dinosaur toes

details.

2012-01-30T10:14:00.004-05:00

how was your weekend? mine was really nice! on saturday i had lunch with chris's family, did some manual labor here on the old farm, and thought about making some alterations to some vintage skirts, but didn't. then on sunday chris and i did a lot of eating and riding around and thoroughly enjoyed it! sometimes it's nice not to have a plan or obligations.

uhhhmmmmm, i'm not entirely sure why i didn't do regular pictures for an outfit post, but it must have been because i was most interested in showing you my necklace and bag! when i got dressed on sunday afternoon, i decided i needed a bold necklace with color... but i didn't have one. so i made this one with vintage chains and enameled discs, and i'm really happy with the way it turned out, because my outfit needed a little color.

i've been wanting to show you this bag forever because it's one of my favorite thrifting finds. it holds my wallet, phone, collection of lip balms, change of clothes, a pair of boots, and a small child or two, which is exactly what i look for in a bag! $4 spent, and i made it mine.

shoe minimalist vs. shoe hoarder

2012-01-27T15:29:00.004-05:00

behind every man that believes three pairs of shoes - one for biking/hiking/running/whatever, one for the beach, and one for weddings and funerals - is sufficient for life, i imagine is a woman who believes three pairs of shoes is sufficient for that many days of the week (or, depending on what your plans are that evening, three pairs may only be sufficient for a single day). such is the difference with chris and i.

chris's everyday shoe is his beloved pair of black etnies that are older than some of my friends' old-enough-to-ride-a-bike-without-training-wheels kids. while he'll probably wear them until the soles fall off, i've been thinking maybe it's time for an upgrade. notice i didn't say replacement? so without insulting his etnies, i asked him to sit down with me and look at fashion shoes for men on macy's site (because really, who doesn't love a store with a wooden escalator?). here are his picks:

i was really curious to see what he'd choose and how it would compare to my favorites (which tend to be anything that would make a guy look like a skater from 1980's southern california), and i was surprised and excited to see that his two favorites (converse and lacoste) were among my top picks! apparently i don't only get excited about shoes for myself! and to prove my 80's skater taste in shoes, here are my two favorites for him:

does your husband or boyfriend believe in the three pairs way of living as well? if you could go shoe shopping for him, which styles would you choose?

head over heels: an outfit post

2012-01-25T14:34:00.002-05:00

as soon as i typed "head over heels" as the title, i figured you may think i fell hard today. surprisingly i didn't, but if you knew me in real life, you'd know that i'm clumsy enough for the title to fit. anyway, i'll explain that later! today i mixed stripes and i liked it...

scarf: i can't remember, jacket: american eagle, shirt: banana republic, skirt: richard chai, tights: target, booties: steve madden, clutch: vintage/thrifted, bracelets: vintage and jade from chinatown in san francisco

this is probably one of my favorite skirts, but i don't wear it that often because the chiffon is so lightweight that i feel like i'm constantly rubbing my hand over my butt to make sure it's still down; it's so light that i can't feel it's there! the clutch i love because of the different textured leather, and it was a steal at only $1. and those shoes, what's not to love about finishing off an outfit with a pair of six pound wedges? good for the calves, i'm sure.

when i run on the treadmill i find that i feel like i've been on for an hour when in fact it's only been 7 minutes thanks to boredom... UNLESS i watch a movie while i run, then 30 minutes goes by in no time. one of the more recent movies i watched was 13 going on 30. i'm prepared to lose all my street cred here, but it's one of my favorite movies, and i can never get enough 80's music. because i love that movie, and this song is in it, i've been singing this all day (and there's the title of the post)...

what i've been working on...

2012-01-23T14:50:00.002-05:00

lately i've been trying something a little different, and if you know me, that's almost as serious as going without air, pizza, or worse, flojo kisses. but, i'm not so set in my ways that i can't admit change is sometimes okay. although i had plans to do more this weekend, i ended up staying at home in pajamas because i just felt so inspired to make jewelry! i also completed the new look of dinosaurtoes.com, so hopefully i'll have new jewelry and the whole new look uploaded this evening!

in other news, today's a rainy day which kind of makes me want to forget about the dishes in my sink, the pile of clothes in my bedroom floor, and the stack of random things on the counter by the fridge, and just watch TV under a warm blanket. it just might happen

what have you been working on lately? have you been feeling inspired to work on new projects?

navy dress take 3: an outift post

2012-01-19T16:04:00.002-05:00

last night i had absolutely no idea what in the world i'd wear today, and when that happens, i always think the easiest thing to do is go with solid colors, because they're so much easier to work with (for me, at least). so then i figured, "hey, why not wear the navy dress again for outfit number 3?" i apologize for the pictures not being that great, but when you combine wind, cold, and a husband with a bad knee, well, i'm lucky to get pictures at all!

jacket: american eagle (from probably 8 years ago), cardigan: vintage/thrifted, dress: lulu's, scarf: gift, tights: target, shoes: target

i have to tell you a few things about this outfit. first, that cardigan is straight out of the 1950's. i was so happy when i found it (because it's a tiny size that fits me perfectly) and because it still had the original tag on it so i know it had never been worn. and the price on the tag was $17, so if it was that much back in the 50's i know it must have been something pretty special! the next thing i'm so excited about is the shoes! i love this style, although i wasn't so sure about the color, but now that i have them, AND I PAID LESS THAT TEN DOLLARS, i can't understand how i lived without them! i get so crazy about a deal.

other than that, it was sort of a weird day. i'm glad to be home, and i'll be even more glad to be eating greek pizza later. ooohh yeah.

have / want

2012-01-18T13:02:00.003-05:00

it's that time again to show you some of my current favorites from the interwebs and dream of how i'd pair them if only i could find a way to become independently wealthy so want would always equal have. on a somewhat related note, i'm glad to finally be dressing like a woman rather than an androgynous preteen, aren't you?

the first look includes a white chiffon blouse i already own and a pretty vintage tribal print skirt from pasadena vintage. i'd probably also pair this with ballet flats and bouncy hair and wear it seven days a week.

the second look actually isn't a look, but i'd wear it to dress up a simple outfit. included: a vintage faux fur collar and one of my great-grandma's old rhinestone brooches, as well as (be still, my beating heart) ritzy gold flats from wanted. i'd probably wear this with skinny jeans and a striped shirt. or maybe colorful cropped pants and a cream sweater. my point is - the possibilities are endless!

the third look is for when i have to dress up or want to be taken seriously (read: when i have to meet a client that may not take me seriously because of my small stature and soft voice). it's so ladylike, isn't it? shown is a vintage beaded clutch that's sadly been collecting dust, and a gorgeous velvet blazer from fine and dandy vintage.

whether i go to the rodeo, take a walk through the country, or just go to the grocery store, this outfit would make me feel lighthearted and cheerful all day - a side effect of a good novelty print. the amazing vintage rodeo print skirt is mine all mine, and the ugglebo lisbon clogs should be!

what are you dreaming of today?

GIVEAWAY TIME!

2012-01-17T14:46:00.004-05:00

like i told you yesterday, i've been planning to announce a little giveaway today. it's nothing fancy, but just something to say thanks for continuing to read my blog, for leaving me comments that i always enjoy reading, and for supporting dinosaur toes! the bracelet that will soon be on its way to the winner is made from white howlite rounds, square peridot beads, brown shell slices, and a few little brass heishi beads. i also have a few other little surprises to throw in! find out how to enter below...

to enter this giveaway, you MUST leave a comment WITH your email address telling me something about you.

for additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each):
tweet: i want to win this @dinosaurtoes bracelet! http://bit.ly/xq4jgg
mention this giveaway on your blog, and leave me a link to it.

locks of love

2012-01-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

remember how i told you last thursday that i wanted to go ahead and get that outfit post up before a change happened? well, the change happened. eleven inches shorter, and quite a bit lighter, i'm a new woman! or at least i feel like one. i'd been debating these last few months whether or not i wanted to donate my hair to locks of love, or keep it long and continue complaining about it. back in early december, before i had a chance to talk myself out of it, i made an appointment with carli for friday the 13th. i'm still trying to get used to this new person looking back at me in the mirror, but i think i really like it...

can i tell you something without you thinking i'm a terrible person? once my cut was finished, obviously all i could do was stare at my reflection, because hey, that's a big change! i also couldn't help thinking that i wanted my long hair back. then on saturday morning i got up, looked in the mirror, and really started feeling pitiful. i didn't realize how much of an accessory my hair was, and i got sort of self-conscious and thought maybe people that had been used to seeing me with long hair would laugh at me. then i had to give myself a little pep talk and remind myself that i'm lucky enough to have hair that will continue to grow back, and i did it to help someone else who really needs it, and furthermore, i needed to stop feeling so sorry for myself. so i looked on the locks of love site at the pictures of people who had received wigs, and then i felt guilty for being so ridiculous and so glad that i could help. once i took a shower and let my hair get wavy (carli straightened it after she cut it which i decided was what made me not like it at first) i realized just how much i like my new hair!

i took carli these pictures of the always beautiful alexa chung as my hair inspiration, because what girl wouldn't want those perfect waves and that healthy shine?! i'm still trying to decide whether or not i want to add a little ombre to mine or just leave it natural, but i think for right now i'll just try to work on getting used to the length and the fact that it won't take 4 hours to dry after a shower! WOOOOO!

and one other exciting piece of news i wanted to tell you about - tomorrow i'm going to be giving away a little piece of dinosaur toes jewelry just to thank you for all of your lovely comments and support, so be sure to come back and enter!

i hope you had an enjoyable weekend, and will have a nice monday!

granny pants take 1: an outfit post

2012-01-12T16:26:00.003-05:00

i really shouldn't be unfair and call these granny pants since 1. they do not have an elastic waistband, rather a zipper and hook & eye closure, 2. they don't have the crease perma-made down the front of the legs, 3. they don't smell like powdery musk, and 4. they're navy and not a pastel shade. they are polyester though, so there is that. and static. still, i think high waist pants are going to take some getting used to. to be honest, i always thought that part of thrifting was off limits until i saw monkeyface wearing vintage high waist pants a few months ago, and voila, a whole new world of thrifting possibilities.

the comfort begins here - blouse: express, pants: vintage/thrifted, necklace: i made it, ring: c/o lola and george, shoes: payless.

i really didn't plan to do another outfit post today since i swear i have other things going on in my life other than getting dressed, but i needed to get it out of the way because of some change that's going to happen, only i can't tell you what hat change will be until a few days from now. hello, vague information. until then, i hope you have a great rest of the week and weekend!
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colored tights and leftovers: an outfit post

2012-01-10T09:49:00.004-05:00

i'm going to be honest - after the last outfit post where i said i couldn't be picky about what i wore because i was behind on laundry, i still didn't do laundry. so again, i had to wear the leftovers that weren't in the hamper. that makes me sound like such a man, doesn't it? so my goal today, because i don't like that skirt and don't want to have to wear something else i don't like, is to do one load of laundry (two if i'm lucky).

shirt: banana republic, skirt: i don't remember, green tights: target, boots: vintage, necklaces: i made the pearl one, white necklace c/o camp & quarry

what fun is doing an outfit post without doing the robot? also, i can't help but feel awkward just standing there with a weird look on my face because that's not really me; i'd much rather cross my eyes or do the robot. so there it is. at first i put on the pearl necklace but i felt it wasn't quite big enough. then i took it off and put on the necklace from sarah, but i still felt like i wanted something big and over-the-top gaudy. so i put the pearl necklace back on and figured i'd have more street cred if i wore two, and that made it big enough.

i've got some good news: the sun is back out which means i'll be able to take some pictures without wasting my time like i did yesterday in the rain! wooooo!

thanks a lot, eyes.

2012-01-09T16:02:00.003-05:00

i spent part of the morning hammering out some hoop earrings, taking pictures, and enjoying the sound of raining gently falling against my windows. sometimes i get impatient as far as pictures go, and i feel that if i've made a piece of jewelry, i want to hurry up and photograph it so i can get it added to my shop. i should have stopped and thought about it though, because a grey and rainy day doesn't exactly give the best light for photographing things. but i threw common sense to the wind and snapped, snapped snapped...

not only was it a little too dark for decent pictures, but i can't for the life of me get my eyes to work correctly. i'll swear that my subject looks completely in focus, but when i open the pictures on my computer i'm left with a blur so bad it makes my eyes hurt! so hopefully tomorrow the lighting will be a little better along with my eyes. i'm afraid i'm getting old and my eyes are giving out.

so how was your weekend? what did you do? mine started of with me not feeling well (and i refuse to be sick!), then on sunday we headed north to charlottesville where i picked up a few pieces of jewelry that didn't sell from a gallery (and got a big ole check for what did sell!!!), we ate, we did some walking, we went to some old bookstores, and we ate a lot more.

in addition to that, ummm, i cleaned my floors, so that's good. i've run so much my legs ache, so that's pretty good, too. i got outbid on a sweater on ebay just now which isn't good (especially since i bid dirty and wait until the last few seconds so i think no one else will be able to sneak in). and, let's see... i guess that's it. hopefully i'll have some (clear) pictures to share tomorrow!

when you're behind on laundry: an outfit post

2012-01-04T10:57:00.004-05:00

bye bye until april, bare legs. this outfit sort of has me going in circles - one minute i think i like it, the next minute i'm telling myself i shouldn't wear it again. it always helps me make decisions (and i never like making decisions) when i can list out the pros and cons, so let's do that...

scarf: vintage/thrifted, corduroy blazer: vintage/thrifted, dress: target, boots: vintage/thrifted

PROS:
- this scarf is one of my favorites
-green is my favorite color, and i think the pale green color of the blazer is perfect
-it's comfortable
-i have pockets so i don't have to worry about what to do with my hands
-i like that there's some print mixing

CONS:
-because of the blazer's longer length i think it makes me look shorter, so maybe i shouldn't have worn flats.
-although it's not a loose-fitting outfit, i don't think it's necessarily figure-flattering
-i saw my stepmom's stepdad when i was wearing this outfit, and before any pleasantries were exchanged he said, "it looks like you've gained some weight." nice. i don't think i've gained weight, so i'm wondering if the outfit adds non-existent pounds.

what i would do different the next time i wear this outfit: trade the flat riding boots for a pair of black wedge ankle boots and add black tights. what do you think? yes or no?

my pop's arm & my opinions.

2012-01-03T12:01:00.004-05:00

i'm a daddy's girl. my pop has always been a source of entertainment and humor, and i stand by the proclamation i made years and years ago (although, i guess now it's been decades) that my pop is the funniest person i know. he taught me that it is totally acceptable, no matter the occasion or crowd, to add, "my underwear are on fire" to any conversation; he taught me that it's okay to walk with a pretend and overly-exaggerated limp through a busy store if regular walking has become boring; and he taught me that people should always be greeted and bid farewell with a big, GENUINE hug (none of that half, loose, fake hug stuff). sounds like a pretty awesome guy, right?

my pop doesn't actually look like this now, although he still wears that suit to weddings. i kid. or do i? i just really like that picture (and the tux reminds me of the movie dumb & dumber). so, last week my pop got hurt. he was standing in my aunt's backyard - which, truth be told, is more like a cliff than a yard - and he said he started to feel his feet slip out from under him, so he grabbed the nearest thing to keep from falling hard, which was a low tree branch, and when he slipped and his body weight was being supported by his right arm, his bicep tore. he has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon today to get a definitive answer on whether or not he needs surgery, and i won't lie, i've been so worried about him. you know how when you love someone so much you wish you could take their pain and make it yours just so they wouldn't have to feel it? that's how i've been feeling, because dammit, i don't want my pop to have any pain! i'm curious to find out what the doctor says, and i'm just hoping for a quick recovery.

now, my opinions. maybe i shouldn't even be sharing this, but i feel it needs to be addressed. i've been told several times by several people that i should contact some big name style bloggers about having them choose a piece of jewelry to incorporate into an outfit post on their blog. i know that plenty of people do this, i know it's a great way to gain more exposure, and i think it's a great idea in theory. in practice, however, i guess it's sort of a luck of the draw type deal. i talked with one of my good friends before who sent an expensive item from her line to one of these big bloggers, only to find that the blogger never wore it or even mentioned it. i thought that was a one in a million chance dealing with a disrespectful blogger and anyone else would surely appreciate and share an item they received for FREE, right? so i decided that since sales had dropped off on my website, and i needed to reach a new group of people, i'd contact two big bloggers whose style i really liked. i didn't expect them to wear the item they chose in the first post after they received their new jewelry, but i kind of thought i'd see it within a few weeks at least. now, coming up on two months later, after outfit posts on nearly a daily basis, i still haven't seen them in their dinosaur toes jewelry. i know that i can be a little impatient at times, but like i said, it's been almost two months, and i'm starting to feel like it's kind of shitty for anyone to take something for free, agreeing to incorporate it into a post, only to flake on their end of the deal. i mean, if it was forever 21 sending out free things, well, they make billions, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but whether it's my friend, myself, or any other small handmade business, it's kind of a big deal to send out freebies, so to feel like your gesture has gone unappreciated, well, it's like a smack in the face, or "i'm too cool for your stuff with my 4,000 followers."

hopefully i don't come off like too much of a jerk, but i just feel like it's a matter of having manners. or maybe i've just been in the south for too long and expect too much from people.

what i've been working on...

