Year in Review

Wow! 2014 has flown by, and boy has it been beautiful! I cannot even begin to describe how blessed I feel to have had these past 12 months. In 2014 I traveled to four different states, made the dearest of friends, was lucky enough to be interviewed for The New York Times, collaborated with talented designers to make my sketches come to life and I managed to grow out my hair- ha! I am SO very thankful for my family and the Lord in my life. And of course, I am thankful for all of you! Thank you for all of your support this year- you Belles make blogging a joy, and I cannot wait to create new content for you in (can you believe it?) 2015!! Happy New Year, Woodland Adventurers!

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Late Bloomer

Merry Christmas, Folks! You know, there's a strange sort of irony in posting pictures with Autumn colored trees on Christmas eve- ha! Around here, the trees turn in December instead of in the Fall- they're sort of "late bloomers."

I've been waiting for just the right occasion to style this red plaid dress from We the Living Vintage. Christmas seemed liked the perfect excuse! There's something so classic about a plaid 1960s dress for the holidays. Ashley was a joy to work with- she has such a talent for finding great pieces to stock in her Etsy shop!

I was super happy to find this watch at the thrift store. I've been searching high and low for a cute, thin banded watch with a small face. It seems that large, bulky watches are all the rage right now, and they just dwarf my wrists! Plus they are all ridiculously expensive, so $6 bucks was definitely a price worth paying! However, in usual Alex style, I forgot to check if it worked before I purchased it. I'll need to pick up a battery for it to find out- fingers crossed.

One more thing! I filmed a new holiday makeup tutorial- be sure and stop by my YouTube channel to check it out! You can click here to view it.

Dress: c/o We the Living Vintage

Tights: old

Necklace: gift

Shoes, coat & watch: thrifted

Hat: Forever 21 simular

Winter Layers

There's nothing more fun than layering in the colder months! I love being able to pair several different accessories together to create a cute, cozy outfit. I have a lot of freedom in what I can wear around here as well because it never gets all too cold in So Cal... I can sport a dress pretty much anytime of the year.

This adorable silk/cotton blend dress from Bastet Noir was the perfect match for a chilly, Winter day. There is something about 3/4 sleeve dresses that get me so excited- you don't need to wear a sweater, and they have such an elegant look to them. I love the muted colors in this frock as well- it's perfect to pair with bold, dark lips and a pop of color, like this royal blue scarf.

 

Dress: c/o Bastet Noir

Jacket: Forever 21

Scarf: gift

Tights:old

Shoes: ModCloth

Necklace: A Pocket of Whimsy

Winter Celebrations

This week my very special friend, Kirsten and I had a joint birthday party to celebrate our 18th. We are only days apart and thought it would be fun to mix things up, and throw a party together! We decided to hold a barn dance complete with contra, swing and line dancing with all of our dearest friends. I thought I would share a few photos from the evening- I managed to snap some quick detail shots of the decor before the party started. Must say- giving up my camera after that to my sister and mother was hard- I get so used to always being the one behind the lens!

In my opinion, no party is complete without a candy bar! Kirsten made bunches of delicious pink cupcakes and we filled some vintage apothecary jars with other sweet goodies. I knew I wanted to have some cute treat bags- I found these mint striped beauties from Kik Chic, as well as an abundance of matching paper straws for the apple cider :) Kik Chic is offering Into the Woods readers free shipping on all orders until December 31st using the code, "Welcome" 

Overall, it was an amazing night! I feel so blessed to have so many incredible friends, and could not imagine a better way to celebrate this time of life <3

Painted Blue Roses

Top of the mornin' to you all! I hope you girls are enjoying your pre-thanksgiving day :) Any of you have special plans for tomorrow?

It's was nice to create an outfit with a 1950s style dress- I love incorporating vintage as much as a possibly can, and today seemed like a good day to break out a retro inspired frock. This lovely dress is from Little Miss Baby Blue. One of the greatest things about this dress is that I was able to work alongside shop owner, Hannah, to customize the dresses length (major plus)! 

Dress: Little Miss Baby Blue

Shoes: Walmart

Necklace: vintage

Tights: old

Belt: Wet Seal

Embracing Simplicity

Well, undeniably, this would count as one of my more simple ensembles. With the hustle and bustle of my life right now, I am finding myself having to opt for outfits more on the simple side at times. Even if I'm dressing for a casual occasion, I feel like little nods to my love for vintage are in order- in this case, polka dots. However, I am very much looking forward to putting on a dress for next week's post ;) I do apologize for not posting last Wednesday! This has been one of the busiest weeks I've had in a super long time- my photography business is taking off lately, and balancing life as a student, photographer, blogger, and working my other job has been crazy and lovely all at the same time. 

I love this top from YSTEER because it's simple, but still dressy. Plus it's super comfortable, so you can't beat that! I would imagine this top being pretty nice in the Summer as well.

I made a little mistake two weeks back- so sorry, Dollies! The coupon code for Joules Jewels hadn't been activated yet, so if anyone tried to use that, you can blame it on me! The code is active now, so don't forget to take a look at the shop and use this lovely code "IN2WOODS" for 15% off when you spend $30 or more. 

Top: c/o YSTEER

Pants: ModCloth

Shoes: Ballet Bird

Jewelry: vintage simular

Purse: Dress V