually end up digging through my closet to find things to wear. I got rid of a fair amount of clothing this summer, making it a little more difficult than usual, but I did have this dress, a tried and true winner. I'm trying to get packed up for tomorrow morning's flight, but I'm having a harder time packing to go back to school than I did for coming home. I keep having to remind myself that it's only about a week and a half - I don't need that much.

Music Monday

Thanksgiving was Thursday, which means it's that time of year again. And by "that time" I mean the time when I can play Christmas music all day every day if I want. That's not generally what I do, but I like knowing that I can. I thought I'd kick off the holiday season with some of my favorite Christmas tunes, courtesy of the Jackson 5.

Out and About

Since I actually left the house today, I actually got dressed for real and took some photos to prove it

Shirt: Lacoste, Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Nine West

I've missed the ease of just going out in my backyard and taking photos that have good natural light. Of course, since it's getting cold it's not quite as nice to be outside. I wore my new skirt from Urban Outfitters today - I found it on the sale rack and was pleased to find that it fit perfectly both in the waist and length-wise. I was even more pleased to see that it had been marked down to $10 from about $60. I might not have braved frenzied crowds on Friday, but I still got a very good deal. This morning I went for coffee with my best friend - catching up over a peppermint mocha while sitting next to a crackling fire is just about perfect. I spent the rest of the day working on my paper, hanging out and watching my team get slaughtered in football. I wish I didn't have work to do this weekend, but I'm sure it'll make me all the more thankful for winter break when I have no work.

Away from the madding crowds

I'm not one for Black Friday madness (no big crowds of frenzied people for me, thanks) so today I stayed in and lazed around the house, as well as celebrating my dad's birthday. I also spent a good part of the day feeling bad for a friend who had to work the 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift at Best Buy today. Brutal. Of course, I couldn't come home without shopping though. So my sister and I went to the mall on Wednesday in search of sparkly holiday clothing and to see Burlesque (which was awesome, go see it). I ended up with a blue velvety dress from H&M that will debut next week, a striped skirt on super sale from Urban Outfitters ($10!!) and these boots from Forever 21:

I'm a little bit in love with them, even though they're slightly ridiculous. But they're actually really comfortable and make me super tall. Look out for them soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Before I start eating and subsequently fall into my food coma, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2009

I'm thankful for a lot of things this year, not least of which is being home with my wonderful family. Have a great day, I'll be back to normal tomorrow hopefully.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I'm back on the East Coast, back at home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Yesterday's mix of class and travel left me too tired to post last night, but here's what I wore for my trip home:

Striped Shirt: Old Navy, Button-down: Banana Republic, Jeans: Forever 21, Jacket: ModCloth, Boots: Liz Claiborne, Bow: H&M

I saw the sunlight streaming through the window in my roommate's room and couldn't resist some pictures there. I based this outfit around the jacket. A few days ago I just decided that I wanted to wear leopard print to fly in. Something about a fun print (especially rendered in a soft faux-fur) makes travel a little less dreary (especially when you're fearing being selected for additional screening by the TSA). The rest of the outfit came together when I was thinking about what's comfy for flying - the boots are on and off pretty easily so they were a go, the jeans came into the equation when I realized how cold it would be in Chicago. The striped shirt came from my subconscious - I'm pretty sure I've seen some street style shots of people wearing stripes with leopard print and I had to get in on that. I think my bold coat may have gotten a few odd glances, but I loved wearing it. I was right - it did make flying a bit more cheery.

Back on Track

I've been around sporadically over the past week or so and I'm trying to get back onto the groove of things - hopefully being home will help to facilitate that.
Friday:

Cardigan: Old Navy, Dress: Banana Republic, Tights: Kohl's, Boots: Target

Today:

Sweater: hand-me-down, Skirt: Forever 21, Socks: Target, Boots: Target

You can probably tell from the picture but today was unseasonably warm for Chicago this time of year. I took full advantage by leaving part of my legs bare - there's no chance of that happening tomorrow though, since the high will only be 38. To some extent it was fairly warm Friday too, after all I did wear shorts to go out that night (of course I walked back in mid-30 degree weather, making shorts seem unwise). I'm looking forward to some nice November weather when I go home tomorrow. I've got a 6 p.m. flight so I'm leaving here right after class. My life right now basically looks like:

But I'm excited for going home. Especially since the real cold is set to start in Chicago this week. I won't be warm, but I'll be warmer than it is here. Plus, there's going to be lots of pie.

