Tale As Old As Time

So, I'm hoping that you've figured it out already, but I decided to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast this Halloween! Since I went to Disney over the summer I've been a bit (way too much?) into Beauty and the Beast, though Belle's always been my favorite princess due to the fact that she's kind and sees past people's physical appearance. So, I didn't want to spend money on the yellow dress costume, and honestly I like her blue dress outfit much more, so I thrifted a jumper and pulled the other pieces from my closet. And then Zak agreed to go out in the cold and snap these photos for me, because he's a big sweetie.

Now, though, I'm off to be Belle, eat candy, watch classic horror films, hand out candy to trick or treaters, and make caramel apples. I hope you all have wonderful Halloweens, and I can't wait to see pictures of those of you who dressed up!






Until tomorrow,
Nicole

That Makes You Larger Than Life

I'm currently watching the Sabrina the Teenage Witch halloween special (for the second time today, but who
s counting...) and during the zombie dance party scene, the Backstreet Boys' "Larger Than Life" plays and the zombies do a conga line, so that song is a little stuck in my head. Hence the title of the post. This is one of my favorite things about Halloween: the tv! There are scary movie and cozy cartoons, and it's just so much fun to cozy up, watch, and eat candy :)



Skirt/dress, boots: UO, Top: Nordstrom Rack, Tights: Hue



So, today I got a little haircut! It's really just a trim, but I love how my hair looks and feels right after I get it done at the salon! If only it looked like this everday, right? I also did a bit of thrifting today and got the main part of my costume! Yaaaay. Now, I only need a few accessories. I'm really hoping it comes together well, and that I'll be able to show it to you guys Sunday! :)




Well, I hope you all have super wonderful Halloween weekends! Stay safe and eat lots of candy!

-Nicole

Do You Realize?

Hello there! Today's post will be short and semi-sweet due to me still having work to do at this hour and having quite a long day tomorrow. At least then it's the weekend, right? I just want to thank all of you wonderful readers for putting up with my whining. Right now I feel a bit like an emotional windstorm. That's probably not the right weather term. Tornado? I don't know. I'm a little all over the place emotionally, so that'll probably be coming through a bit in my posts for now. At least Halloween is soon! I'm hoping to eat a lot of candy while HOPEFULLY dressed up as one of my most favorite females. Here's hoping I can find a blue jumper by Sunday! What are you all thinking of being/doing for Halloween?

Top, Trench: H&M, Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Mom's





Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Get Close Enough To Know What You're Running From

Hello there! So, I'm currently about an hour and a half into my four hour break, and boy do I feel swell! And by swell, I mean super tired and stressy, and by exclamation point I mean pathetic frowny face. I've been driving myself a little crazy lately with worry. Zak hasn't been feeling well, and I'm really worried and upset for him. I'm considering trying to get a job but I selfishly don't want to give up my free time but also would really like money. I also still feel like an idiot in my philosophy lecture. We're getting our papers back and I'm positive I did badly. Despite this, I have a shred of hope that won't go away that I did okay. I would like for said shred to leave so I don't get all super let down once I get my paper back. AND since I'm the conductor of the complain train today, I am getting two papers assigned to me today, that will be due on the same day, and that day happens to be the day after my birthday weekend ends. AND SCENE.



Top, Jeans: Urban Outfitters, Sweater: Old Navy, Shoes: Mom's



I'm not sure how I feel about this outfit. I don't think it's a hundred percent me, but I really started this blog to take more chances with my clothes and get a feel for my personal style. This involves dressing up in ways I love, as well as some outfits that miss the mark. This one sort of came together. I put an outfit together to go take photos, but after twenty minutes of deliberating in front of my mirror, I decided it was not me, and I didn't like it. So I got back into my jammies. A few minutes later my mom comes into my room and tells me that people are coming to look at the house so I should really get dressed. Little did she know. So, upon getting dressed a second time, I ended up with a school boy-esque (save for the huge bow on my head) outfit that I did like, at least more than the first attempt.

Anyway, I hope you're all having good weeks so far!

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

I Want To Dream Away With You Tonight

Hello there! This was a fun weekend, since it was Zak's birthday. Hoorah! We spent the most of the weekend together, and it was so lovely going out, staying in, being silly, playing games, and just having fun. We didn't get to see the movie he wanted to see (It's Kind of a Funny Story) due to crazy movie schedules in which the movie only plays on certain days of the week (so weird!), but I think and hope he had a great time. On Friday, we went out on the town, got yummy Japanese food, walked around, and got some hot chocolate. I gave him his gifts (this print and tickets to the NY philharmonic) and presented him with some special cupcakes I made for him. I didn't take many pictures this weekend, but you can see the cupcakes at the bottom of the post :)



Skirt (dress): Modcloth, Top:H&M, Tights: Hues, Belt: Delia's, Oxfords: Steve Madden





So, I wore this on Friday for our little night out. I've been feeling really dependent on wearing solely new things in my closet lately, so it was nice to put this outfit together. I got this dress for my birthday last year and I haven't been wearing it that much since it's a little hard for me to style/layer. So, I decided to try it as a skirt and I really like the result. I've had this shirt in my closet for even longer, and I rarely wear it, so I was happy to find a new way to wear it :)

Oh! And I wanted to show you guys the cupcakes I made for Zak. I melted some butterscotch, let it harden, and carved out mustaches and stegosauruses to put on top of the cupcakes. I think they turned out pretty well! This is exciting, since at some point in my life I want to open a literary themed cupcake bakery (Robert Frost-ing, anyone?)




