Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Halloween has been my favorite holiday for the past decade because I love costumes. Oddly enough, I hate all of the scary stuff, but dressing up and going into a sugar coma from all of the candy more than makes up for it. Tonight we're having a little Halloween party at our house to celebrate and passing out candy to the trick or treaters in our neighborhood.

All images via my Pinterest board

Are you a fan of Halloween? How are you spending the spookiest of nights?

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Stripes & Sparkles

Shirt and Blouse - Loft / Jeans - Gap / Flats (similar) - Tory Burch / Bracelet (similar) - BaubleBar

I originally bought this jewel collar oxford back in September, when I commented that I was unsure of it because it was a little big. Well, lo and behold, Loft had another sale (shocker, I know) so I reordered a size down and now the fit is perfect. I also just had to order a few more things when I reordered (you know, for the free shipping!) and ended up picking up this sweatshirt tee. I love that the tee can go super casual for a lazy Sunday, but can also be dressed up a little for the office. I feel like I say this all of the time, but seriously, this may be my new favorite tee. I'm actually wearing it again as I write this (these pictures are from last week), and it's oh so cozy. Sweatshirt tee FTW.

Linking up with Manic Monday, #howifall, Personal Style Monday, What I Wore to Work, Friday Fab Favorites.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

October Budget

So I know I said I was going to try to stay below budget this month, but I'm not sure what happened, because I am waaaaaaay below. I just wasn't very into the shopping thing this month. I was really busy so I didn't hit any stores in person, and all of the online sales just exhausted me. The couple of things I did get I absolutely love - the two striped tops are kind of basics and are something I definitely needed in my closet, and the scarf I basically want to wear every day.

Here's the damage for October:

Loft Striped Zip Shoulder Tee - originally $39.50, on sale $19.75

Target Plaid Scarf - $16.99

Loft Striped Sweatshirt Tee - originally $39.50, on sale $19.75

Total Spent: $56.49

Total Saved: $39.50

I'd say this certainly balances out my overspending in September! Next month, I'm going to try to hold back too since it'll be the start of present season, but I am looking to pick up one of the laptop bags I had my eye on - maybe on Black Friday?

How'd you do this month?

Linking up with Budgeting Bloggers.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Touristing

Tee - Loft / Scarf (similar) - Target / Vest - Old Navy / Jeans - Gap / Sneakers (similar) - Nike / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Watch - Kate Spade

I wore this for our flight and first day in DC. I usually go for comfier outfits when I travel, but I knew we were going to be heading out sightseeing as soon as we go to the city, so I wanted to be ready to go. The vest and scarf (yes, I picked up that scarf) were great for staying cozy on the plane, as well as for the hot in the sun, cold in the shade weather DC was having. The sneakers weren't supposed to be a part of this outfit, but when I went to put on my favorite riding boots, the zipper broke off. I was so sad because I've worn them four or five times a week for the past years. On the bright side, I guess that means it's definitely time to pick up a new pair now! And sneakers ended up being a good choice for the day, between walking through the airport, taking public transit, and walking the length of the mall.

What do you wear when you travel?

Linking up with Style Me Wednesday and Style Sessions.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

This Weekend...

This weekend was a three day trip to DC for a friend's wedding, where I...

... Did the touristy thing and took a walk down the mall. I hadn't been to the city in four or five years, so it was fun to check out the sights again. We also found the MLK memorial which I hadn't seen before and was really cool.
...Stayed in Dupont Circle, which quickly stole my heart. If I were to move to DC and had lots of cash to throw around, that's definitely where I would live! Adorable little boutiques, lines of classic row houses, beautiful tree lined streets, what more do you need? Of course, then I would have to take this terrifying four story escalator down to the train every day...
...Met Jeff's brother for dinner at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe and got to sit outside (something we haven't done in weeks in Chicago!). It's actually half bookstore, half restaurant, which was initially confusing but fun for browsing before dinner. Oh, and dinner? I tried duck cassoulet, and errrhhh me gerdddd it was good.
...Caught up on my Hills gossip with one of Jeff's friends, who was recently a bridesmaid with Jen Bunney. Apparently she's still super upset about the way she was portrayed on the show (and claims to have never hooked up with Brody, for the record ;)
...Went out for a post rehearsal dinner dance party at Diego, where we may have scared the other patrons by how enthusiastic we were when Africa came on.
...Had a big fun boozy brunch with everyone at GBD Chicken & Donuts, where I had an amazing Nutella donut (and I don't even usually like donuts that much) as well as chicken and waffles and  (probably unnecessary) bottomless grapefruit mimosas. Lemme just say, I like the way you DCers do brunch ;)
...Tried out my new clip in hair extensions for the first time and freaking loooove them. They literally made me feel like a different person. I would wear them every day, except that by the end of the night I was dying to take them off, they started to get really heavy.
...Actually, you know, went to the wedding we were in DC for. It was at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, which is a historic old mansion that used to be an embassy. Jeff's friends are basically crazy people on the dance floor, which was perfect for Jeff's and my aggressive dance moves.
...Hit up Bethesda Bagels the morning after for breakfast, and holy moly, the biggest egg sandwich I've ever seen.

I hope you had a good one!

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

A Day Off

Oh hey! Today I'm in DC for a friend's wedding. The last time I was there was the shortest roadtrip ever - my dad, sister, and I drove from Chicago and probably spent more time in the car than we did there. Nonetheless, it was quite an amusing trip and resulted in a lot of inside jokes as well as one particularly odd song about waffles that my dad is now too embarrassed to admit that he wrote. I'm hoping this time to see a few sites but also to experience DC a little more as the locals do.

