FutureLint (I have nothing to wear!)

Heyyy, Jenna

2012-02-10T09:27:00.004-06:00

I didn't realize until I started typing the outfit details that both the shirt and pants are J.Crew... Heyyy, Jenna Lyons. <3 you. Feel free to send me a sample of everything from Spring '12. And thanks for the educator discount, though I'm still too poor to buy most of your stuff unless it's thrifted or on uber-clearance.

Oxford - thrifted J. Crew
Necklaces - both thrifted
Bangles - thrifted, garage sales, etc
Pants - thrifted J. Crew
Shoes - Baker's

Left arm, right arm...

This whole look was inspired by this photo from glamcanyon... which I pinned and then realized I could recreate with pieces I already own, just in the opposite color scheme and with stripes instead of dots...

My look is most definitely more obnoxious, but I'm into being brash. Happy weekend!

Blue bows

2012-02-09T09:24:00.002-06:00

I've had this blue silk scarf forever but it's so slippery it falls off my head when I wear it in my hair, so I decided to try it around the collar of a shirt today. Result = awesome.

Blouse - thrifted Liz Claiborne
Scarf - thrifted
Skirt - Target
Tights - DKNY
Shoes - Madeline

Don't ask me what the print on the shirt is... bows? Koosh balls? Farfalle pasta? I don't think Liz Claiborne herself knows. That's probably why it was donated to the thrift store... it's frustrating to wear a mystery.

Goodbye Blue ~~Monday~~! Thursday!

We killed a zoo

2012-02-08T09:58:00.004-06:00

I RARELY wear animal prints at all, in fact I think the only animal print thing I've ever worn on the blog is the insane tiger "dress" (and the one time I wore this belt previously.) I thrifted this cardigan a few weeks ago to try to get over my fear of leopard print and I just bought these shoes on uber-clearance... So I decided to go nuts and wear three different kinds of animal print today.

Cardigan - thrifted Liz Claiborne
Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom
Belt - thrifted vintage
Skirt - thrifted Ann Tjian for Kenar
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Nine West

Sorry, animals. Acutally, no. The shoes are synthetic and obviously the cardigan is not made of an actual leopard. The ponyskin belt is real, but probably from the '70s, so I feel less bad about it. Besides, as Mr. Burns would say...

Oh my, making stupid crap in Photoshop is my fave...

Pretend pants

2012-02-07T09:42:00.000-06:00

I never wear leggings. Well not never, just rarely. And I usually just wear them under a dress vs. pretending like they are real pants:

But I decided to try the leggings as pants thing today, because these are exceptionally thick leggings, so they feel like pants. And because I always like the look on other people but then forget to try it. I still don't know if I'm a fan of the look on me. Or maybe I'd like it with a much longer sweater, because while I assure you this one covers my butt, that's about it.

Sweater - Sparrow

Shirt - thrifted vintage Surrey

Pants - Gap

Boots - Rockport

You can't see it but I'm also wearing this awesome Star Trek watch:

I found it for $3 at a thrift store a while ago but the battery was dead. I finally got around to ordering a bunch of watch batteries for all the dead ones I've got laying around. What can I say? I like what I like and I apparently love clocks and watches.

Tiger, Tiger

2012-02-06T09:41:00.001-06:00

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables
Dress - Le Tigre (previously worn 1, 2)
Tights - Target
Shoes - Michael Kors

I had an excellent weekend. Friday I played Bezzerwizzer (a trivia game) with some friends and it was super fun! Saturday Nate and I got up early to babysit my nephew, Henrik, for a few hours:

Then Saturday night was the Jeff Mangum show. I went down there at 4pm to pick up my ticket (all tickets were will call only) and got to hear him sound check, which was amazing! The show was phenomenal and he was so good live and I'm so happy I got to go! Sunday I spent making homemade soft pretzels and cake batter rice krispie treats, then off to a Super Bowl party! So much good food and Champagne Manhattans! Woo!

Denim and roses

2012-02-03T10:45:00.002-06:00

Miss Wendy B was looking for some outfits featuring denim shirts. I decided to bust out this old Levi's one. I wear one chambray shirt a lot, but this thicker denim one has been in hiding for a while.

Glasses - thrifted vintage American Optical, lenses replaced

Denim shirt - thrifted Levi's
Pins - one is DIY, one from Target, one from Modcloth
Bangles - thrifted
Pants - Express
Shoes - Tracy Reese

I made the grey pom-pom... isn't it cute?! Aaaand, sometimes a girl just needs to wear 15 bangles...