I hope you all had lovely weekends! Did you do anything special?

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

In The Navy

Hello there! So, I'm quite proud of this post's title. In one sense, I'm wearing a whole lot of navy today. In another sense, I'm wearing nautical stripes. Hooray for double meaning! I'm probably too proud of myself for coming up with that. Anyway, Thursdays are quickly becoming "comfy Thursdays." Thursdays are my longest day at school as well as the last day of my school week, so while I do enjoy looking put together, I'm also quite concerned with being cozy and warm during my four hour break in the library. I think today's outfit was a nice medium of comfy and not completely slovenly.



Top, Sweater, Trench: H&M, Pants: ESpirit, Moccasins: Minnetonka, Belt: Delia's, Necklace: Swap with Amber Rose



I was looking at yesterdays photos again and I realize I didn't really like my outfit. It's just that dress. I bought it and thought it was really cute, when in actuality I was probably just overjoyed that it fit. When I first starting losing weight, it was hard to differentiate between whether I was buying things because I really liked them and they represented me or if I was just buying them because they fit and wouldn't have before. This dress is one of those things. I feel bad that I don't like it on my body, so I keep trying to find ways to wear it, but all it really does is make me feel self conscious about various parts of my body. Do any of you have clothing like that? Where you bought it for a silly reason, felt guilty, and thus try to wear it despite not really liking it? I know that's really specific, but I figure maybe some of you have been in that situation.




Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Start Wearing Purple

So, I don't have many pictures today because I wasn't even going to take pictures today. I wasn't feeling so well, and was really tired from school and such. So, I took these photos after resting a while, mainly because of why I wore what I did today. Today, at my school as well as various other places around the country, was a day of remembrance and mourning for thirteen boys who took their lives over the past three months due to bullying and homophobia. We were asked to wear purple in remembrance. It was really touching. While not as many people as I thought wore purple, whenever I would see someone wearing the color, or they saw me, we shared a slight smile out of the knowledge of why we were wearing what we were wearing. I know that the color of my dress is not going to change people, but I think it's important to acknowledge, in every way possible, something that you care about deeply. As someone who loves words, I know how powerful they are. While they can be used for beautiful purposes, like poetry, so many people use them to hurt and sting. It baffles me that people can think they are better than others based on something like sexuality, or anything else really. The fact that these boys were pushed and hurt so much that they felt that life was no longer worth living hurts so much. The fact that people can make other people feel so bad that they want to end their lives hurts so much. So, I wore purple today to show what I believe in and to mourn the unnecessary loss of thirteen beautiful lives, ended too soon due to an epidemic of ignorance and lack of acceptance. I hope people start to listen.



Dress: Urban Outfitters, Sweater: H&M, Shoes: Steve Madden, Belt: Thrift

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

How Fickle My Heart

Hello! I've been on "fall break" since Friday, and have certainly been taking it easy. For the past two days I've been working, cleaning, and just relaxing and catching up on must needed break. I only have two days of class this week, but I'm still already looking forward to the next weekend. I'm so bad! Though, in my defense, this weekend is Zak's birthday, so that should make for an especially fun weekend.



Top: Delia's, Skirt: H&M, Tights: Hue, Belt: Target, Boots: Urban Outfitters, Necklace: Swap with Amber Rose!



I've been feeling a bit glum lately. I just get into these slumps where I feel quite alone, and wish I was more of a social butterfly, or even just more likable. I've accepted that I'm not like the average person my age. I don't drink or party, I'm not super outgoing, and large groups of people intimidate me. But sometimes I think it would be better to be more..normal? Friends tend to easily forget my friendship easily, and I'm just stuck wondering why I'm not as valuable to them as others. Oh, I'm sorry for my glum tangent.



I hope you're all doing well and having good weeks, but I should be off for now doing work and such.

