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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Goodbye, hair


No, your eyes are not deceiving you - I chopped off all my hair! I thought it was finally time to fulfill my dream of looking like Justin Bieber. (I'm kidding - although my hair does kind of look like the Biebster's now.) It's weird and sassy and kind of boyish, but I love it! Plus, it means I can cross #5 off my 30 before 30 list. And it means that doing my hair now takes ten seconds.

I went to Lucas Salon to get it done. I can't say enough good things about that place. Every time I've been there, they've done great things to my hair. If you're ever in the Portland area and in need of a haircut, visit Lucas Salon and ask for Shiloh - she's the one who cut my hair this time, and I loved what she did.

(Don't mind my red earlobe - my ears just don't like earrings sometimes.)

Sweater: Target
Skirt: Halogen from Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: DSW
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Earrings: B. Lee Designs
Necklace: free from my aunt

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

My (sort of) 30 before 30 list


I've seen tons of people make a "30 before 30" list, of 30 things they want to do before they turn 30. Well, since my 30th birthday is in just over a year (I'm trying not to have a panic attack every time I think about that), I decided to make my own list. I'm calling it my "sort of" 30 before 30 list because so far I haven't been able to think of 30 things. It's tough to find a balance between crazy things that are expensive, and fun things that don't cost any money. So as I think of more, I'll add to the list, but I wanted to get it posted today because I just did one of the things on my list, and wanted to talk about it in my next post!

1. Go skydiving.
2. Get another tattoo. I have two already, but there are several more I'd like.
3. Travel somewhere new. It would be too expensive to travel somewhere like Europe, so I'll settle for traveling to a new city in Oregon if that's all I can get.
4. Pay off all debt except student loans.
5. Do something new to my hair (that I've never done before).
6. Get a piece of writing published (or at least try really, really hard).
7. Sew another quilt.
8. Save up six months of expenses. Josh thinks this is overly ambitious, because even six months of limited expenses is a very large sum of money, but I'm feeling optimistic.
9. Learn to crochet.
10. Eat at a food cart. If you live in Portland, you know how crazy it is that I've never actually been to one.
11. Eat at Portland City Grill. It's a restaurant at the top of one of the tallest buildings in the city, and it's normally absurdly expensive, but recently I learned that their happy hour prices are reasonable.
12. Go to a shooting range and learn how to shoot a gun. I'm actually anti-gun and never want to own one, but I still want to learn how to handle one properly.
13. Knit something that isn't a scarf.
14. Take a self-defense class. I'm feisty and I carry mace, but it would still be handy to know some tips for defending myself against an assaulter.
15. Go rock climbing (at a gym).
16. Adopt another dog.
17. Stay a night at McMenamins Edgefield. (I did a post full of photos of it here.)
18. Visit the Portland Art Museum. (Another thing I probably should have done a long time ago.)
19. Make a cake from scratch (icing too) and have it look pretty. I have no problem making delicious desserts - I just have trouble making them look nice.
20. Learn to drive a stick shift. I think this is the goal that makes Josh the happiest, because he's been wanting to own a stick shift for years.
21. Switch to buying all organic milk in glass jars. I know this one sounds all hippy-dippy - but I am kind of a hippy!

If any of you have suggestions for 9 more things to add to my list, let me know!

Monday, March 4, 2013

A once-a-year dress


The last time I wore this dress was more than a year ago (here). I know people always say that you should have a closet full of clothes you wear all the time, but I think there's something fun about having a lot of dresses that I only wear a few times a year. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm easily bored - if I only had five dresses, I'd hate them all pretty quickly. Instead, I have about thirty, and still feel pretty excited to wear all of them.



Turtleneck: Kohl's
Dress: Sweet Jayne
Coat: purchased in China
Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx
Earrings: free from my aunt
Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Plain Jane


Here's a "plain Jane" outfit from the other day. Apart from the wrinkly skirt, I thought it was cute, even if it was a bit simple. During the afternoon that I wore this outfit, while I was snacking on some popcorn, part of one of my teeth broke off. Ahhhh! It was a horrifying experience, to pull a chunk of broken tooth out of my mouth. But thankfully I got it fixed yesterday, and I think I'll steer clear of popcorn for a while.

Also - where the heck did my eyebrows go?! I wish they would show up in photos more often...


Shirt: J. Crew
Skirt: Anthropologie
Jacket: Macy's
Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Hat: H&M
Scarf: made by me

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Bald patches


I'm so tired of buying black tights and having them disappoint me. Both pairs of black tights I bought at American Apparel ripped (one pair ripped the first day I wore it!), and this pair from Target that I'm wearing in these photos appear to have bald patches. (And you thought the title of this post was referring to my hair, didn't you?) I just want a pair of solid black tights that have an even tone and don't rip the moment I put them on - is that too much to ask of life?