I'm pretty excited for this weekend. On Saturday, I am seeing Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel, whose album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is my all time #1 desert island album). This is my dream concert and someone I NEVER thought I would actually get to see live. Don't mind me, I'll just be quietly weeping the whole time, no biggie. And of course, it's the same night that Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady) is playing a solo show in town with Mount Moriah (who I also love). I had to pick Jeff Mangum (especially since I've seen The Hold Steady play live five times already) but it was still heartbreaking. Craig Finn is my favorite live performer. Waaa. Yeah, first world problems. Then on Sunday, THE SUPERBOWL! Or as my friend Matt is calling it, The Super Eating Bowl. I gotta figure out what food I'm bringing. I'm for sure gonna bring these Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats and I might make homemade soft pretzels too. I love them but they are a lot of work!

The Wolf Pack

2012-02-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

I've had this old school uniform cardigan forever and never wore it because it's pretty boring (but not plain enough to just be worm as a black cardigan because of the stupid iron cross on the front.)

So I found an awesome felt wolf patch at an estate sale for a dollar and decided the two were destined to be united. When I was sitting in the hospital, waiting for my nephew to be born, I brought the wolf along and hand-sewed him on! I got a few sidelong glances in the waiting room. Other people decided to do "normal" things like "read a book", "talk to each other", and "nervously pace like a caged animal", while I chose to... sew a wolf. Big deal. And now it's the best cardigan ever and makes we want to start a 1950s style gang... except we ride bicycles and wear wolf cardigans and do good deeds instead of riding motorcycles and wearing leather jackets and being a nuisance. Do you want to join?

Necklace - thrifted
T-shirt - Target
Cardigan - thrifted school uniform, back patch added by me
Jeans - Gap
Shoes - Tracy Reese

Squirrels and skulls and crack

2012-02-01T09:22:00.002-06:00

Growing up in the '90s, I have an aversion to the excessive use of the words "crack", "monkey" and "cheese." It was just the middle-school times I guess, everyone was "on crack" or a "crack monkey" who smelled like "butt cheese" or some other random assemblage of those words. Anyway, I'm gonna break my own rule and say that this sweater was clearly made due to "Donna Karen: The Crack Years." I am not sure why the sleeves have squirrels, bunnies, cherries, hearts, flowers, and skulls on them. Or why Donna Karen of all people put them there. Regardless, I, of course, love it. Can you tell I'm ready for spring?

Sweater - DKNY (years ago)

Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Socks - Target

Shoes - Bakers

Oh hey, and if you need some additional Christine in your life (you clearly have a Christine deficiency, everyone is just too polite to point it out), you can head over to A Little Slice of Special where the adorable Lorilynn has a little piece up featuring me, for Why I Blog Wednesdays!

Careless Whisper

2012-01-31T09:30:00.001-06:00

I felt like "Careless Whisper" was a good title for this outfit as it was so soft and ethereal and shit. But then I started laughing because last time I was visiting Nate's family, the two of us went to an antique shop and on the ride back, I had on some random mix CD in my car. Careless Whisper by George Michael came on when we were almost back to his parent's house, so Nate drove me around town for all seven minutes of the song because "it suddenly got sexxxay up in here." That saxophone slays me, so ridiculous.

Blouse - thrifted vintage
Sweater - Gap
Skirt - American Apparel
Tights - TJ Maxx??
Shoes - Bakers

Sorry for the absence yesterday, I came down with a cold over the weekend which screwed up all my weekend plans. No hanging out with Henrik and my mom (except for breakfast with Nate right before she left.) Eh, oh well, I would have felt terrible if I'd gotten a baby sick. And no going to a MN blogger meet-up on Saturday. Stupid germs!

I had taken a half-day from work yesterday for some afternoon appointments so I figured it wasn't worth going in for 4 hours in the morning when I was half-sick. Also, yesterday... TMI warning... I stupidly made my yearly OBGYN check-up for the same afternoon as my dentist appointment. Worst. Afternoon. Ever.

Psst! I also listed 13 vintage pennants on The Roof is on Fire (my homegoods etsy shop)! I have a few of them hung up around my house and I think they are so cool and the graphics are awesome! But I don't need so many, so off they go!

P.S. Thanks everyone for the support on Friday's "Story Time" post... I still get nervous doing video blogs, despite doing Improv and theater for years, so thanks for making an awkward thing slightly less awkward!