2012-01-02T13:33:00.002-05:00

in addition to painting my fingernails, trying to convince chris that he'll like brussel sprouts, and working on my endurance (so i can kick at least a few butts in a spetember marathon - yes, i know that's a long ways away), i've been making a few pieces of jewelry. every year since i've been selling online has been slow from about a week before christmas until the middle of january, so i feel like now i can take a little break and work on jewelry when i want rather than round the clock. here are a few pieces of jewelry i've been working on for my shop...

i hope you had a fun new year's eve and started your new year off well! i started my new year off the way any significant occasion should be welcomed or celebrated - WITH FOOD! honestly, i think about it sometimes, and if i ate less (and i could certainly stand to do it) but kept running the same amount, i'd basically be invisible if i turned sideways. but i just can't give up my food. not gonna happen. i'm not sure how i went from talking about jewelry to talking about food, but before i start telling you about my love for orange cinnamon rolls and bacon, i will bid you adieu.

navy dress number two: an outfit post

2011-12-29T16:12:00.003-05:00

the last time i wore this dress, carla and beca said they'd like to see it worn three ways, and when my friends want something, something they shall receive. i knew that today i wanted to wear shoes that were flat (thanks to a new pair of shoes that left a blister on one of my toes no smaller than the state of virginia) and my new tights. and then i figured, well, if i'm wearing comfy shoes, why not go ahead and show comfort who's boss by wearing clothes that are almost as good as pajamas? enter the navy dress worn the second way.

sweater: target (gift from chris), dress: lulu's (gift from myself), sweater tights: target (gift from chris, necklace: maurice's (gift from my sister), boots: vintage/thrifted, camera used: olympus (gift from beca) i pretty much wanted to just add gift to everything to let the givers know how much i appreciate it :)

as i was wearing this outfit, feeling like i could fall asleep, i decided two things: 1. it's good to wear when you're bloated and sucking in doesn't help, and 2. it's good to wear when you know you're going to eat too much and you can't suck in even if you want to. oh yeah, that's my kind of outfit - the kind that transitions from everyday to over-eaters anonymous seamlessly. i also painted my fangurnails last night because i'm really starting to like grey polish. also, today is the first time i've worn my hair down and straightened in about three weeks. yeah, now i remember why i don't straighten it more often...

and one last thing. i don't know if you read beca's blog (if you don't, you should), but i was so excited a month or so ago when she told me that she was getting a violin for christmas, and then yesterday she posted a video of herself playing! i played a violin for years and years, and still have one but don't play often thanks to the nerve damage that came from drilling a hole through my finger (it's pretty painful), so i couldn't wait to hear how she was coming along and what she'd learned, etc. then when i found out that she's moving to tennessee and playing a violin, my brain just automatically made my start thinking of beca when i listened to this song and vice versa. they're both awesome. wow, i talked a lot about beca, didn't i? i'm her stalker.

mustard, hearts, and (faux) fur: an outfit post

2011-12-27T10:48:00.002-05:00

two things i love when it comes to clothing and accessories are the color mustard yellow, and faux fur (side note about fur: i would rather be hit by a train than ever buy real fur, and even when i've seen real vintage fur in a thrift store, i've still struggled with what i think about buying it because of my stance on buying fur). another thing i'm starting to love - maybe because i don't have a choice since it's too cold for bare legs - is fun or colorful tights.

faux fur collar: vintage (ebay), sweater: forever 21 about 9 years ago, jacket: proenza schouler for target, skirt: forever 21, tights: target (clearance for $1.58!!!!!), boots: vintage, my favorite brooch: gift

i went to target about a month or so ago wanting to find either olive green, teal, or mustard yellow tights. i found olive green and mustard yellow, and just as i was about to leave the hosiery section i saw these heart tights. at first i wasn't sure what to think (i mean, i'm almost 30, and do i really want to wear the same tights as an 8-year-old?), but the more i looked at them i started to think that i could tone the hearts down, and then when i saw the price that pretty much sealed the deal. do you get as excited about finding such as steal as i do?

i want to tell you about chrismas and the tacky sweater party, but since i still have to sort through all of that, i figured i'd go the easy route and pimp my clothes. i hope you had a wonderful holiday!

the pitiful barren woman

2011-12-22T16:25:00.003-05:00

one thing you may not know about me, but probably should if you decide to continue this friendship, is that i'm nothing if not defiant. i like making my own rules only because i'm expected to follow those already established; i like trying a new thing only because someone says i can't; and i like making my life my very own rather than following The Plan that most everyone else finds so very necessary for happiness and well-being.

i briefly touched on this subject a year or so ago, but i just feel like i want to get this off of my chest. the one thing that continues to come up over and over is babies. for a while i'll just brush the comments off, let them go in one ear and out the other, and tell myself that the person making them obviously has nothing better to do with his or her time than concern themselves with my reproductive system and 10-year plan. but there are other times when i get to the point that i've heard enough. more than enough, really. while i'm not saying there's anything wrong with having babies (although, truly, it wouldn't hurt to slow down seeing as how the planet is sort of running out of space), i'm saying that it's a personal choice, and right now it's not one that works for me.

in the last few years, i've gotten everything from, "you're not getting any younger" to, "what kind of a person doesn't like babies?" to, "what, is there something wrong with you, are you not able to have kids?" to, "you're just selfish for not wanting a baby." sometimes the comments briefly annoy me, and other times, like the ones when i've been called selfish, the comments really hurt my feelings. i don't question people's choices regarding life-changing decisions, nor do i cast judgment when an opinion differs from my own, but it's become too commonplace for people, be it family or almost strangers, to have, and too often give, opinions and advice regarding that aspect of my life when i've NEVER asked for any input.

obviously The Plan dictates that within the first few years of marriage a man and woman should have a baby. wait another two to five years and The Plan says you need another. while this equation works for many, it doesn't for me. chris and i still have things we want to do, places we want to go, before adding a crying, drooling, expensive baby to the mix, and last time i checked, at 29 and 33, we're not too old to wait a little longer.

i've tried explaining my reasons for not jumping on the baby bandwagon, but to no avail. not only have my explanations led to blank stares, rolled eyes, and rebuttal, but i've even had to endure comments to the effect of (when referencing a family member or friend that has a child), "see, that could be you; just think of how much fun it would be." it may just be that i'm on the baby offensive, but to me, the implication in such comments is that my life isn't actually complete or happy without a child, or that as a childless woman of 29 (which, as i've come to understand, is akin to a bearded lady - a freak of nature) i really don't have anything left to offer until i procreate.

i'm already preparing myself for an onslaught of infant-related comments at christmas regarding my steadfast opposition to a baby right now, seeing as how i'm the oldest (and of course childless), my cousin ali recently had a baby, and my cousin elizabeth is pregnant. but i'll just eat another piece of cranberry pie and pretend to be oblivious to the baby talk all while reminding myself that i have two of the most beautiful babies already, and the fact that they're not human is completely inconsequential - they love me and i love them, and that's all that matters to me.

so i guess what i'm really trying to say is, if you're at that stage in life where you think a baby just fits and you're ready to make that decision, then i completely respect that, but for those of us who aren't at that stage, and may never be, respect that, too. please.

a GLITTER diy!

2011-12-20T10:44:00.003-05:00

i don't know about you, but i love some sparkle - especially in the form of glitter (and a sequin skirt, but i still don't have one of those). i've been on a bit of a mission to find clear nail polish with BIG pieces of gold glitter, but i've come up empty-handed. i'm sure it's sold somewhere around here, but with all the busyness that comes with this time of year, i've not been able to look everywhere in this city that sells nail polish, so i figured i'd just save some time and make my own.

what you'll need: clear nail polish (be sure you get some that's thick as i learned on my first attempt that the glitter will NOT stay even remotely suspended in the thin, watery polish), glitter. i found this tube of big gold glitter at michael's for $0.99.

i forgot to take a picture of this, but to get the glitter in the bottle of nail polish without a beautiful gold mess, i folded a small piece of paper in half, poured some glitter into it, and then dumped the glitter into the bottle from the fold of the paper. mix it up, shake it around, dance for a minute, then go paint your nails!

i'm going to go ahead and tell you that, like my underwear, i do not spend a lot of money on cosmetics. i'm cheap. i bought the N.Y.C. brand polish for less than $2, and although i haven't been wearing it long, i think it works fine for this project.

also, i have to tell you that painting my nails is sort of like a celebration of accomplishment for me! i've been so incredibly busy making jewelry to have orders filled, shipped, and delivered by christmas ~~that i had a breakdown and cried like a baby because i felt so overwhelmed~~ that i haven't been able to do anything that, yes, is unimportant, but fun to me. since i've finally finished the christmas orders so i know my hands will have a break for a little while, i decided there was no better time to paint my nails, because with a slow down in business, the polish would actually last more than a few hours!

we've got spirit, how about you?

2011-12-18T17:27:00.003-05:00

shortly before thanksgiving, my cousins emily and elizabeth, my aunt cindy, and i all talked about and decided on a family tacky sweater party for christmas eve. i've been counting down the days to making a sufficient fool of myself, and my sister and i planned a sweater decorating day for saturday. i don't want to unveil our secret gems to family before christmas eve, but since my sister is the only one in my family who looks at my blog or even remembers the name, i figured this was a safe place to share what's got us so excited! let me apologize in advance for the pictures; i fear i'm getting old, because as you can see, if auto focus is not at my disposal, what looks sharp through the lens ends up looking more like your vision when you've gotten too little sleep and haven't yet wiped all the slime from your eyes.

i tried to keep my big bear out of all the glittered mess, but he insisted, so he ended up with glitter on his nose and head, but he didn't mind. my sweater really isn't all that bad (except i hate the color red), but i knew i could decorate it to make it ugly. and do i spy a pair of pendleton wool pants? yes i do. they're not so big that they fall down, but are big enough to give me about an extra 15 pounds in the thighs as well as what appears to be a little joey in his marsupial pouch.

i can't wait to see what everyone else found or made for the explosion of tackiness, and i'll be sure to take pictures WITH AUTO FOCUS because i have a feeling i'll be laughing at us for a long time.

how has your weekend been? what are your plans for christmas?

beca dressed me today: an outfit post

2011-12-15T16:02:00.004-05:00

today i wore a christmas present from one of my very favorite people in life. she says i was supposed to wait and until christmas to wear it, so let's just look at it, then forget we saw it, and we can pretend like i haven't worn it yet and then i'll wear it again.

coat: forever 21, scarf: i don't remember, dress: gift from beca via vacation vintage, tights: target, boots: target, giggle juice: c/o chris, vintage brooches: gift & my granny maude's, earrings: dinosaur toes

i also should have mentioned that the hair, uhhh, style (?) is courtesy of the wind. it's whipping around worse out there than when my mom used to get the spatula out after my brother and i (rim shot). i went to the dreaded mall today to get a few last chritmas presents, and when i came out someone from the salvation army was by the door ringing the bell, so i pulled out a few dollars to give, and as i was putting it in the bucket she said, "i love your outfit!" it may have been a compliment in response to my giving money, but i'm just going to think that it was because of THIS AWESOME DRESS! i was so surprised when it came in the mail i squealed like a little girl!

have you gotten any early christmas presents yet? if so, what?

field work: an outfit post

2011-12-14T13:32:00.003-05:00

i always seem to like outfits that are mostly soft and feminine, but with a few rugged or even masculine details (because that means it's more wearable to me since i like to have some element of casual or comfortable). this was so comfortable, and i think once it's again warm enough to feel like i can go without tights, this will be a go to outfit!

field jacket: thrifted, dress: target, boots: target

i have to tell you, when i do these posts, i still feel kind of funny sharing multiple pictures of myself because how do i know you're not thinking i look ridiculous? it's my lack of confidence though, because when i look at other blogs with outfit posts (which i LOVE doing for all the great inspiration out there), i never think anything bad, instead, "look at those poses, she looks like a professional!" or, "if i lived near her i'd accidentally on purpose sneak into her closet and take that outfit" ... unless that's weird, then just forget i said it. BUT, regardless of my awkwardness, i still really enjoy posting outfits because it's such good motivation for me to NOT get too comfortable in a "uniform."

jewels and cooking.

2011-12-13T14:08:00.003-05:00

after slow start i feel like i've had a pretty productive day as far as filling orders is concerned, but wow, i still have so much more work to go. anyway, i have two things that make me happy to share with you, so let's start of with one of my favorite things: FOOD! last night marks my first attempt at making baked potato soup, and can i just say that i rocked my own world? because i did.

want to make it? here's how! what you'll need:

4 large baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all purpose flour
6 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream
chives to taste (i used about 1 1/2 TBSP)
1/2 cup bacon, fried and crumbled (of course i used more)

bake potatoes until done, scoop out and throw skins away. melt butter in saucepan, add flour, stir until completely mixed. slowly stir in milk and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. add potatoes you scooped out earlier, salt, pepper, chives, bacon, cheese. mix in sour cream. add additional milk if it's too thick.

easy peasy, and SUPER delicious! next on the list of things that make me happy: boxes that showed up at my door yesterday. my mom and her husband paul will be moving from pennsylvania to their house in florida soon, so in the process of downsizing, she boxed up scrapbooks she put together of art projects i made in school, birthday party remnants, her journal from when i was a baby, a journal she wrote when i had surgery, pictures, baby clothes and toys, and my favorite: jewelry that belonged to my granny maude (my dad's grandma that died when i was in fifth grade). granny maude and i were so close, and when she died i was heartborken; i felt like i didn't know how to spend my summers any longer, and i wasn't sure that life could ever go on. i was allowed to pick out a few pieces of her costume jewelry, but since i was young, my mom told me she was keeping them until i was older. i was absolutely livid and didn't understand why i could keep the jewelry myself. it turns out she was right, i would have lost it, and i'm glad it's been kept safe for me all these years. before i saw her note that the jewelry was granny maude's, i instantly knew exactly where it was from, and because i miss my granny every day, i got kind of teary-eyed. i'm so happy to have the jewelry, and i know i'll wear it and cherish it forever.

the other week i did a post with some vintage favorites that i wanted oh-so-badly, and can you believe this, but beca surprised me with one of my picks for christmas!!! she's such a true and amazing friend, and i can't wait to show you my new dress when i wear it later this week!

i hate jeans.

2011-12-12T11:02:00.004-05:00

i don't really like to blog when i feel like i'm going to be spewing negativity like an erupted volcano, but sometimes, dammit, i just want to say what i'm thinking! i know i have a lot of good, positive things in my life, and i'm not making light of those, but sometimes i just feel like the negative is what really stays on the forefront of my mind whether i want it to or not. one thing that's got me annoyed (which, truly, is the absolute LEAST important thing on my mind, but annoying nonetheless) is jeans, and more importantly, the people who make them. dear jean maker, i am not 5'10" with twig legs, nor do i want to get a brazilian wax just to be able to wear your low cut jeans.

i don't actually smile when i think of jeans, so that picture is a complete misrepresentation of my true feelings regarding the denim devils. on saturday grandma and i went out to get some more stones for jewelry, and do get a few groceries. you'd think it would be easy enough to throw on some clothes and leave, right? wrong. i know i'm partially to blame because i don't exercise as much as i should considering the amount of food i eat, but i know i'm not the only one who can't seem to find a decent pair of jeans that are made for a real, human body. i finally just settled on these because it was either that or stay at home and have a pity party. i've been in public, and i know i'm not the only woman with a round but and meat on her thighs, so why is it that jeans aren't made to accommodate my body type? i'm not even kidding, getting dressed when i know that i'll be wearing pants just puts me in a bad mood.

luckily though i did have a few things i liked about this outfit, like the pretty vintage rhinestone bird brooch that micaela gave me last year, the suede ankle boots i got at target last year, and the comfy vintage sweater with lace at the neck that i thrifted for a massive $3.

do you have the same problem with jeans? if you do, where have you found some that you've liked? or have you found any yet that you like?

i guess i'm done complaining. but i'm pretty sure i'll keep sitting here thinking about the things going on right now that stress and irritate me, and maybe later i'll go to read my book club book but have a pity party instead. you never know.

from austin powers go-go dancer to modern day: an outfit post

2011-12-08T15:49:00.003-05:00

friends, before i go any further, please let me say that the sun is BAAACK! and so is my good mood! whew, i was getting a little worried there! anyway, the sun is back, i have a new dress, and christmas is almost here! now if i could just figure out a way to work on getting the snow here... anyway, i bought myself a gift on cyber monday from lulu*s and i was so happy when i saw the UPS man in my drieway on monday because i knew my dress had arrived!

jean jacket: american eagle, dress: lulu*s, belt: forever 21, blouse: vintage, boots: vintage, socks (which you can't really see but are cute and comfy): target

i knew today was supposed to be chillier, with a high only in the upper 40's, and since this dress is sleeveless, i knew i'd need something other than a jacket over it to stay warm while i had to be outside. enter the bag of clothes in my bedroom floor waiting to be taken to the goodwill. i have this 1970's vintage blouse that i've never worn but have had in my possession for several years now. it was one of those deals where i liked the print, knew it was just my size, and couldn't pass it up at only $3, so i got not really knowing if i'd wear it or not. all i can say is, i'm glad i've hung on to it all this time because it turned out to be the perfect match for this dress! i got chris to take my picture today, and since i get all shy and worked up high on giggle juice when he's behind the camera, i completely forgot to get him to take a closeup picture of the neck tie on the dress and the pretty floral pattern on the blouse. crap!

okay, so to clarify the title of this post, the blouse is very vintage, and the dress without a belt has a straight shape, so without the addition of the belt and the jacket, all i could think about was how it would work perfectly if i wanted to be one of the go-go dancers in austin powers (you know, with the awful white patent leather boots).

so that's my story. i hope you've had a good thursday!

get in my closet! (now, please)

2011-12-07T17:03:00.002-05:00

first let me say, the weather here is disgusting. it's like a vampire's dream - no sun to be found, and lamps even have to be turned on in the middle of the day. i hate it. i want to see the sun again, and for the love of everything holy, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE PICTURES AGAIN! who knew a couple days without the sun could be such a nightmare? anyway, since i haven't been able to take any decent pictures to share, and i don't want to go another day without blogging, why not share what i'm hoping will jump in my closet while i'm sleeping tonight?

from the top, find these beauties here: Vacation Vintage, bless that dress, carton company, Hottmilk, carton company.

i love vintage like i love fresh air, clean water, and french fries, but vintage in my size?! JACKPOT. it's so difficult (for me at least, in the store around here) to find vintage in small sizes that will fit me, so when i find gems like these on the internet in just my size, i seriously try rationalizing in my head how i can justify spending that money even though i know i shouldn't. it's terrible, itsn't it? it's probably an illness. anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be sunny so i can take some pictures to share!

built around a sweater: an outfit post

2011-12-02T11:04:00.001-05:00

we're having that crazy fall weather where it's 25 degrees when i get up and leave, but 60 degrees by the afternoon, so layers are pretty much as important as, oh, i don't know, air and french fries. i've been wanting to wear this skirt for a while now, but they when i looked through my armoire, i decided that i wanted to wear this sweater beca gave me even more than i wanted to wear the skirt, so it's a good thing the two could be worn together!

jean jacket: american eagle, sweater: (vintage) gift from my girl beca, chiffon skirt: vintage, tights (which are striped but you can't see in the pictures): target, shoes: payless, necklace: i made it.

i love that necklace, and i'm glad i sat down with chris to look at his coin collection. i permanently borrowed a 1930's buffalo nickel from him which i think makes the perfect pendant!

i hope you guys have a good weekend! i know i will because pop and i are going back to the trails for some more bike riding saturday evening and i can't wait!

what i've been working on...

