5 Things: {My 5 Favorite Summer Outfits}

Yesterday it rained!!! 
Most people here in the northwest start praying right about now for another 2 weeks {at least} of sunshine. I, on the other hand, did a happy dance! I love every single season and seriously love when they turn into each other. So rain is a welcome friend in my book! 

And even though I look at the forecast and know that there is another 3 days this week in the upper 80's, the rain still had me thinking about the sweaters I'll soon get to wear. And about boots I haven't dusted off in a few months! So with the new, I also thought of the old. 

Since September will be here before I post again, I think it only fair to do a recap. So here are my 5 faves from this summer's wonderful tank-top season, better known as summer!

Because I really do love all these outfits, these 5 are in no particular order.

1. Little Purple Dress can be seen in This Post... And Yep, I found an occasion to wear it!
I attended a beautiful beach wedding where I was one of the only ones to wear heels!

2. Pink Pants can be seen in This Post... Yes people... This was just yesterday. 
That doesn't disqualify it from being one of my faves though, does it?

3. This lil rockin' outfit can be seen in This Post... You'll find a DIY!
That skirt, my friends, used to be a pillow case where I rested my purdy lil head.

4. Dotted Shirt can be seen in This Post... Ok people! 
I'm still excited that I made this shirt without a pattern or thought from a previous shirt.
And I may or may not be over my Cake Boss addiction.

And last but NOT least at all:

5. High-Low dress can be seen in This Post... After revisiting this post 
I now want to eat a burger...

Which reminds me of the fact I just ate the best burger for lunch yesterday.
I guess you'll have to wait to hear about that though.

2 Peter 3:8-9
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as 
a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to 
fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not 
wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Pink Pants & A Quick Talk about Fear

The fun things about this outfit:

Pants - B-Day Gift, Shirt - Hand Me Down, Bracelet - $1 Target, 

Earrings - Old Navy ($2 sale), Shoes - Who Knows?

Just real quick I want to shout out to my lovely mom!

Yay for birthday gifts...aka: these pants!!!

Secondly... This is a long one... So sit back and relax.

------------------

Now down the the "deep" thoughts of my afternoon as I sat in a coffee shop with way to many books and notebooks open in front of me. {Sometimes I can't stick to just one... ya know?}

In general I do not consider myself very easily frightened. Startled...YES. But frightened? Nope.

Did I jump when I saw the thumb sized spider while I showered in a 2ftx2ft box that my basement apartment has? YES. But did I quickly gain my composure and smash that lil sucker with my bare hands?... Also, YES.

See the difference? Being Startled vs. Being Afraid?

People have phobias, right? I suppose I do, too. I mean I'm not super fond of heights, deep murky open water, or fire being right up in my personal bubble. But if I absolutely had to deal with those things, I could. Cross that bridge when we come to it sort of attitude I guess. 

I've been realizing in the past year or so that the intangibles are more where my real fears are held. Things like the what the future holds, or having stability, or if the solid true friendships now will actually last. I suppose though that I've been realizing those fears because I've been learning about the solution to them. You see I used to think I could use sheer will power to think fear away. Or maybe if I plan everything super well, then everything will work out how I hoped that it would. But... That's just not how it works.

You know what is amazing?

To NOT be afraid!

If you've ever read my rambling before, you know that I follow Jesus. And guess what! Because of Jesus, I've found something out. I don't have to be afraid. There are some things that we DO have though. You know... Instead of fear.

{2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and sound mind."}

That's right! when I place my life in the holey {and holy} hands of Jesus He takes away any ounce of fear I had. And in place of it, He empowers me, enables me to love, and develops in me clarity and discernment. Fair trade? Heck no. But I'll take it!

What this means though is that when I am afraid, I can be confident it is not from my Savior. And in that I am also confident that I can run to Him for help, reassurance, and peace. I can rest and know that He is trustworthy and I can without hesitation, let Him do His thing. 

Now some fears are still going to arise, however irrational they may be.

You know... like the time I mistakenly agreed to go to the haunted corn maze and the masked man, revving a chain saw chased me screaming into the arms of some guy...some poor girls boyfriend no doubt...cause she sure gave me the stink eye as I came to my senses. Yep! Sometimes I forget to run into the arms of Christ. 

I suppose it's a long road and not a cul-de-sac. There will be potholes and speed bumps in the form of chain saws or unknown choices, but I know the road keeps going after and there is power, love, and sound mind ready to be taken advantage of!

Here are a few things I was reading today.

