The Third Street Art Alley

Last Tuesday, my friend Jess (owner of Main Street Printing Company) and I decided to explore the Third Street Art Alley in downtown Niagara Falls. The bright colors and impressive artwork seemed like the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot.

I had just received 3 new Tobi tops in the mail and was thrilled to be able to showcase these looks in such a fun environment. I did my best to ignore the baby sized snow piles and 40 degree weather. New clothes and new places always make my think of spring!

This first top is the Back to Back Black and White Striped Tee. It’s a simple 3/4 top and I love the hint of nautical style that it provides.

Like blogger The College Prepster, Carly, said in one of her latest posts, “There is not one striped shirt in my closet… there are many”. You can’t go wrong with them, they’re classic! And I am happy to add this one to my collection. The material is a cotton and spandex blend, not too clingy and quite flattering.

Previously on my blog I’ve posted about my love for versatile pieces; I believe this Tobi top is a great example. In the warmer weather I will pair it with a pair of coral or white shorts, but it also works really well with any pair of jeans.

Next up, I styled my new Tobi Twist Around Top. I can’t come up with a better way to describe this heather grey long sleeve other than “business in the front, party in the back”.

It’s unsuspecting, and an easy way to show off your favorite new bralette. I also plan on using this shirt to transition an outfit from the gym to elsewhere, while still allowing my sports bra to play peek-a-boo.

This last look that Jess shot featured the Tobi Isabella Bell Sleeve Top in Wine. This could be completely in my head, but I like to think that the voluminous bell sleeves balance out my curvaceous hips.

I believe this top would be good for a business casual look or for going to happy hour.. plus when I spill red wine on myself it would probably be less noticeable in a top with its namesake color! Two birds, one stone.

Although I don’t own them yet, I also have this Cute Blush Blouse and the Edie Wine Shirt on my Tobi wishlist… If this is your first time shopping with them you can get 50% off of your first order on regularly priced items, with some brand exclusions. All of the tops I wore during the art alley shoot retail for less than $50 on Tobi’s site, but with the “new member promotion” they would be even cheaper!

Check out Tobi, here! Which tops caught your eye?

Allison

*This post was part of a brand collaboration. Please review the Work With Me tab for further details about my disclosure policy.

Boston on a Budget

It’s no secret that I love to travel. I actually think that it is one of the first things that people gather from getting to know me.

#travelholics back together again 🌎🌍🌏

A photo posted by Allison Clearing Preppy’s Name (@preppylogic15) on Aug 21, 2016 at 4:30pm PDT

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This past weekend I was able to quench my everlasting thirst for travel and visit some of my friends, Michaela and Clara, from when I studied abroad in England. I had been budgeting since my last trip, to Florida, where I visited another study abroad friend, Tess, in April.

I found that an impromptu trip to Boston was completely realistic thanks to an early summer JetBlue flight sale, taking only a carry on bag and personal item, and having a fantastic friend who allowed me to crash on her couch.

These are the realities of being a post-college twenty something, and that is okay.

Price compare in advance and don’t spend more than you absolutely need to on flights.

I booked my roundtrip tickets almost exactly 2 months before my trip. It was a Thursday, but to be completely honest I am not one of those people who think the day of the week matters all that much. My direct flights were just under $100 and I am still pretty proud of that fact.

At the same time that I booked my tickets, I signed up for a True Blue rewards account. When I have traveled in the past I have made an account for SouthWest, but to be completely honest I haven’t really accumulated anything of significance because I have never been loyal to just one airline; I tend to just fly whatever is least expensive. My lack of loyalty may change now that I have found out that I can take surveys at www.pointsforsurveys.com and accumulate free flights through JetBlue. I already have plans in the making for a trip to NYC in the fall and due to my 4,500 points I’ve acquired since June, I may only have to pay one for a one way ticket. That’s $60 or less… CHA CHING!

JetBlue now has baggage options you can pay for when you purchase tickets. It’s still cheaper than American Airlines and Delta, but nothing compares to SouthWest’s 2 free checked bags. With that in mind I bought the 0 bag basic fair through JetBlue, as my trip was only 4-5 days long, and crammed everything I needed into a duffle and tote.

2. Go on the vacation that fits YOUR lifestyle. Adapt accordingly.

Since I have visited Boston many times before, I decided that I did not want to have the traditional historical visit. I’ve seen Freedom Trail and it is cool. Same thing for the Boston aquarium. But I am a young millennial woman on the hunt for fun cheap Instagram opportunities and delicious food/booze -in case I haven’t made that clear.

And so with that in mind I made 1 goal for each day of my trip.

