OOTD: On the Grid

This skirt is one of my favorite purchases I've made in 2016: I've been looking for the perfect grid-print skirt since the start of the school year, and I just happened to come across this at my local Crossroads. I'm still thoroughly enjoying wearing all my layers; my mom gave me this scarf for Valentine's Day and these boots still have plenty of wear left in them. That being said, I'm looking forward to the warmer weather that's supposedly on the horizon.

How to Wear Rain Boots

I love my Hunters so much: they're super practical and cute, too! Sometimes, though, I can have a difficult time putting them together with something to make a cohesive outfit. That's why I compiled this post of some of my favorite bloggers wearing rain boots. See some super cute ways to wear rain boots.

Photos via: Live Love & Read, Little Blonde Book, Kendi, Southern Curls & Pearls, and Merrick's Art.

Bare legs: If the weather happens to be warm enough, wear your rain boots with your favorite dress or skirt; and no tights! I love the look of knee-high socks with rain boots: it immediately dresses them up.

Photos via: Mariannan, Love, Lenore, Crystalin Marie, Because Shanna Said So, and Katie Did What.

Leggings: This is how I wear my rain boots most of the time: with an extra-long sweater and lots of layers. It's a super practical way to wear rain boots, and is super easy to make cute.

Photos via: College Prepster, Dress Corilynn (1), Dress Corilynn (2), Extra Petite, and Dress Corilynn (3).

Pants: If you're chilly but want to feel like your regular self, pair your rain boots with your favorite pair of pants and your cutest, warmest jacket. Add a scarf and you're set for a day of warmth and compliments.

OOTD: Wear 1 Scarf 6 Ways

One of the things I asked for this holiday season was a blanket scarf. It can get pretty cold in Seattle and it's so nice to have an extra-large scarf to help me keep warm. Plus, there are so many ways to wear a blanket scarf. Check out 6 different ways I wore my favorite blanket scarf below!

1. Straight & simple.

2. Wrap-around.

3. Cape.

4. Tied cape.

5. Over-the-shoulder.

6. Tie-through.

OOTD: Sorry I'm Late

Anyone who knows me knows I'm always running 10-15 minutes late. I've been working on it a lot in the last couple months, but I'm constantly sliding into my seat moments after the clock indicates class has started and sending "on my way!" texts at the time I'm supposed to be meeting a friend. So, when I saw this shirt, it was a no brainer that I had to have it. I love this outfit because, beyond wearing my catchphrase, I'm pulling off a faux fur piece while being comfortable as hell in these sweats. One of my favorite trends right now is faux fur with lounge pieces, and I'm looking forward to trying it more in the future.

DIY Review: How to Tuck In a Shirt

I almost exclusively own high-waisted bottoms, which means that I'm always tucking my shirts on. It works out fine as long as the shirt is fairly fitted. However, in the case of most of my button-downs, tucking simply doesn't seem to work. So, I looked up a way to tuck in a button-down so that it would actually stay put.

Pre-DIY: see? Totally baggy!

Step 1: Unbutton pants and place the base of your shirt neatly downward. Your shirt should not be scrunched into your pants as they’ll easily come untucked.
Step 2: Pinch the shirt at the side-seams and pull tight to collect the excess fabric.

Step 3: Fold this excess fabric backwards. You want both back and front of your shirt to sit flush against your body; no bunching (you haven’t pinched enough fabric) nor pulling (you’ve pinched too much fabric).

Step 4: Button your pants up, tightly securing the folds against your body.
Step 5: Adjust if necessary to neaten the shirt.

Ta-da! Kind of better. I bet this would've worked better with either a thicker shirt or one that's a little more form-fitting. It did take a bit longer for the shirt to become baggy using this method, but it still became baggy eventually.

Galentine's Day 2016

Galentine's Day is February 13th. Made popular (and debatably invented) by Parks and Recreation, this holiday celebrates the non-romantic love in your life. That's why I'd argue that Galentine's Day is more important than Valentine's Day. In a society where romantic love is often held at a higher level of importance than the equally essential plutonic love, it can be hard to find time to thank your friends for all that they do for you. That's why I celebrate Galentine's Day by getting together with my friends to let them know how much they mean to me.

If it weren't for the friends in my life (specifically this beautiful young woman), I have no idea where I would be today. They are there for me through happiness and sadness and are always there to support me, even when I don't feel deserving of support. Their presence in my life makes me feel so rich and lucky. As important as my romantic love is to me, it's only a portion of the large amount of love I receive on a daily basis.

Like many other young women in this male-dominated society, I was raised to believe that girls were my competition and even my enemy. I was told that boys made better friends because they "wouldn't stab you in the back or cause unnecessary drama"... Though I would argue that skimming through any history book would prove that comment complete nonsense. It wasn't until I was in high school that I realized the importance of female friendships. Since then, I've made sure to surround myself with equally amazing young women who serve to lift me up and make me work hard to be the best me I can be. I'm so glad to see female friendships represented positively on TV and in movies. These representations show friends as equal to romantic relationships, and not just something that takes their place when you're single.

I've had this shirt for at least six months now, and Galentine's Weekend is the perfect excuse to wear it! Plus, I was able to match my lipstick to the lip pattern, which I thought was pretty cool.