2011-11-30T13:38:00.003-05:00

two words, or maybe one if you choose to hyphenate it - take your pick: GOLD DIPPED. i've been hard at work this morning and early afternoon working on a little idea i've had in my head for a while now. i wasn't exactly sure about the execution, or even materials, but i've been daydreaming of gold dipped goodness...

i've got a few more ideas in the works for gold dipping, and i'm also going to make some of the hoops in sterling silver since i know not everyone is as big a fan of gold. and while i'm listing these gold dipped howlite and quartz pieces to my shop (later this evening), i've got some more waiting on me; i thought the way they were hung, with a little tweaking, could make a neat mobile...

so that's what i've got for now. what have you been working on lately? if you have a shop, have you been busy making things for the holiday shopping rush?

i ruin clothes: a totally thrifted outfit post

2011-11-29T11:38:00.003-05:00

chris and i suffer from what we like to call "the poor kid syndrome." it's a pitiful state of mind in which one experiences severe heartache and distress upon ruining any possession. early in our marriage, chris and i were poor kids, and that can be attributed to my college education. then we saved like champs, were on top of the world, and only occasionally experienced symptoms stemming from the poor kid syndrome. last year, chris's asshole former employer decided to stop paying him and skip town. yipee! so now we're back to full on syndrome symptoms. what does this have to do with my outfit? a lot.

cardigan: vintage/thrifted, dress: vintage/thrifted, belt: vintage/thrifted, boots: vintage/thrifted (but unworn when i got them!!!)

in the last post i did about my thrifting finds, i showed you this dress that i instantly fell in love with and knew i had to have; i mean, everything about it is perfect! unfortunately, there is no fabric content tag in the dress, and unfortunately i'm an idiot when it comes to laundering clothes. i meant to hand wash and air dry the dress, but i guess i was in a hurry (like i usually am - the night before work i realize i have no clean clothes or underwear) and just sort of threw everything in the washer without really thinking. the dress isn't too small by any means, but it did shrink up a good two inches in length. it's not that i mind wearing shorter dresses, but for the love of everything holy i can't manage to keep my skirts down when even the slightest breeze comes, so obviously, the shorter the length, the more chance i have of showing my ass. i only paid $3 for the dress, so it wasn't like it put me in the hole, but still, had i taken the time to actually think about what i was doing i'd still have those extra two inches. so i did some sulking, and even let out a few gentle sobs that night. i kid, i didn't cry...but i wanted to, thanks to the poor kid syndrome.

on a more positive note, here are two things i love: 1. having dresses that work well as skirts or dresses, so you basically have two pieces of clothing in one, and 2. the clothing in this outfit cost me less than $10. BAM!

did someone say free?!

2011-11-28T14:30:00.002-05:00

i don't know about you, but i love a good freebie! i had originally planned to do an outfit post today, but because i've got a stack of work that really needs to be finished today, i thought i'd just do a quick post to let you know about a fun holiday deal i've got on my website!

from now until christmas, all orders of $75 or more will receive a FREE pair of hammered brass quartz hoops! i figured this would accomplish two important things at once - 1. encourage people to get out of the mall and support local and handmade businesses this holiday season, and 2. thank all of the wonderful customers who buy from dinosaur toes!

i wish i could stay and chat longer, but adulthood, jobs, and responsibilities are calling, so i better get back to work. i hope you have a good monday!

16 miles

2011-11-27T18:16:00.003-05:00

dear beca, i am still alive, so please blog stalk me. sometimes when life gets busy, i don't realize i've been away from my blog as long as i have, but thanks to friends like beca who remind me they're awaiting my return, i get excited about posting again! so how was your holiday american friends? and how was your non-holiday international friends? mine was great! well, thanksgiving was nice, but the real fun was friday...

the weather was absolutely gorgeous and warm, so pop, aunt debbie, her new husband steve, and i all went riding on the blackwater creek trails on friday. i have to say, that's got to be one of my absolute favorite things to do in lynchburg, and it's something pop and i really enjoy doing together. for the most part the trails go through a natural area and follow the blackwater creek, and then the james river, but part of the time you go through historic downtown lynchburg which i love! we rode 16 miles exactly, and when i was about 1/8 or a mile or less from my aunt debbie's house (she lives near one of the trail entrances, so we just rode from her house), i couldn't pedal up the hill any further, my bike leaned to the left, and i fell into a fence. i kind of felt like an idiot, and i'm hoping no one saw me!

oh, also, i'm pretty much the riding with no hands champion, even around curves, so i had to show them my skills and dare them to try and beat me. i remain the champion.

i also ate too much. then i ate too much again. and then chris and i bought ice cream. sooo, it looks like i'm going to need to go riding again in the next couple of days!

badonkadonk & print mixing: an outfit post

2011-11-22T16:25:00.005-05:00

i'm glad i finally realized that print mixing is a good thing, because it opens up a whole new world of opportunity as far as outfits go! our weather has been pretty schizophrenic lately, so one day i'm wearing short sleeves and using the AC, and the next i'm wearing a faux fur wrap and blasting the heat to combat purple fingers and toes. lately we've been enjoying weather that's better suited for mid-april, but i'll take it as long as i can get it...and then i want several feet of snow!

cardigan: the limited (i think) via rugged wearhouse, dress: target, belt: it came with a dress, wedges: payless, badonkadonk: thanks a lot, genetics.

can you believe it, and outfit where i'm not wearing my black riding boots! crazy, i know. i'm still in the infant stages of mixing patterns and prints, but i'm coming to realize that, to me, leopard is the easiest print to pair with others; i don't know if it's the color or the fact that it's almost as basic as black, but i find that it seems to go with pretty much everything. my butt, on the other hand, doesn't go with much. as long as i'm not getting into kim kardashian territory i think i'm safe but i wish i knew a flattening method!

are you guys all ready for thanksgiving? i'm ready to eat enough for three adults and one young child, but the way i look at it is, i can eat until i bust my pants wide open because the day after pop and i and maybe some other family will go bike riding at the black water trails, so basically thanksgiving will just be building up my strength for a day of riding! you can pretty much find ways to rationalize everything, especially when the subject is food.

oh, and if you haven't yet checked it out, the lovely toni and i are doing a charity auction to benefit the rachael horton compassionate fund, so take a look to see if you're interested, or pass it along to anyone you think will be!

Dinosaur Toes and Lost Cabin Vintage for RHCCF

2011-11-21T05:00:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited the time has finally come for Toni and I to unveil the collaboration we've been working on for the last couple weeks! Toni and I have each created a handmade item exclusively for this auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to The Rachael Horton Compassionate Care Fund.

On April 8th, 2010, Rachael Horton, along with her husband Aaron, was killed in a devastating apartment fire; on that day, animals and pets lost a dear and devoted friend. Before her passing, Rachael would use money from her own paycheck to provide treatments to animals when their owners weren't able to afford it. The Rachael Horton Compassionate Care Fund was set up in Rachael's memory to honor her dream of having no pet turned away from life-saving treatments, or face euthanasia, due to an owner's inability to pay the vet's bill. Through generous donations and local events, animals that may have been euthanized have instead been treated, just as Rachael would have wanted!

Toni, from Lost Cabin Vintage, has created the "Apple Isle," a beautiful and unique hand-dyed vintage slipdress, especially for this auction. Fits sizes Small, Medium and Large.

The Dinosaur Toes necklace I've made for this auction is a hammered brass horseshoe with a chalcedony stone spike. The pendant is attached to a section of polished brass chain and is 28" long.

To place a bid on this fun handmade combination as a gift to yourself, or for someone else this holiday season, just fill in your name and email address in the form below, and your bid amount in the messages box. Names and email addresses will be kept confidential, and you can keep track of the current bid amount here, as well as Toni's blog! Also, to help spread the word, we'd be so grateful if you'd blog, tweet, or facebook about this auction! Bidding for this auction will end on December 10, and your package will be shipped via Priority Mail no matter where you are in the world, that way you can get in time to give for Christmas!

foxyform.com

tie dye and lace: an outfit post

2011-11-18T08:22:00.004-05:00

you know, i'm almost embarrassed to post this (almost embarrassed meaning i questioned posting a few times, but not quite embarrassed enough to not post it) because the pictures, well, they're crap. pure crap. i can't be entirely to blame though; in the words of milli vanilli, or the person who was really singing, "blame it on the rain, yeah yeaaahhh." the sun is finally back out today, but yesterday and the day before pretty much looked like dusk all day long. so dark and dreary i couldn't have taken a clear, non-grainy picture if i'd wanted to! but graininess aside, i wanted to show you something...

scarf: i don't remember, jacket: american eagle via tj maxx, dress: tj maxx, hand-dyed slipdress: lost cabin vintage, patterned tights: target, riding boots: vintage, arm party: vintage and flytiers jewelbox

the thing i was so excited about showing you is my dyed slipdress courtesy of the always-charming toni from lost cabin vintage! toni is awesome, and i've loved getting to know her through her blog and our daily emails. isn't that slipdress amazing though?! i really wish my pictures would have turned out better, and i even though about changing back into that outfit when i get home today to redo my pictures since it's sunny, but i know i won't have time before i leave to go see breaking dawn, and i've just been about to die to share! i can't wait until i can wear it so that you see more of it, but when the high is only in the 40's and it's windy, well, layers are essential! so, there you have it, one of my favorite new pieces in my closet!

i hope you guys have a great weekend, and PUH-LEASE come back on monday because there's going to be something very, very special waiting for you!

hey kona, what are you doing today?

2011-11-17T15:16:00.002-05:00

i took these pictures of kona over the course of a few hours one day, and to be honest, i could have taken them over the course of 72 hours and they wouldn't look any different! my poor boy, he must get so worn out from all that dreaming, sleeping, and yawning...

snore. snooooore. snore. dream whimper. snore. snore.

"what are you doing? i'm too tired to open both eyes and figure it out for myself. i was in the middle of a really good dream, too."

hey, are you awake? kona? hey, did you fall asleep again already? hey. alright fine, i guess you're sleeping again.

kona, wake up! i just want to play with you. who wants a goodie?! "a goodie?! i'm awake! both my eyes are open now!" yeah, i thought that might get your attention.

"okay, i'm getting kind of tired. would you mind going and doing something quietly so i can relax for a little while? i'm drained"

what i've been working on...

2011-11-16T12:10:00.005-05:00

lately i've been working my hands to the bone. okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's almost true; i got some metal splinters that i still can't pick out, so that's close enough, right? *edit* after i posted this i went to work hammering out a bracelet, and also hammered my finger. i wasn't sure for a little while whether or not it was broken, but i think it's still in one piece, just a nasty shade of purple! in addition to making some new pieces for my shop, i've also been working diligently to finish up a large batch of jewelry for the bridge's holiday shop, and last but not least, a few pieces for tumbleweeds' store in san diego!

and while we're on the subject of jewels, i just wanted to say (for anyone who might be in the market for jewelry for themselves or as a christmas gift, etc.) for a few more days i'll be donating 15% of sales from my shop to the rachael horton compassionate care fund, so get some new bling and help an animal at the same time!

have you been working on anything lately? if you have a shop, are you prepared for a christmas shopping rush?

if you can't buy it, make it: an outfit post

2011-11-15T09:04:00.004-05:00

you know how sometimes you feel such a sense of accomplishment, and it just puts a smile on your face that almost nothing can take off? well, since i'm no seamstress, when i wear something that i've made of significantly altered, i also wear that smile. last friday i told you that i was wearing a skirt i made, so of course i wanted to do an outfit post showing it!

jacket: thrifted, shirt: forever 21, necklace: dinosaur toes, skirt: made by me!, boots: vintage

i never really had any intention of making my own lace skirt until... THE UNTHINKABLE HAPPENED. let me start from the beginning. it was a rainy day, that april 16th, circa 2pm. i can remember because it was my birthday, also known as the only day i can get chris to come shopping with me for clothes. we went to forever 21 where i tried on a small mountain of clothes, but had to narrow down my choices seeing as how i'd left a stack of birthday cash at home;i figured i could come back for the rest of it - the rest of it including one beautiful lace skirt. i went back not quite one week later and just inside the door was yellow tape blocking any entry into the store, and beyond the yellow tape, the only things left in the store were two or three racks of clothes and a few boxes. i tried to stay calm and tell myself that they were remodeling the store, but i won't lie, i was terrified. so four or five days later i went back to get the skirt i so highly coveted, only to find and empty store and a sign on the door telling me THEY LEFT! i think the angels cried right along with me that day. so, i didn't buy the skirt, and i figured i'd try my hand at making one (i still want that forever 21 skirt thought).

now that i've told you the good part about making something, it's time to get to the honest part. i used a pattern twice before on clothing i've made (a wrap skirt, and a pair of leggings), and to be honest, i just didn't like it. i know that there may not be as much error involved in working from a pattern, but personally i just feel like there's not as much room for creativity when i use a pattern. so, in true danielle style, i laid on top of the fabric, put little marks to know how wide i was and went from there! it generally works fine, but one thing i didn't take into account quite as much as i should have: this fabric doesn't have any stretch. the skirt fits fine, but the only thing is, it's just barely big enough to pull the smaller waist over my butt without ripping seams! so, the good news is, if i keep this skirt out in plain sight, it might keep me from eating donuts for a meal for example, because hey, if i do, i won't be able to wear the skirt!

have you ever made any clothes? what did you make?

P.S. don't forget to enter THE GIVEAWAY that ends later this week!

my pop's ghosts

2011-11-14T11:31:00.002-05:00

yesterday was a really nice day. although i'd told myself on friday that i would board up my windows and doors, unplug the phones and disconnect from society altogether so that i could get some jewelry finished for a gallery's holiday shop, i did no such thing. instead i saw two aunts, two cousins, and then finished the evening off with dinner at my pop's house. so, although i may not have made any jewelry, at least i had quality family time, right? after dinner we started a conversation that i want to share, but just to put you on edge and give you a little scary visual stimulation, check out a ghoulish awkward family photo...

monster teeth suckers courtesy of auntie amy! okay, now begins the story. when i used to live with pop and tricia, it wasn't unusual to find lights turned on, or turned off, to hear the stereo turn itself on, to hear footsteps when no one else was home, etc. it got to be that we were used to getting up in the night, knowing we'd turned a lamp off, only to find it, and maybe a radio, turned on at 3am. all of us at some point went looking for the person creating the loud walking noises, only to find that no one else was home. that went on for years, and pop would always tell me that he knew, as we all did, that there was some sort of spirit, ghost, whatever you'd like to call it, in the house. i told him several times that i wanted to come over with a recorder and try to record some white noise, but of course i was always too scared. lately though, it's gone from things turning on and off, and hearing "people" walking, to these spirits making themselves known even more.

several times now my dad has seen these smoky silhouettes; once standing in the doorway when he was watching TV, another time when he got out of the shower, and the only time it really scared him - when he was outside in his shed. he's also had them say things to him. when tricia was telling him one evening that she wakes up at night with her arms numb, a woman's voice said in his ear, "oh my!" he's been greeted with a "hey!" when he's gotten home from work, and he's heard distant voices going up the steps. i asked him if he was scared at all, and he said it wasn't fear he felt, but more of an anxiety. the one time though he was scared was when he saw the figure outside twice within a few minutes. about that one he said, "it scared the hell out me!" when i asked him why that one scared him but not the others, he said he figured it was because he was used to it in the house, but he wasn't prepared for it outside!

in conversation at work one day, one of my stepmom's co-workers mentioned this lady she knew that was a psychic or medium (i'm not sure what term she uses). dad and tricia met her one evening, and when she shook my dad's hand, she said she could tell that it was him they were connected to, because he was a free spirit with an open mind, and that he wasn't scared. she also said they were most likely just trying to make some sort of contact and that she would really like to visit their house one day to see what she can find out.

i don't know if you believe in this sort of thing, but i can tell you that I DO. i've always believed that spirits, or ghosts, are right here with us, and some of us (not me, because i'm too scared) are perceptive enough to be able to communicate with or see them. i also believe in these things because i lived in that house long enough to know that there were other people there besides my dad, stepmom and siblings! so let me ask you, have you ever had a paranormal experience? if so, i'm curious, tell me about it!

i'm just happy today!

2011-11-11T08:13:00.002-05:00

i really am just so happy today! and i was so happy yesterday, and these cramps aren't even ruining my mood which says a lot for how jubilant i must be feeling! why am i so happy i could jump and squeal and forgive someone cutting me off in traffic? because...

because of this great new dress! it's an urban outfitters dress that i got for $9. so i'm happy about having the dress AND i'm happy that my bargain hunting and cheapskate ways continue to pay off!

i'm also happy because today i'm wearing a skirt that i made. MADE, people! i'm not a huge fan of sewing (which sometimes shows in my sidewinder-type stitches), and i'm sadly one of those people who measures once, cuts twice - opposite of the saying - BUT, i'm going to be wearing a smile knowing that my skirt wasn't bought in any store, but made with my own two hands!

and the biggest thing i'm so happy about is a pretty amazing collaboration between the sweet toni of lost cabin vintage and i. she masterminded something pretty incredible, and i want to spill the beans SO bad, but i know i have to wait! trust me though, this is something pretty great, and i can't wait to share!

one last thing, ashley is giving away one of her necklaces here on my blog, so be sure to enter to win it for yourself, or for someone else!

a giveaway from the shine project!

2011-11-10T10:25:00.001-05:00

i'm very excited for this giveaway, and hope you enjoy it! i recently learned about the shine project through a few other blogs, and i was so honored when ashley contacted me about hosting a giveaway for one of her beautiful necklaces; not only are they pretty, but they're for a good cause! i'll let ashley tell you more...

