Something Daring

Today's post was a treat for me. Instead of having to take my own pictures with my tripod and camera on a self-timer, a co-worker used his new lens he needed to experiment with and super nice Canon.

Posing is starting to get less awkward, too. I've decided to just have fun with the camera and try new things instead of posing in the normal positions. I really enjoy candid pictures and they're a lot easier than worrying about how I look.

I didn't try really hard on today's outfit (sorry, just being honest), but I am really loving it. It's so simple (like the majority of my outfits) but I really like the ruffle on the tank, tiny strappy sandals, and fun floral sunglasses. And, if I can be honest again, I was really nervous about wearing this shirt today. I struggle with my stomach a lot and so I tend to stray away from things that cling to my body. But today I decided dared myself to start learning to combat that and defeat it. No more shame. I am learning to become more comfortable with the body that was given to me and how to carry myself better.

On a less serious note, I'm planning on taking some really fun pictures of my outfits this weekend (maybe more than one outfit per day!). Friday and weekend outfits are always my favorites. What about you guys? Do you tend to have more fun with your clothes on the weekend too? Remember, those two glorious days are moments to go crazy and hold nothing back.

Challenge: Do something daring this weekend. Now is the perfect time to try something new.

* Sorry for the inconsistent posts this week. I've had some serious camera issues. Doesn't life seem to go that way? Silly things happening at the most inopportune time? You just have to remind yourself that life isn't what happens to you, it's what you choose to do with what's given to you.

Around Town

 

I took a day off from the 30 for 30 yesterday to spend the whole day in my pajamas (and it was wonderful). But, today I needed to run a few errands. Today didn't merit anything fancy, but I sure felt great in this outfit. It was so simple and easy to put together, and I even got a compliment on it (isn't it funny when someone says something nice about an outfit you feel like you just "threw" together?).

When I'm not planning on doing anything special, I love to throw on a skirt and tank. I know that a lot of planning and effort didn't go into it, but no one else does. Double points for high messy buns being in style right now. Zero effort, one hundred percent adorable. What's your favorite easy outfit or hair do?

These Little Wonders

Ever have those weeks where you feel like your life is, for lack of better words, blah? When I have weeks like those, I like to make the effort to notice the beauty in everyday things (usually by way of my cellphone camera) and appreciate the little things like:


the fact that my boyfriend brought me yellow daisies for no reason at all, except to show me that he was thinking of me and loves me,




kicking my tail and getting healthier with an absolutely wonderfully painful two-mile run,




seeing these kinds of views while running,





getting random text messages that make me feel like a million bucks,




seeing this gorgeous sunset pick through after a torrential downpour,




and finding both ends of a rainbow.

Fashion and Farming

Someone must have not wanted me to take pictures yesterday because everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Well, not everything. And I did end up getting to take pictures next to my very favorite fields. (See? Things happen for a reason.)

As usual, I was running late to work again and had to throw together a quick outfit. Luckily, I had written down the list of my 30 items. (Which I promise I will be posting this weekend. Be just a tad bit patient with me... that closet has been a beast to clean out.) I've been wanting to wear these white jeans for months now, so I threw them in the 30 for 30, that way I am forced to finally wear them again.

I absolutely love this shirt. I added it to my 30 because all of the jewel-tone colors would go great with so many things. Whenever I'm running a little behind, this is one of my go-to shirts. Do you have any go-to pieces? The ones that you know you'll look and feel great in?

* A farmer came out on his tractor while I was doing this shoot. Other than the fact that I looked crazy balancing my camera on my purse and windshield wipers because I lost a piece of my tripod after my other camera died and I couldn't find the cord (told you things went wrong), I bet he thought I was a little weird posing outside of his chicken houses. Only in the South.

Standing on the Rooftops

The internship I am at this summer has the most amazing rooftop. Three of us decided to take a quick break from our work and explore for a little bit. Then, there was an impromptu photoshoot thanks to Clint, who just happens to be a professional photographer as well as a designer I work with. (Thanks for the awesome shots, Clint!)