Music Monday

I downloaded an album last Wednesday that I've been listening to nonstop since, so it only makes sense to feature it today. The album is Girl Talk's "All Day" and true to form it's full of awesome mashups that are mindblowingly amazing in the way that the songs fit together and of course create the best dance party ever.
I included the first few tracks, but I highly recommend downloading the whole album - it's a free download here.

Week in Review

I've been a terrible blogger this week.
Monday:

Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: H&M, Tights: gift, Boots: Nordstrom

Tuesday:

Dress: H&M, Sweater: Old Navy, Scarf: Gap, Boots: Cole Haan

Wednesday:

Sweater: Forever 21, Shirt: Gap, Jeans: Forever 21, Shoes: Nine West

Thursday:

Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: Banana Republic, Tights: Hue, Boots: Liz Claiborne, Cardigan: H&M, Jacket: Old Navy, Scarf: homemade

Can you tell it got progressively colder throughout the week? It started off in the low 50s and today's high was only 41! Yikes, I am so not ready for it to be winter. Luckily I get to go home to the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday for Thanksgiving. I'm so excited for my mini vacation. Plus, I should be getting back to more regular blogging while I'm home - unless I'm super busy.

Tuneful Tuesday (Because Music Monday got caught in my laziness)

I spent my afternoon yesterday being productive - doing laundry and homework - but somehow that didn't extend to the blog. Thus, instead of Music Monday, it's Tuneful Tuesday which today is dedicated to some of my favorite instrumental pieces (which all happened to play in a very short period on my shuffle).

Black, White and Red all over

Thursday to Friday, stripes go from top to bottom.

Shirt: North Face, Skirt: Forever 21, Shoes: Gap

The last of our bare legs days for a while, I took advantage of Friday with this striped skirt that I bought while I was home. I haven't worn it a lot, partly because it's a little too big in the waist. With a couple of safety pins I solved that problem though. I love it's shape and thick material - not too much fear of this one blowing up in the wind. It's also perfect for dancing around in - like I am in the third picture. I've had a good weekend so far - out on Friday night and then relaxing all Saturday. Time to do some work today, but this week doesn't look too stressful so I'm (almost) cruising til Thanksgiving.

Playing Catchup

It seems I have a little catching up to do. I swear I have an excuse...
Tuesday:

Dress: Forever 21, Sweater: American Eagle, Shoes: Michael Kors

This outfit was supposed to go up Wednesday, but my commitment to being at the newspaper for four hours that night left me unable to do so - I tried to post the macaron entry while there, but that didn't even work.
Wednesday:

Shirt: Tulle, Dress: Forever 21, Cardigan: Old Navy, Shoes: Minnetonka

This should have gone up yesterday, but yesterday other than when I was getting ready for class and getting home to go to sleep, I only spent about an hour in my apartment. After class I had to head to the grocery store so that my roommate and I could pick up refreshments for her birthday party which was last night. I spent the rest of my day at her boyfriend's (also a good friend of mine) apartment setting and tidying up and then of course, having the party. By the time I got home after 1, all I could do was drop off to sleep.

You might be able to tell from the pictures, but the past few days have been unseasonably warm. I've been taking advantage by wearing dresses with bare legs. In November, being able to forgo tights and socks feels like a gift, even though I love both. I'm sure I'll get my fill soon though, since the high on Sunday is supposed to be 48. Brr.

Treating Myself

My wanderlust is fueled not only by pictures of gorgeous places, but also by pictures and descriptions of delicious looking foods and desserts. I especially find this true of french pastries - pictures of which make me long for a trip across the Atlantic. Of course, I'm not in the position to get up and go to Paris, so I just wait and dream.
A couple weeks ago though, I saw a chance to satisfy just a teeny bit of my wanderlust through dessert. Working at the newspaper one night, I saw this video:



The bakery in town now makes macarons - those tiny colorful cookies that evoke images of Kirsten Dunst's Marie Antoinette and other fancy French things. On Monday I had to stop by to pick up my roommate's birthday cake, so I picked up a treat for myself as well.

I bought three (though I received a fourth that was broken) macarons - vanilla, pistachio and red velvet. While I have no idea just how true they are to the real thing, they were delicious, and I feel like I've satisfied a little of what tugs at my mind every time I see pictures of France.