the opposite of groundbreaking

i got my hair done today and it is supposed to be a bit darker and not so platinum but i can't really tell a difference at all. i tried to make it a bit messy but it ended up looking poofy and much shorter... why won't it GROW already?! 

ah, such is life. the weather is gorgeous (you can make fun of my state being redneck all you like but you just can't beat 70 degrees with a breeze people) and i shouldn't complain. 

here's a thrift store dress that i threw on over my yoga clothes to go down to the park. it's actually about calf-length and rather mumu-ish but i belted it up and made it poofy... like my hair! 

i like to imagine that there is a magical day somewhere in my future when i will have long hippie locks and this dress, and me in it, will look like a gucci ad.... ah, dreams.

i realize that is impossible but i know that when i wear this dress out for "real" i am going to add lots more of everything: eyeliner, jangles, fur, boots, pout, and attitude. wait for it. 

**SHAKES FIST AT SKY**

uuuuuugh! 

i really appreciate the fact that paypal wants to watch my back and make sure that some stranger isn't gettin' frisky on my dime but THEY JUST FROZE MY ACCOUNT AND NOW I HAVE 4 ETSY PAYMENTS ON HOLD! 

i'm sure these sellers think i am a total fraud :(

apparently it's suspicious if you don't really use your paypal account for a year and then suddenly discover the mother-load of stuff you want on etsy and make lots of purchases over 2 days. come on paypal, it's not suspicious... it's FUN! 

if this causes me to lose out on my stuff then i am gonna be crazy sad/mad.

free bread! what?

p and i have an addiction to french food and thus have become "regulars" at the place around the way. tonight we reached "free baguette" status! FREE BREAD!

i wasn't loving my look (especially my hair) so i am kinda miffed in the first pic but p got me to lighten up and by the last pic i was back to true form!

how, exactly, does one acquire "drunk face" when sober?!

(this is the only way i have booty)

we both decided this is a pretty accurate depiction of my mood tonight. 

ps - these are the other pair of PLV shoes i bought before christmas and they are, all joking aside, some of the most comfortable shoes i own. hearts!

just another day in paradise

the weather here today is maaaahvelous. 

you can really tell by these next 3 shots that i shoot with a timer in quick succession! 

if you were to watch me taking these it would look like i were a "posing robot"!

thrifted bracelets

hope everybody has a great weekend - i'll be "kid-sitting" so god only knows what mine will bring! 

in the words of dre:

i'd have to say it was a good day! 

HOTNESS IN THE WHITEHOUSE!!!

i love you.

i am SO not gonna miss you. 

AND grandma j. is finally out of the hospital - yippie!

genius.

to say i know some pretty funny people with time on their hands would be an understatement:

shiny shriner's tassles

try saying it three times fast.

here's a very long, exhausting and emotional story short:

i'm ok by my doc but am seeking a second opinion anyway because i just feel like she's quicker to shoo me out the door than to really check into what might be causing the issue. i mean, that ninny didn't even bother to look at my chart and the personal info about me before suggesting that i get "REGULAR EXCERCISE!" .... um, beeyatch, i teach 4-5 yoga classes a day five days a week an extra one on sundays - don't start. 

my poor, poor grandma is STILL in the hospital. i went down and stayed with her in the hospital last wednesday through friday and it was one of the more depleting and humbling experiences i have ever had to go through. i SO appreciate all of your kind thoughts. she's doing better but i think it may be a long road still. 

okay - on to the clothes:

i don't know why, but i seem to only photograph when i am wearing an item i have photographed before and i have waaaaay too many clothes for me to have any excuse for this. at any rate, here's another take on my red dress and "clown collar" shirt. i have never tried this combo before but i like it mucho grande. i'm also lovin' my window pane stockings from UO. 

thrifted these stuart weisman cut-out shoes and newsprint raybans over the weekend- score!

isn't ellie's red hair just the best? it's all natural too. hate her.

good news???

well, the good news is that i called my doc with my "issues" and they said they would see me tomorrow morning at 10:30am! 

the bad news?

i was trying really hard not to have to go back to this doc because nothing is more infuriating that paying someone A LOT of money - i'm uninsured - to treat you like a pesky problem they have to deal with for the next 15 mins before telling you that you worry too much and that you should take 3 ibuprofen 3 times a day and deal with the pain because it's just the way it is. 

also, i'm not supposed to be in town tomorrow. i'm supposed to be going to visit my grandmother because she will be having heart surgery in a few hours. SEND HER LOVE! 