Heyyy new friends! I'm Ashley, and I blog over at The Shine Project. I created The Shine Project at the beginning of this year to motivate others to go after their goals, and spread their light to others. I believe that service is the best way to feel happiness and love in our lives, and I created SHINE necklaces to help remind us of our daily purpose. Money from each necklace sold goes into a scholarship fund to help inner city high school students go to college. You can read more about that here and here. The Shine Project is in the process of becoming a Non-Profit organization so that thousands more students can have a positive future.

I believe that no act of kindness is too small or insignificant to perform. I believe that it's when we feel the most inadequate that we're able to grow and rise above ourselves. I believe in miracles. Not because they happen out of nowhere, but because hard work brings blessings that would otherwise not come. I believe in reaching goals. Pushing yourself when you feel like you've reached your outermost limits is how you obtain what you want. I believe in learning who you are through serving other people. You can see your potential and abilities when you're using them to lift and teach others. I believe that nothing is impossible.

Today, one of you will win a SHINE necklace. ALL of you will receive 10% off of your total order! Go here to see more shine necklaces and order information. There are even options to personalize your necklace with dates and initials...and are affordable holiday gifts! In your email order, write Dino10 for your code.

Here's how to enter (Leave a comment for each):
1. Leave a comment with who you'd give shine necklaces to.

For extra entries:
Follow The Shine Project blog
Like The Shine Project on Facebook

the trouble with watering plants.

2011-11-09T14:34:00.002-05:00

i've always liked to think of myself as having a green thumb, and that may have come from my parents' love of landscaping and manicuring their lawns, or maybe it started a little later when i worked part time at a greenhouse during high school. either way, i love plants, and i love the added color they can bring to a room. i have plants in most every room of my house, and one day each week they can expect a good, healthy drink of water... unless flojo helps. the trouble with watering plants is that, to a parrot, all time is play time.

when she first sees that i have the pitcher of water she'll squeak and talk and walk down my arm to check it out. then she'll stand on the rim of the pitcher, stick her head inside, and squeak and talk some more, looking out occasionally at me (whether it's to tell me about the water, or to see if it's okay to go in, i don't know). after she's thoroughly discussed the water and pitcher with me, she'll go ahead and start flapping her wings in the water, fanning her tail feathers, and making a wet mess. once she's played in the water that i've been trying to pour on the plants and the pitcher is empty, she'll hang down in the pitcher and talk a little to be sure there isn't any water left. and then instead of watering plants, i start working on cleaning up her bath puddle.

watering plants probably isn't quite as much work to someone who doesn't live with a bird, but to a curious parrot, everything is an adventure!

a flowerchild DIY

2011-11-08T11:51:00.003-05:00

to me, the time of year doesn't matter - i always love seeing and wearing flowers! i think one of the easiest ways to incorporate something fun into your look without it being too big or bold (and that could be the wallflower, no pun intended, in me speaking) is to do it in the form of a hair accessory. i've been wanting a pretty, romantic flower headband that wasn't too costume-y, but since i couldn't find quite what i wanted, i figured i'd just try making it myself! a little warning (which isn't a bad thing if you're a picker like me) - your fingers will be covered in glue!

i really had my heart set on those pretty little paper roses that come in different colors in a little bundle of maybe ten or so, but unfortunately, it seems they're not as easy to find as they used to be (when i was younger, i spent most of the money i had on either candy or craft supplies, and although i never remember actually using those paper roses for anything, for some reason i sure did buy a lot of them). so i settled for these little calla lilies with paper leaves, which i still think work just fine.

for this project you will need: a headband (i chose one that would blend well with the color of my hair so as not to take any attention away from the flowers), some flowers with stems, some sort of glue, and some wire clippers.

STEP 1: first start by clipping the flowers and leaves from the bundle. i decided to leave about one inch/25cm of stem attached so that i could wrap it around the headband.

STEP 2: put a line of glue (enough for several flowers and leaves) on a section of the headband. wrap the stems around the headband, over the glue, and press the flowers down against the headband so they're on a spot of glue.

STEP 3: continue adding lines of glue and wrapping the flowers and stems around the headband. once you feel you've added enough flowers, wrap the stem of the last flower back toward the others, that way you've got a nice neat end with no stems poking out. then start picking the glue from your fingers.

and there you go, now you've got yourself a dainty little headband! i did learn one thing while i was making this, though, and that is: be sure your camera is on the correct white balance setting before taking the pictures, that way the colors aren't all over the place!

also, this has absolutely nothing to do with the headband, but i feel the need to share nonetheless. have you ever watched the show COPS? well, if not, you're missing out on some first rate rednecks, prostitutes, and hybrids of the two. anyway, my brother, derek, and i used to watch COPS some afternoons for a good laugh, and there was one particular episode where this older man was explaining to the officer why he threw a rock at someone's car. just a brief description of the older man: he was wearing a button-up shirt that was only buttoned up to about his sternum, his necklaces were showing, his hair was slicked back elvis-style, and he pulled a black plastic comb from his back pocket to fix his hair while he was on camera. he said to the cop, "i threw a rock beh-cawz (because) he gave me the fangur (finger)." now, i can never say or think finger without doing it the redneck way (fangur), and above where i said about picking glue from your fingers, i was really thinking, "...picking the glue from your fangurs."

baby steps and outtakes: an outfit post

2011-11-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

first things first: baby steps. i know i've told you before that i'm so hesitant to try new things clothing-wise, that by the time i start to entertain the idea, the trend is a decade old. having said that, print mixing is nothing new, but it's a BIG step for me! i don't believe there's a science to print mixing, but i've had a hard time figuring out some sort of do-able equation; that's why i started small - baby steps with stripes and leopard.

outtakes: my husband is a menace to my pictures. sometimes he's a good and helpful photographer who gives me pictures i can actually use, and other times he gives me pictures that make me think 1. i should have just used the timer, and 2. threats of physical violence must be made in the future to ensure i don't have a repeat of these...

rather than being a human tripod, which is ultimately what i'm looking for, chris, my skinny husband, decided to play strong man with no shirt and practiced his body builder moves while he was taking my picture, thus guaranteeing awkward, trying-not-to-laugh faces, and blur, blur, blur.

sunglasses: tumbleweeds, scarf: it's old so i don't remember, necklace: dinosaur toes, jacket: proenza schouler for target, blouse: thrifted, jeans: target, shoes: here.

about my outfit: i was so happy when i found that blouse because i have a love affair with grey, and because i love loose blouses that don't button down the front. the jacket is my favorite and i pretty much wear it everyday when the weather gets cooler. i never keep up with the designers that do lines for target, and i was so upset that i'd missed all of the pretty proenza schouler pieces... or, kind of. i was lucky enough to find this jacket sort of crammed away (and i still wonder if someone hadn't tried to hide it) and hidden between other things with a clearance price of $8.98. WHAT?! naturally i had to have it. onto the bottom half. i don't wear jeans that often, thanks to my inherited round butt and thick thighs genes, but every now and then i just don't feel like wearing a dress. so, now that you've seen jeans, it may be a while before i wear them again! and my shoes! WOOOOO! i got a pair of leopard print ballet flats about 5 years ago, and sadly, i've wore them so much that they have holes around the soles and take in water on rainy days like a sinking ship. i knew it was time to say my final goodbyes to my favorite shoes, but i couldn't bring myself to do it until i found leopard replacements; being that i have such small feet, it's always a challenge finding shoes. luckily, i found a pair that i LOVE, and i didn't have to beg, borrow or steal to afford them!

thrift score!

2011-11-03T16:49:00.002-04:00

i'm just going to go ahead and admit it, when i'm surrounded by vintage clothes, low prices, and the smell of old lady perfume, my pulse quickens, my breathing gets heavier, and i basically have a hard time even functioning because of thrift overload. i may go in with a plan, but once i'm there, all planning is thrown to the wind and the thrill of the hunt takes over. and maybe i should also mention that whenever i have cash in my wallet it's impossible to keep it there.

the first dress is definitely my favorite. i love that the color scheme is simple: black and tan. the floral pattern is small, which according to what not to wear, is good for my small size, and although you may not be able to tell my the pictures, there are little pleats in the skirt! perfect! the second dress i wasn't sure about, but i'm glad i got it. i think i'm going to wear it belted with a pretty cream cardigan, or belted with a flowy blouse.

this sweater is not something i would have been drawn to in the past, but thanks to this post i now know how i can wear it! and hey, what vintage lover doesn't appreciate a good space dye? so the good news is i didn't get carried away like i usually do and end up with a whole pile of polyester regret, and when a piece of clothing is only $3 it doesn't mean i'll have to start skipping meals in order to thrift. now, if i could only manage to find these in a size 5 or 5.5 for $3...

also, i got even MORE clothes in the mail from a really sweet friend, but i'll show those to you tomorrow! and speaking of clothes, i've really been trying to go through my clothes and keep what i'll actually wear, and pull out the other things i like but never seem to get out of the drawer and wear. so, i'm adding stuff to my "shop my closet" blog!

this is real life: myth vs. reality

2011-11-02T11:23:00.002-04:00

i'm posting this whilst i sit on top of my rainbow wearing $400 shoes, eating negative calorie foods, waiting for my lover to finish drawing me a hot bath sprinkled with rose petals. oh wait, that's right, i live in the REAL WORLD. i'm actually wearing pajama pants, a sweatshirt with holes, and thinking about cinnamon buns.

have you ever read blogs and thought to yourself, "is this shit for real?! my life sucks in comparison." i felt it was my duty, as a blogger that doesn't want to get sucked into the black hole that is fantasy land, to separate the myths from the realities.

i have a question. yes? what's your tone here, and why am i wearing clothes? sarcastic, always sarcastic. and i think you're wearing clothes because your human fell into the cat craze quicksand.

let me preface this by saying that obviously i can't speak for everyone, but i'm speaking for myself, and for some of my blogger friends that sit scratching their heads wondering how such ridiculous notions continue to not only live, but thrive like bacteria in blog world.

myth #1 - bloggers eat really super ultra healthy foods that taste like dirt (and in some cases, look like it, too), and the average person hasn't heard of and can't pronounce. reality: there's nothing wrong with healthy food, and i do enjoy broccoli, asparagus, salads, and berries, but i know for a fact that some of these bloggers enjoy a good greasy plate of crap just as much as the rest of us - including myself. i'm also highly suspicious of some of these vegetarians. i have a feeling that a good number of them are closet carnivores that jumped on the vegetarian wagon because it's what the cool kids were doing. my thought: if someone repeatedly tells you about the dirt-like food with a million grams of fiber that they're eating, you'll find an in & out burger wrapper in their trash (along with some coca-cola cans, candy wrappers, and some left over taco bell).

myth #2 - the relationship of the blogger is far more passionate, romantic, and intense than any other. reality: i might puke. never believe a blogger's relationship or marriage is any different than the ones you see on cops where the man is always wearing a soiled wife beater. i kid! or maybe i don't... but what i'm saying is this: many bloggers won't be honest and tell you about an argument or disagreement they had. why? because it doesn't translate well into fantasy fiction. chris and i are very much in love; when they're blooming, he'll surprise me with a bouquet of wildflowers that he picked while he was working on our land, or he'll make up songs and sing them to me while he's taking a shower (of course some of them are about how is wife abuses him or has a big butt, but that's our brand of humor), but it doesn't mean we're without our lovers quarrels. when i, and my friends, read about candlelight dinners EVERY night, endless love notes sealed with a kiss, or his & hers spa dates, or whatever else there is out there, we can't help but for a very tiny second compare our own marriages or relationships. but then reality sets in - if we wanted to live that life we could have saved the money from getting married and immersed ourselves in romance novels! in real relationships, sometimes you're too tired for sex, and somebody will eventually have diarrhea.

myth #3 - all bloggers have jeffrey campbell shoes and designer clothes but no apparent source of income. reality: i don't get it. i've talked to a few fellow bloggers about this very same subject, and they don't get it either. regardless of how closets are filled with a dozen pairs of $200 shoes, i can assure you that most of us don't have closets that could be featured on the style network. i mean, you've seen what i've worn, so obviously you know this isn't the case with me. about the closest my shoes come to being designer is the pair of isaac mizrahi for target peep toes i got on clearance. i'm not ashamed to say i have no fancy labels in my closet (unless you count j. crew from sample sales fancy), and that i get most of my clothes via thrifting, from target or tj maxx, and some hand-me-downs from my very stylish aunt kimberly.

myth #4 - bloggers do a lot of traveling. reality: the ones with important/fancy jobs or money probably do. given my current financial situation, the last few trips i've taken have been so graciously funded by my generous auntie amy. i didn't take a vacation this year, an although i dream on a daily basis of going to germany - to get in touch with my roots - or russia - because i've always thought it looked beautiful and interesting - the fact is, i may never go, because i have bills. believe you me, if i could take a trip once a month to some exotic location, or even just another state, i would, but until i become independently wealthy, i'll have to put this on hold.

myth #5 - bloggers only have happy, sunshiney days. reality: everyone gets pissed sometimes. of course there's no need to share every little thing that may annoy you or ruin your day, but honestly, i think that propelling the myth that things are 24/7 cotton candy and rainbows does a disservice to people not living in fantasy land. i know that some bloggers, including myself, like to every now and then see that someone else has had a bad day, a rude customer, a spat with a friend or spouse, etc., not because we thrive on the misery and pitfalls of others, but because it lets us see that they, like us, are real live humans. if i'm feeling in an exceptional bitchy mood, rest assured i'll try to stay away from social networking sites where i may contaminate an otherwise cheery atmosphere. i promise to always be real, whether that's good or bad, and to never address you by some term of endearment like dearie or lovie that i wouldn't say in real, off internet, life (but i guess that's a whole other story).

in closing, i love chick-fil-a fries and donuts, i get annoyed with my husband and slam doors from time to time, i wear cheap clothes, i don't have a passport, and i get pms. i hope we can still be friends.

a tame wildcat: an outfit post

2011-11-01T11:32:00.003-04:00

you remember how years ago in fashion magazines there would always be a whole section of random people on the street that would be photographed and tell the details (as in who made it or where it came from) on each piece of clothing they were wearing? that might still be done, it's just been a while since i've seen it. anyway, sort of a spin on it, since i'm a hardcore rock-bottom-deal aficionado, i always think not of where each item of clothing came from, but how much i paid for it. this outfit cost me less than a meal, and it includes my favorite: LEOPARD PRINT!

the outfit details - blouse: vintage/thrifted ($3), belt: vintage/thrifted ($1), skirt: vintage/thrifted ($2), wedges: target clearance ($5), bangles: i made them.

BAM! throw in a little wildcat print, mix that with a little wallet taming, and you've got one of my favorite types of outfits! i'm wondering, if all of my outfits could be put together for this much or less, would it make my husband more supportive of my clothing buying and collecting, seeing as how it is a genuine and justifiable hobby? it's worth putting together a pie chart and presentation to make my argument seem more legit.

are you on the lookout for a good deal, too? and do you have any favorite thrifting finds?

it's orange, it's delicious, it isn't pumpkin: a recipe

2011-10-31T09:53:00.002-04:00

i'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but up until this weekend, i was a butternut squash virgin. of course i knew what it was, and i'd seen recipes for it here and there, but for some reason, i just never tried any - until last week. i'm guilty of finding recipes i kind of like, and then basically rewriting them to suit my tastes. so i saw a recipe for butternut squash (where, i can't remember) and knew that i liked some of the ingredients, but not others, so i figured i'd give it a go and make up my own. i wasn't disappointed!

we'll call it crusted butter nut squash. oh, and before we get to the details, i have to tell you this: chris is what you might call a food snob - he'll say he doesn't like a food without ever trying it, or if he didn't like a food fixed a certain way twenty years ago, he doesn't want to try it fixed another way now. anyway, when i told him that i was going to fix butternut squash he turned his nose up and said it didn't sound good. obviously the man's crazy. when he cut a bite to put in his mouth, the look on his face suggested he was about to eat a turd, but once he started chewing, he realized it was actually good and told me the only way he'd eaten it before was when his mom would bake it with cinnamon. so the moral of the story is, don't say you don't like something without at least trying it!

for this recipe you will need:
-1 butternut squash
-1/3 cup bread crumbs
-1/3 cup parmesan cheese (the real kind, not the powder kind)
-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
-1/2 teaspoon oregano
-1/2 teaspoon basil
-olive oil

*i think the next time i make it i'll use a little more garlic and spices, but you should make it according to how much you like the spices.

cut the squash into slices about 1/4" thick (you can go thicker, but it will take longer to cook) and peel the skin off. pour some olive oil into a large freezer bag and toss the squash in; be sure the squash is coated in olive oil so the crust will stick. mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and dip the squash in making sure to cover it well! bake at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the squash is done.

then serve it to your husband and tell him he better like it or... i'll let you finish that part. if you decide to try it, let me know what you think!

equestrian ruffle: an outfit post

2011-10-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

when i wore this outfit yesterday (this is the skirt that flew up to my chin as i was standing beside the highway) i felt more like i should be at a stable, or a polo match - just somewhere with horses - but not meeting with clients! i've never worn these things together, but in an effort to try and be more creative, and shop my closet (which is the point of these outfit posts), i decided to put together something new. oh, and for those of you that wanted to see it, here's my new hair. it's kind of hard to see the side-swept long bangs and the layers, but trust me, it's sexy hair!

cardigan: h&m, ruffle blouse: gift from chris, skirt: forever 21; riding boots: vintage, bracelets: dinosaur toes and little tree vintage

aside from the fact i'm prone to giving peep shows in this skirt, it's definitely one of my favorites if not my top favorite. and the boots are also my favorite, the ruffle blouse is one of my favorites, and the mini arm party i threw is made up of my favorite bracelets. seriously, with so many favorites all in one outfit, you'd think i would have worn this before.

with the theme of this post being equestrian in nature, i thought it only fitting to share this belt with you. first let me say that in addition to being on a mission to get built-in bookshelves in my living room, i'm also on a mission to find a leopard print belt that i can wear around my waist. so, i went to this one discount-type store yesterday hoping to find the belt of my dreams, and while i didn't find it, i did find one that i couldn't leave without. behold, the equestrian belt! total damage: $2. when i wear this, i have a feeling i'm going to imagine the eagles wrote a song about me riding a wild stallion into the sunset in a desert. and i think i was wearing a flowy, romantic chiffon dress in the song... with the belt, of course.

so that's what i wore. i hope you guys have a good thursday or whatever day it is when you read this! i think i might have a DIY post or two for next week, so remind me not to be lazy about putting it together!

book talk and butt flashes

2011-10-26T14:57:00.003-04:00

i'm a woman on a mission. i've been trying to talk chris into building some built-in bookshelves on the long, windowless wall in our living room and calling it my christmas gift, my birthday gift, my anniversary gift, whatever - i'm flexible on this. so far the wall is still bare, but i'm really determined to dig my heels in on this one because i've got far too many books not to have some awesome shelving. and let's face it, i basically need built-in shelving as a means of storage, and the fact that it will look amazing is just an added bonus, right? and i'm not even picky; i'll take a whole wall of shelves, or just a few long ones on part of the wall!

more in the way of book talk, i've read the painted veil (not so good, but it's my fault since i chose it), the worst hard time (interesting and educational, but a little slow), and bel canto (an epic disappointment) for book club, and now i'm working on the cider house rules. i'm not quite 100 pages into it, but i love it, and i look forward to going to bed so that i can get back to it! what have you been reading lately?

now it's time for butt flashes. i must have subconsciously made it my mission to show the city of lynchburg my cheeks because i've been flashing all over town. EXHIBIT A: last week chris dropped me off at the office, and as i was jumping out of the vehicle my dress got caught under my hand which was placed firmly on the seat, causing my dress to come up to my waist, giving everyone a free show. who surrounds our office? an office full of state troopers and an office full of land surveyors - all male. embarrassing? you bet. EXHIBIT B: the day after that i was walking out of the post office (at lunch time when it's the busiest, obviously) when my foot slid on the wet sidewalk and i did a split...in a dress. my first thought was, "crap, how am i gonna play this off?" then i realized that gymnastics in a dress on the post office sidewalk can't be played off. luckily the only thing hurt was my pride (and i'm pretty sure it's still bruised). last, EXHIBIT C: the case of the flowy skirt and the windy day. i don't talk much about what i do for my part-time job, but technically i'm a field representative, and i go to meet clients (mostly car dealerships) to do their advertising. today while i was at a client's business, i was outside just starting to take pictures for his ad when a gust of wind came and blew my skirt up to my chin. first, this place is located on a very busy highway, so people saw; second, i was wearing a slip (luckily), but seeing as how it was white and semi-sheer, and it was a sunny day, nothing was left to the imagination; third, there were two guys sitting in their car which had broken down, and damn if my skirt didn't decide to fly up right in front of them! embarrASSing? YES!

now that i'm tucked safely away in my quiet house wearing FLANNEL PAJAMA PANTS i'm finally calming down. but honestly, i may never be able to show my face in lynchburg, va again!

what i've been working on...

