2015 outfit round-up

Happy 2016! In lieu of a Friday Favorites post, I'm taking a look back at the last 12 months in outfits. It was definitely hard to choose just 12 (I had to leave out some of my favorites, like my Halloween posts), but I thought this was a good representation of how my style has evolved since the start of my blog. Click the links underneath to be taken to each chosen post. Did you have a favorite post from this year (maybe one I didn't pick)?

January   ||   February   ||   March

April   ||   May   ||   June

July   ||   August   ||   September

October   ||   November   ||   December

I was lucky enough to have some great opportunities basically fall into my lap this year. I filmed my first commercial, was featured in a Buzzfeed article, collaborated with some amazing companies, visited friends, went to California, did a lot of fruit-picking, performed a lot, started seeing someone, saw some great movies, and tried to challenge myself to try new things (even when they're a little bit scary). I'm going to carry that last bit into 2016 – as Amy Poehler said, "great people do things before they're ready," and that's the only way I'll continue to grow. In terms of my blog, I want to continue to improve my photography and have more of a variety in my posts... what would you like to see more of here in 2016?

Have a great start to your year & weekend!

Resolutions & Wrap-Ups

Happy New Year!  I normally feature a blogger Q&A interview post on the first of the month, but since today marks the beginning of a brand new year, I wanted to share some of my 2015 resolutions with you.  I've found that it really helps me to write down my goals by hand and then display them; I know some people have enough will-power to keep them in mind all the time, but I need a good visual component.  And speaking of visuals... I know I recently did a seasonal round-up of outfits from this past autumn, but I wanted to include a small sampling of my favorite outfits from the last 365 days -- just to remind myself that although this was a tough year, it was filled with a lot of great ensembles!

I came up with a goal chart earlier in the year, at a time when I was feeling very lost and in limbo.  I found it helpful to divide my goals into different categories, so I decided to continue with that for my resolutions list.  For instance, my health goals include sticking to my Weight Watchers tracking, implementing more exercise into my day, a specific weight loss goal, and to focus my attention on my skincare routine.  My financial goals are to limit and keep better track of my spending, and my career resolutions include finishing my professional website, finding a new (or second) day job, and putting definitive plans in motion to move.  My blogging resolutions are to continue to expand my readership, improve my photography and establish sponsorship with brands.  I also wanted to make sure to include some other resolutions that are focused on my well-being, like getting a car of my own, seeing friends more often, getting a massage, reading more, and making an effort to keep a clean and organized personal space for myself.

There are times when coming up with resolutions makes me focus too much on what I didn't achieve during the previous year.  Because I don't want to discount all of the good things that happened in 2014, I made a little list of what I achieved from my other goal chart.  These accomplishments included getting my driver's license, being cast in some new and exciting projects, surpassing my blog readership goals, and taking some much-needed time to focus on myself.

But my last (and favorite) resolution is to keep dressing in ways that make me happy!  It was hard to pick just one outfit per month from 2014, but here are my favorite 12 outfits from the past year -- all of which brought me a lot of joy:

January  //  February  //  March  //  April  //  May  //  June

July  //  August  //  September  //  October  //  November  //  December 

Thank you all for spending 2014 with me (and sticking with me through these past 12 months)! Although it's been a bit of a tough year, it's been a very valuable one, too.  I'm eager to see what the next 12 months will bring.

So tell me: if you make resolutions, what are some of your goals for 2015?

Have a great start to your year!

xox Sammi

Auld Lang Syne

Outfit Details:

Black velvet dress: Urban Outfitters

Lady in Rad Boot in Ink: Modcloth

Belt: Forever 21 (similar here & here)

Sheer black tights: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

Fleur Any Occasion Headband: ModCloth (similar here)

Clock necklace: Forever 21 (similar here)

This is what I actually ended up wearing last night, though I really didn't do much!  We ate dinner super late (my dad had an early gig, which is odd for New Year's Eve), and it was generally very low-key.  I truly am a homebody at heart though, so I honestly didn't really mind staying home.  Plus, it was absolutely freezing outside (it was around 15 degrees yesterday, and it supposed to be a whopping 9 degrees tomorrow!), so staying bundled up seemed like the preferable option.

It was so cold, in fact, that I felt like my hands were going to fall off while taking these photos!  Winter lasts for so long here, and I am so incredibly impatient.  My room looks presentable enough for some passable photos there, if I'm in a pinch, but the lighting is so much better outside.  Which reminds me, I need to start experimenting with my new camera... it's totally weird that I'm avoiding it.  I've wanted a DSLR for so long, and yet I'm scared of change!  I'm a silly creature.

I have the next two days off, which is nice (and I'm supposed to see my friend Julia on Thursday, which will be great)... but I'm getting my wisdom teeth out on Friday.  I'm very nervous about it.  Like a lot of things, I put it off for a looong time, and now it's here.  I've never really had any procedures or surgeries in my life, and I don't know what to expect.  I've never been put under anesthesia, either.  I'm also worried about my TMJ acting up as a result, and pretty much every other worrisome scenario one could think of (and believe me, I have).  I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'll definitely look like a chipmunk for a few days (I already have a round face, so I can't even imagine what I'll look like), and I've pretty much been warned that at least the one bottom tooth is going to be kind of painful.  Woohoo.  Anyway, I'm trying to get some posts scheduled in advance so that I don't have to worry about it while I'm recovering.  Those who have had their wisdom teeth taken out: any advice for me??  :-x

I'm thinking of maybe trying something where I pinpoint little joys of my day, or what I'm looking forward to, in my posts.  A main goal for me in 2014 is to always find the joy, so maybe this would be a good way to do that.  A big one for this morning would be... not having to set an alarm!  :)

Have a wonderful first day of 2014!!

xox Sammi