Understatement

It was -9 out today when I walked to the bus stop so my sweatshirt should probably say "Minnesota. Nose permanently damaged from frost bite.  Warm heart."

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf club

Sweatshirt - thrifted vintage Jerzees

Skirt - American Apparel

Tights - ? Target? no clue...

Shoes - Seychelles

Alright kiddos, have a fabulous Christmas if you celebrate it! I'll be sporadically blogging over the next two weeks as I head back and forth from Minneapolis to Chicago and Lake Geneva, and to Marshall to celebrate Christmas like five times with all sorts of family and friends! 

Fur and lace

I love this lace print dress. I'm really particular about actual lace for some reason (I think a lot of them look cheap) so this dress is a perfect compromise. Looks like lace, but isn't lace at all!

Fur collar - thrifted vintage

Dress - Rodarte for Target

Belt - thrifted

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Seychelles

I'm in a super good mood today! My dad had his knee replaced yesterday morning and everything went perfect! I know it's pretty routine surgery, but I was still a nervous wreck all morning! I was in such a good mood that when I ran to Target on my lunch break, I wound up with a basket full of mint truffle Hershey Kisses for our staff. I love my school, more so now than ever, so I flung Kisses all over the mailboxes for everyone to snack on every time they walked by. But as much as I love it, one more day of school and then I have 16 days off! Woo! Now if only I could motivate myself to buy my last few Christmas gifts... 

Scorched retinas

Sorry if looking at my sweater damaged your eyeballs. I should have warned you that it was coming so you could have made one of those little paper camera viewers, like kids make for looking at an eclipse.

Glasses - Prada

Sweater - thrifted vintage Devon Original

Oxford - thrifted Cherokee (little boys)

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - from Nordstrom 17 years ago (the brand wore off long ago)

One of the problems with owning so many statement/conspicuous articles of clothing is that I don't wear them too often. I've worn this sweater 5 times in just under 2 years. Which isn't too bad for SUCH a loud sweater. Regardless, it's awesome owning an original piece of 1960s dayglo and I'll continue to blind the public with it twice a year, forever and ever.

Also, I was totally one of those girls in middle/high school who was all, "I hate pink." I'm still not exactly a fan of pink (and don't get me started on how much I hate purple) but I don't mind pink any more. And this is one of my favorite sweaters. Sorry, rebellious teenage Christine. Pink. It's happening.

Benevolent Elks

Several staff and kids have already complimented me on this coat and one of them called me "Sargent Pepper" so that's always a good sign.

Jacket - vintage Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (from 1922 - the inside is dated!)

Dress - Marc Jacobs

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Seychelles

The awesome back...

My sister and brother-in-law took Henrik to meet some lumberjack version of Santa the other day. Kim insists that is a look of "excitement" and not "abject terror" but I think the photo says otherwise... regardless, I think it's hilarious so I had to share...

I'm excited to go home for Christmas in four days and see what Henrik makes of all the loud relatives, trees, lights, and gifts now that he's a bit older! 

Photo booth (61) and a weird day

Saturday night I worked the photo booth for a private holiday party at a fancy pants house on Lake Minnetonka. It was crazy. Valets, a palm reader, bartenders, waiters... The older I get, the more I appreciate the fact that I didn't grow up with money.

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables

Dress - Anna Sui for Target

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole (inherited from sister)

I went over to Nate's after I was done working and found this in their yard. Nate and one of his roommates made a snowman and snowhound. Awesome!

Today...

Cardigan - Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply (men's)

T-shirt - Target

Jeans - Target

Shoes - thrifted Enzo Angiolini

It's our first day of school following the tragedy in Newtown, CT. I've felt weird and sad since Friday. I don't really know what to say about it, other than it is my worst nightmare and I can't imagine what the parents, famililes, and community are going through. We've got extra social workers on hand in case any kids need to talk and we're reviewing our safety procedures to make sure we're doing everything imaginable to keep our students safe. And everyone gets an extra tight hug from me. I feel so lucky to work with children and get to see the world through their innocent eyes once in a while. I don't share too much about my job here (thanks HIPAA) but I will share this funny moment from last week...

A 6 year old boy was looking at my desk (which is covered in little drawings and gifts from students) and said, "Why does your desk say Christmas Time?" I said, "Where?" And he pointed to the nametag on the front of my desk that says "Christine." I said, "Oh, that's my nametag. It says ChrisTine," pointing to the letters as we sounded it out. He looked at me a bit puzzled and said "Is that short for Christmas Time?"

Clearly he's only got one thing on his mind...

Hats and buses

It's a slouchie beanie sorta day. I always think it's fun to wear hats at work because the elementary kids aren't allowed to wear hats inside so they're always jealous. Ha ha! I'm a grown up. I can do whatever I want (including eating leftover pizza for breakfast, which I totally did today.)

