What I Wore: Thanksgiving 2016

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Hello, lovelies! How was your Thanksgiving? I hope that it was absolutely wonderful. My day was filled with watching the parade, spending time with family, stuffing myself with cream cheese pie, and screaming over games of Jenga. In other words, it was pretty perfect. 

Once more, I've decided that it's time to throw it back to my beauty blogger roots. Beauty blogging seriously is one of my favorite things to do, and I really want to come back to it more often. I just never seem to have the time to put together an outfit that I like, and then I end up feeling bad for having to drag my sister outside and forcing her to take photos of me.

Thus, it never happens.

But on Thanksgiving, we experienced a true holiday miracle. Outfit photos were taken.

And so here we are.

I apologize in advance for the amount of photos I'm about to spam you with. Honestly, I'm low on posting material, so you're having to resort to seeing photos of my face. I didn't think to take photos just of my outfit, so you're stuck with me here. Again, I apologize for that. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't trying not to laugh the entire time my sister took these photos.
#selfiefortheblog #I'msorry
"Act like you know what you're doing"
The attempt not to laugh failed
"Do your little smirk thing!"
Sit on the ground. Be one with nature.
What's that? A crayon? A ghost? A piece of paper? Nope, I'm just pale.
Some of this stuff I bought a while back, so I'm sorry if I can't link the exact item!

Beanie: JC Penney's
Top: Target (similar)
Jeans: Target
Boots: TJ Maxx

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

!! A N N O U N C E M E N T !!

BEFORE YOU GO- My wonderful-super-fantastic-coolness-remarkable friend Morning over at Ups and Downs is putting together a blogger yearbook, and it's going to be THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! We want to involve AS MANY BLOGGERS AS POSSIBLE, so click HERE to learn more!!!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What's your current favorite outfit? What did you wear on Thanksgiving? Any autumn style trends you've really been loving? LET'S CHAT!! ♥

Thankfulness Thursday {HAPPY THANKSGIVING!}

Thursday, November 24, 2016


HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY!!!!

Even though I can't quite believe that it's here, I love Thanksgiving so much, oh my goodness. It's such a great day, a time to just chill out with family and eat lots of good food. We watched the parade this morning, then headed over to my grandparents' house and have spent the rest of the day here, just hanging out. It's been a really low-key day, super nice. And I completely forgot to post this, thus why it's coming out so late. MANY APOLOGIES!!!! 

I've been so excited by all of you who've joined in the Thankfulness Thursday challenge this month- I've loved reading all of your posts! It's been so much fun to read what all of you are thankful for. Thank you so much to all of you who joined in!

I'm thankful for so, so many things that I can't even begin to add to these weekly lists. I could talk for hours about everything that I'm thankful for. Looking back at the past year, at all of the amazing people I have in my life and at all of the experiences that I've had, both good and bad, I feel super blessed. Seeing all of the ways that God works is mind blowing, and I'm so beyond grateful. "Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thanksgiving break
family
grace upon grace upon grace
amazing friends
midnight phone calls
beanies
performing
getting out of class early
pie
new sweaters
winged eyeliner
sunsets
adventures
printed photos
Christmas decorating

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• Thankfulness Thursday Friends 

----


----

I hope you've had an amazing Thanksgiving!! I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. ♥ Have an amazing weekend and stay safe!

Black Friday Gift Guide!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016



This post contains affiliate links


I'm not going to lie, y'all- I'm definitely a big fan of Black Friday. Although I really do wish that they would just let it start on, y'know, FRIDAY. I feel like they should leave Thanksgiving alone. It's a day to be thankful, not to shove people over a stupid TV set or phone! That's so silly. So, I never do any Black Friday stuff on Thanksgiving. I like to go out early on Friday morning- everyone's tired from being out all night, and so the stores are so much quieter, it's great.