Other than the tights issue, I loved this outfit. I'm glad I found an excuse to wear my giant fuzzy black hat in a way that doesn't make me look totally insane. (Unless it does, in which case I guess I'm not very self-aware.)


Top: Old Navy
Jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors from Nordstrom Rack
Skirt: Forever 21 brand, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.
Tights: Target
Flats: ShoeMint
Hat and scarf: Fred Meyer
Necklace and earrings: free from my aunts

Monday, February 25, 2013

Cozy 80's sweater and a shopping ban


It's been so cold here lately, so I've been wearing a lot of bulky, cozy sweaters. I love this gray sweater that my aunt gave me. She found it when she was cleaning out her apartment. I think it's from the 80's. It was more obviously 80's before I cut out the shoulder pads, but now I think it looks quite cute. One of my other aunts gave me this necklace. I get so much free stuff from my three aunts, it's ridiculous. Right now I especially appreciate their hand-me-downs, because I'm banned from buying clothes. Josh and I are trying to kill off the rest of our non-student loan debt, so for the next few months I have a clothing budget of $0. So far I've gone a month and a half without buying any clothes, and it's been rough. I don't think I've gone that long without buying clothes for years. I think my no shopping challenge will be good for both our budget, and my frame of mind when it comes to shopping. I don't need to be constantly buying things in order to have a good wardrobe.



Sweater: free from my aunt
Coat: Marks and Spencer
Jeans: Levi's
Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Hat: H&M
Necklace: free from my aunt
Bracelet: gift

Friday, February 22, 2013

Project Runway unconventional materials challenge

All photos from this source

I watched last week's episode of Project Runway last night. If you don't watch that show, I would highly recommend it - it's the only "reality" show I can handle. I love the clothes, I love the snark, I love the drama. Last week's episode was the unconventional materials challenge, which is always my favorite. The contestants are sent to an unusual store to buy the supplies for their outfits - grocery store, pet store, candy store. This time they went to a flower store and hardware store. I loved the results so much that I thought I'd share some of my favorites. (As well as the one I hated, because, well, why not?) Also, I had no outfit photos to share, so there's that reason, too :)

I love Kate's dress (pictured above) because it's so frou frou and over the top. Michelle and Richard's dress, below, is kind of bondage-meets-salad, which is weird and very interesting...


The next two dresses I only liked the backs of. I love the asymmetrical string straps and ombré flower petals on Benjamin's dress, and the exposed hardware on Amanda's...



Patricia's outfit was the one I absolutely loathed. I thought it was hideous and nonsensical, and I feel fairly certain that even though I am not crafty, I could have made something similar in a day and a half...


My favorite dress was Layana's - I think it's a work of art, and I could definitely picture someone wearing it on the red carpet....



Do any of you watch Project Runway? I'm sad that Michael Kors isn't one of the judges this season. I miss his particular brand of brilliant, witty snark. And I feel like all the contestants are being too nice to each other with this team challenge. I miss the days of people yelling at each other and calling each other names behind their backs.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Old news


I'm almost embarrassed to admit that these photos are from September of last year. I forgot about them, but stumbled upon them the other day and thought I may as well post them, because the weather has gone through its horrible winter phase and has circled back around to being semi-pleasant, so this outfit is actually something I would be able to wear right now. (With the addition of a light jacket, of course.)

The leaf in the background of the top photo is driving me nuts, but I couldn't erase it because I don't have mad Photoshop skills, so I apologize for the eyesore.


Shirt: Target
Pants: thrifted
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Dress Barn
Bracelet: In Pink

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A small dose of color


On Saturday I went on a cleaning spree in our bedroom, reorganizing things and getting rid of clothes I no longer wear. I arranged my tights in a vintage suitcase so I can see them all at once. I completely forgot about most of them. This winter I've been wearing mostly black and brown tights, so it was nice to rediscover these green tights. I've only worn them one other time (here), because I can only handle colored tights in small doses. I think the pop of green between the skirt and the boots was just right.



Sweater: Target
Skirt: Anthropologie
Jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors from Nordstrom Rack
Tights: American Apparel
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: free from my aunt

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

All black


This outfit is from a couple weeks ago, but I've been a bad blogger lately and haven't been posting. There's so much going on in this outfit, I'm not sure what to call it. Spiky floral goth-splosion? I can't say I'm crazy about the way it looks in photos, but I had fun wearing it, and it was super comfy.