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Fall Fest

HAY there guys! See what I did there, in reference to the photo? See? Ahem. Anyway, Over the weekend my family and Zak and I attended the Fall Fest at a local nature center and my goodness did I have a good time. It's exactly what I've been wanting to do since fall began. Walk around a beautiful natural setting, seeing all the leaves changing colors, making scarecrows, picking pumpkins. Perfect! So, since I'm a little bit exhausted, I'll just post pictures and captions to tell my Fall Fest story :)

So, we walked in and I ran over to the "build a scare crow" section of the field, because I had big dreams of building a handsome scare crow. They had tons of clothes to pick from to dress your scare crow up, so I picked my pieces and started stuffing. Here's the finished product:



Handsome devil, no? I was extremely proud of him, looking all fashion forward with his microscopic waist, trench coat, and cable knit sweater. He scares crows AND attracts women. See next picture, because I just had to:



See, it works! Ahem, anyway... Then I thought it would be fun to "make my own cider," mostly because I was under the impression I would be able to drink my own cider (I was wrong). I had a good time though. Did I care if I (other than zak) was the only person above five years old on the cider line? No, no I did not. The five year olds and their parents probably did though.



Then we decided to do a scavenger hunt, which allowed us to roam the grounds, see animals (prairie dogs!), and just do a lot of beautiful, scenic walking. I even found some good, though over-exposed..., places for some outfit photos






Dress: Thrift, Vest: Delia's, Loafers: Mom's, Belt: Target, Purse: Urban Outfitters

All in all, I had a lovely time! What did you all do this weekend?

Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Ruby Red

So, I do own red lipstick, but I hardly ever (never) wear it. I tend to think it makes me look a little...like a whore. I've seen it look so wonderful on so many girls but for some reason, whenever I push myself to put it on, I almost immediately wipe it all off. Today, though, I donned my little red shoes and decided to screw my whore-ish self perceptions and put on the lipstick. Was I a little uncomfortable? Yes. Did I still think that anyone who saw me would think I look like a crazy person? Yes, but I've gotten used to that one. I think it ended up alright, looking at the pictures. The rest of my outfit was so simple, since I'm not doing much today, that I figured why not put on the lipstick?



Jeans, bag: Urban Outfitters, Top: Forever 21, Shoes: Restricted





I don't like to talk about my weight loss all that much since I really rarely notice a change since I've lost thirty pounds. I know that I'm down about two sizes and that everything fits better, which is clear evidence that my body's gotten smaller, but I hardly ever see a real difference. Today was one of the rare instances I did. These jeans are too big on my waist, I used to be unable to button them. That's not where I saw the difference though. I really just saw it in my hips. I never noticed it before, but I lost a lot of hip since I started dieting. My hips seem so slim to me now, instead of sticking out on both sides. I've always liked my hips though, so it's a little weird to realize they've shrunk. I know I certainly still have hips, but it was just such a strange thing to actually see a difference in my body.



Anyway, I hope you all have the best weekends! I'm hoping to do some thrifting for my halloween costume (and maybe a little for my wardrobe too!) and finally go get a pumpkin to carve!

-Nicole

Rainy Day Roses

Let me introduce you to my super oversized, rose covered sweater. While I was in Cape Cod over the weekend, I went to this wonderful vintage store called Wicked Thrift. Everything's twenty percent off during the week, which is crazy since I didn't see anything too expensive to begin with. I really could have spent an hour at least in this store, just looking at every individual garment. Being with Zak's family on their vacation, though, I tried to hurry myself along. I spotted this sweater, and it just looked so cozy. I also loved the print and the wonderful eighties feel. I knew it would be huge, but that's part of the draw for me. It's huge and just so comfortable. And Thursdays are my cozy days what with their being at the end of my school week/being my longest day of the week, so I just had to wear it. By the way, these pictures are kind of shotty due to the fact that it's pouring out, and I got home late, and had to take these pictures inside, and this is a run-on sentence.



Dress: Urban Outfitters, Sweater: Wicked Thrift, Belt: Delia's, Boots: Target, Tights: Hue



Today was one of those thoughtful days where I grew to realize how thankful I am for certain things. Every other week, I meet one on one with my teachers to discuss my work and final projects. Today, I met with one of my favorite teachers, and he has to be the nicest guy in the world. Seriously, he is so fun to talk to and so supportive and helpful. A half hour meeting turned into an hour as we talked about thrifting, Cape Cod, the terrifying house I stayed at over the weekend, his dog Rufus, and a little bit about work too. When I got up to leave, I mentioned that I was stressed, and we ended up talking about why, and I ended up mentioning that my lecture makes me feel like an idiot, and he ended up giving me a much much needed pep talk, and I ended up leaving his office so happy. So thankful for the college I go to. So thankful that I took his class. So thankful for the high school I went to. So thankful for the teachers, who became friends, who pushed me and supported me, and who continue to do so because I have such a tough time convincing myself that I'm good enough. So thankful for my boyfriend and closest friend at school, because when the three of us are together I laugh like a crazy person. I am just so thankful. Are you feeling thankful for anything in particular right now? I'd love to know.



Until tomorrow,
Nicole