Goodwill to the Rescue

That time of my life has arrived: it's time to get a real job. While I cringe at the idea of no longer getting to sleep in until noon, read books for pleasure all of the time, or flood Pinterest with new pins, I am a little excited to start a career. 

I recently had multiple interviews for a job at a start-up in Silicon Valley. What I quickly realized, is that I do not have very many interview outfit options. While I am having to watch my bank account like a hawk at the moment, I decided that it was a worthy investment to pick up some new interview threads. And with the help of my favorite store of all time, Goodwill, I put together an entire outfit for a measly $18.47!

First, I scanned Pinterest for some ideas. I wasn't too excited about the pencil skirt option because they tend to show off my butt more than I would care for at a conservative interview. I also feel that blazers make me look manly. I already owned a dress suited for interviews, so I decided to try out the pants and cardigan route. 

Here are a few of my inspirations from Pinterest.

Goodwill performed perfectly as expected. I actually had to (sadly) put some items back. I just loved everything! There is usually a plethora of dress pants to choose from, as well as sweaters. The only difficult part came with the blouse. Goodwill is a hit or miss with fancier tops. Luckily, after a half hour of investigating all of the flimsy sleeveless shirts, I landed upon this purple gem. 

And the best part was that when I got to the register, the tag on the black cardigan had fallen off somehow. It was originally priced at $7.99, but they lowered it to $3.99 because of the no-tag issue. Score!

As for the shoes, I already owned a pair of black suede pumps from Target. I assume that most ladies would already have a pair of black flats or something similar, so I did not include them in the pricing. 

If you are like me and are beginning the whole job thing, don't fret! You seriously can find some of the best work and interview outfits at Goodwill, and for a small fraction of their original price! It just takes time and patience when perusing through the massive amounts of clothing. 

Good luck!

Lemony Scrubby

I've been working out a lot lately. Well, I've always been a huge fan of the gym, but recently I amped it up to going about two times a day. After a while, I started noticing a weird layer of skin that would come flaking off in the shower. Grosss, right? 

We've all seen those home remedy beauty supply pins all over Pinterest. I highly doubt that most people who pin them actually do them. But I decided to try out a scrub that is made out of sugar, oil, and lemon because, well I'm too cheap to go buy a scrub at CVS. I found this recipe from Gluten Free Navy Wife. 

-2 1/2 cups sugar

-1 cup oil (I used coconut oil, but you can use any kind of cooking oil)

-5 Tablespoons of citrus juice (I just squeezed 2 whole fresh lemons)

Mix all of the ingredients together. Take a hot bath and relax. Shave your legs like normal, with shaving gel or soap. Rinse off and grab a handful of your scrub, and proceed to rub it all over your legs. Shave again. At this point, I took it a step further and used the scrub on my entire body. It felt a little strange at first, but it was nice to have a whole body scratch. Ha! 

To get all of the oil and sugar off, I took a normal shower and used soap. The oil will stick on you, which is ok, just not too much. After the shower I used lotion on my legs. My legs were sooo smooth and it felt wonderful to get all of the old skin off of me. 

Project Nails

I don't often spend a very long time on my looks. I think I'm about average on the fashionista scale. But, there is something lovely about having my nails decorated that makes me happy. I can be wearing a T-shirt and running shorts with my hair in a sloppy bun, no makeup, and still I feel a little dressed up when my nails are painted well. When I am typing on my Mac or texting, I feel a little fancy with seductive red nails. So I am trying to take time to make my fingernails look presentable. 

I have had some free time lately, so I decided to try out two techniques that I've pinned on Pinterest. I have to admit, they did not come without any issues. I seem to have shaky hands when it comes to painting my nails, even though I love to paint on canvas, go figure. 

 My first experiment was making my own glitter nail polish. I used some fine glitter from a craft store and a spare bottle of clear nail polish. Rolling a peice of paper into a funnel, I simply poured a bit of glitter into the clear polish, put the lid back on and shook. I repeated this step a few times until I felt like there was an adequate amount of glitter mixed in (I put a lot, because I sure do love me some glitter). 

The first nail looked amazing. It looked like I had literally just put a layer of glitter on my nail. The rest began to look like a red polish with some glitter on the side. Not exactly the outcome I wanted, but still fun and glittery. Tip: I painted about 3 or 4 layers. It looks better each time because the glitter is layered. Also, the glitter will begin to settle at the bottom, so make sure to shake the bottle extensively before using.

   

 My second experiment was also from a pin from Pinterest. Basically I just painted my nails pink, and then used a Sharpie to create a design. 

What I learned from this: you might want a friend to Sharpie the design for you. It's pretty easy when you're using your writing hand, but difficult when using the hand that you use the least. Also, after about a day, the Sharpie marks began to smudge and even came off on some clothing. I would suggest applying a clear top coat after creating your Sharpie design. This is a really cool way to have a more edgy look, without needing to be an amazing nail artist.

 

Sweet Jesus! Fall Is Upon Us!

Finally!!! It's here...the season I wait for all year long. How does one celebrate such a wonderful time of year? The best way, of course -- a day on the town with a friend, caramel iced coffee in hand, shopping at Whole Foods (where we are apparently kale experts), and enjoying a new playlist while commuting from each destination to the next. Today I decided I wanted to do something fun with my wardrobe. And Voila! 

