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? 

By the Lilac Bushes // Blogging Schedule

skirt - thrifted // shirt - borrowed // shoes - Famous Footwear 

These photos were taken outside of the house I'm moving out of; one of the things I'm going to miss very much are these lilac bushes. Lilac is my favorite flower; I love the scent especially. Luckily our new neighbor has one right by the fence that we share, so I suppose I'll still be able to smell them when they're in bloom.

This skirt has been in my closet for I think three years now and this is my first time wearing it. Isn't it weird how that happens? And I didn't even wear it in public; I  just wore this to take pictures. I should wear it more, though. It has a really cute flower pattern and the colors go great with this shirt that I borrowed from my sister. I think there are a few reasons why I don't wear this skirt; one is that it's a pretty weird material. I'm not sure what it is, but it's kinda... stiff. And another reason is that it's a really awkward length. It's below my knees/right on my knees but not quite midi. For these pictures I  rolled it up at the top so it hits my knees. But I got it for like $3 at a thrift store and I think it's definitely worth that!

I don't know if any of you have noticed but I started a new blogging schedule! Well, I say new, but actually I never really had one before. I just posted willy nilly and as a result my posts were scattered and sometimes there'd be a few days in between posts, sometimes over a month. I would try to post roughly once a week, but there was my problem... 'Roughly'. I've discovered that I just work better with a schedule! So, now I'm going to try and post every Wednesday. Once a week shouldn't be too difficult and I already have a ton of post ideas and one or two lined up so I'm off to a good start. (Watch me completely fail at this schedule and regret saying anything about it! Haha.)

Well, I have about half an hour until it's not Wednesday anymore, so I'm going to go ahead and end this post here! I'll talk to all you fabulous people later.

Do you ever have pieces that just hang in your closet, waiting to be worn? What do you think about having a blogging schedule?

xx Ashley

Spring 2016 Wish List

Hello my lovelies! I hope you've been having a lovely spring so far. I've been realising that my closet is seriously lacking, and I've been on the hunt for several spring appropriate pieces for a decent price. Here's what's been on my radar as of late:

Oxfords

 1 // 2

My trusty lace oxfords are definitely on their way out; or rather, they're already out. I've worn those shoes to death but I'm not ready to give them up yet, and until I find a new pair of dainty, feminine oxfords that I like just as well I don't see that happening.
I also have been really needing a pair of menswear inspired oxfords to go with the other side of my style. I'm looking for black although I would love a pair of brown too!

Choker necklace

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Guys, the 90's are coming back in style and I am fully on board! Choker necklaces go with everything and can finish off so many outfits nicely. I seriously need one in my jewelry collection asap.

High waists

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I've loved the high waist trend for a long time, yet somehow the only thing I have that I consider high waisted is this pair of culottes. Right now I'm seriously loving this pair of Mom Jeans from Forever 21 and I'm hoping to purchase them as soon as I can.

Retro inspired dress

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Lately I've been itching to take on the challenge of styling one of those fabulous vintage-esque moo moo dresses. The one I pictured is hideous but I waaant it. Send help.

Chambray

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Chambray is pretty much becoming a timeless staple, and right now I'm loving these chambray tops that are only quarter button-up.

Huarache Sandals

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Words cannot describe how much I love these sandals. I've been searching for them everywhere, at every store and online and just everywhere, and I can't find them anywhere! Anywhere that I can find that had them is now sold out. If any if you guys now where I can buy these shoes, please help a girl out! Comment and let me know!

Oversized t-shirts

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I think an oversized shirt like this would really come in handy. This is technically a men's shirt, but hey, no one has to know that right? 

Anyway, that's definitely the condensed version of my wishlist. (My full list is about $600 long lolololololol) Let me know in the comments below what you've been wishing for lately!

-Ashley

Let's Talk About the 'Third Piece Rule'

Okay, guys. You've probably all heard about the 'Third Piece' rule by now. The 'third piece' rule is basically just that there always needs to be a third piece to your outfit. So if you're wearing a shirt and pants, you have to add a scarf, or a piece of statement jewelry, or a jacket, etc.
Let me just start by saying that I really like this rule. I think it's a good way to elevate your outfit from being just a cute outfit, to truly being stylish. Mastering this trick (which I still haven't done yet) is kind of a goal for me; being able to find the perfect third piece that works with your outfit instead of ruining it and making it too much is, to me, a sign of being truly stylish. For example, if your style is more boho, and you're wearing your third piece, someone else who's style is more classic would even have to admit that your outfit is stylish (even if they'd never wear it themselves). The third piece is what shows that you know how to put pieces together and make it work. It's what shows you're truly stylish.
But is that true?
I don't always follow this rule. Well, actually I hardly ever follow this rule, because most of the time off-the-blog you'll find me in jeans in a t-shirt, or some outfit like that that is simple yet cute. The outfits I display on the blog are the ones that I think are actually stylish, and worthy of being shared with you guys. I try to always make sure that my hair is decent and my nails look nice and my makeup is done whenever I take pictures; I want the look to be complete. However, only about half or maybe less than half of the outfits I've posted on Thrifty Toppings have a third piece. Take these two outfits as examples:





Like I said, I am far from having mastered the art of the third piece; a lot of my outfits I can't actually think of one that would go with my outfit. Well, that's not true- a statement necklace would go with either of these outfits. But I don't always like statement necklaces and I don't always want to wear them. Even if I think they would go with my outfit and be a good third piece, I don't always want to wear one because it brings my outfit in a direction that I didn't want to go. It just doesn't fit with the type of style that I was going for. Does that mean I have to force myself to wear one if I want to be seen as stylish?
But then that contradicts what I was saying earlier, about the third piece rule being a way for all different styles to look stylish. If I'm forcing myself to wear something that doesn't go with the style I was trying to encapsulate that day, then I'm fitting myself into a box to be stylish, which I think no one should ever do. I firmly believe that you should wear whatever you like with confidence. And I think one of the main things that help a person to be considered stylish by other people is actually just that the person is confident in what they're wearing.
And I'm not sure what all counts as a third piece. In the first picture in this post I'm wearing a cardigan with a dress. Does that make the cardigan a second piece or a third piece? In the second picture of this post I'm wearing a belt. Does that count as a third piece? What about sunglasses? Do they count?
So, anyway. This post has no conclusion I guess, it was just kind of for me to share my thoughts on this. Again, I really do like this rule, but I don't think it's necessary to follow it all the time. Of course it's not- if you take anything away from this post take this: wear what you like with confidence, because you are fabulous. What do you guys think about the third piece rule? Let me know in the comments, I wanna hear some opinions!