Domain issues.

Hi guys...someone bought my blog domain when it expired (yes, I'm dumb and missed the date to re-new it). So the blog at wardrobesandwhimsy.com isn't me. I am probably going to start up a new blog at a new domain soon and put this whole domain nonsense behind me. It is frustrating though, because I'm sure a lot of people think that's my blog!

Milton, Demander of Cuddles.

In an effort to make my blog more about my life, as I mentioned in this post, here's a little post about my Milton. I haven't really talked about him that much since he was a puppy, but these days he has such a little personality. I can't even believe it but it's almost his first birthday!

I have never known such a cuddly dog. He always wants to be near someone, to be touched and paid attention to. And if you DON'T pay attention to him, he'll lift his paw up and place it on your leg and stare at you until you notice him. And if you DO pay attention to him he will eventually climb up in your lap. He might do it slowly, as if he thinks he's being sneaky. Or he might just jump up in one quick leap and settle down. He is SO demanding of love and attention. He recently lifted his paw up and closed my laptop because I was ignoring him while on my computer. How funny is that?

He also loves to get underneath the covers on the bed. He will often lift them with his nose and then turn around and look at me. It's his way of asking me to hold them up so he can burrow underneath.

Even though he's getting bigger and older he's still the cutest, most loving little pup I've ever known. And he still has innocent little puppy facial expressions. I just love him.

Well, I wore this.

Cardigan, scarf - Target; Top - J. Crew; Jeans - American Eagle; Boots - Arturo Chiang

I took these photos about a week ago but didn't get around to posting them because I was really unhappy with how they turned out. I'm mad at myself for not learning more about my camera and spending more time improving my shots, experimenting with the manual settings, etc. (Although it is hard to be motivated to fiddle with the camera nonstop when it is freeeeezing out and you're losing feeling in your fingers.) But anyways, I ordered a how-to book on my camera this week, so I'm hoping that will help/motivate me. If anyone knows of any good guides online for DSLRs (especially Canons) I'd love to see those too!

Some news I forgot. And some advice I need.

Guess where I'm going on spring break?

All images via weheartit

Yep, I'm NYC bound for the first time ever. I'm doing undergraduate research on Japanese kimonos and heading to all the museums to check out Japanese exhibits. But I'll have lots of time to check out other stuff as well...since I've never been before, I'd love advice from any of you who are familiar with the city! Good places to see/eat/stay/shop or any other hints. Plus I will probably be flying for the first time too so if you have any flying tips that'd be helpful too! And if any of you are NYC residents or happen to be going at the same time let me know and perhaps we could meet.

Happy Birthday to my Blog!

all images via weheartit

Well, my blog is one year old today! I don't have much to say as I really didn't blog the whole year...but thanks to everyone who takes the time to visit, comment, etc. I am so glad I started blogging because of the wonderful connections I've made with so many genuine, smart, funny girls who share my interests. This year, I learned that life is too busy for blogging to be my number one priority and probably always will be. I learned that I don't want to focus on whether or not my blog is "successful" but rather on making connections with people through blogging and sharing my life and personal style (whenever it's convenient for me). I'm happy with what my blog has become and where it is now, and I look forward to another year of blogging and getting to know all of you better!

Good Intentions

I had good intentions for this day. And this outfit. And this post. But nothing turned out as I planned. I was going to be really productive today. I was going to clean my apartment and run all sorts of errands. I was going to wear a cute outfit which involved a skirt and a lacy floral top and my new knee high boots. I was going to spend lots of time messing around with the manual settings on my camera and take really great photos for my blog. But none of this happened. I woke up and saw that it was dreary and grey outside. And for the third day in a row, some sort of cold/allergy/sinus monster continued to inhabit my head, leaving me all stuffy with a headache and a sore throat. I did my best, but I couldn't resist the urge to wear jeans and put my hair up. (And I definitely didn't clean my apartment.)

Cardigan - Old Navy; Shirt - Urban Outfitters; Jeans - American Eagle; Boots - Arturo Chiang

In other news, my mom and I went to the thrift store this evening and I found SEVEN amazing sweaters. Super exciting, as I actually don't have many sweaters in my wardrobe. Hooray for warmth on a budget.

P.S. You can't really tell, but my earrings are little gold owls. In case you were wondering...

My New Year's Eve

Last night, something glorious happened. Something I've been waiting on for quite a while. My brand new MacBook Pro arrived!

This photo was taken before I went out and bought a pretty magenta cover to protect it from scratches and such. I'd show you a picture of it with the case but it's easier to just Google the case I bought...

There! Although it looks slightly more pinkish in real life.

Anywhooo. I'm quite excited about that. Also, today is my first day off work since Christmas! Danny and I were going to go see a matinee of Black Swan but decided to take the dogs for a walk instead since it's 50 degrees out today. Weird, since there was a foot of snow less than a week ago. Anyways, we went to a pretty lake nearby.

I asked Danny to snap some outfit-ish photos but they're not very detailed. I wish you could see my lovely Christmas boots! They were a gift from my parents (as was the red cardigan). I am quite smitten with both pieces and will probably be wearing the heck out of them until spring arrives.

Then we headed to Starbucks and sat outside with the pups.

And now I'm going to attempt to clean up this ridiculously messy apartment and then get ready to go see Black Swan this evening.

As for New Year's...I don't have any exciting plans. I actually have to work early in the morning so I might not even stay up to watch the ball drop. (I'm just TOO exciting, right?!) But if I do, rest assured I'll be watching Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. They are two of my favorite people in the whole world. Seriously. I hope they have a New Year's show for the rest of forever. So funny. Oh, but you know what 2011 means? New planner!

