Fave Friday Stuff

Cardi - Simply Be, Top - Avenue, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - Self-made.

My sister and I have been taking her munchkins to Friday night movies fairly often this summer. We go to Cookout and then to the cheap theatre for an animated movie. We've seen ParaNorman (excellent!), Brave (ditto), The Avengers (the whole family went for that) and tonight we're going to see Hotel Transylvania. I'm not expecting it to be as good as the other two, but hopefully it'll be good.



Also, I've gotten fairly hooked on the Avett Brothers. They're...very Appalachian folk rock, I guess would be the best way to describe them? So I now have a 7 hour Spotify playlist of their stuff to entertain me during the day. This is a good little video to give you an idea of what they sound like. Sometimes. Also, they have beards of hilarity. Truthfully, I don't know if I could have listened seriously from the start if I knew that one was sporting that much of a mountain man beard.

A to Z of Me

I just started following Kristen Marie, and I really liked the A-Z blog post, so since my outfit post is totally uninspiring, I'm stealing this idea for today.

Silver hairs!

A. Age: 31
B. Bed size: Full
C. Chore that you hate: Dishes. And sweeping.
D. Dogs: are nice for OTHER people.
E. Essential start to your day: Kiss my niece (the nephew is too cool to kiss anyone but his mama).
F. Favorite color: TARDIS blue, grey, lavender, black...
G. Gold or Silver: Silver and bronze.
H. Height: 5'4"
I. Instruments you play: I played a bunch of instruments in high school, but I'm sorely out of practice: trumpet, French Horn, mellophone, and piano. And I still sing.
J. Job title: Research Analyst.
K. Kids: Not a chance.
L. Live: In Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains.
M. Mother's name: Little Mama, aka Louellen.
N. Nicknames: Erinfer (since my sister is Jennifer), Ellie (my niece's name).
O. Overnight hospital stays: After my first seizure.
P. Pet peeves: Late people, mean people, deliberate stupidity.
Q: Quote from a movie:  "You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here...You can't change that by getting all... bendy." Firefly, The Train Job (Ep. 2)
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: 1 big sister.
U. Underwear: Seamless regular panties.
V. Vegetable you hate: Water chestnuts, beans.
W. What makes you run late: Other people!
X. X-Rays you've had: Both arms (broken), numerous MRIs and CAT scans as well.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Brownies, cookies. I make great sweets!
Z. Zoo animal: Elephant.

Accessories make all the difference

This outfit of a black t-shirt (Avenue) and a pair of pair of red jeans (Simply Be) is fine on it's own. But add all my accoutrements, and it turns it into something interesting! My two necklaces (and matching bracelet that's hidden by my sleeve) are a dark sparkly blue. My cardi (Simply Be) is an army green for some color blocking fun. (You know, before color blocking became a thing, it was really just known as "not wearing patterns, but wearing several different colors".)

Dexter shoes - Dexflex line

 Yeah, yeah, I know you can see my little no-show socks. But really, when I have shoes as awesome as these little cap-toe leopard flats, is anyone going to notice? They're the perfect rocking little shoe and super comfy as well.

Notice all those lovely silver hairs? I rock them like no one's business!

 My sister had all of these hair forks in her stuff from when she had long hair (most of her life), and has lent them to me while she grows her hair back out. Since I sit at my desk with headphones on most of the day, I want my hair back, but I also want it to be pretty. And a fancy hair fork does a much better job than a simple hair elastic. Going without headphones - it would drive me crazy! I am not one to suffer silence well, and in my little open cubicle, speakers are not really an option. So I have a pair of big, old-fashioned supra-aural headphones which would ruin any hairstyle that was left down. (Bonus - these are better for your hearing health than earbuds.)

Zoya nail polish in Marley

I'm a big fan of Zoya nail polish. It comes in a bajillion different colors, and it's $8 a bottle. I get mine from Birchbox, but you can order direct from the Zoya website as well. They give great coverage (in just 2 coats), dry ultra quick, and they're toxin free (no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, or dibutyl phthalate).

Simply Be Addict

Cardi and Top - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - TOMS.

*Note: I am not shilling for Simply Be and being paid. I just think that they make better quality clothes than most companies, and have some really interesting things.

Assuming that you read my blog instead of just looking at the pictures, you know that I'm a complete Simply Be addict. It's BRITISH PLUS SIZE FASHION. How could I not love it?! But I realized that I've been neglecting to fully tell everyone about the size ranges. See, my sister is small - as in she wears a size small. So she never gets anything from Simply Be, it's my company. My sister just thrifts her little heart out, because she can always find stuff. But Simply Be actually has a huge size range. They say on their front page that they carry size 10-28. And that's true. But they have a limited selection of their clothes, also, that go from sizes 8-30. So the majority of you could probably enjoy some of the same stuff that I do! And the rest of you could enjoy the shoes, bags, and jewelry that they carry. Also, I do believe in supporting a company that shows all of their clothes on plus-size models. 

Slouch Jersey Top in Damson

This top is so lovely and silky; a really great little tee. The damson is only still available in size 20, but the black and the white are available in a number of sizes. The top has a wide scoop neck, but it actually manages to NOT show my bra straps! I haven't washed it yet, so I have no report back on that front yet. If they had it in more actual colors, I would snap it up in a heartbeat. And yes, those pants are fairly hideous.

Sweaters are my friend!

My family - at least the female part - has a very close relationship with sweaters. My mother has reams and reams of sweaters in her wardrobe, just like all three of her sisters, her mother, my sister, and me. We all get cold quickly, so sweaters are our natural habitat. I love sweaters, cardigans, vests, etc. I keep trying to convince my mother that cardigans are the new blazer, but she doesn't believe me (or just loves blazers more, I haven't decided). All this fall and winter, you'll be seeing tons of sweaters and cardis from me. I have two big plastic bins packed full of them, and I'm getting ready to switch them out with my sleeveless items in the closet.

Sweater - Simply Be, Pants - Walmart, Shirt - unknown, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Dexter.

Rock me mama like a wagon wheel

Purple Sock Dreams socks - you know you want them.

Yay for sock weather and little button shoes!

Sweater - Simply Be, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - Target.

It's still mostly sweater weather! Meaning that it might get warm today, and I have a t-shirt ready in case I start to burn up on the way home. Luckily, my office is still freezing - I'm actually wearing a cardigan OVER this sweater at the moment. I really need to shave my legs, because I have a new sweater skirt and Joe Browns long sleeved dress that I want to wear.

 Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess) posted this video yesterday, and it is amazing. Beautiful, inspirational, awesome...stop reading my babbling and listen to it, then go read the Bloggess' blog for the rest of your life if you don't already.

Short arms are a hassle

This Lace Print Tunic from Joe Browns is what I wanted the most from all of the Fall Simply Be lines. (Ok, so I really wanted almost everything, but this is what I had decided to definitely get.) And I love it! It is so super soft, it's like I'm wrapped up in a baby lamb. And it's actually (short) dress length, rather than "tunic" length. It seems like tunic length is one of the most amorphous phrases ever. It can mean just below the waist to almost your knees. I have no idea. Simply Be does have length for almost every item it sells, but I have to admit that I am much too lazy to actually measure myself to see how long I want a tunic to be. My only quibble with this top is the sleeves, which are supposed to be 3/4 length. And they probably are on someone with regular length arms, but on my stumpy little arms, they're about 2 inches from my wrist bones.

I went with some basic black leggings, little black socks, and black shoes, to do the whole leg lengthening idea that's so recommended by bloggers like Sal. It sort of works, I think? It works better than distracting the eye with lots of colors on my legs, since I want everyone to look at my pretty tunic (which I've gotten several compliments on today!).

Create a butt!

Cardigan and belt - Target, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - TOMS.

 I figured out how to visually fool people into thinking you have a great butt. Now, I have awesome hips, really. Child-bearing, hourglass, Marilyn Monroe type hips. And I have a relatively small waist in comparison to my bust and hips. As for a butt? I'm pretty flat back there. However, if I belt a long cardigan...it magically makes people, EVEN ME, think that I have a butt. The visual of an hourglass figure, plus the slight bit of excess fabric added when you belt a cardigan will equal the illusion of a butt! I went on a few dates with a guy who was convinced that I had a great butt. I had no idea why, until I realized that the first time we met I was wearing an obi belt over a empire waist top and fitted pants. It was a visual butt illusion. PRO TIP: belts can equal better butts.

January 19, 2012

So, my hair grows really fast. In 9 months, it's gone from the above photo (chin-length) to the photo below (several inches below shoulders). And this is with several trims to try and keep it all one length, since the whole layering fiasco didn't work as planned. I do think that my hair "styling" has something to do with it: aka I don't use a hairdryer, curling iron, anything like that. All I do is shampoo, condition and use hair oil as a my sole product. (I have switched lately from homemade shampoo to the Yes to Carrots line, since I'm lazy.)

September 19, 2012

Cold Rain

Cardigan - Simply Be, Shirt - Old Navy, Pants - Denim 24/7,  Shoes - Crocs.

 I've been neglecting the pink version of this cardigan for the grey one (for no reason), but it's a nasty day today, so out it comes! Also, you get inside pictures since I don't want to drown. Seriously, it's raining hard every half hour, and windy and drizzling the rest of the time. Definitely weather worthy of a fantastic cardigan. If I had boots that weren't suede or faux suede, I'd be in them, too. Sadly, I'm lacking boots at the moment, so I had to pop on some Crocs. Rubber shoes are the best in rainy weather, even if that sounds gross and horrible.

Rocking the hippie shirt

Real color eyes!

