Black on black

On Friday each grade at my school was assigned a color to wear for Spirit Week. I chose to dress in black, like the 3rd graders (both because it's easy and because the 3rd graders this year are the biggest bunch of hypochondriacs I've ever met so I feel like I'm a part of their class.)

Vest - thrifted Express

T-shirt - Threadless

Cropped pants - thrifted NY & Co.

Wedges - Ralph Lauren

Friday night Nate and I made pizza from scratch then went and watched hockey and had a few beers with a friend. Saturday Nate had to work at the photo booth all day and I had to waitress in the evening. I started stenciling our little entryway (we painted it black a few weeks ago and I cut out the rose stencil myself.) So far so good!

I'll show you it again once it's finished (if I ever have a night off to work on it again!)

Sunday I had to waitress the Mother's Day brunch all day, then called my mom, then Nate and I sat by the pool and played cards for a while since it was not raining for once.

Monday... more black.

Glasses - thrifted vintage American Optical (lenses replaced)

Shirt - thrifted Target sample

Skirt - Future Paradise

Wedges - Ralph Lauren

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!

A rainbow and a wolf

Yesterday... worn to teach summer school, make and eat a ton of homemade soft pretzels, watch a bunch of old 30 Rock episodes with Nate, then go on a midnight mission to move my student's potted kale plants from out in the open to under an awning (it was going to storm and damn if I'm going to let their plants die on the 2nd to last day of class!)

Necklaces - DIY by me

T-shirt - Target

Jeans - Earnest Sewn

Wedges - Nine West Vintage America Collection

I made a ton of these necklaces two years ago out of cotton clothes line and either embroidery floss or hand-spun yarn.

Today... worn to take the summer school kids on a field trip to a local farm! We tasted a bunch of raw veggies, helped clean onions, and picked yellow and green beans!

Cardigan - thrifted school uniform, back patch added by me (patch was from an estate sale)

Shirt - J.Crew outlet

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - Minnetonka Moccasin

The back... I doubt an actual wolf would be welcome on the farm.

Some photos from the farm today...

We took a "shortcut" through this corn field and rows of cabbages.

Brussel sprouts (my faves!) and the yellow beans we picked!

These were, hands down, the best grapes I've ever tasted in my life.

OMG, farm day is my favorite! Makes me want to move to a farm!

Hearts and crap

These pants were very long flare legged corduroys when I found them at a $5 bag sale (so they cost less than $1). I decided to turn them into cropped skinnies and they turned out perfect, if I do say so myself.

Glasses - thrifted vintage, lenses replaced
Cardigan - thrifted vintage  Marella Knits

Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom

Corduroy pants - thrifted Banana Republic, altered by me

Shoes - Bakers

Yes, it's Valentine's Day. I'm not usually into all the hearts and flowers and crap, (though I do love my two vintage Waechtersbach heart mugs that hang out on my desk at work:)

One is for water and one is full of writing implements... and a fork because you never know when an eating emergency will occur. Regardless, I'm actually excited for Valentine's this year. Nate and I are making fondue and just hanging out. He doesn't love the mushy hearts thing either (though I am making him a rather ridiculous Valentine which I will show you tomorrow.) So, Happy Hearts and Crap Day everyone!

Denim and roses

Miss Wendy B was looking for some outfits featuring denim shirts. I decided to bust out this old Levi's one. I wear one chambray shirt a lot, but this thicker denim one has been in hiding for a while.

Glasses - thrifted vintage American Optical, lenses replaced

Denim shirt - thrifted Levi's
Pins - one is DIY, one from Target, one from Modcloth
Bangles - thrifted
Pants - Express
Shoes - Tracy Reese

I made the grey pom-pom... isn't it cute?! Aaaand, sometimes a girl just needs to wear 15 bangles...

I'm pretty excited for this weekend. On Saturday, I am seeing Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel, whose album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is my all time #1 desert island album). This is my dream concert and someone I NEVER thought I would actually get to see live. Don't mind me, I'll just be quietly weeping the whole time, no biggie. And of course, it's the same night that Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady) is playing a solo show in town with Mount Moriah (who I also love). I had to pick Jeff Mangum (especially since I've seen The Hold Steady play live five times already) but it was still heartbreaking. Craig Finn is my favorite live performer. Waaa. Yeah, first world problems. Then on Sunday, THE SUPERBOWL! Or as my friend Matt is calling it, The Super Eating Bowl. I gotta figure out what food I'm bringing. I'm for sure gonna bring these Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats and I might make homemade soft pretzels too. I love them but they are a lot of work!

