fly, fly away: an outfit post

you won't see me wearing jeans often, and that's because i don't like them and they don't like me. genetics deprived me of the highly-coveted twig thighs, and because of that i always think jeans make me look ridiculous. but sometimes i'm just too lazy to shave my legs so it's a jean day whether i like it or not. sometimes it's also a good day to pretend you're a bird (translation: if you're prone to falling, like me, just play it off like you've got wings and are flying) and maybe people won't recognize you're actually clumsy as show in exhibit a:

sweater: target, bird blouse: vintage/gift from beca, belt: vintage/thrifted, jeans: target, boots: vintage/thrifted

yes, i was actually falling in the first picture, but it looks like i was just enjoying a day of flapping, right? i thought it only fitting seeing as how i was wearing a shirt covered in birds. speaking of that shirt, i got a package from my good pal beca, and in it was that awesome shirt, plus an AMAZING pair of sunglasses from the tumbleweeds new spring line! i cartwheeled and air punched for hours after opening it, because how much better can a package get?!

so how was your weekend? mine was really nice. chris was gone from about 6am to 10pm on saturday which meant i had the house all to myself; the perfect setting for watercolor painting and singing songs from grease. on sunday we did what we always do when we have date day: we ate too much, then followed it up with an unhealthy dose of eating some more. we also planned where we're going next week for lunch, and my mouth is already watering thinking about the roasted red pepper humus. now you can see why i'm so anal about staying on schedule with running.

i hope you're having a nice start to your week, and to make it a little brighter, be sure to enter yourself to win the $25 gift card giveaway before it ends on wednesday!

prints charming

good vs. evil, republican vs. democrat, coke vs. pepsi, and the battle in my head: prints vs. solids. buying clothes (or even housewares) causes a jan-like war of the voices, only in a much less creepy way as i can't for the life of me decide which is better. the sensible side says, "solids are more transitional and age appropriate considering the big 3-0 is just over a month away." but the fun side says, "F the rules, let's have fun!" where do you stand? do you prefer one over the other or do you like an equal amount of both?

from the top: 1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7.

i don't spend as much time browsing etsy as i used to, not because i don't enjoy drooling over things i want in my life, but because it's one of those things you tell yourself you're going to do for 10 minutes, but next thing you know it's two hours later. the other day, since i wasn't very busy with anything, i decided to just search for random things, like "yellow stripes" or "floral print" and i definitely added some things to my wish list!

one more thing. that pretty floral dress up there is handmade, can you believe it?! i have the greatest respect for those that can make clothes because i know it's a lot of work. leah's shop is filled with great handmade clothes made from vintage fabrics! p.s. i just bought myself a tank top from her shop that i've been watching for a while, and i can't wait to wear it!

the never-ending hot flash: an outfit post

if i've learned one thing in my life it's that you can trust a meteorologist's forecast as much as you can trust a politician's campaign promises. a prediction of highs in the low 60's, which influenced my decision to wear this lightweight sweater, actually ended up being a high of 81. so you can imagine that last friday when i wore this felt like a never-ending hot flash. oh, those meteorologists; why do i still listen when i know it's a fool's game?

sweater: vintage/thrifted, skirt: forever 21, boots: vintage/thrifted, ring: from my grandma's jewelry box, kona: humane society of amherst county

i really liked this outfit because: i get to wear boots, it incorporates my favorite skirt, and i love a space dyed sweater. i'm definitely wearing this again, but i'm going to stand outside for a while before i get dressed so i can decide for myself what they temperature will be!

one last thing, there's one week left to enter the $25 gift card GIVEAWAY from sneakpeeq, so be sure to get your name in the drawing!

before & after & 11 things

grab a comfortable seat kids, because this is gonna be a long post! i'm just about the worst at being patient when it comes to showing pictures, sharing news, giving gifts, or anything that i'm excited about. have i bought you a gift? just ask me about it and i'll probably tell you what it is or give it to you early just because i can't stand the secrecy anymore! i hadn't planned to share these pictures until later, but i'm so happy with my new chair that i'm actually typing this early and scheduling the post so i can feel like i've shared it...sort of!

on saturday, when i was at chris' late grandparents' house with some of his family cleaning out the rest of their things, i spied this chair that hadn't been claimed by anyone else. it was ugly, even Fugly, but i knew it had 21st century potential. i also knew that i had a boat load of high end upholstery fabric that was very generously given to me free of charge. i'm not good at math, but even i could add up potential and supplies and see that together they equaled a project.

i know it's the blogger thing to do to have white on white on white everything, but i'm partial to the richness of dark wood, so i knew i wanted a contrasting fabric, and i figured a different fabric on top and bottom would make it a little more modern. the off white fabric i love, and in the picture with flojo, you can see the raised reptile skin texture.

now for the 11 things portion. one of my favorite people in the world tagged me, and since i think these things are kind of fun, and a great way to get to know one another a little better, i wanted to include these 11 things. the rules are:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.

11 random things about me:

-i've never learned how to do makeup, that's why i hardly own any and think wearing tinted lip gloss is fancy.

-i just want for people to be proud of me so i feel like i've accomplished something with my life.

-i often feel like i have to wear my "filter" because i tend to be sarcastic with tendencies toward potty mouth and i know not everyone will understand i'm just kidding.

-although i'd like bigger boobs, smoother frown lines and a tighter butt, i'd never voluntarily go under the knife UNLESS it was to have the scars from a surgery i had when i was a child made smaller and less visible as they make me incredibly self-conscious.

