New Year's "Resolutions"

Okay guys, so blogger had some sort of update, like more than a month ago. And I've only just figured out how to access my reading list yesterday. I can't tell you how frustrating it was not being able to see all of your lovely blog posts! And I didn't realize how much you all inspired me, because during the time when I couldn't read your blogs I was so uninspired and took a long break from blogging. Well, seeing all your blog posts that I've missed really inspired me to blog again, so here I am! I'll probably never be a consistent blogger, but I do hope I never give it up completely. I love the community of bloggers I have here and connecting with all of you guys!

What I Would Tell My 12 Year Old Self (Advice for Those in Middle School)

It's universally acknowledged that middle school is a pretty sucky time, for everybody. I mean,  I was homeschooled and it was still hard! It's the time in your life when you really start trying to find yourself, which usually means more than a few poor fashion choices and some iffy flirting techniques. I'd say I'm still in the process of 'finding myself' (and honestly I'm not sure if that process ever truly does end!) but I'm so much more sure of myself and confident in who I am now than I was back in middle school. There's definitely a few things I would tell my younger self if I could, and so I'm going to be sharing this advice with all of you. If you're in middle school or around that age, I hope that this advice can help you out in some way! For those of you past that stage in your life, feel free to have a laugh with me and hopefully you can find this post somewhat relatable!

Follow me on Instagram: @thriftytoppings

90's Stripes // Update

Hey loves! Today I'm going to do a bit of an update post with just some stuff that I've been up to lately. I've been really busy so I figured I owe you all an explanation as to why I've been kind of MIA lately. I'm also going to be sharing with you guys this outfit that I've been OBSESSED with lately so yay.

5 Tips for Closet Organization

So, organizing closets is actually really fun... I'm always working on organizing my own closet (although as I write this my closet needs some TLC... ha), and I have a friend who often has me come over to help with hers. I mean I actually really enjoy it! Is there any sort of career opportunity here? No? Dang..
Well whether there's a money making opportunity here or not, I've picked up a few tips + tricks for closet organization and decided to share with ya'll my top 5.

1 | CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET
Aw, this dreaded step. I don't know if it's just me, but I seem to get emotionally attached to clothes. Like what is that about? But, I've gotten better at getting rid of things I don't like and you guys can too! Guys, it's simple: if you don't like something, or you don't wear it or it doesn't fit you or it's ratty- get rid of it. You can use your judgement to decide whether it's thrift store worthy or just toss it- whatever you decide, as long as it's out of your closet, good.
A good rule you could use is ask yourself, would you buy that now if you saw it in a store? If the answer is no, you might want to get rid of it.

2 | SEPARATE DRESSES, SHIRTS, SKIRTS, ETC.
Organize by type of clothing, NOT by color. Organizing by color may seem like a good idea but it usually just ends up looking messy instead or streamlined and it makes it difficult to find anything. Why look through your whole closet looking for something when you know you want to wear a dress? If you organize by type of clothing you can go right to that section, easy peasy!
Now, if you want you can organize by color within each section, or it might be a good idea to organize by pattern... Or both! Hey, it's your closet, go crazy with it.

3 | FACE YOUR CLOTHES AND HANGERS
I hang all of my clothes facing the same way, with all the hangers facing the same way on the hanger. This makes my life so much easier; I can flip through the clothes on my rack and see the front of ALL my clothes, and I can take big junks of clothing off the rack without hangers pulling and making it difficult. It also just helps my closet to look streamlined and not all messy. It will only take you like an extra 2 seconds to make sure you're hanging something up the right way after you've organized your whole closet properly, so it's an easy tip that will help a lot.
Sometimes you might want to face your clothes different ways, like if you have a walk in closet where the door is in the middle of your rack- you could face all the clothes so they're facing you when you walk in.