what to do?! i know she'd want me to see the doc but i really want to see her! 

time-out.

well, my body had other plans for me than sewing this weekend. i'm suffering from a minor medical issue which has put me in a bad spot. i won't bore you with the details but instead i'll extend an apology of sorts. posting may be sparse for a bit.

it's just so darn hard to even think about dressing up when i've slept for over 24 hours so far this weekend and am about to go lay down again...

i did buy fabric for my "lily allen" dress(es) though:

it's a start. 

on a mission...

after thinking about it, i have decided that i am going to spend my sunday making my own version of the PPQ lily allen dress i raved about in the last post. i already own this vintage pattern (available on etsy):

and i think with some tweaking, i can create something that is not an exact replica, but in the same vein. i think i'll try rounding off the points on the collar and making the bow much bigger. 

wish me luck! i'll report back :)

BON WEEKEND!

I WANT! I NEED!

okay, so lily allen hasn't been my absolute favorite but i kind of feel for her as she seems to have had a rather tough time of navigating the trecherous waters of celebrity-dom. what can i say, i'm empathetic! i felt bad for kelly osbourne too- it must be hard to have your every fault and mis-step of youth put on display for the world. 

it seems that lily is "getting it together" though and she is looking and behaving better than ever. if you haven't seen the video for the fear then you can click here to admire her ADORABLE dress and enviable hair. 

i really want that dress. like now. no matter what it costs. 

according to  the uk site of pop sugar it's part of the 2009 Spring/Summer PPQ collection and is currently in production, and will be available for purchase from 1st January for £325.

i think i really like this new, more grown-up, tennis shoe-less lily.

photo courtesy of pop sugar

i think my brain went down the drain

i just took a super hot bath and it not only melted my stress away but it apparently melted ALL of my thoughts away. here's an outfit for you to gander:

you can click all photos to enlarge

ps - i just looked up the word "gander" to insure i was using it properly and was re-reminded that it means  "male goose". how do you think that happens? a word means "male goose" and then one day becomes slang for "gaze"? weird huh?

details:

knit hat - H&M

vintage blouse - thrifted

bow pin - thrifted

jumper - made by me

chevron tights - UO

shoes - steve madden

to costume or not to costume?

i have a tendency to dress in a bit of a theme and i think sometimes i end up costume-y. this isn't particularly a problem for me, but i wonder to what degree i look like i'm trying too hard... which is funny because dressing in theme is exactly the opposite of trying because rocker goes with rocker, innocent goes with innocent, mod goes with mod, school girl goes with school girl, hippie goes with hippie and so on and so forth - there's really very little to think about! 

i know the glamourai refers to her attire as "costumes" and i've heard other people do it too, but i am wondering if i take that term a little too far. 

does it just look lazy or weird if i dress in a "look" from head to toe?

coffee talk - talk amongst yourselves. 

as a side note: the saddle shoes i am sporting here are currently competing for the #1 spot of "most adored" in my closet... also up for the top spot is the cream crochet dress i bought from dutchess vintage on etsy which came in the mail today and i just opened as i walked in the door and am wearing over the clothes i had on as i type this! love it! photos soon :)

slow learner

i feel like the more time i spend looking around at fashion blogs the more A-MAZING ones i find... this is exciting and daunting. i think i spend more time online these days than i do conversing with the other human in this apartment - he may not dress as well, or look as pretty, but he does rub my feet and they don't. maybe i need to prioritize. 

lately i am obsessed with thecherryblossomgirl and betty. i can just look at them forever! i feel like i am learning more and more about how to put together interesting and varied looks just by watching what they do. 

for instance, i think i'm too matchy-matchy. i still put black accessories with black accessories and brown with brown and grey with grey. but in looking at betty's blog, i see how much more interesting it is to mix it up... she'll wear black tights, with grey boots, with a brown bag and a navy scarf.... and it's so much more for the eye to take in - in the best way! 

i heart etsy forever

wow! i got one of my dresses on monday and it's beautiful but doesn't fit that great. tis my fault, i should have checked the measurements better but i was on some kind of new year's high and just randomly bought stuff. i still like it though and allen company inc. was an excellent seller whom i bet i'll buy from again - quickest delivery ever!

the two i got in the mail today are from maiden rapture vintage and while the jacket/skirt combo is a bit small for me (crazy short skirt!), i'm still gonna work it by probably wearing it with tights. on the other hand, the "ketchup and mustard" dress is a little roomy but me thinks it will be perfect for days when i feel like i need to conceal my belly or just want to pig out at dinner :)

(you can always click photos to enlarge)

scouty's such a camera hog!

the hippie hippie shake

immediately when i found this dress in the thrift store i knew it would make me wanna join a commune and run around barefoot forever - i was SO right! 

she's so unusual

this skirt reminds me of early madonna and cyndi lauper. it has literally sat in my drawer for years and i think i've worn it once! i just couldn't figure out how i wanted to wear a poufy lace skater skirt without looking totally 80's. i think i like this unlikely combo of mauve tights (one of the pairs from UO) and frilly shirt - what do you think?

