Since Gretchen Weiner is supposed to stop trying to make fetch happen, I’ll just have to say that my new spring blouse and clutch are clutch. Or awesome/cool/amazing/etc. . But seriously, I LOVE this clutch; it has a removable chain strap so it can either be a clutch or crossbody bag. Perfection as a bag.

There are so many spring colors going on in this outfit: pink, orange, green, blue, yellow, purple… and you can never go wrong with pearls. What I’m most excited about is that I’m able to wear this top with so  many of my blazers. Here I’m wearing it with pink, but I can also wear it with coral, navy, and ivory blazers, as well – all of which I have. I have a lot of blazers. I wore this outfit to a meetingwith my professor about possible internships this summer. Fingers crossed that something turns up!

This clutch is clutch!

And here’s the fun one:

 Linking up with Living in Color Style | Stylin’ in St. Louis | White Coat Wardrobe

Don’t mind me. I’m just showing off my bare legs and enjoying the warm breeze. I’m soaking up all of the nice weather we’ve been having lately!

Let’s talk about pattern mixing for a second. Honestly, I’m terrified of pattern mixing, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. I think the key is to keep the patterns simple and in the same/coordinating color palette. Of course, I could be completely wrong and if so, someone please tell me how to do it better!Either way I think this outfit turned out pretty well, and I like it. That’s all that matters. I wore it to Nick’s office and then to out lunch. I can’t wait for the weather to be warm all the time so I can wear it more often.

And here’s the fun one:

Rebecca over at Rebecca Lately was kind enough to nominate me for a Leibster Award!

I am so flattered and excited that Rebecca thought of me, and I’m happy to answer her questions!  Thanks so much, Rebecca!

The way this works is I answer Rebecca’s questions, give 11 questions to the blogs I nominate, and then provide 11 additional facts about myself.

First off, Rebecca’s questions:

1. What made you want to start blogging?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer so blogging has always been appealing. NCsquared Life started out as our wedding blog. We wanted to save paper and create a site where our guests could get information and RSVP to our wedding. Once it was over, I created our wedding page. This was around the time I started reading fashion blogs and updating my personal style. I’ve never been a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, so after a few years of reading blogs and getting endless compliments on my outfits, I decided to try my own hand at fashion blogging.

2. What keeps you motivated to blog?

I think it’s knowing that I can inspire and connect with other people. Also, at this point, it’s just a lot of fun. I mean, who doesn’t love getting dressed up and taking photos?

3. What makes your blog stand out in the crowd?

That’s something I’m constantly thinking about and am working on as a way to improve my blog. Right now, I try to focus on letting my personality show in my photos and always try to include a “fun”  picture as a way to show that getting dressed and wearing cute clothes can be fun.

4. Where do you see your blog a year from now?

I hope it’s a place of inspiration and entertainment for many people.

5. How would you describe your style?

I’m sure it’s been said by fashion bloggers a hundred times before, but “classic with a twist”. I own an embarrassing amount of pencil skirts, blazers, and trousers, and love wearing outfits you’re likely to see in an office setting. I’m trying to add more casual, trendy pieces. Because I’m so short and already look really young, I have to be careful about my style because I don’t want to be mistaken for even younger than I already am! (Fun fact: I’m 29 years old)

6. Do you actively grow your blog or do you blog for fun?

I’m actively trying to grow my blog by participating in link-ups and promoting on social media. But regardless, I always do it for fun.

7. What’s your best beauty advice?

I believe there’s beauty in imperfections so don’t try so hard to cover up something you think is “wrong.” I’m a big advocate of body acceptance so be who you are and own it. I try to stay as natural as possible and would encourage others to do the same. To me, natural is beautiful. Oh, and moisturize!

8. If you had to wear one item of clothing for a month, what would it be?  (this would obviously be part of an outfit … you wouldn’t be wearing just one piece of clothing for a month)

Probably my navy blazer. It’s so versatile that getting dressed would be super easy!

9. What beauty product have you used the longest?

bareMinerals powder foundation by Bare Escentuals. I discovered it in 2008 and loved it so much that haven’t looked back.

10. How do you find new blogs to follow?

From other bloggers, either through linkups or perusing blogs that are followed/liked by my favorite bloggers.

11. Do you tell people about your blog or is it a secret amongst the community? 

Most of my friends know about it as they see me promote it on Facebook all the time. Some of my classmates are just now finding out, and when they ask, I usually say something like, “oh, it’s just a little style blog I do as a hobby.” I’m very bashful about it and have no idea why!

And here are the facts:

1. The name of the blog, NCsquared Life, is from the fact that both Nick and my initials are ‘NC’. Mathematically, it’s (NC)² and “life” comes from being a lifestyle blog, since we show our style, our DIY projects, our travel, our recipes, etc. Fun fact: I didn’t change my last name after we got married and our initials are still the same!

2. I’m a full-time graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH). I left my full-time job of three years at a nonprofit to go back to school. I’m not sure what I want to do when I’m finished but I’m thinking about program planning and/or evaluation.

3. Nick and I met when we were both in undergrad, which means we’ve known each other/been together for almost 11 years, and married for 2.5 of them. He’s still the love of my life.

4. I’m a passionate human and animal rights activist. I believe that we must never remain silent whenever any human or animal endures suffering or humiliation, and that we should do what we can to make the world a better place for everyone.

5. My favorite color is purple. My second favorite color is green. I don’t wear those colors very often. Strange.

6.  If I could open my own business, it would be a no-kill animal shelter. My friend and I have joked about buying a ranch somewhere so we can do this. Maybe someday.

7. Halloween is my favorite holiday and it always has been. I’m a long-time lover of ghost stories, scary movies, and anything spooky/creepy.

8. I want to be a morning person, but waking up is hard. I’m more of a middle-of-the-day person. I don’t like staying up super late at night and I don’t like waking up early in the morning. I’m at my best in the middle of the day.

9.  I’m [still somewhat] fluent in Spanish. It was my favorite class all through school and I minored in it in college.  I never got to travel abroad, which is sad, and the only Spanish-speaking country I’ve visited is Puerto Rico (which I fell in love with, head-over-heels).

10. I’ve lived in North Carolina for my entire life. I have lived in several different cities in NC and absolutely adore the one I chose to settle in, but I’ve never lived anywhere else.

11. I’ve studied belly dance for a few years and have performed (with a group) twice. It’s one of the most fun hobbies I have, besides blogging, of course!

I would like to nominate:

Lindsie at Mom’s Bistro

Jennie at Tip of My Tongue

Caroline at Tasteful Style

Now, I’d like to ask you some of the same questions, with a few of my own.

1.  What made you want to start blogging?
2.  What keeps you motivated to blog?
3.  What makes your blog stand out in the crowd?
4.  Where do you see your blog a year from now?
5.  On a personal level, what are you looking forward to in 2014?
6.  Do you actively grow your blog or do you blog for fun?
7.  What is your favorite quote and why?
8.  If you could go back in time 10 years and tell yourself one thing, what would it be?
9.  Name your top three comfort foods.
10.  What is the number one thing on your wishlist right now?
11.  Do you tell people about your blog or is it a secret amongst the community?

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better. Please be sure to take a look at the other nominated bloggers, you’ll no doubt be as inspired by them as I am!

This is not a suit. It looks likes one, though, which is great because it works really well as a spring/summer interview or office outfit without having to spend a ton of money on an actual suit. All you need is black crop trousers (or slacks) and a black blazer, and just about any blouse would look excellent with it. The secret is to make sure the blacks match as closely as possible. For this outfit, both the blazer and trousers are from Banana Republic so I was pretty confident they would be the same color.

By the way, I’m loving this blouse. Nick picked it out and surprised me with it and it’s perfect for spring, really comfortable, and really versatile. I can’t wait to wear and style it more.

Sometimes you just need to walk barefoot in the grass!

And here’s the fun one:

Linking up with Perfectly Coutured | Everyday Fashion and Finance | Delusions of Grandeur | Simply Lulu Style | Sunny + Turquoise | Stylin’ in St. Louis

This is basically my new favorite outfit but with a black skirt instead of jeans. The temps dropped again so I needed something a little warmer than a maxi skirt, and next time I’ll wear tights. I LOVE wearing this vest with this sweater because it feels like they were made for each other. Please excuse the wrinkles in the skirt; I wore it to campus which means I had to sit in the car for a few hours. As with many things in life, wrinkles are just inevitable.

And here’s the fun one: or at least as fun as I could get: