Holiday OOTD

December 6, 2015December 7, 20153 Comments

I LOVE the month of December. Just love it. I love the spirit around December holidays in general, I just happen to celebrate Christmas. 🙂 It had been a while since my family had professional pictures taken, so for this year’s Christmas card, I decided to get some professional pics done. We worked with Rachel and Noah Ray and had a blast!! I had NO idea what we should or would wear, but ended up wearing this as one of the outfits:

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Outfit details:

The skirt – I knew I wanted to wear a tulle skirt at some point during the photo shoot, so I went from store to store in search of one. I was not having any luck finding one and then decided to search the girl’s department at Target. Eureka! They had tons!! This one is an XL which is the equivalent of a Small/Medium I would say. And, it was only $13!!

Girl’s Red Skirt – $12.99

The Top – The boys were all going to wear white button down’s, so I went with a plain white boat neck tee. Actually, it’s my favorite tee for layering at the moment. It’s super soft, 3/4 sleeved, and hits at the hip. Also, it’s only $12! Also from Tarjay. 😉

Women’s Boatneck Tee, $12.00

The Jacket/Cape – They boys wore buffalo plaid hats, so I knew this capelet would be perfect for the shoot! It’s generously sized, so this one is an XS because I normally buy a Small in garments like this one.

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BB Dakota Cape – $52.50 and here

The Booties – I actually wore another pair of shoes as well, but put these one to wear with the skirt. I love these booties. They are a bit ruched, the heel is not too high (for me), and they were quite affordable! #winning

Slouchy Faux Suede Booties, $34.90

We just took the photos today, so I don’t have any to show you (obvi!), but hope to post some on Instagram when we do!! Until then, hope this outfit provides some inspiration for your holiday shoot, holiday party-going, or perhaps one of the December holidays!

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

A Free Dozen Cookies from Insomnia Cookies!!

December 2, 2015December 4, 201511 Comments

CONGRATS TO JAIME, WINNER OF THE $15 GIFT CARD!!

**I partnered with Birmingham Bloggers and Insomnia Cookies for this post, but all opinions are my own.**

insomnia

Yup, you read that right!! In honor of National Cookie Day (Friday, December 4, 2015), one lucky Chic in Academia reader will get a chance to win a $15 gift card to use at Insomnia Cookies in Birmingham, AL! Based on the catering menu for the Birmingham (Five Points location), the $15 gift card can get you a free dozen cookies, specifically the ‘Sugar Rush’ dozen!

03.16_.15_sugarrush_200x200_ This includes a combination of any of the following:

Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate Mint, M&M, Oatmeal Raisin, Peanut Butter Chip, Snickerdoodle, Sugar, White Chocolate Macadamia, Orange Cranberry Oatmeal. NOM!

Of course, they offer a variety of other combinations, in addition they sell brownies, ice cream, and beverages (yes, they sell milk!).

Sample Insomnia Cookies Menu

I stopped by for a dozen, and had to use all of my willpower to not eat every single one while driving home with them!

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They were SOOOOOO delicious!!! My favorite is the Orange Cranberry Oatmeal. The perfect blend of tart and sweet flavors…mmm-mmm good! So, besides the availability of super amazingly tasty cookies, what’s so great about Insomnia Cookies??!

THEY DELIVER!! ‘TIL 3AM!!!

Yup, you read that RIGHT. ‘Til 3am! Now, the one limitation is that they only deliver to a relatively local area to the store (at least here in Birmingham), but still, they deliver. So if you live in or near downtown, you are in luck (in Birmingham). But, you can stop by the store and order during store hours, which run from 11am-3am. Not too shabby!

Current Insomnia Cookie Locations

SO, I’m sure all you have read thus far is “Blah, blah, blah, blah” and now want to know, “HOW DO I GET FREE COOKIES?!” Am I right?! lol. Well, to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below with your favorite cookie flavor. That’s it! Easy peasy! I will select a winner and announce in the comments section and at the top of this post on Friday morning (December 4, 2015). So check back to see if you won!

Finally, in the meantime, be sure to check out the deal Insomnia Cookies is offering for National Cookie Day below:

National Cookie Day (2)

This deal is valid at all participating Insomnia Cookie locations. Get you some cookies to celebrate National Cookie Day!!

Stop by the Five Points/Birmingham location if you are in the area!

1919 11th Ave South, Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35205
877-632-6654

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

From the Insomnia Cookies ‘About Us’ page:

Insomnia Cookies is a rapidly expanding late-night bakery concept with offices in both New York and Philadelphia. Founded in a college dorm room in 2003 at the University of Pennsylvania, by then student, Seth Berkowitz, Insomnia Cookies has been feeding the insatiable hunger of our fans ever since. We specialize in delivering warm, delicious cookies right to the doors of individuals and companies alike.

Today we have more than seventy locations and are still growing! Whether you’re feeding a craving or a crowd, our offerings of cookies, brownies, cookie cakes and even cold milk, has you covered. We also serve and deliver ice cream at most of our locations.

No matter what your cookie needs – – from late night study breaks, sending gifts to college kids far from home, anniversary or birthday gifts or group orders for your next event or meeting. Insomnia Cookies are available when you need them most.

Luxe for Less – Burberry Poncho

November 26, 2015March 21, 20166 Comments

They say good things come to those who wait, and lemme tell ya – I’ve been waiting for this one! I first saw this poncho on Olivia Palermo last year and fell in love. IN LOVE.

Photo courtesy of Vogue.com

I coveted the poncho, but at a steep $1395 + $300 for monogramming, the poncho remained in my dreams alone. That is, until now. I was perusing the Forever 21 website as per usual (doesn’t everyone do this on a weekly basis??!) and came across this poncho!

forever-21-square-patterned-open-front-poncho-burberry-knockoff

Photo courtesy of Forever 21

Uncanny resemblance, right?! Priced at $29.90, it is about 98% cheaper than the original. You’re welcome. 😉

So, I remembered that my local mall has a monogramming kiosk (Time Machine Hoover), so I ran there the day after it arrived in the mail. $12 and a day later, I had a monogrammed poncho!!