The Search for the Perfect Cowboy Boots: Unsuccessful to Date

I think god doesn't want me to have cowboy boots. I'm serious. No really, I am. I swear, I have been searching for a good pair for years, and they always slip past. I'll admit, sometimes it's my fault. I have passed on pairs that were a little more than I wanted to spend and they've haunted me.  Or there was the time that I didn't try on the most perfect pair of high black ones because I wasn't wearing socks and they weren't size marked and I was TERRIFIED I would get my sweaty feet stuck in them. I still think of those boots. They were very similar to the ones I tried on in Spokane (wasn't wearing socks then either, but J took off her own shoe and lent me a sock so I could try them anyways like a TRUE BEST FRIEND) but even taller! Probably the most perfect boots I've ever seen. 

I thought when I saw the wall of boots at this thrift store in Spokane run by a gross old hippy dude I secretly loved that maybe I had a chance, a chance to finally find the one true boot! To redeem myself for not even trying the perfect boots. So I tried on a few pairs, but alas, they just didn't fit. In the picture, I was struggling mightily to pull that boot off my foot. Thank the dear sweet lord I didn't try it on sockless. Despite not finding anything to fill that boot-shaped hole in my heart and closet, this thrift store was a delight! Entire racks of denim jackets, ridiculous pants, whole other racks of old tie-dye, boots, pink maribou heels (do you SEE those next to me??), all piled up and jammed in so you could barely get between the racks. My kind of place.

I suppose if I want cowboy boots so badly, and I DO, maybe I ought to be more proactive in procuring them. I could troll ebay, or even consider buying them new. But ebay seems dangerous considering how much trouble I have fitting into the ones I run across in real life, and new boots are awfully pricey. I also don't want to lose the fantasy of stumbling across the perfect pair in some dingy, poorly lit shop, preferably in a small town east of the mountains. And what COLOR should I buy? So far I've tried on anything that might possibly fit and which I like the shape of (I prefer a tall, slender boot with a not overly pointed toe, but also nothing round or square. Basically it should come to a point but that point should not be too long.) and figured that if it fits, I'll buy it regardless of color. But I seem to be most drawn to black boots, although I think brown would probably be most versatile.

Girls, this is HARD. I want the boots so bad, but they must be perfect. I don't think I've ever had quite such a hard time finding something I like. I mean, I also do not own the perfect leather jacket, but I haven't been actively looking the way I've looked for cowboy boots. I'm talking beeline to the boot section of any vintage store and gleeful excitement and anticipation if the selection looks promising. Followed, inevitably, by crushing disappointment when NOTHING fits my damn feet. Until I find something that does, I guess I'll just keep searching. And maybe burn some incense in front of a shrine of cowboys and western movie stars I may or may not be assembling in my closet. Now where'd I put that photo of John Wayne?

new shoes

I bought new shoes. They're by MRKT and I think they're beautiful. I found them at DSW, when J and A and I went before seeing a movie. We also went to Ulta and bought lots of nail polish because that is the best. A bought a grey that matches my shoes, which I happen to already have. And yes, I do plan on matching my shoes to my hair color because I am that much of a nerd. Wouldn't you?

xmas prep

sweatshirt - cairo via urban craft uprising, dress - thrifted, tights - target, boots - thrifted, purse - thrifted coach

These were taken back in December when I was getting ready for Christmas. Every year, J and I get gross seasonal drinks at Starbucks and then head to Molbaks to wander, look at pretty stuff, and buy a few overpriced ornaments. It's delightful. The holiday season really is one of my favorite times of year and every year I wish I had more time and did more things. This year was no exception, in fact, I think it's been the worst yet. Way too busy with work and stuff to do all the things I wanted. Half my decorations either never got put up or waited until Christmas eve and I only made a few things. Christ, I didn't even send out cards this year. But there's no point in whining about all that. I DID do and make some fun things, which I'll be posting on in the next few days. And I'm determined to make the rest of the winter a fun time too. Ice skating anyone?

