Save or Splurge?

I consider myself to be a connoisseur of the online shopping world. It's what I do in my downtime--I don't necessarily buy anything, but I do enjoy scouring the web for the best deals, adding things I wish I could afford to my shopping bag, and imagining new pieces from every price point magically appearing in my closet.

When I'm seriously considering a new piece for my wardrobe, though, I try to find nearly identical items from two or three different price points, and make my decision based on whether I would rather save money on the item (cheap basics and trends always fall into this category) or splurge on it (usually an investment that I'll wear for years to come).

If you take a look in my closet, you'll notice right away that I'm obsessed with striped tees. They take up a significant amount of real estate, and for a good reason--they add a certain amount of parisian je ne sais quoi to any wardrobe, and they can be dressed up or down to suit your look!

Top shirt: Old Navy (on sale for $10.00!)
Bottom shirt: J. Crew ($29.50)
These shirts look pretty similar, but they are from different retailers and exist in slightly different price points ($10 versus $30).

Would you save or splurge on this colorful striped tee this summer? Personally, I am leaning towards the J. Crew shirt because the fabric looks weightier, plus I love the additional stripes on the sleeves!



Monday Pinspiration

Ahh, Monday.
I am so lucky to have Monday mornings off from work. I used to be one of those people who gets SUPER BUMMED OUT all day on Sunday, mourning the loss of the weekend and the beginning of another long, booger-filled week.
Until my new schedule started a few weeks back.

Now, Mondays are the best day ever, and my Sunday isn't preoccupied by worrying about the week ahead.

With all of this extra time in the morning on my hands, I get a chance to get more pulled-together than on any other weekday! For me, this always means a dress or a skirt.

I work in a middle school, and choosing to wear a dress can be fairly tricky. After all, you have to stick to the school's dress code (even as an employee!), and a ton of dresses in my closet have bare shoulders/are too low-cut/are too short... All of the things that would get you sent straight home to change!

While browsing on Pinterest this week (follow me here), I found an easy way to make any spring or summer dress more modest, while still being completely adorable.

 

Cute, right? Just add a chambray shirt to a polka dot dress, and belt it to define the waist.

The only problem?
I felt like my chambray shirt made this look just a tad bit too formal for interacting with my 7th and 8th graders. Maybe it was just too dark of a denim? I don't know, but I'll try again on a weekend!

For now, I added a black cardigan and rolled up the sleeves to dress down my adorable (thrifted!) green polka dot dress. I belted it with a gold leopard print belt and finished the springy vibe with new sandals.

 

 

Everything goes with polka dots. Even leopard print ;)

Happy Monday!

 

xoxo Alex



Future DIY Projects

Ryan's been working later and later these days, and while I'm waiting for him I tend to spend a ridiculous amount of time looking at Pinterest. some of the DIY projects on there are insane! Here are a few that I can't wait to try...


With an I.E.'s Gold Dot Tray



Little Green Notebook's Huge Prints for Only $4!

Don't they both look easy (and inexpensive) to do? I am excited to get started!

xoxo Alex

You know how sometimes you have the best intentions, but things just don't work out like you planned? That's this blog. I've been following(/stalking) fashion and lifestyle blogs for the past few years and have always been meaning to start one. It's about time I did, right? I started this blog more than a year ago and made it two whole posts before I got sidetracked. Let's see how many I can manage this time around ;) In the past year-plus, a couple of things have changed! I graduated from college, found two part-time jobs I love as a teacher and tutor, and I'm currently a newly accepted grad student, getting ready to pursue my Master of Arts in Education. I'm looking forward to moving soon and getting to meet my new cohort, but I've still got about two months before that happens! I plan to post about pretty much anything that strikes my fancy--fashion, lifestyle, decor, finance, food, whatever! Let's get to it!

The Best Thing I've Ever Bought

The best thing I've ever purchased was an inexpensive souvenir that I'll keep forever.

At the Silhouette Studio in Disneyland, there are two (only two, can you believe that?) women who create silhouette portraits for you and your loved ones. They're hands-down the most creative keepsake in the park, and they're timeless-- they'll look just as good on my wall in 50 years as they do right now!

The first time I had my silhouette done, I was 16, with short hair and glasses on. I left my glasses on for my portrait, and I ended up looking like a grandma! It's all my fault though--the woman who cut out my portrait (they delicately cut your silhouette out of black cardstock) asked me to take my glasses off, and I said no... :o)

Fast-forward to this summer. I'd been meaning to get my silhouette done again, this time with my boyfriend, whom my family brought along on our vacation. Every time I meant to go into the Studio, I got sidetracked by something else (Disneyland is like the ADD capital of the world, I swear!). But on the last night, as my boyfriend, sister and I were leaving the park, I remembered to hit the Studio on our way down Main Street. And man, was I ever impressed!

The woman who cut our silhouettes (I posed with my man, as you can see from the picture) captured us in intricate detail! I love that she followed the curve of my waves, eyelashes and button nose, and even took care to show my man's facial hair. That is talent, my friends.

At $9 for two copies of the silhouette (one for him and one for me) and $10.95 for the frame (I put the new portrait in my old frame from when I was 16 and let the boyfriend have the new frame), it's an amazing decoration that cozies up our home and didn't drain our wallet.

You can find more rave reviews of the Disneyland Silhouette Studio here.

First Day

I kind of feel like the new kid in school when she's got to introduce herself to the entire class (or, slightly more awkwardly, when the teacher has to do the introducing for her).

My new year's resolution was to start a blog. I've been following fashion, finance and lifestyle blogs sleepily for the past three years (!!!) and decided that it was finally time to get in on the action! I'll start following some of my favorite blogs here shortly.

But before I get to the nitty gritty of actually making a blog (this design stuff can be kind of overwhelming, no?), here's a little bit about me!

My name is Alexandra! I'm about to graduate from the University of Washington (go Dawgs!) with my BA in Comparative Literature with an emphasis in Cinema Studies. I love old hollywood films, and I'm starting my search for a career with my admittedly unique degree pretty soon.
The name from my blog comes from the Disney film The Aristocats, where the titular words are spoken by the kitten Marie. How can you not love Marie? She's a fluffy little baby kitty with sass and a british accent! I felt she was perfect embodiment of my blog title.
I intend to post a bit of everything: lifestyle, fashion, finance, beauty, pretty much whatever strikes my fancy.

Blogging seems like a lot of fun, so let's get to it!

<3