The Wolf Pack

I've had this old school uniform cardigan forever and never wore it because it's pretty boring (but not plain enough to just be worm as a black cardigan because of the stupid iron cross on the front.) 

So I found an awesome felt wolf patch at an estate sale for a dollar and decided the two were destined to be united. When I was sitting in the hospital, waiting for my nephew to be born, I brought the wolf along and hand-sewed him on! I got a few sidelong glances in the waiting room. Other people decided to do "normal" things like "read a book", "talk to each other", and "nervously pace like a caged animal", while I chose to... sew a wolf. Big deal. And now it's the best cardigan ever and makes we want to start a 1950s style gang... except we ride bicycles and wear wolf cardigans and do good deeds instead of riding motorcycles and wearing leather jackets and being a nuisance. Do you want to join?

Necklace - thrifted
T-shirt - Target
Cardigan - thrifted school uniform, back patch added by me
Jeans - Gap
Shoes - Tracy Reese

Tiny dancer

This is one of those outfits where I just want to walk backwards all day, because it's so much cooler than the front!

Jean jacket - Target/ DIY by me
T-shirt - Target
Skirt - American Apparel
Tights - TJ Maxx?
Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern

And while I have a photo up where you can see the back of my hair for once, can we talk about this little situation?

Not cool, hair, not cool. If you are going to have a random awesome blotch of blonde hair, why not do it in the front? Or on the side? But no, you have a cool blonde skunk spot underneath my hair, where no one ever gets to see it except for when I take back shots of stuff for sale in my etsy. It has been infuriating to me my whole life. As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!"

Hot Pink Eyebrows (it happened)

Saturday I worked yet another wedding for the photo booth and decided to get a bit... creative? With my eyebrows?

 Lipstick + q-tip + eyebrow = awesome. In a very Cyndi Lauper way.

Glasses - Prada

Dress - thrifted, handmade

Brooch - thrifted

Sandals - Rampage, DIY by me

Sandal DIY inspired by those awesome Miu Miu glittery boots:

Before:

 Add glue:

 Dump on glitter:

 When dry, spray with clear gloss and then wear! So far the glitter has stuck!

Hooray for sparkles! And pink eyebrows!

Shiny Happy People

Shirt - Julie Brown
Navy blazer - thrifted little boys
Black skirt - made by me from a terrible dress
Shoes - unlisted by Kenneth Cole, 750 thumbtacks added to the soles by me

Wedges... from that time I put 750 tacks in my sandals and couldn't feel my thumb for two weeks... but seriously, I used these sandals because I got them for free from a friend and they had never been worn. I wear a 7.5 (or sometimes a 7) and these are an 8... I think I need to sell them and make myself a pair that fit. Any takers? I'm thinking like $50? They are Unlisted by Kenneth Cole and today is the only day they have ever been worn. Email me if you are interested.

Also, in case you missed it... Blog, can I get a zoom-in on my, um, neck-al area?

Oh yes. Check it out. Much like a spinning disco ball, the sequins reflect on my neck. Who wants to awkwardly slow dance to "November Rain"??? No one??? Is everyone already crying in the bathroom because this was "your song" with your 7th grade boyfriend? Oh damn, I suppose most bloggers are too young for this to be true. Was your song "My Heart Will Go On" instead? I'll take Axl over Celine any day.

My friend Mike is moving today to WI temporarily then Seattle permanently... I'm pretty sad. Last night we all went out to karaoke to bid him farewell and performed many cheesy songs about him spreading his wings and flying away. I maaay see him next week when I go visit my parental units in the Wisco, so I may get to do the sad goodbye all over again. Boo. 

Anywhoo... SCHOOOOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMA! Actually, no, let's not sing that song. Let's sing "Party all the Time" by Eddie Murphy because it is much funnier and that is what I will be doing for the next 31 days. No work. Just pool parties. Wahoo! I have never worked anywhere that wasn't a school or involved with a school, so I've always had this yearly "beginning" and "end" and I can't imagine how hard it would be to have a regular job and you just work and work and work and there is no new beginning every year to refresh yourself. Ahh, I'm spoiled, I know. I also make no money, I know. 

I just bought this Marc Johns painting, which I thought was pretty perfect for me.... I use too many ellipses and I'll never have a job where I'll make much money, given that I will only work in schools or for non-profits:

he preferred ellipses by Marc Johns

My posting and commenting may be spotty over the summer, like it was last year. I plan on wearing a lot of swim suits and not much else. But I'm gonna try to really keep up with the etsy and I'll update the blog at least a few times a week! Sorry this turned into such a long-ass, wordy post! Byyyyyyyye!