Top: Banana Republic (thrifted)
Cords: Banana Republic (Goodwill)
Flats: Famous Footwear
Bracelet: c/o Shannon

Perhaps this outfit is a wee bit patriotic, but that seems appropriate with Memorial Day weekend coming up! I really like this outfit because I literally threw it on and went out the door. This top is really unique because the cut out is actually sheer, but you can’t see through it enough to see anything, so it is still work-appropriate. I might even try to make a top like this in the future. What do you think? Use a too-small shirt, cut down the front, attach a cool fabric and loop it around the neck to fasten at the bust-line. Sounds easier than it probably is…

On another note, I feel like my heart hasn’t been in the blog recently because I am so busy/tired with work. I think I will feel rejuvenated once summer hits. How do you deal with your “lows” in the blogging world? Oh, but to mention a high, one of my friends from college just started her own blog and it is fabulous already! Check out Forever Above Me! Thinking about starting your own blog but don’t know where to begin? You might want to read my Blogging for Beginners Series, starting with week 1: Where Do I Start?

Linking up to: The Pleated Poppy’s WIWW, Style Elixir’s Style Sessions, Rolled up Pretty’s Whatever Whenever Wednesday,  Get Your Pretty On, Transatlantic’s WIWW

I am very fortunate to have inherited a lot of my grandma’s sewing supplies and that includes lots of fabulous fabric. However, this fabric spent a lot of time smooshed in a big bag or box and was rarely used. I often forgot about what I already owned. It was obvious that I needed to organize my fabric in a better way. The only problem was that I didn’t want to invest a ton of time into it and I didn’t want it to take up a ton of room.

Enter the comic book cardboard solution.

You’re probably scratching your head, but trust me. I ordered a stack of 100 comic book backing boards that were 6 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches for about $12 on Amazon.

I took a box of my fabric and went to work! I folded the fabric and placed the comic book boards at one end and rolled it up so that it formed a mini-fabric bolt.

I secured some of the bigger bolts with a pin and placed them by color in my wonderful IKEA Kassett boxes. The boxes have a home on the bottom row of my IKEA Expedit shelving unit.

Now I can look in the right box for the right color of fabric right away instead of digging through multiple bags and boxes. I can see everything I have in a nice and orderly manner.

How do you organize your fabric?

Top: Calvin Klein (Macy’s)
Cardigan: Ralph Lauren (T.J. Maxx)
Cropped Pants: Land’s End
Wedges: T.J. Maxx
Belt: LOFT

I am really surprised about how versatile these pants have been. They are my first pick when I open my closet to get ready for school. They are teaching me to take risks with color schemes, patterns, and accessories. I am surprised by how much I like the light blue and poppy red combination!

Check out how else I’ve worn these pants so far here and here. I’ve only owned them for a month and a half, so I can’t wait to see how I style these in the future. How would you wear them?

**Also, on another note, sorry that things have been somewhat quiet on the blog recently. I’ve been swamped with finishing up the school year. I plan on writing a post about teaching seniors soon…

It’s been one year since I graduated college.

It’s really hard to fathom how much has changed and how quickly time has passed. A year ago, I was 21, unemployed (career-wise, anyway), three hours away, blog-free, and completely terrified for the future. A year later, I am 22, a full-time teacher and blogger, living on my own three hours away, and still fairly anxious and worried about the future. Things are a lot more complicated than I could have ever predicted, but as my friend Will put it, I’m “evolving” and have one year of life experience behind me that I didn’t have before.

If I could give any advice to new graduates it would be this . . .