I'm slowly learning how to pose for the camera. It's honestly kind of awkward for me because I've always been the one behind the camera, not in front of it. Hopefully, I'll learn a lot more over time. Anyways, I was slightly rushed this morning so Day 1 of the 30 for 30 isn't the most exciting outfit I've ever put together. But, at least it has CTPS. I wear these skinny jeans all of the time, but I still decided to include them in my 30 items (I love them so much). I'm also including my favorite flats (the ones I'm wearing), this very light blush pink tee, and one of my favorite cardigans.

I'm so excited about picking the rest of my 30 items tonight. I'll be sure to take a ton of pictures and show you guys. Let me know what you think so far! I'd love feedback. And, if you're following along and doing the 30 for 30 too, how's it going so far? What are you already learning?

Stay tuned...

Day number three of Pretty Sweet Style and I'm already behind. (If you know me, this doesn't come as a huge surprise. I am the procrastination queen.) With that said, I'm sorry for not posting any pictures yet. I've been needing to do an overhaul on my closet before choosing my thirty pieces for the 30 for 30 (some which I already have in mind). I had planned to do said overhaul last night and post pictures this morning, but we had such a bad storm yesterday that it just wasn't safe to be on the second floor of the house. So, tonight I will be cleaning out my disaster of a closet and picking out my thirty pieces. Stay tuned and don't give up on me just yet because there are good things in store.

Getting Dressed 101: CTPS

Color + Texture + Pattern + Shine = One stellar get-up.

That’s it. This is one of several formulas I use to get dressed (most) days (the other days are when I have about 5 minutes to get my teeth brushed, clothes covering my body, and across campus at 8:00 in the morning… those days it’s sweats [gross.]). If you have ever watched What Not to Wear, then you’ve probably heard Stacy or Clinton mention this “style equation.” (See? Actually listening to what they’re saying while you’re just laying around with that bowl of Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch in your college-ephemera sweatpants instead of just zoning out can do you some good. [No, I don’t know this from exact experience.*])

*Yes, I do.

This equation is pretty simple and straightforward. If your outfit has one of each of these things (a pop of color, an interesting texture, a pattern, and a little shine), then you have a fool-proof ensemble. Well, maybe not completely fool-proof, but you’re headed in the right direction.

What’s even easier, and more fun, is that you don’t have to limit yourself to where each of these elements comes from. One day, your color might be your shirt, your pattern in your shoes, your texture from your skirt, and your shine, that delicate necklace your parents gave you for your sixteenth birthday. The next day, it could be a mixture of completely different things: color - your new favorite nail polish (I love experimenting with new colors on my fingers and toes), texture - a funky pair of tights, pattern - a striped blazer you got way back in high school that you just can’t seem to part with, and shine - that pair of metallic gold peep toes with the studded bow you got at a steal.

You can play it safe and simple with minimal amounts of color, texture, pattern, and/or shine or you can be wild and adventurous with bold elements. (Just make sure that only one or two of the four elements are bold. Mixing too many strong pieces can feel overwhelming and busy and leave your ensemble looking less put-together than you intended.)

The most important part of this lesson? HAVE FUN! Don’t be afraid to mix your clothes, shoes, and accessories in daring new ways. Set aside an afternoon to pour yourself a glass of wine, turn up the stereo, and try on mountains of your clothes. It can be a freeing thing to revisit your old favorites and try mixing and matching them with new finds. Experiment and try every idea you have, and if an outfit is a flop… well, no one is there to judge.

That is my challenge to you guys (and me too) for this week: try to create a few new outfits with what you already have in your closet using this simple “style equation.” You’d be surprised what you can come up with.

The "Want" List

I am a shopaholic. There. I said it and the first step is admitting you have a problem. Shopping isn't necessarily the problem, it's spending too much or wasting money on something that I know I don't need or that I am not going to get a lot of use out of. So, to combat this, I've started making a "want" list. (I thought about calling it a "need" list, but let's be real, most of us don't really need more clothes... it's all want.) I'm learning that, much like when you make a trip to the grocery store, if you create a list of the things you want and stick to it, you are much less likely to overspend (well, at least not overspend as much).