Story time: The Snatching

2012-01-27T15:46:00.000-06:00

Ok, it's finally time for another edition of Story Time! Yes, I'm wearing the same shirt from yesterday because I have the day off and a hat because I'm about to go running and didn't feel like doing my hair. Enjoy!

Untitled from Christine FutureLint on Vimeo.

P.S. I find it necessary to point out that the boyfriend in this story is NOT my boyfriend now. I say this in the video but don't want any confusion due to something I accidentally mention in the video... oops. My big mouth!

I'm not Veronika (or Betty, for that matter)

2012-01-26T10:14:00.000-06:00

Whenever I wear a suede skirt, I think of Veronika from Tick Tock Vintage... probably due to outfits like this and this and this!

Headband - tie from the shirt

Shirt - thrifted The Wazer Classic Collection

Necklace - thrifted

Skirt - thrifted vintage

Brown tights - ?

Shoes - Michael Kors

I've got the day off tomorrow (it's a teacher development day but since I'm not a teacher I get the day off)! I'm excited to go to some estate sales, talk to a tattoo artist, and then go hang out with my nephew, Henrik. My mom is in town for a few days, pulling grandma babysitting duty because my sister's husband is a pilot and out of town flying for a few days and my sister just went back to work as an interior designer after her maternity leave. I'll also try to leave you another edition of "Story Time" tomorrow, which I've been meaning to do forever. So come back tomorrow to watch me ramble about the time I ran down a mugger and got my purse back!

Black metal

2012-01-25T10:08:00.001-06:00

A black leather pencil skirt with attached gold chains isn't something I'd normally consider "work wear." But I've worn it once before to work (and once to a Mr. Leather contest) and after seeing this photo of Ahn (of 9to5Chic), I decided to dig it out and wear it again. My outfit is pretty different than hers (um, hello? HER NECKLACE - no one is about to lend me a necklace that Kate Moss wore in Vogue.) Anyhoodle, the photo reminded me that there is a way to wear this dominatrix of a skirt to work...

Shirt - thrifted little boys Cherokee
Necklace - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted Firenze Santa Barbara

Bangle - thrifted
Tights - TJ Maxx maybe??
Shoes - Seychelles

I threw in a front and side view because it's hard to tell what it looks like in only one photo due to the side chains:

I also didn't want to wear black opaque tights with this but realized that I don't own any sheer ones except these argyle ones and two even crazier pairs (if you can believe it). Oops!

By the seashore

2012-01-24T09:44:00.000-06:00

Cardigan - Old Navy

Collar - thrifted vintage

T-shirt - Target

Belt - thrifted vintage

Skirt - American Apparel

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

Can you tell I spent a Groupon to American Apparel over the weekend? I bought this skirt and the cobalt pleated one from yesterday. I'm one of those people who wants to wear "new" stuff right away, which usually doesn't happen because I mostly buy thrifted things and have to wash them first. It's funny because the skirt yesterday definitely had a vintage vibe, but it fit so perfect and I loved the color, length and weight of it (I do have a few vintage accordion pleated skirts but they are mostly maxi skirts or a neutral color). Today's skirt is very similar to my coral, mustard, red, and green stretch knit pencil skirts, but again I loved the color and the texture of this one. Eh, I guess I know what I like and I like having lots of colorful separates! It helps me wear all my crazy statement pieces when I have a variety of solids to pair them with!

Even my PJs are vintage

2012-01-23T09:59:00.000-06:00

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf course
Sweater - Old Navy (old)
Brooches - thrifted
Skirt - American Apparel
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - MIA

I had a pretty fabulous weekend. Saturday, Nate and I got up early and stood in the cold to go to an estate sale. I found a bunch of vintage tourist pennants, a crazy pair of shoes from India, and an old boy scout knapsack. Then we went out for brunch and spent the rest of the day and night holed up from the cold and snow in front of my fireplace, playing Trivial Pursuit a million times while watching AFV (which I love a pathetic amount and I was so happy when it appeared on Netflix). Sunday we made fancy tacos and margaritas and watched football all day. My goal was to be as lazy as possible and stay horizontal the whole day. Nate fashioned me a giant straw so I could drink a margarita while laying down and watching football at the same time. That's love, folks. I even have the photo to prove it. Prepare yourselves for the glamor of "the laziest day ever:"

Yes, my shirt says "I've got the crabs." I bought it for fifty cents at a garage sale when I was 15, and I've worn it constantly for the past 15 years. It's so soft and old and awesome. It's from a crab shack in Florida, originally. Hey, I can't be dressed up all the time!

