Feeling a little Nautical

Pink Blazer: Thrifted. Striped Tank: H&M. White denim: Paige Premium Denim. Sandals: Italy. Watch: Michael Kors. Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Sunnies: Burberry. Wallet: Tory Burch.

This is one of my favorite summer outfits because of its simplicity and class. Blazers tend to be one of my favorite staples because of how easy they are to dress up or down.  I found this pink one while I was selling some of my clothes to a used clothing boutique. I questioned the purchase at the time, but wear it more than I ever thought I would and get endless compliments! I've realized lately that the items that I question the most, almost always become my favorites! What's up with that?!

xoxox Ashiee B

Fearlessly Fuchsia

Dress: Angie. Shoes: Tory Burch. Belt: Vince Camuto. Sunnies: Forever 21.

  Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Watch: Michael Kors. Arm Party: Stella and Dot, Forever 21, Nordstrom.

Have you ever found something fabulous but it wasn't your size? I know the answer is probably yes. Most of the time I shop for things that I like and if I cant find my size, I try the wrong one anyway, disregarding the size to a certain extent. Of course when it comes to some things (high priced items, shoes, etc) shopping for the right size is crucial but there are lots of situations when you can bend the rules in terms of fit and make something work.
Thats just what I did with this dress. I found it at Nordstrom Rack and just loved the bright somewhat neon fuchsia color and couldnt find another one anywhere in the store (and believe me, I searched high and low). So even though it was 3x my usual size, I knew that I could make it work with a belt and decided to take it home to play around with. Threw some accessories into the mix and voila! I love how it looks and think that the belt completes the outfit entirely. I love being a resourceful fashionista! ;)

xoxox Ashiee B

Listening: "Another Kind of Green" John Mayer Trio
Feeling: a little "under the weather" if you will, from a night out with my friends blahhhh :/
Anticipating: A relaxing night in doing absolutely nothing but hanging out... A much needed break!

Little red hot crops and a peplum with ditzy dots

Over the past week I have been doing a lot of adjusting to my new schedule. Checking things off my list of "to-do's" before leaving the country, purging of unnecessary possessions, organizing, etc. I have to say that as each day goes by I am getting more and more used to, and excited about, the idea that I am actually pursuing going to Italy again.  Not going to lie, my first weekend (last weekend) without work made me feel a little out of sorts. I got so used to working 6 days a week that when I had more then one day off, I went a little stir crazy.

I made the most of my time and got a lot of the "to-do's" done.  The recent series at my church has been about money management and last week after the service they had shredders for people to cut their credit cards.  I made the bold move to jump in and shred away. I've been meaning to get rid of them anyways and watching them run through a shredder was somewhat a relieving yet anxiety-driven experience. Feeling inspired by the message, I decided to reduce, reuse, recycle and made a trip to Plato's closet to sell some of my "un-loved" clothes and made a whopping $93+ dollars... cha-ching! ;) Besides hanging out with friends, I spent the rest of the rainy days enjoying my cozy bed and catching up on my blog reading. It was the week from heaven! :) 

Empty hangers from cleaning out my closet... So many!

Four bags of goodies off to Plato's Closet! 

Yesterday I judged auditions for the competition team at the dance studio I grew up dancing at. It's called Turning Pointe and is one of the best studios in the Seattle area for competitive dance. Many of the girls I grew up dancing with have gone on to have dance careers in New York, LA and a few have been on the T.V. series So You Think You Can Dance (Paris Torres, Natalie Reid, and Sarah James, to name a few).  The girls auditioning had the long, lean bodies of a dancer that you see in the movies and could dance like what you see on T.V.  It was amazing to watch and judge such talented dancers, some just barely 12 years old.  

It was so great to see old friends, and the instructors that I used to take dance classes from. With all the hours we spent together dancing at the studio, they always felt more like family rather then friends and it was so, so good to see them again! :) I decided to wear this outfit for the auditions...  my favorite red hot crops with this cute little peplum top! 

xoxox Ashiee B

Peplum top: H&M. Red Crops: Vince Camuto. Sandals: Forever 21 (old). 

Necklace: Nordstrom Rack. Sunnies: Ray Ban "Wayfarer". Watch: Michael Kors (old). 

Lipgloss: Butter London Lippy "Trout Pout"

Listening: "She is love" Parachute 

Feeling: Excited to be getting discovered by more bloggers. Your comments make me so happy and encourage me to keep going! :) Thank youuu!!

