Becoming a Teacher

Becoming a Teacher

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Dress: Vintage (Thrifted)
Shoes: Steve Madden (Marshall's)
Purse: c/o Gamiss
Glasses: Firmo
Necklace: Kendra Scott

Monday in class my professor had us write letters to our future selves that she will then mail to us in December before we graduate. I began to get very sentimental and emotional as I sat down to write my future self a letter, because while I know I will be graduation in December I don't know where exactly I will be in life, and thinking about the far away future that now seems even closer made me reflect back on my life over the past three years in college, and over this past semester and I began to pour out two pages of words to myself. 

When I was growing up I don't think I ever said that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, but being a teacher was always in my blood (both of my parents are teachers) and I grew up teaching and playing one room schoolhouse every day. Thus, as I entered college to minor in education it always just felt right. With that being said as my methods semester draws to a close and I look ahead towards student teaching in the fall and all the tests I need to take to get certified I am reminded of how much I have already learned through my process of becoming a teacher. 

Being a teacher is HARD and draining.....I'm not going to lie.....but it is also very rewarding and inspiring and exciting at the same time.....I have seen the good the bad and the ugly this semester and while I have had students tell me that I won't want to be a teacher because of the students (them) attitudes and behavior, their words and actions have actually made me want to become a teacher even more because I want to make a change. I want to make a change in the classroom in how it is run and I want to make a change in students attitudes towards learning. 

With that being said I await both the known (graduation & student teaching) and the unknown (student teaching placement and post-grad life) with anticipation and excitement for all that they have to offer. 

On a style note I do have to say this semester has really gotten me into the whole "teacher style" mindset and I always seemed to reach for something that said "teacher" when getting dressed. This look was one of my favorites! I found this vintage dress at Goodwill and absolutely fell in love with the color, style, polka dots, and perfect comfort of it. I think the dress is from the 70's but the style actually kind of reminds me of the 40's which is mainly why I got it and it is absolutely the PERFECT dress for teaching a room full of high school students. Pair it with oxfords for the classroom and an over sized grandpa teacher sweater (I do wear one in the classroom because it freezing....no joke) or a pair of summery sandals and accessories for an out of the classroom look. Of course if you really want to go all out with the teacher look and take props from Jessica Day than by all means you have to wear glasses too:)

-Madison

Old Town

Old Town

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Dress: Minnie's Menagerie Vintage

Blouse: Thrifted (LOFT)

Belt: Sister's

Heels: Old Navy (last season)

Earrings: Forever 21

**Pictures By @katie.g.photography**

Well, March has certainly turned out to be a record breaking month for the number of posts that have gone live on the blog...13 in total! YAY! That averages out to about two posts a week:) Anyways, you all might remember my post highlighting my plans for spring break, one of which was doing a photo shoot with an up and coming young photographer friend of mine and well....this post is all about those pictures! Now granted, I cannot include all of the pictures (unfortunately) and this post is already verging on picture overload but I couldn't help but include all of my favorite images:)

For the shoot we decided to head to the historic part of our downtown Tomball area which includes a lovely old church, two old homes, two log cabins, a school house, two other building, and a gazebo....needless to day it houses (no pun intended) a number of fabulous picture spots that go perfectly for a vintage shoot. I still remember visiting these historic houses one December for their "Old Town Christmas" celebration fully decked out in my own fabulous 1800's creation (I even got to take a picture with the Mayor in one of the house's elegant parlors) and since then this old historic area of town makes me reminisce about the olden days. 

While brainstorming what ensemble I would wear for the shoot I remembered this darling and one of a kind dress from my grandmothers collection! While it is probably straight from the 1940's it also gives of a slight 1930's feel to me and when paired with this flouncy collared shirt I thought it the perfect combination to capture. Even though the wind at times proved trying in regards to keeping the ruffled collar flat, the over all look of the ensemble made me feel quite elegant :) Ever since discovering this dress I have always loved it. From the big white side buttons, checkered trim and back pocket it is truly a treasure. Thus, I chose to pair it with a tan belt, matching tan heeled sandals, large earrings and simple curled/twisted style. 

