Ark Clothing Giveaway!

Hello lovely readers,

Today I have a little treat for you all. Recently at work I had noticed some really cute pieces coming in from Ark clothing. This is why I was so excited when I was contacted by them to host a giveaway for all you guys!

This giveaway is for a 20 pound (roughly 33 USD) voucher to their store!

The rules are pretty simple:

• Visit their store by clicking here. 
• Pick out our favorite item
• Leave a comment on the blog telling me which item that is 
• Once completed enter the contest via the widget below
• You can then have additional enters by following them on Facebook and Twitter or for following my blog via Google Friend Connect. 

I will start it off by giving a quick example. 

After browsing the site I feel in love with this plaid pinafore! And then I fell in love with this black velvet one! Eek, I kind of need them both (seriously). Then you click on the widget below to enter! 

Email me if you have any questions. The contest ends next week on March 3, 2014. Good luck everyone!k.co.u

ark.co.ukk

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winter Peplum

Jacket: Thrifted

Blouse: Free People

Skirt: Forever 21

Boots: J Shoes

Necklace: Flea Market (LA) 

How adorable is this peplum top? There is something so cozy and romantic about it, I am totally in love. At my work we get in a lot of Free People clothing in. However, it was only recently that I started to fall in love with their product. I had thought previously that their clothing was a tad too bohemian for my personal style, but now that opinion has completely changed. There was a really nice black, long tunic that came in last week. I tried it on and fell in love, especially with a price of 10 dollars. I do not often go in Free People clothing stores, but I am aware of the hefty price tag all their clothes wear.

It seems that since this top came in I cannot stop myself from finding cute Free People pieces all over my work. It has been amazing, this top is actually the third item I bought of their brand in the past two weeks. Granted there is still a lot of clothing of theirs I do not think I could effectively pull off, but I am really starting to crush on them. I wonder how often they have sales at their store? Got to stay on budget here!

Nothing like some Ganesha necklace power to give me wisdom throughout the day. Plus it is also a key charm, seriously, best necklace ever. 

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's day, I had the best workout that morning. Made the whole day better. The boy and I went out to dinner, then to ice cream, and lastly, came home and did a puzzle. It was totally nerdy and lovely. Do anything exciting on your Valentine's day?

Less than a month till Spring people!
Have a good one,

NYFW Favorites

Hi everyone,

As most of you probably know, last week was New York Fashion week. Fashion week is such an exciting time for all fashionistas and I hope one day I will actually be able to attend. However until then, I will post some of my favorite collections from this past week!

1. Wild Fox

(all images belong to WGSN)

This ready to wear line was Wild Fox's first line to be show at NYFW. As you can see from the pictures above the style is very romantic with a little bit of edge to it. I absolutely love it! Being able to wear such simple and sweet colors while still looking like an effortless bad ass is a major plus in my books. Plus all the UK graphics are really lovely, definitely want that Mrs. Darcy shirt! 

Check out Wild Fox here

2. Noir

(all images belong to WGSN)

In a stark contrast to the previous line, the Noir men's line is pure monochrome darkness. I fell in love with this particular collection because it is something I wish I could pull off. To be able to wear all black without looking completely gothic is quite a feat. Instead these men look like killer vampires from another century and on a whole new level of cool. I also would like to own all the coats shown above, simply stunning. 

Check out Noir here

3. Alice + Olivia

(all images belong to WGSN)

Okay, how amazing is this collection? What really pulled me in was all the amazing ethnic patterns. I love all the jacquard printing and especially love the colors. Typically I find myself falling for the deep navy blues, black, ox blood, and grey. This line truly delivers on that color scale, it even makes me excited for next autumn just looking at them! 

Check out Alice + Olivia here

Have you been following fashion week as well, if so, what are some of your favorite collections? Or have you ever been to NYFW? I would love to hear about it. 

Lavender

Hat: Forever 21

Cardigan: Thrifted

Blouse: Forever 21

Necklace: Forever 21

Belt: Thrifted

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: H&M

Socks: H&M

Boots: J Shoes (thrifted)

Didn't realize how much Forever 21 I was wearing here, weird since I can not even remember the last time I was in that store. Maybe their clothes last longer than we all thought? 

An idea was brought to my attention today. I was having a conversation with my boyfriend during lunch and I was casually saying how I am not very creative. He was about to say something, but then changed his words at the list minute and asked why I thought that. I told him that I am just not that innovative, that is a struggle for me to think of something completely original. Then he got serious and said, "Well, I think that is what school does to a lot people. Tells them to think one way and then once your brain learns that method of thinking it is hard to change it." This caused me to stare out the window and ponder what he had said for a few minutes. 

Could it be true? What a frightening idea, it almost seems like he was suggesting a form of brainwash. However the longer I sat there, staring out the window at nothing in particular, the more it seemed plausible to me. School is rather controlling, at least public school (from my past experience). However, I realized this could not be true, because it was not like we were being taught by the same teacher for all our classes. Students switch from class to class and get taught from different minds with different ideas and beliefs everyday. Before voicing my new found data that his theory could not be true, another thought struck me. 

In elementary school I was taught by one teacher for the whole year. Perhaps not having enough opinions at a young age has actually affected me, my creativity. I agreed with him. "How do we fix our minds then?", I asked. He looked me in the eye and said "You have to be weird". At which point we both laughed and moved on to another topic. 

Perhaps weird is a harsh word, so let's go with quirky. Quirky people, the ones who know random facts, who read books all day for fun, or who have amazing skills that one could never guess, these are the people I am envious of. They do what they want and even though they may be labeled weird by mainstream society, they don't care. They can create and do what they please, it must be so freeing. I wonder what it is like to not be held back by what we have been taught is correct or appropriate. 

The point is, I am scared that I will not be able to fix this. That is too late for me, but that is silly right? Surely creativity is something you can work on and get better at, surely you can stop caring about what other people think and do what you want. I do not like the idea of being stuck in this state of an average mind so therefore I have to try to make it better. Perhaps drawing? Listening to new music? Sewing? All I know is I want to get started immediately, before my worst fears come true, and it is too late for me. 

Side note: One of my lovely readers mentioned a TED video to watch on the subject of education and creativity, which was just brilliant. Click Here to watch that video. This then led me to other videos and I think you should also watch This one if you are interested on this subject as well! 

School

Bone Clip: Etsy

Coat: Michael Kors

Backpack: Fjällräven
Sweater: Uptown Cheapskate
Dress: Dear Creatures
Tights: H&M
Oxfords: DSW

Hi everyone. Today I want to show you a typical school outfit. Which consists of tights,  a dress, and my little Fjällräven backpack. I always try to make the outfit a little more casual by accompanying a dress with flats/boots instead of heels and layering sweaters often. I know it may still seem a bit dressed up, but I like to look put together at school. It also doesn't hurt that dressing nice gives the professors a more professional opinion. 

I typically end up switching around what bag I take my books in, but as of right now, this one is my favorite. It reminds me of the warm Spring I spent in Stockholm. Practically every person I saw had one of these backpacks and I couldn't resist getting one for myself. Along with a beautiful pair of Acne high waisted jeans, which I really should wear more often. 

The days are getting longer and I can tell that people are anxious for Spring. Somehow the Winter has not really bothered me yet. Layering clothes is one my favorite styles so I am just trying to make the best of the freezing weather we have been having as of late. I do not think I am ready for the simplicity of Summer outfits or the humidity of Summer weather. That being said, taking pictures outside without having to thaw out my hands after would be a nice thing too. Basically just trying to go with the flow and enjoy life for how it is. Something I find myself too often not doing. As they say,I need to live in the moment.