Some Stellar Subscriptions

At this point in time, there is a ridiculous number of subscriptions available. I'm not just talking magazine or email subscriptions; I'm talking full shopping-spree hauls being shipped right to your door. I currently partake in one called Loot Crate, an awesome service that sends out boxes full of geeky goodies for about $20 each month. You can do month to month, 3 months or 6 months at a time. We currently do the month to month, but I can see making the switch to the 6 month plan. It's stinkin sweet. Here's August's "Heroes" crate. That Groot Pop! vinyl figure glows in the dark, just fyi!

So I did some research and if you're excited to try new things like I am, then hopefully you'll get just as much a kick out of these.

Monthly Box Subscriptions:

1. Bark Box

2. Nature Box

3. Birch Box

4. The Cravory

5. Club W

6. Escape Monthly

7. Must Have

8. Prize Candle

9. Le-Tote

10. Shoe Dazzle


I essentially compiled this list from several searches. You could pretty much google any type of box subscription and chances are it exists. 

Go, explore! Have fun! Try something awesome! 

Bark box and Birch Box are definitely the next ones I'm checking into. I could see getting people these for Christmas. How cute would that be?

Tell me your favorites, if you are subscribed to any monthly box deliveries, especially if they're not on this list. Or if you haven't found a good one yet, I hope this has helped you. There's so much to try out there!

Leave your comments below, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks and take care

Real Talk

Today's post is gonna be a little different. Despite my love for dressing up, 1. I've been off from work most of the week and 2. it's been a pretty crappy week. I won't get into it or anything, don't worry, but it's been hard just to get out of the house, let alone get all dolled up.

So of course this means ridiculous amounts of time being spent on the internet...

Which means buying things I don't need...

Like this:

My handsome little man, Ajax 

Spider Dog Costume

I normally don't condone dressing up animals, but this is freakin hilarious, I don't care who you are.

Cuteness aside, take a look at the home site. It's the Animal Rescue - Pet Shop, one of the several pages featured by CharityUSA, who own and operate GreaterGood stores. They've donated over $30 million to charities all over the world, as well as food, books, therapy and research.

It's actually pretty cool how they have it set up. With every purchase through any of the stores (the stores are separated by cause), the funds go towards that target charity group. They currently support: World Hunger | Breast Cancer | Veterans | Autism | Alzheimer's | Diabetes | Literacy | Rainforest.
So since I bought the dog costume through the Animal Rescue store, my purchase funded 14 bowls of food for shelter animals. They even have a button that can be clicked every day that serves as free donations as well. Free in every sense of the word. You click, and they donate. It's awesome.

Not to say this should be the only way anyone gets involved, solely by buying and clicking on things through this site. I believe in hard work and compassion, and have volunteered at a few shelters, for homeless people and animals alike. My boyfriend and I even intend to help out at a local wolf sanctuary next month (I am so freakin excited for that, by the way. Brace yourselves for many many pictures).

Learn how you can get involved to help your community, the world, and even yourself. You feel awesome afterwards, I promise :)

Leave a comment down below with your favorite charities and causes, and what you do or want to do to help out.

Thanks and take care

Converting Your Closet

Not everyone can afford to compile a whole new closet come the changing of the seasons. As much as I wish I could, it’s just not sensible or at all possible. So what happens when the temperatures drop and you see an endless array of tank tops in your closet? Improvise!

Layering is by far the best way to build up a cute outfit and still retain that body heat. Not that that’s a problem in AZ (our winters maaaybe gets as low as 40-45°F), but I would hope people other than Arizonans find this blog helpful! Plus, layering can be composed of things you already have; no real need to go out and spend a ton on winter attire.

Outfit Transformations:

Spring turned Fall Kimono

Originally paired with denim shorts and a lace bralette. Add a Downeast Layering Tee and skinny jeans to make the change.

Tee and Jeans turned to Comfy Classic
The laid-back look of a tunic and skinnies made warmer with a long sweater and ankle boots.

Summer Dress turned Soft Leather
Keeping the simplicity of a cute dress but adding simple accessories. A leather jacket and coordinating scarf seem to do the trick! I could see this with cute leggings as well, but I only had black...

Lace and Faux-leather turned Lovely Layers
The lace is actually a full-length shirt (would definitely need a tank underneath) paired with an awesome Anthropologie skirt I snatched for $6 at Downeast! Thrown together with a pair of simple leggings and a striped scarf.

These just happen to be a few outfits I was thinking of wearing this holiday season (is it weird that I love the last outfit...?). I know not everyone has a kimono or a faux-leather skirt just hanging out in their closets, but I hope they served as basic ideas. I like to think most outfits can be changed for the seasons by the littlest of accessories, like scarves or leggings. 

So look through your closets, find those cool colors and see what you can dream up! I'd love to see what you come up with. Feel free to post your creations in the comments below.

