Saturday, December 30, 2017

2017 Outfit Round-Up!

I can scarcely believe 2017 is coming to a close. I know this year was difficult for many of us, and I wish I could say with certainty that this next year will be better. The truth is that I don't know that it will be. But I'm going to do everything I can to try to make the best of things and bring joy to those I love in the new year.

It was a challenge to keep up with my blogging over the last 12 months, but it's also been a wonderful respite and creative outlet (as always). To that end, I'm looking back on 2017 and sharing some of my favorite highlights in outfit form.

blogging outfit round-up
January   ||   February   ||   March

retro style blog
April   ||   May   ||   June

vintage blogger
July   ||   August   ||   September

trashy diva pinup girl
October   ||   November   ||   December

Did you have a favorite post from this past year? A definite highlight was my trip to NOLA with Ashley, but I also loved going on weekend outings with my mom, spending time with my work besties, and getting to experience lake house life with my boyfriend's family. Despite how difficult this year was, there were some great moments too. I'm still making my resolutions, but I'd love to hear about yours. And if you're interested in seeing my outfit roundups from previous years, click here!

Have a safe and healthy New Year's Eve! Hope to see you here in 2018!

Friday, December 30, 2016

2016 Outfit Round-up + New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year's Eve-Eve! I can scarcely believe that this year has come to a close. In many ways, this year has been incredibly difficult. But in other ways, it's been a really pivotal one that involved a lot of personal growth. I traditionally like to take a look back at the last 12 months with a little year-end outfit round-up. I enjoyed a lot of my outfit posts this year, but these were some of my all-time favorites. Which one did you like best?

outfit round up
January     ||     February     ||     March

Winter... brought a couple of fun shows and the ability to start trusting, letting go, and taking things as they come. For the first time, I felt okay with just allowing things to pan out. Although a lot of aspects of my life were in limbo, I think that's always been an important step in finding my way.

outfit round up 2016
April     ||     May     ||     June

Spring... brought a few adventures and a really fun role in a really fun show. But I also started to feel overwhelmed with anxiety around this time. The pressure to find a new job and move out was mounting, and the physical demands of the show I was in resulted in a couple of injuries. I knew I needed to make some major changes but all I wanted to do was hide under the covers. And yet, when everything seemed to be falling apart, I got off my butt and made some things happen. I feel proud of myself for that.

year end round up
July     ||     August     ||     September

Summer... was hard. I went through an unofficial breakup of sorts. My best friend was hours away in Boston awaiting a kidney transplant, and the person I spent most of my free time with wasn't talking to me anymore. I suddenly felt very lonely and tried to stay busy as a result. I started working at a job I hated, but it did allow me to find a lovely apartment. I lost ten pounds, but only because I was sad and depressed and needed to do something physical to relieve my anxiety. Basically, it was a season of growing pains. In retrospect, I know I am much better and stronger for having gone through them.

pinup outfit round up
October     ||     November     ||     December

Autumn... was when I finally found my footing. I was hired as a content writer (a dream job I never knew I wanted!) at the end of August, and I started feeling more confident about where my life was heading. That same month, I reconnected with the guy I'm dating now, and we made our relationship *~*official*~* by fall. Things are a lot different now, for the most part. My priorities may have changed a lot in the last few years, but for the first time, my perspective has changed, too. I don't look at those shifts with regret. I may be stressed and drained of energy, but I'm not wishing for other sources of fulfillment. I still love performing, but I'm not currently yearning for much more than I have. And although I always want to keep learning and evolving, I feel pretty content with the way my life is right now.

That being said, I still have a few resolutions for the new year. 
  • For the first time ever, I have a health insurance plan through my place of employment – which means I can afford a gym membership! This year, I want to make my health a priority and make regular exercise a part of my routine. It's a definitely necessity for me right now both physically and emotionally.

  • I'm planning on going back on Weight Watchers as well. This isn't because I have a certain weight loss goal in mind, but because I generally feel a lot better when I eat healthy foods. Plus, there are a lot of clothes I'm not wearing because they don't fit or I don't feel confident due to how I look in them. That's really the main thing I want to accomplish here: to feel great about the way I look.

  • I want to keep my place a lot cleaner and stay on top of household duties. When I get lazy, I end up feeling a lot more anxious due to the mess. I want to feel refreshed and relaxed when I walk into a room rather than overwhelmed.

  • Other things I'd like to do: learn how to sew, take a trip with Ashley, improve my photography, do some more writing on the side, be in a show I've been dying to do, go away for a weekend, read at least six books, and as always, remember to be grateful and to find the joy.

Did you make any resolutions this year? What about your NYE plans? I'm not sure how I'll be spending my New Year's Eve yet, but I'm hoping for something cozy. I may love getting dolled up, but I'd much rather snuggle up with my honey than guzzle champagne. Whatever you do tonight, I hope you have fun – and have a safe and happy 2017!

Monday, December 30, 2013

2013: a wrap up & send off

I can scarcely believe that 2013 is drawing to a close.  As many of you know, this year has been a pretty difficult one for me; not only am I still struggling to find my place in the world and some semblance of independence, but the break up of my nearly-3-year relationship really pulled the rug out from under me, and I'm still reeling from that a bit.  But this year has had some really great things, too.  I've been forced to re-evaluate my priorities (something with which I am still grappling), and find what truly makes me happy.  I have caring, loving, hilarious, creative people in my life.  I have taken stock of what I have (and what I haven't....... name that musical), and I know I am a very fortunate girl.  I have dealt with immense heartbreak, but I have been surprisingly resilient.  I am still able to find so much joy.  This blog is one of the things in my life that continues to bring me joy.  Although I have not been blogging for quite one year yet (that'll happen in February!), I still wanted to give a look back at some of my favorite outfit posts from 2013 (try not to cringe too much at the early photos!):


During the early stages of my blog, I was just starting to figure out my camera.  In February, I started my blog and wore the prettiest pink feather dress.  In March, I started workshopping a staged reading and wore a cat-themed newspaper print dress.  In April, I saw a lot of Shakespeare and wore a dress with the dreamiest collar in all of creation.

                                  February                            March                               April 

This summer was strewn with flowers, it seems.  In May, I wore a lilac dress to the Lilac Festival.  In June, I dressed up like a rose and reaffirmed my unapologetically-girly aesthetic.  In July, I frolicked amongst purple thistles in lavender garb.

                                     May                                 June                                   July

In August, I crammed in lots of summery things, started rehearsals for a show I loved, and vowed to wear more vintage.  In September, I endured tremendous heartbreak, but still managed to find some joy.  In October, I celebrated my birthday and Halloween, rehearsed for two shows at once and wore some of my favorite outfits to date.

                                 August                             September                           October

In November, I wore a Betsey Johnson bag, played a witch 24/7 in children's theatre shows and finally started feeling like myself again.  In December, I braved the snow and had lots of family time.

                                            November                                            December

I feel like I really hit my stride with my blogging this fall (ironically enough, since everything else in my life sort of fell apart), especially when I was asked to be a part of Flock Together.  In spite of what I went through, I did enjoy many aspects of 2013.  Nevertheless, I am glad to see it go, and I welcome whatever comes my way in 2014.  :) 

Have a wonderful Monday!
xox Sammi
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