What To Wear: Fourth of July

Can you believe it's almost the Fourth of July? No matter what plans you have, there is a way to wear a festive outfit (if that's what you're into). I tend to go all out with the red, white, and blue color scheme. When else is it appropriate to wear multiple instances of flag print and/or nautical items? I put together a few outfits for different activities you may be up to on the Fourth. These are all wearable for a normal summer day too as long as you're into nautical or American flag-themed pieces! Below you'll find an outfit idea for a date to see the fireworks, drinking beer on the porch with friends, attending a family barbecue party, and going to a poolside holiday bash. 

For a date to see the fireworks with your sweetheart you could wear:

Do You Read Me Dress: Modcloth |  Vintage Anchor Earrings and Pin: The Polka Dot Armadillo | Crochet Headband: Forever 21 | White Satchel Purse: Forever 21 | Take a Stride With Me Wedge: Modcloth

To drink a couple beers on the porch with friends you could wear:

Eyes On Fire Sunglasses: Lace Affair | Nautical Earrings: Caryn Ann's Closets | Little White Tie Top: Modcloth | High Waisted American Flag Shorts: Pretty Poser | Double Buckle Strap Sandals: Boohoo | Gold Cuff Bracelet: Forever 21

For a family BBQ party in the back yard you could wear:

North Hampton Sandals: Ruche | Vintage 80s Striped Crop Top: Thriftage | American Flag Hair Bow: Handmade Reverie | Hot Dog Stud Earrings: Addie LaDawn | Cookbook Swap Romper: Modcloth

For a poolside get together you could wear:

Button-Up Chambray Blouse: Ruche | Oasis Cateye Sunglasses: Ruche | Handkerchief Beach Towel: Urban Outfitters | Reversible Metallic Tote Bag: Ruche | American Flag Swimsuit: London Blushes | Crisscross Slip-on Sandal: Urban Outfitters

To my US readers: Do you have a Fourth of July outfit picked out yet? I don't yet! I really like the outfit I put together last year and am thinking about recreating it. I styled some denim overalls with a red striped shirt and wore a nautical scarf in my hair. Maybe I'm just wanting to break out those overalls again, but they're Jeanie's so I'll have to raid her closet to find them.

I hope you guys are having a great Monday and have a fantastic week ahead of you!

Weekend Roundup \\ 10

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you've been having a great weekend! Mine has been pretty good. I managed to play some video games and stream a couple of them on my new Twitch page. So check that out if you're into game streams or seeing me play really old games I not-so-magically-but-feels-like-magically get to work on my computer.

Instagram

I finally got my diploma in the mail so it's real and official and a throwback picture to taking graduation pictures in May.

A picture with Mom out on a boat and participating in #ManCrushMonday with a Matt picture.

Delicious Jittery Joe's coffee at Mama's Boy and hanging out at AthFest last weekend.

Nails with the new OPI Coca-Cola collection and a #ThrowbackThursday picture 

One of my all-time favorite teas was found and Mom made delicious cake for no occasion again. I'm probably eating more of it as you read this.

Media

\\ Unsplash consistently adds free (and super pretty) public domain pictures for anyone to use. Great for those blog posts when you lack an image.

\\ YouTube is adding a feature where people can donate money to their favorite channels and Twitter is testing ways to add commentary to retweets.

\\ The Powerpuff Girls is getting a reboot in 2016 and I'm pumped!

\\ A new survey says teenagers report using Facebook more often than a year ago. The social network isn't dead for teenagers. They're just using it differently than teens did years ago!

Games

\\ You can play the Titanic: Adventure Out Of Time game on this magical website. A guy wrote a Windows 3.1 emulator into Java and ran the game (which is similar to what I did to run another game except through DOSBox). This game is childhood memories for me.

\\ A Blind Legend is an audio-based mobile video game designed for the visually impaired. Very neat concept!

Science

\\ Very early school start times hurts most students' performance.

\\ Why you may never have to get a tooth filling again in a few years. Hooray improvements in dentistry!

