Dreaming of Spring + Blog Event (#BramblewoodThrifted)

Hello everyone! I don't know about you, but I'm kinda over the winter weather and fashion. I want warm spring weather to arrive so I can wear cute dresses and flats! It would also be nice to wear all of my cute spring jackets too.

Since I have the winter blues, I thought we should do a blog event to help make the winter seem a little shorter. How does that sound?

• When: March 11th-13th, 2016.
• Where: Hosted on Bramblewood Fashion
• Who: Anyone who has a social media account (public) or blog.
• What: Each day of the event everyone is going to be encouraged to share their outfit's of the day. The challenge for this event is going to be that most of your outfit (not the entire outfit) has to be from the thrift store or consignment shop (thredUP counts too).
• How: Post pictures on your blog or social media account and link-up here on the blog and include the following hashtag on your social media post(s): #BramblewoodThrifted
• Bonus Points: Monday the 14th is going to be a bonus day with an extra challenge. Share a vintage inspired outfit using thrifted pieces.

Leave a comment with your RSVP, so I have an idea of how many people will be attending. Also, feel free to share about the upcoming event with your friends and on social media!

What I Did This Weekend

It isn't often that I have the entire weekend off, so I made my time off count. Especially since I didn't have to spend my spare time working on behind-the-scenes blog stuff anymore (which is what I did the entire month of January).

On Saturday morning I went shopping with my Mum to Goodwill's 50% off sale and to several grocery stores. We made out like bandits at Goodwill. I found several Madewell & JCrew tee shirts, an oversized cream jumper (this has long been on my dream fashion wish-list), several cardigans and jumpers from my favorite brands (BB Dakota, JCrew, Banana Republic, Gap), American Eagle flare jeans (they look brand new), and a Bufflo plaid like jacket from a boutique brand. I got everything for 60% off because I have their Goodwill card, which helps you save money when you spend over $20 on their 50% off days. #score

That evening I finally got around to watching the film, Unbroken (2014) with my sister, Gaby. I really enjoyed the film and can't wait to read the book someday -- as I heard it is fantastic and better than the film!

On Sunday I wore two of my new finds from Goodwill: one of my new Madewell tees & the plaid jacket.

What I Wore

• Plaid Jacket -- May & July (thrifted)
• Grey Tee -- Madewell (thrifted)
• Pencil Skirt -- JCrew (consignment shop)
• Riding Boots -- Target
• Leggings -- Old Navy
• Pearl Necklace -- Caroline Hill (c/o)
• Tote Bag -- Nordstrom (gift)

I loved the top half of my outfit so much, I wore it after church too when I went out shopping with my sister, Gaby. I just switched a few things out for a more casual, yet dressy look.

• Jeans -- Lands End Canvas (thrifted)
• Combat Boots -- J.C.Penny (gift)
• Necklace -- Kendra Scott

Btw, do y'all have tips for making your jeans look cute while tucked into your combat boots? 'Cause mine always look sloppy and puffy -- mostly because I have skinny ankles so my jeans are never "tighter" around my ankles.

We went shopping at Forever 21 to find my bridesmaid dress for a friends wedding this May [found it!]. Stopped at Trader Joes & Fresh Thyme to picked up nuts, fruit, and supplies for dinner that night for the two of us (chicken Italian sausage with homemade marinara sauce and zucchini noodles). Then we headed over to our fancy mall to stop at Altered State, Sephora, and Urban Outfitters. Once we were done shopping, we headed back home to cook dinner and play taboo with our youngest sister before the Super Bowl game started.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend! Minus me having an allergic reaction to summer sausage -- making my lower lip swell to twice its size. #freeky

What did y'all do this weekend?

#HowToGoRed | National Wear Red Day

Hello everyone! Today is National Wear Red Day in support of women's heart health. I was asked by the American Heart Association online shop, ShopHeart.org to share my outfit ideas for their collection of Limited Edition Go Red for Women tees that came out in support of women's heart health.

Stars from the upcoming movie, How to Be Single (2016) hand selected the tees for the collection. These leading ladies are: Leslie Mann, Dakota Johnson, and Alison Brie. Every purchase of one these exclusive tees benefits the Go Red For Women cause.

I have two outfit ideas that would work with any of the tees from the Limited Edition Go Red for Women collection. Though honestly, there are so many ways you could wear these shirts as they are great basic designs that lend themselves to various looks and styles.

#HowToGoRed | 1 by bramblewoodfashion

Classy, yet trendy. This outfit is perfect for the office [just throw on a blazer], or brunch on the weekends. If it is colder where you live, just throw on some tights or leggings so your legs don't freeze.

#HowToGoRed | 2 by bramblewoodfashion

For the preppy girl, this look may be more your speed with the riding boots, jeans, and vest look. You could totally add a statement necklace to this look, or even switch out the riding boots for either flats or heels.

