One Year of Blogging Giant Giveaway!

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago today, I put up my very first outfit post. While it seems like a long time, it also feels like I've been doing this for way longer than I actually have After reading personal style blogs for years, I never thought that I'd be able to do it myself, but I'm so happy that I did. Not only has it challenged it me to define my style, take more risks with fashion, and learn more about photography and graphic design (both of which I'm still complete novices at), but it has introduced me to some of the most amazing people from around the world. I'm so fortunate to have met and worked with incredible bloggers, and I'm excited to see who I'll have the pleasure of meeting in the next year. One of my favorite parts of blogging, however, is that I've had the opportunity of discovering and collaborating with small business owners. I'm a gigantic fan of supporting "the little guy," and I'm so excited to offer one of my readers the chance to win a BUNCH of store credit and awesome items from my favorite small business owners. 

Here's what you'll win:

If you've been reading for a while, you know that I love August Wrinkle. I've had the pleasure of styling up a few of their items and I find myself wanting just about everything they stock. Jana is offering the item of your choice (whether it be clothing, jewelry, accessory, etc.). The only problem will be choosing just one.

Hannah of The Braided Bandit is not only super stylish and a fellow Flock Together girl, but she also owns the most adorable vintage store, The Braided Bandit Vintage. She has the best eye and stocks her store with the sweetest pieces. Right now, it's full of adorable collars and pretty floral frocks that are begging to worn this summer. Hannah is kindly offering a $30 gift card.

Every time I scroll through the items in Heidi's shop, Heidala's, (and trust me, I've done so plenty of times), I can't help but imagine them being worn on the beach and paired with a sun hat. Heidala's creates such pieces as lacy crop tops, printed shorts, colorful skater skirts and more. Just in time for summer, Heidi is offering $40 in store credit.

It's always a treat when my favorite bloggers turn out to be talented on top of being well-dressed. Kati of Almost Stylish is one of the sweetest bloggers I've met in addition to creating some of the most fun pieces I've seen on Etsy. For her shop, Katinka, Kati creates the coolest patch kits (such as elbow patches and knee patches). Update: due to some technical issues, the winner will be receiving the classic patch kit from Katinka, Kati's most popular item. 

There are a large amount of vintage shops on Etsy that I have favorited, but Jo's shop, Sloppy Jo's Sloppy Seconds, had me falling in love the moment I stumbled onto it. I get so frustrated with amount of vintage shops that carry skirts that are too long for me and itchy sweaters, but there's something so fresh and flirty about the pieces at Sloppy Jo's. Jo is offering $15 in store credit, but you may have to fight me for that chevron dress.

No big giveaway would be complete without accessories, and the ones from Sassy Stitches by Lori are by far the perfect choice. Lori handmakes a wide variety of bags, totes, clutches, headbands, and more, and each item has a classic appeal that will go with anything. Lori is offering $15 in store credit to her shop.

Keep it all or give some it as gifts — one person will win it all. Thank you all for the amazing support I've received over the past year and good luck!

The giveaway will remain open until next Friday, 06/07, at 12 a.m.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cooperative

I can't gush enough about this dress. I've been in love with this dress ever since I first spotted it, in multiple colors, at Urban ages ago. They must have started stocking it at least a couple of years ago, because I can't even remember how many times I've tried it on, only to pass it up due to the price. It's a simple piece, really, but for some reason I've just always been enamored the flattering shape and the simplicity of it. Imagine my delight when someone in the swap group I'm in agreed to send me this in exchange for a dress that's been sitting in my closet for forever. The funny thing is, the brand of the dress is Cooperative, and the same exact day this dress came in the mail, I nabbed these Cooperative sandals at a thrift store for a few bucks. Being dressed by Urban for close to nothing is a talent of mine, I guess.

I'm not sure how obvious it is, but I'm actually wearing lipstick in these photos. I usually despise having anything on my lips, but I've been wanting to step outside my comfort zone and try a red lip for a while. I borrowed this one from my mom, and I figured a photo shoot was the perfect time to see if I liked it. Turns out, I really like how it looks. I may become a full-on lipstick convert soon, watch out.

Easy Living

Ah, summer. Getting dresses has never been so easy. As much as I love my fall layers, I can't deny that I've been enjoying just throwing on dresses with minimal styling lately. I've referred to this dress as my no-fail dress before, and it's still true. It's always the perfect piece to grab when I'm in a hurry or I'm too lazy to think of something creative. I started working at my dad's restaurant again on the weekends, where I have to wear a T-shirt and tennis shoes, and I felt the need to change into something particularly feminine when I got home, despite the fact that I had no plans. As usual, this dress did the trick.

Although things have been fairly uneventful lately, it's been nice. I'm soaking up relaxing while I can, with a few fun things sprinkled throughout. I finished the new season of Arrested Development already, saw Star Trek with my friend Adam, welcomed home my friend Whitney who I hadn't seen in months, and even wound up seeing a really great ACDC cover band. Life is pretty good right now.

Things that caught my eye this week #29

Before you read about my handmade and vintage finds this week, don't forget that it's an important day — Arrested Development season four premieres today! To celebrate, Jessica and I have compiled a list of our top 10 reasons why you should watch over on her blog. If you don't read it, you're making a huge mistake. And when you're done, here's what caught my eye this week:

All I've wanted to do lately is throw on summer dresses, and I love the vintage ones over at Sloppy Jo's. My favorite? This chevron one, of course.

Backyard

Since I've been so bored at home lately, I've been needing to remind myself why I love being here. My family and friends are, of course, the biggest factor, but it's the small things that I find come to mind. Palm trees wherever I look, Ruby's milkshakes in the middle of the week, Target runs with my mom on Sundays, letting my dog into the house when it's hot outside. And then there's living in the house I grew up in again. If you haven't been able to tell, most of my pictures lately have been taken in my backyard. Sure, it's partly because I'm not brave enough to take pictures on my own in public yet, but it's also because I just genuinely love it. Forget the countless birthday parties that have been thrown here or the family talks on warm summer nights that have taken place, it's really just a wonderful space. I actually had completely forgotten about my name in the cement (pictured below) that I wrote when I was 10 until I took these photos. This entire house has been producing moments like that for me lately.

You might also notice the new dress and shoes pictured. The dress was my other purchase at Buffalo Exchange last week and, even though it's slightly small in the bust, I love short sleeved dresses like this for summer. The shoes actually aren't new at all. I've accumulated a giant pile of clothes and shoes to get rid of over the past few years that hasn't shrunk as much as it should, and every time I come home, I sift through it to see if I've changed my mind about anything. These shoes were at the bottom of the pile, and I've decided that they're of much better use being worn. They're pretty old and I don't even remember where they're from, but that just makes them even better if you ask me.

May Favorites with Joyful Outfits

Hello, lovelies! As you all know, I love sharing my favorite items from around the Internet. Since I have so much fun doing it, I thought it would be fitting to see what items some of favorite bloggers area also lusting over each month. My first choice was a no-brainer. Joyce of Joyful Outfits has the most incredible taste and her picks here are no exception. —Elana

Hi everyone! I'm Joyce from Joyful Outfits and I am so excited to be guest posting here at Room 334. I always love seeing what Elana picks out (doesn't she always pick out the prettiest things?) so I was so happy when she asked me to be a part of the guest post series. (Thank you Elana!)

1.  Camo print skinny jeans: This has been sitting in my shopping cart for two months now haha. I like how versatile it is so I think I will get them after I finish all my finals in June :) 

Lady Tie

I've been feeling a bit tired of the pieces in wardrobe lately, which is why I'm happy to debut some new ones today. As I mentioned yesterday, I sold some things to Buffalo Exchange on Friday and was able to get a few new items with store credit. This is one of two dresses I picked up and I'm in love. It was originally from Urban (thank you, Buffalo price tag) and I can't get over the print. I've been trying to incorporate more prints into my wardrobe, other than stripes and polka dots, and this one is just the right amount of unique.

My favorite new thing, however, is definitely my lady tie. I've been obsessed with the ones from Flapper Girl for forever, so when Christine, the brains behind the shop, offered to send me one, I was ecstatic. I think lady ties are such a great way to add a retro touch to any outfit, and I already have a million ideas of how to wear mine. For the first one, though, I loved the way these colors looked together. Besides, this dress was in desperate need of some layering.

Make sure to stop by Flapper Girl to pick up a lady tie of your own!