I used to love getting fresh, real trees at Christmas but my mom's allergies make that kind of selfish now. Instead, this year I satisfied that urge by wandering through the trees at Molbaks for quite awhile and picking out my pretend tree. I liked this kind of funky one and hung up a little felt fox on it, just for fun.

The huge expanses of poinsettias are also rather fantastic. J liked these pink ones best but I think my favorite were the multi-colored ones. They have so many kinds! We spent quite a long time there, just kind of wandering.

A couple days before we went to Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle. That's where I got the sweatshirt. It was fun but I didn't find anything for anyone else. Still, Christmas shopping downtown is always delightful and the lights were fun and we had a good time.

This year, my winter style has been a slightly odd mix of grunge and holiday pretty. These two shopping days, layers for extra coziness were the big idea. Big sweatshirts, flannel, wool, tights, ugly hats, and weird prints.

thrifty fun

lace shirt - target, jeans - uo, shoes - steve madden, purse - thrifted coach

Last week or something, I went vintage shopping in the U District with my awesome former co-worker Allison. I didn't find anything I liked (at least not anything that fit), but it was so much fun hanging out with her. She got some really cute stuff, like amazing petticoat she blogged about a few days ago and the cute skirt she's wearing in the photo below. We also went to Value Village the next day, where I found a pretty silk dress for my mom, some plates, and a few hangers. Super exciting, right?

shopping guidelines

shirt - gap, jeans - gap, shoes - thrifted

I think I might have too much stuff from the Gap. Haha. I got really into their jeans and then got a bunch of gift cards for Christmas and bought a bunch of shirts. I need to do some more thrifting/vintage shopping and mix that shit up.

I have a new plan for how I spend my money. Whenever I want something, I write it down in a little notebook. Every payday, I choose one item to buy. It can be expensive or not. Obviously this doesn't include food, but I'm also not counting thrift store purchases. Also, if I come across something I just HAVE to have, I can buy it right away, but I will have to skip a purchase oat my next payday. I'm hoping this makes me a more thoughtful shopper and results in purchases of things I really love, rather than just sort of like.

And by the way, how amazing is that view? I love this house, and love housesitting there (more so when I'm not sick). Gotta love the view of Greenlake. It looks especially pretty at night when all the houses across the street are all lit up.

summer = officially over

coat - old navy, sweater - thrifted, where the wild things are tee - urban outfitters, jeans - pacsun, shoes - converse

Labor Day was super rainy and grey here so my mom and I decided to go shopping. She usually doesn't like to shop much, but I really needed some pants for work (my first day was yesterday). We're not allowed to wear jeans and I discovered that I really don't have any non-jean pants. Well, I've got those corduroys I wore the other day, but they're so baggy and sloppy I didn't feel like they'd be appropriate. So I convinced my mom to go to the Gap with me and found some nice dark grey pants. I really dig them. I also got a couple shirts; a nice blue button up, a sheer green ruffled top, and two tank tops. There was a bunch of clearance stuff, plus they had a sale where if you bought more than three items, all your stuff was 25% off. Pretty sweet.

guess who is no longer unemployed

It's been longer than I intended since my last post, but my washing machine has been broken and I had no more clean clothes, so my outfits were pretty ugh. Nothing special today, I spent some time in my mom's classroom helping her students make knitting needles (she has the sweetest class this year, and I love how all of them, even the boys, are so excited about knitting). We were supposed to go to the Evergreen State Fair this afternoon but several people canceled (car troubles, stuck in Bellevue, funeral, etc.) so Amanda and I rented I Love You Man, which I hadn't seen, despite my love of Paul Rudd. It was good.


sweater - thrifted uniqlo, tshirt - target, jeans - pacsun, belt - thrifted, shoes - converse, bag - vintage coach

