Cameras at the Courthouse

Hello everyone! Hope that you are having a fantastic Thursday! Only one more day until the weekend. Huzzah! 

We have our college's winter formal this Saturday, called Madrigal, and we are So. PUMPED.  Our dresses are so wonderful if we do say so ourselves (and they were thrifted! Of course.) 

Plus, Saturday morning we have our roomie tradition of watching the local Christmas parade and then going thrifting! It is going to be such a great weekend! 

On Amy: 
Dress - Gap 
Shoes, Earrings - Gift 
Tights, Necklace - Forever 21 
Vintage Camera - Thrifted (and it works!) 
Heart Ring - Present from HS graduation - Antique 
Turquoise Ring - Flea Market 

Isn't Amy's new hair color just so lovely?! I think she was meant to be a brunette. 

Other than that, things are pretty boring around here. 

We are just trying to get through finals and moving into our new dorm room (we will be moving into a quad with another of our friends - hello, big fancy room!) 

Also, we are super excited for winter break: Christmas, thrifting, seeing our friends who are abroad for a year during their break home, and reading all the Hunger Games books (and freaking out) again. 

It is so close, we can almost taste it. And it tastes like Christmas cookies. 

For all of you who are about to go through finals as well, you can do it! Remember: just keeping swimming, just keeping swimming! 

On Laura: 

Shirt - Thrifted

Skirt - Thrifted (remixed here) 
Shoes, Tights, Belt - Thrifted 

Peacoat - Sears

xoxo, 

Laura + Amy 

p.s. I'm linking up over at Lara's Vintage for 'Thrifty Thursday.' Check it out! 

Rappin' n' Rhymin'

Well folks, I think that it is safe to say that it is official... 

I am definitely known as the thrift girl on campus. 

I know that Juniata is small, but it is still sort of awesome. I have always thrifted because that is what I needed to do to dress how I wanted. Now, it has just become a bigger part of me than I ever thought possible. 

I love when people that I don't know super well (or even at all) ask me about my blog or just thrifting in general and I have to say, it surprises me every single time. 

However, the main reason that I know that I have been dubbed the thrift-y gal? 

A bunch of friends both on and off campus have shown me this Macklemore song, saying that it always remind them of me and my passion for the thrift. 

 I have to say that I never thought that people would listen to a rap song and think of me. Whitney Houston? Possibly. Backstreet Boys? Most definitely. Some white guy rapping? Ha!

But, my roomie and I have certainly jammed to "Thrift Shop" plenty that it has become one of our new 'theme songs.' 

So, from one thrift gal to another, give it a listen. 

Warning: it will make you want to hit up the nearest thrift store ASAP. 

Dress - Thrifted: altered (remixed here) 

Sweater - Re-Threads Consignment Shop

Belt, Tights, Boots - Thrifted 

xoxo, 

Laura 

Melmac Monday: It's The Holiday Season

Hey, everyone, Happy Monday! 

Today was so. long. I'm ready to just climb into bed after a day packed with classes, quizzes, work, and 3 hour choir rehearsals. 

I'm so ready for the semester to be over; I think it is particularly bad this year, because I am overcome with holiday spirit! It is actually kind of strange. I'm not usually a Scrooge or anything, just sort of indifferent. 

But, between the familia and I put the Christmas tree up over break and Black Friday shopping, I'm all about the holidays this year. All I want to do is watch Christmas movies, like Elf, Home Alone, and Jingle All the Way - aka the best worst movie ever. 

So, since it is Cyber Monday, check out some of the lovely holiday Melmac over on Etsy. 

Enjoy! 

Santa's Sleigh

Mistletoe

Snowball Fights + Hot Chocolate

Christmas Cookies

Jingle Bells

Have a great and merry Monday everyone! 

xoxo, 

Laura 

So Thankful...

Happy Black Friday everyone! 

Hope that a wonderful and filling Thanksgiving was had by all. 

I also hope that everyone had a fun, successful, and safe Black Friday. 

I have so many things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving break...

1.) I got to spend a wonderful break with my family at home. It was a memorable Turkey Day as I chowed down on yummy food, lost the annual Girls v. Boys Trivial Pursuit game (sniff sniff), almost got killed in the Black Friday shopping as the Gingrich Girls trekked out last night to score the bargains, and enjoyed being with my crazy and wonderful family. 