Sweater: Target
Floral blouse: thrifted
Skirt: H&M
Tights: Forever 21
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Lita heels from Solestruck
Spider necklace: Bauble Bar

Monday, February 11, 2013

On the fringe


I love this fringe skirt that I got at Anthropologie about a month ago. It feels trendy without being too trendy - I think it's something I'll be able to wear even a few years from now. The only problem is that it sheds, which won't matter later in the year when I can wear it with bare legs, but when I wear it now with black tights, my knees and thighs end up looking all man-ish and hairy. Thank goodness for lint rollers.

And I decided to wear it with a blazer from the 90's because it just felt right. Also because I never had a chance to wear blazers like this when I actually lived through the 90's.


Sweater: Kohl's
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: American Apparel
Shoes: DSW
Blazer: from my mom, probably from the 90's
Necklace: gift
Bracelet: won in a giveaway

Monday, January 28, 2013

Psych


I guess I was just kidding about being back from my blog break, because I decided to take another week off. It's just so darn hard to care about what I wear when it's this cold outside. (For reference, "cold" to me is 30-40 degrees. I realize that many of you have to regularly deal with temperatures below zero, but I don't, so 30 degrees is pretty shocking.) When I wore this outfit yesterday to church and lunch, I was so cold I kept the coat on the whole time. At least my outfit looked kind of cute with the coat layered on top.


Sweater: Gap
Coat: Marks and Spencer
Skirt: vintage Pendleton, from an antiques show
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita from Piperlime
Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Monday, January 21, 2013

Back from a break


After a two-week unintentional blog break, I'm back! My absence was due to many causes: absurdly cold weather that made me unable to put any effort into my outfits, a lack of interest in my blog (I've heard that's pretty typical for bloggers when the new year hits), and a wrist injury that forced me to stop doing anything involving repetitive movements (like typing and clicking on the computer).

I think I wore this exact outfit four or five times during the past two weeks, just switching out the sweater under the cardigan. I've been obsessed with jeans, sweaters and boots this winter. I love these boots, which I bought with some Christmas money. They have a slight heel (because I just can't get enough of my heels), but they're comfortable enough to walk all over the city in. Some people think suede shoes are impractical for someone who lives in rainy Oregon, but as long as it's not pouring outside, they'll hold up just fine.


Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley from TJ Maxx
Coat and scarf: Marks and Spencer
Jeans: Levi's
Boots: DV by Dolce Vita from Piperlime
Necklace: Forever 21
Belt: thrifted

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

In a rut


I'm in a jeans and boots rut this winter. It's been so cold lately, and that makes me want to wear simple, warm clothing - although I think the pretty pink shirt and vest kicked it up a notch from plain to interesting.

Shirt: American Eagle
Vest: free from my aunt
Jeans: Levi's
Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Monday, January 7, 2013

No bun in my oven


This is a maternity dress, but I'm not pregnant. There's no real distinct line separating normal clothes from maternity clothes at Target, so one day I wandered into the maternity section, picked up this dress because it was cute, and didn't realize until I was wearing it in the fitting room that it was maternity. I don't mind too much. The stretchy panel at the waist is nice for those days when I eat just a bit too much :)



And because it was too ridiculous not to share, here is what happened right before we took the first photo in this post...


Dress: Target
Turtleneck: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden from Zappos
Coat: purchased in China
Hat: gift from my aunt
Bracelet: In Pink

Friday, January 4, 2013

Spiky


I know Jeffrey Campbell Litas are kind of a cliché in the blogging world (or at least they were a year ago), but I love them anyway and have wanted a pair for years. So I was very excited that Josh got me this spiky pair for Christmas! They're actually really comfortable to walk in, and the spikes are sharp. (Watch out, muggers. I may not be able to run away from you, but at least I can stab you with my shoes.)

My shoe collection is a bit ridiculous at this point. I'd say about half my closet is made up of shoes like these - awesome to look at, but kind of impractical to wear for some of the activities I engage in, like running errands or walking to the library. I don't care, though - my crazy shoes make me happy :)



Dress: Nordstrom Rack
Jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors from Nordstrom Rack
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell from Solestruck
Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Monochromatic


I wore this outfit to church last Sunday, but was so cold during the service that I had to keep my coat, scarf and gloves on the entire time. (Seen in the bottom photo.) Good thing I had a cool, monochromatic look going on with all that brown.



Sweater: H&M
Skirt: Target brand, thrifted from Goodwill
Tights: American Apparel
Boots: Jessica Simpson from Macy's
Hat: Albertus Swanepoel for Target
Scarf and coat: Marks and Spencer
Camel pin: gift, from Bethlehem
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