velvet & chiffon

velvet dress - thrifted, necklace - diy, chiffon skirt - thrifted, tights - target, belt & boots - thrifted

This is a super duper old outfit, but I thought I'd post it anyhow. It was saved as a draft before I stopped blogging for like, EVER. Yikes. Sorry about that guys. Belts like this are one of my favorite things and this pleated chiffon skirt is so useful for layering under too short for work skirts and dresses. Unfortunately I broke these glasses awhile back when I set them on my bed and then proceeded to sit on them. sadface.

better late than never

I just found this picture J took of me when we went pumpkin picking this fall and thought I'd share it. I don't get a chance to take many outfit pictures without a camera to do the whole self timer routine. I'm still just using my phone as my primary camera, supplemented by an Instax and a 35mm Yashica. Taking lots of pictures of myself, I generally know how I want them to turn out but it can be really fun sometimes to see yourself through someone else's lens. J always takes good pictures!

I don't think I've mentioned it on this space yet because I just haven't been blogging, but I moved back home. My living situation and roommates got worse and worse after the best roommates ever moved out and eventually I couldn't take it any longer. I think I made the decision around the time someone I lived with told me she wished something horrible would happen to me. Caring, compassionate people right there. sigh. Well, since I've moved home I have yet to fully unpack and one of the things I have not unpacked yet is all my jewelry and accessories. Looking at this picture, I miss that stuff. I sort of took the unpacking slow to see what I really want and need and I think I absolutely need all my baubles!

clearcut path to nothing at all

I don't care what happens, this skirt will always be the one that a particular boy liked me best in. Some garments become attached to certain memories and can't be separated. I don't think that's a bad thing though. I like the way I can remember things I felt or did just by pulling on a dress or a pair of shoes. I don't think I'm romanticizing anything. The boy always was and is bad news and when he pays a compliment it's not sweet at all. But sometimes I like to remember disgusting things idiot friends say to me.

skirt - jack by bb dakota, tights - target, boots - thrifted, chambray shirt - thrifted from boys section, purse - vintage dooney & burke, axe - hardware store

frutas y chiles secos

denim jacket - thrifted, sweatshirt - craft fair, jeans - gap, moccasins - minnetonka, bag, thrifted

This has basically been my uniform this spring. Especially for barbecues or other eating outdoors sort of occasions. It just feels right. I bought the bag at Value Village with Emily a couple weeks ago and she HATES it. She thinks it's ugly and stupid. Which it kind of is. I mean, I'm carrying around a plastic shopping tote with a bunch of pictures of food and a phone number for Oaxaca, Mexico on it. But it reminds me of my days of picking up funny orthodontist tshirts in the little boys aisle of the thrift store and wearing the SHIT out of them. That was totally my style for, oh, most of high school. You can't blame me for feeling a little nostalgic for the ugly and weird.

roadtrip/sandwich

denim jacket - thrifted, sweatshirt - craft fair

I'm in Spokane right now, and this has essentially been my uniform the past couple days. The sweatshirt I got at a craft fair in Seattle, and it's made locally. The Levi's jacket is one of my favorite items of clothing ever. I found it at Value Village, already beat up, faded, and full of holes. It fits perfectly. 

Breakfast Sandwich

Toast 2 slices of whole wheat sourdough. Cook 2-3 slices of bacon, reserving the rendered fat in pan. Cook  a bunch of spinach in bacon fat, and then fry two eggs. Spread toasted bread with mayonnaise and a grainy, sweet mustard, and pile the cooked spinach, bacon slices, and fried eggs on one slice of bread. Top with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese, and a big pile of fresh sprouts.

artificial light

Anderson Park in Redmond has been the site of a rather wonderful art installation by fiber artist Suzanne Tidwell. It's been up for a few months and is coming down in a couple weeks, but I only just made it over there to take photos today. I drive by it nearly every day and it is delightful, but getting out of the car and wandering through the colored forest felt a bit like a fairytale. As I took pictures, I started thinking that each of the yarnbombed trees had a bit of an individual personality. I especially liked the slightly damaged ones, the ones you could see the effects of weather on. Holes and blobs of sap caught my attention and really brought home the contrast between nature and human creation.

I think I was dressed rather appropriately, don't you think? I've been housesitting and ran out of clean clothes but I didn't want to drive home, so I just went shopping. The stripey tank and yellow shrug got me in such a summery mood, I also picked a new nail color--Essie's Meet Me At Sunset. Also, I finally picked up a bottle of Seche Vite, and I love it. It works so well! My nails have never looked this good.

