kitchen wall and soooo many photos of me on the stairs

My day off has been awesome! Don't have an outfit photo today, because I changed like 30 times - I took 146 photos of myself (eep!) "modeling" stuff for my etsy... which took forever! Then ran 5 miles, then went to my first physical therapy session for my crazy ulnar nerve, which was better than I thought. I just made the best garlic basil mashed potatoes for dinner and now I'm going to go hang with the boy.

Last night, the kitchen fixing continued... I've had these photos just randomly stabbed up on my kitchen wall since I moved in, but have been wanting to do something "real" forever. So it went from this:

(two of my best friends own a traveling photo booth company, thus all the photo strips)

To this:

The Plymouth flag is from an antique shop, with my mom, I was going to sell it, but I just like it! The random framed $20 is from when I first started my t-shirt line, FutureLint and was photographing my friends wearing the shirts in the local sculpture garden. This girl came up and LOVED them and demanded I sell her two, right off my friend's backs... so I took one of the $20 and framed it, so I remember to believe in my silly little shirts. (corny, I know, and one day I'll probably get desperate and take that $20 and spend it, but so far it's been 3 years and it's still in the frame!)

All the crap in the middle is from thrift stores.

The sun on the right is from a thrift store in Hawaii when I was 18. Yes, I dragged my mom to a thrift store in Hawaii ten years ago, and found a cool old coconut sun! The wire was a sculpture one of my students made at my former job (where I worked with all the kids who got in fights and got kicked out of class and had in-school suspension.) He was so proud of his wire sculpture of himself, and then he got in a fight and smashed the sculpture in my office. I tried to get him to keep it but he wouldn't. I kept it as a reminder to think things over before letting your emotions do things you will regret. The three plaques in the middle are French awards for bird shows and dog shows.

Since it took so long to take all the photos, I'll be actually listing the stuff for my etsy tomorrow or Sunday.   Here's just some of the stuff:

Have a great weekend kids!

Reasons why today may be the best day ever

#1. Hooray! It's Thursday and I don't have to work tomorrow because there is no school! Super-duper excited! It's like -20 here and I don't want to leave the house in the morning, and tomorrow that dream will be realized. I'm gonna make a fire in the fireplace and watch movies while I sew and list stuff for etsy all day!

I know, there is a whole insane situation going on in my lower half, but I dig it!

Shirt - actually a thrifted dress (that is waaaaaaaay too short so I just wear it under skirts)

Belt - from a different dress

Skirt - thrifted Ann Taylor LOFT

Tights - Target (little girls section)

Shoes - MIA

#2. The amazing S. over at academichic put up a post about ME for Tribute Week. I am beyond flattered. Sometimes I get a little carried away with the outfit insanity but she is one stylish lady and if she can appreciate my own special brand of tacky, then I must be doing okay!

#3. It's Project Runway day!

#4. Just thinking about the fact that in exactly two months I will be in South Korea visiting my friend Megan... I think I'm going to explode with happy!

Hope you all have the best day ever!!!!!!

Mr. Bojangles

I found this crazy jangle thing (well, one jangle on each end of a long red thick yarn) while thrifting and while I don't know what it is supposed to be, it was 75 cents, so I bought it (pom-poms!) I think it could work as a necklace too but today wore it as a weird jangle belt!

Sweater - Free People

Skirt - thrifted

Pom-pom jangle - thrifted

Tights - Target

Shoes - Modcloth

Ok, now that I've said "jangle" fifty times, all I can think of is this:

 DOG. SHOW. (Mr. Bojangles and Rocky Balboa

are the the best and most hilarious dog names ever!)

Who's nerdily excited to watch the State of the Union tonight? ME! Plus, we don't have school on Friday, so today is like my Thursday! Except I'm glad it's not actually Thursday because then I would have to choose between watching the State of the Union and Project Runway and that is a choice that no girl should have to make! Byeeeeeee!

Where for art thou, Zack Morris???

Today at work, an eight year old told me, "You're lucky you're a grown-up. You can do whatever you want!" It's been a while since I thought about that, so tonight I'm staying up late eating candy! Ok, not really. I'll eat a sensible dinner, do some housework, sew, and go to bed at 11... wahoo! Doing whatever I want! I appreciate the sentiment though... being "a grown-up" did seem pretty glamorous as a kid, but I never really thought about all the bills and dusting and reading of insurance documents... or maybe I'm just bitter because I never turned out to be Kelly Kapowski...

LOOK, 8 YEAR OLD SELF - SMURF LEGS!