But I really like Black Friday, because it's a great chance to be able to grab some Christmas gifts for friends! And no, I'm not advocating obsessing over Christmas before Thanksgiving has even happened. I just don't think it hurts to be prepared! Another great thing is that the online shopping around Black Friday is amazing, and the introvert in me can't help but love the idea of being able to get my shopping done without leaving the house. So today, for all of you beautiful introverts out there, I decided to put together a list of some great gift ideas to grab on Black Friday, from the comfort of your own house. So grab some chocolate, a list of those people you still need to find gifts for, and settle in- I've got you covered!

I tend to like to do most of my online shopping on Amazon. They have sales going on constantly this weekend, so honestly you can probably find a new sale every time that you log on. The only problem with the way that they do this is that it's kind of difficult to predict what is going to be on sale when. So since I can't really point out specific sales that are going on, I thought I'd just put together a gift guide full of ideas- I can almost guarantee they'll be on sale at some point!

-----

Books

Y'all know that I absolutely love books, of any kind. Books just make the world a better place! They're a perfect gift for pretty much anyone- after all, there are endless possibilities to choose from. There has to be something that the person you're buying for would enjoy reading! Some of my personal favorites for this holiday season are All the Light We Cannot See, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the Hamiltome

Soundtracks

I'm fully convinced of the fact that the world runs on soundtracks. ALL THE SOUNDTRACKS!!! And if your friend claims that they aren't a friend of soundtracks? Well, it looks like you have a whole new world to introduce them to. ; ) Some of my personal favorites at the moment are Hamilton (naturally), Waitress, and Jane Eyre. 


I raved about these last year, when I got one for Christmas, and my obsession still hasn't died. Almost a full year later, and I'm still filling it in nearly every single day without fail. It's just the best way to record memories, without having to take more than five minutes of your day. 

Polaroid Cameras

Polaroids are super popular right now, and it's easy to see why- they're adorable! 

Adult Coloring Books

I swear, these things are amazing stress relievers. They're so intricate, and really fun to work on while you watch TV or before bed to relax. There are so many cute ones, too- I've seen them all over town! Barnes and Noble has some super adorable ones, and I also really like this one as well. 

Jewelry

Gold bar necklaces have been all over Instagram lately, and I have to say that I'm definitely a fan. They're so cute, super minimalistic, and literally look good with anything. 

Pom Pom Key Chain

I admit, at first, I was kind of dubious, but these key chains are honestly really cute. I have a white one, and I love it!

Gel Nail Topcoat

You guys. This topcoat is my new holy grail. I'm not even kidding. Whenever I paint my nails, they seem to chip horribly, but when I use this topcoat, I can go an entire week before I have to redo my nails. It's crazy! You don't have to use UV lights, either. I swear, this stuff is magical. 

-----

So- are you going Black Friday shopping? Any gift ideas in mind? Let me know! Heaven knows I need more ideas- I'm so behind on planning out Christmas gifts, it's not even funny! I hope that you all have a wonderful, safe weekend. ♥


Why I'm Using Affiliate Links {And Why You Should, Too}

Sunday, November 20, 2016


I feel like affiliate links are kind of a taboo topic in the blogger world. No one really wants to talk about them. SO, we're going to talk about them today. Sound good? I thought so.

For those of you who might not know, affiliate links are one way that bloggers can make money. When a blogger links something in a post, if they are using an affiliate link program, they may make a small portion of money if you click on the link and purchase the item that they linked.

The problem with affiliate links is that some people consider them to be spammy. And sometimes, they can be. Some bloggers decide to use affiliate links in every other word, just because they want to make money. So over the years, affiliate links have garnered a bit of a bad reputation.

Well, as you probably know from the title, I have decided to start using affiliate links. Now, before you just decide to cut off my waffle supply, throw pancakes at me, and stop reading, give me a second to explain.


Blogging is not easy. Y'all know that from reading all of my massive posts during August's blogaversary. Blogging takes a lot of work. I love it to death, but you end up having to put quite a bit of time and effort in if you want to succeed.

I'm sixteen. I'm also incredibly busy, which y'all know. As of right now, I have not had a chance to go out and get a job somewhere, so I really don't have many opportunities to make money.

