Crisp Leaves and Chai Tea

My Autumn style board on Pinterest, "Crisp Leaves and Chai Tea" was featured for Independent Fashion Blogger project this week! Go check it out, as well as the other featured boards and entries.

My Favorites 

1. Fifi Tesi's Fall Fest

2. Maya Bogaert's Autumn Arrives Early in the Morning

3. Toronto Shopoholic's Fall Style Inspiration

4. Joanna Suhayda's ~The Autumn Leaves~

5. Simply Kim's It Must Be Fall 

Have a Pinterest account? Leave it in the comments, I'd love to check it out! 

October Activity Ideas

It's a little over a week into October and the romanticism of Fall hasn't worn off for me yet. This is probably one of my favorite months just for the pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween party-planning and the warm fuzzy feeling of a thick sweater. I'd thought I would share some of my ideas for getting into the spirit of the season.

Get Creative With Pumpkins

If you're more of a traditionalist you could certainly go with the tried and true carving, but there are tons of other awesome things you can do with pumpkins to decorate for October. I bought a couple of mini-pumpkins for $1 each at the grocery store and painted them to match my room's color scheme. Check out Pinterest for more ideas. Here are a couple boards I like to get you started: {1, 2, 3, 4}

{Pcture of my pumpkins via Instagram}

Visit a Haunted House

Halloween is obviously the best holiday (if you think otherwise, you're dong it wrong) and half the fun of Halloween is getting scared. I went to The Burial Chamber in Neenah with my friends last weekend. Keep in mind that it's more fun if you get into it, no one likes the guy who tries to act all cool by not being scared! 

Make a DIY Halloween Costume

It's always way more impressive to make your own costume than to buy a prepackaged sexy what-have-you to toss on the night of. That isn't to say you can't be sexy on Halloween, go for it! Just that it's even sexier when you made it on your own, plus it's a great conversation topic at parties. 

Fill Holes in Your Fall/Winter Wardrobe  

Every year I inevitably find myself missing  something that would have made the transition to cooler (and eventually freezing) weather much easier. This morning for example, I realized how much I would like to own a nice pair of thick knit socks. Now is the time to start shopping for those missing pieces (think scarves, boots, leggings, mittens, etc.) so that you're not without when the weather starts to really get cold.

Decorate with Candles

Candles no longer being considered contraband is one of my favorite things about escaping dorm life and I've gone a little bit crazy with them in my apartment. I usually unwind at night by lighting a few pumpkin spice candles and sipping a cup of chai tea, very cozy!

{Pumpkin spice candles via Instagram}

Read a Book Under a Tree

Enjoy the outdoors for a little while before it becomes too cold (I live in Wisconsin, this will be any day now.) On a warmer day, go outside and curl up under a tree on a pile of leaves, maybe even drink some tea. Take in the gorgeous colors and crisp feeling of Fall while you still can!

Do you have any other ideas for fun things to do in October? Tell me in the comments! 

Autumn Style Wishlist

Silk Pussybow Blouse

I used to avoid blouses like the plague, I thought that billowy look tended to make me appear shapeless and bigger than I actually am. I've since discovered ways to style them that don't hide my curves, and pairing them with a full skirt is both romantic and classy. Still missing from my wardrobe however, is a pretty and versatile silk blouse like this Vivienne Westwood piece. 

Oxblood Skirt

Oxblood is understandably a popular color for Fall this year, I like the dark vamp-y vibe it gives off. I could see it being understated paired with a cream colored top (like the blouse) or made edgier with some leopard print. 

Tweed Pants

For those days when I don't feel like wearing a skirt, it would be great to have something to fall back on outside of the basic dark wash skinny jeans. Playing with texture is one of my favorite aspects of Fall fashion, and tweed really stands out around this time of year. 

Black Riding Boots

Bane of my existence. I have wide-calves, so for the last two years I have failed to find the perfect pair of riding boots. Even if they do manage to close all the way I either won't like the heel height or the hardware or something will prevent me from purchasing them. Not this year I tell you, I am a girl on a mission and I will scour every inch of every store that may even have the slightest chance of carrying boots to find a pair that works for me. 

Baroque Earrings

Baroque details are another trend that I love this season -- but unfortunately a lot of the pieces available tend to be a bit pricier. I think some jewelry inspired by the trend would be a great way to incorporate it into an outfit without breaking the bank. 

Fur Scarf

I already bought a fur infinity scarf from Target and I love it. It's a brownish color though, so it only matches one of my fall coats. I'd like to get a black one as well for more versatility. 

Felt Brimmed Hat

Cute and functional for adding just a tiny bit of warmth on crisp Fall days. I have a love-hate relationship with brimmed hats, I've noticed that they tend to cast weird shadows on my face but I'd like to be able to find a nice one in a dark hue. 

Dark Bow Belt

Emphasizing my waist is one of my number one goals when I put together an outfit, so it never hurts to have as many belts as possible. I could definitely use a few more in Fall appropriate colors, and of course bows are always adorable. 

Houndstooth Bag

This exact bag is actually at my local T.J Maxx and for some reason I keep not buying it when I very clearly have a strong desire to own it. In fact, I'm probably going to have to take a trip over there today and keep my fingers crossed that it's still there. 

Cozy Socks and Gloves

October is one of those weird months where you're not quite sure how many layers you're going to need. You could be perfectly comfortable with a cardigan or you might need to break out the winter coat. Having a few small but cozy knit accessories like socks and gloves to break out in a pinch definitely helps to keep yourself at a comfortable temperature, and I'm unfortunately lacking in this department. 

I'm going to go shopping this weekend to try to pick up some of my essentials and shall report back with my findings! 

What are you in dire need of this season? Tell me in the comments! 

October! Also, updates.