Yes, in a world of endless technology I still rely on/love my paper planner. And 2011's has cute colorful owls on it. Another great Christmas gift from my parents. Hope you all have a fun New Year's!

P.S. Hey, Mac users...any tips/advice regarding my latest purchase? This is my very first Mac so I'm learning lots! Any app recommendations or tips on how to do things that are done differently on a PC would be appreciated. Thanks!

It's official.

I miss blogging.

And I think I want to start again.

But I want it to be different this time. I think I'll try to post...maybe once a week. And it'll be less about outfits and more just about me and documenting my life/thoughts/etc. I've had a fancy camera since summer and I'm giddy over a brand new computer that's making its way through the mail to me...and it seems silly to me to have these things and not use them for blogging. And I really miss the blogging community. And I miss having a blog as a sort of digital scrapbook/journal.

I really don't like or make New Year's resolutions. I think it's kind of silly. You can and should change your life/behavior/whatever whenever you feel like it. But the timing is right, so whatever. I guess getting back to blogging regularly is my resolution.

So, I guess I'll start by catching you up on what I've been up to for the past few months.

In late summer I went to Charleston with my parents...

I visited the ocean...

Smoked my first cigar with my Dad (and no, neither of us are drunk in this photo)...

I stood on some steps...

And ate the best meal ever. Salmon on grits with cheese sauce on top. I've had this meal about four times...it alone is worth the three hour drive to Charleston. Yum.

After that, I went to the fair...

And ate greasy fair food.

I transferred to a different college...

And went exploring for pretty places there.

Meanwhile, the puppies grew...

And grew...

And grew...

And they saw their first snow...

Milton and I visited my parents for Christmas...

My Dad made beignets for breakfast...

And then it snowed...

And it snowed some more...

How were your holidays?

Fall Wishlist

Ah, the lovely weeks between summer and fall. Isn't this the best time of year? The weather is so perfect. This time of year (and every seasonal transition actually...) always makes me want to shop for things for the upcoming season. For fall I really want some new cardigans and sweaters and some OTK socks. And some riding boots! (Though I'm yet to find any within my budget.)

Fall Wishlist by wardrobewhimsy featuring frye boots

-60% Lyndie cardigan ecru, 639 DKK

Bestie Cardigan in Cherry, $50

J. Crew Katelyn Ruffle Cardigan, $78

【ELLE SHOP】イリアンローヴ｜オポッサム　ホールガーメントカーディガン　　｜ファッション通販 エル・ショップ, 22,050 JPY

Womens's NEW ARRIVALS - sweaters - Twin-Button Cardigan - Madewell1937, $68

MERINO ROLL SLEEVE PULLOVER, 95 GBP

Leopard Over the Knee Sock, $14

Nordstrom Over the Knee Socks, $12

Ribbed Modal Over-the-Knee Sock, $13

FRYE Women's Elizabeth Criss Cross Boot, $648

Corso Como Women's San Jose Riding Boot, $214

Dior Amazone Flat Boot, $1,090

RALPH LAUREN SERANA BROWN LEATHER 1823902, 384 GBP

Cole Haan Women's Air Oleanna Riding Boot, $448

On blogging (or a lack thereof).

It's no secret that blogging is currently my last priority. As much as I hate to say that and miss being a part of the blogging world on a daily basis, I'm really enjoying my life and the other priorities I'm focusing on. I just transferred to a new school to study Fashion and Interior Merchandising, a move I've been looking forward to and anticipating for almost a year. Now that I'm finally there and in my classes, I'm really loving it. For the first time, I really actively enjoy school. It challenges me and interests me - and I doubt that most people ever get to feel that way. Maybe the newness will wear off and school will just be school again, but right now it's my number one priority and I'm really enjoying it. I'm also working during school for the first time since I've started college, so balancing my time is difficult right now and frequent blogging just isn't possible for me. I don't plan on shutting down my blog because I still plan on posting sporadically and I still try to read and comment on your blogs occasionally. Thanks to everyone who cares enough to read this. I promise to still post every once in a while. And if you just want to keep up with me (sans outfits) I tweet quite often.

P.S. Can I just say that I'm insanely jealous of/excited for those of you who are going to NYFW?! I can't wait to read all your posts and live vicariously through you. I really REALLY want to try and go next time and hopefully meet lots of you. Have fun, ladies!

Edit: I don't mean to imply that I don't enjoy or care about blogging anymore. I really miss blogging and the sense of the community that I felt communicating with so many of you on a regular basis. I simply mean to say that I'm at a point in my life where it has to be put on hold for a while. As of now, I plan to blog indefinitely; I'm sure many times in my life will be similar to this, but I hope that I will be able to blog frequently for much of my life as well.

DesignerApparel.com Ring Giveaway! -- CLOSED

DesignerApparel.com has offered to do a great giveaway for my readers! You should check out their website, it's a shopping search engine that carries lots of different brands and designers like Nic and Zoe, Eileen Fisher and Betsey Johnson.

They're offering to giveaway this beautiful ring to one of my readers!


To enter, just leave a comment with your name and an e-mail address if I can't get in touch with you through your blog. This contest will close at midnight on Monday 8/2. Only one entry per person.

Shabby Apple Dress Review

The lovely folks at the online shop Shabby Apple recently sent me this adorable dress for review!

Hat - thrifted; Necklace - Forever 21; Sandals - Urban Outfitters

I had so much fun styling it - I love the stripes and the little pockets. My only complaint about this dress would be that it's a bit longer than I'd like. I pinned it up for these photos and I will probably hem it. Otherwise - perfect! I love the sleeves too, they'll make for an easy transition to fall. Thanks, Shabby Apple!