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Lotta from Stockholm

    Outfit

    Shades of Brown

    November 24, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Oversized Sweater
    Striped Top (Old)
    H&M Skirt (Old)
    Target Opaque Tights
    Lotta from Stockholm Peep toe Clogs in Tan
    In case you haven’t noticed, I dyed my hair darker over the weekend. I was trying to go back to my original dark brown hair color, but it ended up almost looking jet black. I still like it, though. However, it’s definitely going to take me so me time to get used to this change in my physical appearance. I find myself not recognizing the girl that I see in the mirror, and I’ve been having to think more about what I wear, since I can easily end up looking “goth” if I don’t add in enough color to my outfit. On this particular day, I was going to wear a black top, but realized that my hair blended right into it. Instead, I decided to wear shades of brown in order to add some contrast between my hair and my clothes. The good thing about having darker hair is that I can wear yellow/gold again, which I really couldn’t do when my hair was lighter.
    This weekend was good, even though all I did was study, bake and sleep. I really needed time to myself, especially since I was feeling a bit overwhelmed last week. I can be kind of introverted at times, and I was just not feeling being around other people. It also doesn’t help that I’m stressed about taking the GRE on Tuesday. The good thing is that I’m learning how to check in with myself, and give myself the time and space that I need to get back to feeling my best. On the day that I was feeling the worst, I actually ended up taking an afternoon off from work and hanging out with my friend Anita, who was visiting from China. Being outside and hanging out with a friend helped to put me at ease and made me feel more positive. Speaking of listening to your body and mind, I think mine are telling me that I am going to need to schedule a getaway sometime in the next year, especially if I want to retain my sanity. We’ll see where I end up!
    As always, I hope that you had a fantastic weekend! Thank you so much for stopping by.
    xoxo,
    Helen
    Outfit

    Red Shift Dress

    September 10, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Shopruche Ikat Print Dress
    Lotta from Stockholm Peeptoe Clogs
    Target Belt
    Madewell Leather Bag
    Forever 21 Sunglasses
    I’ve been wearing this shift dress at least once a week, ever since I bought from Ruche about a year ago. I love the Ikat print and hints of teal throughout the fabric, and it’s just one of those pieces that I can just throw on whenever I can’t think of anything else to wear. That’s the great thing about a good dress, it makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier!
    As always, I’m already ready for the weekend! This past weekend was so fun and productive for me, and I’m hoping to keep the momentum going. As you may already know, one of my goals is to learn how to sew so that I can make some of my own clothes. This past weekend I made a good amount of progress on a skirt that I’m making–with a lot of help from my Mom, of course. She is crazy good at sewing, and is even teaching me how to sew without having to use patterns. However, I’m sure it will be a while before I get to the point where I’m that good of a seamstress, that I can just look at a piece of fabric and cut out any shape that I want. For now, I just want to focus on finishing that skirt! I guess I’ll just have to wait a few more days for that.
    xoxo
    Helen Grace
    Outfit

    September Goals

    September 1, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Crocheted Top (Handmade by my Grandmother)
    Asos Tank Top
    Old Navy Black Skater Skirt
    Lotta from Stockholm Peeptoe Clogs in Tan
    Madewell Black Leather Bag

    It’s been so hot lately that I struggle with deciding what to wear because, honestly, all I want to do is lay around in my bathing suit all day. Since I can’t do that, I’ve definitely have a couple of warm-weather pieces that I’ve been religiously wearing all summer. This black skater skirt has become one of my go-to pieces because it’s very light and it goes well with most of my summer tops. This weekend I wore it with this crocheted top that my grandmother made for me a while back; the open stitches are perfect for when you’re trying to beat the heat.

    I can’t believe that it’s September already, and another month has come and gone. I want to start off this month by establishing some monthly goals. The reason that I want to do that is because I always have all of these long-term goals, but I hardly ever stop to think of what it is that I can accomplish at the moment. I’m also hoping that setting short-term goals will enable me to reflect on my immediate needs and priorities. That being said, these are some goals that I want to work towards accomplishing during this month:

    • Last week I blogged about how I’ve been toying with the idea of giving up shopping for a couple of months, and focus on making on my own clothes instead. Well, I’ve decided to take on that challenge for the next six months. I want to do this because it will help me work towards becoming less materialistic, which is something that I struggle with when I’m under stress; I always have this idea in my head that a new top or dress will solve all of my problems. It will also help me cultivate my creativity and improve my sewing skills, so that I can finally move past only making things that are square-shaped such as tote bags, pillows, etc. Plus, almost everybody in my family has amazing sewing skills, so I feel the pressure to also perfect that skill.
    • This month, I also want to start working towards being less of a perfectionist and people pleaser. Over the years, I’ve made a great amount of progress in this area of my life and I’ve started to learn how to roll with the punches whenever something unexpected comes my way. However, I still struggle with self-doubt and feeling guilty for doing things simply because they make me happy. Since I’m currently working on several long-term goals, I want to make sure that I’m in the right state of mind and am able to be my own cheerleader whenever a challenge comes my way. I have to remember that I need to do what’s best for me, and not let other people’s perspective affect my decisions.
    • Although  I want to be less of a perfectionist, I realize there are certain responsibilities that I tend to completely ignore. Therefore, I want to become more organized to ensure that I’m making progress towards my goals. So what I’m saying is that starting this month, I have to stop procrastinating on studying for the GRE.
    • I also want to set the goal to read more often. Since I was an English and Spanish major in college, I used to read 4-6 books a week, and completely gave up watching television during that time. Nowadays, I spend most of my time online and watching television, because it’s so much easier to find the energy to do those things when I come home from work. However, I miss learning and want to make that a priority in my life again.
    That’s it for my September goals. I’m hoping that keeping the practice of implementing short-term goals will help me learn how to better live in the moment, and give me a better sense of accomplishment. Do you all have any monthly or day-to-day goals? How do you manage to stick to your goals?
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace—

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