("pouty" and i are listening to the tornado sirens here and wondering if we should go inside!)

check please!

despite today's abysmal weather, i managed to take 6 sets of photos that i plan on spreading out over the week! a post-a-day if you can believe it! since i don't have a personal photographer (or even another human around during the middle of the day to operate my camera) they are just timer shots with much to be desired. 

i'll start you off with the dress i mentioned in the last post -the one i sewed over the weekend- it's from a vintage McCall's pattern #3877. it's super easy and fun to sew and can be found for sale on etsy (just click HERE).

LOVE the corset-back 

i wore it here with 1 of the 4 new pair of tights i picked up at UO (can you believe in the entire drawer of tights i own i didn't have a single solid white pair?!) and my new PLV heels. i bought two pair of PLV shoes just before christmas and i love both of them so much - i really would love to have these for spring:

if you really like mine, and you wear a size 8 or above, you can purchase your very own on sale at the urban outfitter's site... for much less than i paid for mine too. i highly recommend them because they'll make you super tall but they way they cover the top of the foot and lace up the back make them really secure and easy to strut in! 

alright, more posts to come so check back soon! xoxox!

shoulda, woulda, coulda

well, i spent all day yesterday sewing a new babydoll dress and whata ya' think i did? wore it to dinner last night and didn't take a single photo and then wore a different dress today and DID take a photo! i'm a mystery, folks....

as part of my sew-a-thon yesterday i not only made a new dress but finally got around to hemming multiple dresses to dangerously short lengths - a project i've been meaning to do for months now. see, i've come across a new blog (new to me anyway) that has re-ignited my desire to make 2009 the year of super short 60's inspired dresses and daring cat eyes:

check out i'm not antisocial to see what i'm talking about - you won't be sorry! she's awesome. 

so here is one of the thrift store dresses that was originally a mid-calf, very pentecostal look that i guess i completely made ungodly by shortening the hem line as i did.... 

(but after reading this i am confused because it would seem that now i am more womanly and less manly and therefore doing right by the word of god....??? i've always been fascinated by the way pentecostal women dress and i always catch myself staring at them in the fabric store as they carefully pick out their patterns and fabrics.)

hrmmm - i dunno. i just like showing of my hot legs and bright tights. i don't think that makes me such a bad person. 

let's get this party started!

can i just tell you how FREAKIN' EXCITED i am that it's 2009?!
new year, new beginnings, new opportunities, new president... NEW CLOTHES!
i may have gone to bed at 3:30am but my body woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 8am sharp; and well.... what else was i gonna do while the rest of the world is still sleeping off a hangover but go on what is sure to be the first of many an etsy binge to come. i'm ringing in 2009 with a new pledge to "dress like i mean it".

these two are both from Maiden Rapture Vintage

from Dutchess Vintage

from Allen Company Inc.

check their blog too!

while i love new year's day, i really don't like new year's eve AT ALL. in fact, i desperately want to boycott all festivites and have a nice quiet evening at home alone but p is just the opposite. and while i know that he is an earth angel and would probably stay home with me to celebrate in peace if i **really** asked him too, i try to be as sweet as he is (IMPOSSIBLE btw) and accomodate his need to socialize by going out. i actually wore a really great party dress i thrifted and shorted to a dangerous mini length but because i was pouty and grumpy i didn't take any photos to post. sorry.  

I'm know that a lot of folks don't like resolutions but I think they are a pretty great way of setting goals and being optimistic. Envisioning great things in your future is never a bad idea if you ask me! So here are just a few of the thousands I have floating around in my head currently:

* make/sell a kick-ass yoga video

* be more expressive with my love and admiration of my amazing boyfriend

* write more letters to my grandma and nieces

* DO VOLUNTEER WORK IN MY COMMUNITY

* get back to sewing

* start an etsy store

* register, insure, and ride my gorgeous vespa!

i hope everyone's holidays were bright and that this year is THE BEST we've seen - HAPPY NEW YEAR!