4 | UTILIZE YOUR DRAWERS 
Definitely use your drawers for things like camp tshirts and pajamas, but you can also save space in your closet by designating a drawer to your shorts & jeans. I personally keep a drawer for my shorts & jeans, but it's really up to you what you do with yours. However, I would really encourage anyone to have a drawer or, even better, a shelf for their sweaters and other things that can't be hung. When you hang stretchy fabric, like sweaters, they get terrible bumps in the shoulders and the sleeves get stretched out. It's no fun at all to have that happen to one of your shirts.
I'm surprised sometimes which fabrics get bumps, I have a few that I definitely didn't expect. When in doubt, hang it for just a few minutes and see if it gets little bumps on the shoulders (which can then be smoothed out because they won't be too permanent after just a few minutes).

5 | PUT ASIDE CLOTHES YOU'RE UNSURE ABOUT 
If there really are clothes you just can't get rid of, try putting them in a closet apart from your regular one, or a box if there's no where else. Then, if you ever have nothing to wear you can go look those over and see if you like any of them. If you end up wearing something from there and liking it, move it to your regular closet. If you've gone for a really long time without wearing something from there, you could probably just get rid of the lot of it!
If you have some things with just too much sentimental value to get rid of, put them in a 'keepsake' box and store it in your closet. You might want to look over those things again someday!

Well, I know you guys have probably picked up some tips about closet organization too- leave them below in the comments, I'd love to hear them!

-Ash xx

Trends // Floral Kimono

I've finally jumped on the Kimono bandwagon (is that still a trend or did I miss it?) and I gotta say I'm loving it. Normally I'm not one to rock the more trendy pieces, but I feel like this outfit, with the kimono and button up skirt, could fit in the 'trendy' category. It just sort of just came together in my head and I really like it. 

Of course, a lot of styles that I really like are super trendy right now, which is both good and bad: good because the clothing I like is a lot easier to find in stores, bad because I try to dress semi uniquely- I just don't like it when it seems like everyone is wearing the exact same thing as everyone else.

Of course, since I typically like to stick with thrift stores anyway it doesn't help me quite as much that the styles I like are trendy right now. It might help a little because people will be donating it more, but it helps in an off-hand way.

kimono - hand me down // shirt - thrifted // skirt - target // sunnies - walmart // necklace - gift // shoes - cvs // nail polish - sinful colors in hazard

What do you guys think about trends? What's something you like that's really trendy right now? Let me know in the comments below!

-Ashley, xx

Pros and Cons of Thrift Store Shopping

Hey loves! I'm back from an impromptu blogging break (sometimes a girl has just gotta take it easy for a minute) to share with you guys the pros and cons of thrift store shopping! It's definitely no secret that I love thrift store shopping! (This blog is called Thrifty Toppings for goodness sake.) But, as with anything, there are pros and cons to thrift store store shopping, and in this post I'm going to break those down for you guys. If you've been recently getting into thrift store shopping or have been considering it, perhaps this post will help you figure out if thrift store shopping is for you or not!

PRO: Inexpensive clothing
You can often find good quality and name brand clothing for much less than what you'd pay in stores.

CON: Harder to find the correct sizes
If something doesn't fit, you can't just go get a different size to try. In department stores you can try on all different sizes to see which one fits you best; however at thrift stores you're stuck with what you've got and it either fits you or it doesn't.

PRO: Proceeds don't go to the same place
There are certain brands that I don't like to support because of the things that they stand for or the way that they run their business, etc., but when thrift shopping it's okay to buy those brands because it doesn't support that brand at all.

CON: Proceeds don't go to the same place
This can also be a con, however, for brands like TOMS; when you buy a pair of TOMS new, a pair is donated by the company to needy children. When you buy a pair of TOMS from a thrift store, no pair is donated because it wasn't bought directly from the company.

PRO: Thrift stores usually support good causes
 Despite the last con, people in need can still benefit from you shopping at thrift stores because almost all thrift stores support some charity or donate to the needy in some way.

CON: Takes more effort
When thrift shopping, there's normally a lot of low-quality things that you'll need to sort through in order to find anything worth buying. In this way, thrift shopping takes more effort than going to a department store and shopping. In department stores everything is organized and everything is expected to be good quality and up to date with he latest styles and trends. When thrift store shopping it's a lot harder to find anything that is good quality and stylish, and harder to find anything specific that you're looking for because thrift stores are not as organized.

