Biting the Bullet

After much deliberation and advice from other bloggers, I've decided to finally bite the bullet and make a Facebook page for this little blog of mine. I'm still not entirely sure how helpful it will be, but the more I apply for social media internships (or really any internships. Seriously, someone hire me), the more I realize that it will be nice to say that I run a Facebook page for this blog. So please, if you will, like my page here.

I'm still figuring out how I'd like to utilize it, but I'm hoping to do more than just put up my posts. If anyone has any suggestions of what they'd like to see on my page or what they think any blogger should use a Facebook page for, please send them my way!

Winter Mint

You wouldn't be able to tell from these photos that were just taken yesterday, but the snow today is insane. So insane, in fact, that my university declared it a snow day and canceled class. For as much as I hate Midwest winter and snow, I couldn't be more grateful for a day off to just do nothing but catch up on TV and blogs. And by catch up on TV, I mean continue re-watching all of The West Wing. Speaking of entertainment (when am I not?), I completely forgot to mention the Academy Awards yesterday. I despise Seth MacFarlane so I wasn't too excited about the show itself, but I'm really happy with all of the winners. Christoph Waltz won and Jennifer Lawrence looked adorable tripping up the stairs. What more could I ask for? Also, does anyone else remember how we all hated Ben Affleck and thought he was a terrible actor until he started directing and turned out to be really good at it? Memories...

Even though I love the top of this dress, I can't stop wearing it as a skirt. I love it even more against blacks and grays which is why I was so happy in this outfit. By the way, if I haven't declared my love for fleece lined tights yet, let it be known that I am utterly obsessed. Where have these things been all my life? Also, let's just ignore the fact that one of my buttons was undone for most of these pictures. Let's also ignore the fact that I wouldn't have brought it up if I really wanted to ignore it.

Dots

Despite the lack of sleep I've gotten in the past four days, I'm back from Chicago and back to blogging. As much as I missed posting and reading all of my favorite blogs, it was a wonderful trip and a nice break from the real world. I'm fortunate to be close with everyone I work with so going to a journalism conference with my staff felt more like a weekend int the city with friends than a trip with coworkers. I'm planning on doing a full post on the trip later (thanks to the fact that at least four of my friends had DSLRs with them and were snapping photos the entire time), so I'll keep this post fairly short.

I realized quickly on the first day that I should have just packed an empty suitcase. The first day we were there, I went to the Urban Outfitters surplus store and bought two dresses - which I proceeded to wear the next two days. Yes, I cheated on my shopping ban. I'm a failure. However, when there is an Urban full of $80-100 dresses that are on sale for $10-20, you don't just pass that up. I regret nothing. Jenn and I managed to snap some photos in our hotel room (along with the help of our friend Mary, who is also a photographer) Friday morning before sessions because the light was so great. I had only intended on buying another dress at Urban, but when Jenn said "if I made you into a dress, it would be this," it didn't take much for me to cave.

Guest Post: Katie of Alaskan Weredork

Today, I'd like to introduce to you a blogger who I only met fairly recently, but has already made the quite impression on me. I first came across Katie's, Alaskan Weredork, blog after she left me the most sincere comment I've ever received and from that moment, I knew I'd love her. It wasn't long until I was drooling over her impressive layering skills and stunning photography of her home in Alaska.

Hi there Room 334 readers!  It's quite a pleasure getting to post over here at Elana's blog while she's off to Chicago for her conference. (Lucky girl, it sounds fun!)   Elana always inspires me with her adorable feminine meets practical life style and she has the best eye for interesting, unique jewelry so I was just delighted when she asked me to help fill in for her.

I'm Katie and I hail from the frozen north known as Alaska.  I started my blog a little over a year ago to figure out what my personal style really was and to become more comfortable in front of the camera.  Along the way, I've been lucky enough to meet some really awesome ladies and I've gained a love for photography.