I can't help myself from looking at these pictures over and over again as I LOVE them sooooo MUCH! It was such a wonderful experience to collaborate with an actual photographer for a shoot since I am used to always talking my own pictures. On that note, it was also different because I am not used posing in front of someone who actually holds the camera (apart from my sister), but after awhile it simply became natural! 

I can't wait to collaborate and work with Katie again for a blog shoot later on down the road, but for now I am simply LOVING these shots that she captured:)

Have you ever worked with a photographer? 

Would you consider this 30's or 40's? 

-Madison

//Bramblewood Thrifted// Day 4: In The Mood for 1940's

//Bramblewood Thrifted// Day 4: In The Mood for 1940's

Monday, March 14, 2016

Dress: Thrifted (Liz Claiborne)
Shirt: Thrifted (Express)
Belt: Vintage
Shoes: Thrifted (Target)
Flower Pin: Gift

Welcome to the bonus day for Bramblewood Thrifted blog event. Even though creating this post for today meant using my entire morning to get ready and venture out on campus amongst a sea of people passing by as I tried to snap pictures and act "normal" I couldn't pass up the opportunity for the bonus Vintage day! It has been awhile since I posted a 1940's look (to long actually) and I have missed this decade dearly. The 1940's has always held a special place in my heart as the styles to me are always impeccable and red lipstick is my FAVE:) 

I picked up this dress earlier this semester at Goodwill and absolutely fell in love with it. The cut and tailoring of the dress are utter perfection and yield itself to looking like a 1940's dress even though it is Liz Claiborne (which I love). I thought it would be nice to layer this dress over a while collared shirt and boy will I be doing a lot more layering with this shirt because it totally gives the dress a different look. As per the 1940's many women liked to wear flowers pinned to their dresses as a way of making the dress look new and different even if it was old (due to the war). Thus, I thought this darling lace flower pin that I received as a birthday gift from a dear friend would be the perfect touch! I have never worn a flower pin on a dress before but like the layering of the collared shirt, this trick might have to be used more often as well. 

Nearly everything for this ensemble was thrifted except for the belt which is vintage and the pin which was a gift. The shoes are a pair of nude pumps I picked up at a thrift store last summer and they are the perfect pair of shoes for the spring when you need a pair of shoes to match everything! Oh.....and might I add that my new hair cut is quickly becoming a fave because of the look I get when it is curled! I always tried to get that perfect 1940's / 1950's short bob curl and now I know that short hair helps tremendously! 

All in all, most of my vintage inspired pieces in my wardrobe are thrifted. Some pieces I find at thrift stores are actual vintage pieces but other pieces are more modern but give a vintage feel and look which I absolutely LOVE! 

I hope you all enjoyed the last four days of posts!! I know I greatly enjoyed posting outfits every day and wish my blog could work more like this so fingers crossed somewhere in the near future this will be possible. Don't forget to visit Bramblewood Fashion for the last day of the event! 

Have you ever layered a collared blouse? 

Have you ever tried pairing a flower pin with a dress?

-Madison

You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone

Friday, January 29, 2016

Blouse & Skirt: Minnie's Menagerie
Belt: Minnie's Menagerie
Shoes: Old Navy
Lipstick: Rimmel London "Kate" 05
Nail Polish: Revlon gel Color Stay "All Or Nothing" 

Well hello dear readers, I am back on the blog this week once again.....yay! (Now, lets see if I can keep this up throughout the semester.....) I have been thinking recently about blogging. Why I have a blog, why it is so important to me, and why I am so intrigued and inspired by other bloggers. 

In the process of thinking about this topic I realized something very important, and that is this:

For most of us, blogging isn't something we do just because we have time. Blogging is a part of us, and for some it is more important than it is for others. We all blog for a specific reason, and we as people are all unique in our own way....in our own style, fashion, likes and dislikes, but most importantly in our personalities. For those like me, blogging is so important because it gives us an outlet to put our self out there for others to see.....it is a way to share who we are, talk, meet new people, and be exactly who we want without worrying about physically having to get out. Now, that might sound a bit strange, but just hear me out! 