I got a job today! I had an interview at Ben Franklin on Tuesday and just heard back today that I got it! I'm so glad to be employed again! Seriously, such a relief. I work three days a week, Tuesday and Friday evening, and Sunday during the day. Unfortunately the dress code doesn't allow jeans and I don't have any non-jean pants, so shopping is in order. Actually, maybe that's not so unfortunate. I like shopping. It's an excuse to spend some money, which now I will be making again. Also, just ordered these shoes (pf flyers number 5) last night. I'm in love.

finally! sunglasses

shirt - pacsun, jeans - pacsun, shoes - converse, necklace - ghana, purse - hand me down, camera - yashica (from my mom's aunt)

I went shopping with Amanda the other day, after taking some pictures with this new camera. Well, really old, but new for me. It's awesome how once people hear you're into photography, specifically film, they start giving you all their old cameras. Some end out being quite nice and others aren't so good (I have a Canon that's really tough to use in manual mode, which is how I prefer to shoot) but it's really cool. Anyways, Amanda was looking for some jeans. Why are jeans that fit so hard to find? We ended up at PacSun and found a pair that were alright. Looks like they don't have my favorite jeans (the ones I'm wearing up there) any more. Bummer. I liked the straight leg, instead of skinny or bookcut, but oh well. Amanda found some nice skinny jeans, without too much weird fading, that she liked pretty well. We also went to Value Village. That was nice because I could actually afford stuff. Amanda found the cutest sundress ever and Dior silk scarf. I got two silk scarves and a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses were broken, I was bummed when I found them because I liked them so much but they were missing an arm, which I found on the floor, so I got them for half off, which ended up only being a dollar. All I had to do to fix them was steal a screw out of another pair of broken sunglasses when I got home. I really really like them. The brand is Humphrey's, which I just think is the coolest name.

things I want

the urban outfitters edition

I'm too poor to be buying any of this, but this is what I'm currently lusting after.







The dress and skirt are both on sale for $50 down from $70 and the shirt is $42. I think I ought to want to just make my own version of the shirt, but I just don't think I could get the holes that uniform. Which is why I like it so much. It's weird, because it's not really my usual style. I love the dress because it sort of reminds me of eyelet, but like a modern take on eyelet. And I love white and yellow eyelet sundresses. So I really really want the dress. I love the paperbag waist of the skirt. I would wear it all summer with a little tanktop like shown and sandals. I might be able to afford one of these but certainly not all. What should I choose?

foodie digressions

Oh my goodness, I had the most delicious dinner. I made a pot roast with delicious carmelized onions, baked potatoes, and brussel sprouts and now I'm waiting for some homemade butterscotch pudding to chill. I have been on such a huge cooking kick these days. I used to only cook more asian or other "ethnic" foods but I've been focusing a lot of traditional foods. Lots of meat and potatoes type meals. I've also been obsessed with spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and parsnips. And soup, oh my gosh am I obsessed with soup. I bake a chicken about once a week and use the carcass to make stock. Split pea, lentil, butternut squash, potato leek, all sorts of things. These simple dishes are so satisfying, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to learn how to cook these things.


pants - target, shirt - pacsun

I'm on spring break right now and I stayed home today, so this is what I wore to clean, do laundry, and cook the tasty meal I was jizzing in my pants over up there. I started cleaning up the kitchen while I was cooking and went a little insane. I scrubbed down our disgusting stove hood (oh my god, the grease was so bad) and that took a few house. I smashed my thumb which hurts to type now, but it looks so much better. I have some more to do tomorrow, but it's looking good.

Yesterday I picked Justina up from work at two and we met Amanda in Seattle. She had to pick her dad and brother up from the airport at seven and didn't want to go home after school. I wore this sweet sweater vest J gave me a few years ago and my corduroys, and a jacket I bought in Australia. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. I even, unusually, wore my glasses and heels! Oh well. We got lunch and went shopping. I bought a really sweet silk tank top that has a really great shape and details at a vintage shop. I also stopped by the thrift store on my way home, and got an ugly suede skirt which will be turned into something AWESOME, just you wait and see.