The pink matador

2012-01-20T09:44:00.000-06:00

This vest. My goodness. So, so good. Good, good, good. (It doesn't even seem like a real word anymore, does it?)

Oxford - Polo Ralph Lauren, inherited from aunt
Vest - thrifted Cambridge Dry Goods (previously worn 1, 2)
Bangles - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Sam & Libbey, inherited from sister

Last night was pretty awesome. My special needs buddy, Daniel (whom I hang out with every Thursday) is in California, so Nate came over early and we I made fondue! Which was amazing. Living like it's the '70s! Actually, last Thursday Nate came over after Daniel left and brought me a bottle of champagne to celebrate the return of 30 Rock, which was cute! Thursdays, my favorite days! Really!

Middle aged lady swag

2012-01-19T10:05:00.000-06:00

Sweater - thrifted Izod Lacoste

Orange necklace - Kohl's

Yellow "necklace" - Seoul Folk Flea Market

T-shirt - Target

Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Tights - ???

Shoes - Linea Paolo

Today's hair adventure... my "mouse hair" (which is what the girls at my previous school used to call it... because they said it made me look like Minnie Mouse? IDK.) I basically just throw my hair up in a pile on top of my head and stab it with bobby pins until none of it is falling down anymore. I've done it once before on the blog, but don't do it very often because I feel like it makes me look younger.

After the monochromatic outfit yesterday, I apparently decided to dress like an exploded box of crayons today. This outfit already prompted the following conversation at work:

"Miss Christine, you the only old, errr, not old... how old are you?"
"Thirty."
"You the only middle-aged lady I know who dresses with swag... 'cept my momma."

Um, thanks for the back-handed compliment 13 year old girl. Volunteering at the food shelf last night was awesome. I got to make up boxes of food for people to take home after they went to a soup kitchen. A meal there and a meal to-go is the idea. It was hard trying to put a variety of things in the box, that could still go together as a meal... like if you gave them noodles, you had to find a sauce and a veggie and maybe a fruit or some cereal for the next day, etc. It was fun though and we got enough done to feed over 4,000 people. Yay!

Yes, I volunteered with a group from a local brewery (and makers of my favorite beer!)

In the navy

2012-01-18T10:25:00.001-06:00

Yet another dress that I struggle to style... with the ruffled collar and ruffled sleeves, there's not much room for accessories so I took it in the other direction and went totally monochrome on it today!

Dress - thrifted Lady Carol Petites of NY (previously worn 1, 2, 3)

Tights - DKNY

Shoes - Madeline

I was torn today on whether or not to blog today... I totally oppose SOPA & PIPA, which you can read about here, among many other places. I totally understand what they are trying to do with the bill (end piracy), but I also understand what the bill will do (destroy the internet, basically).

In other news, I'm volunteering at a food shelf tonight and I'm so excited! For some reason, when I was little, I thought it would be so fun to work in a grocery store. Scanning items and listening to the beep just seemed like the best job ever. I've never worked in a grocery store, but I do enjoy the self check-out lanes for that exact reason! The scan and beep! So... maybe tonight will be like working in a grocery store too? Stocking shelves! Woo! My mom told me when she was little, she wanted to work in a toll booth, because she loved making change with coins. My dad told me that his dream job as a kid was to be the guy on the caboose of the train, who signaled if the cars became detached. What about you? Any strange jobs you dreamed of as a kid that you would hate to do now?

Huge collars and band jackets

2012-01-17T09:34:00.000-06:00

Saturday night I had to work a corporate holiday party for the photo booth. I don't know what this particular company does, but man they must have some $$$. They were giving away laptops and ipads and DSLR cameras and even had a "talent show" with only three participants and the winner got a thousand dollars. A THOUSAND. I know that working at a school and for non-profits my whole life, I will never make any real money, but jeez! That is just so crazy to me! Anyway here's the photo booth outfit:

Dress - Target Go International

Watch - Michael Kors

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Sam & Libbey, inherited from sister

And today:

Jacket - vintage via eBay

T-shirt - Target

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - thrifted Enzo Angiolini

I bought this jacket a few years ago when the whole "band jacket" thing was all the rage. It has a tag inside that says it belonged to Joe Abrams in 1922. As in 90 years ago! It's from the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and it's awesome. I had yesterday off for MLK day and spent the whole day babysitting my nephew Henrik, then I went ice skating and out to dinner with a friend who is in town from San Fransisco! A perfect day off!