2.) Amy and I found out on Tuesday before we left for break that we officially have a house to move into for next year!! We are so very excited and have been hoping that we would get to be a part of this house for awhile. We will be living with amazing girls, so to say that we are pumped is an understatement! 

3.) This blog has been such a great thing for me since I started it approximately 8 months ago; I thought it would just be a fun thing to do, to look back at all the different things I wore, but it has become so much more than that. It really has been become an important aspect of my life. Someone told me that I should just shut it down, but that idea just made me really sad, and I knew that I couldn't do that. 

These pictures were taken as a part of my digital photography class for our "self-portrait" section (thus the reason I have some items that symbolize me in these shots). However, I also knew that I wanted to take these pictures like I would any other outfit photos, because it has turned into a big part of who I am. 

4.) Finally, although I could go on for awhile about the amazing people I have in my life that I'm so thankful for, to save time I have to say that I am thankful for this suit. That sounds slightly silly, but I just love it. 

First off, it really is an amazing vintage piece that I bought  when I was visiting Melanie in NYC. She is a manager at an amazing consignment shop in Long Island and falls in love with a lot of the vintage pieces there, collecting a lot of pieces, even some that aren't her size. 

She told me that I had to try it on and this is pretty much what went down: 

M: Laura, this is your size! Try it on! 

L: I don't know, Mel, this shirt looks sort of weird and cropped. I don't think it will fit me right...and that skirt looks so small. I have hips, Melanie. Besides aiding in the birthing process (or so I'm told), they hinder some clothing options. 

M: Laura...just try it on. 

L: My ass looks DAMN GOOD. (Please excuse, as my mother would state it, my 'unlady-like' language.) 

In high school, I would have NEVER worn anything that would have showed off my curves in such a 'Mad Men-like' way; I just wanted to be able to fit into Hollister jeans and pull off American Eagle T-shirts. 

Now I'm so thankful, not only that I have friend that umm, looks out for my bum, but also that I have the confidence to wear this for working on a Saturday.*

*Although, wearing the heels for nine hours was a bad life choice. 

Suit - Re-Threads Boutique

Sweater - Thrifted 

Necklace - Thrifted 

Shoes - Yard Sale 

Purse - Grandma's 

Les Mis Mug - Thrifted (original post here)  

Brethren Paperweight - Thrifted 

Pride and Prejudice - Graduation gift from my cousin 

Have a great rest of your holiday weekend everyone! 

xoxo, 

Laura 

Melmac Monday: Red Surprises.

Happy Monday ladies and gents! 

Hope that the weekend was smashing. 

Can you believe it? It is almost Thanksgiving!!!! Thank goodness. I'm so completely and utterly ready for a break. 

And the food, always the food. 

This lovely little Melmac beauty came to me this weekend quite as a surprise - literally! 

See, I was performing a sign language song with my gal pal, Kara at church this past Sunday. 

The morning started off sort of stressful, the music wasn't working right so I had to RUN back to my room to fix the MP3 to make it back to the church before the service started. 

And let me tell you there are very few things that will make Gingrich Girls (my mom's side of the family) get their jog on.

Things Gingrich Girls will Run For (c/o of my awesome cousin and fellow Gingrich Girl): 

1.) Dollar rummage sales

2.) To get the last piece of pumpkin bread.

And that's it. 

So, me running in this instance was a rare feat indeed.

So, I make it back to the church, cursing myself for how out of shape I am, walk into the sanctuary and my jaw just dropped. 

My mom and dad were there! 

They drove two hours to see me perform my sign language song! What amazing parents I have. 

After the service (and of course going out to eat), my mom gave this small bag. 

They had gone on vacation a couple of weeks ago and always try to get us something small when they go. I always joke with my mom saying, "you should just stop at a thrift store and get me something there - I'll appreciate it so much more than some tourist-y magnet with my name on it or a T-shirt with a dumb saying on it." 

And this time she listened and bought me this lovely red Melmac pitcher. Isn't it just a beaut? 

May or may not have it on my desk right now because I just like to look at it.

I'm just awkward like that.  

Also, why I can't I look at the word "Red" without thinking of T-Swift? Sad, but true. 

Have a great Monday everyone!

xoxo, 

Laura 

Friend Fashion: Allison

Name: Allison Nicole Blumling

Age: 20

Major: Health Communications and Media Writing

Hobbies: Writing, dancing, kayaking, and doing yoga. 