A fun, fall outfit for a fun, fall day. Thanks to Michelle (my trusty little photographer and fellow kale lover) for the wonderful photos. :)

    

Skirt, Scarf, & Necklace: Forever 21

Boots: Ross

Belt: Wet Seal

Shirt: Target

Happy Fall! 

Baby Room Painting

My sister is due with her first baby literally any day now. Before I made the big move across the country to the Bay area in California, I made a quick and easy painting for my new niece's room. My sister painted the room teal and coral, and she loves Africa and giraffes, so I figured I would incorporate these two elements into my art. This is an extremely easy project for even the most artistically-challenged person. All you need is some paint, scissors, and an hour or two.

1. Find a cute cartoon-looking image that you want to use. I Googled "Baby Giraffe" and then made two copies, one large giraffe and one smaller giraffe. Print and cut out. 2. Tape the stencils onto your canvas and lightly trace with pencil. I decided to add some circles in the background, which I just traced the bottom of a bowl for. 3. Carefully remove your stencils and paint within the lines (which can be harder than you think!). 4. Let dry for about two hours and then use a paint marker, which you can find at most craft stores, to outline your image. I added in the details on the giraffe on my own, so feel free to add as much or as little details to the character as you want. My sister loved this and it was a unique, simple, and cute way to spice up my nieces room!

Week Eleven (La Fin!)

Norway

Norway and Ireland

Ireland

It's five in the morning and I am wide awake. FIVE IN THE MORNING AND WIDE AWAKE. Those two things should NEVER be allowed in a sentence together. But I arrived home from Ireland last night after 15 hours of travel and clearly jetlag has decided to have its way with me.

Since I'm up dark and early, I figured I might as well take this time to write my final outfit post. Continuing with last week's trend, I've made a series of top-fives about the last three and a half months. Therefore, this post is a bit longer than my previous ones and I do not apologize.

Top-Five Moments
1. The unexpected evening in Felixkirk, England ("population 30-40") where we stayed with a hitchhiking lift and his partner, went to the local pub quiz with them and another couple, and had wonderfully splendid conversations.
2. The impromptu dance party in the middle of a Polish highway.
3. The 2 days of stealth camping in a park 5 minutes from the center of (feckin') Bruges, Belgium.
4. "The best day ever" in Warsaw, Poland in which Kendall and I ate like kings for the price of almost nothing.
5. The 4th of July on which we climbed a mountain, made breakfast for dinner, and shared cocktails the size of my head, all in the company of some splendidly awesome Austrians.

Top-Five Hitchhiking Lifts
1. Ruth and Donna -- the ones who saved a horse in the middle of the road and bought us ice cream.
2. Tim -- the one who was going to raid a castle for his 21st and brought us to see his friend's 10 puppies.
3. The Swedish James Deans -- the ones who owned a caravan of four classic American cars in which we rode while listening to oldies and driving through the Swedish countryside.
4. The Translator -- the one who loved languages as much as I do and seemed just as excited as me to discuss the grammar and best words of various languages.
5. La Maman Belge -- the one with whom conversing in French didn't feel the least bit difficult and who, when talking to her two children on speaker phone, told them about how she picked up hitchhikers on a post-studies adventure and encouraged them to do the same.

Top-Five Cities
1. Paris, France.
2. Edinburgh, Scotland.
3. Berlin, Germany.
4. Warsaw, Poland.
5. Bergen, Norway.

Top-Five Countries
1. Poland.
2. Austria.
3. Ireland.
4. Sweden.
5. Norway.

Top-Five Songs
1. I Love A Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbitt.
2. Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye.
3. That Thing You Do by The Wonders
4. Nosa Nosa by Micharl Telo.
5. Emmy-Lou by First Aid Kit.

Top-Five Pizzas According To The Country They Were Consumed In
1. Austria.
2. England.
3. Denmark.
4. France.
5. Scotland.

Top-Five Airlines
1. British Airways.
2. British Airways.
3. British Airways.
4. British Airways.
5. British Airways.

Week Ten

Sweden

Sweden

Sweden

Since I only have a handful of days left on my journey, I've decided to take a page out of Kendall's bookand create a top-five list of things that I'm looking forward to upon my return to the States:

1. Being in the presence of some of the spectacular people who have been missing from my life since May 16th. But, duh.
2. Not having to lug around my backpack. I overheard another backpacker on the start of this journey talking about how he had taken a long trip with only a backpack and how pit had kind of become a part of him and he almost missed it when his trip was over. I suspected it then, but I am certain now--he was some kind of crazy person. I am in no way attached to wearing my backpack and I'm so excited that after Wednesday I'll never have to strap it on again.
3. My wardrobe! In particular my maxi dresses and heels. But also anything that isn't streched, hole-y, or faded from being worn far too often during the last three and a half months.
4. The most recent season of HIMYM and pumpkin curry pizza. My day after I return to the US tradition.
5. My mom's pasta salad. I'm just as surprised by this one as you are. But I got a craving for it about halfway through my trip that I haven't been able to shake since.