Okay, so to put this in perspective for you, I am an Introvert in the broadest since of the word. Furthermore, my personality type makes up less tan 1% of people in the world as an INFJ. With that being said, blogging is important to me because it has become a part of me in the since that I can share my style, loves, hobbies, and thoughts with people who might share in some of the same things as I do.....but I am able to do this through writing! For me, it is so much easier to write about how I feel and the things I love rather than talking about them, though with the right people this does comes easily. 

Therefore, when it comes to other bloggers I have discovered that many of them are just like me! Yes...most of us as bloggers have cats (we might be on the verge of crazy cat ladies), love tea, coffee, taking, pictures, and writing, but that all comes with the territory of being a blogger and is part of our stereotype....we all share in those same things. Yet, I have discovered that the bloggers whom I can connect with the most when reading their post and hearing about their life, are those bloggers who are "Just Like Me"! The bloggers who are Introverts themselves, and very likely INFJ's or a personality similar to those. 

Sometimes I can feel like I am so alone in the world. Okay.....well not alone like I do not have any friends, for I am blessed by a close group of friends who I love dearly, but none of them are like me at all!! Thus, I sometimes feel like I am alone in the world in the since that there is "no one else like me." To be honest, I have never met someone who has the same personality type as me (wait....I take that back, one of my teachers said she is an INFJ...but still). When this is the case, it is easy to feel like you will never connect with anyone who shares in the same struggles as you, but just when I thought this was the case I discovered a hand full of bloggers who are ALL Introverts themselves and a few of them are even INFJ's. It was crazy to see just how much I can connect with those bloggers when reading their posts....when scanning the words on the screen I always feel as if I am reading a part of my life because I find myself nodding in agreement and exclaiming "That is exactly how I feel!!" 

So here is the thing in all this that I have said.....YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! If you are like me, quiet, Introverted, sometimes shy, don't like meeting new people (at least not in person always), would rather stay in your room with a book or a movie than go out with people, than take heart that I can TOTALLY RELATE to how you feel!! Even if you are not like me in your personality, always know that even when you feel like you are alone there are people out there in the world just like you and they know what you are going through. 

Therefore, I have realized these last couple of weeks that blogging is more than just taking pictures and writing a post....it is a part of me and I now understand why so many other bloggers whom I have grown to love share in my same personality type.......for people like us, blogging is so much more and will forever be a part of the people we are!

**If you are curious as to your personality, you can take the quiz HERE!**

Are you an Introvert like me?

What is your personality type? 

Do you ever feel alone?

Do you have a favorite blogger whom you can relate to?

-Madison

Not Typical

Not Typical

Monday, December 14, 2015

Shirt: Thrifted
Sweater: Thrifted
Shoes: Thrifted
Socks:Forever21
Skirt: Forever21
Belt:Thrifted
Necklace: Me Made (Hobby Lobby)

Okay, okay, so not my typical blog post but I wanted to play around with my new camera remote, take a picture of my latest thrift store shoe find, and capture the Christmas magic of this necklace! Plus.....I also wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas right around the corner, thought here in Texas we are still waiting for the cold! 

My Fall semester is FINALLY over so now is my time to catch up on sewing projects, get to work on some of the exciting blog posts I have been holding off for the holidays, go shopping, spend time with friends back home from college, watch WAY TO MANY Christmas movie, listen to Christmas music, and spend time with family. My break will be filled nearly every day and as soon as Christmas is past our family is off to Branson Missouri for a lovely vacation which I will be sure to document and share with you all. 

However, what are your plans for Christmas? I hope you at least have cold weather....I am so jealous of all you who have already seen snow! 

Until later this week / weekend when better pictures are captured:)

Also....I am really in a mood to write Christmas cards, so if you would like to receive a Christmas card from me just email me you address at: sweetsidecupcakes@hotmail.com