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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Mixing it up!

     Happy Tuesday!  If you are in the Northeast like me this evening, you are probably sitting inside, safely tucked in to your favorite chair while the snow is quickly accumulating.  Without abundant shoppers today work was a wash,  I was sent home around noon (that never happens!) so it was an adult snow day for me; only without the puffy snowsuit, faux igloo in the backyard and half frostbitten fingers from playing outside too long.  Instead it was a nap on the couch with Daniel, watching a crime drama and drinking warm almond milk hot chocolate.  Perfect much?  For this girl, it was just how a snowy (hot mess!) kind of day should be spent. 
      It has been a few weeks since I have updated and in that time I have:  Gotten an Iphone (wow, can not believe that finally happened, but Daniel convinced me!), got my hair dip dyed purple (which has now faded to a dark fuchsia-esque color, traveled to New York City to visit some friends and congratulate them on their engagement (hooray Mark and Karin!), gotten my geno 2.0 results (very interesting!) and gotten some amazing new pieces for my wardrobe from both work and ModCloth.   Although I'd love to go on and on about how cool my results were from my genetic testing with National Geographic, I will give you a short synopsis.  I was given two "reference populations" which basically are the  people that are the most similar to you in terms of their DNA.  My most similar match was Finnish and my second match was Greek (that was a surprise!) But I will have to expand on that another time.
      The golden polka dot skirt has been on my love-list for quite a while on ModCloth and I finally decided to take the plunge when I received a gift card for Christmas.  The skirt runs small so I ordered the next size up and it fits perfect.  I love the length too, being taller it is hard sometimes to find "work appropriate" skirts and dresses, being on my feet in the store all day I do all sorts of moving and bending so finding a skirt this length is so lovely.  I am not a huge crop top wearer but I could not resist this comic book print and how fun it looked with the polka dots.  This look just could not wait for spring, so I layered it up with my acid wash jean jacket, and covered it with my favorite navy coat by Tofu (see below).   
    These past few weeks have been interesting.  Usually after the Holidays life seems to float into some kind of blank space, moving somewhat slow and filled with routine and bits of everyday life.  But actually these past few weeks have flown by, and I have been inspired to try new things, think about some future plans, and start moving on some goals I've had for a while. 

     I think most of all,  I have just felt inspired to be fully myself, to not hold anything back, to harness my full potential and see where it goes!  I want to keep sewing, keep designing, keep creating and taking risks with my style.  I am much happier when I continue to stretch myself and watch the results.  There are days where I just want to be lazy and days where I am full of ideas, but I think there are blossoming ideas in store; and I am excited to explore them further.
     You guys, I have so many fun outfit ideas for my next post!  I am excited to share my styling ideas and I know that we are far from Spring, but it's getting close and I can NOT wait for warmer weather.  Alas, the grass is always greener on the other side (well, it really is greener in March) but I will try to enjoy the coming weeks of winter as much as possible.  Lots of layering possibilities! :)
 Of course this outfit could not be complete without one more bow...

     I am happy I took a leap and experimented with my hair.  I have not dyed it at all for about three years now so I was a little nervous about the dip dye, originally it was supposed to be brighter but I am glad I started with a subtle change.  Next time I am going for pastel ;) 

Thanks for reading, until next time! 
xo, Alyssa

Friday, January 3, 2014

A Blank Slate

We have passed the first day of 2014!  Every year is a fresh slate, a new beginning and a journey undiscovered.  Today is also a day just like any other- so take the time to re-establish your goals but don't stress yourself getting too caught up in making sure you stick to "resolutions" or change every pesky habit you have- everything in life is a process.  That is what I have learned in life- and it can help me to not become too obsessed in self-criticism.  We are constantly reminded that we can be better, reach further and do more, but are rarely self-assured that we already good and enough as we are.  So here I am to tell you that all you need is right there inside of you- in that big heart of yours.  You are enough and you are beautiful, don't let anyone tell you that you are not! :)

Still (of course!), there are some things that I would love to see myself doing in the New Year- updating my blog and journal more, getting out and doing the things I have always wanted to do (i.e. traveling further distances, discovering new places) continuing to take chances with my personal style, enjoying the moment and capturing it in photos and with art because that is how I love expressing myself.  I want to show the people I love how much I care about them and spend more quality time with friends.  I would also like to get back into my sewing now that I have had some transition time for my new job- (and the height of retail season is over!) I want to find more inspiration and generate new ideas, take more time for being creative and lots of walks in the woods, I can not find anything more refreshing than that.    I think I'd also like to get involved in some new activities too, maybe something environmental, maybe something artsy- I am ready for some fun changes!
 For New Years I was feeling rather romantic and a little nostalgic- the perfect mood for this ivory lace dress.  The bell sleeves make me long for an era I never experienced and the lace makes me feel like a renaissance princess traipsing through the winter countryside.  How could my adventure be complete without a shabby old factory building in the background?  Of course staying true to my style, the floral tights give me a pop of color and pattern, with the ladybug being the perfect wildcard- I am in love with this bag!!
I had to work most of New Year's Eve, but luckily New Years Day was all mine.  Daniel and I hung out with some friends I met from work in their cozy little Arden apartment New Year's Eve, I couldn't have asked for a better time!  It was just the right pace and style for this year.   The past few weeks; crowded with working, family events and inexplicable hiccups, melted away while ringing in the New Year with new friends, ridiculous games and a few glasses of wine- they were just what we needed!
Dress, tights, headband:  Urban Outfitters, Ladybug purse:  gift from ModCloth.com, Necklace:  Anthropologie
2013 was a year of learning and growing for me.  It was a little more settled than 2012- I got pretty comfortable at my old job and then decided to try something new in the fall- that set me up for a huge transition but it was well worth it.  I finally got sewing this year and turned my dream of designing textiles into reality.  The summer was full of adventures, creativity and inspiration- I am aching for that warm weather again but also seeing the beauty and restfulness of the winter.  I am ready to go further, dig deeper, laugh more, and go on new adventures!


 Happy 2014!!!!
xo, Alyssa