Hello from the other side

Jacket: Target | Dress: Old Navy | Belt: Target | Tights: probably Target | Boots: Target

The other side of the holidays, that is. My boyfriend put up his tree, which is 100% decorated with ornament discards from my parents. I kind of love it though--it's like my tree, but somewhere else! And it's nice to look at all the ornaments and think of all the people that have helped make these ornaments, especially my grandmother. She died when I was only 5, but I have some fond and comical memories of her. In addition, we found a black Santa ornament, painted by her. She took me to an AME church when I was little and she drove an old Red Cross station wagon stuff to the gills with crap. So when I look at the tree, with all its unique and weird and cute and kitsch ornaments, I'm reminded of her and how funny she was. And then I look at the bottom of the tree and see a cat rolling around under it and knocking a poor wool cardinal off its branch. Perfect.

Sweet teeth

I hope you all had a happy Halloween! I had to work yesterday, so I went with something fairly easy to move in, and Sweet Tooth is now my favourite costume as an adult of all time. (Cousin It still takes the cake for childhood.) I tweeted Jeff Lemire, the author of this great comic, and he favourited and retweeted this photo. So I feel like Halloween was a success. Did any of you guys dress up? What were you?

Style Imitating Art: Bear in Boat

It's been a hell of a week, and is going to continue into the weekend. I finally--FINALLY--have wifi, though, so here (a grossly embarrassing four days late) is this week's Style Imitating Art! This week's inspiration was Bear in Boat by Joyce Koskenmaki.

First up is Stephanie. She wanted to include her dog, but she couldn't find a boat suitable for this week. I still think she rocked it! The green of her shirt matches the corners of the painting very well.



Next is Alison from Nouveau North Westerners. She's newish ti SIA but she looks like a pro! Her scarf adds the perfect amount of whimsy to match the painting.



Karen from She Thought She Could is doing SIA for the first time, and she looks awesome too! I never would have thought to pick a tan vest and it looks amazing!



I believe Kezzie recently suggested we use something other than "adorable" to describe her submissions. So...awesome? Does that work? The dress is a great colour and I love the pop of black underneath! It's a little feisty!



Jen of Librarian for Life and Style is crushing the shirtdress game right now, and I have major envy--I wish I could wear one that well! I love the pattern too, it's so eyecatching.



My SIA cocreator Salazar of 14 Shades of Grey ain't happy with this outfit, but I think she looks chill. I like the plaid, and that cat looks quite similar to another animal involved in this post...



And last but maybe not least is me! This is actually an old photo but this is exactly the outfit I was going to photograph...except I can't find the top anywhere. It is GONE. Just another thing to tack onto this week, I guess!



Thank you all for participating, and I apologise for being so late getting this post up. It's been a very long and trying week at work, my boyfriend bought a house on June 12th, and our wifi has been down since Sunday. I also can't find one half of my favourite pair of shoes. Like I said, it's been a week! Thanks for being patient with me while my little world tries to hop back on its axis. XO!

Two nine

Top: J.Crew | Skirt: JCPenney | Heels: DSW

I've made the leap (amble? inevitable drag?) into another age, from 28 to 29. I really like prime numbers, so I'm pretty enthused about being 29. I don't have any significant life plans for 29, except maybe probably moving in with my boyfriend, who very patiently listened to my strongarming ("I can't wait to get flowers for my birthday!"), and spending a likely very humid week with him in New Orleans in August. Lots of painting walls and decorating and gardening and all that cute crap that comes with living with the person you love. Maybe a couple more 5K races, if my knees can hold up (more on my first ever 5K later this week, I promise). Other than that: more work, more money, more (fewer?!) problems. One can hope. One can always hope.

Walking billboard

Top: Gap Outlet | Skirt: J.Crew Factory | Wedges: Payless | Lips: NARS Schiap

I received a compliment of the highest order today.

"You look like you shop at ModCloth."

Nailed it!

The master

Top: J.Crew Factory | Skirt: J.Crew Factory | Wedges: Payless

One of my main, constantly repeating memories of my grandfather is from Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer when I was a kid. My grandfather--Pop Pop--absolutely loved golf. And despite living a five minute walk from the ocean, he committed his weekends to watching golf in his recliner. I can remember coming back from a long day at the beach and taking a shower either in the one bathroom in the house or outside under the outdoor shower, and getting changed and then coming to watch golf with him in the living room while I ate either Goldfish or cottage cheese. I don't know why this is so memorable to me; it's a tiny memory of my grandfather, compared to the things he did while I was alive. But every time The Masters rolls around and golf begins in earnest, I'm reminded of Pop Pop and his blue recliner and the taste of salt water and even saltier Goldfish.

And I'm quite thankful for that.

So not okay

Necklace: antiques shop | Jacket: Target | Dress: Boden | Boots: Target | Nails: butter London Fiver

Last weekend, I took my bff S. to the store where I got my running shoes so she could get her own pair. (They do a foot assessment and everything! It's awesome.) She walked away with a pair of shoes, but we both walked away having watched a grown man tell a 70+ year old woman, out of the blue, that she was retaining water and that's why her ankles were so swollen.

There are no words to adequately describe a person like that.

The struggle is real

Top: Target | Skirt: Boden | Tights: Target | Boots: Off Broadway | Lips: NARS Heat Wave

I've bemoaned my gray hair before (truth is that I love them), but it's getting real now. I have found no fewer than four gray hairs long enough that they we cut the last time I trimmed my hair, and they're blatantly obvious now that I'm no longer dying my hair. I read online that the age you gray is usually tied to genetics, but my parents--and THEIR parents--went gray at a normal middle-to-older age. And yet there I was, in front of the mirror at age 21, staring at a gray hair protruding straight out of the edge of my hairline, practically reaching out to the mirror to say hello to itself. The only person I have to blame is my dad's dad, because my father can't remember when he went gray. But he had a full head of snow white hair by the time I was old enough to have memories of him, so there's plenty of upside. Silver fox, here I come.

Fish out of water

Brooch: heirloom | Cardigan: Target | Tank: Target | Skirt: eShakti | Boots: Off Broadway

My very first pets were goldfish. Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder. (I was creative.) I was maybe 6, and didn't know a whole lot about how my life would go petwise. Little did I know that the goldfish would lead to guinea pigs, which would lead to rabbits, which would finally hit cats, and then horses, and most recently, a dog. Those goldfish didn't live for very long, but they certainly did start a long-lasting trend. So thanks, little crew, for biting me with the pet bug.

For more women who used this week's inspiration to create outfits for Style Imitating Art, check out Salazar's blog!

Bloop

Necklace: gift from parents | Dress: Gap Outlet | Belt: Target | Tights: Target | Boots: Off Broadway

My boyfriend downloaded the game The Unfinished Swan yesterday, and I spent some time playing it. (A rarity for me--I'm terrible at video games.) So today when I looked at this dress I thought I looked a little bit like I got hit by the paint gun in the game, but hey--looks good! I'll take it.