Career

\\ A guide to managing generation Y employees. Give them ways to improve their own skills!

Other

\\ The key to taking pictures isn't always magic hour. Some tips for taking pictures in natural light.

\\ This awesome whale sprite follows your cursor all around your screen. Just try it. You know you want to.

\\ We've been cutting cake the wrong way all these years!

\\ 18 lessons marching band teaches kids. After 8 years of marching band, I definitely agree with these points!

\\ Meet Bonnaroo's oldest attendees, the Bonnagrannies. You're never too old to have fun!

The Past Two Weeks' Posts

\\ Weekend Roundup 9
\\ Outfit: polka dot top, high waisted jeans, & blue wedges
\\ Outfit: late 60s style floral bell sleeved dress
\\ Things I Love Thursday
\\ Outfit: boat print shirt and yellow pleated skirt
\\ Outfit Video #1
\\ Outfit: red matching separates
\\ May Favorites
\\ Things I Love Thursday
\\ Life Lately: A trip to Creature Comforts Brewery

A Trip to Creature Comforts Brewery in Athens, GA

When I heard a brewery was going to be built in the old Snow Tire building downtown, I was super pumped. One of the best parts about Athens, Georgia is the rich local culture. The students and residents tend to wholeheartedly support local business. Georgia's laws stifle brewery startups so it's always exciting when a new one pops up. 

Last month I made a trip to the newly opened Creature Comforts brewery. It had opened only a couple weeks before and the citizens of Athens were drinking the beer faster than it was being made! They still had the Athens Berliner Weisse and Reclaimed Rye on tap so I got to taste both of those and they were delicious. You can taste the passion in their beers. I'm looking forward to making it out there again this summer to try some more brews too.

The atmosphere in Creature Comforts tasting room is inviting and definitely feels like it belongs in downtown Athens. It's very roomy inside and comfortably air conditioned which is a welcome difference from Terrapin Brewery (even though I very much enjoy hanging out there too). I enjoy the chalkboards and rustic reclaimed wood too. I love that they left pieces of the building's previous purpose as a tire company. A Snow Tire sign is hung inside and outside they even left some of the original Snow Tire signs. 

Just hanging with one of the brewers, that's all. He was a wonderful tour guide and enthusiastically told us all about the brewery's background and the brewing process.

Matt and I had a great time on our first visit. You can tell the brewers are passionate about their craft. Creature Comforts' focus on well-balanced beer is a welcome change from breweries frequently trying to make extreme beers. All in all I would highly recommend checking out Athens' newest craft brewery! 

Things I Love Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone! Here are a few neat things I saw around the internet this week. I wish I could have all of these things (Give me one of each!) but looking at them is almost as good. Well, not really but I can try to convince myself.

These cutout flats from Boohoo (that I bought the other day oops):

This holographic bag from Golden Ponies:

This tribal print matching set from Forever 21:

This 1960s polka dot reproduction dress from Violet House Repro:

This star print "Haute of This World" bikini from Modcloth. (Links to Top & Bottom):

May Favorites

Now that mid-June has passed (what??) it's finally time to showcase my favorite blogger outfits posted in May! As usual there are a ton of cute looks so have fun browsing and be sure to check out their blogs. Have a great Wednesday!

Swing The Day Away and Sweets and Hearts

Messages On A Napkin and One City Owl

Rachel The Hat and Orchid Grey

Annie Pancake and Into The Woods

Briar Rose and The Drawing Mannequin

Outfit: Red Matching Separates with Gold Leaf Earrings and Clog Sandals

Happy Monday everyone! I'm so excited to finally show you the new matching set I bought last month. It had a broken zipper but was the only one left in my size so I bought it knowing it needed to be repaired. Mom recently stuck a new zipper in it for me since I'm not a sewing wizard. This set was only about $20 so I consider that a bargain even if it needed a repair. 