Sweater - Ann Taylor LOFT

Necklace - gift from April (a woman I used to waitress with)

Turtleneck - thrifted Target SAMPLE

Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic

Tights - TJ Maxx

Shoes - thrifted (and possibly the best $4 I ever spent!)

Bye kids! I'm doing yoga at the YWCA with middle schoolers for our after-school program on Tuesdays, and it starts today! Hooray for free yoga!

I wear rubberbands

Wore my crazy rubberband jumprope from Mexico today... I love it but I smell rubber all day and everyone is very interested in touching and examining it.

Necklace - thrifted jump rope (don't worry, it was brand new)

Sweater - thrifted Target SAMPLE

Skirt - thrifted Old Navy
Tights - crazy outlet store
Shoes - Steve Madden

I'm making an effort to do a bit of de-cluttering every day... I tend to be a bit of a pack rat (we're not talking Hoarders style, I just think I can re-use and re-purpose things and then I am a bit sentimental too and want to keep everyone's wedding invitations and cute Christmas photo cards...) So, that brings us to my fridge which has been accumulating junk on it for the past 4? 5? years I've lived in my condo... it needed a clean off, badly! I kept the things that were really important in my little shoebox of concert tickets and playbills and etc. Soooooo much better!

 

Ok, I need to go attempt to eat something - I had to go to the dentist this afternoon to get an old filling that had cracked replaced... it was THREE HOURS ago and I still can't feel the whole right side of my face; I'm scared to chew anything or I might bite my cheek! But I'm soooo hungry! I'm thinking applesauce? Anyway, usually when I go to a dentist and they try to numb my tooth, I'll wind up screaming in pain as soon as they do anything so they give me another shot of Novocaine and sometimes a third... I never understood it until my dentist told me about this last year and now he just numbs the shit out of my face and all is good (well, except that the larger dose takes forever to wear off!) Byyyye and wish me luck with attempting to eat!

Green and gold and owls and hearts

Sweater - thrifted
Gold heart necklace - part of my "Little Orphan Annie" Halloween costume four years ago (I think it was from Claire's?)
Jeans - Paul & Joe for Target
Shoes - thrifted Bass

It has been sloooooooow at work today which is awesome because it has been such a busy week, I've been going crazy! So today I am reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, eating cheese and crackers for lunch, and looking at all the old Late Night with Conan O'Brien Bumpers, which are insanely awesome! What a day! Plus I did awesome in my Fantasy Project Runway team... oh yeah, who picked Jay to win? ME! My total favorite part though was Anthony "I left my emotions in Atlanta, Georgia." Oh my, I'm such a sucker for over-the-top gay queens.

Plan for the weekend? I'd like to go skating at the Depot, which is in an old train shed downtown and awesome and full of ghosts? Oh yeah, and FOOOOOOTBAAAALLL! Go Vikings!

Jack Skellington, the vest

Hmm, I've never been one for the goth look... my dark side extends to a love of Tim Burton and that is about it... I am however wearing black and white stripes and a ribcage vest today, so I feel like this should look like I just fell out of Hot Topic, but well, it doesn't.




T-shirt - JC Penney clearance
Ribcage vest - www.viceroyrose.etsy.com
Pants - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Shoes - next (DSW mega-clearance a few years ago)

Who's excited for Project Runway tonight? My #1 gay boyfriend Chris set up a fantasy league, so that will add some extra excitement to the night (although the points system on Lifetime is pretty stupid, to be honest). I also have my disabled client tonight, like every Thursday, and like he says "We're stuck together for life." have a lovely Thursday!

The girliest boy scout

Since I was inspired by girl scouts last Wednesday, I figured I should do a boy scout one too (it was super hard not to take this too overboard - I own an insane amount of old girl scout and boy scout paraphernalia... I can't help it, it's all so cheap and adorable!)

Butterfly clip - made in 8th grade out of a plastic toy
Vintage boy scout shirt - thrifted
Belt - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted J.Crew
Tights - Target
Shoes - Diesel via Gilt Group

Guh, sleeping in my super cool elbow brace is anything but super cool. I think I'm gonna have to go get some Tylenol PM or whatever to take... I'm supposed to be on anti-inflammatory drugs anyway so hopefully it will help me sleep, I am waaay too tired today.

I just blue myself

I hope you all watched Arrested Development, so you get that title.

Glasses - thrifted American Optical (w/ lenses changed)

Cowl - Crocheted by me!

T-shirt - Target

Dress - Marc by Marc Jacobs (with Swiss dots!!!) via Opitz outlet store

Tights - DKNY via TJ Maxx

Socks - Target

Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, inherited from sister

And thank you to Miu Miu for bringing back this shoe shape:

I've had these things in my closet since like 1998, just waiting for them to come back, because I am cheap and they were free (courtesy of my sister and her hand-me-downs!) Is my sister like 6 inches taller than me? Yes! Do we wear the same size shoes? Yes! As for the actual Miu Miu's, aside from the fact that I could never afford them, I think I'm too old to wear them! The pattern looks a little too much like, well, everything I owned in 6th grade... the seagull pattern of those same shoes though? Let's just say I wouldn't kick them out of bed, you hear me Miuccia?)

Otherwise, not much to report here... went to a few thrift stores for 50% off weekend and got a lot of vaguely ethnic accessories. Put up a few things in my etsy. Watched the Vikings kill the Cowboys. Went to the doctor for my elbow and have to go get an EMG next Monday, and in the meantime have to sleep in a super cool brace that doesn't let me bend my elbow... aka I am awesome.

Let's play with Google Analytics (part deux)

If you don't know what that means, go here for enlightenment. I've been meaning to do this for, like, ever...

i got nothing in heaven
Hmm, well apparently you have Google in heaven, so you know, there's that.

sore puffy "red elbow"
Ugh, don't remind me... mine is crazy hurting again, but I have an appointment with an orthopedist at 7:40am on Monday (which I stupidly scheduled SO EARLY on my DAY OFF)

vintage italian silk pegasus vest

Yep, I got it and you can't have it... mythical beast, mythical vest

what to wear for yodeling
this? or this?


cliff diving and wearing a cup
This is SO OUT OF THE REALM OF MY KNOWLEDGE IT'S INSANE. Google, how did you point this person to my blog and why do you hate them so much?

did ginger from gilligan's island wear anything but a dress?
I don't think so?? I know she wouldn't have dared to try to pull off shorts, standing next to Mary Ann, that would just be pathetic.


facts about people who don't have nothing to wear
They are probably nudists or indigenous peoples?

help me im being killed
Um, I would go with 911 over Google for this one. Really hope you survived.

hates packing
Don't we all? Grrr... maybe if I had these suitcases I would like it more?


i have nothing to wear to rave
Really? People still go to raves? Please stop raving.

i like wearing dresses and im a boy
Cool. Thanks for letting me know... is it hard to find ones where the bust isn't all saggy and sad?

i'd rather be riding my bike
Me too... spring can't come soon enough!


i'm a spaz
Geek, Dweeb, or Spaz? (Does ANYONE get that reference?)

i'm being killed
Still??

is kate spade still cool
YES! YES! Although I don't know if cool is the right word for it, it's too precious to be cool...

knocking on heaven's door sexy nurse
What in the world do these two things have in common? Really? Please go away.

modest body paint halloween
MODEST BODY PAINT... you sit in the corner and think about what you just said and when you are ready to admit your mistake, you can rejoin society.

permanent ankle chains
would probably be a bad idea...

sexy camping wear
also a bad idea, coverage is key, mosquito bites are decidedly unsexxxy

totally obsessed with this girl that likes me
i do not, in fact, like you. Please stop obsessing.

what does it say about a person: fake lint picking
WHAT? like someone picks a piece of lint off your sweater, but the lint isn't actually there? Again, I am confused? This is a real problem?

how to look gorgeous for a guy when you have nothing to wear?
I am a huge fan of white t-shirt, black skirt. So simple and elegant (provided you own a perfect white t-shirt, sans stains.)

how to wear military inspired jackets
here's a few of mine!


knocking on heavens door o baby i'm 90's
I do love me some '90s... but that song is waaay older than that... I'm sure there were a few shitty covers of it made during the '90s though.

make the boy wear a dress
I used to do this to my little bro all the time... got the photos to prove it but won't put them here... although I don't know if "make" is the right word, he seemed pretty in to it at the time (you know, being like four and all)

making maude lebowski's viking outfit
I did it! Make sure you don't lose a digit while sawing the plastic bowling balls in half, otherwise it's easy! Plus, now I can wear the hat while watching the Minnesota Vikings football games to be super obnoxious!

matador vest
Looooove mine, go get one!


maxi dress gross
Not true, you're gross, gross-face.

nothing on heavens store
Hmm, I never thought about heaven having stores... clearly they will kick ass, everything will fit perfect, and all of it is freeeee!

redhead skirt
No, sorry Mr. Margiela. Not gonna sell you my hair to make a skirt.

