New Girl - New Year

Hi lovelies! I am back - for real this time. I needed the break until the new year, well, almost new year. I am starting fresh. Just to clear the air - I have been dealing with a break up. I will be fine, but the holiday season was just too much this year and I didn't want to pretend to be happy about things. I also didn't want to bring anyone else down in the process. I never could have imagined that losing someone could hurt this much or for this long, but at least it is a reminder that what we had was real. Everything will be ok...in time. I just wanted to get this out and in the open so that I can start moving on with my life.

I had a nice quiet holiday with family and friends. I saw Les Mis Christmas eve and it was fantastic!! I also won front row tickets to The Book of Mormon the day after Christmas - IT WAS AMAZING!!! I definitely want to see the show again if I get the chance. Saturday was my brother's 21st birthday and we went to Medieval Times that was a lot of fun as well. Aaaand now I can't believe that the year is coming to a close. I am pretty darn excited though for this year to end.

Exciting news!!! I am moving to Chicago at the end of January - wahooo! Well...so long as everything goes as planned. I will be moving in with two guys from college and it should be an adventure. I am envisioning my life as Zoey Deschanel's character on The New Girl, haha. Alright, not really (to be honest I have only seen two episodes of that show), but it should be a fun change of pace. For today's outfit I thought I would use Jess as my inspiration -



I should have left my hair wavy to truly go for Jess's look, oh well. I got this dress for Christmas and I love it. It is simple, but the cute bow belt really helps jazz it up. Another positive from all the crazy that has been going on in my life is that I lost all of my college weight - wahoo. Bathing suit season, here I come!

Outfit Details: Dress - Modcloth, Coat, boots & bag - thrifted, Tights - Betsey Johnson.

Tonight I will be spending my New Year's Eve in the city. I am still not entirely sure what I am going to wear, but I can guarantee that it will be sparkly ;]

Have a fun, safe, and happy New Year's everyone!

Wardrobe Wednesday - Jackie O 2.0

Hi lovelies!! How's it going? I am super excited the week is half way over, that's for sure. However, tonight my work is having our Christmas party at the House of Blues....soooo I guess I can't really complain :] I am also excited for this weekend to get here because it is going to be packed full with old friends who I don't get to see often enough. Wahooo. Do you have any fun plans?

Today's outfit post might be the last one without me all bundled up for awhile. It has gotten so cold, eeep! I took these photos the other weekend when it was a beautiful 60 degree December day. I picked up this cute little mod dress at the designer sale back in October. I was so happy to find out that it fit me because it was one of my favorite items that I scooped up.



The dress reminds me of something that Jackie O would wear. I had to jazz the look up a bit though so I added a cute thrifted ice cream pin aaaand my new favorite hat. It is just a shame that I have to wait until next spring to wear this look out and about, oh well...

Outfit Details: Dress & pin - thrifted, Hat & tights - Target, Shoes - DSW.

I started setting up the ShyScout shop!! I am getting pretty excited about it. I hope to open it for the beginning of the year. I still need to make business cards though...ay yi yi! Any shop tips? I could use them all.

Have a great day everyone :]

Seeking Style

Hello Shy Scout readers! I’m so excited to be bringing you another installment of Allison and I’s Seeking Style series. 

This time, I want to discuss individuality and personal style a bit further. Growing up, as I said in my last post, I’ve had many different phases and styles. The lesson to learn from this trial and error system is that it’s very difficult to find one’s own unique style, and channel this into our daily outfits. My primary problem was finding something that truly fit “me”. 

After a few times of trying different outfits, I learned that I enjoyed a bit more of a grunge vibe, with ripped jeans, comfy shirts, and boots. It took me a while to get to this type of signature style. I tried being girly, I tried being preppy, I tried being sporty. Then, I finally realized that the one thing I wasn’t being, was me. One day I came home, took everything I owned out of my closet and drove over to the closest thrift shop and donated the rest. This cleansing of all these types of clothing that weren’t “me” enabled me to start fresh. I went shopping, with the money I got from selling the clothes, and bought a few simple pieces. I bought some combat boots, a few nice t-shirts, and some jeans. In this process, I learned that I love accenting outfits with bright colored jewelry too. And voila! I had finally found my own unique style.

photographs courtesy of google images

This was my method of going about it. But, I realize every girl is unique in how she approaches channeling her own style. I think a great way to get started is just sitting down with a stack of magazines and collaging together the pieces that stick out the most. This is an awesome way to mix and match, without actually heading out and paying big bucks for an outfit you might end up disliking. Take your time, channel your creativity, and find what really speaks out to you. Maybe stick up photos of some of your favorite fashion icons for further inspiration. A couple of mine are featured above. This is another method that I still use, and will always continue to use in order to channel my own personal style. 

Thanks so much for having me!
-J from My Life in Lavender 

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To check out my Seeking Style post from last week, please head over to J's blog :]

Wardrobe Wednesday - OOTN

Hi all! Happy Wednesday to ya. I am still working on getting back in to the blogging groove. Thank you all for the sweet and supportive comments - I will return the favor hopefully by the end of tonight. Anywho... what's good? The weeks seem to be flying by now that it is so close to the end of the year. Any of you afraid the world is going to end? Ha. Yikes. Random (but still on topic), for those of you who haven't seen 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World' I highly recommend it. I saw it in the theater and loved it. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley are an odd combo but it works. It just came out in Red Boxes, just sayin...

Haha. Ok, I am just rambling now. Today I thought it might be fun to spice things up a bit. I have never really posted at night look so I thought I would give it a go. This outfit is one of a few options for New Years Eve. Black & sparkly? Check!



I was feeling overly awkward taking these shots with the neighbor boys climbing the tree right outside my backyard, so no smiles today. Also - black tights are probably a must unless I make it down to Cancun sometime between now and New Years, haha.

Outfit Details: Dress & Bag - thrifted, Hat & Shoes - Target.

Do you have any fun NYE plans yet?

To new beginnings

Hi all. I apologize that I took a bit of longer break this time... I needed some time to get my head and heart straight so I opted to wait and come back at the beginning of this month. Seems like my last post was the calm before the storm. I have been dealing with some personal things and major life changes. It will be ok. Please bear with me though.

Moving on... How have you all been? I missed the holiday fun in the blogging world when it comes to those of you in America. I hope you had a good time with your loved ones. For everyone else - hope you have been enjoying life in general. I have been keeping busy with friends and family. Friday night a group of my girlfriends and I hit up the town and it was a bunch of fun. I need to move to the city already!! I have created a life list and that's on the top. Need a roomie?

While I did not hit up the Black Friday sales like I typically would, this year I did manage to hit up a few of my favorite thrift stores. I found the sweetest little dress.



I needed a bit of sunshine world and this dress did the trick! Isn't the lace lovely? I don't usually like the color yellow on me but the the cut of this dress was just too good to pass up. For the upcoming year I hope to wear only vintage thrift finds... we will see how that goes.

Outfit Details: Dress & floral pin - thrifted. Shoes - DSW.

It was 60 here in Chicago this weekend. Pretty darn nuts for the beginning of December, but hey, I am not complaining :]

Have a beautiful Monday everyone!