2011-10-25T12:54:00.002-04:00

i haven't been working on jewelry as much this week as i did last week, but i blame that on my memory; i'll have so many great ideas while i'm not around my supplies (and yes, i have tried writing them down, but my scribblings mean nothing once i'm sitting there amongst my metal, hammer, and stones), but by the time i get a chance to work on anything jewelry-related, the ideas are long gone. it's so frustrating. but i have made a few things to add to my shop...

top to bottom: a colorful and glam twist on the basic hammered cuff (shown with peridot, iolite, labradorite, citrine and peridot), ruby zoisite in a hammered brass ring, hammered brass earrings with pyrite and labradorite, black quartz and brass bracelet.

also, i'm not going into annoying blogger shameless self-promotion mode, BUT since this is a post about jewelry that is or will be going on my website, i just thought i'd throw it out as a reminder: until november 18th, 15% of sales from my website will be donated to the rachael horton compassionate care fund (you can read that post here).

i've also been working on my appetite. i kid, that never goes away and doesn't require any work, only food! yesterday and today for lunch i made myself a bacon, mozzarella (the real kind, not the fake shredded crap from the bag), tomato and basil pita. i'm actually getting hungry again just talking about it! and seriously, what can't be made better with fresh basil? nothing!

he liked it so he put a ring on it: an outfit post

2011-10-24T08:57:00.003-04:00

the title of this post actually has nothing to do with the outfit, but it's about a funny story that i have to tell you! but back to the outfit. last week i shared my latest thrifting finds with you, and i couldn't wait to be able to wear my new to me jacket! unfortunately i took my hair down before i got home, so what you're seeing is my frizz puff, also known as MY OLD HAIR! i got a whole new hairstyle on friday and i'm so glad to say so long forever to that long mess!

jacket: vintage/thrifted, cami: tara jarmon, pants: old navy, shoes: target

those shoes are actually some of my favorites because the color goes with everything, and they're really comfortable. oh, and the fact that i paid $5 for them on clearance definitely makes me very happy, indeed. i also love anything peach, so the camisole, i think, can go with almost anything, and the frills add a more dressy, feminine touch even to jeans. so, that's what i wore.

the funny story... yesterday evening i stopped by the grocery store on my way home to get a few things, and since they've redone it, i couldn't find the lemonade. a (male) employee said hi and asked me how i was doing, then asked me if i'd found everything i needed. he was all smiles and wouldn't stop looking at me (it must have been my new sexy hair). i told him i was looking for lemonade, and he led me to the opposite side of the store to the lemonade's new location, and every few feet he'd turn around and walk backwards so he could look at me and smile. i don't really like to be looked at thanks to my shyness, so it was awkward to say the least. when we were standing in front of the lemonade, he stood there for a minute staring at me and smiling, then he asked, "so how come you're not married?" he noticed my fingers were bare as i don't like to wear rings and pointed out their nakedness. i told him that i was, but that i just don't like wearing rings and he said, "oh okay, i figured someone was slacking if they hadn't put a ring on you yet." all i could do was blush and look at the floor, then i cracked up when i walked away because i knew that chris would love this story seeing as how he tells me ALL THE TIME that i need to wear my rings! so now i'm going to be embarrassed to go back to that grocery store. the end!

i hope you had a good weekend! did you do anything special?

comfortable but not sloppy: an outfit post

2011-10-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

i'd say i'm probably pickier than most about what feels good and comfortable to wear, but it's something i'm absolutely not willing to sacrifice. luckily my love for loose, flowy tops meshes well with my love for something that's so comfortable you can't tell you're wearing it! chris and i had a cookout to go to over the weekend since friends of ours were in town, and of course i didn't want to go dressed like a slob, but since we'd just be sitting around talking and eating, i also didn't want to be too overdressed (since i almost always wear dresses).

tunic: tj maxx, jeans: target, necklace: dinosaur toes, boots: vintage

why i make such strange faces is beyond me. it's like, my face is normal, then once the camera turns on, my face gets awkward and crooked, and it doesn't even look like me. i honestly don't get it!

although it sort of looks like it in the picture, the tunic and jeans aren't the same color. i've never liked a color enough to wear it from head to toe! and speaking of colors and clothes, the vintage jacket i shared in my last post is the main part of my outfit today, and i can't wait to wear it! also, looking at outfit posts on blogs makes me realize i need to be more creative with how i put mine together, so i'm hoping that the outfit posts i do will get more interesting over time and show a little bit of thought on my part.

thrift score!

2011-10-18T12:18:00.003-04:00

it's been a while, and i mean a LONG while since i've been thrifting last. it's one of those things i love doing, but have to be in the right mindset to actually do, much like running. anyway, the other week i was in the right mindset, so i went forth and searched. when i go thrifting i like to have certain items in mind to look for, otherwise it's brain overload and chaos because i can't handle all the vintage prints, fabrics, and shapes! i was looking specifically for those great vintage sweater jackets or cardigans with the knit tie at the waist. i've never had much luck finding those, and this last trip was so no different on that front, but i still came away with a gem!

i almost didn't like this at first, but man am i glad i carried it around for a few minutes and let it grow on me, otherwise it would have turned into one of those deals where you're kept awake at night from overwhelming regret, then when you go back to get it, you discover someone else took off with it, leaving you gently sobbing in a corner.

first, i love green, so i'm drawn to anything with green. second, i'm a sucker for slightly cropped jackets with bracelet length sleeves. i love the 1950's feel and shape of this, and even better, it's handmade (and made very well)! because of the style and color, i think this is something i'll be able to wear all year long, and i already have an outfit in mind for later this week!

total damage - $3.

i love belts. belts over dresses, belts over blouses, belts over cardigans, belts for life. one thing i'm always able to find when i go thrifting is belts, and lots of them. i've been wanting a thick brown or tan belt to go around my waist, but since my waist is really tiny, it's more difficult a task than it sounds. luck was on my side that day friends, because i came home with two! WOOO!

total damage - $1 each.

have you been thrifting lately or come home with any special treasures?

if my hair had a uniform: a tutorial

2011-10-17T10:04:00.005-04:00

lately my hair has been driving me crazy; it hangs in my face, it gets in my food and saves some for later, it gets closed in my car door on windy days, it tickles my face when i try to sleep, and frankly, it's just gotten too long. i'm really lazy about styling my hair, and while i've tried doing a few things with it, i've found the styles don't work with quite so much hair, or that they don't hold for more than about an hour. since i had some extra time on friday morning, i decided i'd try playing a little, and i was so happy with the outcome i thought i'd share in the form of a tutorial.

STEP 1: for me, this works best on damp hair, otherwise i have more fly-aways and the braid is just too loose. on the top of your head, pull up a section of hair on one side and divide it into three sections.

STEP 2: start a french braid with the three pieces of hair you're holding, going toward the lower middle part of the opposite side of your head (or as good a french braid as you're able; i'm no master at it, but this is supposed to be a fun, even somewhat messy hair style!).

STEP 3: continue the braid to the very end of your hair and finish it off with a hair elastic. i used black just in case a little peeked out once my hair was finished, but most likely, this will be hidden.

STEP 4: from the part where your braid comes off of your head, fold it over and pull it to the opposite side of your head.

STEP 5: once you've doubled your braid back over to the side where you originally started your braid, fold it once more to the opposite side (the direction in which you were originally braiding). tuck the end of your braid where your elastic is under the chunk of braid that is folded.

STEP 6: using hairpins that blend with the color of your hair, pin the end of your brain (hahaha, chris just noticed i said brain instead of braid!) under the first section of braid you folded. to ensure it stays put, i used larger pins, and i got a section of the french braid, and the lower braid in the pin. then pin the second section of braid you folded. again, i got both the top braid and the bottom braid in my hair pin so that i knew it would stay in place. in the picture i'm pointing to where my hairpins are, one of which you can see a little bit.

and that's it, you did it! i don't really like to wear my hair the same way every day, but i'm going to have a hard time not doing this all the time 1. because it will keep my hair out of my face, 2. because it looks good, and 3. because it's easy (and by easy i mean no curling, straightening or drying) and it only takes about five minutes to do!

do you have any certain tips or tricks for hair? or a hair tutorial for a fun style? i hope you had a good weekend, friends!

i love a good cardigan: an outfit post

2011-10-13T07:20:00.004-04:00

wow, it's been probably since the winter of 2010 that i did an outfit post. for the most part, i'm really casual and tend to have my favorite things that i wear all. the. time. lately, i've really been trying to put a little bit of thought into what i wear, or at the very least, i try and work in accessories that i wouldn't normally wear for a different look. i know that the high waist trend is one that has been around for a while, and call me a creature of habit if you will, but it takes me a long time (so long in fact, by the time i've embraced some trends or styles, they're over) to like and actually wear a lot of trends or styles. now that i finally feel comfortable wearing high waisted skirts, they're all i can think about! and of course i always love cardigans...

cardigan: say what?, blouse: vintage/thrifted, skirt: forever 21, shoes: old navy, necklace: dinosaur toes

please excuse my wrinkled skirt. i really love that skirt, but my only complaint is that the fabric gets ultra wrinkled when you sit in it, and it gets kind of stretched out so it's a little loose and makes my hips look wider after wearing it for an hour or more. but i still think it's pretty! i think my recent need to look a little more put together stems from the fact that i've been watching the show ringer. i love so many of the outfits that sarah michelle gellar wears, and it makes me realize i need to step up!

okay, so i have to share this with someone, and it may as well be you. last night i went to bed at about 11 and woke up at 2am. i was wide awake, and at 2:30 i finally got up and took my pillows and the book i'm currently reading out to the sofa. the book is so terrible it usually puts me to sleep, but i read until almost 4am and still couldn't go to sleep! when i finally did drift off, i had the weirdest dream. i was riding with chris, some cousins, and friends in one of those big 15-passenger vans down the highway. i yelled out, "LOOK, THERE'S A GIANT TURTLE! NO, TWO!!! STOP!" then i looked on the other side of the road and saw more turtles, a zebra, a giraffe, and a gazelle. i yelled out for everyone to look at them, and chris gave me a weird look and said, "they're humans in costumes," the implication in his tone suggesting that i must have been smoking crack to think they were real animals. then i was so confused - everyone else knew they were humans in costumes, but i just knew they were real animals that escaped from the zoo, and i couldn't figure out why they were walking into the woods. i woke myself up laughing. it was strange.

shopping can save lives.

2011-10-10T15:54:00.004-04:00

on april 8th of this year, chris' second cousin, rachael horton, and her husband, aaron, were killed in a tragic apartment fire. although emotions are still raw, and their deaths are no easier to accept, their memory continues to live on through the legacy they left. rachael was a lifelong animal lover who gave money from her own paycheck to help pay for treatments that could save an animal's life when their owner couldn't afford it. after her death, the rachael horton compassionate care fund was set up in her memory to continue making her dream a reality. i've donated a percentage of sales to the lynchburg humane society before, and i was happy to do it, but i have to admit, this is something so much more special to me.

from now until november 18th, 15% of sales from my website will be donated to the rachael horton compassionate care fund in hopes of saving lives. no monetary value can be placed on the life a furry (or feathered) baby, and it shouldn't have to be; i hope this is a fund that will outlive me and everyone i know, because i think it is just that special!

works in progress

2011-10-06T16:36:00.004-04:00

let me preface this post by saying: i know i've mentioned it before, but i feel arrogant calling myself an artist, so i'm just going to refer to myself as a person who likes to make things. now, as a person who likes to make things, i generally don't stick to just one specialty or one medium. i'm sure that most all people who like to make things would feel a little trapped making only one thing, and as a person who likes to make things, it's only natural to branch out and have various methods in which to be creative and express yourself. so, i've been doing just that.

the first work in progress is a tote bag or two. it's been at least a month ago that i told my soul sister i've had an idea for a tote forever and still haven't made it. as much as i love the finished product, i'm never a big fan of the actual act of sewing, thus the procrastination. earlier this week i got a text from beca asking me if i had plans to make more totes, and i guess that was the push i needed to get started! the new thing i wanted to try on the fabric didn't turn out quite like i was hoping, but it's a start, and i still think something pretty neat can come from it!

no, i have not been making apples. what i have been making is fried apples. MMMMM! chris was working with a man last week who had more apples than he and everyone he knows could eat, so chris brought home several gallons of liberty apples. i made several batches of fried apples, and tonight i'm making apple turnovers for ~~dinner~~ delicious snacks!

last, i've been working in my sketchbook. that drawing is nowhere near complete, but it's so fulfilling to be able to draw, regardless of the subject or level of completion. i plan to add a face, obviously, and to make it a little more interesting, watercolor!

do you have any works in progress, or anything you're excited about finishing?

hey, this is really exciting... today i ran into a friend of mine from middle school. it's been over 15 years since i've seen her (whoa, that makes me feel old!), and if she hadn't said her name, i'm not sure i would have recognized her. we ended up talking for a long time, exchanging numbers, and planning to get together very soon. i know i was smiling for the rest of the day because of that. i think those are the friendships that are the most special - the ones that never change no matter how much time has gone by!

be still, my beating heart.

2011-10-05T12:59:00.002-04:00

i found this shop a little while back whilst searching for something else (what, i don't know, probably because it wasn't as amazing), and i knew i had to share! sometimes, when you find something so incredible beyond words, do you start dreaming about how you could incorporate it into you home/outfit/life? i know i do, and all i can think about is how the mantle in my living room will look bare without one of these amazing birds. oh, and i included one that wasn't a bird just to mix things up a little. *wink*

seriously, i need to think of some way i can make some extra money so i can buy one of these for myself for christmas! WHOA! i've seen a lot of bird sculptures made from wire, fabric, papier mache, etc., but i think it's fair to say abigail brown wins. hands down.

and this is something that's been on my mind for a while now. in addition to making and selling my jewelry, i also do some freelance web design, graphic design, occasional wedding photography, and i have a part time job. although no one in my family seems to understand no matter how many times i tell them (can you tell i get a little annoyed?!), my days are busy. i have so many new ideas for jewelry, new ideas for tote bags, websites i'd like to be able to get started on for people, etc., etc., etc., but that part time job really gets in the way of my productivity. i know i shouldn't complain since it's only part time, but i hate it. i loathe it with every fiber of my being and i can't wait until the day i can walk away and never look back. i feel like i lose SO much time working on my own ventures on the days that i work there, and i'm just frustrated. to those of you that have a job outside of the home and also run your own business or businesses, how do you find the time to make it all work without losing sleep, taking time away from your spouse, or giving up the free time you use to exercise, see friends, etc.? is there a balance or am i fighting a losing battle? i'd love to hear your input and advice.

that's all for now; kona is growling, barking, twitching, and just about to get up and run in his sleep, so to keep him from ending up like this dog, i'd better wake him up!

what i've been working on.

2011-10-03T12:07:00.002-04:00

coming off of such a great weekend, it's kind of hard getting back into the regular monday routine, but one thing that keeps me from getting started on the boring work is blogging! i have so many things i want to share, but it's just a matter of making myself blog. i want to get better about it though, and that's why one thing on my to-do list for today is taking pictures for posts! in the meantime, i'll share a few pieces of jewelry i've been working on for my shop...

i always have new jewelry to add to my website, it's just a matter of taking the time to update that i'm bad about. last week though, i was on top of things! i listed 12 new necklaces and one pair of earrings, and i even have a few other things that i plan to add later this week! the mr. t saying comes to mind right about now, "i love it when a plan comes together."

in addition to adding new jewelry, i also gave the homepage a little bit of a new look. i think i like the way the image turned out, and i have my amazing husband to thank for that since he's the one who found that deer skull complete with antlers for me during one of his walks through the woods!

aside from jewelry making i... celebrated an anniversary with chris, got together with some great friends, saw some family, ate way too much, ate way too much again, discovered some new favorite edibles, bought some books, and did so much walking i actually can't walk right now. whew!

how was your weekend?

hisssss. scratch.