Thanks and take care

Polyvore fun

There are so many generators out there: Hair, makeup, etc. The list of internet aids is endless, particularly in the ways of fashion. I think one of the forerunners at this point has to be Polyvore.

Polyvore.com is a site brought together by users creating "sets", indexes of items easily shared in a single photo. It's a fun and creative way to share potential ideas as well as provide the means to obtain the featured items.

And it's ridiculously fun! I only have one that I thought that was cute (I could easily spend all day on this thing...). I kept it simple so you can get an idea as to how it works. They even make it simple to post; I've actually connected my blog to Polyvore so that I can post my sets directly.

J Crew black flannel shirt
jcrew.com

J Crew lightweight quilted vest
jcrew.com

Red poncho
$38 - ottoversand.at

J Brand stretch skinny jeans
$1,465 - donnaida.com

Zipper boots
2020ave.com

Charlotte Russe braided bracelet
charlotterusse.com

Heart jewelry
$40 - buckleylondon.com

Maya Brenner necklace
shopgoldyn.com

Allurez agate stud earrings
allurez.com

Zoë Chicco 14k necklace
zoechicco.com





But since I can't play with it all day, maybe I can live vicariously through you! Feel free to post your creations in the comments below! I'd love to see what you can put together; you may end up loving it, too.


Thanks and take care

Fall favorites!

So before I had mentioned how I'd be posting some fall looks still wearable in Arizona. Well, I at least TRY to keep my promises! Here are a few looks from this past week :D

My personal favorite, which also happens to be from today!

 
I never thought I'd be one for brands, but I absolutely LOVE Chris&Carol, the designers of the emerald-green tee. I didn't even realize it til recently, but I have at least 5 shirts by them that I've purchased through my store. Unfortunately you can't order online (memberships are for vendors only, so sad).
Same with the Potter's Pot (the sweater), for wholesale buyers only.

This one was pretty last minute (I usually try to make outfits the night before) but I really like how it came together:

Last but not least, a close second for favorite. The tunic I have on is SO comfortable, it's like wearing pajamas all day long; really comfy pajamas:

Yes, I am in my store's dressing room, don't worry about it...

I'm thinking I'll just post each #ootd Sunday night/Monday morning from now on so that not every post is an outfit. Yay or nay, y'all?

Also, next post I'll have a breakdown of all the items featured in each outfit. I just happen to be pretty tired/lazy at the moment.

Leave a comment below, tell me what you think!
Also feel free to follow via Instagram to see most of my daily outfits first-hand!

Thanks and take care

A few must-haves

As someone teaching themselves to be fashionable, I am learning accessories are just as flattering to an outfit as any cut or color. Even when I do add some form of jewelry it's very simple and basic. 


That being said, I am in love with this month's accessories at my store! We have my simple add-ons, but even the ones offering bursts of color are just as cute. This is so bad, guys, I'm going to be so broke...

1. Sweet Chain Necklace

2. Mini Birdcage Pendant

3. Pink Jade Necklace

4. Leaf Love Bracelet

5. Around the World Necklace

6. Leaf Love Necklace

7. Pearl Cluster Necklace

8. Eyes on Me Pendant

9. Heirloom Necklace

These are just a few that my store received, although there's a good handful we're still waiting on. But if you're impatient like me you can always order Downeast online. They currently offer the standard shipping rate (which is $6.50 at the moment) and right now all clearance is an additional 50% off (use code: FALL50 if shopping online).

What outfits could you seeing pairing these gems with?

Leave a comment below!

Thanks and take care

You should know...

So if it hasn't become apparent by now, I'm actually an associate at Downeast Basics at the Arrowhead Mall. It's hard not to post about my store; I absolutely love our style and promotions! Chances are you're going to see a lot relating to my workplace, which is great if you like Downeast. If not, though, I definitely try to be accomodating to all tastes.

Here's a list of stores I frequent as well as the items I tend to look for there:

IN-STORE:
1. Cotton On: Great for oversized shirts as well as cheap sundresses. Not cheap in the sense of make, but in price! Their promotions are always awesome. I got this dress for $7 last time I visited (and that skull scarf was a $2 add-on I got at check out from another shopping spree):

2. Hot Topic: I grew up shopping for all my band-tees at Hot Topic. Up until this month they were having a semi-permanent in-store promotion for Buy one Get one 50% the entire store! Holy crow, I got so much geeky stuff I don't need! Also, you'll see in my previous post (The First of Fall) that I found that awesome old-world-map watch there. Great store for cute accessories, even if you don't like any of their clothing.


3. Forever21: I know, I know, the mecha of current female fashion. But they've got some great stuff! Last time I visited I had a gift card (yay!) and got over 20 rings from their clearance section for less than $10. Super awesome shopping day, let me tell ya. The link I provided is directly to their online clearance, which I browse every once in a while. Almost everything I get from F21 I get via clearance. This dress was ONLY $2 after a special promotion on clearance. I think it was an additional 75% off clearance-bin items:

4. Francesca's: I love perusing through this store. They have the best of both worlds: fashion and geek. They have some awesome geeky items and accessories throughout the store, right along some of the cutest blouses I've ever seen!