Hat - Target (men's)

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf club

Sweater - J. Crew outlet

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern Signature Collection

I'm not a huge fan of hats in general (they're hard to wear because of my hair - it's so puffy that it sticks out all crazy out of hats), but sometimes I just feel the need to rock an indoor hat...

Last night I took my special needs buddy Daniel to the Hollidazzle Parade. It's one of our annual traditions - I've taken him there 9 years in a row!  He only really cares about the end, when he gets to see Santa...

And the part with the decorated bus. He is obsessed with buses. We play a game every week when we are out and about and if you see a bus you have to point to it and yell "A Bus!" and then you get one point. Whoever has the most points when I drop him off at home, wins for that day. I've only beaten Daniel ONCE (and we started playing "The Bus Game" about 5 years ago. He is goooooood at spotting a bus.)

Toodles!

Goodbye horses

Did you just start singing that song in your head? Cause I did.  Another oversized layer today! This sweater is ridiculous. I am aware. But it's super warm and makes me feel like The Dude (The Big Lebowski, duh) therefore it is awesome... That rug really tied the room together.

Cardigan - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Tights - TJ Maxx?

Shoes - Bakers

The back...

I found this cardigan back in '09 and wear it exactly once a year. I'll try to recitfy that this year and wear it again before spring. It's just such a conspicuous item of clothing, I can't exactly wear it all the time. And it's so big and thick, I can barely stuff on my winter coat! 

Like a box

This jacket is too big on me and pretty boxy to begin with but I love it anyway. I considered tailoring it to make it fit better (and I still might) but sometimes I'm just in the mood to look like a boss box. It's a weird jacket to begin with (those lapels!) so I just pretend it's supposed to be boxy. 1960s avant garde.

Blazer - thrifted vintage Junior Forecast

Dress - Marc by Marc Jacobs

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - MIA

Also, these Cynthia Rowley tights are the best tights in the world (well, at least the best ones I've ever owned.) I bought 3 pairs last year off Gilt, hoping they would be better and last longer than the cheapie Target ones I usually buy. And they're amazing! So opaque and warm! I wear them constantly and they're still in great shape! Way better than buying a ton of cheap ones that run and stretch all the time! 

Buffalo

Jacket - thrifted Woolrich

T-shirt - Target

Skirt - American Apparel

Tights - Target

Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole (inherited from sister)

It's that time of year when I have to start getting creative with layering. I'm wearing two pairs of tights today and a cardigan under this jacket (mostly because the jacket is made of insanely itchy wool!) It's a good thing I have knee high rubber boots too, because it usually takes about a week to get the sidewalks and bus stops in my neighborhood cleared. Here was what my long and adventurous walk home yesterday on the "sidewalk" looked like... 11 inches of snow plus piles from when they plowed the street:

Not gonna lie, it's kinda fun jumping into other people's footsteps and trudging though the deep snow (except when I have to cross four lanes of traffic, which is plowed but still slippery - it's terrifying!)

Snow beast

Yay! I had an awesome, relaxing weekend. Friday night it was snowing a bit so Nate and I made a fire in the fireplace, drank red wine, and played Trivial Pursuit all night. Saturday we went and babysat Henrik from 6pm til midnight. Just the cutest thing ever, shooting Henrik with a squirtle (squirting turtle, duh)...

He went to bed at like 8:30 so we just sat around at my sister's watching movies (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!) all night. Sunday we got up and made chili and watched football all day (yesss, Vikings!). It snowed all day long and we wound up with 11 inches of snow! Today it's super cold and windy but the snow is really pretty! I'm lucky and take the bus to work, so I didn't have to deal with driving!

Moto jacket - c/o Jacob

Shirt - J.Crew outlet

Jeans - Earnest Sewn

Shoes - Target

Can I sing the praises of this jacket/sweatshirt hybrid for a minute? It's made of the softest, thick sweatshirt material, but looks like a motorcycle jacket = best of both worlds. I wore it like alllllllll weekend but I had to wear it again today. It's cold, it's windy, it's Monday, it's a snowy mess everywhere, I need to be warm and comfy today!

Christmas bows?

This is not actually a Christmas sweater, just a red sweater with white bows, but for some reason it just feels Christmasy, you know?

Sweater - thrifted Cherokee

Oxfords - thrifted little boys Cherokee

Jeans - Gap

Boots - Rockport

Whoopie! I don't have to photo booth at all this weekend (but instead I'm gonna spend my Saturday night babysitting Henrik with Nate cause I'm awesome like that). My friend Megan is coming over  tonight to play dress up because she has her husband's fancy work party tomorrow night and she doesn't know what to wear! She's got several dresses to choose from and once we pick one, I'm gonna lend her a fancy-spancy coat and some accessories! Woo! Cue "Pretty Woman," it's time for a montage, Roy Orbison! I'm serious. I've got the song on my laptop, and I'm totally gonna blast it in the walk-in closet while she tries things on. Luckily, she's a good sport and is usually entertained by my ridiculous antics. Have a fabu weekend, internetzz!

