Five Days, Five Ways: Recap

I want to thank Fran and Whitney for their Five Days, Five Ways link up this past week.  I really enjoyed creating fun and new looks around some of my favorite articles of clothing.  I started out a little bit safe, but pushing myself was rewarding, particularly on the dresses challenge.  I also found out that the teal pants I previously thought didn't fit me actually do fit me...and I am pumped to add them into my outfit rotation.

[Also, as a personal reason, this couldn't have fell during a better week.  I was super sick this week with a nasty cold and you never knew about it and didn't have to see me in my gross "sick" clothes and with my sad, sick face.  It was a win-win for us all!]

One of my favorite things about this challenge was finding some new blogs to follow!  I'm always on the lookout for great new blogs with similar styles, budgets, and lifestyles as myself, and this challenge really introduced me to some fabulous new ladies.

Here's a round up of some of my favorite outfits from this week:

Kristina (and many others) showed off new ways to wear a chambray shirt.

Inge's dark red pants are such a great color!  I love how they look with the cognac jacket.

Rebekah has the coolest necklace, and shows off eight fun ways to wear it.

Valerie (and Fran) wore the dress I seriously considered wearing for the dresses challenge!  I love this outfit with a blazer and a colorful belt.  (I also love Whitney's dress for this challenge.)

C put a fun spin on the casual Friday challenge and showed us seven ways she has worn these fun printed sandals.  It makes me yearn for warm weather!!

There you have a sampling of my favorite outfits from this week!  Visit Fran and Whitney's blogs to see all the other amazing ladies who participated in the Five Days, Five Ways link up - you won't be disappointed!

Five Days, Five Ways: Casual Friday

It's the last day of Whitney and Fran's Five Days, Five Ways link up!  Today's challenge is Casual Friday.  While you've seen many of my winter casual looks, I wanted to finally put together some springy outfits :)  Since I often dress a little casual on the blog, I wanted to interpret "casual Friday" as weekend wear.  These outfits are things you could expect to see me in on the weekends this spring and summer.

 Tee: Old Navy Skirt: Old Navy Flats: Target (thrifted, NWT)

I love these knit skirts from Old Navy - they're comfortable and versatile...and the price is right!  I bought this skirt over the winter, and I've been dying to wear it without tights.  I have big plans for this skirt over the course of the next few months...chambray shirt, tees, with my denim jacket...it's going to be much loved!

 Tee: Target Shorts: Old Navy Scarf: Gift from a friend Sandals: Born via DSW

These shorts are my go-to in the summer.  They're so comfortable and they go with so much.  I love wearing scarves all year round, and I knew I had to include a casual outfit with a scarf.

Dress: Old Navy Cardigan: Target Necklace: From Mom Sandals: Target

One thing I love about maxi dresses is that they look really nice, but you feel like you're wearing pajamas.  This outfit might look less casual, but I would totally wear this on a weekend, shopping with a friend, out to lunch, even to the grocery store!

Dress: Old Navy Flats: Payless

Like the previous outfit, I like to be able to just throw on a dress and some comfortable flats or sandals and go.  It's incredibly easy, but it still looks pretty cute!  I love the color of this dress - so bright and warm!

Shirt: Thrifted American Eagle Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS

Yes, this is a ridiculous pose, but going through my pictures, I BORE MYSELF looking at my like two poses I ever do.  This is how I feel about the weekend...excited...and sassy...??  Whatever.  I love wearing cuffed jeans and a casual button up shirt on weekends.  I have a few shirts that are similar to this, and they get tons of wear over the spring and summer seasons.  I wear them with skirts, jeans, shorts, you name it.

I'm so glad you stuck with me this week with all my posts for Five Days, Five Ways!  I'm hoping to do some kind of little recap or something in the next day or two about it, so stay tuned, friends!

Five Days, Five Ways: Olive & Pink Floral Dress

It's Day Four of the Five Days, Five Ways challenge hosted by Whitney and Fran.  Today's item to remix is a dress!

I chose this colorful floral Target dress that I thrifted (new) from Goodwill.  It's one of my most worn dresses.  I usually just wear it with a cardigan (which I'm demonstrating here), but this challenge pushed me to try some new ways to wear it, too!

Denim jacket: Levi's Boots: Guess Necklace: From Mom

I just got my first denim jacket since I was little, and I knew it would get a lot of wear with my dresses. I kind of feel like a cowgirl in this outfit, but not in a costumey way.  I'd wear this dress to work or out on the weekends.  It would also look cute with some flats.