On Saturday I would find a giant booze-shake from Boston Burger Company. ($10)
On Sunday I would go on a Boston Harbor boat cruise through Boston Green Cruises, thanks to Living Social -because I’m cheap. ($11)
On Monday I would swim in a rooftop pool on top of the Colonnade Hotel near the Prudential Center. ($10)

I accomplished all of my goals with Clara. I spent a total of $300 on vacation, less than one night at the aforementioned hotel that we swam at (which is priced at approximately $450-600 a night).

3. Get over yourself and take public transportation.

I spent $22 on a 7 day CharlieCard pass, so that I could take the public bus and subway as many times as I wanted. This easily paid for itself, as I know I took both modes of transportation at least 20 times. Individually with a ticket each trip would be $2.75, $2.25 on a Charlie Card. I have spent $22 on Uber rides in the DC metro area.. even more on cabs in NYC.. therefore this is definitely the cheapest form of getting around, besides walking.

4. Don’t eat out every night if you don’t have to.

We made the classic poor man’s pasta dish for dinner on Sunday night: shell pasta, olive oil, garlic and parm cheese. I spent $15 on random breakfast fruits, ingredients for dinner, pre-packaged lunches and non-alcoholic beverages for during my stay. By eliminating the cost of dinner one night, as well as having breakfast options and lunch covered one day, this was definitely a solid investment.

5. Talk to the locals.

On our first in Jamaica Plain, the particular neighborhood Clara resides in, we talked to the bartender about places to go. What tourist traps should we avoid? If you were here for 4 days where would you make it a point to visit? Not only will you get a better feel for the town, but you may also get to witness a fantastic Bostonian AHHHcent.

I know that I am lucky to be able to explore such amazing places and visit incredible people, but I am a firm believer that luck actually has very little to do with it. Do your research, know your restrictions and take the world on without hesitation.

Spring closet cleaning with Poshmark

There’s something about the warm weather in Buffalo that just brings me hope.

I spotted some crocuses today while walking around my neighborhood and it made me smile. I feel like one of the best parts about living in a cold weather climate is that you learn to never take a sunny day for granted.

Upstate New Yorkers are notorious for wearing their flip flops “too soon” by fashion standards. They whip out shorts when the temperatures hit just above freezing. I don’t endorse it, but I understand it. I long for the days when I can wear a dress without tights and some strappy open toed heels without fear that I will find myself face to face with a snow bank.

I’m excited to say that Easter was 50 degrees and precipitation free though. This is a significant improvement from last year; in 2015 I recall walking out of the church and being bombarded with white flakes in the air.

Some people are saying it’s too soon to call this spring in Buffalo… despite the official start date of 10 days ago by calendar standards. I think it’s the perfect time to embrace the double digit temps -yep, that’s the standard here-, just keep those heavier knits close by because it changes all the time.

My neighbor was cutting his lawn this morning. I wore capris. We all show our optimism about the weather a little differently, mine tends to involve rotating wardrobes.

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When I pull the shift dresses and pastel colors out of storage, I always find a few items that I could take or leave. Do I move these pieces into valuable closet real estate or leave them banished in the basement until next Spring? God knows I’m going to buy new pieces too…

My style may have changed while hibernating in leggings and slouchy sweaters or my size may have changed, does it really matter the reason? My taste *matures* all of the time so it’s no wonder that I have moved on from a few things I was obsessed with last season or during May 2011. My shopping deals and steals deserve a good home though and recently I’ve re-homed quite a few of my finds via Poshmark.

I’ve been using the Poshmark app since 2012. My first purchases were a Marc Jacobs watch and some Tory Burch flats for amazing prices, with both of the stores that sold those types of items being at least an hour away from my house at the time. It was exciting and refreshing. I hope the people that purchase my clothes and accessories feel the same way!

The app is super easy to use, you just upload 4 photos of your item that you’re selling like you would on instagram. The first image can be filtered. Then you include a short and sweet accurate depiction of what you’re selling (include the condition, size, how it fits, color) and categorize it by the required categories. That’s it!

There are posh parties on the app where you can share your closet items as well as some of your favorite sellers’ pieces. I’ve become addicted to Poshmark, like any other form of social media. I have followers and share things. It kinda becomes a way of life.

Since re-visiting Poshmark over the last few weeks of closet rotating I’ll be completely honest, I have made $300+ . This is an incredibly exciting considering I am a 21 year old juggling part time work and freelance gigs. I’ve also found that when I buy things via Poshmark, in general I am spending a lot less than I do when I take a trip to the mall.

Whether it is to add to your wardrobe or perform a spring closet clean out, make an account and check it out. Nobody is sponsoring this post, this is just my personal success with selling gently used items from the comfort of my home.

Feel free to follow me @preppylogic15 and if you use code HWEUI when you purchase something via the app (cuz lets be honest, it’s inevitable), you and I will both earn $10. Cool!

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