1. You deserve to relish in your successes and your failures. You have made it through some really challenging times and you are equipped to handle the problems that will come your way during this transition. Don’t forget to measure your success in more than just your GPA and the number of cords around your neck; count your blessings in memories and friendships. 
2. Take a risk. Do something you never had the courage to do before. I started a blog. Do something that scares you, but something that you really want to do.
3. Use your resources to network. You never know when someone will be the key factor in getting a new job or discovering a new opportunity. Talk to friends’ parents and employers, created a LinkedIn account, read blogs in your field, pass out business cards to friends and family.
4. Only apply for jobs you are willing to do. Don’t apply for jobs that you aren’t willing to relocate for. This is especially important for teachers!
5. It’s okay to buy (some) things. Once you start making some money, don’t be afraid to buy bigger items that you would never have the confidence to do so before. Budget and plan accordingly, but don’t deprive yourself of something you’d really love or need.
6. Pay yourself first. Do all of those intimidating, scary financial things that get you ahead. Open a savings account, start a Roth IRA, invest in your company’s 401k program, sell old items you no longer want, create a budget tracker, download the Mint app, read Ramit Sethi’s book I Will Teach You to Be Rich.
7. The real world starts now. While this thought can be petrifying, don’t give up and don’t waste it away. Your “real world” may not be anything like you expected and it may not be nearly as comfortable as your college years, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be full of fun and memories and life-changing moments. Read The Defining Decade to gain a better perspective of your 20s.
8. Take the time to thank people who have shaped you. Over the past year, I have learned how precious life is and that it’s important to say “Thanks for all you have done for me . . .” (This could lead back to #3!)
9. Have confidence. I know this is easier said than done, but you’ve worked hard to get here and you are worthwhile to someone, to a company, to a lifestyle. You are worth knowing. You have so much to offer. Show the world how great you are.
10. Prepare to learn and grow more than you can possibly realize. The work has just begun. You may think you know everything you need to know, but it’s simply not true. This can be either exciting or overwhelming–probably both most of the time. Soak up as much as you can learn and put your pride aside. Experience will teach you what you need to know.

Congratulations to new graduates! You are entering into a scary, exciting, worrisome time of your life. I am proud to have made it through a year of post-graduation life already. I wouldn’t ever go through it again, but I know that keeping the list above in mind has made it easier. It’s not over yet…

This past weekend I had the opportunity to chaperone Senior Ball/Prom. I jumped at the chance because I love to dance and enjoy seeing the kids dress up and have a good time. I had SUCH a good time and ended up dancing all night long because I was paired up with such a fun teacher and her little 5-year-old breakdancing son and I proved to myself that I’m not so much of a grandma as I have felt this year! I woke up the next day with a huge headache, which was puzzling considering I only drank water and lemonade all night (so maybe I am still a bit of a grandma after all…)

I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide what to wear because it was a formal event, but teachers don’t usually dress up as much as the kids. I also wanted to stay appropriate, so that ruled out some of my shorter cocktail dresses. I decided on this lace dress that I wore MY senior year of high school to Homecoming! It’s nice to know that it still fits (actually I think even better than 6 years ago) and I felt comfortable all night long.

I paired it with simple silver drop earrings from NY & Company, silver pumps from Goodwill, and a homemade updo (sorry no pictures of the back). I got my nails done and had a great time feeling like a giddy girl headed to the school dance.

I think the students were really happy to see me and the other teachers in a more relaxed atmosphere and loved the fact that I danced among them! It’s those kind of moments that prove that you’re still a real human being.

Anyway, did you check out my wardrobe wish list? Did you make yours? I’d love to hear about it!

Oh–and wish me luck! I’m chaperoning the senior class trip to Six Flags tomorrow…should be interesting! (Especially considering I don’t ride roller coasters…)

Linking up to: The Pleated Poppy’s WIWW, Style Elixir’s Style Sessions, Rolled up Pretty’s Whatever Whenever Wednesday,  Get Your Pretty On, Transatlantic’s WIWW

You guys, I have a problem.

I have too many clothes.

I have always had too many clothes, but I really actually believe it this time. Two weekends ago, I spent some time switching out my winter and fall clothes with my spring and summer clothes. Even though I set aside a huge pile of clothes to sell and to donate (more about this later!), I was still left with a lot of clothes! I am really happy with most of the wardrobe I have built up to this point and I think I really should take advantage of the pieces I do already have instead of constantly searching for something new. Trust me–this is difficult for me to say! I love to shop and to find things that inspire me (and for a great price)!

When I unpacked my summer clothes, I organized it in my closet by type and then by color. When I saw all of the items displayed this way, I was able to see how many casual blue shirts I have or how many dressy black tops I have. I have a lot of separates that are just waiting to be remixed. (Look at Whitney’s amazing closet inventory!)

I WAS going to declare May a no-shopping month (I know, ambitious…), but I already bought a few things at Goodwill. That being said, I am definitely going to keep my purchases at the minimum.

I think seeing the clothes I DO have, I want to start a wardrobe wish list to fill the holes that I am missing, like Fran and Kate.

Here’s what’s on my list so far:

Shoes:

• Closed-toe nude heels
• Dressier sandals
• Silver dress heels
• Nude/tan flats (replacement)
• Oxfords

Tops:

• Khaki/tan fitted blazer
• Navy cardigan
• Red cardigan (replacement)
• white cardigan
• THE perfect white tee (not see-through!)
• Dark wash chambray pop-over
• Polka dot button down shirt
• Nerdy, literary tee

Bottoms:

• Khaki dress pants
• Black cropped dress pants
• Striped skirt
• Winter dress shorts

Dresses:

• Dressier red dress
• Casual work dress(es)

Accessories:

• Floral scarf

Other:

• Classic bathing suit
• Awesome sports bra
• Activewear shorts

I feel like this is a solid list with a lot of classic items. I’m looking forward to filling the gaps! This wish list may grow in the coming seasons, too.