Anticipating: The start of my new job and teaching course

InstaStyle

Some days when I couldn't photograph my outfits to blog about, I resorted to Instagram and Diptic. Not a bad way to change things up and double dipping with apps is kind of fun. Still waiting for PicFX to release an app for the Android... or for me to breakdown and switch carriers so I can have an iPhone again. #firstworldproblems ;) Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!


xoxox Ashiee B

Listening: John Mayer "Gravity" on Where the light is: John Mayer live in Los Angeles 

Anticipating: The start of my teaching certification course... Italy here I come! :)

Feeling: Cozy all snuggled up in my bed on a rainy day off of work. Candles lit, music on... I really cant complain right now! 

Time Traveler's Daughter

If you're somewhat close to me in any way, you probably know that my dad has been working diligently over the last two years on a vintage car. Either I have told you, posted about it via Facebook, Instagram etc. or you know me well enough to have met my dad and the car was probably one of the main topics of your conversation.  Two years ago while I was a junior in college, my dad found a 1936 Dodge on Craig's list that was in "immaculate shape" (so he said) and just couldn't pass up.  When he bought the car, I was thoroughly annoyed because I couldn't see its full potential and thought that it was the biggest waste of money! After hundreds of hours of patience and hard work, my dad (along with the help of my mom) has turned this old beater, called "The Adam's family car" by my sister, into a beautiful dream boat! :) I'm so proud of my dad for all of his hard work and now instead of giving him grief for the ol' thing, I'm asking him to take me for rides around the town in it! Someday this will be my wedding get-away car.... someday... ;). It really is a beautiful car. 

Here is my Dad with his car before the restoration process started

I titled this post, Time Traveler's Daughter not only because of the photos of me with my Dad's 1936 vintage car but also because of my vintage inspired outfit. The dress that I am wearing reminds me of something a 1950's housewife would wear.  Its somewhat "Stepford-esque".  Imagine me as a character from the movie "The Stepford Wives" haha... that's kinda silly ;) 

Xoxox Ashiee B

Dress: Boutique in Vancouver, Canada. Shirt: Splendid. Belt: Vintage. Necklaces: Forever 21. 

Shoes: Bata (Italy). Watch: Michael Kors. Sunnies: BP, Nordstrom. 

Feeling: Proud of myself for running in the Beat the Bridge 8k this past weekend without previously training. I need to kick my butt back into shape!

Anticipating: The biggest move of my life (Don't worry, if I haven't told you in person... I will eventually blog about it)

Listening: To my dad talk to our cat, Reggie... "Hey Dude!!" -Dad (spoken in a cartoon voice) haha why do all people interact with animals in an accent??

As always, thanks for following my blog and continuing to give me a reason to write and share my passion with you! I really appreciate it! XOXOX

Lime- you will be my main squeeze

Loving the neon trend and just cant get enough of the color lime! :) I had been eyeballing this pair of lime denim at Nordstrom for a while now. They had recently been marked down so I jumped on them first thing. Paired it with my favorite new Zara piece (beaded peter pan collared white top) that I picked up while I was down in San Francisco. If Zara were to open a location in Seattle... I would be one happy girl!

Just wanted to thank all of those who follow my blog! It really makes my day when I bump into you somewhere and you compliment me on it. Your continued support, positive feedback and encouragement constantly motivates me to keep pursuing this adventure in blogging! :)

Xoxox Ashiee B

Beaded Peter Pan Collar Top: Zara. Neon Lime Denim: Love Fire, Nordstrom. 

Beaded Bow Sandals: Naughty Monkey, Nordstrom. Sunnies: Ray Ban "Wayfarer". 

Watch: Michael Kors. Lips: MAC Viva Glam- Nicki Minaj

Listening: "I feel it all" Feist

Feeling: Rested after 11 hrs of sleep... Guess I needed it!

Loving: Sunny day after sunny day in Seattle. Love, love, love! :)

Savory "Sundaes": Italian food, family, and a concert- oh my!