 How would you style one of these tees? Let me know in the comments, as I would love to hear your suggestions!

What's In My Bag? | Winter 2016

Hello everyone! I'm going to be sharing what's in my bag currently since it has been awhile since I've done one of these [perhaps a year, or so]. The bag I'm currently using was a Christmas gift this past year from my parents, and it is the Street Level Faux Leather Pocket Tote from Nordstrom [$48]. It is an excellent dupe for the Madewell Transport Tote [which has been one of my dream higher-end bags for several years].

Inspiring Photos | Fashion & Beauty Edition #1

I find that during the winter months photos inspire me greatly, and help chase away those winter blues of not knowing what to wear or how to do my makeup. 

What can I say? I thrive more during the warmer months. Colder weather just drains the inspiration from me on how to style just about anything. I find myself copying pictures from Instagram, Pinterest, or even my sisters [mostly Gaby]. 

Here are some photos that are inspiring me right now.  

image source

I actually have pieces in my wardrobe that are similar to this. 

Recent Holiday YouTube Videos + Tee Blox Giveaway

Hello everyone! Recently I've been trying to get back into making YouTube videos, since I've kinda dropped off the face of YouTube for awhile and only pop-in every other month or more with one video. Yikes!

Anyhow, I've filmed a holiday makeup look featuring a burgundy & rose gold eye look [kinda my go-to look right now, though I'm kinda testing out some new drugstore products right now] and I did a Christmas OOTD collab video with a long-time YouTuber friend of mine, Yelena -- so fun!

K Couture | Review + Photoshoot

Hello everyone! I've been meaning to do this blog post for awhile, but life has been crazy busy. I was contacted to do a review of K Couture's Design a Dress tool back near the end of September -- I said yes, especially since I hoped that the dress would be the perfect colour for a wedding I'm going to be in next May.

The dress arrived November 6th which was kinda the start of my busy season, hence I remember the day my dress arrived in the mail clearly even if I didn't get to try on the dress until a week or more later.

Rachel Greene Inspired OOTD

Season 6 Episode 5 "The One with Joey's Porsche"

I was doing my daily watching of an FRIENDS episode or two before bed, when I noticed that Rachel was wearing an outfit that I could easily recreate. Turns out the next day I had a free afternoon to be able to wear a non-all black outfit so I took that opportunity to recreate my Rachel outfit.

Christmas is Coming... | OOTD

Hello everyone! The Christmas season is quickly approaching and for our family it is even more so. Why? Our family is celebrating Christmas next Friday since most of them are going to be in Florida for two weeks [including for Christmas] -- which means that me and Hanne will be staying in Indiana since we both will be busy working.

So in preparation of Christmas, our family went out on Monday evening to our favorite local Lowes to pick up our Christmas tree. Which was great fun, especially since us three older gals [myself, Gaby, and Hanne] bought some new ornaments for our tree. I'll have to share a picture sometime with y'all, as they are gorgeous.

Thanksgiving Weekend | Holiday Outfit Ideas

Sooo....it has been forever since I've done one of those holiday outfit ideas posts. My Thanksgiving isn't going to be very relaxing considering I work in retail, as I will be working Thanksgiving evening and all Black Friday weekend [morning to evening]. No Black Friday shopping for me, unless I can do some online shopping before and after shifts [or get my family to shop for me]. Anyhow...onto some outfit ideas for the upcoming weekend.

Thanksgiving Outfits by bramblewoodfashion

Editorial Fashion Shoot | UncommonGoods

We were given the wonderful opportunity of being able to work with the company UncommonGoods, a website that features and sells various items from independent designers, last month. They sent us two pieces to be featured in an editorial fashion shoot & review: Gaby decided that the theme for the shoot is: Alexa Chung + J.Crew inspired. I was very happy with that direction, as those are two major fashion inspirations for both of us.

With the holidays coming up you might want to check out UncommonGoods for gift ideas. Check out this page for gift ideas geared towards women. Why shop at UncommonGoods? They are a privately-owned retailer that endeavors to feature unique and handcrafted gifts, and half of the products featured on their site are made by hand and are created right here in the USA. They celebrate and support the creative individual. If you are looking for general gift ideas for all your friends, look here.

Who Inspires Me [Fashion Wise] | Alexa Chung

I used to never get the hype over Alexa Chung that everyone had for her across the fashion and beauty world. Until I saw her in a video with Lisa Eldridge doing her makeup and my whole world changed. Well not really, but I did fall in-love with her style. Alexa's personality really shines through film and I just loved her British charm.

In fact, I want to find a vintage 80s/90s dress and style it how Alexa Chung would [I almost found one a few weeks ago at Goodwill, but it was wayy to big for me]. #lifegoals

Her beauty look is very 1960s a.k.a Jane Birkin which is a makeup style I dabble with from time to time. While her fashion style is all over the place, but is still very true to her. Always key when you are a brand.