It always pleases me when I get a shot of the actual color of my eyes. For some reason, their blue-gray color shows up darker most of the time. I have to take the photo up close for the blue to show up. I accidentally looked at this photo too long, though, and now all I can see are features, not my face as a whole. We do that with ourselves, but rarely with other people (unless we're judgmental meanies), but once you do, it takes a few minutes to snap back out of it. It's like a Magic Eye picture, except all you get is low self-esteem and worry that your eyes/nose/whatever is drastically out of proportion in one way or another. So an evil Magic Eye picture, I guess.

Top and Pants - Simply Be, Shoes - TOMS, Necklace - Street Fair.

I have a pretty new hippie top! This is a new boho top from the Joe Browns line at Simply Be. I've loved this style for ages, but this particular top is on the pricy side. I grabbed it on a 50% Memorial Day discount though, and it finally came in. I had several hippie tops somewhat like this in high school, but they would all be much too small for me now, even if I had kept them. This is more boho than hippie, though, what with the handkerchief hem and all. How about you guys? Are there styles that you wore as a teen that you still love and wear?

Fall is here and I'm pleased

Top - Avenue, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Crocs, Necklace - Send the Trend.

It's turning properly fall here in the Appalachian Mountains, all cold mornings and nights with lovely days. I picked up some light scarves on sale at Wal-Mart yesterday for outfit flair. Today I even went with a sweater top! Yay for fall! I dug out my school-girl plaid Crocs, because I decided my feet needed to have some fun, too.

I've joined another beauty sample subscription service (like Birchbox): Beauty Army. This one lets you pick your samples, which I like. You get six a month, and have a choice of 9 potential samples, all for $12. I got my first box yesterday, and it was very nice. The box itself is much better than Birchbox - heavier duty and a smooth black finish. I'll definitely be reusing it for various odds and ends. My top sample was Macadamia Natural Oil's Healing Oil Treatment.

It smells fantastic - very hippie (without patchouli) without dirt, and my hair feels great. I'm a big fan of hair oils anyway, but this is a great one. And the sample was a BIG bottle, several ounces, rather than just a little packet. Also great was a perfume sample (Ruddy Water Blushed) that was a one-time wipe, rather than one of those tiny little spritzers that you lose. The loser of the bunch was the BB cream, but it lost because it was too dark for my skin. Honestly, if it says it's light, it shouldn't be too dark on my hand, the darkest part of my body. On the whole, if you're looking for a little treat in the mail every month, I would recommend Beauty Army over Birchbox (unless you prefer to be surprised, then you might go the other way).

Finally back in touch

Shirt - Avenue, Pants - thrifted, Shoes - TOM.

This weekend was way too short for all the stuff that had to go in it. I have an uncle who went into the hospital this weekend, and my little mama spent all Saturday there taking care of it all (her birthday!). And then yesterday, we celebrated my mom's birthday, I did laundry, and transcribed the church business minutes from the last business meeting. Fun times! 

Necklace - Hillsville Flea Market.

 I'm sort of like a crow. I'm a fan of sparkly necklaces, shiny shirts, sequiny shoes, and such. I think a lot of bloggers have this craving - just all sorts of shininess lust is going on in the OOTD community.

Black and White and Blue all over

shirt - Avenue, pants - old and thrifted, shoes - TOMS.

I am completely lame and old, so I just started watching Breaking Bad on Netflix. As you probably know, it's good. (Even though it's not British.) I have shiny jewelry and I have put away at least half of the clothes that were piled up in my room. Does this mean that I can have another weekend now? No? Fine. I never liked you anyway.

Bracelet and matching necklace from the Hillsville Flea Market

Rocks and Dorothy and Sleep

Sweater - Target, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - Pressie.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend (and didn't have to work yesterday)! I went to a gigantic Flea Market this past Saturday and had a pretty good time. [Seriously, the Hillsville Flea Market is gigantic; it's only held twice a year on Labor Day and Memorial Day and it draws a crowd of more than 500,000 each time.] I managed to badger my little Mama into picking out several things she liked, since her birthday is this coming Saturday. She is a HUGE fan of rocks (geology interest), so we hit up a few great tents for jewelry and ephemera. She's had geodes and rock eggs my whole life, and loves all sorts of rock chip jewelry. But she's also one of those people who's terrible to buy for, never wearing or using stuff. So it's best to get her to help pick out what she wants.

I also slept a great deal, and I'm rereading my favorite Dorothy L. Sayers novels, while watching my DVDs of the 1987 BBC miniseries. I did a self-lead class on her in undergrad, and I'm mildly completely obsessed. She wrote mystery novels (as well as a translation of Dante's Divine Inferno), starting in the 1920's. She was a fantastic writer and was also fantastically snobby. There are letters in her mystery novels in French (untranslated), bits of Latin, important quotes from obscure books...you name it, it's probably in there. I wrote a paper for my class about the importance of the love between Lord Peter Wimsey (Sayers' detective) and Harriet Vane (his eventual wife) that started as a 15 pager and ended up being 40 pages. So you can guess at my obsession.