Shoulder turbans

2012-01-13T10:15:00.000-06:00

Shirt - some little boutique in Seoul, Korea

Vest - thrifted (relativity)

Necklace - Shabby Apple via Two Birds giveaway

Jeans - Armani Exchange via consignment

Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern Signature Collection

I LOVE this shirt and it's little shoulder turbans but it's pretty form-fitting (aka tight) on me, so I've never worn it to work. I tried it with a vest today and yay! Work appropriate! Don't think the shoulders look like turbans?

Do you now? It's a sexxxxay lady in a turban. Like Kelly Wearstler. Sorry. Clearly I am bored today. Can I also say I'm a little bit proud? Picnik didn't have any noses so I made that one out of three crescent moons. Skillz.

Anchors Aweigh

2012-01-12T09:12:00.003-06:00

I'm not usually into the whole "nautical" look, but I couldn't resist wearing this little anchor sweater! I found it over Christmas break at a resale shop that was going out of business in a town in Wisconsin that's so small it's not even a town; it's an "unincorporated township." It cost $0.25. Score!

Glasses - thrifted American Optical, lenses replaced

Cardigan - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Anchor sweater - thrifted vintage Joyce

Necklace - thrifted

Jeans - Gap

Shoes - thrifted Minnetonka Moccasin

Sweater detail (look at the little knit rope!)... and showing you that it's short sleeved, which will be cute when it's not 5 degrees out.

Unfortunately everything else at the little shop sucked, which was too bad since everything cost a quarter. Seriously. But it's one of those weird small town in the middle of nowhere things... like when I spent 10 hours wandering home from my parents house in WI last summer, stopping at a ton of tiny thrift stores. Often times, unless someone recently cleaned out 50 years worth of clothes, most of the stuff in the store is going to come from Wal-Mart, because Wal-Mart is the only store around. Eh, as they say, I'm in it for "the thrill of the hunt" anyway, so I don't mind digging through terrible clothes for an hour and only coming away with one awesome $0.25 treasure. It's still a "win" in my book!

Burgundy and bike

2012-01-11T09:32:00.001-06:00

To tell you the truth, I kinda forgot I had this skirt. I have a pretty massive wardrobe but lately I've been trying to pare it down. It's hard because I just see the potential in everything somehow (That style will come back! I'll sew something else out of it! One day I'll wear it, just not TOday! These four jean jackets are different from each other and necessary!) So I was doing a big skirt/dress clean-out last night and found this one dangling from a hanger way in the back. Sadly, I have not worn it in 2.5 years! Gaa! Not okay! So, my loss, your gain! I've got a big pile of vintage to put on the etsy, a big pile to donate, and a big pile to try to sell to Everyday People. And slightly more room in the walk in closet. Now to tackle the rest of the closets! And then try to put myself in that "one in, one out" frame of mind so things stay under control in the wardrobe department!

Glasses - Prada
Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf course
Sweater - thrifted Target sample
Bike pin - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted Calvin Klein Jeans
Tights - Target
Shoes - Michael Kors

Besides, I figured I better wear this skirt again while the whole "vaguely southwest" thing was still in style!

Gimme a "B"

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000-06:00

Even though this is just a cardigan, not a letter sweater, it has that vibe to it... so between that and the headband, I feel excessively preppy today!

Necklace - belonged to my great-gma
Cardigan - thrifted vintage Tarni
T-shirt - Target
Seagull pins - thrifted
Jeans - Gap
Boots - Seychelles

I used to wear this necklace every single day, for years in high school. It belonged to my great grandma, who we all called "Grandma B". For some reason, in middle school, I thought she was really cool and wanted to go visit her all the time with my mom. We would always stop at an apple orchard on the way to her retirement community and buy apple cider donuts to eat with her (I still want to cry like every time I eat one.) When she died, I got to pick a few of her things to keep. This necklace is my favorite! It's five pieces of jade on a tiny chain. I used to call it "the pickle necklace." Now I'm too paranoid I'll lose or break it, so I keep it hung up in my bathroom so I still see it all the time, but only wear it once in a while.

