White Off-the-Shoulder Shirt & Weekend Recap

I have had absolutely no concept of time or days this week, but I'm writing this as I'm waiting in the airport to head back to Nashville with my brother and one of our friends to kick off CMA Fest week! I was in CT for a long weekend for my friend's wedding and had the best time! I got to catch up with people I don't get to see often and tore up the dance floor. Plus, I was able to get in some beach time and lots of playing with my niece and nephew. Which enters this shirt - the shirt that transformed me into a pirate ninja fighting off bad guys yesterday ;) 
It's been called the pirate shirt, the puffy shirt and the Caribbean shirt. Personally, I just think it's cute. It's perfect for this time of year because its super light weight and flowy so it works while it's still hot out but not dead of the summer hot. I dressed it up a little here, but I've also worn it with cut offs and flip flops to make it more casual. 

Outfit Details | Shirt: Chicwish (on sale!) | Jeans: J.Crew | Shoes: Nine West | Bag: T.J. Maxx, similar | Earrings: Macy's, similar | Watch: Kate Spade

Friday Five: SPECIAL EDITION

Happy Friday! 
I can't even type this post out without laughing at what I'm about to share. '
So here's my thought process. I love watching YouTube videos. It's actually been my main source of TV since I canceled cable. So, I was inspired and decided to make a favorites video for May as a little Friday Five special edition. 


BE EASY ON ME GUYS. This is my first video I've ever filmed like this and the first video I've edited literally since senior year of high school (shout out TV production class coming in hot). I definitely want to play around with different editing features and programs in the future but I figured I should start out simple :) If anyone has any suggestions for editing programs or anything like that, definitely let me know! I don't take myself very seriously and had so much fun filming this and I hope you can tell! 
Some things I learned after filming this video:  -My dance moves are those of an 80 year old doing Thriller  -I may have scoliosis - are my shoulders actually that crooked?!  -Speaking of my shoulders, I was reminded of my linebacker shoulders  -I never knew how much I unintentionally rolled my eyes - sorry everyone!
On another note, I wanted to include some favorite moments of the month too because I seriously had so much fun in May! 
Steeplechase

Dress: Lauren James

Every year in Nashville there is a Steeplechase and everyone gets dressed to the nines in big hats and spend the day tailgating. If this event wasn't made for me, I'm not sure what was. A big hat, a Lauren James dress and tailgating. I'M IN. I laso had to share this pic of the back of my dress too because it's just too good not to. 

Weekend with my mom
My mom came down in the beginning of May to help me get my life together and decorate my new apartment. We had a great weekend and I am so in love with how my place turned out!! I do want to share the whole thing soon, so here's just a little sneak peak. 

New friends
I'm going to be honest, making friends as an adult in real life is hard. Obviously I moved to Tennessee with one of my best friends and luckily I found a couple of good friends shortly after moving here and I am so thankful for that, but I missed having different groups of people to hang out with. Enter Bumble BFF. Guys. If you're in a new location or are just looking to expand your friend group, use this. It's seriously the best. Kinda awkward at first but it's nice to know everyone is in the same boat and in my case, it was also mostly other girls who had moved to Nashville recently and wanted to meet people! Genius. I wish I thought of this app. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am probably flying home to CT as you are reading this to celebrate one of my friend's wedding! I'm so excited to spend a long weekend home and hopefully get to the beach. 

Floral Romper

I'm baaaaack! I've missed blogging so much and have recruited my friend who lives in my building to be my personal photographer so here's hoping I can stick to it :) 
I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Weekend! I spent it having too much fun at the pool all the weekend and it was perfect.
To catch all of my loyal readers up (hi, mom!), I spent the first couple of months of the year planning my move to a new apartment closer to downtown Nashville. I am obsessed with how my apartment turned out, so I think I will do a little apartment reveal/tour in a couple of weeks! I'm pretty sure I'll be okay if I don't have to do any home decor shopping any time soon, especially for furniture, but it was all so worth it! 
On to the romper. I'm loving floral patterned things and it's no secret I love a good romper so this purchase was a no brainer. I picked it up at a local boutique close to my new apartment and I've gotten so many compliments on it when I've worn it. I think my favorite part might actually be the ruffles on the sleeves and bottom. It's super light and flowy which is perfect for summer, especially summer in the south. It is a little on the short side so I wouldn't recommend dropping it low on any dance floors. Did I try? Maybe. 

