Black Friday Fabulous Finds

November 29, 2013


Here are a few things I have my eye on for Black Friday shopping today. We're not hard core about it by any means, we're going shopping at a respectable 8am ;)

1. J. Crew fair isle. So cozy!
2. Cheaper, Zara version of the Vince heels I love.
3. Christmasy, red midi from Dorothy Perkins
4. Burgundy jeans from H&M.
5. I think this hat is so cute, however it may look weird with my similarly colored hair. 
6. Graphic "hello" tee from J. Crew.

Happy shopping!

xo Catherine 

Thanksgiving Style Part 2

November 27, 2013

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! Do you know what you're wearing yet? I'm still trying to decide, so here's a little more cozy casual Thanksgiving style inspiration:


I am seriously in love with the Hunter boots + tights + skirt combination right now. What better way than to pair this cozy combo with a little festive plaid  and the prettiest statement necklace you ever did see. Finish the look off with this chic camel bag and you are all set to enjoy the day's festivities!

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all of you!

xo Catherine 

Thanksgiving Style

November 26, 2013

To me, Thanksgiving is a cozy-casual type of holiday. Whereas Christmas and NYE are more about sparkle and glamour. So going along with that cozy-casual vibe I put together a little Thanksgiving style inspiration:


Start with a cozy sweater and add a little color with burgundy denim. Then, because this outfit is fairly simple, feel free to jazz it up with some statement earrings, a berry lip, chic booties and a quilted bag. Now you have the perfect combination of comfort and style to eat the day away with family!

xo Catherine 

Fabulous Finds

November 22, 2013

Since it snowed here yesterday and it's starting to actually feel like winter, I decided that it would be perfect for today's Fabulous Finds to be winter themed!

1. I'm looking for a new pair of boots and these cognac Ralph Lauren boots are some serious contenders. 
2. I know I've been saying it for a while now, but I'm still shopping around for some faux fur. Loving how luxurious this faux fur scarf looks!
4. I know it's too early to be in the Christmas spirit, who am I kidding, it snowed yesterday! Getting in the spirit would be so much more fun with this ASOS reindeer sweater.
5. Since we're talking about the Christmas spirit, this scarf is the perfect cheery, Christmas red.
6. I wear my cream sweater all the time, so I'm thinking it's time to get another one, and I've heard great things about this Forever 21 cable knit

xo Catherine 

Favorite Blogs

November 20, 2013

I've mentioned before that I read about 30 blogs a day. So I thought it would be fun to put together a little blogger guide with some of my favorites so you can enjoy too!

For a laugh: Suri's Burn Book. (Cannot thank my cousin enough for introducing me to this!)
Written from the perspective of Suri Cruise, this little diva loves to hash out celebrity children's outfits. Pure genius. 


For the dream closet: Atlantic Pacific.
If you're not reading Blair's blog, you're seriously missing out on some great outfit inspo. While I can't actually afford anything she wears, it's still fun to dream.


For accessory DIYs: Stripes and Sequins (not to be confused with Sequins and Stripes, which I also love).
Grace makes DIYs look so easy! She's also got killer style. 


I love Ashley's style, especially her taste in shoes! So fabulous. 


For some southern charm: The Sweetest Thing
Emily has seriously great style and will inspire you to wear things in new ways. She does a good job of  mixing high and low price items, which I appreciate!


For your east coast fix: Classy Girls Wear Pearls. (Thanks Kara!)
Sarah and her friends look like they walked out of a Tommy Hilfiger add (proof here) and I can't get enough of it!

I always love hearing about new blogs, so feel free to share some of your favorites!

xo Catherine 

"Sweatskirt"

November 19, 2013








Chambray: J. Crew. Skirt: Loft (similar). Tights: Target. Boots: Hunter. Necklace: J. Crew. Purse: Vintage Coach.

I call this my "sweatskirt" because it's made out of sweatshirt material. The result is a whole lot of comfort for this girl, and you can't beat that. 

xo Catherine 

Gala

November 18, 2013












Dress: Banana Republic. Shoes: Jessica Simpson. Clutch: Gap. Necklaces: J. Crew and J. Crew Factory

This is my outfit from when I volunteered at The ALS Association's gala last week. I was so excited that I got to volunteer because it meant getting all gussied up. I can't wait to restyle this dress for Christmas parties!

xo Catherine 

Photos by: Megan Johnston. 