Favorite movies: Bridesmaids, 500 Days of Summer, and Little Miss Sunshine

Favorite quote: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” 
― Anaïs Nin

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Probably in grad school for Rhetoric and Composition, either in the University of Colorado or Syracuse. I just want to be in a bigger city and have a contrast from our little rural school; I want to go somewhere bigger. I’m also planning on applying to the Peace Corps to do medical education. 

Describe your style: I like to play with texture a lot. I like to wear things that aren't necessarily super match-y, but they still complement each other, either in texture or color. I’m not afraid to play with color. I like to find a balance between feminine details and rougher pieces.

Favorite places to shop: J Crew, H&M, Gap, and thrift stores. I really like Kate Spade and Vera Wang as designers, obviously I cannot afford to shop there.

Favorite thrift store finds: My party pants; I bought them for my trip to DR. They are these flow-y gaucho style pants that have three or four patterns going on. They are really light-weight which was good for the heat in the DR. I love when I find designer things in a thrift store, like J Crew. I have a challenge dressing myself, because I’m so tall, so I order a lot of my pants online. I like getting other things though at thrift stores. 

 Biggest Fashion Mistake: I wore this peach and mint green striped shirt, I really liked it at the time, but I wore it for picture day and it really washed me out. That was in sixth grade.

Whose style do you most admire?  Alexa Chung, the MTV talk show host. She kinds of does a feminine touches to really masculine pieces. I like the ways she wears things. 

Favorite memory involving Laura: Oh my God! Well, the time in the DR when she was freaking out about a romantic situation and asked for an alcoholic drink. Saw a whole different side of her on that trip! Basically, everything from the DR. Especially ‘Call Me Maybe;’ I will never hear that song without thinking of the DR. 

Floral shirt: H&M

Sweater: Simply Vera by Vera Wang – however, I accidently stole it from the laundry mat. It was in my washer and I didn't realize it until she had left!

Skirt: Thrifted – J Crew

Tights: H&M

Shoes: Payless

Necklace: J Crew (Gift)

Earrings: Thrifted 

 Thanks for beings such a lovely model, Miss Allison (and telling the world about my DR adventures.) :) 

Check out my other friend fashions here: 

Elena

Sarandon

Maggie

Amy

Make It Work!

Hey gals! 

Hope that everyone is having a fabulous and wonderful Wednesday evening. 

These pictures of Miss Amy and I were from last week, when we went up to State College to see... TIM. GUNN. 

That's right. We were three rows away from Mr. Amazing himself. 

He really is an amazing person and we were SO excited to see him speak.  

Plus, I got to see my best friend who goes to Penn State, so overall it was an amazing night! 

Somethings we learned from Tim Gunn: 

1.) Take the high road: "I have one other overarching piece of advice about how we navigate the world, and I do practice it but I'll give you a codicil after I deliver it. And it's the following: Take the high road. No matter how much strife and consternation you're faced with, no matter how angry you are, no matter how much you want to write that nasty email, no matter how much you want to bitch slap your boss or family member, don't do it. I have never, ever done that and not regretted it and whenever I take the high road, I'm happy.

"Now, here's the codicil, and it has to do with my mother, may she rest in peace. Sometimes the high road gets so high, and she would take me there, that my nose would bleed. Then it's time to get off, and you do and you deal with it. So if the high road gets so high your nose is bleeding, you have permission to get off of it."

2.) The clothes that we wear send a message about ourselves to the world. 

3.) It is all about silhouette, proportion, and fit. 

4.) Do everything at 150%

5.) Tim came out in a blue suit and brown shoes, to which he said, "People said you shouldn't do this - sure you can!" If Tim Gunn says it is okay, that is good enough for us! 

5.) "You never know where life is going to take you. Take risks." 

6. A good blazer is everything. 

7.) And of course, "Make it work!" 

The best part about him saying that phrase was that you could tell that he really meant it! It wasn't something that felt like he had to say it because of Project Runway; he really wants you to make it work. 

Amy: 

Dress - Macy's 

Sweater - Thrifted - originally Forever 21 

Tights - Wal*Mart

Necklaces - both from Forever 21

Laura: 

Dress - Thrifted - originally Anna Sui for Target 

Sweater - Hand-me-down from my sister - originally H&M 

Tights - T.J. Maxx - Anna Sui 

8.) These are the faces that we make after seeing Mr. Gunn. 

xoxo, 

Laura 

P.S. I made a Facebook page  for TTL - feel free to like it!