Wednesday, August 31, 2016
 I found this pale pistachio green Marciano dress at a thrift store ages ago. As you can see, the tag was still on it. I think I paid $9.99 for it – score! Anyway, I had been saving it forever because honestly I wasn’t sure if I might try to sell it or keep it to wear. It’s a little more showy up top than I usually like these days {now, back in my MySpace days, it was all about some showy-up-top-all-the-time clothes…I’ve changed a lot since then, praise Jesus ;)}. Also, I needed a good, strapless, nude bra to wear under it, and I’ve basically been searching for years for that unicorn. Well, thanks to Caroline over at un-fancy.com, I finally found one! This is reason for celebration, people! Yes, it’s $64.00, which is way more than my cheap self wants to spend on a clothing item, let alone a piece that will never be seen in public; but considering all the money I’ve spent over the years on unsatisfactory strapless bras, I am happy I got it! So enough about what goes under the dress, let’s talk about what I paired with it. These buttery soft, brown leather ankle boots were another thrift store find. My sis spotted them when she was out and sent me a pic asking if I wanted them, and I said, “Uh, yes please and thank you!” They looked like they had never been worn. The circle pendant on the rose gold chain, I borrowed from my Grams {she’s the best roomie!}. The pendant has a greenish holographic tint to it. Love! The shorter necklace I’ve had since way back in the early 2000’s when Y necklaces were “in” the first time! Ha. I added those pretty earrings after I looked at the flat lay above and felt like I needed to add something because obviously more is more. ;) They were a gift a few years ago from my BFF. The gorgeous Kendra Scott bracelet was a gift from my amazing boyfriend, Jonathan, for Valentine’s Day this year. He’s a sweetie. :) The purse was also a gift, from my friend K a few years ago. So, as you can see, this oufit was 100% thrifted, gifted, and borrowed. Kinda makes up for that $64.00 bra, I guess. haha. So, last night was my one year anniversary of dating my incredible boyfriend, Jonathan. We are on a recent kick of trying to be waaaaayyyy better at handling our finances, so we were gonna keep it kinda low key for our anniversary. My only request was that we stop by the place we went on our first date, which was S&B’s Burger Joint in downtown OKC. Then Jonathan got a gift certificate from his boss for Ludivine, which is a place I’ve never been to but wanted to go forever. We had drinks at S&B’s, then enjoyed a truly lovely and delicious dinner at Ludivine.
So, of course I had to dress up for our fun date! This was the perfect occasion to cut the tag off that dress and wear it out. I had my sis Mandi snap a few pix of me before Jonathan came to pick me up.And of course, had to grab some photos with my handsome man! As part of my gift to him, I decided to leave my phone at home during our date, so it was nice to just have Mandi take some pix of us before we left. And we did also capture some more on his phone while we were out; because, you know, I’m a photographer and I just like to have things well documented! :) But back to the leaving-my-phone-at-home thing: it was actually very relaxing and freeing and I think I will start doing this on date nights more often if not every time!Now, to chat about the one year mark… I was thirty-four when Jonathan and I met just over a year ago. He started following me on Instagram, which is just such a perfect way for this modern love tale to begin! :) I had seen him at church before, but he had never seen me {I mean, he’s easier to spot, I guess.} We actually met face-to-face for the first time on August 30, 2015. As you might have noticed, our one year anniversary is August 30th… We went on our first date that night, and we’ve been together ever since. I did make him officially ask me to be his girlfriend a few weeks after we started dating, but neither of us even remember what day that was, because we both knew from that first date that our lives had been changed. :)I know everyone always says relationships aren’t easy, and a year into this, I have to agree. We’ve had our hard times, our big fights, our difficult conversations, etc. And I’m sure we will face many more tough challenges in the future. But I have to say, my life is so much better with Jonathan than it was before! Honestly. And I liked my life before. :) He just makes me stronger and better in so many ways. It’s amazing to me to see how God uses love to shape us. I am forever thankful!Happy One Year, babe! I love you so much! #moonstruck
~abi~
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Well, this gorgeous girl is my one of my favorite cousin’s babies. I mean, clearly she’s not a baby, but I’m getting old and it’s difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that Chrystal is a senior in high school this year! We did her senior session in early July up in Iowa, where she lives. I adore this part of Iowa. My family roots fun very deep there, so I love it whenever I get to do a session in this pretty part of the country.