 Hello everyone!

Things have been slow going on this end. Though post ideas were flowing all through out September, I was hesitant to actually post anything because I've noticed my idea for where I would like my blog to go is slowly changing. As of right now, I feel pretty limited to fashion and beauty related topics. I definitely pigeon-holed myself, but I'm trying to break away from that. Not that I'm going to do a complete one-eighty -- I'm more looking to expand to a broader range of subjects. Think "lifestyle blog," many of which still focus on style of course, and that will be something I will still write about often. I plan to include more recipes, DIY projects, musings and sometimes just photography. I thought the start of a new month was a good time to give a heads-up on the slight change in direction.

More exciting news is that October is going to be a very busy month for me project-wise and I can't wait to post about all of them. Many of them are Halloween related (because if Halloween isn't your favorite Holiday, you're doing it wrong) and I have a few interior design projects I'm undertaking. I'm also planning on revamping the layout with my own code instead of a modified default Blogger layout, which is icky. I hope you'll stick with me through out the transition!

On that note, I'll be posting about my DIY Halloween costume as soon as some of my supplies come in. What are you planning to be for Halloween? Tell me in the comments!

International Perspective: Life and Style in Iceland

Two years ago, in my senior year of High School I became great friends with an exchange student from Iceland named Svanhvit (it's pronounced kind of like Svan-queet). Even though we only had a year together, she became one of my best friends. It had been two years until recently since the last time I saw her, she came back to visit this year and we spent almost every day together! Having a friend from another country has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I can't wait to turn the tables and go see her in Iceland some day. 

Since Iceland has such a small population and isn't often mentioned in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to do a small interview with her for my blog. She's also got a great sense of style! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

My name is Svanhvit, which probably to most of you sounds like my friend slammed the keyboard -- so most people here [in America] call me Svani or Squeet. I’m twenty, I’m double majoring in business and economics at Verslo (in Iceland.) I love traveling, I’ve been to about fifteen countries, mostly in Europe. I work in a store at the airport in Iceland. 

What is the biggest misconception people have about Iceland in America? 

How cold it is! They seem to think we have penguins and polar bears as pets. I’ve let some people believe I live in an Igloo!

So, how did Iceland get its name then?
The guy who found Iceland landed near a glacier so everything he saw was ice. He thought the entire island was a big glacier and left. Then came along Inglfur Arnarsson, who was the first person to settle Iceland in 800 something and well, he couldn’t change the name at that point. 

What is the most noticeable difference between culture in Iceland and in America? 

Actually they’re very similar, really. Iceland is Lutheran but we practice religion much less publicly than your average American Christian, I think.

Any foods in Iceland that would be weird to Americans, and any food you can find here but not back home? 
I wouldn’t say I eat it, but in the old calender we used to have in Iceland there used to be a month called Torri and in this month we eat special Torri food which include a sheep’s head, and sour sheep balls. I’ve never eaten them though! A lot of people also eat dried fish and shark. We don’t have beef as much as in America, but we eat a lot of lamb. I love Jell-o!

What are your favorite and least favorite things about life in America?

I like that I feel like I’m a part of a movie all the time, I feel like I end up a part of things that I see in movies. I also like speaking English. My least favorite thing is how common fast food places are, if I’m meeting a friend I don’t like to always go out for fast food. And it’s strange to me that if someone asks me to meet them at McDonald’s, I have to ask which McDonald’s because there are like, five in the area. 

How did you feel about being an exchange student in Wisconsin? Would you have preferred to have been in another state? 
I liked it a lot because I’m in a medium-sized city, and a big city would have been too much of a culture shock. Wisconsin is known for cheese and beer but unfortunately those are things I was not a fan of before I came here. However, I started to really like string cheese which we don’t have in Iceland. Wisconsin is the reason I fell in love with country music, and now I’m probably the biggest Icelandic Packers fan, even if that means watching a crappy stream online [of their games].

How would you describe your style? 
I don’t really like wearing things that are uncomfortable, well shoes are an exception… I love heels. But, I still want to look nice. I have a laid back style I guess. And I like mixing things, I love combining something girly with something tough.

What are your favorite clothing stores? 

I love H&M for my basics, since we don’t have them in Iceland. I love Topshop, Zara and Mango as well but my favorite online store is Nasty Gal. Shipping to Iceland is really expensive though! 

Are there any trends going on in Iceland right now that you haven't seen in America? 

Bowties on girls are popular in Iceland right now. 

Svanhvit bought this pocket watch necklace at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. 

How does the weather in Iceland determine how you dress? 

I can’t [wear as many] skirts or shorts without leggings underneath, I guess we don’t wear as many dresses on a daily basis because the wind would blow them up. People definitely wear jeans and coats more often. Winter is Iceland pretty much identical to winter in Wisconsin though, it didn’t get much colder in Iceland [the last time I was here.] We just don’t have the same amount of humidity, and our summers don’t get anywhere near as hot. 

How has being an exchange student affected your life? 

I was insanely shy before I came here, but being an exchange student forces you to leave your comfort zone. So now, I am a lot more outgoing than I ever was and I have more self-confidence. I would like to think my English has improved. And it’s always good to go to other places and see how other people live. 

What are your plans for the future? 

Well I have one year left of what we call “college” in Iceland, after which I have to go to a University to get my B.A degree. In my dream scenario I would go to the UK for University to double major in Business and Japanese. I would also love to take a year to study abroad in Japan. 

Svanhvit goes back home tomorrow, so I'd like to take the time to wish her a safe trip. If you're curious about Iceland or have any questions for Svanhvit, leave a comment and I'll be sure to forward them to her! You can also follow me (@snuggle_fish) and Svanhvit (@Squeet92) on Instagram, which happens to be our latest addiction.