No thanks, I don't really want a bite of your eggplant...

Interesting and a little scary encounter at the grocery store today.  It's amazing the kind of stuff that people try to get away with.  I suppose it just goes to show...when a guy looks like a creepy sleazeball--he's probably a creepy sleazeball.

burgundy sweater : gift from last wintertime
brown corduroy vest : Goodwill
flower print sundress : Israel
ripped up blue jeans : years ago
brown suede boots : gift from my stepmum
gold flower necklace with rhinestones : hand-me-down from my grandmother
orange flower hair clip : years ago
pale yellow-and-silver lotus earrings : hand-me-down from Ima

Tangled!

I have a new favourite movie!!  I went to see Disney's Tangled today, with my parents and my little sister.  It was awesome!  Why I'm even mentioning this on here is because....ummmm...

 ...^ here's a good excuse! ^

 She made a dress! :D
Also, SPOILER ALERT HOMG STOP READING!!
Okay so the spoilers!  See how in this picture she's got beautiful long golden hair and green eyes and a cute purple (I know it looks pink!) dress?  Well later, when her hair gets cut, the new color and style still look fabulous with her eyes and the purple dress.  And I thought that was pretty special.  Because as you can see by looking at this green chameleon, something doesn't always look great on just anything.


carpet bag hat : on loan from Ima, it's from Michigan
orange and purple silk scarf : hand-me-down from Ima's mum
gray peace and love tank : Plato's Closet
bottle green sparkle blazer : yard sale
faux-suede cheetah print skirt : 6th grade
gray leggings : hand-me-down from Ima
brown and tan striped knee his : hand-me-down from Ima
brown suede boots : gift from my stepmum


The guy from whom I bought popcorn told me he liked my hat.  And then my scarf.  I wonder what he would've complimented me on next, had I gone out for a refill.  Which weren't free, by the way.

A Mishmash of Asia

Sooo pretty!  :D
Actually there was very little thought process behind this.  I got out of the shower, threw on my ripped up leggings and the dark pink print top with the slits up the sides and the short-collar-with-a-v neckline.  I'm actually not sure where that style comes from--it looks both a little Indian and a little Middle-Eastern to me.  Any thoughts?
Anyway, after those two pieces, I decided I was still cold, and I hadn't worn my kimono in a while.  So I put that on.  Then I thought, "what the heck?" and dug out a pair of my tabi socks.  Only one thing goes with tabi socks, so I found my flip-flops.  Then my hair was being all wet on my outfit, so I put it in a bun and stuck in...chopsticks.  It almost had a theme, if you discount the top and the chopsticks.  Well really everything but the socks and the kimono.  Okay.  So maybe not so much of a theme.

dark pink print top : hand-me-down from Ima
red kimono : hand-me-down from Ima
black ripped leggings with lace trim : Old Navy/Targét 4 years ago
white tabi socks : hand-me-down from Ima
gold plastic flip-flops : Wal-Mart
black hair chopsticks : Hot Topic 5 years ago


So guess who buys all the cool stuff?  Not meeee.....

Honey, I'm home! Where's my dinner? Are you quite sure you've scrubbed out the latrine properly?

I can't resist.  You must forgive me for this slight deviation from the strict subject of fashion.  I see this as an understandable tangent, however, because housewives are where it's at when it comes to classic 50s fashion.

Do you not see the resemblance?  And so here I explain my reasoning:

I hate cooking.  Really I do.  It makes me miserable.  It is such a waste of time.  If it takes more effort than simply finding something in the fridge and sticking it in the microwave for 2 minutes (tops), it's not worth it.  So what in G-d's name am I doing here in the kitchen?!

I have no answer.  And that's not the point anyway.  The point is what makes cooking tolerable, which is dressing up in an apron and a rather stereotypically house-wife-y outfit (although today I've been too lazy for all that).


So in return for your unending patience with me for this slight deviation, I bestow upon you all my secret to making delicious cornbread muffins with cranberries in every bite.


Buy Jiffy cornbread muffin mix.  The end!


Just kidding! :D


But seriously.  That stuff's the best, man.  In addition to that, get some whole, not-dried cranberries.  Mix the cornbread as directed on the box, and add cranberries to taste.  LET IT SIT, JUST LIKE THE BOX SAYS TO.  If you do not follow each of those directions to a T, the little Jiffy monster will come and paint your toenails a hideous orange color while you sleep.  That, and your muffins will fall apart when you take them out of the pan.  Actually, they'll probably fall apart anyway.  That is, unless you use my super secret trick!  Spray a repulsively large amount of non-stick cooking spray (butter flavored is quite fitting) into each of the metal muffin cups.  To get the muffins out after cooking, I bang the tray on the counter a few times (which usually results in them falling apart...) or use a spoon to loosen the edges.  Generally it seems to work best if you let them cool for about 10 minutes beforehand.

Oh yes, and that disgusting butter spray also makes it much easier to clean the pan when you're all done.

Let's talk hair...

Is it terribly sad that I've already gotten bored with my hair as it is?  I've been tempted multiple times to just cut it all off.  Then, just as I'm hunting around for my dad's hair shears, I remember why I've refrained from cutting it for the past year and a half (almost).  It just takes so long to grow out!

I suspect this is a problem many people find themselves facing.  I see people all over the place who simply don't know what to do with their hair.  So, I've decided that rather than cutting my hair, I will focus on fun ways to switch it up a bit.  Conveniently, there are many people with hair like mine.  This means not only that I can steal their hair styles, but the ones I come up with can be used by others as well.

Today's style focuses very heavily on braids.  In fact, I suspect that many of my hair styles will involve braids.  Anyway--to get the look, I did three regular braids from the front to the back on both sides of my head (instead of doing a regular half-ponytail, for example).  These I clipped with the little clampy clips, and let the ends hang loose.  With the unused hair left at the back of my head, I made two braids on each side.  These I looped up to the area underneath the first 6 braids and clipped.  To deal with the hair hanging loose from the first six braids, I flipped it up and used a decorative comb to secure it.  I also used two bobby pins to hold back most of my bangs.  To keep the whole thing up all day, I added a light coating of hair spray.


Confusing?  Yes.  Hopefully in the future I'll remember to take pictures AS I'm doing it, rather than a few hours later.....  Also the pictures will be better.  In the meantime--what's your favourite way to style your hair?  I remember back in middle school, my friend and I went to a carnival sort of thing.  One of the booths styled hair.  My hair was too short to really do much of anything, but the woman there did this really cute, simiple and easy style with my friend's hair.  For some reason, it's always stuck in my head and I've used it several times since then to achieve a nice, elegant look.  It's a simple flipped ponytail:  Put your hair into a ponytail, make a little space right down the center of the ponytail between the hairband and your head.  Flip the end of the ponytail through that space--and voila!  A nice twisty-looking thing.  Sometimes I flip it through more than once.  I will take pictures of some of those looks too :)

Fashion Emergency!

 Another lovely day of calculus!  There I am, sitting at my desk and happily talking with my friend.  We are waiting for class to start.  It's the last class of the day, and boy has it been a long one!  I have plans tonight, so I decided to dress up a little bit.  I twist in my desk towards her, and death grips my heart as I hear the dreadful sound of ripping fabric.  Cringing at the thought of what I might find, I reach down to feel the back of my leg.  My worst fears are confirmed.  I've just ripped a huge hole in my lacy purple tights.  What am I going to do?! I think to myself.  This isn't some little snag that I can hide by tugging my skirt down a bit.  I don't have any of my usual tight-saver on me (clear nail-polish), and even if I did, it wouldn't hide this huge gash.  My friend suggests scotch tape, but I know that won't get me through the whole night.  I have a real crisis on my hands.  Then she suggests twisting a thin hair band around it.  I can't get enough of the material together to keep the hair band on--and I don't want something so noticeable anyway.  In the end, I wind up actually tying the hole shut--rather like a trash bag.  

There it is, that dark spot about an inch under my fingers.  Not bad for a quick fix!

The Empty Palette

The inspiration for today's outfit is the white skirt.  It's an awesome little piece that I found at Goodwill--it did not look promising on the rack, but boy am I glad that I took it to the dressing room!  Part of what I love is the stark black-and-whiteness of it.  It's almost as if the lines are waiting to be colored in.  So I thought, what better to pair with this sweet deal than a painted shirt?  I made this shirt over the summer, with the help of a handful (haha) of elementary-aged children.  Accent the ensemble with a few shocks of color (jewelry and tights), and you have an aesthetically pleasing vision of inspiration.

white pearl necklace : bat mitzvah gift from a friend
handprinted white wife beater : Walmart/handmade
black-on-white country print skirt : Goodwill
short-sleeved hooded gray sweater : hand-me-down from Ima
purple lace tights : J.C. Pennys last winter
black Lora Como heels : eBay

You Button Me Up, Baby...

...Wait, is that a good thing?

 More things from Goodwill.. this teal-and-green snap-up blouse simply made me incredibly happy to look at it.  I think it and the pleated khaki skort I'm wearing have a lot of potential.


Also--I tried playing around with my bangs.  Not sure if I'll do it this way again, but for questioning minds...
I actually started from the right side of my head and braided my bangs across to the left.  I left a few bangs just normal on the right, and let a thin amount fall down on the left.  To secure the bangs, I used two bobby pins--one of which actually has a Jerusalem stone attached to it :)
(Yeah, it's that lump on the side of my head that you can't see very well..)

Mint Chocolate Chip

More lovely Goodwill purchases!!  The green hoodie is uber warm, and super soft.  It has an interesting scoop neck and the pouch/pocket reaches from seam to seam.  It is a little difficult to tell, but the skirt is actually a nice mint green with white, turquoise, orange and green pinstripes.  Oh, and it's actually a skort ;D
The other interesting piece in this outfit is the tights--check out that funky pattern!  From a distance, they look like solid black tights, but up close they're covered in elegant-looking geometric shapes.


green hoodie / mint skort / black leather ankle boots : Goodwill
black patterned tights : .....
charcoal scarf : handmade by my friend
black v-neck tee : lost-and-found...haha

I'll Spend a Day in Someone Else's Shoes...

I'm so pleased with myself for understanding my calculus homework, that I decided it was time to reward myself with another update.  The subject?  These awesome black leather ankle boots that I found at Goodwill today.  My mum says they're very 80s.  Very cool 80s!  In the first picture, you can see the very animal skin-like leather by the laces.  The middle picture reveals the shoes' greatest flaw--the left boot is missing its buckle.  Oh well!  I think it adds charm.  :)

Wouldn't it be nice?

As promised, I took better pictures of the scarf!  Let me just tell you how warm this scarf is...
This morning, after getting out of bed I sat in the middle of my floor to finish waking up.  All I had on was a pair of pants and a tank top--and let me tell you, I was freezing!  The closest thing to me was this lovely charcoal scarf.  So I draped it around my shoulders.

Two minutes later I was almost completely warmed up.  Amazing!

green slouchy 3/4 sleeves hooded jacket : Targét
hole-y pink/red/purple tie-dye shirt : hand-me-down from Ima
brown leather and gold sequined belt : Old Navy
spifftastical blue jeans : Wal-Mart
amazing charcoal scarf : handmade by my friend :)

A day with the Chib

 

fluffy orange hat : hand-me-down from me

red plastic heart sunglasses : gift from Ima and Aba's trip to Louisville

peace and love shirt : Once-Upon-A-Child

black and white striped pirate skirt : Etsy purchase

purple polkadot Tinkerbell pants : "the Austin, TX branch of a nationally known boxstore chain"

princess Aurora socks : Targét

ruby slippers : Targét

Be warned...

I shall give you all fair warning now.  If I see one of you out and about, wearing something I find to be exceptionally awesome, I WILL be forced to take a picture and post it here.  With your consent of course.

Mermaid tail : some halloween costume store
gold shells : well they were white at Big Lots...I spraypainted them gold and then decorated with glitter glue
little sister : my mum ;D

Hello, Dolly

The focus of this ensemble?  That awesome black scarf!  My good friend from the commuter center actually made it herself.  It is a tube scarf, about 6 feet long, incredibly soft and SO WARM!  The color is actually more of a rich charcoal--positively gorgeous!  Unfortunately, my pictures just don't do it justice.  Do not worry, though--I will certainly wear it again and take better pictures then!

charcoal scarf : handmade by my friend
monochrome striped sweater : hand-me-down from Ima
blue denim shorts : hand-me-down from a friend
purple and black argyle 'wool' tights : Hot Topic, years ago
black cowboy boots : hand-me-down from Ima