2014 in review

Holy cow, I can't believe tonight is New Year's Eve and 2014 is about to be over. This year flew by, but it certainly had its highlights: turning 24, getting a new job, being a part of one of my best friends' weddings in Colorado, visiting St. Augustine, visiting Michigan (and getting to take one of my good friends' engagement photos!), and a whole lot of wedding planning. And now the wedding is five months away! I already have so much to look forward to in 2015, and I have so many plans & goals.

But first, my top 10 outfits from 2014:

  double dots   the swishiest of skirts.   cats & dots.   Easter best   easy summer day   navy & red   polka dots & pants   bohemian like you   velvet & skulls   firsts & lasts Hope you all have a fun & safe new year!

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eShakti Dress Review

I hope everyone had a great holiday! Today I'm partnering with the lovely folks at eShakti who generously sent me this lovely dress! eShakti has a great selection of dresses, tops, and skirts for women of all sizes—the great part is that each garment is fully customizable and available in sizes from 0 to 36.

I selected this Cotton Poplin A-line Shirtdress in black, with three quarter length sleeves and knee length—a very versatile dress that I knew I would wear a lot and be able to re-style in a lot of different ways (and currently on sale!).

Photos by my fiancee.

What I'm wearing:

Dress: c/o eShakti (link)

Belt: Oasis

Scarf: Urban Outfitters

Tights: Target

Boots: Crown Vintage via DSW

Bracelet: vintage

Since each dress is tailored to your measurements, it's really important to be honest with yourself about your current measurements, and to keep in mind a lot of styles are pretty fitted. I don't think I was really honest with myself about my current measurements, so this is much more fitted than I would typically wear. (And buttons are not great for hiding ones bustiness.)

It's so hard to find quality-made, non-polyester dresses in realistic sizes, so I think eShakti's mission is really refreshing—and there's already a few other dresses I have my eye on! And their styles are retro-inspired but still wearable on an everyday basis, which is great, and easy to dress up or down.

The lovely background is courtesy of my parents house, which we went to this past Saturday for a belated Christmas, which was great. The weather was great too—I would like the whole winter to be a nice 55 degrees.

If you're looking for some great dresses, tops or skirts in all sizes, check out eShakti! From now through January 30th, use the coupon code tulleandcombatboots to receive 10% off of your order!

(Excludes clearance & sale items; enter in the promotional code box; can be used with other offers for an unlimited amount of times through 1/30/15).

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Thank you to eShakti for providing me with this dress. All opinions are my own and no affiliate links are contained within this post.

reds + grays.

More of a festive work outfit for today...

What I'm wearing:

Blazer: Target

Top: H&M (old)

Skirt: American Apparel (old)

Tights: Target

Shoes: Frye (gift)

Necklace: Target

I don't wear these oxfords nearly enough, but the holidays are the perfect time to break them out since they're such a nice red. It's also nice to see my co-workers start dressing festively when it gets close to the holidays—lots of reds and sweaters. Do you guys notice that?

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blush + polka dot roses.

Three days until Christmas, aaah! Unfortunately I don't have any holiday looks to post this week because I was sick all last week with an awful cold so I missed the two holiday parties I had cute outfits planned for. Being sick is the worst. (Although I guess this outfit could work for holiday parties.)

So, a work outfit from before I got sick!

What I'm wearing:

Sweater: Old Navy (other colors available)

Blouse: Ann Taylor (gift)

Skirt: ModCloth

Tights: Target

Boots: DSW

Necklace: Pretty People Vintage (now closed)

I was really pleased with how this outfit turned out, I just wish I had gotten better photos of it—taking photos inside is so hit or miss for me. But my cat decided to make an appearance! He's always fascinated by my photo taking, haha. 

Also, whenever I can pull my hair back like this I know it's time for a haircut.

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Holiday Gifts from UncommonGoods

I'm usually not one for gift guides, but 'tis the season and Uncommon Goods has a ton of great options for gifts! I love Uncommon Goods because they have some really great, unique products, all direct from the artists—half of all of their products are made by hand, which is amazing. They even feature Studio Tours where you can get a peek inside the workspace of the artist who made the product.

One of my favorite things that they feature are their Design Challenges, where you can participate with the community and create new products and designs.

Christmas is exactly one week away (!) so if you haven't bought gifts for everyone on your list, here are some great last minute ideas!

1. Ticket Stub Diary / $12

A great gift for anyone who loves going to concerts or plays!

2. Salts of the World / $40

Perfect for your favorite cook or foodie.

3. Beer Pop Chart / $35

I definitely know some dudes who would love to have this framed & on their wall!

4. Mixtape Glasses / $50

These are perfect for parties since you can write on them!

5. Grilllight Spatula / $29.95

This is genius for late night grilling (I'll take one please!).

Check out more gifts for men here!

1. Seasons Terrarium Necklaces / $85-$95

I love terrariums, and these necklaces are just gorgeous!

2. Hand of Buddha Jewelry Holder / $35

A beautifully carved jewelry holder, perfect for any jewelry loving lady.

3. Parchment Blossom Earrings / $40

So delicate & elegant—great for anyone who loves dangly earrings.

4. Agate Coasters / $64

Simply gorgeous and a perfect gift for the hostess.

5. Tea To Go / $35

For the tea lover—I know so many people who would love this!

Check out more gifts for women here!

1. 2015 Bubble Calendar / $25

Guys, it's a bubble wrap calendar! So awesome.

2. Gummy Bear Lights / $27.99

Quirky housewares are the best, and these gummy bear lights are adorable (and come in so many colors!)

3. Caterpillar Bud Vase / $20-$38

This is perfect for anyone who loves keeping fresh flowers around the house.

4. Record Coasters / $18

Retro awesomeness—another great host gift!

5. Coffee Explorer Set / $13

For your favorite coffee snob: a set of four single origin coffees from around the world.

Check out more great stocking stuffers here!

If you're in need of last minute Christmas gifts, ideas for next year, or birthday gifts, definitely check out everything Uncommon Goods has to offer—they have an amazing selection of handmade and thoughtful gifts for everyone. 

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Thank you to Uncommon Goods for sponsoring this post. 
All opinions are my own. No affiliate links are contained within this post.

restrictions.

Guys, Christmas is less than two weeks away! Aah! I spent two hours yesterday wrapping presents and finally got the majority of all the boxes off of our dining room table. It's crazy, it feels like it was just Thanksgiving.

What I'm wearing:

Top: Boden (gift)

Sweater: Nordstrom Rack

Skirt: ThredUp (brand is Merona)

Tights: Target

Wedges: Nordstrom Rack

Earrings: gift

I love the look of this skirt, but it is cut like a '50s style wiggle skirt and let's just say my movement is pretty restricted. But it's a classic style in a great color for fall (and it was only $8 if I remember correctly!). And can somebody make something that erases the skirt wrinkles that are inevitable when you work at a desk for 8 hours? Please?

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lots of colors on a dreary day.

Happy Friday! No Five Photo Friday this week, but another outfit post!

What I'm wearing:

Dress: Cynthia Rowley via Marshalls

Belt: Threadsense (I think? So old)

Tights: Target

Shoes: ModCloth, gift from Hannah

Earrings: vintage

Scarf: gift

Blazer: Target

Lipstick: NYX Matte Lipstick in Temptress

I decided to wear a lot of color on the same day because well, I needed it. It's nice to add some color when everything's really gray outside (thankfully our office has big pops of orange with the grey inside!). I also hadn't worn this dress in way too long, and it's thick enough for fall/winter so it needed more use!

Have a great weekend!

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neutrals + an octopus.

For some reason I've been really inspired with planning outfits lately (yay!) so I've got a bit of a photo backlog going, which is nice. Here's a work outfit from last week—I actually wore this on Friday, which is typically a casual day, but meh.

What I'm wearing:

Shirt: Gap (old)

Dress: Old Navy (similar on sale)

Tights: Target

Belt: Francesca's Collections

Boots: Crown Vintage via DSW

Necklace: Annie Creamcheese (now closed)

All neutrals but it works. Plus, it matches the extremely grey weather we've been having lately. It is way too cold around here. I'm craving spring and winter only just started (sobs quietly).

Also I didn't get a good closeup of it, but my necklace is an octopus (or Cthulu, depending on which one of my friends you ask)! I think I'm pretty close to having a zoo of animal necklaces.

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red, polka dots & slightly festive.

This is definitely a holiday party friendly outfit, but I actually wore this to a family lunch & then dinner with friends later.

What I'm wearing:

Cardigan: Target

Dress: H&M

Leggings: Old Navy

Boots: Hush Puppies via DSW

Necklace: vintage

Belt: Francesca's

In the past couple months I've had trouble going into H&M and not buying anything, but I'm really glad I got this dress because the fit is great, it has 3/4 sleeves, and it's a decent length. I also impulse purchased this belt but it's so cute and makes an outfit just a little bit fancier.

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firsts & lasts.

Accidental two week hiatus! The week of Thanksgiving was so busy that blogging just wasn't going to happen, and last week just flew by before I knew it.

So, outfit time!

Photos by Hannah.

What I'm wearing:

Jacket: Urban Outfitters (old)
Scarf: Etsy (shop now closed)

T-shirt: thrifted

Skirt: Old Navy via ThredUp

Belt: Target

Boots: Etienne Agnier (gift)

Necklace: gift from Hannah

Earrings: Madewell

Bag: Old Navy

This is my first ever maxi skirt! I finally found one that doesn't make me look too short and isn't too tight or weirdly cut. I got it on ThredUp, which I'm kind of obsessed with—it's an online consignment store where you can send in good quality, lightly used clothing for store credit or a payout, and you can get great deals on clothes. I've been placing a few orders to take advantage of my store credit (and my consignment item just sold so that means more store credit!).

Anyways, I wore this outfit for a day out in Georgetown with Hannah (before she moves away), and we had our last (well, last while she's a DC resident) Baked & Wired date, followed by some very successful shopping.

And how cool is this big metal tree in the background?! There's lights all over it for the season & it looks awesome.

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