Guest Post: Linda of Trendy Teal

While I'm talking about leads and debating the oxford comma in Chicago, I wanted to introduce you all to a couple of ladies I've never had the pleasure of having on here. Most of you are probably already familiar with Linda, but she's her blog has been one of my favorite reads since I started blogging. Not only does she have the coolest, most effortless style, she's also one of the sweetest girls I've met through blogging and someone I could absolutely see myself being good friends with in person. 

 Hey there! I'm Linda behind Trendy Teal, and I'm thrilled Elana asked me to guest post for her while she's away at a journalism conference. 

   I'm just a shy girl who likes to use clothes to make a statement. Accompany that desire with some awesome shoes and a big smile, and I'd say you're bound to end up with an outfit that's just right. For today's outfit, I wanted to bust out my new, mint skinnies from American Eagle. However, for a busy day of walking around on campus, I picked some flats to keep my feet comfortable. But even if they're flats, that doesn't mean they have to be boring! Studs and spikes are my favorite ways to add an exciting dose of pizzaz to any look. Yes, I just said pizzaz. It's the only appropriate adjective to be used for studs/spikes. 

Little Red Dress

Valentine's has come and gone, but I couldn't resist another slightly inspired look. I mostly just wanted an excuse to throw on a red dress and sparkly collar, can you blame me? It was really bright when these pictures were taken so some of them may look weirdly edited, but it was really just the sun and my lack of editing ability. I'll get on that eventually.

I hope everyone has been having a good weekend! I went out of town for a little shopping trip with T.J. yesterday to get him some new clothes. He got three cardigans so I'm a happy girlfriend. My own shopping ban is still going strong; I only made an exception for some fantastic sunglasses at H&M. They were $10 and I haven't owned a pair in months after I lost my beloved Ray-Bans (R.I.P.) and broke another cheap pair. So really, the new pair was necessary. 

Also, I have never been more depressed than when I went into Plato's Closet. I was hoping it be akin to a Buffalo Exchange, but the clothes I found in there were awful. Plus, they took two of my items and gave me $4.50. I'm thankful for some of you Midwest ladies who help me remember that good style does exist in some places here. 

And of course, there's a giveaway going on!

Flock Together: Swan Song

I'm over at Flock Together today, wearing Katie of Butterfly Loves Snapdragons' lovely swan cardigan. I'm sure you're all already aware that I never want to take it off. See you there!

But wait, that's not all! I'll be posting a belated Valentine's outfit (because when there's a theme, one's just not enough) next week, but you can see a preview of it over at Hey Birdfriend!

Also also, make sure to enter my giveaway! 

Cardigan: borrowed from Katie

Dress: Nordstrom Rack

Top (worn under dress): Modcloth

Belt: Thrifted

Shoes: Modcloth

Giveaway: Junghwa Necklace

If this adorable pinwheel necklace looks familiar to you, that's because you've seen it on here before. I posted it as part of my most recent "Things that caught my eye this week" post after coming across it in all its cuteness on Etsy. After some chatting with Amy, the talented designer behind Junghwa, she was nice enough to offer the necklace up to one of my readers! How's that for a Valentine's surprise?

Junghwa makes gorgeous, simple jewelry that are perfect for every day wear and I know one of you will get much use out of this necklace. You all have been so wonderful to me so I'm delighted to offer one of you a gift as my gratitude. Just use the rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win! P.S. would it be wrong to enter my own giveaway? No, seriously.

Thanks again to Junghwa for offering the necklace! Make sure to visit her Etsy shop here and website here. 

This giveaway is open until midnight on 02/21 and is open to U.S. and international readers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweetness

Considering this is the week of all things sweet, it's only natural that I post a sweet outfit today and devote a post to it. The sweetest part being how I got this lovely dress that I'm wearing as a top here. A few days ago, my RA dropped this off at my door and told me that it was too short on her and reminded her of me. It's not every day that someone knocks on my door to give me any sort of lace Peter Pan collar goodness so I didn't wait long to put it on. Even with my 5'2" height, it still sits a little short on me, but it makes a perfect top. I decided to go all 50s with this one and paired it with a ponytail, pleated skirt and my favorite thrifted cardigan. I'm about to get a cavity from all this sweetness.

