Awesome & Awkward: Road Trip Edition - Atlanta

Excuse me while I reluctantly get back into my regular routine over here.  Monday morning came way too soon after a fantastic weekend away with

Chelcey

and our dear friends' wedding yesterday evening.  I have a feeling that today will call for more than just my usual morning cup of coffee!  I've got plenty of pictures that I can't wait to share from the trip, but for now let's relive some of our awesome and awkward moments from the last few days.

Awesome:

Chelcey and I both work in the hospitality industry, so we had to take advantage of that employee discount on our hotel obviously!  We had a hotel booked and ready to go, but on the way down we were able to upgrade to a room at the gorgeous Renaissance Hotel in Atlanta!  Even better, we were within a mile radius of Target, a mall, Chipotle, and Pink Berry (which we sadly don't have in Louisville).  That right there is winning at it's finest!  Side note - we got to talking with

Logan Woods

who provided the beautiful floral arrangements for the

Maiedae Mixer

and found out she works in hospitality as well.  Such a small world!

Awkward:

We really didn't know that we would be able to switch hotels until literally the last minute.  I was counting down the time I had left to cancel the original reservation without paying a fee, because I don't do fees.  We were getting closer and closer to Atlanta and actually pulled off at the exit where the first hotel was because we didn't want to drive out of the way if we didn't have to, but then the deal came through!  Not that we couldn't have survived at that hotel, but we were so happy to be closer to the city and a part of all the action!

Awesome:

On our first full day, we ventured over to Lenox Mall for a

little

lot of shopping.  We unintentionally spent the majority of the day there, but it was amazing!  We both wondered why we don't have a mall like this in Louisville because it was so enormous and seemed to go on and on forever, a shopaholic's dream.  Sure the traffic getting there was 1000 times crazier than I'm used to here, but with so much to look at on the drive over it didn't even matter.  The best part?  As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, another person was about to leave and they gave me their spot.  Finding a place to park there was like finding a needle in a haystack as I learned the next day so that was an awesome moment for sure.  Another best part, the cupcake ATM at Sprinkles.  Enough said.

Awkward:

Speaking of the next day, when we went back (don't judge us) I wasn't so lucky right off the bat with finding someone who was leaving.  I went up and down each and every last row until I finally found an open spot!  Victory!  Only, I had to turn down the aisle the wrong way and awkwardly back into the spot, and someone was coming from the other (correct) direction.  They definitely weren't signaling to park though, so I went for it and hoped I wasn't about to start a fight like you see on random YouTube videos.  Thankfully, that didn't happen and we went about our merry way.

Awesome:

As I've shared in earlier posts, I had to pay an astronomical amount of money to have a dress sent to me overnight so that I would have it in time for our event.  Despite my procrastination, I have to say that I absolutely love how my outfit turned out.  Plus, I will take a dress with an elastic waistband over a zip-up dress any day.  Hello comfort!  And Chelcey and I both agreed that we totally love gold now and will probably incorporate it more into our everyday wardrobe.  The Maiedae Mixer was absolutely beautiful and we met so many amazing creatives.  I seriously can't wait until next year.  Oh, and we made it to the mixer right on time, even in Atlanta traffic and stopping to take some pictures at the hotel beforehand when we probably shouldn't have.

Awkward:  

For those pictures, we found a great brick wall for a backdrop and were minding our own business when a group of people came out of the hotel.  One of those boys decided it would be funny to photo-bomb me, and this is the result.  Definitely not a flattering picture of myself, but hilarious nonetheless! 

I'll be sharing photos soon from other fun things we did on the trip, so be sure to check back for that!

xoxo,

Amanda

Transitioning Your Summer Favorites to Fall

This weekend, we finally had that real fall weather where you throw the windows open and let the cool, fresh air in.  In case you were wondering, I freaking loved it.  I've started going through my closet to get rid of old stuff and assess what I have for the coming months, and I got to thinking about how I could make some of my favorite outfits from summer still work for the fall.  Here are five looks I shared this past summer, with key pieces from each transitioned into cooler fall weather.

Peplum Lace Top

I'm not going to lie, this top stayed in my closet for a loooong time before I finally took a plunge and wore it for the first time.  But once I did, I couldn't believe I waited so long!  I think I was scared of the short length because I usually go for flowy and billowy tops, but this is actually very flattering and defines your waist.  For the summer look, I paired this top with sandals and jeans.  For fall, I went with flats and added a  jewel-toned blazer for more warmth.

