Loving Him Was Red

For those of you that are fans of Taylor Swift, you will know that she is currently on tour. This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to see her for the 3rd time with two of my best friends, and as you can probably guess, she was beyond amazing (more on that later). During the months leading up to the concert, I had so much excitement, I could barely contain it. I started to dream about seeing her live almost every single night, and the night before the concert, I had to falsely convince myself that the concert was actually two days away, just so that I could get some sleep.

I've been a fan of Taylor since 2006. She has impacted my life in a way that I can't really explain, and truly deserves the title of being my idol. I looked to her music during times of rejection, times of loss, times of extreme happiness, and pretty much... all the time. She's not afraid to be personal with her music, and I truly admire her for that, because her courage has helped millions.

Back to the day of the concert. Something I wasn't expecting was for the day to be incredibly stressful. A lot of things happened to my friends and I that set us back, such as heavy traffic, getting into the arena late, having the concession stand run out of food, and trying to get past crowds of people, just to climb the mountain of a staircase to get to our seats.

Despite the bad luck, I was incredibly grateful to have been at the concert, and forgot all about our struggles when Taylor began to perform. Even though I wished we could have had closer seats, Taylor's ability to reach out to every corner of our 20,000 seat stadium made our "nosebleeds" a million times better. I already cannot wait to see her the next time she comes to Washington.

Job Hunting and Post-Grad Life

As some of you know, I graduated from my Master's program back in June, and finished my internship earlier this month. At first, I was disappointed in myself for not having secured a job to start at right away, but became relieved after realizing a break was what I needed. However, one week turned into two weeks, and before I knew it, it had been nearly three weeks since I last had any type of responsibility... besides looking for jobs.

I've never really had any experience with "serious" job hunting, as the last time I had a real job was pretty much never. I've only ever truly interviewed once for a paid position, and that was back in high school to work at Hollister. Every other "gig" I've had, either consisted of volunteering as an intern, or... wait... yeah. That's about it.

The Night Sky

top: Nordstrom Rack //skirt: Uniqlo //watch: Timex via Century 21 //sandals: Seychelles via Century 21

The other day I got a chance to catch up with one of my nearest and dearest friends, A. A and I met in high school while trying out for cheer, and went on to being roommates in college. These days, we don't get to spend nearly as much time together as we used to because of our busy schedules, but despite the distance, the moment we got to talking, it was as if we never even split. Sadly, A will be moving across the country next month to pursue her dream career. I'm so proud of A for all that she's accomplished and it'll definitely be weird knowing that she won't be a short car drive away.

The pictures you see here are all of A. She is incredibly stylish (all the time), and has influences of both the East and West Coast in her style.

By the way, the lyrics on these pictures obviously don't have anything to do with what the post is actually about, but this morning, K texted me about Tegan and Sara being at Taylor Swift's concert last night at the Staples Center. I immediately searched for footage of the concert... and of course, it was amazing, and I TOTALLY WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE. Check it out by searching "Tegan and Sara and Taylor Swift" on YouTube.

You're My Achilles Heel

shirt: Nordstrom Rack (old) //pleather skirt: Forever 21 //nail polish: 'And a Cherry on Top' via Sephora by OPI

Later this month, I'll be going to see Taylor Swift with two of my best friends, B and E. For those of you that have been reading my blog for a while now, you already know that I am beyond excited. The three of us have been working hard on outfits and signs. Cheers, to having the time of our lives in a few weeks!

Bellingham Teacups

My twin friends, K1 and K2, who I've mentioned on here before, have a deep love for all things vintage. Over the years, I have become more and more inspired by their taste and style.

About two weeks ago, a small group of us went to visit K2, who lives waaaaaay up north in Bellingham. She showed us around town, and in addition to the AMAZING food she introduced us to, K2 took us thrifting. I had never been thrifting before "for reals", so I didn't really know what to look for, or what a good deal consisted of. I ended up finding two must-have teacups that, according to my friends, were a steal. With them being $5 and $6, I think I would have to agree.

If you're ever in Bellingham, I highly recommend checking out their Goodwill. It's clean, heavily stocked (with good stuff), and everything is dirt cheap. Hands down, it was the best thrift shop I had ever been to. K2 says that it's also rated one of the best secondhand stores in the country. You can't beat that.

from L to R: gift from K, antique mall, Goodwill

Burn Baby Burn + a GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to going to the grocery store with my mom because as a reward for helping her out, she gave me a quarter to get something out of the prize machine. Of course, everything that came out of those machines was technically "garbage"... but as I always say, it's all about the experience.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Diamond Candles. I'm not going to lie. I was skeptical at first, and thought it was a scam. After doing a little research, here is what I learned: every candle is made of all natural soy, and has a ring inside of it ranging from $10 to $5,000. The company is fairly new, but as seen on their Instagram (@diamondcandles), they already have quite a few fans. The entire concept reminded me of those machines I used to get so excited over (oh, the suspense!). It took a while to get to the ring, but after a few days, I dug out a gorgeous ruby. The ring is obviously fake, but hey... it was in my size (which is rare), and I still have 3/4 of a huge candle to burn.

Overall, the candle was pretty decent smelling. The only thing that I didn't like was that, even though the company claims that each ring is wrapped in multiple layers, underneath the foil and plastic, my ring was still covered in wax. It wasn't anything a little hot water couldn't melt away, though.

Today, I'm giving one lucky reader a Diamond Candle in a scent of their choice. To qualify, please fill out the widget at the end of this post-- refresh your page if it doesn't pop up. It may take a few seconds to load. Participants must have a U.S. shipping address. The giveaway will run for one week (until 8/20/13), and the winner will be notified via email. Up to three entries per person. You don't need to be a follower of SWEATshirt DRESSshirt, but it is most definitely welcomed!

*Diamond Candles gave me this candle for free, along with a code to give to one of you. All opinions are my own.

New Places

This past week, I spent time on the island of Oahu. Before I left, I never really thought it was possible to "forget" what it was like to be inspired by something besides the internet. My vacation refreshed my views on what it means to "bring your ideas to life", and truly stick to your personal style as an artist. If only I could travel more often. Cheers, to new places.