I just scheduled my classes for my last semester of college and it didn't hit me until I finalized everything with my advisor. It's so crazy how time flies! One minute you're trying to decide what you want to do after you graduate high school and the next you're preparing to enter the real world. I always wished time away. Wished for graduation, wished for moving out, wished for having my dream job, but there's no point in wishing time to pass. Honestly, sometimes I wish I was still a little kid with no responsibilities but it's nice to look back on how far I've come and all that I've accomplished. I'm so blessed to have a loving family who supports everything I aspire to do and pushes me to never give up. Even when I was a rebellious high schooler, they never lost hope that I'd go off to college and chase my dreams. It's definitly been a rocky road and I thought about giving up a lot, but I never lost site of why I started in the first place. Chase after your dreams, even if they scare you and don't doubt your ability to achieve them. 

I'm excited to enjoy my last semester as a college student and to see where the future takes me and to share my journeys with all of you! Xoxo

When it comes to the colder weather sweaters are my absolute favorite. They're comfy, keep you warm, and are easy to style—what more could you ask for? So I rounded up a few of my favorite sweaters to share with you all. 

Enjoy! 

1 (have and love!) // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 (wishlist!) // 7 // 8

Going to Express with the intentions of not purchasing anything is never a good idea. I saw this gorgeous suede jacket and just could not resist. I'm always on the search for perfect fall accessories and this is IT--It's comfortable and has enough room to wear a sweater underneath. I decided to style it with a simple white cami, flare jeans and black booties which made for a perfect everyday look. I think I can manage to overcome the cold weather with this jacket in my wardrobe. 

Jacket // Cami // Jeans // Booties 

Halloween weekend is always a weekend college students look forward too and yes, dressing up in costume is still fun! But honestly, who really wants to spend $50+ on something they're just going to be wearing for a few hours one night? I know I don't. So I threw together a couple of my favorite costumes that you can do with your significant other and the best part about them, you most likely have all of these items already in your closet.

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween weekend and stay safe!

Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski

Forrest Gump and Jenny

The Great Gasby

For today's coffee date I'm going to talk about something new and exciting, and I'll keep it short and sweet! Before I came to State College I was the biggest workout freak ever. Seriously, I would be up before classes/work to hit the gym or I would go late at night--But I always made sure I got my workouts in. Then I moved into my own apartment, away from home, and things got hectic (or what I defined as hectic.) I stressed myself out over bills and school when I had nothing to even be stressing out about—I'm a drama queen, I know. So for the past year or so I haven't been active, I would always tell myself "tomorrow I will start," and never did. But guess what I did this morning?! Drum roll please... I got my lazy butt up at 5:30 and hit the gym and it felt so good! Getting back into the early workout routine is always the hardest, but I knew if I didn't start today I would have just kept pushing it off. 

I forgot how energized I become when the first thing I do is workout. It's so healthy and important for your body, even if all you do is go on a run or do some yoga. I'm still debating if I want to include the fitness aspect into my blog, so if that's something you'd like to see let me know! 

If I could wear a flannel everyday for the rest of my life I would totally be ok with doing so. They're comfy, come in a variety of different colors, and you can style them however you want. Since flannels are basically a hit for fall, I figured I'd share a few of my favorite ways to style them.

The simplest way possible, with jeans. The best thing about this look is you can substitute and add whatever accessories you want. I took a casual approach to this look and went with a pair of white jeans and lace-up flats. However, you could switch out the flats for Converse, booties, or even sandals if the weather is warm enough. Sometimes I'll even add a vest to make my outfit more cozier! 

Shop This Look: Sunglasses // Plaid Shirt (Under $20!) // Jeans // Lace-Up Flats

This is my favorite way to style a flannel during winter—with a sweater/sweatshirt. For this specific flannel I always go with my pullover monogram sweatshirt because they go together so perfectly and it's a nice lazy day look. But putting a sweater over your flannel works just as great and it keeps you extra warm!

