Monthly Archives: July 2011

Today for You, Tomorrow for Me (30×30: Day 26 & FBFF)

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Outfit Details:

Glasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs; Pink cardigan: Jones New York, Ross; Top: White House, Black Market; Belt: Target; Skirt: Ross; Shoes: Payless

As you can see, this is where I blog from. You can see my desk, my computer, a bed piled with books and clothes (the essentials). You can also see my closet–the blue masking tape tells me what is in the drawers since I can never remember where I put things. I kind of tend to hide in my room most of the time and only come out for food, I’m a recluse like that.

I ended up taking a break from 30×30 (again) for the past couple days (Tuesday and Wednesday) while I had a pity party for myself. Not my best moment, obviously (especially considering I lounged in sweatpants/pjs). However, I also managed to unpack more of the garage, which gets me closer to my goal of working out.

I ended up picking up my car from the auto shop in this outfit. Woohoo! I actually forgot it was in the shop until my sister reminded me, and then I realized they hadn’t called me for the last 3 days and they said it would be a day. See? Recluse. I didn’t even notice my car was missing.

These shoes were one such item. I’ve worn them once before during 30×30. Obviously not one of my better picks.

I admit, I was originally going to pair this with the white cardigan and go for my traditional (and beloved) black & white outfit routine. But then I realized the pink cardigan and this pink belt are similar shades and would work well together while adding a pop of color and making this outfit a little less boring. Plus it gets me out of my red glasses/red flats rut that I absolutely love to fall into.

I’m headed up to Bellingham Friday/Saturday. So there won’t be a post tomorrow, I’m afraid, but the Sunday Read will go up as usual and then I’ll have multiple outfits to post on Monday.

(Also, I totally realized just how accurate the title was. A post today, none tomorrow. Can anyone name the musical? Hint: it’s easy.)

Savvy Style: Featuring Jenn

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I’m featuring my friend, Jenn, here today because she has some seriously amazing style. I’m always inspired when I see what outfit she’s put together, and I’m sure anyone else would be too.

Outfit Details:

Blazer: Hot Topic (old)

Dress: Thrifted

Belt: Thrifted

Tights: Gift

Boots: Steve Madden

Jenn is in my writer’s group, and I used to see her twice weekly. Her wonderful whimsical style inspires me quite frequently, in addition to the way she uses words to create stunning and disturbing imagery in her stories. Her novel, The Dream Tree, is an amazing and original piece of fiction and her writing style is so descriptive that the pictures it paints in your mind definitely keep you reading, even as you recoil in horror.

Jenn has this very eclectic sense of style, it evokes fairytales and the woods. She identifies her style as “Mori Girl”. And, once you boil that down, it basically means that you look as if you’ve just walked out of the forest. She told me that she finds most of her items through thrifting, although she does look for specific pieces in stores–like these Steve Madden boots which took her awhile to find. She runs across unique items from time to time, like this blazer, and snags those too. Some of her clothes are also handmade.

I’m really obsessed with the blazer she has on here. It has these amazing zippered parts over the shoulder, and I’m hoping I’ll have some time to experiment this summer with a cheap blazer and some zippered alterations to create something similar.  Check out this detail shot of it:

Jenn always accessorizes. Tights are an essential part of her wardrobe– I’ve seen her layer them one over the other for a very unique sort of vibe (for instance, a maroon pair underneath a fishnet-eque lacy pair). This striped pair seems to be a favorite, and I love the pattern mixing happening with the dress and tights.  And because Jenn loves to layer, she added some great pieces around her neck.

Doubling up on necklaces seems to be fairly popular around the blogosphere lately, and Jenn is definitely following that trend (not that she’s a real trend follower). I loved the idea of putting a charm on a scarf before wrapping it around your neck. That dangling little cat is so cute! And, what a great way to get an unconventional sort of necklace (and add another pattern in).

You can check out Jenn’s website (and blog!) here at jenngrunigen.wordpress.com. In addition to having great fashion sense, a quick wit, and a way with words–she’s also a musician.

My regular posts should be back up tomorrow.

(30×30: Day 25)

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Outfit Details: 

Skull scarf: e-bay; Black t-shirt: F21; B&W skirt: Ross; Red flats: Ross.

Can I just say the picture-taking Gods were with me yesterday? Hallelujah. These pictures ended up a little darker than I normally like because Washington’s weather went back to grey and rainy the other day. However, I feel like it fits the mood of the clothing.

In addition to flattering pictures, I absolutely loved this outfit. It played up my love of black and white (the majority of my wardrobe) without being boring. I even threw in some red with the accessories (glasses & shoes) for good measure.

However the real finishing touch? My nails!

They’re zebra print! After watching countless tutorials I ended up buying a Konad nail stamper and 25 image plates off amazon. This is my first attempt at nails with designs on them and I really love how they turned out. I can’t wait to try some other images.

Here’s a close-up of a cheap-o skull scarf I own. I love how the eerie the print looks since the fabric is so see through. Plus hair and makeup turned out nicely today! Always a bonus.

Flower Power (30×30: Day 24)

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Outfit Details: 

Scarf: Oscar by Oscar de la Renta, T.J. Maxx; Shirt: Unknown, label reads “Suzie in the City”; Skirt: Laundry by Shelli Segal, Thrifited; Shoes: Steve Madden, birthday present

I realized i hadn’t worn this shirt with my pink skirt that I’ve been throwing into my rotation a lot recently. So I decided to go for it. I felt like added the scarf on top tied it all together and the shoes worked well with the shirt. Can I just say I really can’t wait for 30×30 to be over for me?

I borrowed the scarf as shrug idea from Kendi. I couldn’t help but love it!  It actually was a bit sunny out the other day, so I managed to (joyfully) wear this outside. I ended up running to the store to buy food for dinner. Other than that, mostly super boring.

Sorry this post is up late, I’ve been staying up wayyy too late recently reading Clash of Kings (the second book in the George R.R. Martin series) and so I didn’t wake up until noon!

Sunday Reads: War for the Oaks

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Okay, I’ll admit, I had an entirely different book in mind when I went sorting through my boxes of books in the garage (still unpacking and all that). Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the book I was looking for. However, this book is just as beloved as the other I was going to review (though admittedly I am disgruntled I could not find one of my favorite books).

War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is an urban fantasy novel, focused on a war between the different courts of the faerie folk as it unfolds in Minneapolis. The main character, Eddi McCandry, is a girl who loves rock and roll, she can’t imagine a life where she isn’t playing music. At the beginning of the book she’s preparing to dump her boyfriend, breaking up her band in the process, when she gets unwillingly drafted by Seelie Court into their Faerie war. Although she doesn’t want to participate, she literally has no choice. (And when I say “literally,” I’m not meaning “figuratively” while saying “literally.” I mean “literally.”)

A huge part of a book for me is language, and I’ve going to add a couple paragraphs from the book’s prologue here to give you a taste of just how wonderful the words really are…

“But late at night, there’s a change in the the Nicollet Mall.

The street lamp globes hang like myriad moons, and the light glows in the empty bus shelters like nebulae. Down through the silent business district the mall twists, the silver zipper in a patchwork coat of many dark colors. The sound of traffic from Hennepin Avenue, one block over, might be the grating of the World-Worm’s scales over stone.”

Like I said, stunning. This book has a great intersection of reality and fantasy, our world and the Fey world–which is what I really tend to head towards in books, to be honest. The main themes of the book are ones that anyone can easily relate to–love, death, sacrifice, and creativity. The characters are ones you can easily fall in love with, my favorite being the Phooka. She also has written one of the very best definitions of love I have ever seen written down on paper. For years, when people asked me what I considered love to be, I would point them to a certain paragraph in this book (I would write it here, but it might spoil some of the story).

I re-read this book twice a year, at least. It is an adult novel, although I picked up this book in sixth grade. There are so many parts of this book that have stuck with me and influenced me throughout the years, I would recommend it to most anyone who reads fiction. (Even if it’s not your normal taste, no reason to not branch out once in awhile!)

You can purchase the book on Amazon (here) for only $12. As for me? I’ll be reading my copy again. :)

What’s In a Handbag?

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So I joined FBFF a little while back, but I’ve mostly been lurking and not participating (wanting to get the lay of the land and such). However, when Marie-Eve of A Pretty Nest decided to do a “What’s in your bag?” post and link-up, I definitely wanted to participate!

So here’s mine. I’d actually cleaned out my bag a week before, so you luckily sadly won’t see all the junk that’s normally accumulated in the depths of my purse. Most of the time I don’t include my purse in my outfit posts because I never ever switch bags unless I’ve got really bored of my current bag. I guess I’m lazy like that.

Here the purse is. I bought it at a great store in Bellingham called “Better Than New”. They sell brand-name items for a great price and it feels like everything is always on sale. My first bag was this little tiny cross-body. However, every time I buy a new purse I tend to go bigger than my last one! I keep needing more and more space. I just shove everything in my purse.

Here is what it looks like when you open it up. This a highly organized purse. Really.

Now here’s where it gets fun. We’ll start from left to right, top to bottom. First up we have the wallet and its contents, my mini-purse/clutch and its contents, and my camera case (and contents). Next row: Marc Jacobs glasses case, coin purse, 4 glasses cleaning cloths, and my cell phone. Next row: FlipVideo camcorder, house keys & sunscreen, car keys, cash ($5), sunglasses, and 2 pens. Of course, I’ll also be showing all the contents of each item too.

Okay, so Marc Jacobs glasses case contains said glasses. I’ve been meaning to take them into Costco since the person who fit them to my face pressed the sides in which means it starts to hurt my head after a couple hours. Then the camera case which contains the battery charger, and the case for the memory card. It also normally contains the camera, but I’m obviously taking pictures with it.

The mini-purse/clutch just contains my iPods, 2 sets of earbuds, and the charger/hook-up to my laptop. Both iPods are dead, since I often forget to charge them (oh, and I hardly ever listen to music). They also both have completely different sets of music. The green one has a bunch of stuff my sister uploaded for me several years ago so I can’t ever plug it up to my laptop. The iPod Touch is the one with my current music.

Then I emptied my wallet, which I neglected forgot to clean out. For this we’ll go in columns, since it’s easier. From left to right. First column: Random healthcare, AAA cards (one is expired); library card from Hometown; Glasses cleaners; College stuff I should throw away. Second column: garbage (old coupons, receipts, etc); discount cards (spend $__ and you’ll get ___ free/off); 7 credit/debit cards. Third column: Old expired stuff (insurance, ID holding thing); Membership cards, old school IDs. Then on top of the wallet there is some cards from random businesses, a ticket stub from seeing Neil Gaiman, and a used iTunes giftcard. Underneath the wallet is my expired (first) driver’s license, and next to it are my valid driver’s license, and my drinking license (it was lost, and now its not considered valid for driving–but it’s perfect to take out the clubs!).

And that’s it for my purse! But if you’re interested in seeing more “What’s in your bag?” posts head over to A Pretty Nest’s post here. Also, if you’re interested in joining FBFF head over to Modly Chic and subscribe here.

My Sick Obsession (30×30: Day 23)

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Outfit Details:

Dress (as skirt): from Nordstroms; Black tee: Forever 21; Black peep-toe wedges: White House, Black Market; Earrings: Ideeli

I would never have considered to wear a dress as a skirt before reading style blogs. Seriously, what an ingenious way to get more wear out of my wardrobe (especially items that might not get as much wear). Plus, it’s getting towards the end of 30×30 and I’m getting desperate. I had a whole other outfit planned for today, tried it on and it look awful. Utterly awful. I had to come up with something else. Luckily, this didn’t turn out too bad.

Here is the second pair of cameo earrings I bought off Ideeli awhile back. Super cute. I’m excited to start wearing these more.

I also discovered that my hair is finally long enough for me to get a ginormous bun. To commemorate this moment, I decided to make the largest possible bun I could and wear it all day. If my hair was longer it would be even bigger. I love doing fun things with my hair and can’t wait until it grows back to the length it was before.

Today I ended up doing more postcards for my parents, and running to the grocery store with my mom. We always end up picking up a few fun things here and there.

Judging a book by it’s cover–you’re not supposed to do it, but my parents (and now I) will pick up bottles of wine with fun or crazy labels. Cupcake is one such pick that is now a frequent purchase, and a friend and I picked up Mad Housewife awhile back when we made Sangria. Picking an item by the label is a great way to try something new every once in awhile.

We also picked up these two (all natural) ice creams. Dark-Elf Delight is a delicious chocolate ice cream. I then convinced Mom to grab Sea Monster because of the name. We tried a little when we got home and while I didn’t love it as much as Dark-Elf Delight, it was pretty tasty!

(Title is from “Stephan” by Ke$ha)

 

Candy Cane Barbie (30×30: Day 22)

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Outfit Details:

Heels: White House, Black Market; Skirt: thrifted, Laundry by Shelli Segal; tank: White House, Black Market; Cardigan: Ross, tag reads August Silk; Necklace: Modcloth; Earrings: Gift

If Barbie liked stripes, she’d have picked up this skirt in heartbeat.

I realized I’d only utilized this item one time during 30×30 and decided that I would be wearing it today, no matter what. The rain this morning did not deter to me. I didn’t really have anywhere to go. I ended up spending two and half hours this morning putting address stamps and postage on postcards for my parents. And I only finished 1/3 of the pile. Yeah, I’ll be working on that for the next couple days.

I ended up raiding my makeup drawer and I found a MAC paint pot my mom decided she didn’t like and gave to me. The color–called “Fresco Rose”– is utterly stunning. I’ll have to start using this shade more. I also wore mascara, blush, and foundation. I’m taking a break from eyeliner since my MAC Penultimate Eyeliner ran out. Nothing else works as well, so I don’t even want to bother. Why settle for something less when I’ll only be dissatisfied, right?