2011-09-28T15:44:00.003-04:00

since the weather has turned cooler earlier than normal, i kind of assumed all the turtles had found a nice patch of dirt and dug themselves in until the spring. i haven't really seen many turtles at all this year, but this morning as i was on my way to take some pictures for a client, i saw a turtle. it had already crossed the road and didn't appear to be in danger, so i kept going, and then on the way home i saw another turtle (and this is after i've gone more than a month without seeing any)!

i actually had to turn around twice for this girl, but it's always worth it. once i got to her, i realized that she'd probably been hit before, by a car or lawnmower or something else, because she had a large crack and chunk from the right side of the front of her carapace, and a smaller part from the back. luckily those were older injuries because i could see where they've healed nicely. anyway, she hissed at me more than any turtle has hissed at me, and she threw her head back to bite me with such force that i was afraid she'd hurt herself! since she was close to my house, i put her back in the vehicle with me and headed home so i'd be able to release her far from a road, and near woods and a creek. once i put her in the floorboard, she hissed once more (loudly), then ran to the opposite side. after we got home and i got her out, those tyrannosaurus rex toenails scratched the crap out of my hands! she hated me, and she made that very clear, but i love her nonetheless.

i love turtles so much it's difficult to even try and put into words. as much as i like seeing them, a part of me is always glad when they turn in for the fall and winter so i don't have to worry about them crossing roads.

i guess that's the most exciting news i have from today. how about you, anything to report?

hey kids, how's life?

2011-09-22T15:45:00.002-04:00

the universe, that crazy kidder, must have read my last post about how i'm not so sure about blogging anymore, and how i don't know if i want to keep up with it. well, it turns out i do, but a sneaky little virus made its way into my laptop (and i can thank my addiction to watching True Blood online FOR FREE for that) and metastasized into some giant flesh and baby-eating disease. so basically what i'm saying is, i wanted to blog sooner, but i'm kind of at a loss when everything i do and need is on my laptop! i shouldn't be too upset though, because we do have a desktop computer ~~that is so old i bet a pterodactyl used it to check its email~~ so i can at least get a few things accomplished!

lately, i've felt like the lady smashed by the book, only i've felt like i've been smashed by a truck. at first i thought it was allergies, but it ended up being one heck of a bad head cold. i think i'm finally starting to feel a little better...for a few minutes anyway! also, i've been immersed in a book for book club. i finished it on tuesday evening, and i ended up really liking it. it's called "the worst hard time" and it's a non-fiction book about several families that lived in the dust bowl in the dirty thirties. i didn't really like the writer so much, but the things i learned and read about were both interesting and heart-breaking. it's hard to imagine living somewhere like that and knowing you can't leave (example). and aside from that, i've been filling my head with trash by watching too much jerry springer, i did manage to make a few pieces of jewelry yesterday, and if all goes well, i'll try making donuts for the first time this weekend! so how's your life? what's been going on?

about the legs in the book - is that not the most awesome bookmark you've ever seen? i want it / need it / have to have it. i showed it to chris the other week and told him that while i wouldn't pay $25 for just any old bookmark, i would consider that an investment 1. because i love to read and always have a book or forty near me at all times, and 2. it's a piece of art! so what's not to love?! you can find other styles in the etsy shop HoneyCase2.

white.

2011-09-15T21:26:00.002-04:00

well, i planned on blogging today, then i decided against it, but then after caitlin pulled me back from the brink of blogging disaster, i decided i'd go ahead and do it. lately i've been feeling like i've said all i can really say, showed all i have to show, and i'm just not sure that i have anything left for blogging. do you ever feel like that? don't get me wrong, i'm perfectly content with my life, but it's very simple, and simple doesn't always translate to interesting blog posts. i don't really know where i'm going, but for today at least, i'll keep blogging; who knows what i'll decide tomorrow.

i've just about completely decided that cotton is my favorite type of bloom, or blossom, however you'd classify it. chris and i grow a little bit of cotton, and from the time the pale pinkish-purple blooms start to appear, i'm smitten. i don't know that another plant is as beautiful. like i said, we only grow a small amount, but if you've never been to the eastern part of north carolina, it's a treat for the eyes; seeing acre upon acre of nothing but white is absolutely gorgeous. i can't help but smile when i see and touch this miracle that has come from such an unassuming seed.

not completely white, but kind of: business cards. i made these new ones a little while back, but after i got this package ready for mailing i thought to myself, "self, that looks pretty, maybe you should take a picture of it for your blog." and now that i've finished typing that, it makes me think of jan brady in a very brady movie where she's talking to herself in her head. i swear i don't do that.

i've talked a few times about the book club, but after we finished reading the last book - the painted veil - i didn't mention anything about it (mainly because it was pretty boring, and it was my pick, so i'm feeling some reader's remorse on behalf of the rest of the group), but now book club will include movie night! i didn't know when i chose the painted veil that it had been made into a movie, but because we're feeling like the main character, kitty, will have a heart in the movie (unlike kitty in the book), tomorrow night is book club movie night! WOOO!

so i guess that's all i've got for now. how has your week been? have any special plans for the weekend? my plans are: hang out with my grandma and my great aunt who is coming into town. you may be thinking, "hanging out with old ladies? boring." boring it is not, they're crazy! the end.

from film with love. and then a rant.

2011-09-12T10:57:00.003-04:00

the other week i posted some black and white film pictures that i'd scanned in, but since i couldn't decide on just four or five, i knew i'd need to split them up so as not to give you photo overload! also, things have been, well, crazy to say the least, so i haven't had a spare minute to look at any other pictures or even think of what else i should blog about.

i love the look of black and white pictures, but if i'm being completely honest, i'm not a huge fan of using black and white film. i guess if i'm going to use film, i want to see the soft colors, the variation in colors from light leaks, etc. oh, and it probably goes without saying, black and white is quite a bit more expensive to have developed that color film is!

i feel like i need to just get things off my chest now. i know that what's going on in my life has no bearing on many of the readers, but since a blog is a journal of sorts, it's a good place to just spill, right?

first, i'm still upset about helen passing away. about two hours after her funeral was over we had to get to a wedding rehearsal and it was difficult to hold it all together when i really just wanted to cry. i feel like so much has been going on lately that chris and i haven't been able to properly mourn. it saddens me to think that we'll no longer have a conversation about mockingbirds (her telling me they're too cross, me telling her she's wrong and they're amazing), her telling me she knew it was me before she saw me because of the sound of my walk, giving her a hair cut even though i told her i was too nervous to do it, and so many other things.

second, chris and i went to court this morning hoping to have a final judgement on the tens of thousands of dollars of backpay chris's former employer withheld. i should say i was surprised to find that wayne and his lawyer made a calculated move to file for bankruptcy on friday, but i guess i'm not. why is it that people with no moral compass always seem to get by and screw everyone else? what in the world could chris and i have done that was so bad we deserve this? try as i might, i cannot understand the workings of a corrupt mind. i want to choke wayne until he begs me to stop, i want to harass him until his only option is to pay up and skip town, i want to make him face some sort of consequence for his impropriety, but unfortunately i can't. several years ago when chris and i were on the way home from one of his motocross races, we were driving through a backwoods town in west virginia when we saw a sign that read, "bobby ray is a liar, a cheat and a thief." i laughed at the time, but now i wouldn't mind making my own to drive into the ground in front of his office that reads, "wayne hardison is a liar, a thief and a coward. do not trust this man." but my conscience stops me. i don't bring religion into my blog as i don't know others beliefs, and i've never liked those that push things on you, but to try and keep my anger and appetite for vengeance in check, i keep repeating to myself, "dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord." i sure hope vengeance will be served.

now i guess the ranting is over. i'm still going to be fuming mad for who knows how long, but i plan to eat a big philly cheesesteak dripping with pepper juice and lay on the sofa watching school of rock so at least i'll get some joy out of the day. i hope you had a good weekend!

i want to come outside...

2011-09-06T11:06:00.004-04:00

so many times i've gone outside only to find flojo on the loveseat by the window watching me. she'll dance and talk and do anything she can to get my attention! each time i've seen her by the window, i've regret my decision to go outside without my camera. on sunday, i finally remembered to take it with me so i could take her picture, and a video of her dancing to get my attention!

flojo just makes my heart so happy! lucky for her, i won't be spending much time outside this week as it's supposed to be rainy, and i saw that the high temperatures are only supposed to be in the lower 70's, and even the upper 60's in the middle of the week! WHAT?! i love weather like that because it makes me feel so cozy and snuggly inside reading a book or working on jewelry.

so how was your labor day weekend? ours was good and bad. chris's grandma died on sunday morning, and even though we all knew it was coming, it's always hard to understand or accept a loss. monday was nice though; last month we'd signed up for a marathon to benefit the rachael horton compassionate care fund, which was started after rachael (chris's cousin) and her husband aaron died in an apartment fire in april. it was amazing to see the number of people (over 200) who came out to support rachael's dream and honor her memory. so i guess it's back to jewelry work for me. have a good tuesday!

flytiers jewelbox

2011-09-01T18:16:00.002-04:00

every now and then, when i get a large order, i treat myself to a little something i don't need, but would really like to have. the other week, beca sent me a link to the shop flytiers jewelbox, and i'm so glad she did! i don't wear much jewelry, but one thing i've always liked, maybe more than the rest, is bracelets! i added this bracelet to my favorites thinking maybe i'd get it, maybe i wouldn't; i made it mine.

since my wrists are the same size as those of a fetus, i had to get sonja to make a mini sized one, and seriously, i can't even say how much i love it. would i sound crazy if i said i planned my outfit around it today so that it would be the thing to stand out? if i would, then i didn't, but if i wouldn't, then i totally did.

sonja's shop is great, and i especially love the leather tassel bracelet. i'm thinking my wrist will cry little wrist tears if i don't get it eventually. also, i'm pretty sure i want the last two bracelets to wear with my yellow wrapped bracelet for an awesome collection. i just really love bracelets. really.

i guess i don't really have much more to say. oh, well i did see a bald eagle near my house on the way to work today, and that's incredibly unusual since they don't nest here and the nearest river is about 20 miles away. also, you know how you have those days where you feel like you just can't seem to make people happy? it's one of those days, which means i should probably stay away from the internet, otherwise i'll be tempted to whine, and who likes a whiner? no one. i hope you've had a good thursday!

d.c. part 2

2011-08-28T20:43:00.003-04:00

you can thank my sister for pressuring me into writing a blog post tonight. i've seriously spent the entire weekend, from friday night until about 2 hours ago working on a website for a client, and i'm so glad to have it finished! anyway, i had planned to sit trance-like in front of the TV filling my mind with garbage tonight, but thanks to a bossy sister, i'm sharing part two of our d.c. day trip from last week...

the very first place we visited was the museum of american history. clarence, my sister (her real name is lauren in case you haven't read my blog before) said that she'd be happy if the only thing she saw were the ruby slippers from the wizard of oz, so that's where we went first. the museum is huge, and since we all think alike, we sprint through the boring parts, only hitting the high spots, leaving plenty of time for other things! clarence and i laugh about my pop because he would easily spend two hours in one exhibit, seeming to forget there's a whole city out there waiting to be seen; we joke that he'd hate going with us because we handle museums like they're marathons! so anyway, my favorite exhibit (and one we did not sprint through) was the first lady's exhibit. in the two rooms were inauguration gowns, bling, and accessories from first the first ladies. we saw everything to martha washington's gown to michelle obama's jimmy choos! my personal favorite was mamie eisenhower's ensemble. it was GORGEOUS!

something you may not know about me - when i was younger, i was michael jackson's biggest fan. i had a black hat, glittery gloves, t-shirts, dolls (one with the thriller costume, and another with the billie jean outfit), and a sticker album of michael jackson thicker than an NYC phone book. if i was listening to music it was michael jackson, and if i needed to get somewhere, i didn't walk, i moonwalked. i even told people to call me michael. so imagine my surprise when i saw michael jackson's black hat! WOOOOO! i had to get my picture taken with it. and then there's clarence with her ruby slippers. and if you didn't know, judy garland had some big feet.

after looking at a few more exhibits, we made our way through the transportation section and made friends with the statues. chris showed mr. white how far phones had come, and told him that he would even be able to read this blog post from his phone; mr. white was impressed. i showed mr. white my butt, and again, he was impressed. mrs. white did something to make clarence mad, so what you see there is one of clarence's scoldings.

unfortunately, the museum of american history is the only museum we got to visit that day since all museums and monuments were closed after the earthquake. we still had fun walking around d.c., seeing things from the outside and sitting by/in a fountain to cool off. i guess if there's one good thing to come from the earthquake, it's the fact that we have to plan another day trip ASAP so we can do the things we weren't able to last tuesday! and lastly, i leave you with chris's monumental weiner picture. he was so proud.

that time i thought we'd die, but we survived the earthquake

2011-08-24T10:12:00.004-04:00

as i'm sure many of you have heard via numerous media outlets, washington, d.c. got rocked by a 5.9 earthquake yesterday. crazy? you better believe it! on sunday, chris, my sister lauren (but i've always called her clarence, so you can, too), and i planned a last minute trip to d.c. for tuesday since clarence has this week off of work for vacation. so we got up before the sun, headed to d.c., and ended up with one crazy memory! i knew i'd do a lot of talking about the earthquake, plus i have a lot of pictures i want to share in general, so i'm doing the non-earthquake post tomorrow!

here we are, just three people in hats with no idea that an earthquake is less than an hour from happening! the earthquake story: we rode the metro into union station where they have a ton of places to eat lunch (because i love food, i'll share: clarence and i had greek, and chris had jamaican). a story up from the metro line, but still one story underground is where we ate. clarence and i just sat down with our haagen-dazs ice cream when we felt a slow, gentle rumble that we assumed was a train. then the rumbling got louder, the building started to sway, i saw the floor above us moving (in case you haven't been to union station, the floor we were on isn't completely closed from the ground floor; it's open in the center all the way to the top of the domed atrium), and large pieces of the ceiling from the atrium started to crumble and fall through the first floor onto and all around us. people we screaming, the stairwells and escalators were full, we had dust in our eyes from the crumbling ceiling, and all i could do was sit wide-eyed, looking at what was going on around me, terrified the building would crush and kill us. side note: i am NOT cool under pressure. chris pulled clarence and i up and screamed at us to get between the columns (can i just say how useful it is to have an architect husband?) because we'd get trampled on the steps or escalator. the earthquake didn't last long, but because no one knew for a few minutes what had happened, we also didn't know that 1. the building wasn't going to collapse, and 2. that it wasn't a terrorist attack. i have never trembled so much or felt so not-in-control of my body in my life.

i told chris after we got home last night that had i known the building wasn't going to cave in and kill us, i would have thought to take a video of the ceiling falling inside union station, as well as the evacuation and pandemonium on the streets. nearly all of the buildings in d.c. were being evacuated, so as you can imagine, the streets, sidewalks, parks, etc. were filled beyond capacity with people. we walked maybe a mile to this courtyard in the judiciary square area and watched a fireman inspect a section of an old building which housed a subway restaurant and apartments that had crumbled. by this time i'd calmed down... luckily.

unfortunately all monuments and museums were closed either for the rest of the day or indefinitely, so we did a lot of walking, a lot of talking, and some sight-seeing where we didn't need to go in a building. on our way to the white house we stopped and watched as this helicopter slowly circle around the washington monument looking for structural damage. this morning we discovered that damage was found and the monument is closed indefinitely. there was a couple on the news that said they were in the top of the monument (and if you've ever seen it, you know just how high up that is) during the earthquake, and that the structure swayed about a foot, and like us, they were hit with pieces of the crumbling building.

now, my west coast friends, hear me out... east coast buildings are not built to earthquake codes seeing as how the last large one in this area was a 4.8 and occurred in the nineteenth century, so you can't be sure they're not coming down on you. and then there's the scientific aspect... west coast earthquakes are very localized due to the plates and the movement, but here, because our earthquake is caused by an entire plate shifting under us, not just by a faultline, and our soil is so much more dense, an earthquake in virginia can be felt as far west a chicago, as far south as alabama, and as far north as canada. seriously, this was unnerving!

so that's my story about tuesday! how was your day? did you feel the earthquake?

from film with love.

2011-08-22T10:36:00.003-04:00

i spent part of this morning scanning in pictures i recently had developed from a roll of black and white film. the roll of film was from my college days, so it was obviously very expired. i was excited to find it nonetheless, and even more curious about how the pictures would turn out given its age. i'm breaking the pictures into two groups so you don't get photo overload, so i'd say i was pleased with the results! i only wish i could have processed and printed them in the darkroom myself!

a while back, and i'm talking the end of last year or beginning of this year, i mentioned something about how i wanted to get a "brain goldfish." the fishie at the top was my brain goldfish named cadillac. sadly, he didn't live very long, and staying true to myself, i'm late showing you a picture of him. on to happier things, i think my favorite picture from the entire roll is the third one down of kona's profile. i remember my first semester of black and white photography, the professor said to go ahead and get the pet pictures out of the way so that we could focus on other things later. i love looking at pictures of architecture, candid pictures of people, landscapes, etc., but sometimes i have a hard time even thinking to take pictures of other things because flojo and kona are among the most important and cherished things in my life, and i'll never develop a roll of film that doesn't include them!

the one where i show some home decor and share a music-related opinion

2011-08-18T17:31:00.003-04:00

i'm not quite sure where i'm going with this one, but i have a few things to share, so let's just mix it up like my grandma does with all the food on her plate (side note - my grandma was in a near fatal car accident when i was young, and since her teeth and some of her mouth isn't real, i used to figure that made it so she couldn't taste anything, therefor explaining why she mixed all her food together). first order of business, the sun conure. i was given this sun conure statue a few years ago, and recently i've been thinking about doing a little makeover. maybe a year or so ago in one of design sponge's sneak peeks, i spotted a large white parrot figuring similar to these, and i've wanted one ever since. being the cheap skate that i am, i wasn't willing to pay what some of them have been going for, so i decided to do the next best thing: spray paint!

before and after. i'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and i think i have gloss finish to thank for that. now the albino sun conure can become part of the albino flock in the den. and you can ask my soul sister, i'm all about the absence of color.

lastly, on the home decor front, i was talking to rosita earlier this week and i told her that as luck would have it, i was in possession of a large antique frame in which the kona painting fit perfectly. i told her that now he looks like a member of royalty being surrounded by this huge gesso frame, and she was curious as to what it looked like. so here you go, prince kona bear hair of virginia...

moving right along, this is the part about the music. i've said it before and i'll say it again, i think the best music EVER came out of the 70's. and one song in particular just never gets old; whenever i hear this song i sing like i'm ann wilson and air drum like i'm michael derosier. i will tell you though that i only do this while i'm driving alone, although my right leg starts twitching for a little bass drumming when i have passengers, but i've managed to hold it together thus far.

my brother and i have discussed music from the 70's before at length, and his theory is that musicians in the 60's over-rocked and over-drugged and took the 70's as a decade to just mellow out, which is reflected in the music, but i think musicians in the 70's still knew how to tear shit up! so random, right? it was just on my mind so i thought i'd share! what's your favorite music? and have you done any DIY around your house lately?

p.s. mister dinosaur toes is now on twitter.

i don't remember the last time i was so mad and upset all at once.

