thrift score!

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

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

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

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

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!