Grey skies

2012-01-09T10:02:00.000-06:00

Whenever I wear a dress without adding much to it in the way of accessories or layers, it feels like "cheating." Like I'm wearing an outfit I didn't put any effort into. However, between the bright color, the collar, the rhinestone buttons up the front, and the fact that it's long-sleeved, this dress really doesn't need much added to it. So here I am, cheating, with a very simple outfit!

Dress - thrifted vintage Samuel Parnes
Tights - Target
Heels - MIA

Shrinky dink

2012-01-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

My great aunt Edith, who is 80+ years old asked me if I wanted this jacket after she accidentally shrunk it. I threw on some cropped pants with it today and I'm just gonna pretend like I suddenly outgrew all my clothes overnight! She also gave me a Comme des Garçons victorian style coat last year (which I keep forgetting to photograph and show you.) Oh, raiding the closets of the octogenarians in my family is my favorite thing to do!

Jacket - Kate Hill (hand-me-down from my great aunt)
Grey necklace - $3 from crazy outlet store (Opitz)
Clear necklace - made from beads from Jo-Ann Fabrics
Pearl necklace - $3 from crazy outlet store (Opitz)
Wide striped tee - JC Penney
Thin striped tee (underneath) - Target
Jeans - GAP
Shoes - Plenty by Tracy Reese

Red-y, Steady, Go

2012-01-04T10:19:00.001-06:00

Sweater - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Pin - thrifted
Dress - thrifted D.B.Y.
Tights - Target
Boots - Seychelles

Why yes, I am wearing my hair different today... sort of a low side-bun situation.

I am not one for new year's resolutions but I decided I should make one concerning my hair. I've been growing it out for almost three years (I still get it trimmed and layered), so I could do more things with it and wear more fun hats! But I don't. I don't do it. I just throw it up everyday to keep it out of my face, out of my way, and away from all the vomit and lice in my office (I work in the health office of a school, if you're new here.)

So, let's check in on the hair! Also, watch me age! And go from pale to tan and back again three times!

March and July of 2009:

May and October of 2010:

March and November of 2011:

So! My goal is to wear my hair in a different way at least once a week (on the blog, I wear my hair down fairly often on the weekends to give it a break from being up and because, hey, no lice or vomit around!) So, look for more braids, hats, fascinators, wearing it down, wearing it straight, who knows! My first new year's resolution in the 30 years of my existence and it's a pretty easy one... I can't fail! Week 1/52 = success!

I even added a tag, called "Adventures in hair" so I can remember all the different ways I've worn it!

The dreaded day 18

2012-01-03T10:07:00.001-06:00

After 17 days off work for winter break, it is the dreaded day 18... back to the grind. I thought if I dressed up a bit, it would make the day a little less painful. The walk to the bus stop through so much ice on the road made it a bit more painful that I would have liked, but thank goodness for giant snow boots! I made it in one piece!

Cardigan - Nine West

Necklace - thrifted

Dress - Lauren Conrad

Tights - Target

Shoes - MIA

Petal detail cardigan and tiny dots with pleats:

This dress is one of my "collateral damage" purchases from Christmas shopping . I went into Kohl's to find a sweater and scarf for my mom and came out with this dress (which was on uber-clearance for like $11) and some new black heels for New Year's Eve (which were half off and I needed some tall black closed-toe shoes anyway). Still, these are things I would not have seen or bought were it not for Christmas shopping. It happens every year!

16 Sundays in one post

2012-01-02T19:03:00.000-06:00

I don't do weekend posts unless it's a special occasion or I have to work the photo booth. Why? Partially because I'm lazy and partially because it would be boring. Every Sunday from September until January, I wear one of two t-shirts...

T-shirt - vintage via sideburns etsy shop

Jeans - Earnest Sewn

Shoes - thrifted Santorini

Beer (by the Dala Horses) - Surly Coffee Bender (the finest beer ever made... it's a dark beer that is brewed with whole coffee beans in it that are then removed before canning. It's amazing.)

Or this one... and yes I am drinking a PBR tall boy out of a koozie that says "Your girlfriend on board":

Shirt - vintage via eBay
Pants - Target
Slippers - Qwaruba

It's hard to be a Vikings fan... most of our team gear is ugly (purple and gold, sorry, you are not my favorite colors) so I sought out two vintage shirts that I could stand looking at:

And don't tell me the Vikings suck. I am aware. And I love them anyway, that's what it means to be a fan. Anyhoodle, for those of you who don't care about football or my lazy Sunday outfits, here's a piece of cuteness for you, of Nate and I on New Year's Eve:

Farewell Vikings, see you next year!