PRO: Better chances of finding vintage and unique things
If you're looking for unique pieces that you know you won't be able to find in stores, thrift stores are definitely the place to look. Plus you obviously won't be able to find anything vintage in stores.

CON: Bad exchange policy's
Thrift store's return policies normally are not as good as regular store's return policies, so you have to be pretty certain that whatever you buy fits and that you like it before you buy it.

PRO: Always getting new things in
Thrift stores are constantly getting new things in and as things are being purchased the items in thrift stores are always changing.

CON: Environment is not as nice
The overall environment in thrift stores is generally not as nice as you'll find in regular/department stores. Every thrift store is different and some are worse than others; some seem to be actually dirty and others only have curtains for their dressing rooms, etc. It's just overally a better experience shopping in regular stores.

Are there any pros or cons that you would add to this list? What do you think about thrift store shopping? 

High Waisted Shorts

I know I'm in the minority here, but I honestly can't wait for Fall already. Summer is probably my least favorite season, I hate being all hot and sticky, and really the only good part about summer is that you can go swimming. But I would gladly trade that for it to be Autumn. 

To be honest, I was never even looking forward to Summer! I mean, most of the time if you ask me what my favorite season is I'll say whatever season is coming next, but last spring my 'favorite season' jumped straight to Fall.

I can't wait to be able to wear the clothes that I like, warmer, autumnal clothing (as you can maybe see by the fact that I'm wearing a cardigan in the humid summer heat!). Autumn is my favorite season to dress for, I LOVE sweaters, scarves, tights and muted colors. And I just like the cold weather better too, which is kind of funny because I get cold pretty easily so you'd think I'd like the warmer months best!

everything thrifted or hand-me-down

I've actually been trying to challenge myself to buy/wear more colorful things lately since I can almost always in be found in dark colors, but I can't wait til Fall when that's socially acceptable! 

What's your favorite season?

xx, Ash

Father's Day Ideas

Awhile ago I did a post on things to do with your mom on Mother's day, and I thought it would be only fair to do another post on things you can do with your dad! My daddy is amazing and deserves a super special day, and if your dad is anything like mine I bet you want to make his day amazing too. So, here are some ways you can do that!

1. Take him out to the ballgame...
...Take him out to the crowd... Okay, I'm done singing now. But seriously, going to a baseball game or his preferred sporting event would be a seriously fun way to spend the day! If you don't know the sport well I bet he would love to explain it to you and love that you're taking an interest! When I started showing an interest in baseball he was really happy and I was happy that we had something we could bond over. So if you do know the sport you two will have a great time talking about the game!

2. Make him food
It's no secret that guys like to eat. So for Fathers Day dinner make him something special, maybe something that you guys wouldn't normally have. He'll love it and you'll get to enjoy it too! It's a win-win situation!

3. Go go-carting
...or bowling, or paint-balling, or laser-tagging... You get the idea. My dad works really hard to provide for our family and I know he would love to just take a day and do something FUN! He doesn't get to just have fun that often and if your dad is at all the same way I think he'll love this idea too. Decide what to do based on what you know he'll enjoy- I'm sure you can think of something, you know your dad better than I do! Whatever it is, I bet it will be something you'll both enjoy, and you're daughterly duties will be fulfilled. Boom, there you go.

4. Take him clothes shopping
Guys don't get the opportunity to do this often, and instead of buying him something that you really have no idea whether he'll like or if it'll fit (just being real here) take him to a store and let him pick some things! Shopping is your expertise and he knows that and will probably be honored to be a part of that.
While this is true for every suggestion in this post, I feel the need to say for this one that not all dad's will like this idea, just use your judgement. Like I said, you know your dad better than I do. :)

5. Day trip
There are probably a ton of things in your area or within driving distance that you guys never really get the chance to see. Well, now is the time! Take a day and go somewhere where you don't know your way around, but google first so I have a few things in mind that you'd like to see. It'll basically be like a regular vacation just close to home. You and your dad will have TONS of fun walking around a new city and just spending time together.