Fabulous Finds

November 15, 2013


1. Loving the color and cut of these Madewell pumps
2. Love these Target booties--they look so much more expensive! 
3. Just saw J. Crew's new arrivals yesterday. I want it all, starting with this stunning pearl necklace.
4. The perfect scarf for winter!
5. The cutest coin purse ever from Kate Spade
6. I've been loving the wide-brimmed fedora trend lately, especially this little number. 
7. After seeing this tote on Chelsea's blog, I fell in love!

xo Catherine

8/20

November 14, 2013


Since it was Veteran's Day this passed Monday, my friend Emma suggested for this series that we do something nice for a soldier. We found a website where soldiers post requests for things and the guy we responded to wanted Christmas decorations! I hope we can make his Christmas a little bit brighter!

xo Catherine 

The Truth about Blogging

November 13, 2013

Image via.
The truth about blogging is: it's not always sunshine and roses around here. When you're blogging, you're the editor, so if you don't want to share something with your audience, you don't have to. On the other hand, this can be deceptive, since no one's life is made up of only good things. Blogging is by no means my career, I'm a full time student, but I've learned a few things about blogging in the past year. The biggest thing that I've realized is that it's hard. Sometimes I am so emotionally and mentally drained from blogging that I want to give up.

It's hard not to make comparisons. I see women who have 200K+ followers on Instagram or 50,000 likes on Facebook, and it's so difficult not to feel like a failure in comparison. I know that if I want to be successful at this, I need to work at it and be patient. But then I see those women who have been blogging for seven months and are crazy successful (how do they do it?!) 

You feel self conscious. When I'm editing or going through pictures from an outfit shoot, I find myself having very negative thoughts: my face looks fat, so-and-so wore this better, no one's going to like this outfit, why did I think that looked good on me?! etc etc. I read about 30 blogs a day because I'm inspired by them and love to see what other women are wearing, but it can bring out my insecurities and my green monster.

It's hard to be consistent, original, and creative. I've read multiple articles giving advice to aspiring bloggers and they all say the same thing: be consistent, be original and be creative. Being consistent is hard for me as a college student, I do not have the time to come up with blog posts five days a week to keep readers coming back. I don't have any one person who takes my pictures because I don't want to bother people, or ask too much of them. Because of this I don't take pictures nearly as often as I'd like to. Being original and creative is a challenge too, it's not like I can think to myself, okay let's come up with something original and creative, and have it magically happen. 

Wow, sorry for the rant guys, but I wanted to be honest with you about some of the things I'm struggling with. Now, I'm not going to leave things on negative note. So here's a quote that I've been loving lately:

Image via.

While I don't consider myself a failure when it comes to blogging, this quote really resonates with me. I've realized how much I love blogging, and how passionate I am about it. So in the scheme of things, it doesn't really matter how "successful" I am, because I'm having fun. I've had the chance to meet some really wonderful people because of blogging and I've honed a lot of skills in the process. I'm continually learning from this process and I can't thank you enough for coming along for the ride!

xo Catherine

7/20

November 12, 2013


Last week I volunteered at the ALS Association's annual gala for my 7th nicety. My goal is to get 10 down before the end of the year, which is pretty much the halfway point. I've got a few things up my sleeve!

xo Catherine 

Tartan

November 11, 2013







 Sweater: J. Crew Factory. Chambray: J. Crew. Jeans: Banana Republic. Boots: Hunter. Necklace: J. Crew Factory. Watch: Fossil. Purse: Topshop (sold out). 

All aboard the plaid-trend train! This girl has hopped on that bandwagon and I will be riding for the foreseeable future.

(Also, the word tartan makes me think of Professor McGonagall. Anyone else think so?)

xo Catherine

Pictures by Ellen Day.

Fabulous Finds

November 8, 2013

It's pretty obvious that I'm in winter/holiday mode with the above coats/sparkles/winter colors. Sorry, I'm not sorry!

1. Super fun sparkle blazer from H&M.
2. Faux fur vest from F21 (yes I am still lusting over faux fur).
3. Sparkly iPhone case--perfect for the upcoming holiday season!
4. Gorgeous emerald earrings from BaubleBar.
5. Love this cozy coat.
6. I love the look of leather (or pleather) gloves-so luxe!
7. This. Coat. Is. Everything. I need.

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

xo Catherine 

My City

November 5, 2013



For those of you who know me, you're probably aware that I am completely smitten with Minneapolis. She charms me with her lakes, her skyscrapers and her snowflakes. Over the weekend I went up to the top of the Foshay and had a little fun at the observatory. I fell in love with my city all over again. 








xo Catherine

Photos 1 and 4 by Megan Johnston

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