Psalm 56: 3-4

When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, 

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

2 Corinthians 2:12

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, 

that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Rambling, It's What I Do

The fun things about this outfit:

Skirt - Thrifted & Refashioned {here}, Tank - Thrifted, Belt - Thrifted($0.50), 
Necklace - HomeMade {by a friend}, Shoes - Target

I've had a realization.

I have an Outfit of the Day blog. This is a little funny to me sometimes. I follow a few other blogs... clearly... don't we all? And you lovely ladies out there always seem (to me) to be up on the trends and in the newest trinkets. Once in a while I think to myself, "I don't really have the closet to always be wearing something new... or the budget, for that matter."

That's when my realization came about.

My blog isn't really an up on the trend type of blog.

It's a thrift-like-a-mad-woman type of blog.

It's a make-it-work type of blog.

It's a work-with-whatcha-got type of blog.

And mostly it's a be-confident-in-yourself-thrifted-or-not type of blog.

Honestly, people. I've come to see that putting together an outfit gives me confidence leaving the house. And I'm not saying I need to be in a dress and heels every day. I sport a v-neck and jeans at least weekly. What I'm saying is that the message I send the world, whether they read it or not, is that I don't NOT care about how I'm presented. (yes, double negative....just deal) Not to the point of being vain by any means, but to the point of saying, "I'm not a slob." (Slob is super easy to accomplish in the rainy northwest. Or as I like to call it: Land of the Sweat Pant & Hoody 24-7)

Thrift stores are amazing. I don't really hide it that I buy things at thrift stores. I straight up own it. Ask any lady who has ever complimented me on something I'm wearing. Most likely, I told them it was thrifted or handed down. Maybe some people take pride in the fact they spent a pretty penny on a new item for their wardrobe. I'm more excited to share an incredible find for $2.

Maybe this was rambling. Maybe it was some outward processing as I think through what my blog is even doing. Maybe there's a point in there somewhere. But either way, I'm a rambling verbal processor, so take it or leave it my friends!

And now that you've all been in my head for that processing, 

I'll take it to bigger and better things with this great verse!

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off 

have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Guest Post: Kala {My Breezy Room}

Today I have a real treat for you all!

My friend Kala from My Breezy Room is here to introduce answer a few questions!

I'm over on her turf today introducing myself on her stomping grounds of the interweb.

This girl is seriously talented at the DIY: furniture addition! I mean, come on people. 

Who doesn't love a good find, refinished? But I wont babble to much. 

I'll let Kala take it away now.

1. Why did you start blogging?

I honestly look back and think about this all the time and I'm not sure what I thought I was getting into. I definitely knew nothing about the parallel blog world that exists. I think it was mostly a combination of two things. First, I was working my first job out of college and it was an administrative position. I was worried that wouldn't provide me with enough experience to get a job using my degree. I realized I hadn't taken enough computer classes in college and needed to acquire some skills on my own, and a blog sounded like a good idea. 

Secondly, I was also obsessed with this "breezy" look I speak of all the time and was excited to start decorating my room in that style. I had only read one blog before, The Inspired Room, and I laugh now thinking that decorating my room alone was going to be enough to keep a blog going. Anyways, with my desire to learn more about building a website and my desire to decorate my room, my DIY/home decor blog was born. 

Oh and about six months after starting my blog, the experience I gained allowed me to move up to a position in the communications department. 

This is my first header that I made myself. *Cringe*:

2. Dream Job. Why?

My dream dream job would be to be a stay at home blogger and to continue selling furniture on the side. Maybe even eventually opening my own little shop. I feel like I would be so free. I'm not naive in thinking that I would work less, just that my time would be my own. If I chose to do something different with my day, I might be up all night painting furniture, but at least that would be my decision. 

My 8-5 dream job would be to work as an event planner for a nonprofit. I'm fairly close to that now, but my organization does not raise money through events like golf tournaments and galas, which is what I would love to do. I just like working toward an event that makes such a significant difference for an organization and ultimately the people's lives who benefit from it. I interned at a hospital in college and loved it. 

This is me at the Gala I helped with:

3. Where did your love of furniture refashioning come from?

My mom had heard about chalk paint and wanted to try it out. We signed up for a class last winter and I just kept using it. Before then I didn't plan on repurposing furniture as a hobby or a way of decorating. But it ended up being more affordable for me and when I ran out of things to blog about about my room, furniture makeovers took over. I'd never really had an official hobby or felt creative before that, so it just kind of developed over time. 