sally peanuts pink polka dot dress
Yeah, Sally Brown, Charlie Brown's little sister - she wore a pink polka dot dress? You want to make something of it? On an unrelated note, it would be pretty cool if your name was Sally Peanuts.

theleggingslady.blogspot.com
I hope this isn't real. I'm scared to check.

volunteer guilt
Yeah, I felt pretty guilty about the things I have when I came back from volunteering in a Dominican orphanage... it's not a bad thing... it really makes you grateful for all the little things in life that are really huge in reality (constant access to safe drinking water = amazing!)

walgreens poofy skirt
I'm pretty sure Walgreens only sells crazy t-shirts with graphics of wolves and I don't know, a horse running through a stream? And fake Crocs... but poofy skirts? I don't think so.

"i have nothing to wear" sjp
I'm pretty sure Sarah Jessica Parker has never had "nothing to wear." In fact, I suspect her closet is just a wormhole into the Vogue closet.

"minneapolis is the best city"
Duh!

everything is hilarious
I know! Sometimes I think of really funny things when I'm driving and then I just look nuts to the max, giggling alone in the car!


jobs for ladies to have nothing on
Hardcore stripping? Waitress at a nudist colony?

no dress partygirl
Tara Reid?

something from nothing science experiments
Mold?

the mayors of sexytown
MayorS? Plural? I share the title with no one.

cutest baseball players
Hmmm, little known player, but I'm gonna go with Kevin Slowey (he's a pitcher for the Twins and I never really thought much about him until I saw him at the season kickoff last year in an oxford shirt and crew neck sweater. Ok, maybe he can be co-mayor of sexytown.) Honorable mentions: Denard Span, Joe Mauer

can i wear a dress to school on my birthday
Sure! Why not? Why are you Googling this?

crazy fan wearing nothing
Oooh, a streaker! How exciting! I've never seen one in real life! Are you sure he wasn't wearing a flesh toned body suit like George Costanza?

cute sexy creative rave outfit
Gross. And no such thing.

do guys like daisy duke outfit
Most of them, probably.

a cute tiger pajama birthday cake
I am pro-cutetigerpajamabirthdaycake. Wait? Tigers in pajamas? Girl, you crazy.

wierdly cute things
Thank you Google! Here's two weirdly cute things:

Who says you can't wear silver sequins and cowboy boots at the same time?

Like a rhinestone cowboy:

Sparkle week resumes!

Sequin shrug - $2 at crazy outlet store

T-shirt - Bitten by SJP

Skirt - thrifted Ann Taylor LOFT

Boots - thrifted

Oh goodness! So excited for the new season of Project Runway! In only a few short hours I'll be basking in the bitchy orange glow of Michael Kors and picking teams for Fantasy Project Runway with a few of my favorite boys... ahhh.

Oh! Oh! So, like months ago, I was out with the boy and mentioned something about wanting a small chandelier to go at the top of my stairs, instead of the boring little glass ball fixture that was there. I didn't really think much of it but just have been keeping an eye out for one. Last night, the boy gave me my belated Christmas gift which I have been waiting for him to "finish". What was it? A chandelier!!! He found an old one (the guy at the shop thought it was from the '40s based on the electrical work), and rewired the whole thing, and bought a bunch of glass crystals for it and has been fixing it up for me! HOORAY! I'll post a photo once we're done with it - he wanted to show it to me now to see if I want more jangly crystals and the answer, duh, is YES! I'm beyond excited! I love that he's handy and remembered that I wanted one and took the bus ALL OVER TOWN to find the perfect one and has been hanging out in lamp repair shops!

Green accessories make all the difference

We interrupt Sparkle Week to encourage you to buy more Thin Mints:

 Taking a little intermission from the glitter today, the sequins will resume tomorrow.

Dress - necessary objects via TJ Maxx

String tie - thrifted vintage clip-on

Bracelet - thrifted

Belt - thrifted

Tights - Betsy Johnson via TJ Maxx

Shoes - Michael Kors

Look! I remembered to take a few detail shots for once:

Hooray! Horse belt!

I have my book club meeting tonight. We read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which won the Pulitzer Prize for 2009, and is pretty meh (well, maybe the last 40 pages will redeem it? I still haven't finished, but I have an excuse! I'm also reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, which won the Pulitzer in 2001 and is awesome and like 700 pages, so I haven't been to motivated to finish the book club selection.) I'll finish it up today. I'm excited anyway, our book club meetings are so fun and it is my friend Matt's birthday tomorrow so we are surprising him with cake and playing games after the discussion!

Wow, I'm a nerd. I could talk about books all day long!