One day, my mom and I were talking, and she was like, "Look. I know that you love blogging. But think about how much you put into it- it's eating up your time like crazy. You should try to come up with a way that you can make a bit of money while still doing what you love."

I realized that she was right, and I started looking into the best way to go about this. Right off the bat, I knew that I didn't want to be one of those blogs that's super spammy and only posts ads 24/7. That's not who I am, and that's not what Totally Graced is. At the end of the day, what's most important to me is producing good content for people to enjoy, not making a ton of money. That's just not my priority.

With that in mind, I knew that I didn't want to get into using giant flashing ads on the sidebar and such. It's not that I have a huge issue with ads; I've considered using them in the past. I just decided that as of right now, it's not where I want to go.

Then I landed on affiliate links. At first, I was a bit hesitant. But the more I read, the more it sounded like a good option. You have complete control of what you're linking. Yes, some people decide to link every other word in their posts, but that's not what I'm going to do. I see no point in that.

The more that I thought about it, I came to a conclusion. If I'm publishing, say, a makeup haul or a book review, and I really liked the product that I'm talking about...why not link it? If it's a product that I truly do believe in, I see absolutely no issue with linking it and promoting it.

Think about it this way. If you really like something, and decide to share it because you genuinely love it, and then someone else likes it and decides to buy it, why is it a bad thing if you end up getting a small portion of the profit?

So yes, I have decided that I'm going to start occasionally using affiliate links. And honestly, I encourage you to think about doing it, too. In my opinion, it seems to be a really great option!

I just want to mention that in posts in which I do decide to use affiliates (it won't be every post by far- only an occasional thing), everything that I link will be something that I'm giving my honest opinion on or suggesting. I also am going to properly disclose when a post includes a link- I don't want to hide that from y'all!

So yeah- I've decided to start trying this out! I wanted to share it with you all first, just as a heads up, because I felt like I should keep you informed with what I'm doing here on the blog. Hopefully y'all are cool with me trying this out. :)

-----

So what have y'all been up to? I'm crazy busy right now- Thanksgiving break has never looked so good! I can't wait to get a chance to get caught up on all of your beautiful blogs. ♥

Thankfulness Thursday

Thursday, November 17, 2016


I'm going to be completely honest here. I'm writing this on Wednesday night at 8:00. I spent the morning at school and came home and did more schoolwork before going to a two hour rehearsal. I'm currently flopped on a beanbag, my head is killing me, and I'm pretty sure that I could fall asleep right now. And honestly, I should be doing more school, but I've just given up. A few minutes ago, I was like, "Mooooom. I can't do this. I can't write right now. I've got to get this Thankfulness Thursday post out, but I just can't do it."

She goes, "Just say, 'Today, I am thankful to be alive. I won't be if I keep writing this post.'"

I mean hey, it's not bad advice.

So needless to say, this post won't be filled with quite as much positivity as my last one was, and I really do apologize for that. But hey- we can still be thankful, even when we're exhausted, right?

(Also, can we have a moment of appreciation for the fact that BLOGGER HAS A SYMBOLS SECTION NOW??? You can add emojis and copy+paste symbols to your posts. I'm so happy ahaha.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

coffee
Ben Rector music
clear blue skies
bagels
Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack
bright red leaves
snail mail
decorating for the holidays
time at home
rehearsals
Hallmark movies
new makeup
murder mystery novels
sleep

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I was so excited to see some of y'all start to join the challenge last week! It's still not too late! If you decide to post a Thankfulness Thursday post of your own, let me know- I'll add your link. 

• Thankfulness Thursday Friends 

Allie @ Spreading My Joy
Megan @ Pen and Ink
Melody @ Tea Time With Melody Q
---

<< What are YOU thankful for? >>

Thankfulness Thursday

Thursday, November 10, 2016



~ I know that right now, everyone is kind of freaking out a bit. The internet has blown up, thanks to the election. I'm not going to get political, because frankly I know that we're all sick of hearing about it. So all I'm going to say is this- guys, in the grand scheme of things, is this worth completely losing it over? God's got us, no matter who the president is. So the next time that you're tempted to tweet a political rant, I dare you- tweet something positive instead. Because right now, do we really need more rants, more anger? No. We need positivity and light. Be positive. Be light. Spread joy. We're approaching Thanksgiving- let's think about everything that we have to be thankful for, instead of stirring up conflict, okay? Sounds good to me. ~

• there is always something to be thankful for •

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

dinners with friends
progress
big blankets
writing long letters
fall break
introverting
not having a ton of school
ukelele jams
parties
making friendship bracelets 
park days
leftover Halloween candy

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Are you joining in for the Thankfulness Thursday challenge? You totally should- it's a lot of fun. If you do, leave your link below, and I'll add it to my post!

• Thankfulness Thursday Friends 

Allie @ Spreading My Joy
Vanessa @ Simply Me
Megan @ Pen and Ink

---

<< What are YOU thankful for? >>

Happy November!!

Saturday, November 5, 2016

GUYS. There are only two months left in the year. 

NOPE NOPE NOPE 2017 YOU CAN JUST CALM YO SELF AND GO AWAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU. 

Obviously I am quite calm about this entire situation.

First off, I want to apologize for the fact that this post, which is supposed to go out on the FIRST day of each month...well, didn't do that this time around. I found myself freaking out on November 1st because I wasn't ready, and I just truly didn't have time to put together something that I felt good about posting. SO, I decided to just switch some stuff around. Life has to be flexible- blogging might as well be, too. 

October was such a crazy month, I can't even comprehend it. Not that that's hard to tell- it's literally been my worst posting month of all time. Like wow, I bombed that, I'm sorry. On top of the craziness, the blogger's block was so incredibly real. It didn't make for a good blogging month, I'll say that. 

October was a month full of school, rehearsals, bonfires, tests, rehearsals, papers, Halloween parties, and the occasional rehearsal. It was a lot of fun, but I really wasn't expecting it to be so hectic, so I may or may not have gone a slight bit crazy. It's fine, it's fine. 

At the beginning of the month, we started working on one of our biggest dance numbers for the spring show, and we fully choreographed that, so that was really great. It's a lot of fun, and I'm super excited. We then started working on a number for our Christmas show, which ironically is taking place in November. Hey, start the holiday season off early! 

Speaking of holidays, I have to say- I know that some of y'all aren't fans, but I've got to just go ahead and admit it- I flipping love Halloween. I mean, honestly, let's think about this. You get to eat tons of sugar, go back to feeling like a literal five-year-old, and wear awesome costumes. I cannot contain my love for this. My costumes this year included Barbie, Elphaba, and a rag doll. It was fabulous.

I also discovered the magic that is Spotify this October, and I am never looking back. Oh my goodness, it's amazing. I don't have Premium, mainly because I'm cheap, but as someone who's been living with Pandora Shuffle, I could not be happier.

As for November, I don't know for sure what all it's going to hold, but I'm excited. NaNo is going shockingly well, and I think that I'm going to end up ahead of my goal! I had a crazy but fun past week watching some of my best friends compete, which was awesome. Plus, the holidays are coming up, which means lots of fun and festivities and FOOD! I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's the holiday season, but if it's here then we might as well embrace it, right? I'm also working on several super-awesome projects, and I'm pretty much just excited in general. It's gonna be good, guys.

Also, in case you missed it, I'm hosting the Thankfulness Thursday challenge here on the blog this month! You can find all of the details here- you should totally join in the fun. ; )

- - - - -

// The Birdy obsession is so real right now. Currently completely obsessed with Tee Shirt and Standing In The Way of The Light.

// Also can we please just have a moment of appreciation for She Used To Be Mine from Waitress? So flawless.

// Aaliyah's post was so so so real like wow.

// The Hamildoc came out and I still haven't had time to watch it and it's breaking my heart help.

// Chick-Fil-A is bringing back their original barbecue sauce and I was crying tears of joy :')

// World's Worst Bakers is honestly the funniest TV show I think that I've ever watched.

// Kate and Abbie started a podcast and IT IS AMAZING.

// There's a place near me where you could buy six cinnamon rolls for $1.50 and it made my life.

// Paper Comets would love to have some new artists join their team for the winter zine- contact them here!

- - - - -

// Make a recipe from Pinterest. Success!! Well, actually, the recipe itself was a flop. But hey, at least I tried! 

// Read 4 new books. - HAHAHAHA. HA. Ha. ha. heh. Fail. Such a fail, oh my.

// Decide what I'm going to do about NaNo.  In case you've missed it, I AM taking part in NaNo! I'm really excited about it- it's going so well so far. 

// Have an autumn outfit shoot. - Fail. I kept planning it, and I had outfits picked out and everything, but it just never came to fruition. 

// Stretch more often. - I'm like, half checking this off. I did stretch some, but still not as much as I would have liked to. 

// Survive the PSAT. I'm dreading it.  I mean, I'm currently alive, so....success! How I did on it, on the other hand, I have no ida. But I'm alive so that's always a plus. 

// Take part in Jessica's challenge.- I honestly forgot about this after the first week. I'm so disappointed in myself! I may have to come back to it some other time. 

// Have an epic Halloween!  As I mentioned above, yes, Halloween was fabulous. 

// Make an autumn DIY. I actually did! We threw our first Halloween party, and I did several DIY's for that. AND THEY ACTUALLY WORKED!! It's amazing when something actually isn't a Pinstrosity for once. 

-----

I'm actually really happy with how these goals turned out! 6 1/2 out of 9 isn't bad at all. 

 // COMPLETE NANO!! I'm shooting for AT LEAST 25,000 words- I'd love to get further than that!

// Be more active in the blogosphere because that didn't go well in October. (And so far hasn't gone well in November let's be honest.)

// Complete the Thankfulness Thursday challenge

// Start on Christmas! I refuse to let myself freak out for the entirety of December because I didn't plan ahead as far as gifts are concerned.

// Manage my time better

// Have a consistent stretching time

// USE THE FLIPPING PLANNER

// Reorganize my clothes. They're such a wreck right now, y'all. It's bad.

// Practice driving at least once. I'm so scared. XD But I know I need to do it.

- - - - -

So, tell me, what are you looking forward to this November?? ARE YOU EXCITED?? Are you doing NaNo? How was your October?? Want to join the Thankfulness Thursday challenge? Any November resolutions? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE!!

Thankfulness Thursday

Thursday, November 3, 2016


Thankfulness.

I know that once November hits, everyone's piping in with everything that they're thankful for, getting ready for Thanksgiving. We all know that we should really be thinking about everything that we're thankful for all year round, not just when that fourth Thursday in November stops by for a visit. But since everyone is in the thankfulness spirit, I like to host a little bit of a thankfulness link-up here on the blog. Anyone care to join me? It's super simple- just share a few things that you're thankful for every Thursday. They don't have to be crazy big things- although those are just as wonderful. I think it's fun, though, to think about the little tiny things in life that you're thankful for. I promise, it will make your day a little better. Want to give it a try? 

(yes, I know, I know, Happy November is supposed to be my first post of the month. but I simply haven't had time to edit it, and I want to keep up with my Thankfulness Thursday posts this year, so we're trying something a little different. my little OCD heart is trembling, but we're just going to go with it. )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

leaves changing and making life a little more colorful
foggy mornings
hand-me-down clothes
popcorn
watching the squirrels play
NaNo- actually super thankful for it because wow progress
falling into bed after a long day
people you 
books
jamming to music in the car
creativity
having fun even at super boring events
photographs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, are you going to accept the thankfulness challenge? You should! It's going to be fun. Leave me your link below if you do- I want to read your posts!

I hope that you're all having a beautiful November. 
CopyRight Grace Anne Johnson 2024 © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan