Birthday Bummer

Saturday was Nathan’s birthday, and we had plans to meet a friend for dinner and drinks and then meet a few more friends downtown to see a couple bands play. Now, normally when I go see shows with Nathan, I am going to be with him or as a favor. But I’m not going because I want to see the band. There are exceptions of course, and the band playing Saturday was one I actually enjoy, so I was pretty disappointed when I ended up not feeling well and having to go home after dinner while Nathan and everyone else went out.

But I looked really pretty at dinner…



I wore a jacket and I thought it looked great, but the AC in the restaurant was not working so well and I ended up not needed it at all.





I got this dress so I could dress up a bit for Nathan’s birthday, because I like to dress up, and I like to be pretty for both myself AND Nathan. I am also extremely budget challenged right now, so I had to scope out a really good deal. And I did. This dress is a satiny number, it has its own slip and the slip has a wee bit of tulle to give it some volume. And I got it at Target. For $24.99. That’s right, $24.99. Unbelievable.



I plan on wearing it just like this to at least two more parties or events over the holiday season because the combo of the jacket, necklace and dress is just perfect! I love the way that pendant pops against the colors of the dress.





That big, dramatic necklace is actually a chain I got at a thrift store for about 50 cents and a focal piece for Michael’s craft store. I about died when I saw it. I love the result as well, it looks so classic and expensive.



Dress, Target
Jacket, Forever XXI
Necklace, self made
Bag, Vintage and thrifted
Tights, Merona, Target
Shoes, Payless

90210, Original Cast

That was Nathan’s assessment of this outfit. And…not wrong.



I think the light wash denim jacket is what took it over the edge. I don’t think I’ve ever really been happy with the color of this jacket, but I adore the cut and fit. So I wore it one last time to make sure, but I need to dye it black. I just think I’ll get a lot more use out black.



But then I have to work out what I’ll top this dress with next time! I have a blazer that might kind of work, and a sweater that will work when it’s really cold. But I’m not sure about either.



Love this dress though. It’s at least one size too big and a bit paper baggy on, but it is so comfortable and I love the print.



He happened to get in frame this time, y’all!~ He’s there, all the time, goofing off, trying to distract me. And here is the proof.



Since he got in the shot, he felt he should share some outfit details with you (even though his outfit is just a blur of AA cardigan and old Morrissey tee shirt). So here is his Swatch.



Which is actually his mother’s Swatch. I bought him a watch for Christmas the first year we were married, and it was a kinetic watch. He wore it until it died last January. Since he was and has been unemployed since then, he borrowed this from his mother. He knows it is ridiculous, I suspect that is part of its charm for him. He refers to it as “all blinged out” He just doesn’t see the point in replacing his watch until he gets a new job and can afford to get a decent one.

Dress, Forever XXI
Leggings, Target
Boots, GAP Kids
Necklaces, self made
Leather cuff, Italy, gift
Bracelets, Various
Goofball, Husband

When I Was Young

I got married. And this is a picture. It documents both life before tweezers for me and the worst haircut my husband ever had. But You asked for it, so here it is.

Hello, Alexander

(I decided I can’t really afford the sequined leggings right now. I’m pretty bummed about it, but hey, life is hard and we can’t have everything we want, right? THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to have a look for me though, it was really kind.)

I am so excited to be able to wear this Alexander McQueen for Target jacket again.



Nathan loves it so much he has decided that the combination of this jacket and the black leather biker jacket are all the jackets I’ll ever need. He’s wrong of course, but not by much.



The place I stand to take my pics most days is right along the concrete ledge of my driveway. I stand with my feet right on the edge, and sometimes I miss and start to fall backwards...



or forwards…



I didn’t fall though!~ I totally righted myself both times. I just ruined the pics. Or not. I think they are kind of amusing, personally.

Pattern on the shirt…



Jacket, Alexander McQueen for Target
Blouse, Target
Pants, Wal-Mart
Ankle boots, Target

Request

So I want a pair of the sequined leggings from H&M. Size medium (or small? I'm kind of a bigger size 6 on bottom really). If anyone is willing to do me a solid and pick me up a pair, give me a shout. I can totally paypal you the funds.

THANKS!~

Old is New Again

Last time I went home, Mama was like “Oh, I found this the other day in the hutch”, and she pulled out this little black and white dress she made for me when I was in high school. I can’t remember how old I was, but not more than 16. And I thought it was so sweet that she had it, and was going to take it for sentimental reasons, but she wanted me to try it on. I thought, Oh my gosh, there is no way. NO WAY. Because I was a size 2 in high school. On a fat day. But she said she had let it out a bit last time I was a size 4, and to try it, and you know what?



It fit. I really should have taken pictures without the cardigan but I just forgot, the seaming on the bust is just the most amazing flattering cut ever. I actually wonder if she still has the pattern. I used to pick the most obnoxiously hard patterns when we went to the store. I loved VOUGE patterns, and she used to just cringe when she saw them because they were such a pain in the behind. But she made them anyway, because she’s a Mama, and that’s what Mama’s do.



I remember a big tug of war over the hemline on this. My mom recognized early on that my legs were just long, and they made everything look short. She was the one who taught me to wear black tights to make things seem more modest. But we still fought over hemlines. I wanted it shorter than this, and she wanted it longer. So this length is the shortest I was allowed to wear*.



I am really pretty impressed with the way the dress has held up for being what? 17 years old? I found one place that was coming loose and stitched it up, but overall, it still looks really good.

I used to choose some really offbeat fabrics. This one is portraits of little girls in black and white. I still think it’s very pretty.



And I think these ankle boots have just the right vintage look to them.



They actually look like shoes the girls in the pictures might be wearing.

*Except for this one dress that she altered for me once, from Contempo Casual, and she made some sort of mistake, rendering it scandalously short, but by the time she was done she was so over that dress she just told me to wear tights with it and be careful how I sat. I LOVED that dress, BTW.

Dress, Handmade by Mama
Sweater, Forever XXI
Tights, Target
Shoes, Target

She Used To Just Stand There And Stare

I bought this dress when the Jovovich Hawke line came out, and I remember that in the store, I loved it. It was so flattering and I loved all the lace and the way the stretch fabric bounced when I walked. And then I got it home and all the sudden it looked like something you were to Salsa lessons. I wore it once. To a Salsa club in Cabo. And Alannah wore it to a Goth Club in Dallas, but I just couldn’t seem to figure out how to make it less costume-y. And then for some reason, I figured it out.



The wrap makes it less costume and more Grown Up Goth. The shoes and shape of the dress keep the all black look from being to funereal. And the skirt is the perfect length for me with tights.



I felt like this was just a really playful, fun combo that the 17* year old me would have appreciated, and 33 year old me can actually wear.



The temps dropped down into the 70s, which meant I needed soup for dinner, am I right? So I went to the market after work and got some (tomato basil) and while I was there I snagged this necklace on something and broke one of the skulls off. But you know what? I had a pair of tiny pliers in my bag and I fixed it, right there on the soda isle. Then I got some Dry Soda in Lavender, because we saw them make it on “Unwrapped” and I was super keen to try it. It was great BTW. (How’s that for a lot of random unnecessary information?)



I wore a lot of bracelets.



The leather cuff is a gift from my college roommate, Jamie, who recently went on a trip to Italy. Coincidentally, so is the little James Avery Bangle. The hugs and kiss gold bracelet is a gift from Nathan, the “dada” cuff is from a vacation to NYC with Alannah . The ball and tube bracelet is from a time period where I, and many of my friends, were totally obsessed with a website called Silver Jewelry Club. Have you heard of it? Back in the day it was one item every, what? 5 minutes? And it was sterling silver and often had gemstones, and was free. You paid, I think, $5.99 shipping? And then they split the screen and it became 4 items at once and I *think* it’s still going on today. I try not to look. I lost too much of my time to them already, and it’s too addictive, hoping that the next ring will be your size, or that bracelet so and so got will come back up again.



These shoes still make me feel like a Manga character. I love them for that.

*the 17 year old me was really into sitting around her room feeling sorry for herself, obsessing over dark twisted skater boys who needed to go to reform school, listening to The Cure and wearing long black lace dresses with Doc Martin’s. She may have needed an attitude adjustment. Or 3.

Dress, Jovovich Hawke for Target
Wrap, Alternative
Tights, Target
Mary Janes, Doc Martins
Necklace, self made
Leather cuff, gift
Various Bracelets

And if They Don’t Believe Me Now, Will They Ever Believe Me?

This skirt has a great story to it.



My friend Kelly showed up at a party, I think early last Fall maybe? In this skirt. And I swooned over it. I told her more than once it was one of the most gorgeous skirts I’d ever seen. I could not take my eyes off of it. She just smiled and said thank you.

MONTHS later, she gave me one for Christmas. And that may seem really sweet, that she remembered and went and got me one, but no. She bought mine at the same time as she bought hers. So at the party, she KNEW that she had gotten me the same skirt I was swooning over. And she kept it to herself. THAT, my friends, is something I could never ever do. I can’t keep a gift a secret to save my life. I need you to open it as soon as possible.