"I like to dress in a way that's personal to me, and has a bit of nostalgia. If you're just dressing for all the trends, it lacks that essence." -- Alexa Chung, People Style Watch, November 2015

#AutumnTrendsBF | Day 3

Hello everyone! How are y'all doing today? Today is day three and the final day of #AutumnTrendsBF blog & social media event. It has been great fun doing this event & seeing everyones different outfits that reflect their personal love of autumn. I ended up going very preppy and classic all three days, which is something I wasn't personal expecting. I thought I would do more boho type outfit, guess I wasn't feeling it this weekend. #ohwell

#AutumnTrendsBF | Day 2

Hello everyone! How has everyone's Sunday been? Today Ulta Beauty is doing a big fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research via a cut-a-thon, so I will be working that this afternoon as it is a big event that everyone is working. So I won't be able to see everyone's outfits until after 6pm [when our store closes and I get off work].

#AutumnTrendsBF | Day 1

Hello everyone! I was dearly hoping to have this post go live this morning, but life has been crazy and my computer doesn't like photos anymore. Today's outfit was a last-minute choice, as I was planning to wear flares today, but I've been living in jeans recently at both work and at home, so was really in the mood to wear a dress today.

#AutumnTrendsBF | Blog Event

Hello everyone! I'm excited to announce that Bramblewood Fashion is going to be hosting another blog event this year! Yes, I'm excited to bring the blog events back to BF, especially since it gives us all a chance to mingle and get to know one other. In fact, it is through blog events that I have made many of my blog friends.

The theme for this month's blog event is: Autumn Trends. Over the course of three days, y'all will showcase your favorite fall trends in your outfits [and hopefully in your hairstyles and makeup] on either your blogs and/or social media. I was going to do a set trend for each day, but I wanted it to feel more creative and open to what other people love and enjoy when autumn weather hits.

Editorial Fashion Shoot | Autumn

Hello everyone! To celebrate the first day of autumn today, my sister, Gaby came up with the idea to shoot and share an editorial fashion shoot with y'all. Recently I've been modeling for her to help her practice her photography skills of shooting and editing photos. Can I just say, reading fashion magazines has totally help me with my modeling poses.

I hope y'all enjoy the pictures from the shoot! FYI, Gaby styled my outfit and texted me how to do my hair and makeup. I'll share outfit and makeup details at the end of this post.

"We Never Go Out of Style"

Recently Carmel shared this fashion & beauty tag on her blog, carmel. Just a Girl + Her Blog and once I had finished reading it, I knew I had to do it too!

What got you interested in fashion and beauty in the first place? I was late to the fashion and beauty party. I did grow up with an appreciation of dressing nicely and looking put-together, but I didn't have a deep interest in everyday fashion until I was eighteen or so. When I was sixteen I started getting into historical fashion & vintage that eventually grew into a love for modern fashion. My love of beauty came when I was twenty or twenty-one when I wanted to do vintage 1940s makeup looks for my 40s outfits.

What is the best piece of fashion advice you have picked up? Don't be afraid to mix prints [stripes are my favorite base]. Treat leopard print like a neutral when pairing it with your outfits.

What I Wore | Neutrals + Thrifted Haul

Hello everyone! September is here and it was feeling slightly fallish this weekend, so I wore an autumn appropriate outfit for the occasion. And yes, I do have a habit of wearing black on my days off from work. Call me crazy, but I still love wearing black. I just have to remind myself to throw in other pops of colors when ever I wear black on non-work days.

Autumn Fashion Inspiration

pictures via Pinterest

Hello everyone! I was originally going to do an autumn fashion wish list post, but I already found almost everything at Goodwill & thredUP this past weekend -- so that is going to be a haul video instead. The only things I didn't find were the following: black riding boots, black booties, black leggings [crop & non], and a winter coat for the snow and cold [a.k.a not a wool pea coat] that is still cute. Anyhow instead I'm going to be sharing with y'all some outfits/pictures that I discovered on Pinterest that are inspiring me for autumn.

- plaid tops & scarves are an essential for autumn. At Goodwill's 50% off sale this past Saturday I was able to find a navy & green plaid blouse from Madewell for $1.98 -- which I totally see myself pairing with jeans, a kelly green wool pencil skirt, and even one of my burgundy skirts.

- striped tees are always a favorite of mine and deserve to be worn year round. I have my first long sleeved tee [ZARA] coming from thredUP this week, and I found an oversized H&M striped tunic at Goodwill also that will be perfect with leggings or jeans for a cozy day in.

- layers for fashion & much needed warmth. This year I'm really loving the long cardigans layered over jeans and a top. I used to have a long cardigan a couple years ago, but I got rid of it since I wasn't wearing it anymore. Why, Ashley? Why? I'm also loving a button-down layered underneath a jumper [sweater] and blazer -- adorable, yet warm.

what are some things y'all are loving for autumn?

~Ashley, xx