I hope some of these ideas will help you to give your dad the best Father's Day ever!

xoxo, Ashley

Peter Pan Collar // Guest Post by Abbey

Hey guys! Today the fabulous blogger Abbey is guest posting. Miss Abbey is so sweet and I'm ecstatic to have her on my blog today! I hope you all enjoy her post and don't forget to go follow her blog! 

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Hello, lovelies!

I'm Abbey, and today I have the pleasure of guest posting on Thrifty Toppings for Ashley! Lovely Ashley is one of my favorite style bloggers, and when she emailed me asking if I would guest post for her I was absolutely delighted. Thank you girly for this opportunity!

So today I'm showing you girls a new favorite outfit of mine, and it's a recent favorite simply because of the darling little details such as the peter pan collar! The name itself brings back memories of watching Walt Disney's Peter Pan as a little girl. Because when I wasn't watching The Little Mermaid or Cinderella, I was watching Peter Pan. What was your favorite Disney film growing up?

 Collared blouse || Charlotte Russe (thrifted) 

Faux Pearls || Borrowed 

Floral skirt || Nordstrom (thrifted)

Black pumps || Thrifted 

 I hope you darlings enjoyed! You can check out all the details of what I'm wearing right above, and check out my blog by clicking here and follow me on various social media! XOXO   

Road Trip Style

Summer is the time for road trips! I myself LOVE road trips and will always jump on the opportunity to go on one. Style is important to me but when it comes to road trips being comfortable is my main priority. But there are obviously ways to stay both comfy and cute, and this outfit is one of my favorites that complies with both of those!

Even though it's almost summer, I like to have a cozy sweater or jacket with me. I get cold really easily so it keeps me warm in the car, adds style, and I even sometimes use it as a pillow when I need.

Sunglasses are a must. Unless it's a cloudy day, the sun is going to be glaring at me the whole time. Plus, I'm probably bound to take a nap at some point during any given road trip; I slip these babies on and don't worry so much about people looking at me. Also they add style and cover up those sleepy eyes #nomakeup

This shirt is so comfortable! I got it at Plato's closet, and it's actually a men's shirt! hehe. I find it very difficult to find women's t-shirts that fit me right, and this men's shirt fits me like a glove! (And I prefer the oversized look anyway.)

These shorts from Ross are basically pajamas! They're perfect for a road trip because they are cute, stylish, and super comfortable!

When on a road trip or trip of any kind I think its a good idea to have a backpack or tote bag with you for all of your things. This backpack is a favorite of mine, it goes great with a lot of the things that I wear and adds a kind of grunge element to my outfits. Plus it holds all of my junk important items!

For road trips I don't really like to wear any jewelry. Jewelry isn't the most comfortable (and I know I'll be napping during the trip!). So, alternative third pieces would be bags, jackets, and sunglasses, all of which I'm wearing in this outfit. Tell me, what are some other accessories that you like to wear that are comfortable and functional for road trips? Do you have any fun trips planned for this Summer?

-Ashley

Rimmel London The Only One Lipstick Review

Okay, guys. When I saw an advertisement for this lipstick I knew I just had to have it, and I purchased some at my local drug store as soon as possible. The advertisement boasts that this lipstick is long lasting, moisturizing, and more. I think the moisturizing bit is what got me; my lips dry out very easily, and while I have a huge weekness for lipstick, I can't always wear it because my lips are too dry. SO, I decided to try this product out and see what's up.

Price: $6.99 at Target.
Presentation: The tube is black with a ring towards the bottom displaying the color of the lipstick. I love the sleek look of the tube; however I'm not sure that I like how it's edges are slightly squared or how it angles out at the top. That's not to say that I don't normally like sqaure edges instead of round ones; but for this tube I wish it was just round. That's just me being picky though, overall this tube has a very nice look to it.

Scent: This stuff really smells great! Really fruity. The scent doesn't last once the lipstick is on but it smells amazing while applying!
Color: I picked the shade Peachy-Beachy #600.  The color is vibrant and true to how it displayed on the ring around the tube and on the bottom. It think it stays pretty true to color on my lips, but I think that'll be different for everyone as everyone has different natural lip shades.
Long lasting: I'm not sure, but I think that one advertisement I saw said that the lipstick won't need to be reapplied. I decided to take a day and test this out. I applied the lipstick at 9:30am, and right after lunch at about 12:30 it started fading. Unfortunately it was fading unevenly and it only got worse! I wanted to reapply but decided to wait, for the sake of the experiment. At 5:00 my lipstick was pretty much entirely faded away, except for a faint trace around the edges of my lips. Keep in mind that this was just the lipstick, no lip liner or anything and this was with eating + drinking too.