2011-08-15T22:18:00.002-04:00

let me preface this by saying that if you follow me on twitter, i know you've already heard about it, and i do promise i'm not trying to stay hung up on this, but i'm still just so fuming mad i swear i could breathe fire if i tried.

i had planned today to show you pictures of the fun i had at my cousin emily's bachelorette party, but that ~~won't~~ can't happen. i'd also planned to eventually show you a before and after hair post i'd taken pictures of last week, but again, that can't happen. and as far as business goes, i have several new items i'd photographed and planned to list sometime this week, but once again, that. can't. happen.

after the girl's only half of the bachelorette party, the guys, girls, and other friends converged at a house empty and waiting for a fun night. there was a dj, there were drinks, and for my sister and i, there were dancing shoes! we had so much fun that i could have stayed until the sun came up had it not been for my heavy eyes. by about 2:30am, lauren (my sister), chris and i decided it was time to head home, just as soon as we gathered up the few things i had. the only problem was, my camera was missing. i knew exactly where i put it last, but hoping for the best, my cousin and i searched the house hoping against hope it had somehow been moved without my knowledge. it was nowhere to be found.

not only do i dislike talking about my feelings, i hate showing them if it means tears (unless of course it's with chris, then they run freely, and maybe even a little too much sometimes), but i was so shocked, irate, upset, so many things at once, that i couldn't help crying. who would do this? who has it in them to knowingly take something that doesn't belong to them? do they have a conscious? feel guilt? steal regularly?

i didn't sleep well that night because all i really wanted to do was cry, knowing that because of a legal battle involving almost a year of unpaid wages, and the attorney fees associated with said battle, it wasn't as simple as just upgrading to a shiny new camera - a side effect of what chris and i like to call "the poor kid syndrome." at first i was so upset about my camera being gone with a mystery thief, but then i started to think about all of the pictures i so desperately want that i'll never see again - pictures of our trip to d.c. for chris's birthday, pictures of my time with carla, pictures of emily's bachelorette party, pictures of jewelry, and videos. all gone.

i tried to make myself feel somewhat better by remembering that this is the camera that has been giving me trouble recently with not powering on, turning off when i'm in the middle of taking pictures, and often times, not focusing. but, whether this was a high dollar fully-functioning camera or a pice of junk, it was mine. MINE. it was the first thing i ever bought myself with my earnings from online sales, and i'm certain the camera thief doesn't understand just how proud i was or just how big my smile was when i went to buy it.

it was an impulse and opportune grab, i'm sure, and while i imagine this thief is not concerned with how they made me feel, they didn't only take from me a camera. they took memories, they took a bit of sentiment, and they took my obviously naive trusting nature in the inner good of people.

i know it may seem overly dramatic for me to be so upset about a 4-year-old point and shoot camera that only worked when it wanted, but i value and appreciate every single thing i own, because i know i earned it myself, and because i grew up knowing that things wouldn't come free.

i hate doing a blog post without a picture, but in this case, i think it's only fitting. i hope you had a great weekend, and i'll try to be in a better, less teary-eyed mood the next time we talk.

do you know rosita mustache?

2011-08-11T15:33:00.003-04:00

i do, and she's awesome. rosita is an amazing painter and specializes in custom pet portraits for people like me who love their fur or feather babies more than most humans you'll meet. she has an etsy shop here and is probably dancing with a banana in her hair to an electric piano as we speak. she and i worked out a secret deal so that i'd be the recipient of this gorgeous painting of my kona, big black bear, bear hair, whatever you want to call him!

i know i'm always telling you about great artists, great shops, great stuff, but if you never visit another link i share and you love art and animals, you owe it to the human race to visit rosita's shop! can you tell i'm a fan? i totally am. chris doesn't know it yet, but in the next few days he'll be helping me hang a grouping of pictures in the den, and can you guess what will be front and center? my bear hair painting! i'll also be hanging a watercolor painting of flojo from littleowlarts, a screenprinted deer from allyson & jeremy taylor, this print from impossible moon, and this one from amanda michael harris. and one more thing about my rosita painting, look at how accurate it is!!!

from film with love.

2011-08-10T14:12:00.004-04:00

last friday i took three rolls of film to be developed (but since two rolls were black and white, i have to wait a few more days before that's ready) and one was from my olympus pen ee half frame camera. even though i've had this camera for a little while now, i'm always most excited about pictures that come from it more so than other film cameras. the first one is actually three exposures, and i love the way it turned out, but i bet i couldn't do it again if i tried! i didn't realize just how long i'd had this particular roll of film in my camera, but the pictures of chris and i on the bikes (side note, i totally beat him at the "who can ride the longest with no hands" competition) is from the beginning of june, and the ones from d.c. are from a couple weeks ago when chris and i went for his birthday.

in the next to last picture with the blue and black blur, well, i'm not really sure what that is. i'm always worried that i'll accidentally get a picture of the inside of my bag, so there's a good chance that's a blur of my crack pipe you're looking at there. i kid, i kid! have you been using and film cameras or had any pictures developed lately? have a link to them?

our never-ending bounty

2011-08-08T14:18:00.003-04:00

from about july through september, it would be absolutely impossible to go hungry around here. from squash, to zucchini, to corn, to a variety of different peppers, to watermelons, to okra... okay, you get the point, we grow a lot of stuff. in addition to a garden large enough to feed three families for a year, we also have bees. a few weeks ago chris and i spent about seven hours stealing honey from the bees, straining it to remove little pieces of the comb, and then pouring it in jars. in the end, we'd taken off about 130 pounds of honey which translates to several boxes of honey in two closets. and you wanna know a secret? i don't even like honey! it's still neat to know that the honey in our cabinet isn't from the grocery store!

last night chris and i took a walk to the garden to get some green bell peppers to use with dinner and also came home with a lot of tomatoes and a few ears of sweet corn. luckily, i do like what we pick from the garden, so i don't mind smelling like an armpit for that work. most all of the tomatoes are regular and round, but occasionally one will be kind of wonky, or even heart-shaped like this one!

although my summer has been fun, it's also been work. but at least it's yielded some pretty good rewards (with the exception of honey, of course). gardening aside, i've spent my morning sewing, and i'll spend my evening talking about mudbound! that's right, it's book club night again! i was a little nervous about mudbound as it's hillary jordan's first novel, and sometimes firsts aren't the best, but this book was great. i'll say though, if you're considering it, the accuracy with which she portrays racism in 1940's mississippi is kind of disturbaing and upsetting, but it's a part of history, and she does an amazing job of story-telling. have you read any good books lately?

deck my walls, bitte.

2011-08-04T18:11:00.004-04:00

well, here's my problem... i spent about a half an hour on tuesday morning looking at interior design blogs, and of course i was left wanting to redo my entire house. it's a slippery slope; i look for inspirations, which is good, but then i get hooked and next thing i know an hour has passed and i have too many ideas that require way too much money! something i think can totally transform a room is a piece of art, and the best place to go, in my opinion, if you're looking for unique and amazing art is etsy. so i've been cyber stalking. big time. here are a few things i'd love to have, and of course i'm imagining a total room makeover based solely on the print or sculpture...

find these beauties here, from the top: sundaypunch, wyattellison, rosegolden, leahduncan, dkruegerbotanicart.

where do you go for art? is there something you can't get enough of, or plan an entire room around?

what i've been working on...

2011-08-02T16:29:00.003-04:00

lately i've had a lot of new ideas, and when this happens, i don't question the sudden overload of inspiration everywhere i look, or the need to make more than sleep, i just go with it because this, as a craftsman (i was going to say artist since, technically, i do create, but i feel pretentious about using that term in regards to myself), is what i LIVE for! not only have i been inspired to make jewelry, but i've been thinking a lot about another project, only i can't tell you just yet, but i promise i will in time! so, here are a few of the things that have been keeping me busy...

and a little note about each, from the top: woven vintage chains set in spent bullet casings, raw stone tube set in angle cut brass (i do not like using that giant saw, so sometimes i enlist chris for help!), i love ombre just as much as anyone else so i figured i'd ombre some chain to make earrings, raw stone set in a hammered brass wrap, citrine and porcupine quill earrings.

i've got so much more that i've been working on, but 1. i didn't want you to get picture overload, and 2. i always have a hard time looking at my pictures and knowing what will work when the afternoon sun is shining warm light through my window straight into my laptop. so that's what i've got for now! they'll be listed in my shop soon!

what have you been working on? where have you found inspiration lately?

beaucoup vintage

2011-07-31T17:02:00.004-04:00

you know how there are times you go somewhere and sort of forget to enjoy it until you're gone, and then you realize you didn't need to be in such a rush? such is the case with my (quick) visit to beaucoup vintage. a few weeks ago i made a little pit stop in fredericksburg, va on my way to northern va to see carla. megan, the stylish owner of beaucoup vintage contacted me about a business deal involving my bullet necklaces and her store, and since i love an excuse to actually visit a store that sells dinosaur toes jewelry, i couldn't say no! while i was there i took a few pictures to share, but of course after i left, i wondered why i didn't stay a little longer to browse (and possibly buy, but i can't say too much since my husband reads this). even though i was in an unnecessary hurry, i can still tell you that megan has put together quite an impressive collection, and i'm trying to think of an excuse to drive the two hours back to fredericksburg...

doesn't that look like a shop you could seriously have some fun in?! i totally could. oh, and before i forget, i did not take the beautiful second picture, i got it from megan's twitter page, but i love that she has origami cranes hanging in the windows!

if you're near fredericksburg and you're a fan of vintage, you should definitely stop by and say hi...and be sure to spend more time browsing than i did. and if parallel parking freaks you out, it's totally fine, because you may get lucky like i did and have the man whose car is behind you walk out of a store laughing and tell you he's about to leave so you'll have more room to attempt parking (one or six more times).

natural history, natural beauty.

2011-07-28T15:33:00.003-04:00

i have a two part blog post planned to fully cover chris's birthday trip, and for the first half, i have to go straight to the best part! auntie amy gave chris two train tickets to washington d.c. for his birthday so that the two of us could enjoy it doing something different. our last stop of the day was the smithsonian natural history museum, my childhood favorite. on the ground floor is a native bird exhibit, and if you're anything like me, you just stare in awe at the beauty surrounding you. part of me is on a natural high being able to see so many beautiful birds native to this area, but the other part of me is sad thinking about the life that is no more. i took a lot of pictures with a vintage film camera, but i just couldn't wait to share these so you get a peek at what we saw!

aren't they gorgeous?! it shouldn't surprise you to discover we spent the majority of our visit to that museum in the bird exhibit. i can't help it! i love birds! i'm really curious though to see what the pictures look like on film, but i'm also a little nervous as most of the museum is dimly lit, and i don't have a flash for that camera. and i know this has nothing to do with birds, but you know how much i love stones, so look at the size of this baby...

i can't remember how many thousands of pounds this hunk of awesomeness weighs, but for comparison, i'm 5'2" and 100 pounds (or a few more if i'm being completely honest) and this quartz was MUCH bigger than me!

"you wanna borrow my TI-82?"

2011-07-22T16:24:00.004-04:00

i've been wanting to tell you about carla time, but lately it seems like i've had a lot of ideas for blog posts and not enough days! first, let me start by saying that no time with carla is enough time because she's just that rad. and if i could pull a star trek move and teleport to las vegas, i would do it often. VERY often. our first day started out with a little pho, and all i can say is, i'm glad the storm knocked the power out so that only carla could see how big of an idiot i am with chopsticks! we did some blog talking, some space talking, some speed shopping, some hanging out with the most awesome mini carlas, and good old-fashioned bonding.

you probably can't tell, but in the second picture, there's an eye to the left of the blue streak; that's carla's. and there's another eye to the right of the red streak; that's mine. that's what happens when you have the camera on the wrong setting and try taking a picture in a very dark club. that night was amazing. we went to see darwin deez at the black cat club, and i think we could have stayed all night long just listening to his music and dancing. when we left the show we walked a few doors down to bar pilar where carla romanced me with a tall glass of "flying doggy style pale ale." funny name, great beer. i haven't told you before, but my driver's license photo looks more like a gangsta mugshot than law-abiding (for the most part) citizen. carla first saw it when we were going into the show, but then when i had to show my ID to get my draft, the guy asked me if i was looking for a job, and said that he could use a mean face like that for a bouncer! i swear, it's terrible! and that face below, that looks cherubic compared to the driver's license picture.

if you're friends with carla and i on facebook, be on the lookout for our little photo series. it's like if planking actually got funny, then smoked crack while high on giggle juice. it's gonna be good, and it's even better to have a friend you can do these sorts of random and hilarious (to people with a very broad sense of humor) things with! now is where i get all emotional and serious... i think the best thing to come from blogging is my friendship with carla. i know the cosmos work the way they're supposed to because there's no way she and i could have continued leading separate lives and not become friends!

literary GREATNESS. and a snack.

2011-07-19T10:30:00.002-04:00

last night was the book club meeting, and i can't even begin to tell you how excited i was to finally be able to talk about the thorn birds with people who actually wanted to hear about it! side note, i should probably apologize to my pop, my sister, and my husband, who heard about it non-stop for the last month even though i'm pretty sure they didn't want to. anyway, book club was great and we all enjoyed the book, so there actually wasn't all that much to discuss since we all agreed! if you have a copy that's been sitting unread, or if you're looking for a good read, i strongly suggest this book.

since erin just had a beautiful baby girl not quite a month ago, we all met at her house instead of going out to eat, and we decided we'd all bring either an appetizer or a dessert. it took me about 2 seconds to decide what i was bringing (because i really look for excuses to make this)! if you don't eat meat or don't like spicy foods ~~we can't be friends~~ then this may not be the best idea for you, but if you like both, then you should make this buffalo chicken dip! it's delicious and SO easy!

you'll need: one chicken breast, 8oz. package of cream cheese softened, 1/2 cup chunky bleu cheese dressing, 1/3 cup (or more if you want it extra spicy) frank's red hot sauce, tortilla chips.

-boil the chicken breast and shred it up once it's completely cooked.
-in a baking dish mix up cream cheese, bleu cheese dressing, hot sauce.
-add chicken to the baking dish and mix it all up so everything is evenly distributed.
-bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
-enjoy with tortilla chips and don't leave a single bite or angels will cry.

a crotch rocket daycation

2011-07-17T20:26:00.002-04:00

sundays are date day for chrissie and i, and every now and then it's nice to just do something different (translation: "sometimes it's nice knowing you don't have to spend date day grocery shopping"). last night we decided we'd ride the motorcycle to roanoke to eat, ride around, whatever. the weather has been unseasonably comfortable, but it was actually cold riding this morning! even though it only takes about 45 minutes to get there, it felt like 2 hours since all we wanted to do was stop to warm up! we ate breakfast on the way then headed for downtown.

honestly, you'd think we never used a camera before! we have 10 seconds before the timer goes off and takes the picture, but in that short period of time, we'd forget about it and we couldn't seem to get it together and get a decent picture! in the first one we weren't ready at all, then in the second one chris was, but apparently i still hadn't remembered the whole 10 second deal, but luckily by the third picture we were both ready! we decided that a picture of the two of us was necessary because we got dressed at different times, without knowing what the other was wearing, and we both picked out jeans, an olive green shirt, and black shoes! oh, and our motorcycle helmets match, so it really looks like we planned the matching.

we did a little more walking around, we looked for a gem and mineral store which we never found, we did some pigeon watching, and we ate at a mexican grill which i can't go to again. for a while there i was convinced the food was going to kill me. yeah, it didn't settle so well. but all is not lost, my friends, oh no! i see the bad food and i one up it... chris and i are cooking dinner on the grill, but the real treat is our reese's peanut butter cup ice cream for dessert! i mean, since it is national ice cream month after all, it would be a crime not to eat it, you know?

carla, carla, CARLAAAAA!

2011-07-12T16:54:00.002-04:00

just a little hello and goodbye until this weekend! tomorrow morning i'm rising bright and early to head north. my first stop is fredericksburg, va at beaucoup vintage, which will provide a new home for some bullet necklaces, then it's D.C. to FINALLY see my soul sister again, CARLA! can you tell i'm excited?! and just to give you a little taste of the show we'll see tomorrow night...

i hope you guys have a good week and a good weekend, and i'll see you in just a few days!

what i've been working on.

2011-07-06T19:52:00.002-04:00

in a way i've been working, and in a way i haven't. that doesn't make much sense, but some days have been super busy and i feel like i've gotten a ton of things accomplished, and other days i pretty much sit in my pajamas wasting time like a pro. so yeah, that about sums it up! i've added a few new things to my website, but yesterday when i really sat down to update, i realized just how many new items i have that still haven't made an appearance! here's a little peek at what i've been working on...

so what have you been working on? did you have a good july 4th, or canada day, or just a good monday depending on where you live? ours was pretty uneventful, but we did eat some delicious burgers and watch fireworks from our front porch in our underwear. we don't have neighbors, so underwear is acceptable outdoor attire.

kiss me go

2011-07-01T15:46:00.003-04:00

lately i've been spending a little more time store stalking on etsy, and it's both good and bad; good because i find so many amazing new artists and wares, and bad because i don't think there's enough money in this town to buy me all the things i decide i want and can't live without! one of the shops i've fallen hard for is kiss me go. it's fun and colorful, and a few of my favorites include...

isn't it complete cosmic eye candy?! i think so! don't ask me why i would need a fox mask, but seriously, i'm getting a little upset thinking what it'd be like to live without one! i'm sure i could think of something, like maybe when i'm having a bad hair day, i bet no one would be paying attention to my hair when i have a fox with pink triangles in front of my face. see? SEE?! i knew there was a reason i needed one. and the swallow garland? perfect excuse not to make my bed when i'm having company coming over, because birds on my wall will actually make my bed look chic, like the one in the picture. i'm telling you, i can't stop staring at everything in this shop!

what are some of your new favorite shops?

from film with love.