While I was taking pictures, a group of ladies where knitting at a picnic table. As I walked by, we did the nod and mumble hi thing you do with strangers in parks, and just as I was passing by, I realized I knew the woman sitting at the far side of the table. She owned this fabulous diner in town when I was a baby and is a long time family friend. So I ran around the table and hugged her, and luckily she recognized me too! That could have been awkward. Then, when I was walking back to my car, this guy playing ball with his kids asked me if I was a photographer and we ended up talking about art and photography and cameras for quite some time. He had studied in New York and was a big fan of Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist. He was kind of surprised that I knew his work as well, and got really excited. Connections with people like that, when they're so unexpected, whether seeing someone you used to know or discovering a shared passion with a stranger, are so cool.

shirt & shrug - target, jeans - gap, moccasins - minnetonka

meet me at sunset - essie

pink glamour

tshirt - old navy, velvet trousers - asos, purse - thrifted dooney & burke, clogs - jeffrey campbell, lips - revlon really red, glasses - joseph marc, nails - smoke screen from ulta

I am trying to become the kind of woman who can wear pink velvet trousers with complete confidence. I am not there yet, but I think confidence in clothing is one of those fake-it-'til-you-make-it sort of deals. Just wear that impossibly glamorous thing you love, and act like it's totally ordinary. You may totally self-conscious, but pretend you're not for long enough and that'll just fade away.

My first outing with these amazing velvet pants (found through the lovely Sal's awesome Insomniac Sale Pick  feature on Already Pretty) was a bit of a trial by fire. I finally got the correct size and decided I wanted to wearing them right away, damn it. I got dressed with nothing planned for the day, thinking maybe I would just hang out and read a book, and be quietly glamorous until I got used to the crazy things and would brave other people seeing them. That may sound a little wussy but pink velvet, wide legged, high waisted trousers are quite a thing to rock. But at the last minute, J and I decided to go see a comedy show in Seattle, which is how I found myself walking down the street on Capitol Hill, by myself (we were late so I let J out while I looked for parking), in pink velvet, pretending my damn heart out that this was not weird.

And you know what? I still felt weird by the time I got to Neumos. And that's ok. I was less aware of myself while Jon Benjamin made us laugh, and by the time J and I were eating burritos outside our favorite burrito place, I was feeling pretty good. Now, whether that confidence will stick around, I'm not sure, but I'm proud of myself for rocking these crazy pants.

I also got new glasses! I love how thick and square they are and the color is great. So happy to not be taping my old ones together every day. Red lipstick was a must with such glamorous pants, but I kept the rest of my outfit simple. A fitted tshirt balanced the voluminous pants and heeled clogs gave me some height. 

Justina also looked super cute of course! My cousin Riley recently cut her hair and put some temporary pink in it which was super cute and she needs to do permanently. Hint hint. Soft pink with blonde is one of my absolute favorite hair things. Too bad the color doesn't show up in this picture. Also, I must remember to get a picture of her bag next time. It's the same soft pink I can't seem to get enough of, with skulls. It's perfect.

cute as a cupcake

So the other day my awesome friends, J and A stopped by work to drop me off one of the special, limited time Easter cupcakes from Trophy Cupcakes. Yeah, I do have the very best friends ever. They stuck around for a bit until I could go to lunch and we ate together outside by the river. Doesn't J look adorable? I love her super cute style.

on me: shirt - mom's, cardigain - uo, skirt - thrifted, tights - target, shoes - steve madden, sunglasses - topshop (london), purse - thrifted dooney & burke

on j: skirt and hairclip - h&m (new york), boots and necklace - yesstyle.com, tshirt - target, jean jacket - american eagle, tights - forever 21, tote - sanrio

forgotten post

tee - gap, cardigan - thrifted uniqlo, skirt - thrifted, tights & pink moccasins - target, bag - thrifted dooney & burke, scarf - thrifted, glasses - zenni optical, lipstick - just bitten in gothic by revlon

Sometimes I like to be a little matchy-matchy with my outfits, and this one is one of those. I kind of forgot to blog this one, so I think it's about a month old. It was definitely colder then, and I was wearing a lot more wool. Occasionally I like to match my tights to my skirt for a sleek, long line. I also matched my shoes to my tshirt. I tied this darling vintage printed scarf onto my purse for one more pop of color (isn't it the cutest? I love the hearts-on-vines motif) and the red color inspired me to wear red lipstick again. Actually, it really doesn't take much for me to decide to wear a bright lip color. Lastly, I was wearing a lot of pinned up braids last month. I should do that again...

mad men style

dress - thrifted, tights - target, shoes - aldo, belt - crossroads trading, purse - thrifted dooney & burke, glasses - zenni optical

So who else is totally obsessed with Mad Men? Everyone, right? The wait for the season premiere was miserably long. I actually only got into the show during the hiatus, when I caught up on all the seasons in a manner of weeks. Amanda has been watching it much longer but now we're both obsessed, so we knew we had to watch the premiere together. With drinks. And thematic clothing. This dress is something I imagine Joan would wear. If only I had her curves! Still, it does accentuate the few curves I have, so that's nice. I was trying for a Joan-y pose with the cigarette and purse and later we made a Don style old fashioned with Canadian Club whiskey. Like I said, obsessed. I love being a dork about great things!

