Ugly duckling

Sweater - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - Bongo

Woooooooooooo! I made it to Friday! It was a busy week! I'm going to my friend Erik's for his birthday party tonight and I'm ready for a beer. Or three.

I saw over on Orchid Grey that she's doing a 30 day drawing challenge and thought it would be fun to join in:

I'm pretty mediocre at drawing and I enjoy it, but I get busy and then I forget to do it. So hopefully having "assignments" every day will help. However,  I don't want to put tooooo much time and effort into it so I'm doing a post-it note sketch every day rather than a big ol' drawing. Of course, the first day is the hardest - drawing yourself. Stupid self-portraits, kills me every time. So here ya go, day 1:

Let me know if anyone else decides to do it, you only missed day one so now's the time to start!

A girly badass

 
T-shirt - Target
Vest - thrifted Target sample  (from Fake Target)
Skirt - thrifted (no tags)
Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole (inherited from sister)

I love this skirt but it's hard to make it not so... precious? So I paired it with my most bad-ass vest and I love the combination of tough and sweet... kinda like this graffiti street art I've been passing every day this week and forgetting to take a photo of until today...

Aww, cute (and huge! It's like 15 feet tall!) I can just picture the guy (or girl!), spray painting all night then taking Erin (whoever she is) there with a can of spray paint and her writing her answer in the little box! Yay for bad-ass love!

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!

Flowers and things

I love this shirt (I feel like I say that about some item of clothing every day... I guess because I usually pick one thing that I feel like wearing to build an outfit around and today it was this shirt.) The pattern is super cute and something about it just reminds me of early '80s block parties and my aunts drinking wine coolers.

 Blouse - thrifted Liz Claiborne (previously worn here)
Skirt - Brooklyn Industries (previously worn here)
Wedges - Unisa

Yesterday was pretty fun. Mohawk Boy came over and we went swimming in my pool, since it reached 103  degrees in MPLS (but with 20-40mph winds so we were also getting blasted in the face with gravel and bits of trees)... then we went to a dive bar to drink shitty beers and watch a super boring Twins game. Regardless, it was fun, because he is fun. More importantly tomorrow is the last day of school!!! Then I have like 3 weeks off, then I work summer school from 8am-12pm for six weeks, then I have a few more weeks off! Wahoo! I guess this heat wave officially makes it summer (I think this graphic applies to more than Toronto, yes?)

Image via The Week That Wasn’t by Sarah Lazarovic: Toronto Seasons

I think her name is Debra

 If you know why this t-shirt is awesome, you and I are going to get along just fiiiiiiiiiiiiine.

 Cardigan - antique store (info here)
T-shirt - beck.com
Cropped pants - Target
Sandals - Charles David

 Cardigan detail:

I've seen Beck in concert several times but his show in 2006 blew my mind. He rocked a few songs then said that the band and he had pulled into town kinda late and so he was gonna sing a few acoustic songs while the back-up band ate dinner. A dinner table full of food was brought out on table and all the musicians ate while Beck sang a song alone, just him and his guitar. He started singing a second acoustic song, when the drummer started hitting his water glass with a spoon. Then another guy started banging his hands on the table. Then pretty much this happened:

Sooooo amazing to see live. Seriously one of the top 10 concerts of my life (and I've been to HUNDREDS). Awesome.

Chocolate Milk Hotel

Sorry, Jeff Mangum, I kid because I love.

 Cardigan - thrifted

Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom

Necklaces - Target

Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic

Socks - Target

Shoes - Bakers (like 10 years ago!)

Striped socks! And they were on sale for $1.25!

Today is Dining Out for Life, so me and my special needs buddy Dan the Man will be going out for dinner at a Platinum Sponsor restaurant tonight! Unfortunately it's supposed  to be rainy because I wanted to eat outside, fortunately it's supposed to storm later in the evening, and I am generally pro-thunderstorm.

P.S. It has been 10 years since this interview with Dave Eggers, and I still read the addendum to this interview like once a month (skip to the part that says "Now the addendum") The very end just keeps building up until I'm so motivated to create and make and do that the energy from those passages can sustain me for days. It really is a good pick-me-up for days when you are feeling unmotivated or cynical... I encourage you to read it and share your thoughts!

some worthless advice

Do not wear this skirt to Home Depot... as a girl, going to Home Depot is hard enough, but accidentally wear a wood grain skirt in there, and you are in trouble.

T-shirt - Bitten by SJP

Belt - thrifted at Fake Target
Skirt - thrifted at Fake Target
Tights - thrifted at Fake Target
Bracelet - thrifted child's belt, wrapped around four times
Shoes - Madeline (DSW clearance)

Oooh and I have to throw in a "bracelet" close up... it's a thrifted child's belt in case you can't tell. I think it looks rather awesome.

Yay! Did my taxes! Will have extra money soon! Will try to be responsible and put it in savings but my impending spring break is tempting... vacation, mmmmmm. Up next... take on this hot mess in my closet!