I didn’t get to wear it much last year because it really looks best styled with a black top and black tights, and I was unemployed for basically all of Fall and Winter. So when the temps dropped into tights weather I knew I wanted to wear it as soon as I could. And then Nathan picked up this adorable little red saddle bag at the thrift store, and I just had to wear them together. The bag picked up the bits of red* in the skirt perfectly.



It’s so flattering! Longer than I normally wear, but a great fit. AND it’s a size 2. This is a great source of amusement for me. But when I opened the skirt and Kelly explained how she had bought them together and on final sale I was so nervous that she maybe over estimated my weight loss and I was really scared to try it on. I literally held my breath, because I wanted it to fit SO BADLY. And it did. Thank you, vanity sizing.



Also, big swish factor. SWISH SWISH. Love it.

And a close up of the amazing water color print, so you can fall in love too:



*OK, to be honest, it’s possible they are bright pink. I just can’t tell. In some lights, it looks red, in others pink.

Tee, Wal-Mart
Skirt, Gift (Ann Taylor)
Tights, Target
Shoes, Target
Beads, vintage
Bag, Thrifted

Here We Go, We’re Gonna Rock and Roll Till We Stop

I didn’t actually make it out of the house in this. I had a very uncharacteristic flash of self style doubt and changed before I had time to upload and review the pictures. I was wrong, ya’ll. This is a great outfit.



I’m not even sure what it was that made me doubt it. I’m really glad I went ahead and photographed it, because I don’t know of anything or anyone with a more honest opinion than the camera.



I am adding this to my “going out” rotation for Fall, even I admit that tunic is too short for work.



I love all the glittery thread and the crazy leopard print mixed with the tiger and jungle print. It’s just really fun. And it will look great with my cropped biker jacket.



I paired it with the amazing art deco-ish earrings from Forever XXI



I’m wearing my dance pants, are you?

Tunic, Vintage via the last hurrah at Etsy
Leggings, Target
Boots, Payless
Clutch, Bitten
Earrings, Forever XXI

PINS

OK, here is quick one for you, because it seems I have nothing interesting to say today! I know, I’m normally so mouthy. Write it down.

So you know what I love most about Fall? My pins in black tights.

Just look at ‘em:


I love a short skirted dress. This one is so flattering. And I felt so pretty and fresh and flirty and YOUNG in it.





Annnnnnd this is why I don’t normally smile. It has to be a genuine someone-told-me-a-joke-or-made-a-silly-face-smile or it just looks CREEPY.



A close up of the lovely pattern:


Annnnd I’m out. Hey, have a great weekend for me ok?

Dress and tights, Target
Ankle boots, Payless
Pins, God Given

Please Just One Where I Am Squeezing Your Head?

The other day my friend Berry posted on Facebook that she had some clothes to get rid of. Then she posted pictures of the items she was clearing out and you got to claim them! She took the pictures down as items were claimed, mailed them and we paid just shipping costs. I thought this was a clever way to get rid of stuff she was over, and give new clothes to others. I ended up with a couple of tops, and this is one of them…



It has been raining non-stop for a week or more now, and I have put away my Etsy bag of wonderment to keep it safe, and pulled out this nice thrifted leather bag. It’s the coated kind of leather that repels water instead of absorbing it. Plus I’ve been reading non-stop and had to cart a book, an umbrella and more, and while my new bag is sturdy, I don’t want to push it. This bag was all of 5 bucks or so, so I don’t mind pushing it. Also, this bag proves a really nice, leather bag can be had for cheap if you are willing to invest time instead of money!



I don’t like when Nathan comes out and watches me take my pictures. It makes me nervous and he is silly and distracting. But I get it. A hot girl taking fashion photos in your backyard? I’d look too. As a result I end up with photos like this:


That’s my “I know, you are funny, but I’m trying to do something here” smirk.

And this:

Which is more of an “Oh my gosh, seriously leave me alone so I can not look stupid in all of these!” smile/giggle combo.

And finally this, which was so important to Nathan that he would not leave me alone until I promised that at the end of the shoot I would “Let me take just ONE where I am squeezing your head? PLEASE?” So. Ladies and gents, here is Nathan, squeezing my head.



Don’t worry, it’s just an optical illusion. I’m fine.


Blouse, Target, gift
Jeggings, Target
Boots, Payless
Grey leather bag, Thrifted, no tag
Clown, Husband