My hair is still wavy from the braids. I really love how long this is lasting. I might end up doing this every time I take a shower for the foreseeable future.

The details shots of the necklace didn’t turn out, but I managed a good shot of these earrings. One of my favorite pairs, these go with everything.  Also, as someone who is allergic to certain metals (in only one ear!!!) these do not hurt after several hours of wear. I often forget I even have them on!

As for life–

My room is almost completely finished and unpacked. I’ve got my bookcase, nightstand, and almost everything else in here. I’ve just got to start going through the garage and deciding what books I’ll be setting on my shelves.

Blazin’ New Paths (30×30: Day 21)

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Outfit Details:

Blazer: Gift; Earrings: Ideeli; Necklace: Forever 21; Tank top: Gift; Jeans: Silver, from Buckle; Flats: Ross

I gotta be honest. The reason I wanted to do 30×30 was because of this blazer. I had never ever worn it, and I really wanted to figure out a way to make it work with the rest of my items. Yet it’s Day 21 of 30×30 and this is the first time I’ve worn it! I always ended up reaching for the easier items that I had ideas for instead of this blazer. I guess I’m just an awful 30×30-er.

I decided to pair it with the yellow tank–which seems to be one of my favorite 30×30 items (Its one of the items that got the most wear so far!). And then blue jeans because it was not so nice out and I didn’t want to freeze to death (of course it warmed up later). Then the red flats/red glasses pairing I love so much.

For accessories, I went a pink route–

I bought these earrings off Ideeli.com awhile ago and had them shipped to my parent’s house. This meant I just got them. They’re these adorable square pink cameo earrings (I also got a different pair in black). I expected them to be larger but I love the charm that comes with how tiny they are. I then grabbed this recent purchase necklace I bought at Forever 21. I felt it worked nicely with the beige/nude stripe on the jacket.

I also slept in five cornrow braids on Sunday to get the waviness of my hair. At first it wasn’t what I was hoping for when I took it out, but it definitely grew on me. I like my hair to have a little texture and it was much easier than bothering with a curling iron.

Only 9 more 30×30 days left! And I’ve still got several items I haven’t worn (whoops!). I admit, I’m really sick of my 30×30 clothes and I can’t wait to wear something different…

Sunday Reads: “Game of Thrones”

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This post contains NO SPOILERS.

You may (or may not) be wondering where I have been the past two days. Well, in addition to moving I picked up a book.

Books are my productivity kryptonite. I love reading. Always have and always will. Needless to say, yesterday I had not one, but two (!) dentist appointments and went to Target in between them and snagged a book to read.

My keen eye (haha) spotted Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin which I have been meaning to pick up for the past couple weeks, after recommendations from several friends whose judgement I trust. To say it only took me seconds to decide on a book after I saw that would be an understatement.

I have to be honest. I started the book and I could not put it down. I was totally immersed in the story line and the characters.  At 807 pages, it’s a nice long read which delights me, considering I tend to read quickly. I started the book around 11 AM on Friday and finished it the next morning, although there were breaks of time in between. I would estimate I spent a good 6-10 hours reading it (I probably should have timed myself).

As for similar books, based on setting I see similarities to Tamora Pierce’s Tortall series. I’ve also heard it compared to Lord of the Rings–and I can see where they’re getting it from. There are knights, kings, castles, wars. It’s set in a medieval times. However, I prefer it to LotR. LotR has places where it drags (all those damn songs) whereas Game of Thrones has a much better pace.  George R. R. Martin also uses a LOT of different characters. Each chapter focuses on a different character, and so it does seem a bit confusing at first (especially since some of the characters’ names are the same) but as a reader, I managed to keep them all straight after a couple chapters. There are also multiple plots and subplots within the story.

However, be warned: no character is safe. My friends warned me that George R. R. Martin has no problems killing off main characters. Basically, anyone can die. So I’m warning you (if you chose to read this series): do not get too attached to the characters. Resist as best as you can! (However, this warning is actually what intrigued me most about the series and made me pick it up.)

I’m actually picking up the rest of the series (that is out) today because I can’t wait to read them! Although to be fair, this book ends in a great place for the series. It ends on a great scene, although some of the characters’ scenes end on cliffhangers.

I fully recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the fantasy genre. I also recommend it to those who look for a fast-paced read (its not boring in any place), and those who read quickly (it should take you a nice chunk of time to get through them).

You can buy Game of Thrones on Amazon.com here, although I suggest purchasing a copy from your local bookstore instead.

I’ve decided to create “Sunday Reads” as a new permanent feature. I will feature a new book every Sunday for the foreseeable future. I’m always looking for new reads, so if you’ve got a good one–leave it in the comments! I read everything from sci-fi and fantasy to Russian lit to cheesy romance novels.