Cardigan: Target Tights: Target Boots: Target Necklace: From Mom

I first wore this outfit here, in the beginning of March.  It is a wintery way to wear this dress!  One of the reasons I like this dress so much is because it looks great with or without tights/leggings, and the colors are appropriate for year-round wear.

Vest: Old Navy Belt: Thrifted Sandals: Target

I thought I would try pairing my vest with this dress.  While I'm usually not one to wear lots of sleeveless things, I love the colors together here.  I can't wait to wear this outfit in the middle of summer when it's hot outside! 

Cardigan: Eddie Bauer, thrifted Belt: Target Flats: Target, thrifted NWT 

This is normally how I wear this dress in the spring and summer.  Easy: throw on a cardigan, some flats, and a belt for a little something extra.  I've also worn my coral cardigan and a camel cardigan with this dress, as well.  It is predictable, but it works.

Tee: Old Navy Belt: From a dress Flats: Payless

This outfit is the biggest stretch for me!  I've seen bloggers do this before (wear a dress as a skirt), but I've never tried it, for fear it wouldn't look good on my body.  I actually quite like how this turned out!  The color of this shirt looks nice with the colors in the dress, and the wide elastic belt kept the bottom of the shirt tucked in.  I'll have to try this look out again with other dresses and shirts!

There you have my five outfits with this dress!  Be sure to look at all the other bloggers linking up with Fran and Whitney this week.  There are some awesome looks being shared :)

Five Days, Five Ways: Leopard Scarf

Day three of Five Days, Five Ways!  I so appreciate what Whitney and Fran have put together.  What a fun challenge this has been!  The challenge for today is to find five ways to wear an accessory.

I'm kind of a scarf lover (understatement), so I wanted to use my leopard scarf as my item for today.  I got this scarf at Old Navy in the end of August, and wore it frequently through the fall and winter.  I'm excited to wear it this spring!  For this challenge, I put together some fun spring-appropriate outfits with this scarf, and took two outfits from my archives to show previous ways I've worn this scarf.

Blouse: Old Navy Blazer: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Wedges: Payless

I wanted to put together an outfit that would be appropriate for work, perhaps for a casual Friday.  It's quite professional on the top with the blouse and blazer, but a little more casual on the bottom with the cuffed skinny jeans and fun wedges.  I can't wait to wear this outfit once the snow melts!

Chambray tunic: NY&C, thrifted Vest: Old Navy Leggings: Victoria's Secret Boots: Target

This is an outfit from the archives that I wore this winter.  It is comfortable but put together, and perfect for a homework day :)  When I wore this back in February, my friend said to me, "Brynn, you are straight out of Pinterest today!" Haha.

Sweater: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Boots: Guess 

Another outfit from my archives.  I wore this outfit in January when the temperature was stinging cold (-30 degree windchill!).  I love how the scarf adds a little visual interest to the outfit.

Dress: Old Navy Sandals: Born, via DSW

I absolutely love this dress I got on clearance at Old Navy.  I can't wait to wear this all spring and summer!  As I mentioned on the first day of Five Days, Five Ways, I'm not a huge pattern mixer, but this feels okay to me.  Neutral prints and colors tend to be more appealing to me when mixing prints than "louder" ones.

Tee: Target Skirt: Converse, thrifted Flats: Payless

I actually wore this exact outfit back in August (it was the first outfit I wore this scarf with, actually) and I love it.  It's simple but incredibly comfortable, and still looks very put together.  This skirt is a summer staple for me...get used to seeing it :)

Also, this post includes the debut of my new (SHORT) hair cut!  I really love it.  It's choppy and spunky - exactly how I like my hair.  I can't wait to find some fun embellished headbands to accessorize my new 'do!

Five Days, Five Ways: Teal Pants

It's the second day of Fran and Whitney's Five Days Five Ways challenge!  Today's challenge is to find multiple ways to wear a pair of pants.  I'm choosing to remix these teal pants.

Honestly, I completely forgot that I had these pants.  I bought them a while back at TJ Maxx after searching and searching for a pair of colored denim.  I wore them once with a chambray shirt in October, and had it in my head that they didn't fit me and were not flattering.  I was searching through my closet to decide what pants to wear for this challenge, and I found these again.  I put them on, and they fit, so I decided they would be the perfect pants to use for today!

