Staying Cute and Warm in the Crisp Winter Weather

Hey lovelies, even though it is technically still Autumn, December has brought in the Winter chill and it is definitely starting to set in, especially in San Francisco. Here are some ideas of staying warm and cute in the wind chill of the upcoming winter. Below are some of my favorite individual items and outfits.
Hope you enjoy. :)


Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

Cardigans: Recently since I've moved to NorCal I have fallen in love with cardigans. They're so cute and warm. You can wear them with jeans or leggings. I personally love wearing cardigans with leggings and knit beanies. 

Infinity Scarves: Before moving up north I didn't really like scarves. In the area that I lived in scarves weren't really necessary because it never got that cold. Since I didn't need them I didn't wear them and I didn't feel like wearing a scarf as a fashion statement. But, now that I need them in San Francisco they've become one of my favorite things to wear! I wear them for warmth and as a fashion statement.

Boots: Boots are now one of my obsessions, point blank. Whether they are heeled boots like these, under the knee high boots or cute flat boots like the ones below. I'll wear them. Especially with a cardigan and a cute pair of leggings.

Here are some outfit ideas for the winter season that I find super cute!

Over the past season or two I have gotten into neutral colors like beige. I've also found a new love for the color maroon. I feel like neutral colors can go with anything. That's probably why they're called neutral colors in the first place, lol.

Purple has always been a favorite color of mine since I could remember. The knit cardigan and grey boots go perfect with the jeans and what's great about the color of the cardigan is that any pattern and color scarf goes well with it. Another pro to neutral colors. :)

Here is a simple outfit with a cardigan and boots. I couldn't turn it away because of the light brown and dark brown combination. The boots are cute and can be worn in any weather because they're made out of leather.

I really like this outfit because it's not dressy, it's simple, and it's still really cute. All that's needed is your favorite pair of skinny jeans, a zip up sweater, warm knit boots, and a purse. I personally don't think the kind of purse matters. It can be a backpack purse or a regular purse. You'll still look cute.

Another outfit that I love now that I have to dress warmer is definitely the combination of long skit sweaters and leggings. I feel like it's a cute and innocent look. There also isn't anything difficult about the outfit and it's still really cute. It can be an easy go to outfit if you don't know what to wear. Another thing I like about this outfit is that you can do so much with it. You can wear boots, add a scarf, and/or a beanie with it. Either way, you'll look and feel warm and comfortable.

 I hope you enjoyed these outfit ideas. Hopefully they inspired you to create your own personal winter wonderland wardrobe. No matter what, the best outfit is the one that is stylish and one that you love. <3

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

So in my last post I talked about going out and living life and today I did just that, but not by my own will necessarily. Today was a beautiful day in San Francisco. I was texting a guy friend of mine and he also agreed that today was a nice day. A little further into our conversation he asked if I wanted to sit in the grass with him on campus. Me being the dorky somewhat smitten girl that I am, I was totally blushing, but I said yes. Thank God we were texting, if we were in person that would have been so embarrassing. When we met up he instantly started conversation. Asking me how my day was and what was new with me. It was nice. After finally finding a nice place in the sun to sit we sat down in the grass and started talking more. He asked me about my love for volleyball and I asked him about his love for his sport. We talked about school, growing up, and how it's okay to be kid sometimes. It was such a refreshing feeling to have someone interested in my interests and listening to what I have to say. I'm not gonna lie, I had a crush on him before this day, but when it was just the two of us sitting in the grass enjoying the sun I started to like him more. He had to leave because there were some things he had to take care of, but he walked me halfway to my dorm and we talked more. We were laughing and chatting and I was holding onto his arm while we were walking. I had never held onto his arm before, but it felt right. After a certain point we hugged and said our goodbyes. I walked the rest of the way to my dorm all smiles. Looking like the dorky somewhat smitten girl that I am. I wonder if this is what it's like to take things slow or maybe I'm just way in over my head. Regardless, I've never had such a simple day with someone before, especially with a guy. He's definitely something different. But, it's a good different. A different I like. I really hope we get more days together like these.

Just Breathe

So far I'm about 3 months into my first semester of college. I only have about a month left before the semester is over and today was like any other day, me trying to survive the day. Walking out of my last class with a friend, we were talking about how much effort should be put into college work. I'm putting all of my effort into my school work while my friend kind of isn't. His response to that was, "I have other important things to do. Like hang out with my roommates, go outside, and just live." I had no idea how to respond to that. He took me by surprise. Before leaving he said, "You'll understand eventually." 
After he left I thought about what he said. I had been so wrapped up and stressed out about school work that I haven't been living. I've just been going through the motions of waking up, going to class, doing homework, studying for long hours, and napping whenever I wasn't in class or had an exam to study for or a paper to write. It kind of makes me laugh now that I've realized this because wasn't living the reason why I moved away from home in the first place? 
I came to San Francisco to explore and experience a new pace of living. To find myself and feed my passion for writing and photography. I came to San Francisco to reinvent myself; to expose myself to something unfamiliar and let myself blossom to my fullest potential. Looking back, I had a plan. I was going to get into photography more and write more and just live more. But I haven't been doing that. I've been so focused on making sure that I get into the nursing program by getting straight A's that I haven't been living. Now that I think about it, once I get into the nursing program and get my degree what kind of stories can I tell about my college life if all I did was go to class and live in the library? None.
From this point on I am making it a goal and a promise to myself to live. To just breathe and take in the sights and appreciate life for what it is. Because after I accomplish my professional goals I have nothing else to show for my life. I don't want my life to be all about my career. I want my life to be about me and the things I love so that I can pass it onto my kids and my kids can pass stories about my life onto their children.
Now, with this proclamation I'm not saying I'm not gonna try and aim for A's anymore, I am. My goal is to get A's in college. A's just aren't gonna be my life anymore. I'm going to wake up early in the mornings and not stay in bed all the time. I'm going to blog more and devote more time to learning more about photography. I'm going to try and rekindle my passion for music and possibly relearn the piano (maybe). I'm going to set time out to write more. I'm going to explore when my schedule allows me to. I'm going to be successful in school and enjoy the finer things in life; my passions.
I'm going to do all of these things because I want to do all of these things. I'm making it a promise to myself to do all of these things because when I look back on my life I want to be able to say I accomplished something more than just a career, I want to be able to say I accomplished happiness and meaning of life.
Sometimes you just have to breathe. 



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