Don't judge! 98% of these were either:
a.) thrifted and therefore $1-$5
b.) I have owned since high school, middle school, grade school?!?!
c.) were inherited from mom/sister/roommates
d.) gifts
e.) made by me

In other words, I own one decent necklace. I'm replacing this with various hooks that I have been collecting from thrift stores/home stores/wherever! All the earrings are going in "the earring drawer" which now exists in my closet, right above "the bracelet drawer." 

Oh, P.S. Crafting preview! Can you guess what it is or will be(the previous photo doesn't give you a hint at all!) I'll post when it's done and it's not a big fat mess!

It's a total DIY/ripoff of the Live Long Summer Necklace by Lizzie Fortunato Jewels...

hmm, maybe I'll try to make her Hold On Me Necklace next?

Oh, and the real one costs 360 pounds, which is what, like $600?!?!? No thank you.

Oh my!

Want. Need. Must. Resist. Recession. Black. Ass. Kicking. Boots.

Timberland, I never thought I would succumb to your styles, but I gotta say - I really want these boots. We'll see how much dough I earn waitressing a fancy-pants dinner on Valentine's day instead of spending time with the boy. You may be mine boots, prepare yourselves.

art is neat

Randomly found this while bored at like midnight...



Amazing art of the ASL alphabet made from matchbooks found on the street. See more of JK Keller's work

here

A.W.E.S.O.M.E

one more day!

Only one day of working at a middle school and then I am free! I'm not too worried about a job yet, as I have the country club gig to get me through the summer, but this whole arm thing has me thinking that I may get myself in trouble when my insurance stops in July. Yikes! Anyway, I am going to see REM, Modest Mouse, and The National tonight, hooray!

Also, this morning when I woke up at 6am at Ryan's house there was a random black dude in his 30s SLEEPING sitting up on one of the camping chairs on the porch. I was scared to leave so Ryan yelled at him to leave and when the dude got up, he was on some SERIOUS drugs. He fell down like 3 times then sat back down in a chair. Ryan yelled some more and the dude was stumbling and fell down the porch stairs. Then I finally left. Yikes. The same thing happened last year but at like 2am, when Ryan and I were still on the porch and he pulled a KNIFE on us. We had to do some serious acting and perform an elaborate lie to get him to leave, but he eventually did. On a lighter note, here is the outfit from today ...


and yesterday's since I didn't post it and it is fun.

Also... these sights make me laugh every day

Garfield Minus Garfield is just what it sounds like. Poor Jon is so pathetic without his pets.

Natalie Dee is terribly witty and always makes me laugh.



Ok, mama needs a nap before the concert so adios kittens!

blah, blah, blog!

So instead of going to the Twin's game with the bf, I stayed home and sewed a skirt, seen here...

I like how it's super bright on the front and an olive green on the back. Not a bad way to spend like 2 hours. I also realized that I should move some of the stuff from behind my stairs, do I need an empty milk crate, a Coke crate full of photos, and an unhung Norwegian shelf in the background of every photo - no. Anywhoo, anyone who has $4,500 laying around should buy me this

from here


Oh, Kurt Vonnegut, you are my hero



I love Kurt Vonnegut and was so sad when he died last year (mostly cause I'd spent like a month trying to decide which $125 limited edition screenprint of his original work I should get. Trying not to be impulsive, I was looking them over and over and narrowing it down and changing my mind over and over. Then he died and all the prices went up to $500. No Vonnegut art for me. Boo. The day can be summed up by what the vice-principal of my school said to me on the day he died "I'm sorry that your guide dog died.") I regret not getting some of his art, not to sell and make the money, but because I will never have one now due to the money. Oh well, he's still my hero and I got a tattoo that represents some lines from one of his books (and I love it even more cause my friend Bennie tattooed it for me while I was laying on my couch. He just left to go serve in Africa for the Marines, so GO BENNY!). It is one of my least favorite books of his but I really like just one little part of it. I'll post it here one day. Everyone asks why I got it or what it means and I won't tell anyone the part of the book or even which book, I just tell them it's because of Kurt Vonnegut. Anyway, enough about Kurt. I am going to go ride my bike and get more freckles! YES!

not so hot...

well, I haven't been doing too hot on the posting every day thing but oh well. I had a good weekend, BBQ on Friday, waitressing a wedding on Sat and then staying up until 6am, every Sunday I play baseball and we had like 18-20 people there! Nuts! I also went to a cool garage sale on Fri and the girl having it was from Morocco and had all this great stuff there. I got a wall hanging thing, a tiny rug, a summer bag to keep at Ryan's with biking/baseball stuff in it, and a wallet. Anywhoo, here is what I wore Friday



the best part is this belt that I made (and may make a few more to sell)


1/2 the belt shots for detail


and here is what I wore today (favorite skirt ever!)




anyway, I also got some great prints from 20x200, which is awesome cheap art and every Tuesday and Wednesday they post new limited edition prints which sometimes sell out REALLY fast so I get all worried about missing something great and check it all the time at work. I bought one of these today !