Blue stripes are the week's theme

Thursday

I'm not really sure how I got on such a stripes kick this week. I wore my jail stripe dress on Tuesday, this similarly striped tunic yesterday, and an irregularly striped blue/white dolman shirt today. 3/5 days of blue stripes...when I fall in a rut, I fall hard! I'm such a blue fan that I do have a lot of blue tops to choose from, seconded only by purple, probably. And this top is so deliciously soft that it's hard to resist. (It may originally have been a beach cover-up from Jessica London that's just so comfy I wear it all the time, regardless of season.) Has anyone been listening to the Hunger Games soundtrack? Because it is awesome! Of course, anything that T-Bone Burnett is associated with is going to be fantastic, but still: check it out on Spotify.

Friday

I made this necklace recently, but this is the first time I've worn it. It makes me think of the Evil Eye. And also of billiard balls. I make random associations, okay? It has some colors I'm not too fond off, but I think they're cut enough by the pretty blues and blacks.

New necklace

Red is happy!

I'm pretty sure that I love my red jeans more than I love you. Although you are no doubt a very nice person. But I just feel so kickass in them! I couldn't help it, I went and bought a few more pairs of the color jeans at Simply Be. The red ones weren't quite the color they appeared online, so I'll see what the colors actually are on the ones I ordered. I feel like these aren't as casual as regular jeans, so I can wear them to work (I feel the same about my corduroy "jeans" from Simply Be). Speaking of Simply Be, I have a pair of their brogues, size 8EEE in black that just haven't worked for me (good condition). Apparently my feet like my shoes to be flats or boots, in order to really be comfy. Is anyone interested in buying them?

Shirt - Avenue, Pants - Simply Be, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - Self-made.

Jail Break

My boss is at a conference so I can wear whatever I want! Jean jacket FTW. This is my prison stripes dress. I felt like wearing a dress, but I had absolutely no urge to shave, so the leggings came out. Depending on the light, my hair can look almost black (like this), or just a regular brown with my silver streaks. I broke down and bought The Hunger Games trilogy for my Kindle yesterday. The movie was just too good! I have to reread the books now, as soon as I finish my latest book. (Blood Rites by Jim Butcher - obvs a fantasy book.) I'm also a liiitttle sleepy, as you can tell from the photo. I need to be sleeping more at night, but I keep getting sucked into things.

Jean Jacket - Gap outlet, Dress - JMS, Leggings - Walmart, Shoes - Viva La Diva, Necklace - thrifted.

Rough Weekend

Cardigan and Shirt - Simply Be

My little Nana is in the hospital. She had a stroke Friday evening, so it was a hard weekend. She's doing very well (not paralyzed, she can speak and read), but still it's nerve-wracking. Particularly since she's my only grandparent left. My father's mother died when he was in college. His dad remarried, and he died before I was born. My step-grandmother died when I was in college. My mother's father died a few years ago, so it's just my little Nana left.

Pants - Simply Be

Necklace - pressie from Mia

On the non-crappy side, I did see The Hunger Games this weekend. Short story - see it, it's awesome. Long story - go to my book blog for a review of the books and movie.

Shoes - American Eagle

Me and Munchkinette

My sister noticed that I only have a real smile when I pose with the munchkinette. She asked me, very excitedly, if she could be in my "fashion picture" this morning. She's such a little ham! But, if you were this adorable, wouldn't you be a bit of a ham, too?

Caution: if you stare too long at the top of her dress, I'm pretty sure it'll hypnotize you. She is a tiny mini-me...only tan and non-smirky. Instead she's bossy. I don't know what her mom teaches her. She is, however, completely aware of how stinking cute she is, so we have to make sure to never let her puppy dog eyes never work on us. (Luckily, her "puppy-dog face" is bizarrely funny looking, not pathetic looking at all. So it makes it easy to say no.)

Cardigan - Simply Be, Shirt - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter, Necklaces - self-made.

I'm a winner!

the face of true excitement.