-the older i get, the more i worry about the day when my pop will no longer be here.

-i'm a picker. i pick at my cuticles, i pick at sunburned skin, i pick at chapped lips, i pick at everything.

-i have a serious problem with laziness. get up, get out, and for god's sake, DO SOMETHING!

-i always tried to get my brother to teach me to armpit fart, but for some reason i was never able to. i still want to, though.

-i cannot, CANNOT sleep if there is a wrinkle in the sheet covering me. i thank my lucky stars for a husband that puts up with me getting out of bed up to 4 or 5 times to pull on and fix the sheets so that i can eradicate wrinkles, even though i wake him up in the process.

-i feel that if i can no longer smell the cleaning product, then my house is no longer clean. i go through a lot of cleaning products, and again, i'm lucky to have a husband that overlooks my insanity.

-i'm a hot sauce addict, and often times i plan a meal around my craving for hot sauce.

1. If you had to put 3 things in a time capsule for future generations, what would they be? i've actually never been good at this sort of thing. in elementary school when we had to make time capsules, i never knew what would be cool enough to discover 10 years or 100 years later. so i'm going to try and say 1. a newspaper so they could see what was going on in the world in february 2012. 2. candy, because who doesn't love candy? 3. some money and a list of some things it could buy today, because i'm sure the economy and cost of living will be different when they find my time capsule.

2. What is one skill/craft you wish you could perfect? one thing i've wished for the last decade i could do (and it's fitting for this post) is reupholster large pieces of furniture. i'm talking about ripping out the guts and completely redoing the entire piece.

3. If you had to describe yourself in senses, how would you smell, feel, color, taste, etc? i think i'd smell like boogers and taste like garbage. i kid. i think i'd have a soft, clean smell, but not perfume-y. i'd probably taste like nutella or a sandwich because that's what i'm made of. i'd feel soft but not squishy. i'd sound like this when i'm calm and this when i'm playful because i'd probably breakdance.

4. How do you take your coffee or tea? i can't take coffee at all. EVER. i like tea hot, iced, with lemon, with peaches, sweetened, unsweetened... i just really like tea.

5. What is your favorite junk food/go to snacks? my favorite junk food is french fries, but sincei don't keep them stocked, my go to snack is cheez-it crackers, granola bars, or pretzels.

6. Describe the wall in front of you. What color is it, what's hanging on it? it's white, on it hangs an old map, and it has a door to the bathroom.

7. If you could keep any animal for a day, without fear of getting maimed or killed, what animal would it be? my favorite bird is a flamingo, but my favorite animals (since i feel bad choosing just one) are polar bears, flamingos, beluga whales, and turtles, so any of them would be welcome companions!

8. Have you ever sewn anything? If so, what was your best project? i've sewn about a gazillion things, but i have no idea which would take the coveted title of Best.

9. Who in your family do you think you are most like? i think i'm a combination of my dad (his sense of humor, his carefree attitude, and the way he never says hello or goodbye without a hug or ten), and his sister, my aunt kimberly (her love of animals, passion for books, and sensitivity).

10. It's Sunday afternoon, what do you wish you were doing? if weather weren't an issue, i'd always like to be swimming.

11. What was the first blog you started reading regularly? bacwoods fern. kassi was the first friend i made though blogging, and she's the reason i stayed with it and grew to love it!

the 11 questions i'm asking for my tagged friends are:
1. if you could have any superhuman strength, what would it be?
2. what do you consider your greatest talent?
3. if you could live anywhere else in the world for one year, where would it be and why?
4. if you could make up a color, what would it look like and what would you call it?
5. what's the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
6. what is one quirk about you that other people don't understand?
7. if you could do one thing that would be felt worldwide, what would it be?
8. alive or deceased, what one person would you like to have as a best friend?
9. what's the most delicious thing you cook?
10. in your life, who has been your biggest cheerleader?
11. what scares you?

i'm tagging rebecca, megan, elizabeth, sara, and mars.

one skirt, endless possibilities: an outfit post

hi friends, i hope you're having a good monday following an enjoyable weekend! i bought this skirt about a month or so ago from ebay (i was searching for the pleated gold lamé skirt from forever 21 but found this instead) and i love it for several reasons: a pencil skirt can't be beat, with another skirt or with a lead pipe; i think it acts almost as a neutral so it can be paired with solids or patterns and still look nice; i dressed it up and down and liked it both ways; and finally, i love gooooold.

blouse: express, skirt: tucker via ebay, tights: target, wedges: steve madden, ring: from grandma's jewelry box

i have a few things to say about this outfit. #1 i'm capable of standing upright and do that in day to day life, but can't seem to get the hang of it for pictures, which i realize adds bulk especially when wearing a flowy blouse, and it's just not flattering. #2 flojo is attracted to ALL things gold and LOVES this skirt; if she sees it, it pulls her in like a magnet and she can't stay away. #3 the ring i'm wearing is one my grandma wore years and years and decades and decades ago, and it's my favorite.

so how was your weekend? mine was really nice; on saturday chris and i, along with his aunts and uncles, met at his late grandparents' house to clean out the remainder of their things, and i came home with two projects i'm pretty excited about. one is an old, old chair that was covered in the ugliest, scratchiest fabric known to man, and the other is a semi-ugly vintage lamp. both are getting makeovers, and i can't wait to share the before and after pics! on sunday we didn't have much to do, which was nice, so we went to pier 1 (which i lovingly think of as the affordable version of anthropologie) and i made a birthday list no shorter than 3.81 miles long. we also ate japanese for lunch, and that's always good.