What’s on your wishlist?

Tee: T.J. Maxx
Skirt: T. J. Maxx
Cardigan: Macy’s?
Flats: Famous Footwear
Necklace: NY & Co.

Is my post title awkward? Because when I brought up “maxi skirts” at school, one of my male students said he hates that word because all he can think about is a maxi pad. Gotta love teaching high school!

Anyway, the real question is whether or not maxi skirts are meant for me. I have tried on a few here and there and because my hips are a totally different proportion from my waist (yay pear-shaped!), I have not had any luck. But this one I felt I could pull off. When I got home and tried it on again, I had second thoughts. For awhile, I thought I would return it. Once I got the coral tee, I thought “What the heck?” and wore it to school. I felt very comfortable, but I’m still on the fence. It’s a bit intimidating leaving the question out to all of you, but there are some really stylish and wonderful readers out there whose opinions I would value!

On another note, I feel like things have kind of slowed down on the blog front since the Pantone challenge. I’ve posted, but I haven’t had my whole heart into everything because life has been absolutely crazy. With the end of the school year on its way and all of the senior activities going on, it is crunch time. All of you teachers out there, how are you balancing everything at this time of the year?

Hope you are all having a good start to your week! I’ll be sharing the dress I wore to chaperone prom soon!

(I may or may not have purchased one month of PicMonkey Royale Upgrade  JUST so I could use the Sunglow filter for these pictures….pleasedon’tjudgeme…)

I am in love with these photos. For me, they capture the sillyness and love between us (I mean really, look at Aaron’s face in the last picture–hilarious!). Even though my hair was a mess after lying around all day, Aaron had recently shaved his head (for a good cause), and we were just laughing, the pictures are true representatives of who we are. And that’s a beautiful thing.

*Kudos to Mom for taking these last weekend!

Tee: Gap
Skirt: Land’s End
Belt: From this Ross dress
Scarf: Pashima kiosk
Flats: Famous Footwear

There’s something about wearing bright colors and a flowy skirt that just screams spring to me. At work, my coworkers complimented the color combination and the patterns and I realized and explained that a year ago, I would never have put together an outfit like this. I might have worn the tee and skirt together, but I would never have thought to put a striped belt and a scarf in such a contrasting color with it. How boring it would have been! This blogging community (and Pinterest) has really helped me to step out of my box and try something new. I love it.

What’s something you’ve tried in your wardrobe that you might not have before? Who/ what inspired you to give it a try?

Linking up to: The Pleated Poppy’s WIWW, Style Elixir’s Style Sessions, Rolled up Pretty’s Whatever Whenever Wednesday,  Get Your Pretty On, Transatlantic’s WIWW

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day and Week to all of my fellow educators! 

Because I am a busy teacher creature and things are just insane toward the end of the year, I don’t have a whole lot of time to write today, but I wanted to share one of the adventures I’ve experienced in my first year of teaching.

When you “sign up” to become a teacher, you know you’re going to have to play many roles: teacher, friend, parent, cheerleader, colleague, employee, and more. But if you’re lucky you might not have to play the role I’ve played twice so far this year: paramedic.

I’ve witnessed a seizure maybe once before, but it wasn’t until about two months ago that I had to be “in charge” during one. And just last week, I made my first phone call to 911 for the same girl (who had just received open heart surgery two weeks prior) during a field trip. It’s a weird feeling, being completely unqualified for such a task, but noticing the basic instincts kick in.

I remain calm.
I remove the other students.
I make the phone calls.
I move away any harmful objects.
I reassure.
I give the real EMTs space.
I continue on as normal.

It isn’t until later that my body and brain catch up to each other.

I’m blessed to be part of a profession that, while it can involve a lot of disillusionment, has the overarching goal of keeping students safe. And while I wish the circumstances didn’t occur, I’m glad to know that I am innately “prepared” for chaos. Even if I can’t do much but stay calm.

I hope all of my fellow educators feel the love today! You are all amazing! Thank you for what you do. Without you, I wouldn’t be a teacher today.

Check out my other teacher-related posts:

Ten Reasons to Teach
Why Being a Teacher-Blogger Can Suck
Expectations vs. Reality