I can't get enough of matching separates. They're super on trend, highly remixable, and easy to style simply for summer. For the debut of this red and navy blue matching set I added some large gold leaf earrings and my trusty brown clog sandals. I've already worn the skirt on its own and plan on styling the top with different bottoms too. That's the beauty of these sets. Once it's not cool to wear clothes that match perfectly you can wear them separately! As of now I'm enjoying that these sets are in style again. They remind me of the matching separates Mom would make us when we were little - except grown up versions.

matching set: forever 21 | shoes: target | earrings: from Mom

So did you guys have a good weekend? I headed back to Athens for Athfest, hanging with Matt, and beginning the apartment packing process. It's very weird to be moving out of that apartment. It's kind of a crappy place, but I lived there for years so it's bittersweet. Someday I'll live in a better place of my own, I hope. It probably won't be in Athens, Georgia though and that's a little unfortunate since it's such a cool city. Oh well. 

Anyway, have a great Monday!

PS: If you haven't yet, please check out my first outfit video and subscribe/thumbs up it if you like it! Thanks!

Outfit + Video: Boat Print Shirt, Yellow Pleated Skirt, & a Straw Hat

Happy Friday everyone! This post is a first for this blog because it includes an outfit video! Sometimes it's nice to see how an outfit looks in motion. Plus most of you have never seen me moving around like an actual person. I may sit a lot but I promise I move in real life. Now you have proof. So please scroll down and check out my short video and if you feel so inclined subscribe to my YouTube channel because there'll be more videos. 

Anyway, this boat print shirt is one of my favorite thrift finds ever. I definitely paid less than $1 for it. It always looks good paired with red and yellow so here it is with a yellow skirt. I think I should probably try it with other colors in the future though. To me, this is a perfectly summery outfit. Nautical things always scream "summer" to me. Also this hat seems to only make appearances when it's ridiculously hot outside.

shirt: liz claiborne petites - thrifted | skirt: sheinside | shoes: xhileration - target | ring: forever 21 | hat: h&m | belt: thrifted

I hope you all have a great weekend. I'll be heading back to Athens to hang out and hopefully have a fun time. I'm looking forward to it! 

Things I Love Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you're having a wonderful one. Here are a few things for you to feast your eyes upon. The more I look at the fruit sunglasses below the more I'm convinced I need them in my life. Maybe I can DIY a pair like that...hm...

This high waisted planet print swimsuit from Modcloth. (Links to Top & Bottom):

These fantastic fruit sunglasses from Nasty Gal:

This lime green 70s romper from Planet Queen Vintage Etsy is so fantastic. And how cute is the model?

This watermelon detailed gingham dress from Modcloth is the cutest summer dress in the land:

This skirt with Disney princesses on it from Dolls Kill:

This Sailor Moon crop top from What The Shirts Etsy:

Have a wonderful day!

Outfit: Retro Late 60s Style Floral Print Dress with a Square Neckline & White Heels

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm excited to finally show you this fantastic dress I found at Forever 21 a few weeks back. It's unlike anything else I own so I was looking forward to featuring it here. This was one of those purchases that happened because I stumbled across a silhouette I'd never tried and just wanted to see how it looked. Obviously I was happily surprised at how cute this dress looked so it came home with me! I love the retro late 60s/early 70s feel it has with the bell sleeves and square neckline. (If you want to find a true vintage version of this look, I found this adorable vintage 60s dress on Etsy and a vintage 60s pattern to make a similar dress.)

This dress is also super comfortable because of the loose - but not too loose - empire waistline. I tend to stay away from empire waistlines these days since I wore them in high school when those empire waist tunic tops were popular. It wasn't that flattering and it can make people look a little pregnant. However, the cut of this dress is perfect on me. For its debut I paired it with some white heeled sandals and a vintage ring from the collection of stuff I got from Great Grandma.

dress: forever 21 | shoes: bongo - kmart | ring: vintage from great grandma

Making this post just made me want to wear this dress again ASAP because it's so flow-y and vintage-y and comfortable. I didn't realize how difficult eating with bell sleeves was. It was a struggle to keep my sleeves non-pizza'd during dinner. It's worth it though!

I hope you guys are having a fantastic middle of your week!