Tee: Target Sandals: Target Necklace: From Mom

This is exactly the kind of outfit I can't wait to wear!  Spring better come soon, because I'm getting antsy to wear my tees and sandals!  I thought this was a nice, casual outfit - perfect to wear on the weekends, or out for lunch with friends. 

Shirt: Old Navy Wedges: Payless Necklace: F21

I would wear this outfit out on a date.  I'm not thrilled with the way this shirt photographs - in real life, it's a great dark gray color.  I also don't like this necklace with the outfit.  I think it might look better with a shorter necklace, or more of a pendant-type necklace.  I love the way these pants look with my new wedges, though! 

Sweater: Old Navy Boots: Target Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

I would wear this outfit to work, or on the weekends.  I've struggled a little bit about what to wear with this sweater (it's a black cable knit sweater, why is it so hard to wear?!), but I think they look great with these pants!  I also think I could have worn this outfit with a scarf (maybe leopard print?) and it would look great, too.

Shirt: Old Navy Cardigan: Thrifted Eddie Bauer Flats: Thrifted new Target stock

 Here is another springy outfit - very colorful!  I'm not usually one to wear lots of colors like this, but I thought I would push myself a little bit.  I've worn this shirt and cardigan together before, but usually only with regular denim.  These jeans are colorful but not too wild, so I think they go nicely together.  I also rolled up the pant legs a little bit for a more casual vibe.

Tank: Old Navy Blazer: Old Navy Flats: Payless Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

This is an outfit I would wear to work.  I really love teal and black together, and while I could have worn a solid colored tank or blouse, the stripes add a little visual interest.  I could also swap the blazer for a cardigan for a similar (perhaps slightly more casual) look.

There you have it!  My five ways to wear teal skinnies :)  What look do you like best?

Five Days, Five Ways: Striped Shirt

Woohoo!  It's the first day of Fran and Whitney's Five Days, Five Ways linkup!  I'm so excited to be doing this.  Since I have only been blogging for two months, I don't have much of an archives yet.  I wanted to challenge myself to create new outfits with the items I have.  Don't worry - I'll actually wear all of these in real life :)

The first day of the challenge is to create five different outfits based off of one top.  I chose this black and white striped shirt I bought at TJ Maxx this fall.  I really love this shirt - it is soft, I love the wide black band on the sleeves, and the shoulders are interesting.

Skirt: Old Navy Wedges: Payless Necklace: Eclectic Wendy

First of all, excuse my pale legs - they haven't seen the sun in months :)  I would wear an outfit like this to work or on a weekend.  I really like the combination of black, white, and red (those were our wedding colors!), and these wedges add a little fun element to the outfit.  I wish I had a really great black statement necklace - I would have loved to add something like that to this outfit.  Or maybe a belt?  It is a little plain, but definitely something I would wear.

Teal jeans: TJ Maxx Shoes: Target

Be prepared to see these pants more often (tomorrow).  I'm not sure how much I love this outfit.  Perhaps if I had a cardigan or blazer over it, or a scarf, or a fun necklace, I'd like it more.  It's quite plain, but it's certainly wearable.

Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS

In real life, this is likely what you'd see me wearing on a weekend.  Something easy and comfortable, but appropriate for wearing in public.  It might also look cute with a fun necklace or even colorful shoes.

Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Scarf: Old Navy 

I love this outfit!  It's simple, like most of my other outfits, but interesting with the little bit of pattern mixing.  I'm not usually one to do pattern mixing (I feel like most of the time it looks like people just got dressed in the dark), but this works for me.  It's not too busy, and the prints are both very neutral.  I would wear this to work, school, on the weekends, etc.

Blazer: Target Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless

This outfit has a very basic foundation, but I love the addition of my teal blazer.  Teal and black look so sharp together.  I would definitely wear this outfit to work.  I could also add a necklace or fun scarf to give a little more variety to the outfit.

I had a great time putting these outfits together.  Which one would you wear?

Spring Cleaning

Sweater: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Shoes: Payless Necklace: From Mom

Kevin and I have been so busy with school and work lately, and the cleanliness of our apartment has really taken a backseat.  However, we're dog sitting for an 11-month-old black lab (!!) this weekend, and I wanted the apartment to be as puppy-proof as possible for her.  I spent 3 hours today after work cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  This outfit was perfect for all the hard work I put in!