Outfit Details: Romper: similar here, here and here (on sale!! $38) | Wedges (old): Express, similar | Bag: T.J. Maxx, similar | Watch: Kate Spade

Thanks for reading! I've got some good stuff coming later this week that you don't want to miss, so be sure to check back!! Really, you'll want to see this... 

Friday Five

Hello from sunny San Diego! 
I am visiting one of my best friends and college roommates this weekend and cannot be more excited! That being said, this week got away from me (you know, with work, wine....) and didn't plan out a Friday Five. I actually had every intention of writing it while I waited for my flight yesterday. Turns out that's hard to accomplish when you're running through the airport with your shoes in your hand and your name being paged, sweat dripping down your face and security yelling step by step directions on where to go so you don't miss your flight. But, those are just details, really...
 However, I will leave you with the only thing you need to watch/listen to this week below. And if you kind of wish the cameras never moved off of Justin Timberlake, I won't judge you. 


I hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Friday Five

Happy almost Halloween! It may just be me and my dislike of pumpkin flavored things, but Halloween is just not my holiday. A valid excuse to buy candy, finish the bag, and buy more for trick or treaters? Absolutely. Otherwise, let's get on to Thanksgiving. 
This week seemed to be the longest in all of history and I have no idea why, but I'd appreciate next week to pick up the pace a little! I have a half marathon tomorrow which I'm oddly so excited for. Training for it has been so fun for me this time around (and way less blisters and no missing toenails - win!) and I'm hoping to finish with a new PR. 
BFFs. This article made me smile. I can definitely relate after moving a plane ride away from home. 

Devon Baer Tunic. I think I originally saw this tunic from Sydney at Summer Wind, and now I'm getting retargeted by Facebook ads and it's like Facebook is begging me to purchase it! I am obsessed. Now if only the price would drop...

In the News. This weekly installment of "Sh*t You Should Know" on Velvet's Edge has me laughing out loud every week. One of the contributors, Lori, posts it every Wednesday and I look forward to it every time! Lori, I don't know who you are, but I think we would should be best friends. 
Listening: California - Tim McGraw 
I'm pretty positive Tim McGraw hand crafted this song with me personally in mind, but I could be wrong. I can't wait for his album! And this song is pretty fitting for my trip to the Best Coast next week! :) 
Also, I will be listening to this playlist pretty exclusively tomorrow morning for about 2 hours (hopefully under!) during my race. 
Reading: I just finished the sequel of There's Cake in my Future, Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink, that I mentioned here. I wish there was a third, they are so addicting! I just downloaded A Total Waste of Makeup, by the same author, Kim Gruenenfelder. I can't wait to start it! 
I hope everyone has a great weekend and Halloween! Thanks for reading! 

DIY Halloween Costumes (+ #TBT)

If you're anything like me, you have waited until the last minute to plan your Halloween costume. I'm running a half marathon Saturday morning and kept using this as an excuse to put it off/find something in my closet that and call it a day. But then I decided to be somewhat creative and before I knew it I was armed with a hot glue gun and surrounded by fabric last night. I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product :) 
I thought I would bring back the two costumes I wore last Halloween (yes, two. #overachiever) because they are definitely able to be created between now and Saturday! 
Costume 1: Pineapple
This quite possibly was the easiest costume I've ever worn and was probably the most popular! I even won an in-office contest with it! I happened to already own a bright yellow dress, and all I did was cut out green construction paper in the shape of big leaves and hot-glued them onto a paper towel roll. My genius mom (who definitely was helping me the night before Halloween, nothing like the last minute!) cut slits in the paper towel roll to create tabs that I then bobby-pinned to fasten the pineapple top. Brilliaint! 