Unfortunately, I do have to admit, I've gone to two locations and received the worst customer service at both. My coworkers have experienced the same lack of professionalism. My manager was fortunate enough to find one girl that was obviously ahead of her game, and gave her great service. Just wanted to fill y'all in: brace yourself for, well, absolutely nothing.



ONLINE:
1. Ruche: I LOVE looking through Ruche online. They have some of the cutest vintage-inspired pieces. Just last week I met a girl wearing the skirt below: I went home, immediately searched "skirts with front pockets" via Google, found the picture via Pinterest, and was crushed to find it was out of stock :( So now it is forever on my wishlist:

2. Modcloth: Another vintage site. Sorry if you're not into the retro-style, but you can't deny it's very "in" right now. Modcloth is what dragged me into loving more fashionable looks. Although they're pretty pricey, they are another store I usually tend to look solely at clearance. I bought a dress from this site once before(unfortunately I destroyed it by washing it incorrectly) and absolutely loved it. Even their home-decor is awesome! I ordered these camera shadow boxes for Christmas last year as a present and ended up keeping them ;)

They have wonderful customer service, too. I had asked if I could use any of their items for a photoshoot (I dabble in freelance photography now and again), and the woman who helped me via email was very thorough about their return policy, and extremely happy to help. My model ended up bailing (luckily, before I bought any clothing) but it's all info I've retained over the years, just in case.


3. Look Human: I have yet to buy anything from them yet, but their stuff is ridiculously cute. My wishlist on there is a few pages worth of awesome! They have great workout clothing; funny, cute, and functional.

4. Threadless: I buy shirts through this site All. The. Time. There's amazing, original artwork put onto these shirts. They're funny, they're creative, and some are truly beautiful. And almost all of them are submitted by site users. I've actually tried submitting some of my stuff, but I get cold feet and take it back. Something to add to the bucket list I guess.


There you go, the stores I frequent to get a lot of the looks I'll be posting. I'll always try to be thorough as far as price and availability, just to avoid confusion and inconvenience.

Leave a comment down below!

Thanks and take care

The First of Fall

As an American white girl, can I even convey to you how much I love October? Pumpkin flavored everything, cute Halloween costumes, awesome layered outfits?

Unfortunately, in Arizona, Fall doesn't really exist. And when it does decide to show up, it's for about a week, and then we are immediately thrown into Winter. But by golly, that is the greatest week :)

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be putting together as many fall-inspired outfits possible that are still suitable for Arizona's lack of weather.

To start, here's a cute summer-y kimono turned autumn!

Watch: Hot Topic

Ring: Urban Outfitters (I actually got mine on clearance at a San Diego location, so sorry it's not on the site! There are a few pretty similar to it, though)

Shoes: Payless Shoesource

Kimono: Neslay Designer, N1805, found at Downeast Basics, along with:

Workin' It Trousers | Half Sleeve Tee | Bee Jeweled Pendant

Also, if you visit your local Downeast Basics, they're doing an awesome promotion from now until Oct. 19th! Buy any of the Live for Pink layering tees, and they'll donate 50% of the proceeds towards the fight against breast cancer.

Click here to see all their options

Feel free to leave a comment below!

Thanks and take care

The Scarlet...pants?

My first question for you all: Yay or Nay to red pants? Or any colored pants?

Second question: Is it too soon to wear them??

Cause I'd really like to wear them, if that's cool.

I guess red pants and a black & white striped-tee really go hand in hand. I'm really digging the navy blouse, though, but is it too patriotic...? Maybe save for Independence Day? 

I dunno, you tell me! Leave a comment on this post, I'd love to hear back!

Thanks and take care

Let's begin, well...

From the Beginning

This blog is dedicated to the major priorities: life, beauty, and animals.


I have never been particularly fashionable. I'm no fashion-guru or aspiring designer. In fact, I've always been considered boyish and casual, artistic and free-spirited. There was never really time for clothes or jewelry or makeup. Lately, however, with the rise of Pinterest and Instagram, it's hard to avoid fashionistas' opinions and advice. I got hooked! Now, here I am, debating whether or not I should just buy this domain name, trying to convey to all of you how completely different and exciting this is for me.

My life has always been filled with interactions with animals. From attending horse-riding camp on the east coast to helping my sister raise a chinchilla in the wake of her deceased hamster (long story, I'll probably fill you in later), I like to think my life has been enriched and enhanced. Now that I am attending school to become a certified veterinary technician, I am finding many people feel the same way. I'm not saying this blog is going to be dedicated to cat videos - I'm not saying it isn't, either - but animals are definitely going to be a large portion of it.


Chances are it's going to be hilarious.