Holidaze

2011-12-31T18:11:00.001-06:00

Ooooookay! I disappeared for a bit, didn't I? Well I've got two special outfits to show you to make up for it! First, my Christmas dress!

Dress - thrifted handmade (the same as the orange one)

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables

Pin - thrifted

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole (hand-me-downs from sister)

Nate came home with me and got to meet my extremely large and loud extended family. I was sad I didn't get to see my nephew Henrik on his first Christmas (they stayed in MN), but my sister made sure to take lots of pictures of him. He has no idea what Christmas is but it sure seems like he LOVES it:

I also got to meet this little lady:

My brothers new dog, Marley! Tory didn't want his Bull Mastiff, Cash, to get lonely, so he got him a little friend. Aww, look at the odd couple, taking a little afternoon nap:

And tonight's New Year's Eve outfit!

Shirt - Gryphon

Ring - vintage via flea market

Skirt - Zoe D.

Shoes - Simply Vera

I missed the whole "bare midriff" thing the first time around. I was too young and too well behaved to attempt such a thing, so I figure now is a good time to try it. I'm 30 and this is two inches of my stomach, deal with it. Yay! Happy New Year everyone! I'll be back to posting regularly once I go back to work on Tuesday!

Feliz Navidad

2011-12-16T09:35:00.001-06:00

I thrifted this very summery dress a few weeks ago and decided to just wear it anyway and try to winterize it a bit! I feel like I should be singing "Feliz Navidad" in this dress!

Cardigan - thrifted Target sample
Dress - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Belt - thrifted
Tights - Target
Heels - Tracy Reese

I've got a half-day at work today and then I have SEVENTEEN days off! Wahoo! Which is good, because I still have to buy quite a few Christmas presents and I've been putting it off until next week. I hate crowds and I figure it will be less busy everywhere if I can go during the day while everyone else is still at work. My posting will probably be sporadic for the next two weeks as I go to do Christmas with Nate's family in Marshall, MN and my family in Wisconsin and Illinois. But I'll pop in from time to time and finally update some vintage stuff on my etsy. Have a fabulous winter break dudes!

It's "90s Day"

2011-12-15T09:46:00.003-06:00

It's '90s Day for "Spirit Week" at the school where I work. Went for a bit of a Rayanne Graff vibe... just realized I forgot to tie my brown flannel around my waist before I took these photos, so just use your imagination! There are five tiny braids in my hair, secured in those little animal and flower Goodie barrettes.

Barrettes - Goodie (from high school)
Thermal shirt - Maurices (circa 1994)
Overalls - thrifted GAP (bought them for a 90s party a few years ago)
Tights - Target (they had a hole... so I added a few more)
Socks - Target
Boots - Dr. Marten's (I saved up my babysitting money in 8th grade for MONTHS to buy these)

I graduated high school in 1999 so the '90s were really my formative years. I carried a Kerokerokeroppi lunch box as a purse. I worked at a movie theater when I was 15 that reminds me very much of Empire Records (oh the drama! There were two gay guys from my school who worked there at a time when it was a HUGE deal that they were "out." Other workers, NOT me, did whippits on the roof during breaks. We used our keys to play all the arcade games for free when it was slow in-between movies. We also all sat in the huge ball-pit in the arcade after our shifts and talked forever. Titanic came out and sold out every show for like a month so it sucked trying to clean out the theater between showings. Our boss drank vodka out of a coffee tumbler and threatened to kill herself and all of us a few times. She scheduled employee-only midnight showings of Boogie Nights and Chasing Amy. After the place was robbed at knife-point, I stopped working there... but I still have like 50 more crazy stories about the place.) I went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner before the Homecoming dance with a bunch a friends. I wore a slip as a dress to the "Snow Ball Winter Formal." There was a bomb threat the last day of my senior year and everyone was scared there would be a school shooting when we evacuated out onto the football field. Instead we spent the day signing yearbooks and our whole senior class got out of taking three finals. I pierced my belly-button. I dressed up as Ginger Spice (along with 4 other friends who dressed as the rest), drank a jug of juice mixed with tiny airplane bottles of booze stolen from my friend Amy's parents, and went to a Spice Girls concert tipsy. I learned to like black coffee in 8th grade because it seemed the cool thing to do at the time. My art teacher let us watch MTV in class and everyone cried when they announced Kurt Cobain was dead. I had my first kiss in 8th grade on the chairlift of the ski hill where I spent every evening, all winter long (he is now gay.) I covered the entire ceiling of my bedroom with stuff I cut out of magazines. It was the '90s. It was so-called awesome. I could go on and on...