We started out in Moravia, Iowa. {Fun fact: my parents both went to school in Moravia, where Chrystal goes.} Small towns have so many great little backdrops for photo shoots! And obviously, Chrystal was working the cam like a supermodel! I freakin’ loved this outfit! The sweet dress with interesting details, plus the fun hat, toughened up by the boots – perfect! Such a “cool girl” look. :)Side note: Chrystal has some killer brows. I experienced a lot of brow envy {and regret for past years of over-tweezing} while editing her photos. Ha.I especially loved the cutout details on the back of this dress.We had to get some photos with Chrystal’s trumpet. I love how these turned out.Album cover much?Chrystal also plays basketball, and we thought the courts at the town park made a rad background for these photos in her uniform.I bet no one messes with her on the court! #fiercePretty sure only really good players get to wear number 23, right??Oh, and not only does she play the trumpet and basketball, she also is a stud softball player. Did I mention she is also practically a genius with stellar good grades?! So proud of her!I need to have a word with whomever farms that field out there, because this would’ve been the most perfect Field of Dreams pic ever if only they had planted corn! ;) {Still love it so much.}{Dirty ball cap because they were on a winning streak and she couldn’t wash it. Obvs.}For the last set and final outfit, we headed to my favorite place on earth: my grandparents farm. It’s absolutely the best place to shoot, with tons of little spots such as this gem……and this….…and a million more…I mean, it was an Iowa senior session — we had to climb a fence and get into a cornfield!Chrystal~
You are flippin’ amazing! Smart, cool, pretty, fun, talented, etc. I am so proud of you! Hope you have the most wonderful senior year, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!
Love you so much!
~abi~
p.s. See more shoots I’ve done at my grandparents’ farm: Becca’s senior pix a couple of years ago here {Becca is Chrystal’s older sis}; my cousin Caleb’s senior pix last year here; and my cousin Justin w/ his then-girlfriend-now-wife Jenna here.
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Thursday, August 11, 2016
It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Think Thrifted post, so let me refresh your memory on what exactly these posts are. I like love to find cute clothes at thrift stores and style lovely ladies in outfits and post them here as style inspiration. It’s just a nice creative outlet for me without any of the pressures of shooting and editing portrait sessions for clients. These shoots are just for fun, just for me {well, also for anyone who follows my blog}.
For this post, I styled two outfits: one for a college student and one for a high school student. The college student look was modeled by Grace, and the high school one by Kamryn. They are both stunners, clearly.
We’re going to chat a little about classic style and such, so if that interests you, keep scrolling. :)
One of the reasons I love thrifting so much is because you can find high quality clothing for cheap. I know, that sounds obvious. But think about it: you can also find low quality clothing for cheap, and not just at the thrift stores. I’m talking about that fast fashion – think mall stores and places where they sell ultra-trendy items for dirt cheap. You know, the stuff that stretches/shrinks/tears/etc after just a few wearings? Or those cheaply made bags whose straps break? Or the shoes whose heels fall apart? I wish when I was younger that someone would have explained to me that just because something might be cheap to buy, that doesn’t always mean it’s a good deal. Necessary note here: when I talk about some thing being cheaply made or well made, I am not talking about “good name brands”. I’ve had expensive brand items fall apart on me, and I’ve had no-name brands last forever. In my experience, one of the benefits of thrifting is that I’m constantly touching and closely examining pieces before I buy them, and it’s pretty easy to tell by the weight of the fabric and other details of a garment whether it will hold up well or not.
So, as I’ve gotten older and a little wiser, I go for quality all the time. It’s hard to walk away from that cute, trendy piece, but I’ve gotten much better at talking myself out of purchasing flimsy items. All of the things pictured here, including the bags and shoes, are ones that seem like they have and will hold up for many seasons and wearings.So how do you spot high quality items? Look for things like a heavier fabric, sturdily attached buttons, even hems, seams that line up, darts for a better fit, real leather straps/handles on bags, etc. Once you’ve established the quality of an item, keep an eye out for things that stand the test of time {such as classic stripes} and have fun/extra details so they’re not boring {such as cute pockets/buttons/zipper pulls}.Now that we’ve veered over into talking style as opposed to just sustainability, let’s discuss these bags. I think you’d be the coolest girl in high school if you found some fun vintage bags to tote your books in, instead of the typical backpack or book bag. The one Kamryn is rocking here is definitely big enough to hold all your school day essentials.And if you’re a college student, you might want a backpack for hiking around on campus. All of the details on this one take it beyond just function and bring in some classic fashion elements. We tied on a silky scarf for that extra bit of panache.Now, as the title suggests, I think these are both looks that won’t go out of style quickly, hence the us of “classic” in the title. Red and tan are colors we see season after season, year after year. Stripes and solids are always “in”. Of course, you can update with pieces like shoes or jewelry to keep it modern and cool.Here’s to all the young fashionistas who are about to go back to school! Why not try out a few thrift stores for your school clothes shopping? It’s so fun finding the treasures out there! :)
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by Abi Ruth
Happy Anniversary, you look so happy girl!
Love your dress!
thank you!
thanks! i was so excited when i found it!
Awe I love it! We remember our first date date too and not the girlfriend/boyfriend date because who knows when that was?! After that first date, it’s kind of a blur right? Love that we got to meet Johnathan and see the happiness on your face. Love you!