sunrainsunrainsun

I love how weird our weather can be here in the NW, especially in those sort of transitional seasons, like spring or fall. The other day it just could NOT decide if it wanted to be sunny or rainy, like all day. One minute it would be all rainy and the next the sun would come out. Considering there was quite a lot of overlap, I was kind of hoping to see a rainbow but no such luck. Instead, I wore my sunglasses while carrying my cute clear umbrella. It seemed so wrong, but both were necessary during my lunch.

chambray shirt - gap, skirt - thrifted, tights - nordstrom, shoes - steve madden, sunglasses - topshop (london), bubble umbrella - ebay

glitter nails and spring time looks

skirt - thrifted, tee & tights - target, purse - asos, moccasins - minnetonka, sunglasses - topshop (london)

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have some nice weather! I've been wearing short sleeves, sunglasses, and driving with my windows down and it makes me delightfully happy. I haven't done bare legs, since that always makes me coldest, but it's coming. Sandals too! I even spotted a flower chain some happy person had hung out by the trail behind work.

I know I've talked about both this purse and my awesome blanket skirt before, but seriously, new favorite and old favorite items right here in one picture! When I bought this weird round clutch type bag, I thought it would probably be more of an evening/going out sort of thing. But I've been pleasantly surprised with how well it works in everyday sort of outfits. I think it adds a funky, bohemian sort of vibe.

After I wore that ombre manicure for a few days, I threw a coat of pink glitter polish over the top. It toned down the ombre effect a bit, making it a little less noticeable. But it's so fun and also hides any mistakes! My nails were not completely smooth and the fade effect was not perfect but the glitter disguises that completely. I love the option of changing the look of my nails without completely redoing them. Wear the regular ombre manicure (or whatever other style) for a few days and when you start to get bored, add some glitter! So fun.

crafternoon with rallison

After I posted my spring flower crown, my favorite co-worker Allison told me she wanted to make floral headband with me. And my response was, of course, "Yes, please!" So Thursday we met up at work before I had to start my shift, bought a pile of flowers and whipped ourselves up some headbands. Of course, after we were done we took a bunch of pictures.

floral headband - diy, tshirt - target, cardigan & skirt - uo, tights - hansel from basel, clogs - jeffrey campbell

I love the whimsy flowers in your hair adds to any outfit! This silk scarf style skirt (woah alliteration) and scallop tights fit right in with the whimsy thing, don't you think? And how freaking cute does Allison look? She posted more pictures of herself on her delightful blog, note to self. She is rocking that bug print shirt!

The headbands themselves were super easy to make! I put together a little photo tutorial for you. You need a headband, floral wire, wire cutters, and an assortment of fake flowers. Create a bundle of flowers and leaves and wire them together, leaving a long tail of wire. Use the tail to attach the bundle to your headband. Continue adding flowers until you cover the headband, leaving the last few inches of each end bare. You can go back and fill in blank spots, or anywhere you see the wire, by hot-gluing small flowers to cover gaps. Now go rock your flower headband!

Thanks to Allison for taking pictures of me and for a really fun day! Now I have a million craft projects I want to do, so next time you're home again, let's hang. Also, any other friends want to get together for a crafternoon?* Things are more fun to make with friends. 

Also, check out my fun ombré manicure! I basically followed the tutorial on Jezebel, except I didn't do a base color. I wanted a more subtle look, so I just used a single color+clear. I think it turned out super fun! I'm starting to get into doing my nails more. I've been super inspired by The Dainty Squid as well. Kaylah posts the best nail tutorials. I tried her triangle nail before but it got screwed up before I got a chance to take any pictures. 

*I'm pretty sure I stole the term "crafternoon" from White Lightning. 

pokemon style

flannel shirt - gap, wool skirt - thrifted, tights - target, boots - thrifted, purse - asos

The button up shirt+pencil skirt combo has essentially been my uniform of late. It's just so darn easy and any pairing I throw together seems to work out alright. I did feel I needed a touch of excitement when it came to accessories, so I grabbed this amazing spherical clutch/purse I got from Asos. It's bright red, with gold accents, made of hard plastic, and totally round. It is the coolest! It reminds me of a pokeball, you know, like from Pokemon? Remember? I think it's fun and just weird enough to be interesting which is pretty much what I look for. I like fashion to be fun!

rape arguments in bars are rarely a good idea

top - talula, pants - justin timberlake's collection for target, bag - thrifted dooney & burke, boots - thrifted

Have you ever had one of those nights that when it's over you just go, "What the fuck . . . just happened?" Friday night was a bit like that for me. My friend Shiloh's band was playing at Pete's Tavern, as was a local band we went to high school with. Seeing as the show was in the next town over from my hometown, and the bands playing had members from my high school, I really should have expected the oh-my-god-high-school-all-over-again feeling. There were SO many people I went to school with there, and also just a lot of older hicks and other small town types.