Shop This Look: Monogram Hat // Plaid Shirt // Monogram Sweatshirt // Jeans // Sunglasses (These are old, but I linked another pair from Juicy)

Whenever I wear an outfit with one color scheme I like to go for my flannels to add some color. It's a simple look that doesn't require a lot of thought and you can either put it around your waster, like I did, or actually wear it. Either way, you can never go wrong with a flannel!

Shop This Look: Fedora // Dress // Flannel // Over-The-Knee Boots (Under $40!) // Crossbody Bag

I can never decide if I want to purchase dresses during fall season because it gets extremely cold in State College and I like to keep warm. But this lace-up swing and the suede shift dresses are to die for and they seem so perfect for fall. 

Flannels of all sorts are my absolute favorite. I have the gingham one shown above and it's one of the most worn items in my closet. There are a few colors I like and they're under $30 so I might have to snag those!

I'm always on the look out for a good sweater and Old Navy has so many that are on my wish list right now. The grey and white layered sweater is probably #1 on my wish list along with the cream boat-neck pullover. I also highly recommend the plaid poncho! I have one from Old Navy that I bought last year (different print) and I love it. I actually wore it today and it keeps you so warm and cozy—perfect for your lazy days and it's currently on sale for under $25. 

All of the vests I own are from Old Navy-minus one that's from Gap, but they're basically the same place right? I love the style of their vests because they have such a perfect fit. I own two of the quilted vests, expect in white and blue, and I'll be honest this style is not meant to keep you warm. They're super thin, but I'm also aware of that when I purchase them. I mainly wear mine before it gets too cold out and if the weather is chilly I'll just pair it with an oversized scarf and/or sweater. 

Shop This Post: Swing Dress // Suede Shift // Gingham Flannel // Layered Sweater // Boat-Neck Sweater // Open-Front Sweater // Plaid Poncho // Quilted Plaid Vest // Faux Fur Vest // Oversized Scarf

I had such a nice and relaxing weekend! I work a lot, so I haven't been able to attend any of my schools football games until this past weekend. The rain held off for the game, which was awesome, and I tailgated a little too much (oops!) However, afterwards I went back to my apartment and just relaxed all night because why not?! One thing I've learned from being a college student who works a lot is that your body needs a break. Last year I was a full-time college student working two jobs, yes TWO jobs. I never gave myself a break until one night I came home and had a mental breakdown all due to my body being tired and stressed. So take a weekend off work and go hangout with your girlfriends or simply just spend a day watching movies and drinking wine by yourself, there's nothing wrong with wanting some alone time! You can pick up the following weekend with work or whatever you consume your time doing and your body will thank you for the break. 

Also my newest article for CollegeFashionista went live today. So if you're interested be sure to check it out! CollegeFashionista Article

Although summer will forever be my favorite season, I love being able to bring out my fall clothes. There are so many options when it comes to styling your fall items which makes getting dressed in the morning fun (even if you're up at 6 am.) Above I decided to share some of my favorite fall items that I think every college girl should have in her closet. All of these pieces are under $100 and some are currently on sale!

Hi everyone! So as I continue to improve my blog I'm brainstorming more post ideas that I can repeat weekly. One I just recently planned was 'Monday Morning Coffee with Alyssa' where I'll be talking about my life and things going on, so I can connect with you guys more personally instead of my typical fashion posts. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy your first coffee date with me! 

The reason I started this blog was because I wanted a space where I could further talk about fashion besides my Instagram. I also wanted to work on getting my name more out there since I have dreams of working in the fashion industry after graduating college, so why not? However, I haven't been posting on here over the past few weeks as much as I would have liked to. I'm in my last year of college and my classes have just simply gotten the better of me and I keep reminding myself that it's okay. I came across this quote one day on Pinterest and saved it to my computer because I noticed myself constantly going back to read it. Life gets hard and it will always throw obstacles at you, you just have to remember to stay positive. You'll have bad days and stressed days but that doesn't mean you have a bad life and should just give up. When something goes wrong, work harder towards achieving whatever goal your mind is set to. 

I'm working on better time management and planning skills so I can make blog posts more often. When you're passionate about something, you always find the time for it in your schedule, so I'm excited for all the things yet to come on asmalltownfashionista. Hopefully this post was a little pick-up for your Monday and enjoy the rest of your week!