(Almost) 31 Days of Halloween

Happy Halloween! It's been a hot minute since I last wrote a blog post, but I shared nothing but Halloween looks on Instagram all October so I wanted to give a little bit more detail as to how I did it. I've never been the biggest Halloween fan, but the past couple of years I've started to dip my toes into getting excited about the season. This year, my girl Alyssa decided to do 31 days of Halloween outfits, and since we take most of our outfit pictures together, I decided (with her help) to go along with the theme this month as well. I actually found it extremely inspiring to stick to a theme for the month. Even though I still had the question of "what do I wear?", it really narrowed it down. I think I want to start doing more theme months, so I'll be doing all fall looks in November and all Christmas looks in December.

My hesitance toward Halloween looks previously has been that I've found it hard to justify spending money on items that I can only wear for a month. I still bought some new pieces for October, but here's how I did it on a budget:

• Bought fall items that I could easily style for Halloween, but also wear outside of the spooky season (the outfit above is a good example).
• Used anything black, white, orange, green, and purple that I owned. 
• Bought affordable accessories (like earrings and pins) that could make outfits more Halloween-friendly, but wouldn't break the bank. I bought most of these from small, women-owned shops like Femme de Bloom, Em and Sprout, and Mint Julep Maven.
• Borrowed items from Alyssa. I recognize that I'm fortunate to have such a stylish and generous friend who wears the same size as me and has seemingly unlimited Halloween goodies, so this tip isn't for everyone. But still, sharing items with friends can apply to anyone!

You can see all of my Halloween looks on my Instagram, but here's some of my favorites (so...most of them) and details on the outfits.

Guest Post: '60s Hairstyle with Sweets and Hearts

Hello! While I'm in Illinois, I'm lucky enough to have a few of my beautiful friends filling in for me. First up is my dear friend Erica, who I'm sure you've familiar with if you've been following along for a while. I've always referred to Erica as my "blogger friend," but that's really not true anymore. While we met through blogging a few years back, she's now my homegirl in real life. She is so much fun to hang out with, and I've wanted to steal her entire closet since I met her. I'm sure you all feel the same way. Keep reading to learn about how Erica and I found this seriously amazing dress.

Hey everyone! I'm Erica, occasional style/beauty blogger over at Sweets and Hearts. If you've been following Elana for a while, you might recognize me from the swap blog we were both a part of, Flock Together (aww, good times). We used to borrow each other's clothes. And I'm sure we'd still be into it if we weren't as lazy. Oops. Well, now we hang out IRL. Elana's off doing something SUPER FUN (lucky!), so it's pretty awesome that she's letting me take over for the day (thanks, Elana)! But anyway, it's been quite a while since I've done a proper outfit post, so I thought it would be nice to share the dress I bought the last time I hung out with her, which was at the Dapper Day Expo a few months ago. We...bought things. We were easily swayed. We were weak. There were too many pretty things. Can you blame us? We lingered a little too long at the Retrolicious booth and gave in a little too easily. We got a good deal though (really!) and I have no regrets (here's the lovely dress Elana ended up getting). I just couldn't resist the 60's hairstyle doodles (AND IT HAS POCKETS).

Outfit Details: Red 60s hairstyles dress (Retrolicious) Black leather bow belt (thrifted, Kate Spade) Black pointy-toe flats (London Rebel) Black half-circle satchel (Kate Spade Saturday)

Elana's one of the funnest/funniest people I've met and her enthusiasm is extremely contagious. We both get excited over the same things--including shopping--so it's probably not a good idea to shop with us because we'll just enable you (but you're totally welcome to...we'll even take your outfit photos for you). HUGE thanks to Elana for letting me ramble and post a few photos! If you want, you can follow me on Instagram @sweetsandhearts, or feel free to check out my blog. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Retro Tropics

I just got this dress on Saturday, but I already couldn't wait to wear it immediately. I picked this up at Dapper Day Expo, which was an absolute delight. Erica from Sweets and Hearts met me at my apartment, and we had the best day trying to look cool among the pinups. It was both our first time, but it definitely won't be the last. Neither of us could afford to go into the parks, but the expo has gotten so big that there's almost no need to anymore. There were a ton of vendors, including everyone Unique Vintage to Sidecca to Unicorn Crafts and more. I finally got to meet Melanie from Femme De Bloom there, as she had a booth set up, and she was just as adorable and sweet in person. We also met up with Ashley from Southern (California) Belle and had a mini Flock Together reunion, which is always a treat. 

Since Erica lives pretty far, we figured we should make her time in Orange County worth it. After getting some food from Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney, we went to The Loop for ice cream and churros. I have to admit, it was well worth the hype. It turns out that it's only about 10 minutes away from where I live, so I will definitely be going back.

I definitely wasn't planning on picking up any dresses from the expo, but Retrolicious was having a deal if you bought two, so Erica and I each got one. I have no regrets. This dress is basically everything I've ever wanted, and I think it's easy to understand why I'd wear it the next day. Plus, it's so fun paired with equally bright shoes.