Flood waters

I was cleaning out my closet a long time ago and was about to toss these old black flares from Express that I wore in my bartending days. They had a few bleach stains so I didn't even want to donate them. But I thought they'd be fun to "play" with so I saved them in the sewing pile forever. I finally got around to de-flaring them, cropping them, and then I dunked them in some watered-down blue screenprinting ink a few times. Ta-da! Looks like I got caught in a flood...

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf course

Squirrel pin - thrifted

Pants - thrifed Express, altered by me

Shoes - Sak's Fifth Avenue brand

A squirrel, because, why not? And pants detail (hastily taken in my office bathroom this morning because I'm classy like that.)

I like how they turned out and this outfit - it's like a weird twist on a suit!

Midnight oil

Necklace - garage sale (found by my mom)

Shirt - c/o Jacob

Skirt - secondhand vintage

Tights - Target??

Shoes - Seychelles

I'm kinda in love with this outfit and I'm not usually one to love monochrome black and grey... but the dotted tee with the suede and leather striped skirt... kinda perfect. 

I got to hang out with my mom (who is in town for a few days) and my nephew for a few hours last night. He's getting so big and even saying a few words and taking a few steps! Tonight I'm going to happy hour with my friend Megan (because we haven't been able to have our weekly food truck lunches the past few weeks.) Then I've got a ton of stuff to get finished for my etsy. Ugh, is it winter break yet? I'm ready for some time off (but not really because I still have a bunch of Christmas gifts to buy.) Eeek! I love/hate this time of year.

Mr. Marbles

I always feel a bit like a ventriloquist's dummy when I wear a bow tie, but I do it anyway! I don't do androgynous dressing too often and I'm usually pretty girly, but lately all I want to wear is pants. I feel like I go through this every year when it starts to get really cold. I wear pants for two weeks, get sick of it, decide to suck it up and stop whining, and then start wearing skirts and dresses again. Hopefully soon.

Sweater - thrifted Target sample

Oxford - f by faconnable (inherited from aunt)

Bow tie - from a going out of business tux rental place

Jeans - Target

Shoes - Nordstrom brand (little boys)

I'm still refusing to wear socks (my sworn enemy) though... it's not that cold yet.

Photo booth (60) and Americana

Saturday I worked a corporate Christmas party from 4:30pm-12:30am... it was long and pretty boring but I survived. And I was set up right next to a live band playing oldies for hours, so that sure kept me awake. Soo loud! And I was super jealous, all the employees of the company got iPads, $200, and an extra vacation day for Christmas. Working at a public school, I know we're getting exactly nothing (though sometimes I get cute cards from the kids or their parents, which is sweet). 

Dress - vintage via Everyday People (secondhand shop)

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Target

Today...

Glasses - Prada

Blouse - vintage Wrangler

Necklace - thrifted

Bangles - thrifted, garage sales, etc

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - nicole by Nicole Miller

Yesterday Nate and I went to a local sports bar for pizza and yelling at the Vikings. A lot of yelling. 

Disco, disco

This vintage cardigan came with a matching sleeveless sweater dress and I'm trying to decide if I should sell them together as a set or just sell the dress and selfishly keep the cardigan even though I have a million-billion cardigans already. So I'm taking it out for a test drive today to see what I think! 

Cardigan - thrifted vintage International Boutique

Shirt - Julie Brown

Pants - Gap

Loafers - Enzo Angiolini

This shirt always gives me a case of what I'm going to call "Disco Ball Neck"...

Two more Post-It note sketches from the 30 day drawing challenge...

Day 18, draw a plant. I drew a Dahlia which are one of my favorite flowers (along with Ranunculus and Zinnias.)

Day 19, draw a doodle. I teach kids to draw these frogs all the time when they are sick and waiting to be picked up by a parent.  The distraction usually makes them forget about the fact that they have a fever and thus are an emotional mess. 

Toodles, kiddos! Have a fabulous weekend (because I know I won't... I'm working an 8 hour shift for the photo booth for a corporate holiday party tomorrow. Oh joy.)

Bruised

After dressing like an overgrown child yesterday, I decided to dress up a bit more today...

Necklace - J.Crew outlet

Shirt - Target

Belt - thrifted

Skirt - American Apparel

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

This necklace is just clear in real life, but always shows up a bit white in photos due to the flash reflecting inside the orbs:

I spent last night photographing a bunch of stuff for my etsy - it's so time consuming but still fun. It's like playing dress-up for three hours! Now I just have to measure, describe, and list them all. I'll probably do it on Sunday, as it's pretty easy to do while watching football (well, after the Vikings vs. Packers game - I'll be glued to that!)