I have decided recently that Sundays are my favorite days. I like them more and more because it is usually a day that I have off and so do my friends and family. This past Sunday I went to Ballard with my parents for the Sunday farmers market.  There is a new gelato shop in Ballard that is really authentic so of course I coerced my parents into taking me there! ;) I got two of my favorite flavors I discovered while living in Italy, Melone which of course is melon and Riso Naturale which is a natural rice that is somewhat sweet and savory at the same time. It was delicious! We didnt stop there... We rounded out our Sunday with dinner at Piccolino's (my favorite Italian restaurant in Seattle)! My parents and I split homemade lobster ravioli and margharita pizza (both just to die for) all while sipping a reserve bottle of Italian wine. Buon Appetito! ;)

Dress: H&M. Pink Blazer: Thrifted. Sandals: Handmade in Capri, Italy. 

Necklaces: Chunky chains- Nordstrom Rack. "ooh la la"- Kate Spade. Watch: Michael Kors. 

Bangles: Various brands. Sunnies: Ray Ban "Wayfarer"

After dinner, I made my way over to my friend Dana's house in Queen Anne. From there her and I went to see James Morrison live in concert (and no, I'm not confused with Jim Morrison).  We both love his music and had been so excited to see him perform.  I had a feeling that he would be good in concert but he totally knocked my socks off! He was AMAZING! I think it was one of the best concerts that I had seen in a while.  In addition to having an outstanding voice, he is from Australia so he had a really cute accent and had larger than life stage presence. He didnt stop joking around all night and had the crowd singing, laughing and dancing until the bitter end.  I would definitely see him again the next time he comes into town!

Sorry I've been lazy about my blogging lately. I think I might just blame it on this totally un-motivating rain that we've had in Seattle... Bring on the sun!

Xoxox Ashiee B

Listening: James Morrison "You give me something"

Loving: My week filled with time with my friends :)

Anticipating: My friend Schoon's going away party and the bridal accessory photo shoot I'm in on Sunday :)

Savory Sundays: Sunny Spring Staple- White Denim

I worked this past Sunday for the first time in a while.  Although we had some beautiful weather that I would have loved to go spend some time in, I really didn't mind going in to the store.  I love working Sundays at Nordstrom because they are relatively busy and the shifts tend to be a little shorter since the store isn't open as long.

I wore this fun floral top with my white Paige denim.  I would say that white denim is a must-have for any girl in the spring and summer months.  The benefits of white is that it matches with virtually everything. I wear mine nearly every week. I know you're probably thinking "Doesn't white get dirty really easily?" (what could you be doing to get them so dirty?) or "I don't want my legs to look like little sausages!" (my personal favorites of the silly things my customers say) but as long as you're not wearing them to the airport (I made this mistake- it's a dirty place) and purchase a pair that fit you well- they are so flattering! Here are some links to my favorites available right now...

J Brand- Great Skinny. Made from Tencel and are super soft and comfortable.  Given 5 stars on the Nordstrom website. Read the reviews if you're not convinced.

Paige Premium Denim- Great ankle peg. Fit true to Paige sizing (size down from typical denim size e.g. if you're a 27, I'd recommend a 26. They stretch!) This is the pair that I'm wearing below.

Citizen of Humanity- White Crop.  These fit like a dream and are very comfortable. The perfect white crop! 5 stars on the Nordstrom website.

Hudson- Baby boot cut. This pair of white is considered to be a "baby" boot.  Its something between a straight leg and a boot cut. Very flattering and has a great fit. ( Remember that Hudson stretches the most of premium denim, so sizing down is wise as well) 5 stars on the Nordstrom website.

The white denim listed above are just some of my favorites and are the brands and styles that I would consider myself to be an expert on. Although these tend to be a typical price for premium denim, you can find white at every price point.  I own three pairs of white denim. One from JC Penny because it was written in Glamour Magazine last year as the best white denim for the price ($14!!), one from Forever 21 because they have a nice stretch and were also very well priced and then my Paige pair, because I am addicted to Paige and received it as a gratis at Nordstrom.

White Denim: Paige Premium Denim "Optic White". Floral Blouse: BP, Nordstrom. Sandals: Forever 21. Necklace: J Crew. Watch: Michael Kors. Bangles: Various brands. Sunnies: Ray Ban "Wayfarer". Handbag: Marc by Marc Jacobs. Lips: Butter London Lippy "Trout Pout"

Hope you all can use this tip on white denim and are inspired to go get a pair yourself!  I promise you wont regret it.  One of my favorite things in my closet for Spring! :)

Xoxox Ashiee B

Feeling: Motivated after my product knowledge meeting at Nordstrom this morning with Personal Stylists in the Seattle area 

Listening: "In your Atmosphere (Acoustic) (live)" John Mayer