At the bar, I bumped into a guy I didn't recognize but apparently he remembered me and Amanda from high school. Once one of the guys he used to hang out with showed up, I did start to remember them and we all ended up chatting. It was nice to catch up with some people from high school. Nice, but extremely weird.

Boys we used to know weren't the only people talking to us. We had several weird guys try to hit on us, get us to dance, and other general creepy behavior. Shiloh also overheard this guy in a black tshirt telling a girl that he would "like to eat cake off her tits." Yeah. Who could resist a line like that?

You know the guy from high school I didn't remember? He overheard me talking about about what a creep Dov Charney of American Apparel is and started arguing with me about how things he did were ok-ish. Things quickly got more general and we were talking about rape and sexual harassment and rape culture and the patriarchy. My friends, of course, were telling him to drop it, because I wasn't going to let it go when he was saying stuff like "girls should just say no and if they don't they're stupid" while I'm trying to explain things like enthusiastic consent to him. But of course, being totally drunk, he kept arguing. And so all my friends got up and left and watched from across the room. It wasn't an angry argument, in fact I was laughing most of the time and eventually I got him to agree with my basic arguments. Then he told me I was pretty and smart and asked for a hug. It was . . . an interesting night.

new bag

sweater - urban outfitters, shirt - target, skirt - thrifted, tights - sockdreams, boots - thrifted, leather backpack - thrifted, necklaces - talonalia

I was kind of exhausted today because I went out last night and then I had to work, even though I don't usually have to work on Saturdays. Oh well, Emily asked me to switch, so at least I got the later shift. I'll write about last night later, probably tomorrow, because it was pretty fun, and funny, although also completely ridiculous. Emily came with me, so I took her home and then just crashed at her apartment since I had to work in the morning. We totally binged on junkfood on the way home. 

Work was kind of mildly frustrating today. I was up at the registers, which I really don't mind too much but for some reason it bugged me a lot more than it did Thursday. Maybe I'm just sick of it and want to go back to my own department where I know how everything works. It wasn't bad exactly, in fact we were all pretty goofy and fun all day, but . . . I don't know, it tired me out.

I snapped these pictures this evening after work. I have to say, for all my complaining about our lousy weather  lately, I am loving the longer days. Just a month, or even a few weeks ago, there is no way I could have taken pictures outside after work, even if I got off at 5. I really wanted to get pictures because I wanted to show off this leather backpack I thrifted! I've been looking for something cute and neutral that I can use for short trips, hikes, picnics, whatever and I liked this one, especially in the cream color. But I really don't like faux-leather; there's something about the feel that bothers me and the way a lot of it is distressed so it's lighter on the edges ust looks so fake. Finding this backpack was kind of perfect! It appears to be handmade because there's a lot of flaws and some of the leather is weirdly stiff while some of it is lovely and supple. But that wonkiness only adds to its charm for me, so I'm really happy I found it.

I know I've shown off these Talonlia necklaces before, but I just love them. I bought the two of them at the same time and I always wear the two of them together. I picked up this shirt one day when I didn't go home to my house to sleep and didn't have a change of clothes. I like the southwestern motif and colors. (Can we please all try to stop saying "tribal" and "ethnic"? What tribe? What ethnicity? These are silly terms. I mean, even kilts could be called tribal, right?)

spring, at last

dress - thrifted, floral headpiece - handmade, tights - target, boots - thrifted

Spring may be here finally but it's still rather shy. I took these on the first day of spring, after some freak snow that morning melted off. It was a beautiful day, but still so cold! Since then, I've had a few brief glimpses of spring: days warm enough to eat lunch outside, well bundled of course, a light rain that smelled of spring, a few days a wore a sweater instead of a heavy coat and didn't regret it, and a couple glorious sunny days. But this has all been interspersed with pouring rain, heavy winds, and even still some minor snow and occasionally hail.

This lovely floral crown was made for me by my . . . aunt's danish sister-in-law? I think that's right. It was for my aunt's wedding years ago, and she made them for all the girl cousins. It's rather snug (maybe I had a smaller head then?) and can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, but you know how I love thematic dressing. I just couldn't resist it for spring! 

Finally I will leave you with some goofy pictures of me jumping and twirling. I for once wasn't trying to snap pictures in the minute and a half before I had to leave for work, so I was able to play around and get something good. Jumping pictures are, like, really hard you guys! I had to delete probably twenty bad ones.