Costume 2: Mermaid

This costume was a little more involved, but still pretty easy. I got a cheap strapless bra and hot glued seashells and beads all over for the top. For the bottom, I found a cheap teal stretchy pencil skirt and my mom helped me (no, she did it entirely) sew on some tulle and glittered fabric at the bottom the give an effect of a tail. If you don't want to get as involved as sewing, you can definitely skip that step and just wear a fitted skirt or maxi skirt! This was actually a couples costume, with the guy as a fisherman, which is also an easy last minute solution if you're looking for costumes for two! I'm still kind of mad I got rid of this one... 

What is everyone being for Halloween?? 

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I went to a pumpkin patch to be festive and pick up a few pumpkins for our apartment. The pumpkin patch was at a beautiful Botanical Garden called Cheekwood, and they are known for their display of mums in the fall. Well, turns out the second weekend of September is not only 80+ degrees here in Tennessee, but also pre-mum season. Lesson learned for next year! It was still really pretty, though! 
We took these pictures not noticing the shadows from the gazebo I was standing under, so they aren't the greatest, but they will do! These sleeveless sweaters (Sweater vests? How Chandler Bing of me..) have been really great this fall, where it's definitely still warm but my summer clothes just look ridiculous in October! Plus, I'm all about bringing the white and light neutrals into the fall. 

Outfit Details | Sweater (Banana Republic, similar here and here)  | Pants | Sandals (Target, not online) | Bag (Aldo, not online but love this) | Sunglasses | Watch | Bracelet 

I hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by! 

Friday Five

Happy Friday! It's been a pretty boring and uneventful week that consisted of working, running and sleeping. Exciting, I know. 
Kate Spade Home. If you missed my post on Wednesday (check it out here), you'll know that I am obsessed with the new home line from Kate Spade. Pink and polka dot furniture?! I'm in. 

Workout Leggings. I'm running a half marathon next weekend, and got these leggings from Old Navy on sale for next to nothing. These are my new favorite leggings to run in. I get 99% of my workout clothes from Old Navy and the other 1% from T.J. Maxx - Lululemon who? This particular pair is awesome quality and so cute, and they are on sale right now! Get. Them. Now. 

This Article. Speaking of Lululemon, you need to read this post. It's no secret that I am mildly obsessed with Nicole from Pumps & Iron and I was laughing out loud reading this. I have this thing against $100+ see-through pants that I will do nothing but sweat through (weird, I know), so I especially enjoyed it. 
Chicwish Skirt. How perfect is this skirt for the holidays? It's currently sitting in my shopping cart. To pull the trigger or not... 

Listening: Green Mountain State - Trevor Hall 
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by! 

Friday Five

Happy Friday, people! Somehow this 4-day week seemed to be the longest week ever.
UConn Homecoming. While I may have worn inappropriate shoes and not enough layers to last year's homecoming game, I'm sad I'm going to miss it tomorrow! And, we've actually won games this season, which is new! So, to all my husky homecoming goers tomorrow, have a drink (shotgun a beer - sorry mom) for me! 

Buffalo Check Hat. I love buffalo check, and I love a good hat. If I still lived in the north, I would absolutely snatch this guy up, especially for under $35! But I have a feeling it may be a tad aggressive for Tennessee... 

Burberry in AdWeek. Since I work in advertising, I'll scroll through sites like AdWeek to stay current on industry happenings. I love when brands like Burberry pop out at me while I'm browsing titles and headlines, which is exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago when I saw this Burberry scarf ad (an item that has forever, and most likely will forever be on my wishlist..). Not only did it make me realize just how much goes in to this beautiful accessory, it made me miss Ireland so much (yes, I know it was in Scotland)! 

This Quote. One of my favorite bloggers, Kerrie at Rarely Taken Seriously, also happens to be one of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow. When she posted this a few days ago, I laughed out loud, because it is so true. The power of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie is real... 

Listening: Blaire Hanks - Take It Away 
Be sure to follow me on Spotify (username: Colleen O'Flynn) and check out my constantly updated monthly playlists! 
Reading: There's Cake In My Future - Kim Gruenenfelder I just finished this last night and immediately downloaded the sequel, which I can't wait to start! This is a really easy beach read type of book, but completely addicting! 
Also, the Kate Spade Friends & Family event started today and ends Sunday! Enter INDULGE at checkout for 25% off your purchase! 
I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for reading!