Brindisi

Necklace: J. Crew Factory (Crewcuts!) | Top: JCPenney | Skirt: Lane Bryant via DIYFATSHION | Wedges: Target | Lips: NARS Heat Wave

can't talk, too busy watching the SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEEEEEEEEEE

SIA: PSA

The work of Peter Gentenaar
Paper

This week, Salazar decided to do something a little different for Style Imitating Art: she's selected the entire body of work of Peter Gentenaar, a paper artist in the Netherlands. For serious--this is paper. The texture of these pieces is exceptional. Google him for more examples of his artwork, because there are additional colours and shapes that he created that are just beautiful. Email Salazar your outfits by June 2nd to be included in this week's SIA, which I'm pretty certain is going to be one of the coolest SIAs so far!

Burn baby burn

Dress: Dorothy Perkins via DIYFATSHION | Belt: Target | Heels: Urban Outfitters

I close at my library on Wednesdays, which means I get to work at noon and leave at 9. It also means I take a crazy early dinner break (though at work we usually still refer to it as lunch). Today I was looking for something quick after I took my outfit photos, so I zipped over to the local noodle house for some wontons and white rice (my weakness). So I took a bite into my first wonton...and it burned. It burned so bad, you guys. I'm pretty sure I actually have a burn on the roof of my mouth because it tastes acidic and I can't really feel anything in my palate when my tongue touches the area.

But you know what? I'd rather have palate damage than tongue damage, which I had after the Banana Incident of 2014. And those wontons were delicious, so it was worth it.

Hitting the books

Top: H&M via DIYFATSHION | Skirt: Talbots | Wedges: Payless | Lips: NARS Jungle Red

I doubt any of y'all are still pondering this, but I think I've snapped my reading slump! I am definitely not reading at the same pace as I have in the past, simply because I don't have as much time to read, but I was able to run through a couple of nonfiction palate cleansers (Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio and The Opposite of Loneliness) that have somehow managed to reset my interest in reading. Since finishing The Opposite of Loneliness a few weeks ago, I finished the 70% of The Engagements that I hadn't completed, and now I'm partway through Mr. Peanut, which has been on my radar for a long time but was finally pushed to the front when Ben Fountain called it one of his favourite underrated books. It's gotten mixed reviews, but as a story of a long, strained marriage rather than a crime procedural, it's very good thus far. So yay for reading! Just in time for summer reading at the library...

Style Imitating Art: The Floor Scrapers

It's SIA time, y'all! Yesssssss. As a reminder, The Floor Scrapers (Les Raboteurs de Parquet) by Gustave Caillebotte was this week's inspiration. Good stuff. Away we go!

Here's Stephanie, who I don't think has a blog but Stephanie! Correct me if I'm wrong! Also: you have an awesome skirt!



Next is Jen of Librarian for Life and Style, who looks adorable. The white skirt is charming.



Jen actually sent me two photos--one of her, and one of her coworker, Amanda, who looks adorable. She has a great colour combo going!



Next is Gracey of Fashion for Giants, who is adorable and asked me if this outfit was okay. OKAY?! Gracey, stop. You look adorable, as always. Send me that skirt kthx



Next is Mary, who doesn't have a blog but wanted to participate anyway, which I wholly support! And that belt, y'all. It's awesome.



Salazar, my cocreator of SIA from 14 Shades of Grey, is apparently hotter than Hades in Thailand right now (it is like 100 degrees and that's just too much) and she's still wearing PANTS for the sake of SIA! Now that's commitment.



Aaaaaand me. I hate this outfit. The top's too short, I was way too hot in my cords, and my shoes are not the right colour to work with the light lavender details in the painting. Maybe from now on I should assess my wardrobe BEFORE I pick a piece of artwork for SIA?



Thank you all for participating! I'm thrilled that we have so many women participating without blogs this week--you ladies look fantastic!

Pandora's box

Scarf: J.Crew warehouse | Top: Target | Skirt: eShakti via DIYFATSHION | Wedges: Payless

So I've been on a hunt for a while for someone else--like anyone else my age--who watches Person of Interest. Do any of y'all watch it? It's seriously one of the most underrated shows on television today. But I'm pretty sure that because it airs on CBS, I'm the only one under the age of 45 who watches it. I know a couple of friends' dads who watch it. It had a panel at DragonCon, people! It's good stuff! I need someone to talk to about it, but no one's biting. I've had to resort to the Twitterverse for moral support. At least the 40somethings on Twitter will speculate with me.

Back in blackish

Top: from Dani at DIYFATSHION | Skirt: Target | Flats: Target

There has been a crapton of insanity going on in my life--in particular, my boss and I just finished running the first ever con at our library, and possibly the first ever at a library in South Carolina. We had 700 attend--KIND OF A BIG DEAL--and it was a lot of fun, but it was also exceptionally tiring. I am still behind on my sleep, and I have to organize everything for summer reading in the next two weeks! Eek. So it's been a really hectic couple of months, and it's a very big part of why I haven't been posting. I work all day, sometimes without lunch, and by the time I'm done it's either dark or I'm so tired I can hardly make it home without passing out.

But while I've been busy with this, Dani of DIYFATSHION (one of my fave bloggers) and I have been chatting about her impending move to California, and she asked if I would be so kind to take some of the clothes she was weeding out of her closet. Ummmmmmmmm...DUH! So a couple of days ago a GIANT box full of stuff that is amazing and I am so excited about it. It was like freakin Christmas. So except some things that belonged to Dani to start appearing on AC. And by some I mean A LOT BECAUSE I LOVE THEM. CAPSCAPSCAPSCAPS.

I was on my way home from dinner and stopped to take outfit photos for the first time in quite a while, and it made me really happy. I missed doing it. Is that vain? I don't even care. Welcome back, self.

SIA: PSA

The Floor Scrapers (Les Raboteurs de Parquet) by Gustave Caillebotte
Oil on canvas, 1875

This painting was considered vulgar once.
I'm glad I live in 2014.

Send me your submissions by the evening of May 19th! Enjoy this one--I've linked to the large version of the painting so you can see all the amazing detail that Caillebotte put into this piece.

What to wear to a Vampire Weekend concert

Vampire Weekend, with Jacuzzi Boys
May 5th @ 8:00pm
Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
(Listen to this while reading this post)

What C. wore:



What I wore:



Ohhhhh boy.

I have waited years--YEARS--for Vampire Weekend to finally come within very long shooting distance of Cardiganland. I have been crushed year after year, because I love this band, I love their music and they are Grammy winners now so I feel like this might be one of the most legit concerts I've ever been to. It was worth the very long (we're talking 7 years here) wait to finally see VW live; it was one of the best performances at one of the best venues with one of the best people I know, and the way everything merged together was almost too good to be true. Fortunately, there was typical rush hour traffic in Atlanta and we walked in the wrong direction three times on our way to dinner, so it was definitely reality. The group in front of us who felt the need to chit chat through part of the concert was also obnoxious, but it didn't ruin the fact that I was in the same room as Vampire Weekend oh em effing gee. The band performed (using my admittedly not brilliant memory) about 15 songs, in addition to a three song encore. The

I feel really lucky that I got to see Vampire Weekend. And I'll be really lucky on my birthday this year, because they're the headlining act for day 3 of the Governors Ball, which I will be experiencing live. I'm so, so excited.

Regular blogging will resume on Monday, after a giant work program that has been absorbing my life takes place. Thank you for sticking around while I deal with a seven month long project!