But wait, I'm not done. There's more of that adorableness in my life, like the fact that my lovely friend Justine spent her morning on our day off with me taking outfit pictures. She's going to start updating her blog again soon and you can bet that I'll sharing it here. I also may or may not have a great giveaway planned for V-day itself, so stay tuned.

Black Lace

Well, look what we have here; I finally had time to take outfit pictures! It's a miracle, really. Between school, work, and the rain over the weekend, I was beginning to think I'd never have an outfit post on here again. Thankfully, I'm having a slow day today, so Jenn and I were able to sneak in some time after our features writing class to take these. Sure, I may be behind on writing two stories for that class, but that's besides the point. (If anyone is accusing me of being a bad student right now, I should mention that the professor is my advisor for the paper and is okay with me turning them in late. See, folks? Just get a job with your professors and you can guarantee a passing grade in all your classes! Tune in next week for more life lessons from Elana.)

Other than getting by in classes, my life has been all about internship hunting lately. It's the most frustrating process, really. The deadlines for half of the ones that interest me was two months ago, the other half haven't even posted summer internship listings yet. So, keep your fingers crossed for me that someone wants to hire me. And if any of you have connections with fashion or journalism companies based out of Orange County or L.A., feel free to put in a good word for me. Please and thank you.

Things that caught my eye this week #24

Dear leather heart leggings from Flattery, will you be mine?

FAQs

Hello, hello! I've been struggling to find time to take outfit photos this week, so I figured I'd do something different for today. I'd like to set up an FAQ page on here, but I need your help. Go ahead and ask me anything you'd like to know about me or the blog and I'll do my best to answer. I'll try to use this opportunity to charm you all with my wit and intellect, but we'll see what word vomit I manage to produce. And with that, ask away!

Not Enough Stripes

When we decided we wanted to do a stripe challenge on Flock Together, I immediately knew I wanted to post a photo in this dress. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out and I wasn't able to get pictures in it until it was too late. Despite the missed opportunity, so continues my love affair with stripes.

This is the second item from Modcloth's Cabin Fever sale and I'm smitten. This dress had been on my wishlist for far too long, but never actually made it into my cart until it was marked down to about $10. Granted, I had to buy it in a size bigger than I normally wear since it was all that was left, but I knew I'd be willing to make it work for that price. Luckily, it's only a tad loose and nothing a belt can't fix.

Also, I should add how happy I am to have my friend Jenn taking my pictures for me a couple times a week again. I always feel bad dragging her outside when I get into the office, but when she takes photos this awesome, it's hard to resist asking her.

Big Deal

This is what I wore on Saturday and if we're friends on Facebook or you follow me on Instagram (@room334), then you know that it was kind of a big deal for me. Bo Burnham performed at my school that night and, as I found out an hour before the show, he agreed to interview with me for my campus' paper. For those unfamiliar with Bo Burnham, he's a comedian who's famous for his songs and is the youngest person to have a Comedy Central Special. I hadn't listened to his stuff in years, but in high school, my friends and I were REALLY into him. Most of my friends from home are big comedy nerds, so getting to meet a famous stand-up is a really big deal. And let me tell you, it was awesome.

His show was unlike anything I could have imagined. I was expecting mostly songs, but it was the most high-energy mix of vulgar music, stand-up, poetry, and more. Basically, it was better than I could have ever imagined. Immediately after the show, I was pulled upstairs to a hotel room where I was basically left alone with Burnham and his opening comedian. I was expecting to only get a couple of minutes with him to ask one or two questions, but he was extremely nice and answered every question I had. Not only do I have 12 minutes of the two of us talking recording, I got to hear him talk about his process writing jokes and have tell me how much he loves Louis CK, Reggie Watts, and Anthony Jeselnik, which was really exciting. I've never gotten to interview anyone even remotely close to a celebrity so I was pretty much on cloud 9 by the time it was over.

Things that caught my eye this week #23

I think this moth necklace from My Selvaged Life would be such a pretty addition to any outfit