guest post: mastering the art of ankle boots

When I purchased these boots a few months ago, I was so excited I couldn't stand it. They felt daring and totally out of my comfort zone and I liked that about them. But as fall arrived, I realized I had no idea what to wear them with... so I turned to the master. Meet Katie. She's here to share some pearls of wisdom on mastering the art of ankle boots.

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Hi, beauty and the feast readers! My name is Katie and I blog at hey little apple blossom. I'm really, really excited (annnnd also a little nervous - this is my first guest post!!) to be guest posting for sweet Allie while she's out of town having a total blast and obviously being the cutest bridesmaid in Austin. Her blog is one of my top favorites. 

(step one, according to these pictures, is to add a cardigan)

Allie asked me to put together some ideas for wearing lace-up ankle boots this fall. I have to be honest, when I got my pair of ankle boots, I was super intimidated! I'm a really short girl, and they seemed to make me look even shorter, on top of looking exactly like my boyfriend's boots... which is weird. But I find myself throwing them on with really unexpected outfits and really loving them all of the time now. Hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some ideas, too!

Idea 1: Menswear-Inspired

They look like men's boots, so why not embrace it? I bought these shorts with these boots in mind... and I have since paired them three times; it's ridiculous and obsessive. The key to this look is the socks! Proportion is important with these boots, since they're so little bitty, and you need the socks to balance out the leg to foot ratios.

Also, winter shorts are awesome. Here are mine, and here a couple of others that would be super cute: 1, 2, 3.

Idea 2: Dresses!

I'll try any look with a dress once. this one works out really well! I think the dress definitely needs to be above-the-knee and, again, there need to be socks. Don't worry, I've experimented with wearing this exact outfit with tights, too, and it's equally awesome.

Idea 3: Dress Them Down (a.k.a., wear them like sneakers)!

I'm kind of becoming a queen of the graphic tee (I don't know), and outfits with graphic tees can get boring. So in comes ANKLE BOOTS! Yeah. I love cuffing my jeans riiight above the boots and I tell myself that it makes my legs look longer. Not-so-secretly, this is my favorite way to wear these guys because it's so unexpected and easy. As long as I remember to put them on before my converse. 

This is my shirt, and here are a couple of others that would be super cute in its place: 1, 2.

Well, I hope these outfits inspired you to try out some ankle boots of your own! And, Allie, I hope you get all kinds of wear out of yours this fall!

things i dig: birthday gifts

Since my birthday gifts this year were absurdly thoughtful and awesome, I thought I'd share some of them with you! My friends really know me too well... 

one.two.three.four.five.six.seven

In other news, I'm on the hunt for more Etsy shops... any suggestions? Let me know!

love stories: laura & radley

Are you ready? I don't think you are... because today is probably going to be everybody's favorite day on beauty and the feast because it's definitely mine! One of my favorite bloggers... ever... is here to share part of her love story which just happens to be my absolute favorite love story... ever... and part of the reason I started this little series to begin with.  I've been following her blog for years and never even kind of dreamed that I'd ever have the privilege of hosting her on my little blog. Meet Laura from Little Things and Curiosities and get ready for some beautiful words and heart melting story-telling about the guy who captured her heart (and let's be honest... all of ours' too) and how she just knew he was the one.

photo courtesy of cooper carras

You just know. That's what people always say about finding their other half — about knowing once and for all that they've met The One. You just know. And I understand what those people mean, because at some point in a relationship, you stop waiting for everything to become clear, to turn black and white. At some point, your questions are either answered or feel irrelevant or maybe you just stopped asking them because you decided that the gray area was sort of the point. The gray area, you realized, is everything.

I just know — and yet, there was also this one moment. This one sweet and simple, fleeting moment in which I realized Radley was It.

His face was scruffy and tanned that morning, slightly burnt, his days back then filled with bayside runs and sandy beach football and long, sunny motorcycle rides. He wore khaki cargo shorts and a green tee, the one I loved because it brought out the golden-green shade of his eyes.

It was early in the morning, a Sunday, and we were carrying hot coffees as we walked along the edge of Mission Bay. I wore cutoff denim shorts and a hooded sweatshirt and my hair was frizzy from the wind.

"The sky is cerulean," I said. "Cerulean. That's my favorite crayon."

And the way he looked at me — his head tilted sideways, eyebrows raised, a half-smirk — well, everything felt sure. He knew, and I knew, and the sky was the color of the brightest blue crayon.

{You can read about the beginning of their love story here.}

24 candles

This weekend, I celebrated my 24th birthday... most definitely the best birthday I've ever had. My friends, as usual went above and beyond with thoughtfulness and I felt so special and loved... it was just perfect. We started Saturday morning with lunch and drinks at Toronado [a friend who couldn't make it called and covered a ton of food for us as a surprise... so incredibly sweet], then moved on to some other bars and eventually home. A full 12 hours of fiesta. Woof. Yesterday, Amanda woke me up with donut holes and I opened presents. Blog Inc., Frye boots, washi tape, nail polish, recipe book, wunder unders, a clutch and an alliegator pinata [handmade by this gal] were some highlights... I am seriously blessed.

yours truly... 24 years old... beer + brat

cards, homemade alliegator pinata, favorite friends

birthday millslagle sandwich... double decker edition

blowing out the candles

It was a lovely weekend, indeed! 

space jam

photo (left) courtesy of design*sponge

After reading Bekuh's tips for finding inspiration, I got inspired and discovered a mechanism of my own. Lately, I just haven't been able to get enough of design blogs. Perhaps it's the grown up in me yearning to decorate a space of my own or maybe it's that fall is coming and I'm even more drawn to brick than usual. Thanks to design*sponge, I've rounded up some of my favorite spaces that will someday influence my own [semi] permanent abode.

one + two

three + four

PS: Thanks for sticking with me through my rant yesterday. As usual, I felt way better after writing it all out. Lots of goodies coming to ya this week... including my birthday this Sunday! Woo hoo! Happy Tuesday!