I won something! Allison of Curvy Girl Chic had a $150 giveaway to Beso.com. It's...sort of a stripped down Polyvore that connects you directly to the shops where you can buy the stuff. If that's what you want, great. But. You can end up with page after page of the same shirt, literally. I'm going to splurge and buy a Kindle Fire, because I have so wanted one ever since my sister got one for Christmas. You can take notes on them! (And yes, I know that is one of the dorkiest reasons for wanting one.) It really is a tablet, not just a souped up Kindle! Email, Word, apps, music, movies...I could pee I'm so excited.

PS. If you don't follow Allison already, do it. She's adorable and has style out the butt, and some of the cutest shoes you've ever seen.

Men...are annoying. Music helps.

• My hair is getting big again. I need to trim the bottom.
• I keep almost getting somewhere with guys on OkCupid, and then they stop messaging me. Sorry, but I need more than a few messages to be sure that you're not a psycho who will murder me when we meet for the first time! Grrr....
• Why do I feel completely comfy talking with ladies online, but freeze up at the thought of meeting a guy in real life?  OH YEAH, BECAUSE I HAVE A FREAKING ANXIETY DISORDER. 
• New singer I found through Starkid who totally rocks: Charlene Kaye! Her voice is awesome. Go check her out on Spotify. Also, sad truth, the Darren Criss album on Spotify...not great.

Stevie Nicks Style

 I like to embrace my boho side every now and then, with gauzy hippy ridiculousness. I saw this shirt in Target, on the plus size sale rack (and another in a black print!) and I knew I had to have it for the sheer (pun!) fun of it. I can be both boho/Stevie Nicks and a crazy Miss Havisham/Grey Gardens type of old lady in it. It's like a crazy lady bed jacket minus a few ruffles and a tie! (That's a good thing, okay?) Are there certain odd looks that grab you? If you've ever read Tavi Gevinson's blog, Style Rookie, you know what I'm talking about. Do you feel the urge to dress up like a hobo, a 50's style cheerleader, a crazy old lady who yells "Get off my lawn" (my favorite), or the crazy models in the Vogue photoshoots? If so, share below in the comments, and link me to your own odd looks.

Overshirt - Target, Shirt - Avenue, Pants - Walmart, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - Avenue.

RED JEANS! Because I'm worth it...

Sexah shoes! (I'm actually wearing slippers in my cubicle right now, because I'm awesome.)

 I have RED JEANS. This makes me cooler than you. I had to send them back once for a smaller size (seriously, Simply Be is the best confidence booster ever).  You can get them in wine, red, green, or blue. BOOM. Bright jeans trend achieved. The red is more of a stone red than a super-bright red, but I think they rock. I even wore sexy wedge heels for you guys. The jeans are 30 inches long, which is apparently my perfect length. If you're looking to score some awesome Simply Be stuff, you can get 40% any size order before 3/18/12 with the code 3663. They have free shipping and returns always. Go buy some plus-size stuff to feel gorgeous in!
 

Top - B'leev, Jeans - Simply Be, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - self-made.

Twirly Dress

Glamorosa is a brand sold at Simply Be. They design their stuff to fit a range of different bust sizes: Standard (B-DDD), Voluptuous (G, I, J) and Very Voluptous (L, M, N, O, P). (Dude, seriously, bras come in P? I had no idea.) I'm wearing the Standard Jersey Tunic here, and it is so pretty. When you open the package, it looks like a red sack. Then you put it on, and POOF! The right size bust room, a nice underbust detail with a tie in back that keeps you from looking wide and droopy...and did I mention it has flutter sleeves and a twirly skirt? Yeah, it's awesome. I don't even care what else I have on. Once again, I inspired jealously in my boss, who is much smaller than I am, and can't shop at Simply Be.

Lady-dress!

Yay! Pretty dress! I got it cheaper with a coupon, but it is utterly gorgeous, with all sorts of little pretty add-ons. Joe Browns is sold through Simply Be, and the sizing is really generous. (I usually wear a 20, but for Joe Browns I wear a 16.) As you can see, it's also a dustier purple than the sale picture shows. I got several compliments on it, and my teeny-little sister is sad that it's a plus size brand only. I'm actually being a lady today and wearing a slip underneath, since it's cotton and tends to cling to my leggings.