Moisturizing: The lipstick glides on easily, or at least easier than other lipsticks do; it's not quite equivalent to if I was putting on lip balm or something.
For awhile after applying it is slightly sticky. Then after 3 hours or so my lips just get very dry and I start wanting to put lip balm on.
Bullet: The bullet is angled at the top, but I wish it were even more angled.
Would I buy this again: Yes! It's a very reasonable price and I like it just as much or more than any other brand I've tried that I might buy instead.

Well, there you have it! This is my first beauty product review, and I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you all enjoyed it too! Maybe I'll do more of these in the future.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to review this product. I purchased it on my own. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's day is coming up in a flash, and it's time to start planning something special for your mother! She's the person who has always and will always be there for you, and who would do anything for you. She deserves something special for Mother's Day! I have thought up 5 special and fun ideas that you can do for/with your mother for Mother's Day.

1. Girls night IN.
Rent a movie, make popcorn and binge out on junk food Gilmore Girls style.  It will be great bonding time and a lot of fun, and also just a time to take a break from your busy schedules and relax. Maybe give each other mani-pedis and try out some new facials.

2. DIY something for her.
Mother's like gifts that really show that you care. A store bought gift that is well thought out and picked just for her can of course express that you care, but one of the best ways to show her is to DIY something. It'll show her that it was worth it to you to take the time and effort to create something that she'll really like. Alternatively you could get the supplies and make something together! Here are some of my favorite DIY projects that your mother will love: 1 // 2 // 3

3. Make a day if it.
Take her out to brunch, go see a movie, do some shopping. Maybe even let her pick out her own gift?

4. Tea party or picnic.
What's better for Mother's day than a cute lunch? You can go all out with decorations and food or just lay a blanket out in the sunshine and enjoy some quality time together. Or, if your going with tea party, dress up all fancy and drink tea out of your nicest china. (I'm not 100% sure why I added these into one bullet point, it just felt right.)

5. Have dinner together.
Instead of going out somewhere to eat, why not try your hand at a new fancy recipe that you could cook together? You can pick out a recipe together and head to the grocery store to pick out all the ingredients. Then go home and get cooking! It'll be a fun time that you can spend with your mom, and when you're through you'll have a delicious homemade meal that you'll get to enjoy together!

Maybe you've sensed a pattern here. Almost all of these ideas involve spending time with your mom rather than a gift! The bottom line is, your mom likes spending time with you! You mean the world to her and it would make her so happy if you just take some time to really show her that you care about her and do something that shows her that you like spending time with her too.
I hope these ideas help you and your mom to have a fabulous Mother's Day!

What are you doing for your mom for Mother's Day?

-Ashley

Instagram Round-up

Hey guys! Today I decided to do an Instagram roundup. I've been trying to post on Instagram more lately, so for those of you that don't follow me, here's what I've posted lately!

This is my Target planner and pencil, both from the Target dollar section. Target always has the cutest stuff, and the dollar section is no exception! The planner was $3 and I got the pencil in a package for $1. 

This picture is from my spring bucket list post, but the outfit was posted here!

Spring essentials! Old navy shorts and dress, Forever 21 shoes and necklace, Covergirl lipstick. 

Again, Target dollar section ftw! All of these I got from there at one point or another, and I gotta say I'm pretty proud of my pens + pencils collection. I have a weakness for pretty writing utensils. This isn't my entire collection, though- a few are missing.

This is a picture I took of the outfit that I posted here. 

I took this picture at a beautiful indoor garden that we visited yesterday. 

If any of you guys would like go follow me on Instagram, my username is @thriftytoppings! I'm on spring break vacation so you can keep up with my vacation adventures there.  I'll see you there!

Which is your favorite? Do you use Instagram?