Creating your want list can be a lot of fun. I keep a bulletin board on the wall beside my closet and, along with sayings or sweet notes someone has written me, I like to pin up things I see in magazines that I like and would love to wear. I maybe never, and usually never, get anything that I put up there, but it serves as another form of inspiration. I might particularly like one piece in the outfit I pin up and after oogling it for weeks, decide that I would love to have a similar piece in my wardrobe... so begins the want list. (I'll be posting my want list here. Mainly because it really helps me to see links/pictures of things I have my eye on all in one place.)

But wait! Don't add things to your want list just for the sake of adding something or because you just have to have it. Assess what you already have first. Maybe you're lusting over an elegant black top to wear on a date night, but hey, remember that black shirt you wore one time a year ago? It's still sitting at the back of your closet waiting for another debut. So, break it out. Pair it with pants, skirts, shorts, anything, and see how you can make it work for you. It might not match the style you were going for, but at least you gave it a try. Or it could fit exactly what you were looking for and you just saved yourself time and a pretty penny. It's not about over-consuming or denying yourself. It's about assessing what you already own and trying to make it work for you first before you decide to spend money.

I am in the middle of doing just that: assessing what I already own. Especially after this morning. I woke up late, changed outfits at least five times, and still left the house not loving what I decided to wear. I was left with an intense desire to go shopping. Instead, I reminded myself that 1) "You don't have a single dime to spend on clothes right now," and 2) "If you would just organize your clothes and try things in new ways, I bet you'd find an outfit you'd love even more than a new one."

That's my goal for this week: to go through the things I already own before buying anything new with my upcoming paycheck. That way, when I do decide to go shopping, I won't end up spending money on things I don't need or already have and I can have a little more room to buy things that I have had my eye on for a long while (the Gladious skirt at Anthropologie, anyone?). I challenge you guys to do the same. What things have you had your eye on that you might already own? How can you make what you already have work for you?

Hi there, I'm Ashley.

Welcome to Pretty Sweet Style everyone!

I’ve been planning on creating a style blog for quite some time now. The problem was that I didn’t want to be just another girl in the blogoshere posting pictures of her daily outfit (although, it would certainly include some form of daily [almost daily] pictures). I wanted to contribute something and share tips, tricks, ideas, and inspirations. I am still learning a lot about fashion and my own style, but it has certainly gotten easier once I started finding consistent inspiration and a little help.

I feel like so many women, including myself, struggle with feeling beautiful. Yes, yes… we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that it’s the inside that counts. But, in a society that values outward appearances over a loving heart and beautiful personality, reminding ourselves daily that we are each gorgeous women in our own lovely ways can get a little challenging. Plus, why not have a little fun with colors and textures and patterns and metallics every morning? When you are confident about your outside, it is easier to stop fidgeting, tugging, readjusting, and worrying and let your inner beauty shine. (Come on ladies, don’t we all remember how it feels to wear that one outfit that makes us feel like a million bucks? Remember how much more self-assured and strong you felt in that ensemble?)

Here’s where Pretty Sweet Style comes in: I want to offer to other girls what has been helping me form my own personal style. I want to show women that getting dressed in the morning, whether you are pressed for time or not, isn’t nearly as hard as it seems. Once you learn a few simple basics, it’s even fun!

So, style challenge number one: the 30 for 30. (I read about this over at Kendi’s blog.) You can read more about it here, but these are the basics:

1. Take 30 items in your closet.
2. Make 30 outfits.

It’s that simple (okay, maybe it’s easier said than done, but at least we have some sort of starting point). For the next 30 days, I am going to be (slightly consistently) posting about the whole experience: my 30 items, the 30 outfits (or more) I created with them, the outfits in action, and what I am learning (the flops, the struggles, and the successes).

I hope I can inspire you guys to hop on board or simply to reevaluate the way you look at your closet. I’m learning that it’s not just a place to store my things, but an extremely valuable and lovingly cultivated resource. It’s your own personal shopping mall, ladies (and everything, hopefully, fits and you love everything that’s “sold” there because, well, you did pick it out).