This is the side table my mom and I painted using chalk paint for the first time: 

4. What is one thing most people learn about you right away?

That I talk ALOT. My boyfriend is still amazed that I can talk to him, but really be having a conversation with myself. If he doesn't answer fast enough or add something valuable to the conversation, I'll just bounce around from topic to topic while he stares at me like I'm crazy. Add a couple drinks to that and it's embarrassing. While I'm talking, I think it is apparent right away that I am opinionated, determined and independent. Some people hate it, some admire it. But it's just who I am. 

5. How do you fit your projects into everyday life business?

I'm struggling with this right now. My plan is to start working out in the morning again. When I do that, I feel like I've accomplished something early and want to continue being productive throughout the day and after work. When I wait until after work to work out, then I feel like I only have time to cook dinner and work out, then it's time for bed. Kind of silly, but that's what works for me. 

Also, sometimes you just have to turn down plans. Since I have a shabby chic booth, I have to treat it like a business and sometimes I just have to miss out on stuff. I also write down everything I want to accomplish each day in my planner to hold me accountable. 

________________

Head on over to My Breezy Room and show Kala some love!

Foxtrot Vintage Again

The fun things about this outfit:

Dress - F21{high school}, Shirt - Thrifted, Shoes - Thrifted, Necklace - Gift

You know what?

One of my favorite places to daydream and doddle time away is wondering the one and only Foxtrot Vintage! They have such a fun mish mash of antiques. Check out the inside view in this past post.

And let's be honest, did anyone else grow up being dragged into antique stores with their mom's and moaning the whole time? I mean, we were in there for 5 seconds and it felt like eternity may have ended. It was the dreaded drive to the beach that always got me. I always found myself wondering how on earth there could be so many antique stores on the side of the road. One day it hit me... Maybe everyone else's mom does this dreaded pit stop too. Could it be? 

Funny thing is that now I love antique stores. It's a rare occasion that I pick something up, but it's like it's own little world in there. And Foxtrot of all places has the cutest little atmosphere. I mean come one people! The owner even came out to take a picture with me! What a pal... right?!!

He totally made my day, too! He said he had just been googling his store to see what sort of pictures came up and that he had just seen photos from my blog. 

Woot! Woot! I've officially been seen in a google search!

1 Corinthians 1:25

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Knotting the T

The fun things about this outfit:

Dress - Kohls(2009), T-Shirt - Target, Shoes - Ross, Earrings - Thrifted($0.25)

Seriously, one of the easiest things for me to wear is a knotted t-shirt over a dress.

Seems a little lazy, but it has never really failed to work for me. 

So I just keep tossing on t-shirts.

It stretches out my T's, yes. But once it's washed, you'd never know!

I think this does 1 of 2 things. 

1. It either dresses down a dress that is too fancy for where ever you're going

{ or }

2. It covers up all too revealing upper dress. 

{ or }

I guess maybe both?

Either way, I wasn't sure about it the first time I wore a t-shirt like this.

But after that first knot, I haven't looked back! (unless it was at a pic so I could get an outfit idea!) So I say try it out!

Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— butGod shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Left-Overs

The fun things about this outfit:

Jeans - Thrifted & Dyed, tank - Hand-Me-Down (Mom), Shoes - Toms, Bracelet - Gift

Well, folks this week I have a clear cut indicator that I'm living the single life.

Left-overs!

I made food on Sunday...Twice as much as I needed to feed the friends coming over.

So as you may have already assumed... 

Guess what I've been eating all week. 

And I say ALL because it takes a one-woman show that long to eat all the left-overs. 

Good thing I love Pasta & Red Sauce. Because I still have at least 2 more meals!

Speaking of left-overs! I'm loving that this outfit has such a mish-mash of origins.

The tank is one that I found in my moms sewing room from when she was my age.

The jeans are from a thrift store. And the bracelet was a gift from a friend. 

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me.

Shoe Eulogy

Listen, I think I need to start a monthly "Windy" post. It never fails to attack at the moment of pictures on some days. And I always have to just laugh it off, because let's be honest... the hair is so out of control that who could be mad?

The fun things about this outfit:

Skirt - Refashioned, Shirt - Old!, Shoes - ShoeCafe24.com, Belt - Thrifted ($1), Necklace - HomeMade

Sometimes, in life, you have to face the facts.

Possessions wont last forever.

Things will eventually loose their worth.

As quickly as the wind blows my amazon hair in a thousand directions,

so the tangible things in this life will be here and then gone.

{And that my friends was a Shoe Eulogy}

I'll miss these good ol' shoes. They had a lot of wear!

They didn't last as long as I liked

But I liked them as long as they lasted.

On to bigger and better things, here is a verse that shouts for joy, 

instead of mourning over silly things like shoes... (which can will be replaced!)

Pslam 93:5

Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.