Close-up of pretty stuff.

Dress - Joe Browns, Cardigan - Jaclyn Smith, Leggings - Walmart, Shoes - Target.

EBEW: Green Flowers

I would love to sit down clothing designers and ask them just how much room they think the average woman has between her neck, shoulders, and breasts. Because last time I checked, most average women are not swan-necked, wide-shouldered, and low-breasted. I really like this shirt, but you won't see me wear it that often on my blog. It's came from Fashion Bug on major sale and it's a size 1X. Fashion Bug is not generally a store you think of as indulging in vanity sizing, but this is a huge 1X. And it comes down very low on the chest. I'm not against a little cleav, but it's also really big across the shoulders. Last time I checked, I wasn't in Flashdance, so I don't think it's too much to ask for a shirt that covers my bra straps when it has freaking sleeves. Hence the tank top underneath. It also has a tendency to poof out around my tummy for that flattering vaguely preggers look.

Ehhhh.

You might be saying, "Hey, with all those flaws, why do you even keep it?" Because the pattern is so preeeettty. Duh. And it has flutter sleeves, which are my kryptonite. It is almost impossible for me to resist a top with flutter sleeves if it's all cute. They make me feel like a princess!

Sockes.

More fancy Sock Dream socks! So cute and crocheted/chevroned. Also, today is Every Body Every Wear Green Day! Go me for remembering! Go check out everyone else who remembered!

Top - Fashion Bug, Tank - Hanes, Pants - Denim 24/7, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Target, Jewelry - present.

RED pop

I ended up making a bracelet to match my necklace, since I had extra beads left over. And what better way to make a neutral blue and gray outfit pop that with red accents? (Although I forgot to put on earrings, so I have naked ears today.) Also, you can't see much of them, but my socks are very adorable. I think I actually need to build up a cute regular size sock wardrobe (as opposed to OTK socks). No longer will my socks be drab and boring, even though I have large calves! Seriously, Sock Dreams, you are such a devil. Your free super-quick shipping turns cute socks into crack.

Sweater - Faded Glory, Cords - Simply Be, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Dexter, Jewelry - Handmade.

Linky link links

Here are some awesome-sauce links I saw this week:

Tia and Mia dressed up like John Watson (Martin Freeman-style) on their blog and it was fantastic! It also inspired me to coin the phrase "John-dressing" instead of cross-dressing for it. Because Martin Freeman is awesome enough to go beyond genders.

Handmade Ryan Gosling is a really funny tumblr for crafty people who also have an....appreciation for the male form.

Sassafras Junction is the website of an English teacher, but it's changed recently into a sass-tastic bestseller review/sparknotes-if-sparknotes-was-full-of-curse-words-and-humor blog (bestsellers from every century/shore).  The latest is Brecht's Threepenny Opera where she actually writes the line "But he can’t resist stopping off for some travel poon, one lay for the road, as it were, with his old hooker pal Jenny." It's like if The Bloggess wrote book/movie reviews, instead of just being crazy-pants awesome.

I made an inspiration board on Pinterest. Not one for losing weight, or eating healthy, or anything like that. One for being happy. I have a number of friends who aren't happy with themselves, people who don't realize who AWESOME they are are. And we all need a little reminder of that, every day, I think. By the way, I think you're awesome too. Just like that. It's called You rock. BELIEVE it. If you see something you think should be on there, send it to me!

Lastly, I'm going to leave you with this picture. I'm fairly certain it was drawn by ValerieTheTinyHobo, but I am not positive. I found it on Pinterest, but I couldn't track it all the way back. Is it not the cutest thing ever? Yes, of course it is.

Big hurrrr...