2011-06-29T16:15:00.002-04:00

i swear i don't feel like i do, and i must not realize it, but i think i must talk about birds and flojo a lot. it seems like the first bit of concrete information people have about me is that i like birds, and if you're not a bird fan, please forgive me, for i know not the time i spend discussing my fine feathered friends. BUT, since we all know that i tend to gravitate toward all things avian, let's just go ahead and talk birds even MORE, and more specifically, FLOJO! i have a stack of pictures that i got developed a couple months ago, but i either haven't remembered to scan them in or i've been busy doing something else, although half the time i'm not sure what that something else is. behold, my beautiful baby (and some flowers too since i think i have a handful of other interests)...

and the deets in case you're wondering, i use 35mm film. and i'm a total film snob; i will fuss and cry and throw a fit if i have to use anything other than kodak.

monday morning thoughts

2011-06-27T10:33:00.002-04:00

don't you sometimes have questions to which there probably isn't a definite answer, yet you ask anyway, hoping by some great stroke of luck you'll figure it out? well, being the detail-oriented, even slightly anal-retentive person that i am, having questions with no answers is not good enough for me. i'm hoping the universe is like a giant magic 8 ball and if i throw them out, somehow, some way, i'll get my answers (to the second questions, especially).

1. why is it that when i eat more for dinner i'm hungrier when i wake up in the morning than when i barely eat anything for dinner?

2. how old to i have to be before members of my family will understand that i am a mothercussing adult and i will make my own decisions regarding plans, life decisions, etc. without nagging from them?

3. why do people like country music? it makes me want to stab myself in the ears.

4. how come some people find potty humor amusing while others find it offensive?

5. how can little flowers turn into the most delicious tomatoes and zucchini i've ever eaten?

6. how come there isn't one little pill or one little shot i could get that would make me have zero periods for the rest of my life?

7. why do i love the taste of coconut but hate the smell of it?

8. why is it so much fun to pick skin once it starts to peel after a sunburn?

9. how come some people try to disprove anthropomorphism?

10. how do a giraffe's spots know to form in perfect little shapes that fit together like a puzzle?

11. how do flojo's feathers know which colors to be depending on where they come in on her body?

12. why is it that some people can paint and others can't?

do you have questions you've always wondered about but never had answered? i know i have tons more, but those are it for today. i'm sure in five minutes i'll think of like 14 others i should have added.

few times in life you discover something that stops your heart

2011-06-21T14:33:00.002-04:00

to have your heart stop from discovering pure awesomeness pretty much greater than any other awesomeness the world has ever known is an amazing feeling. it's like, it makes you want to hug strangers, make bushels full of donuts that magically don't contain calories OR fat, do backflips, and most of all, share it with everyone you know! i happened to find this page on facebook today called, "dinosaurs died of boredom" and i was curious, because hey, it's a funny name. first, i saw a watercolor painting of christopher walken and thought, "holy shit!" and then i saw a watercolor painting of marie antoinette's head and thought, "i must have this!!!" and then, maybe better than any other watercolor to have ever graced the face of this earth, i saw one of oscar wilde. that, kids, is when my heart ceased to beat; my breath came short, if at all; my eyes most likely crossed and/or bulged, but probably both.

just a little side note, when i saw the christopher walken painting, i kind of wanted to say, "babies, before we're done here, y'all be wearing gold plated diapers" only there was no one to say it to, and if i just started quoting that skit out loud, i'd seem a little crazy, wouldn't i?

much to my dismay, the amazing shop is currently closed thanks to the canadian postal strike (at this point i start shaking my fist toward the heavens), but you can still add it to your favorites so you'll know when paintings are once again made available! i know i will. i also know i'll forgo food and maybe even shelter to own one. well, scratch the shelter part, because what good would it do me to have a painting and no wall to hang it on? exactly. so just food, then.

ummm, it looks like i did it again...

2011-06-20T16:51:00.003-04:00

after the last post i did, i told myself no more blog breaks longer than three days max, but apparently time goes by pretty quickly when there's stuff to fill it. yeah. work has been pretty exciting though; i've been working on designing a flyer for my friend scott's event next month, and although there was definitely a specified direction, i got to have a little more creative freedom with this one, and i LOVED that! (insert jazz hands and cartwheels). i've also been making some new things for a store that will start carrying dinosaur toes jewelry in july, and i can't wait for that!

aaaaand, this is the part where i have to be honest so i can hold myself accountable for bad or questionable decisions. so you know how much i like food that i shouldn't, right? right. i was proud to say that i've worked more and more fresh fruits and veggies into my daily meals until breakfast and/or lunch was nothing but fresh fruits and veggies. now for the bad news... i've eaten the most deliciously unhealthy food for the last few days and i should probably be karate chopping myself. what am i doing instead? making my brain crackhead happy by eating sour cream and onion chips as we speak. i promise i'll get better... just as soon as i eat ~~one more,~~ ~~three,~~ the rest of the bag.

so how have you been?

while i was away, i had fun!

2011-06-14T17:34:00.004-04:00

i didn't take an intentional vacation from my blog, but man was it ever nice! i feel like i have a lot of jobs and deadlines right now, and being able to step away for a little while was really helpful. i feel like i've done so much since we last saw each other, but i'm not really sure where to begin, and truly, it would be really boring for me to list out every single thing i've done lately! i can tell you one thing with absolute certainty though, i've DEFINITELY been enjoying summer! last friday chris and i went to the lake (and when i say lake, i'm not talking a little stagnant body of water, i'm taking about a massive lake that goes in two states and is so big that there is nothing but water for as far as the eye can see) and i took a few pictures before my camera finally died forever...

one thing i really love about this lake is that it isn't crowded. to give you an idea of how uncrowded it is, everyone that goes can have their own beach or even their own island! chris and i stopped at this beach for a while to walk around, take a break, swim, etc., and i told him i was going to look for a group of young boys with a conch (please tell me you've read lord of the flies or i'm going to feel stupid). i didn't find the kids, but i did find two kids toys (and of course i told chris that they got there from shipwreck and they had to eat each other). seriously, what is wrong with me?! i swear i'm the queen of inappropriate. anyway, chris wrote i love you in the sand, and i wrote "we ate the kids for lunch."

so that's some of what i've been doing while i've been away! i hope you've been enjoying summer, assuming you're on this side of the world!

these just make my face happy.

2011-06-06T15:47:00.003-04:00

hey friends! i hope your weekend was as cram packed full of sheer awesomeness as mine was. you want to know one really exciting thing that happened on saturday? when i went to the mailbox i saw that there was a package from my sweet friend beca, and before i even opened it i was giggling and squealing like a school girl around boys. i wasted no time ripping in to it to discover i had my very own pair of wood grain sunglasses! WOOOOO! some women like diamonds and manicures, but not me, i much prefer sunnies! i'm still so excited, and i couldn't wait to take pictures to share. the sunglasses beca makes are not only awesome and unique, but totally ~~unisex~~ uniSEXY, and even look good on dogs!

awesome, right? you can find them in beca's shop in different styles and colors! and can you believe she makes them?! i'm impressed. so is kona...or maybe he's just a stoner (which he seriously looks like in that picture).

well, i'm putting on my big girl pants and acting like an adult tonight (if all goes well) because i'm going to a book club this evening, and i'm pretty nervous. i know one person, sarah, but the rest are strangers, so wish me luck! since my mouth has no filter and not everyone gets my sense of humor, i realize it's a possibility i could make a complete fool of myself...

dinner will be ready by 5, i'll put on lipstick and be waiting by the door with a cocktail...

2011-06-02T18:28:00.005-04:00

...ooorrr not. i just felt like naming this post something 1950's-ish because of this awesome dress! if my other dresses were alive, i imagine they'd weep in it's presence because of the glory that is this 1950's handmade dress that fits me like a glove! i got this little gem about 4 years ago, and can you believe i've never worn it? i'm not kidding, i used to have such a dress phobia, and i'm still not quite sure why. i mean, i wouldn't wear this to the grocery store or post office or anything, but i can't believe it's been hanging with no lovin' for all those years. anyway, tomorrow i'm going to my aunt's wedding, and i'm ready to twirl.

please pay no attention to the awkward color. i used the timer a different way this time (taking 5 pictures at once rather than 1) and i forgot to adjust the white balance, so you see what that equals? an amateur.

anyway, i love the details of this dress! it amazes me that it was handmade, but i guess that's what women did in the 1950's. and you know what amazes me even more? i only paid $4 for it.

oh, and one really BIG thing i want to mention... you can't imagine how much i appreciate your comment on my last post about friendship. i was so scared to post it, but i'm glad we can all talk openly with one another. and speaking of friends and meeting new people, is anyone down for planning a virginia, or even mid-atlantic meet up? that would be awesome.

the one where i talk about my feelings.

2011-06-01T22:05:00.004-04:00

i don't like talking about my feelings. the end. like a therapist's worst nightmare, i'd much rather just have a quiet little pity party by myself and then get over it. but there's one thing that just keeps nagging me ooover and ooovvver, and it's kind of annoying. the thing is: friends.

do i have friends? yes. do i have (local) friends that don't have kids and are willing to go see a band, or stay out late, or talk about potty subjects like cal and i do without thinking it's dumb and immature? no. i know that each friend brings something different and fulfills a different need that we have, but my problem is that i'm seriously lacking a certain type of fun in my friendships. don't get me wrong, i think kids are great, and some of my friends have awesome kids that i love playing with, but when it comes right down to it, if there's something good going on that would keep us out late, or even until the early hours of the morning, a mom friend doesn't want to go. trust me, i don't want to be a sloppy party girl like paris hilton, but hey, every now and again, it would be fun to have a crazy night, right? so the problem is, at 29 it's difficult to find friends that aren't parents, and not only that, but i don't work with peers, and i'm kind of shy until i get to know someone, so how in the world is a girl supposed to find and make these much-needed new friends? i mean, i can't walk up to someone and say, "hey, i noticed we dress similarly and you have a sticker on your car for a band i like, wanna hang out?" i mean, if i wanted to seem like a stalker, success! but i don't.

do you know what i'm talking about? i know i'm not the only one because i've had this sort of conversation with a few other people before who seem to have the same problem, but seriously, i feel like i'm just sitting still spinning my wheels. it's annoying, and sometimes it just puts me in a funk. so there, those are my feelings. if you read it all, just imagine i'm giving you a giant bear hug right now.

i really intended to show you the stones i got on saturday, but i got home a little late, and of course i had to run, because if i tell myself i'll do it later, the fact of the matter is, i won't! so i can't put off running if i'm in the mood to do it. oh, and speaking of which, i did track for years in school, and the two main things that helped my endurance were keeping my body loose, and taking LONG strides. so you'd think i'd just always do that when i'm running, right? no. this week i've made myself lengthen my strides, and you can't imagine how much better it feels! it's like i'm just not getting that tired, and i can just keep going and going! it's amazing! so much for smoking crack, i'm pretty addicted to this new found endurance. oh, and i didn't share the pretty stones that brittan sent me for my birthday yet, so that's where the picture came from. i hate doing a blog post without a picture.

rock candy.

2011-05-31T18:40:00.003-04:00

i know this post is a little late coming, but blame it partially on my body-related midlife crisis (i just want to exercise like crazy lately because i refuse to accept the fact that my body is changing and decide that i can't do anything about it), and my never-long-enough chat with carla. but i did finally get some pictures adjusted so i could show you some of the beautiful stones i saw on saturday. of course, i wouldn't be me if i was completely with it and prepared, so i forgot to photograph the stones i got! i'll do that later.....maybe.....if i remember.

there were so, so, so many gorgeous stones, and i wish i could have gotten closer, more detailed pictures of some of the large (and really expensive) mineral specimens, but i know some people are really funny about having their stuff photographed. if i thought i could pull off covert picture taking and be sneaky like a jungle cat, believe me, i would have, but i'd probably draw attention to myself by knocking over a 60 pound $750 quartz druzy or something.

it was a really fun day, and i'm planning on going to another one, but coming home with LOTS more. of course after we were about 20 minutes away i got all sorts of ideas for all of these stones and beads i saw, but there was no way i was going to turn around and go back so that all four of us could go back in and look at everything again!

also, this is completely off the subject of stones, but i feel the need for a from the heart type post. i'm going to try to get my thoughts in order and talk about my dilemma tomorrow, because i really am curious as to whether i'm the only one feeling like this, or if it's pretty common.

that's it for now. happy tuesday!

happy three day weekend!

2011-05-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

i can't wait to tell you guys all about the gems, the motorhomes and the hiding places for my dad's bong (seriously, there's a perfectly good explanation for that), but i'm trying to get caught up on everything that piled up while i was sick. so for today, in between domestic duties, jogging, trying to stay alive outside with this heatwave, and a web design job, i'm doing a whole lot of this...

my bear likes to kiss. and snuggle. and sit on my lap. since he was home alone most of the day saturday, we have to make up for it with extra love and belly rubs.

i'll be back tomorrow with pictures of pretty stones and some pictures of the few things i cam home with. seriously, i went there planning to come home with A LOT (as i can't get many of those things here), but i barely got anything. to the cheapskate side of me... i curse you, while i shake my fist in the air!

time to...rock!

2011-05-27T19:42:00.003-04:00

i had an outfit post planned for today, but since the sky turned black and the sun went hiding somewhere in the recesses of darkness - okay, we had a storm - i was without any natural light, and my pictures turned out looking like grainy turds. the outfit post will have to wait, but this exciting little nugget of information can't... I'M GOING TO A GEM AND MINERAL SHOW TOMORROW! i'm really excited. chris and i are meeting pop and tricia at their house tomorrow morning, first stopping for breakfast and then heading to salem, va! i'm taking two cameras, on digital and one film, and i plan to snap until someone stops me (and then maybe a little more if i think i can be sneaky).

my pop, he's in for a little violence tomorrow morning. he called me about an hour ago and told me he had bad news (the exact same line he used when he tricked me, 3 TIMES, into thinking he had to work so we couldn't go to soul food the other week). i kept insisting that i didn't believe him, but after a few minutes, when he never admitted he was kidding, i finally felt pretty deflated and believed that he really did have to work until 1pm tomorrow. of course, only after i'm on the verge of TEARS does he tell me that he's kidding. i called him a name, and it wasn't nice...good thing he knows i'm kidding. so that's it, from now on, i can't believe what he tells me!

anyway, okay, i sort of got off on a tangent there, but the point is, i'm going to the gem and mineral show tomorrow, and i can't wait to show you pictures and my loot! have a good holiday weekend, american friends!

the beautiful rock collection is from the talented artist cori kindred.

my friend and the beast.

2011-05-25T16:34:00.003-04:00

have you met my friend brittan? i could tell you that she's funny, pretty, sweet, creative, and all those good things, but maybe you'd think i'm biased. well, i am. but all those things about her are completely true! she's one of my first and best blogging friends, and i love the friendship that we've developed. not too long ago she did a post introducing her crochet covered stone and beach glass jewelry, and i just stared. and stared and stared. i have one of her crochet covered beach stones, so to think of the same idea, but in jewelry form, just had me hooked! so, last week i had a package from her in my mailbox, and in addition to a gorgeous custom made brooch with a painting of flojo, some quartz and amethyst stones and a porcelain bird, I HAD A CROCHETED AMETHYST NECKLACE! i was so excited! you can find her shop here and take a looksie at some of the necklaces!

the necklace above is mine, all mine! the two below are some of my favorites from her shop. isn't she incredibly talented? i love how the necklace with quartz has the crochet at the top, almost like an acorn.

now for the part about the beast. i was taking pictures this morning for a client, and when i got to this jeep i needed a picture of, i just happened to look down, and there it was. the biggest black snake i've seen since i was 11 or 12, just stretched out in the grass, black scales lit up by the sun, not a foot from where i was standing. i think i did number 1, 2, 3, AND 4 right there in my pants. i jumped, screamed, and ran like the wind back to my car. i got in, hyperventilating and screaming to myself as if that would make the snake disappear (never to reappear again, ideally), and realized i had to get back out. i wasn't finished taking pictures. for the last few, i didn't step foot in the grass, and i realized just how much i appreciate zoom on my camera. i may have had a heart attack, or maybe heart failure, either way i'm surprised i lived to tell about it, not because i'm afraid a snake will hurt me, but because i'm afraid i'll lose consciousness and all major organs will shut down from adrenaline overdose. so yeah, that beast scared the crap, almost literally, out of me. the worst and scariest part of my day!

i hope you've had a good, snake-free day!

turtle day saywhaaaaat!

2011-05-23T15:34:00.002-04:00

TODAY IS WORLD TURTLE DAY! okay, i'm obviously incredibly excited. i love turtles more than.... ummmm.... more than i could ever explain! they bring my heart so much joy, with those scaly toes and pretty carapace, and up until earlier today, i didn't even know there was such a thing as world turtle day! i'm marking my calender, and next year, the party's ON! just because i'm so excited about world turtle day, i'm going to go put on one of my many vintage turtle necklaces even through i'm still in my pajamas (yes, i'm still sick) and no one will see me.

i don't remember where i found this picture (i saved it over a year ago), but don't you just want to snuggle that little baby and revert to high pitched baby talk? i know i do. and speaking of turtles, one day i'm going to get a turtle tattoo, because you know it's true love when it's in ink. am i right? am i right?!

i haven't seen as many turtles so far this year, but i think that's all due to the fact that we've had a relatively cool spring compared to normal. but worry not, i'm still running out in front of cars and across highways to save every turtle i can.

in closing, I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WORLD TURTLE DAY SOONER!!!