T-Shirt Dress

When I found these t-shirt dresses at Target, I grabbed a couple of them because I knew I would wear them often.  You can't beat the simplicity.  Plus, I love being able to dress it up with different accessories for a variety of looks.  I actually had a cardigan on in the summer look because my office building is a freezer, but for the fall I added leggings and boots.  PS - black leggings and camel boots are my favorite combo ever.

Chambray Shirt

I've really been into collared shirts.  A lot.  I just love that they look sophisticated but can be dressed down easily so they don't look too stuffy.  Plus, wearing a huge statement necklace with this top is just perfection.  In the summer, I wore this with a yellow polka dot skirt (it was obviously a fave, considering I wore it in our photo shoot!).  For cooler weather, I think this shirt would look great with a maxi skirt, which by the way I just discovered how amazingly comfortable they are.  If you want to feel like you're wearing pajamas all day, then go get you one.

Portifino Shirt

I have a pretty good collection of these shirts at this point, more than one color for each day of the week for sure.  It definitely makes getting dressed in the morning easy and quick if I'm at a loss for what to wear because I just have to pull a basic black skirt or pants and pick a color for the top and I'm good to go.  My summer look showcased just that, with a basic black pencil skirt.  For fall, I changed it up quite a bit and went with jeans, booties, and a polka dot cardigan.  I rock a lot of polka dots, what can I say?  Bonus points if you know who said that quote.

Floral Maxi Dress

When this dress was on the Target instagram, I immediately ran out and found it.  I think everyone else had the same idea because there were only two left on the rack, and thankfully it was meant to be because one of them was my size.  I can't count how many times I wore this over the summer (it was another photo shoot outfit!) because I loved it so much.  And I'm just not ready to give it up, so I added a wrap-style cardigan that had longer layers in the front and cinched it all together with a belt.

I hope you had a fantastic weekend!  And shout out to my lovely sister for coming to take these photos for me, because a tripod or self-timer attempt by myself would probably have been disastrous.  What are some of your favorite ways to transition your wardrobe to fall?

xoxo,

Amanda

The Good, the Bad, and What's Coming

The Good

:

1. I made it into work early, well earlier than usual, every day this week.  It's amazing what setting your alarm back 15 minutes and

actually

getting out of bed when it goes off can do.  Plus, by coming in 30 minutes earlier, I get to leave early too!  Total win-win.

2. Business is booming at Time and Turquoise!  I've been working on custom orders this week and I am so excited about them.  It's amazing how much fun this little hobby of mine has become.  I've got some fun ideas in the works for the upcoming holidays that I cannot wait to create.

3. I was with

Chelcey

when she got some AMAZING news this past weekend about her own Etsy shop.  Head over to her blog to read all about it.  Here's a hint...her prints are now featured in a local boutique here in Louisville.  I am so ecstatic for her!  PS - look at this amazing selection of burlap I found at Hobby Lobby.  I have hearts in my eyes over this for sure.

The Bad:

1. Apparently the entire city of Atlanta is booked solid when it comes to hotels next week.  Well, not technically, but we couldn't find any where we wanted for our trip at the employee rate.  What good is working for a hospitality company if you can't use the discount, right?  We found a great place in Marietta which will be fine, just not what we were hoping for.  We are both still really excited about the trip though!

2. I paid $21 to have a dress sent to me overnight, because as usual, I procrastinated on finding something to wear for the Maidae Mixer.  I did this not once, but twice, and I cringe thinking about it.  The first dress just wasn't the perfect fit, but the second one fit like a glove and I am so looking forward to wearing it.  Details will be shared next week!

3. I had a guy ask for my last name so he could put it in his phone with my number.  Apparently, he had too many Amanda's in his contacts list.  Next.

What's Coming:

1. I've got a whole lot of cleaning and putting away to do around my apartment.  With so many Etsy orders lately, I have supplies strewn about everywhere and it's starting to drive me a little crazy!  I'll probably do an overhaul of my little craft closet nook and re-organize everything.

2. It's going to be a football and brunch kind of Saturday, but not necessarily in that order.  I'll probably get my usual omelet, which is so delicious!

3. My cousin is getting married on Sunday, so that will be a day spent with family and I am so excited to see everyone and celebrate!  Having a reason to put on a pretty dress doesn't hurt either.

I hope you had a fabulous week!  What exciting plans do you have coming up?

xoxo,

Amanda