Goodbye 2008!

You were a great year! I love New Year's Eve... I can get away with wearing ANYTHING I want! I'm particularly in love with this belt that I found at Goodwill. It still had the tags on it and features GOLD LIONS HEADS! Anyway, I'm off to Gunzlinger's house along with about 30 of my nearest and dearest! Have a lovely evening all!

Headband and bracelets - made by me out of vintage necklaces
Fur wrap/collar - thrifted
Necklace - maid of honor gift from sister
Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom
Skirt - Zoe D. (via Opitz Outlet)
Belt - thrifted (still had the tags on it... and featuring LION HEADS)
Tights - TJ Maxx
Shoes - hand-me-downs from sister Unlisted by Kenneth Cole

Bang, bang, bang goes the mallet

I'm finally done with the floors!! See you in hell white berber carpet! Hello bamboo floors (I know, it's not my Brazilian Koa, but there were some issues and I didn't mind too much, since I'll probably move to a bigger place in a year or two??? Maybe? Hopefully?)

I feel like I have a whole new condo! I love them!

Sorry, I didn't take any outfit photos while in Wisconsin (or of my glamorous floor-installing attire) but here is what I wore out while helping my friend Megan shop for a wedding dress and to happy hour afterwards. I was seriously pumped when I found this girl's satin majorette costume from the 1920s on Ebay. It was cheap too! I want to wear it every day. I'm trying not to. Alright, short post as I must go replace a zipper in a dress that I've been meaning to fix forever. I want to wear it for new year's eve, so now I must fix it. Nothing like procrastination!

Scarf - TJ Maxx
Black t-shirt - Target
Vest thingie - Ebay!
Jeans - Earnest Sewn
Shoes - Target

Aaaand here's what I'm wearing to get "the flossing lecture" at the dentist today...

Cowl - crocheted by me while watching football
Shirt - thrifted at Fake Target
Shorts - Target
Tights - TJ Maxx
Shoes - hand-me-downs from my sister Unlisted by Kenneth Cole

Blaaaagggghhh!!!!!!

Yay, back in my lovely Minneapolis (well, it would be lovely if it wasn't raining ice and foggy. What a fun 6+ hours in the car today. Now I've spent the last few hours ripping out carpet and scraping glue off the concrete floor. Now my living room looks like this...

Which caused my kitchen to look like this...

 

Oh, and my dishwasher doesn't always sit like that in the middle of the floor. As ye faithful few readers of my blog shall recall, the old one blew up like a month ago. After much hand-washing and chinese take-out eating, it has been replaced with this deluxe new model! All hail the glory of the discount floor model!

Hopefully all will be remedied tomorrow when I spend the day with the fam installing wood floors. I'm pretty psyched and it's motivating me to go through my stuff and donate things to the Salvation Army. When I was in college I moved every year and thus did a yearly purge of my things (do I need to move this ugly lamp that has been in the closet for a year, or can it go in the donate pile?) Now that I've been in my condo for three and a half years, the STUFF is starting to pile up (Seriously, what is all that STUFF in my junk drawer?!? who put it there?!?!?) I'm trying not to be a hoarder, but the crafter in me gets nuts (oh, that dress? that hasn't fit in years, but don't you worry, one day I'll turn it into a skirt. or a vest. or you know, a turban.)

Oh, and that lamp I never use, don't worry it has taken up residence in the boys house where it is often used. It has been replaced by this lamp of awesome Norwegian cuteness courtesy of my grandparent's move to a retirement community.

Helluva upgrade from the IKEA lamp I stole from my brother that used to live on my bedside table.

Oh, and just so this isn't a totally house centric post, how Minnesotan are my friends?

Seriously, flannel and beards and staring at the football game, but still my boys (well, a few of them). This was the night of my friend Jim's birthday. Bowling!

HOPEFULLY my floor will be finished tomorrow, then I'm off for a night with the girls!!!! Whoo, my ladies are in town for the holidays!!! Many pictures will be taken, including some glamour shots on Monday when we try on dresses for Megan's wedding! Hope your holidays are awesome!

I'm outta here!

Actually, I'm already gone... hitched a ride with my friend Mike the six hours back to the parental units home! I'll try to take some photos and do a post or two but don't get your heart set on it. In the meantime here is my grey outfit from class color day at my school ...

Sequin shrug - crazy $2 outlet store
T-Shirt - thrifted American Eagle
Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom
Skirt - thrifted at Fake Target (Sample Isaac Mizrahi for Target)
Tights - TJ Maxx
Shoes - these were my bridesmaid shoes from my sisters wedding. I didn't think I'd ever wear them again but all my grey shoes are open toe and I didn't want to wear black ones.

My favorite part of the day was when one of my little autistic boys who comes and takes breaks in my office came to say hi. His third grade class color was black and he showed up dressed as Darth Vader. I LOVE this kid! Anyway, I'm here and Chicago until the 26th or 27th when I will head back up to Minneapolis and spend a few days installing my new Brazilian Koa hardwood floors! 

See you later ugly berber carpet, you're being replaced by this beauty!!! Sorry for being a bad blogger, but when I am done, you'll get a nice photo spread of the new floors and I'll try to take some outfit posts over the next few days. Plus I have until the 6th to do some crafting!! Later and have an awesome end of the year!

dress up week!

So I'm sad that I missed dressing up at work on Monday and Tuesday. I heard a lot of kids stopped by to see what I was wearing and were very disappointed I was sick (I LOVE my job! The kids miss me when I'm gone instead of swearing at me when I come back like at my old job! It rocks!) Anyway, I was there for 1980's day and rocked this little number all day (I was too embarrassed to walk around the skyways like I usually do during my lunch break.) I figured most of the kids would be doing the legwarmers and neon thing so I went for the "corporate bitch" look with my shoulderpads and pink blush and lipstick.

Blazer - thrifted Manchester Suitmakers (is it bad that I would so wear this, just with a different bottom??)
Skirt - thrifted from the by-the-pound Goodwill Outlet
Tights - Target??
Shoes - hand me down Unlisted by Kenneth Cole

Today was "Swagger Day" which is kinda dress up in your Sunday best! So, upon realizing most of my fancy dresses were too boob-ish to be working around children and adolescent boys, I wore this skirt that I bought for a new years eve party three years ago. I also finally spent my $100 gift card to modcloth that I won in the Daddy Likey Halloween Costume Chronicles contest. So I got the flower necklace I'm wearing, the shoes I'm wearing and also a sweater dress and a pair of bloomer shorts. Whoo! Free!!!!! 

T-shirt - Target
Flower necklace - Free from ModCloth (thank you Daddy Likey!)
Skirt - crazy outlet store
Tights - TJ Maxx
Shoes - Free from ModCloth (thank you Daddy Likey!)
Charm bracelet - my grandma when I was eight

The other thing I would like to point out in this Swagger Day outfit is my charm bracelet...

When I was about eight, my grandma wanted to get me and my sister charm bracelets for Christmas. I was a total tomboy and very anti-jewelry. So I picked out the WORST charms as a form of protest. So my bracelet has a pick-up truck, a bowling pin, an oyster, bongo drums, a rotary lawnmower, a lantern, a poodle, a pool table, a leaf, and a basket of fruit. So here they are! I love this bracelet as it is now a monument to my stubbornness. That grandma still calls me "Ragamuffin" cause, she never got it, and it this point, she never will. I'm not fancy. Anyway, tomorrow is color day (every grade gets a color to wear). I may try to wear every color (which may be hard since my school is K-12) or just wear all grey because no one has that color. I think I'll try for all grey.

I'M KIND OF SPAZZING OUT! So, I know, it's the holidays and that means craziness... but being sick and getting a LOT of last minute t-shirt orders on my etsy (which is good, don't get me wrong, I am absolutely grateful for every single person who likes what I make enough to pay for it. Really.) But I have to go home to see the parents and siblings, and cousins, and grandparents for about six days. Then there is the seeing of high school friends. However, I also have a lot of friends who are going to be up here in Minneapolis during this time, who usually live across the country, who I want to see. So they're all bugging me about when I can see them. Plus my parents are coming up RIGHT after Christmas (like the 26th or 27th) to help me rip out my terrible carpet and put in gorgeous Brazilian Koa hardwood floors (Merry Christmas to me, courtesy of the parental units!). So this weekend I have to shove all my furniture into the kitchen and rip up the carpet so it is ready to go when I come back. I have to waitress on Saturday, I haven't packed yet, I finally bought my gifts but haven't wrapped them, I still have two more t-shirt orders to fill, and, and, and!!!!!!!!!!

I need a vacation... just not Christmas vacation. I wish I wasn't sick and losing my voice and talking like Kathleen Turner. Boo, my life is too busy. I hate freaking out on the inside.

sick, sick, sick

So I was sneezing all day on Saturday and woke up on Sunday feeling terrible. I feel even worse today. I've got swollen glands, a fever, a cough and sore throat and no voice. So I stayed home from work today, which is fine because it was SO cold today. It is -15 right now and with the wind chill, that is -30!!!! While I spent much of the day sleeping, I have accomplished a few things to show you.

I finally fixed this thrifted sweater...

it was a large and just too big, I mean, I love a giant cardi as much as the next chick, but this one is too short to be so wide, so I fixed it to fit better in the torso and sleeves. And obviously I won't wear it with that tie dyed shirt... that's my pajamas. I kept the sleeves long cause that's how I like my sweaters, it's a perfect fit now!

I also did some crocheting... I finished my giant yellow cowl and I'll post a photo of me wearing it soon, but for right now this will have to do, seeing as I have "sick face" right now.

I also started this cream colored one for my sister. It is her birthday today, but usually just give her all her gifts on Christmas. 

I also got her this adorable sterling silver pin from the 1940s. Her husband is a pilot and I thought it was so cute!

While looking for cute vintage pins for her, I accidentally found these vintage mice rings and then accidentally bought them for me because they were cheap and cute. Anyway, I must go get to bed... it's been like three hours since my last nap. Here's hoping I feel better soon. I hate calling in sick to work, but let's face it, no one wants a sick nurse.

Reformed Scrooge

So I went to the Hollidazzle parade last night with my client Daniel. I've been pretty blah about Christmas this year... I never know what to get anyone but my little brother, I HATE malls, I didn't even bother to put up a tree this year... but being around all those little kids who were so excited about Santa and the parade may have pulled me out of my pseudoScrooge-dom. Nice word, huh?

Oh, but I did put up the stocking my sister made me last year on the fireplace, wound twinkle lights around the stairs and put that little skiing nutcracker out, so I'm not a lost cause. Plus, I do listen to a lot of Christmas music. Here's today's outfit. I'm trying to work more patterns into my winter wardrobe. I tend to wear a lot of solids, so I'm trying to change that.

I don't know, I'm just feeling a little "off" today. I think being home for Christmas will help, I just need to get through the next week or so. I'm driving back with my friend Mike, which I am looking forward to. We have driven home together a few times and it's always a blast. His family is in Madison (Wisconsin) and my parents live about an hour south of there. He even comes down to my hometown to visit on the last night and we go out on the town then drive back to Minneapolis in the morning. It's a little bittersweet. Two years ago, he was my best friend. We did everything together, I even slept over at his house all the time. People assumed we were dating. We weren't. Then he decided we should. I said no. Things have never been the same. We're friends, but it will never be like it was, when we were just two best friends who happened to be opposite gender. Boo on all the sex stuff that gets in the way. 

Cardigan - thrifted Old Navy
T-shirt - Target
Skirt - thrifted
Tights - ????
Shoes - Steve Madden

Ok, enough of the wallowing in the sad. I'm off to eat soup and wander the skyways!

P.S. Go visit Tagtraeumerin - she's fabulous and I just won a pair of the cutest little star earrings with snowflakes in them. She's so adorable and chic, it's unreal. Also, I must be having a lucky streak as Fashion Binge also chose me to win their Harajuku Lovers Coffret Set !! Ok, maybe it's time to take up gambling.

Fancy pants

"Nurse Fancy Pants"... that is my new name at school. It's pretty fitting (my other two nicknames having come from gay gentlemen, they are "Granny Tranny" and "One Woman Parade"), so they all have a similar theme to them... which is I guess that my style can be described as costumes more so than outfits, at least sometimes. Now that I've been working here since September, I have been taking more risks in my attire. I didn't want to show up the first week dressed like a nut, so I took it easy for a while, but now, psht, I'm all over the place!

Monday, I wore my new crocheted cowl and ugly tie-dyed tank...

Neck cowl - crocheted by me!
Cardigan - Fake Target
Tank - thrifted
Necklace - thrifted
Pants - thrifted Express
Shoes - Doc Martins

Tuesday, I accidentally dressed like a panda. or penguin...

Black dress - thrifted Patrick Robinson for Target
White shirt - Target
Shorts - Target
Tights - TJ Maxx
Shoes - ebay

And today all the kids keep asking why I dressed like a "Chinese Woman". Really, I'm just wearing a robe as a dress with pants. No biggie.

Kimono/robe thing - thrifted
Belt - thrifted
Jeans - Earnest Sewn
Shoes - Bongo (TJ Maxx clearance)

Plus next week is "Spirit Week" where the kids don't have to wear uniforms and there are theme days:

*Monday - Pajama Day 

*Tuesday - Twins Day (dress alike with a friend) 

*Wednesday - '80s Day 

*Thursday - Swagger Day (as in, dress up fancy) 

*Friday - Class Color day (since I don't have a grade, I think I'll just wear EVERY color)

I'm pretty excited and so are the kids. I'm curious to see some six year olds dressed in '80s clothes.

Oooh, my big yellow scarf is coming along nicely, and I should have a picture of the finished product later this week. I also made a ruffled scarf out of orange jersey, I'll wear it soon so you can see it. It's pretty awesome in a garish way. And yay, got a few more orders on my etsy! In other words, life is good, even though I want to strangle the boy for being messy and lazy and forgetful... but he is an artist, so what did I expect? We'll see, he may live to see another day. Laterz.

Is it spring yet?

Oh yes, Marni. oh yes. Seriously, I want to dress like this every day. I want to wear circles. Nothing but circles and beautiful colors. Here's my very wintery outfit, inspired by the patterns and colors of Marni's Spring/Summer '09 show...

 Cardigan - Isaac Mizrahi for Target
T-Shirt - Target
Skirt - Delia's 10+ years ago
Tights - DKNY (TJ Maxx)
Boots - thrifted Colin Stuart

It is snowing and has been for hours. We're supposed to get about six inches today in Minneapolis. Plus the boy has his final project for printmaking due tomorrow and will be up till all hours working, so I am staying home, crocheting, sewing, drinking Pinot Noir in front of the fireplace. I already watched A Charlie Brown Christmas while making Thai peanut stir fry. Now I'm watching Arrested Development DVDs, again. 

Oh, that there, that's my plan for the night. Yeah, I have this bad habit of drinking out of jars. All the time. I own wine glasses and various cute glasses, but I drink from jars. I get looks and questions all the time at work cause I drink water out of a giant jar all the time. I just try to avoid plastic in everything I eat and drink, thus jars... adorable, free, made of glass. Whoo!

This is going to be huge! I love crocheting with fat yarn, but this yellow one is thin yarn and I seriously want it to be a really big cowl, like wrap it 2-3 times around your neck big.

Here's the blue one I made in like 2 hours (go fat yarn!) while watching football. Also, dang am I pale, already! 

I'm not looking forward to going to Vegas in January (not cause it's with the boy's family, but because I wanted to be one of those people who never went to trashy Las Vegas... but, I am hoping it is warm enough there to get my freckles back and not be SO pale... at least I'm a redhead and it looks natural to be pasty.) It doesn't help that I just got out of the shower and have no mascara on... red eyelashes = look perma-tired.

I'm also getting a few t-shirt orders ready for my etsy and will go tailor a few things soon. I'll post tomorrow with all the rest of my DIY-ness. Laterz, kittens.

P.S. I had Saturday off for once, and what did I do? Monster trucks. For real. So funny.

Sorry...

I'm a bad, bad blogger. Off living my own life, pfft. What have I been doing? Let's see...

Friday - hung out with the awesome Jeanette, got my needed bit of girly-ness by drinking what she dubbed the "Pretty, Pretty Princess Vodka" because it was in a bottle with a giant jewel on it. So fun!

Saturday - very busy day of waitressing, got done just in time to see my friends' band. There are five members, and I've known them all for years. It's just a little side hobby, but it was fun.

Sunday - football, football, football, crochet and eating!

During the week, lots of working, lots of watching Mile High DVDs with my #1 gay boyfriend (the boy's roommate). What is Mile High? A terrible BBC show about really slutty and really dumb flight attendants. We drink wine, make witty commentary, and all of a sudden it's five hours later.

Here's some outfits for youz!
  Tuesday...

Giant cardigan - thrifted
T-shirt - Target
Skirt - TJ Maxx (American Eagle)
Tights - um, like 1998??
Boots - DSW clearance (Diba)

Wednesday... Why am I dressed like some sort of a snow fairy? I don't know. So it snowed like half an inch and felt it necessary to dress like a snow fairy. It happens.

Poncho - thrifted
Big sack-like sweater dress (with pockets!) - thrifted (Outlander)
Socks - Fake Target
Shoes - Steve Madden

Thursday...here's hoping I don't wipe out in the snow in these shoes...

Hair ribbon - vintage red rope trim
Oxford shirt - Mark, Fore, & Strike (I know, seriously?!?!? I inherited it from my aunt)
Skirt - by the pound Goodwill Outlet
Socks - Target
Shoes - Nicole (inherited from a friend after she spent one painful evening in them at a wedding - score!)

This last picture is me today. All these kids and teachers at work kept looking at me funny and being like "Something's different." And I had to tell them all, yeah, this is the first time I've worn my hair down to work this year. Weird! I just got used to wearing it up when I worked with special needs kids and now I do it all the time. Plus for waitressing and bartending it has to be up. Plus it's just big and gets in my face. I need to wear it down more, regardless.

Scarf - TJ Maxx
Sweater - thrifted
Skirt - TJ Maxx (American Eagle)
Tights - Target?
Boots - my aunt in Italy in the '80s

I may be a little absent this weekend too, although isn't everyone? I have to waitress Saturday night and then Sunday morning for the... Santa brunch! It's hundreds of people, many small children running around all hopped up on the dessert buffet crashing into my legs while I waitress. It sucks but it's so much money! Laterz, must go running and then go see the boy!

For the virtual pals

For those of you who I don't know in "real life" and won't be getting one of these in the mail from me...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (and sorry for the shoddy quality - need to get the file for the picture from JJ, in the mean time, here is a photo of a photo. I'm ghetto. I know.) In case you can't tell, I'm the frazzled and a little drunk Mother's Day in the middle!