I hope you have a great weekend!

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Blue & Leopard

Tee (similar) - JCrew Factory / Sweater (similar) - Gap Factory / Scarf (similar) - Sole Society / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Sam Edelman / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Necklace (similar) - Yuni Kelley / Watch - Kate Spade

I have the writer's block, and am getting ready to fly off to DC for the weekend, so I'll leave it at this for today.  C'est la vie ;)

Enjoy your Thursday!

Linking up with Friday Fab Favorites.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Lappy Top

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

I'm currently on the hunt for a bag to carry my work laptop in. It's a 15 inch Macbook, which doesn't sound huge, but it's massive in comparison to my 13 inch and just barely squishes into the bag I've carried for the last four years. I can't decide what would be best - going for a cute tote, or looking for a laptop-specific bag. One of my friends said she's throwing in the towel on totes because her laptop always makes them tip over, and is going to get a men's messenger-style leather bag instead. I'm not in that serious of an industry, so I could always go for something fun like this flowered laptop bag instead. Even though the laptop bags are more practical, it really is that Rebecca Minkoff bag that is calling to me.  Which would you choose?

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Stripes & Vest

Tee and Jeans - Loft / Vest - Old Navy / Shoes (similar) - Madewell / Necklace - c/o Lovelywholesale.com / Bracelet - Michael Kors

This vest is seriously my new favorite. I had considered buying something similar for a while, but I wasn't sure I would actually wear it so I kept holding off. I was definitely wrong. It seems to go with everything (except for when I tried to pair it with an orange sweater and black leggings - pumpkin is not a good look) and adds an extra layer of warmth in the new office, which always seems to be about five degrees colder than I would like despite the fact that I bump up the thermostat whenever I get the chance. So I hope you like it too, because it's going to be showing up on KDTI a lot ;)

Linking up with Random Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday and Style Sessions.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

This weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went down to Springfield for Jeff's cousin's wedding.  We were planning on just driving in on Saturday, but then realized that the wedding started at 2 and it's a pretty long drive, so we ended up heading in on Friday night instead.  It was nice to have the extra time to spend with Jeff's family, and nice to have some built in time for emergency shopping.  I realized on the way down that I had forgotten my strapless bra and had to make a run to Macys.  Emergency bra shopping is basically my worst nightmare because A) strapless bras are the worst, and B) my size is basically impossible to find.  There was one in the store that was close to my size, so I made do.

The wedding itself was really fun and beautiful. I've never been to one with Jeff's family before and I loved hitting the dance floor with them and playing in the photo booth (Snoop Dog? Lion? did a little photo bomb). I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before, but the word I would most use to describe Jeff's and my dancing style is "aggressive," and we were in true form.  I somehow managed to seriously smash up my toe and literally got my heel stuck around the photographer's leg - she kept a much wider berth after that. So all and all, I would say a fairly successful weekend.

I hope you had a good one!

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

The Friday of Halloweens Past

This weekend I had to finish my Halloween costume since I'm traveling the next two weekends for weddings, and while digging through my costume dresser (what, do other people not have an entire dresser devoted to costumes?) I was reminded of some of my favorite Halloween costumes of the past couple of years.  Here are some of my favorites:

Holly Golightly

Loofah

Tiger

Clue

Wendy from Peter Pan

Carebear

What's been your favorite Halloween costume?  Are you dressing up this year?

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Plaid + Vest

Shirt (similar) and Necklace - JCrew Factory / Vest - Old Navy / Jeans - Loft / Boots - Bandolino / Bracelet - Michael Kors / Watch - Kate Spade

Want to place bets on which outfit you're most likely to run into me wearing?  It's definitely this.  I've worn this exact combo an embarrassing number of times over the past couple of weeks. It seems like the perfect mix of fall outdoorsy clothes without actually looking like I'm heading to the duck blind for the day. Although, considering how delicious the duck was a friend cooked for me last weekend (while I was wearing this exact outfit, no less), I'm kind of wishing I had a duck hunting hookup. Or at least more friends who are willing to make me duck at the drop of a hat.

What's your favorite fall outfit?

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

Easy DIY Art

My little sister just bought a new house (she's more of a grownup than me) and after seeing the couple of pieces I made for my new gallery wall, she requested I make some things for her new place.

The first thing I wanted to make was this easy color-blocked painting, which literally took just 20 minutes.

First, I laid out a little grid with some washi tape.  I started by measuring out thing to make sure everything was straight, and then decided that was far too much work and just eyeballed things instead.

Next I mixed up a couple different shades of pink/red, making sure that I would have enough to cover the whole canvas so I wouldn't have to remix the colors halfway through and not get a perfect match.  I then randomly painted different squares, leaving a couple white.

After letting things dry for about 20 minutes, I peeled off the tape, and voila!  A painting!

I'm excited to have an excuse to make a few more things for her, I'll share them as I go!

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!

White Button Down

Shirt - Ann Taylor / Blazer - JCrew / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Tahari (similar) / Necklace - Baublebar / Watch - Kate Spade

I don't know how I went so long without this closet staple. This is the first white button down I've owned since maybe middle school, when we were required to wear them for our orchestra concerts (I played violin), and because of that they always felt very "uniform-y" to me. How wrong I was. I've been loving how versatile this shirt is, and have been wearing it with my blazer, layered, and with skirts and pants.

Do you own a white button button down?  How do you wear it?

Linking up with What I Wore to Work, Random Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday and Style Sessions.

Follow along with everything Kristina does via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin!