Thrifting Zhu-Zhu

     Let’s just chat for minute about the Thrift Sale (…yes it does deserve those capital letters).  Saturday morning I woke up at 5:45 – 5:45! – to prove just how much I love a good bargain.  In spite of the early hour, standing in line, and the lady who pushed in front of me not once, but twice, I had the best thrifting zhu-zhu I’ve had in years!
     I didn’t take everything back to school with me, but I though I would give you a little preview of the things I did bring back with me.  Here we go:

 

I’m calling this a tunic.  Some people might wear it as a very short, very low-cut dress…but I would not be one of those people.  With a camisole underneath and some leggings, this will be so cute for church or teaching…or just being cute if the occasion calls for it!

A trench shirt!  I guess technically I could wear this as a jacket, but it’s so thin that I’ll probably use it as an over shirt with a fitted tee or tank top underneath.  It has a belt that goes with it too.

This one is not quite long enough for leggings, but will be perfect for fall with my skinny jeans and some cute boots…maybe a scarf.

These leggings still had the tags on…the $47 price tag.  That’s a negative.  These are pretty thick as far as leggings go, so I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of them come late fall and winter.

I was not so sure about crochet-backed tops when I first saw them, but for $2, I think I can afford to experiment.  This on is 3/4 sleeved so I can still wear it for awhile with more fall colored tank tops underneath.

 
This one is just a plain Old Navy scoop neck t-shirt thing.  I can wear it for teaching or with jeans.

     Alrighty…that’s all for pictures this time, but I can tell you a little more about my other goodies.  I also came out with a 100% silk, ivory colored blouse from Talbots with cute little ruffles at the top; it’s being dry-cleaned or I would have it.  Two Banana Republic dresses (one black, one gray) also being dry cleaned, but so cute and only $5 apiece!  I got the cutest red open sweater with flower applique around the neck and lapel…but it’s also at the cleaner.  An Old Navy tank top blouse type thing – green with little white polka dots – will have to wait until next year to be worn.  A Liz Claiborne tank top blouse type thing – also green with white polka dots – which will be perfect for teaching or regular life will also have to wait until next year.  I did get get a pink Ann Taylor Loft dress, but it fit sort of awkwardly…so it’s going to the Goodwill.
     All in all, I think that is an incredible deal for only $49!  I cannot wait to start incorporating all of this into my wardrobe.  I carried on the bargaining zhu-zhu at Kohl’s later in the day when I got the most perfect shirt for engagement pictures for 30% off the clearance price!  I’m not showing it yet, because I want y’all to be surprised when you see the pictures.  Hint: think jewel tones with some fun flats.
     Wait, did she say engagement pictures?  Why yes, yes I did.  I know I mentioned pictures here, but we’ve had a slight change of plans.  We’re moving the pictures up to the 13th, and we’ll be taking them in the Collierville Town Square.  I’ve been looking at pictures of it, and I think it’s going to be the perfect place.  Can’t wait!

Switching gears entirely.  I have three weeks (actually two weeks and four days) left at my first student teaching placement!  This is so crazy.
Also, I have some really exciting things coming up…not just engagement pictures, so I hope y’all will stick around for awhile.
P.S.  It’s practically the end of September…I mean really?  That being said, if you’re looking to sponsor for October, I would love to help you out.  Shoot me an email for more info!

Wedding Dress Inspiration

     You may remember a few days ago me mentioning that I’m going dress shopping this weekend.  I know we’re still a year out, but this is sort of a getting our feet wet exploratory kind of thing.  Also, June is a crazy popular month, so I'd like to get as many things as possible done ahead of schedule since I’ll be busy with school during the prime planning months.  I would hate to wait until after graduation to think about all of it only to find out that anyone worth having was booked solid. 
     Saturday morning, my mother, sister, and I will be going to Ballew Bridal in Covington for our first real day of dress looking/shopping.  I am so excited (understatement).  In honor of this gigantic step, I thought I would share some of my favorite Pinterest dress inspirations.

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      I’m not actually looking for a fit and flare, but I want to try on as many different styles as possible!

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      I love this one – a lot.

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      This one is definitely different and really pretty, but I’m not sure I could pull it off.

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      Hello, Jackie O!  I love the idea of this dress, but I just know I would be fooling with those cute little sleeves all night.  I refuse to have wedding pictures with my straps down around my elbows.

     If you couldn’t tell, I think lace is so pretty and absolutely perfect for weddings.  Because we’re getting married in June, likely in the afternoon, I don’t want anything too formal or buttoned up looking.  Lace is so classic, but the way it’s done on these dresses is not stuffy or old-timey at all. 
     I’m sure now that I’ve posted these, I’ll find something totally different and fall absolutely in love with it.  No matter what happens though…I am all kinds of excited; I’m marrying an amazing fella, and Saturday is going to be so fun!
     In other wedding news, I have some photographers in mind, and I can’t wait to meet with them and start getting things nailed down.  Because it is full on wedding season right now, I am getting so anxious for my own.  Once I start really doing things, I don’t know how I’ll wait a year!  On the plus side, I get to celebrate my pre-anniversary in four days!
     Now for some shameless advice begging.  Any of my readers from Tennessee: where did you find your dress?  Any of my engaged friends: have you started dress shopping?  Any of you: when did you start really planning your wedding?

Thanks and Hopes

    I just wanted to take a little minute to say thank you to all of you sweet, sweet ladies for taking the time to log into my blog and follow along! The past month has been such a whirlwind and I am absolutely astonished at the response.  I have to tell you - I have been on social networking sites for a long time, and I have never met a more genuine group of people than I have in the blogosphere.

    I am so thankful for each of you, and I am so excited to continue learning and growing with all of you.  I feel like this is really a new season in my life, and I love sharing it with you.  Today I turned in my application for student teaching and made plans for my last semester of college (in the fall)!  The more time I spend in the classroom, the more excited I am to have my own classroom and finally do what it is that I am called to do. 

    Switching gears, sort of, but keeping in the talk of new seasons, I bought my first bridal magazine the other day, and the fiance and I are starting to talk dates!  In some ways I think that this might be one of the longest times in my life, but people keep telling me that it will fly by...I don't know which one I'm hoping for.  I really love hearing from each of you, and I can't wait to share these next steps in life with you.
    I know that posts are supposed to be about sharing life and keeping current, but I am so overwhelmed by all y'all's sweetness that I couldn't help but let you know!  This one is all about you! A big thank you and lots of hopes for a long bloggy friendship!

Allyson

New Year, New Look

ew year, new look!  

    About this time last year is when I started kicking around the idea of starting my own blog.  I didn't have much of a plan or any real intentions, but I jumped in anyway.  Over the past year, I have learned a TON about blogging, crafting, and the whole blog world.  I think that's what I wanted all along.
    As I've found a few blogs to follow regularly, I have really started to take notice of what a good layout can do for a blog.  That was the motivation behind this major change.  Although I don't expect my new layout (thanks to Miss Pickles Design Studio's free templates and tutorials) to make me some sort of blogging superstar, I do hope that it will draw in some new readers who will respond to my new posts. 
    I'm so excited about this year, and I am looking forward to sharing every bit of it with you.  I'll have a lot to post about school; as I get closer to graduating, the craftiness of my assignments increases exponentially - I love it!  I'll definitely be posting more and more about weddings.  Every second I'm engaged I get about a billion times more excited.  Of course I'll share all my little crafties with you too!
    I know I already told you, but I am so excited about this year, and I hope you'll all be along for the ride!

P.S. Let me just brag on Miss Pickles for a minute.  How cute is her template?  I love the characters, and this little cutie is perfect for me - she's sitting by a wedding cake...and cupcakes!

Allyson

Loose Ends

wo days from now I will be ringing in the new year, and I couldn't be more excited.  2011 has been an incredible year, and I am so ready to see what 2012 has in store for me.

I'm not going to bother making any resolutions...they'll just get broken anyway, but I will grow and learn and try to do better.

Before I leave 2011 behind, I thought I would recap the last few little tidbits of 2011.  For Christmas, I made three cute little crafties that were given as gifts.

This is my third braided scarf! I gave it to my aunt and she LOVED it!

I made both of these for my niece to match outfits that my mother bought her.
I used the incredibly simple (and precious) tutorial from Notes From the Patch.

I don't think I'll ever use another method to make a bow!

 

 

I am so happy with all of my crafties that I've made this year, and I am just itching to see what I can do next year!  I'll make sure to post a lot, so that you can all keep up with what's happening in my Cupcakes and Candy Canes world.

My final tidbit (which is not so much a "tidbit" as it is HUGE NEWS) of 2011...............I'm engaged!!  This was the icing on top of an amazing year.  I'm so excited to dive into wedding planning (with a long-ish timeline) and wedding crafting and all of the other fun details!  I'll be keeping you updated on all of that too!

Have a WONDERFUL last few days of 2011, and I hope that 2012 is wonderful!!

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