Because of my love for you, I went outside for this picture into the cold, windy land. Hence the wind-tossed hair and the brrrrr expression. Lately I've been obsessed with Starkid Productions, the people behind A Very Potter Musical and much more. I've heard about AVPM forever, and I finally decided I should watch it. And it was hilarious. So I watched more and more and more Starkid stuff, until I've now watched all their online stuff (except Little White Lie, which is next on my list). And they are so utterly funny that I don't even have words. It's not all Potter stuff either, just AVPM and A Very Potter Sequel. Starship and Me and My Dick are completely original. They're working on Holy Musical, B@tman, which ought to rock. Essentially, I'm telling you guys to go watch everything as well. You can go for Darren Criss, like I did, but really, you'll fall in love with all of the cast because they're so good.

Red Necklace!

Yay! I made my red necklace last night. I went by Michaels, and ended up with a different style of beads then I thought I had wanted. So I have a faux coral necklace, which is actually pretty cute! I have an EEG this morning, so I needed all the happy cuteness I could get. Unlike that lovely picture at the link, I don't get the EEG net, they need to use a gazillion individual electrodes placed on my head with some lovely paste. I figured I should get a picture of pretty hair this morning. Talk about a pain. The best part is when they make me hyperventilate for three minutes, just for their own fun. (Or maybe because there's a chance of provoking a seizure that way for my doctor to read off the recording. Never happened to me, and the photic flash part hasn't ever done it either.)

Top - Lane Bryant, Lace Camisole - thrifted, Pants - Walmart, Boots - Viva La Diva, Necklace - self-made

Necklaces and cheese

My hair is getting big and long again, despite cutting it in January. I might have to get my sister to trim up the back a smidgen. I pieced together these two beaded necklaces yesterday, for a little bit of color. They're both very long, just doubled around my neck.

I'll do something like this for my dream red necklace, but I'm planning to make it shorter and purposefully several strands. I was planning to do it this weekend, then I looked in my bead boxes, and I didn't have any red. So out came the purple/blue instead. I re-discovered the best thing in the world this weekend, though. Smoked Gouda. My family has gone through 1.5 of the regular size wheels you can buy in the grocery in a weekend. Mainly because we've eaten it with every single meal but breakfast. We're a cheese sort of family, and it seems to go well with everything. The munchkins were away this weekend with their other grandparents, or else I'm sure we would have finished off that second wheel!

Sweater - Joe Browns, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Crocs, Necklaces - Self-made.

Honey, you should see me in a crown.

I found this shirt buried under a pile of clean laundry after wondering for weeks where it had gone, along with tons of other long sleeved shirts that I love. It was a bit of a slap-dash morning, because my little Ellie-belle spent the majority of yesterday evening vomiting. I came home and her and my sister were in the bathroom, my little bitty niece lying on the floor all worn out from puking. The poor little moppet told me she was just going to sleep there, but we got her up to her bed. She didn't beat her record (12 times), but she came close and had puked 10 times by the time I went to bed.

In case you were thinking how gorgeous my lips look, (a) thank you! and (b) I have the best lip gloss ever. It's Jouer in Birchbox Pink, which is a truly bright shade, and a little scary to look at in the tube. But, it goes on with just the slightest bit of pink, making me look all movie-star perfect lipped. Don't fear it! I got a teeny little sample in my January Birchbox, and it lasts forever. I keep meaning to buy more, but I still have the majority of my little bottle left! I know I will eventually, though. It's just too perfect not to buy, and only costs about as much as drugstore brands.

Cardigan - thrifted, Shirt - JMS, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - Target, Jewelry - Self-made.

Shiny, Cap'n

So, do you have a jewelry type? For a long time I wore almost only silver. You'll still see me in silver more than anything else. But lately, I've really grown to like bronze. And I do have the occasionally piece of gold, but those are few and far between. I just am not a fan of how gold looks against my skin. As for bright, colorful pieces...you would think that since I make jewelry, I have tons, but nope. I seem to sell or give away all the saturated pieces. And lately I keep thinking I need to keep some big bright strands to pop against my more neutral pieces. I really needed something today, so I had to raid my sister's jewelry for this necklace and earrings. Carrie has a bright red strand that I am dying to replicate, so I need to stop falling into bed when I get home one of these days and just piece it together!

Sweater - Target, Pants - Denim 24/7, Jewelry - borrowed from mom and sis.