It's times like this that I wish we were minimalists.  Wouldn't it be so nice to not have very much stuff?! Less surfaces to clean, less things to organize, less places to find a home...I'm feeling the urge to do some spring cleaning now!  I want to do some huge purges!!

I still want to chop my hair, too.  The more I look at it, the more annoyed I get with it.  I may take myself into the hair salon this weekend...stay tuned!!

Restless Hair

Shirt: Old Navy, thrifted Cardigan: Target Trousers: TJ Maxx Flats: Payless

This pink shirt is one of my neglected pieces for Kate's No Longer Neglected challenge.  I absolutely adore this shirt, but it's been neglected since the summer since I wasn't sure if it would look okay with a cardigan (due to its boxier cut).  I'm glad I tried this out - I loved the simplicity of this outfit, and it made me feel springy, even though it was in the 20s today.  I also got to wear my new nude flats, which are SO COMFY.

I'm feeling the need to change up my hair.  I'd love to dye it, but don't want to have to keep it up.  I want to cut it (I really want a short hair cut - a little longer than Anne Hathaway's original pixie), but I'm a little self-conscious about my chubby cheeks.  I've been trying hard to change my eating habits and pushing myself at the gym more, because finally getting the short hair cut I've always wanted will be a great reward for my efforts :)  Maybe what I'll do for now is just get it cut a little shorter and ease my way into the shaggy pixie...

Lace Tights and a Tired Brynn

Dress: Macy's Tights: Target Belt: Target Boots: Target

All I have to say about today's outfit is that I love my lace tights, and even though it's freezing cold on this first day of spring (!!), I'm going to rock my lace tights all. day. long.

Also, this morning when I went to dry my hair, I couldn't figure out why my hair dryer wouldn't turn on.  It literally took about a minute of me flipping the switch, resetting the outlet, etc. before I realized I was flipping the heat level switch, and not the power switch.  You know you're tired when...

Linking up with Marionberry Style, Because Shanna Said So, and The Pleated Poppy.

Springy Sweater Dress

Dress: Old Navy Fleece leggings: Target Boots: Guess

Hello to new readers who found me after my guest post on Whitney's blog yesterday!  I'm happy you are here :)

Today's outfit is simple and easy.  Spring will be here soon (although Minnesota apparently hasn't gotten the memo - it's 8 degree outside right now), and my sweater dresses will need to retire until the fall.  I haven't worn this one on the blog yet (but I wore it constantly when I first got it back in November), so I wanted to give it the love it deserves :)  I love the colors on this dress, but find them a little limiting.  Basically, it's looked similar to this every time I've styled it... Do you ever get into a rut with certain items?

I hope you all have a fabulous Tuesday!!

Substitute!

Dress: Macy's Cardigan: Target Belt: Goodwill Tights: Target Wedges: Kohls

Today, I'm thrilled to be subbing in for my dear blogger friend, Whitney from Along the Lines of Style while she takes her students on a camping trip!  Stop on by to learn a little more about my job working on a college campus and how it affects my style!

Research Outfit

Sweater: Old Navy - Men's dept Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

Okay, so I tried outside photos again.  I'm still paranoid about getting caught, but I was ready with the "It's for a school project" excuse if anyone walked by :)  And the photo quality is still pretty poor - I'm not a camera savvy person, so I'm not 100% sure what to do to make the photos less dark and grainy, but I'll keep monkeying around with different angles, camera settings, etc.

Most of the outfits I post on here are worn to work and class.  This is a 100% lazy Saturday outfit!  I used to spend most of my weekends in yoga pants and a sweatshirt (to be honest, I'm usually found in yoga pants as soon as I get home from work/school...), but I feel better and am more productive when I'm wearing clothing that's appropriate for wearing in public.

I'm currently taking the required Research & Writing course for my Master's program, and we're beginning to write our theses, so I am up to my ears in articles.  It has been tons of work so far, but I absolutely love my topic, which makes the whole process more enjoyable.  I've always been the kind of reader who needs to print off all the articles so I can highlight and make notes to my heart's content, but I'm keeping up with the times and reading all my articles on my iPad with GoodNotes.  I can highlight, underline, type notes, etc. all on the iPad, and I have to say, I am a convert!  It's been so convenient!

So...today, I'll be reading and critiquing articles, taking notes, and developing my outline.  Today's outfit is perfect for that: comfortable enough to spend the day on the couch, but polished enough that I don't feel like a slob :)

Happy Saturday!