Me, but shinier

2011-12-14T09:31:00.004-06:00

Today is "Celebrity Day" for Spirit Week at my school. Last year, I dressed as Mary Kate Olsen and scared all the kids. Well, at least one classroom of kindergarteners and their teacher, who saw me in the hall and didn't recognize me and thought I was a "crazy homeless lady." This year I didn't put in much effort because it's HARD to look like a celebrity! Most of them just wear regular clothes and I certainly can't get all Lady Gaga at work. So I figured celebrities are like regular people... only shinier. Enter sequin dress.

Long sleeve tee - Target
Dress - Hayden Harnett
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, inherited from sister

Tonight I'm taking my sister to see Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella for her birthday (which is tomorrow)! I'm super excited, we LOVED this musical as kids. And I can get "educator" rush tickets for only $30 (instead of $65-$93). Whoopie!

Fun fact: The previous middle school where I worked did this musical and I costumed it! HUGE pain is the butt, sooooo much sewing for very little money, but it was worth it to see kids actually care about something and practice it every day until it was perfect. Cute!

Also, I added a bunch of art to my little homegoods etsy shop

Clark Kent/Superman

2011-12-13T09:39:00.001-06:00

It's Spirit Week at the school where I work and today is Hero Day! I dressed as Clark Kent/Superman!

Glasses - thrifted vintage American Optical, prescription replaced
Blazer - thrifted Oleg Cassini
T-shirt - vintage/DIY Superman logo
Oxford - Target
Belt - thrifted
Pants - thrifted Express
Shoes - Dr. Martens

I made my own Superman logo with screenprinting ink and fabric and then hand-sewed it on a t-shirt. I probably won't have a reason to wear a Superman shirt again so this way I can just remove it when I'm done without wrecking a shirt!

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird... it's a plane... it's CHRISTINE!

Odd jobs

2011-12-12T10:04:00.004-06:00

Friday night I engaged in some tag-team babysitting of my nephew with Nate.

It was really fun and Henrik was pretty good. He was fussy for a bit, but he's only 7 weeks old, so that's to be expected! I started babysitting in 6th grade and never got to do the sitcom staple of the ol' "babysitter secretly invites her boyfriend over and spends the whole night making out." Well, it wasn't a secret that Nate was there and we were too busy feeding and burping and rocking and diaper changing to make out, but still! It counts!

Saturday night I had to work the photo booth for a same-sex marriage. I thrifted this dress and another one in kelly green last week! They're homemade, fit perfectly, and I'm going to make the green one my Christmas dress for this year! Yay!

Blazer - thrifted little boys, safety pins added by me
Dress - thrifted handmade
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, inherited from sister

Sunday I finally got to relax a bit so Nate and I made brunch, drank mimosas, and watched football all day! Today is the beginning of Spirit Week at the school where I work so I had to wear my school shirt today, which was perfect for a comfy last Monday at work before winter break! Four more days then I get 17 days off! Working at a school? Totally rocks!

Sweater - thrifted men's Winona Knits
Seagull pin - thrifted
T-shirt - from work
Jeans - Gap
Shoes - Target

Photo fails

2011-12-09T16:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry this post is late, I soooooo did not have time to take an outfit photo before hopping on the bus this morning. I was busy being awesome (aka eating leftover pizza for breakfast.) The breakfast of non-champions, frat boys with hangovers, and me.

Sweater - thrifted Liz Claiborne

T-shirt - Target

Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic

Tights - Target

Shoes - Michael Kors

I'm excited! Tonight Nate the Date and I are "playing house." AKA babysitting this little fellow while my sister and her hubs go out to dinner with some friends. Pretty sweeeet. Do you think they make that hat in my size?

I did remember to take a few photos at the parade last night... yes, that first one is the Target dog, pinocchio, and a princess with blue hair riding a whale. So what? Also, a snowman baseball?

However, I failed to take a photo of Daniel and I AT the parade, so here is our cold-noses, warming up the car shot! Heeee! We've gone to the parade together every year for the past nine years!

Random pairings

2011-12-08T10:15:00.001-06:00

For some reason I felt the need to match my collar to my shoes and my bracelet to my socks today...

Glasses - Prada
Fur collar - thrifted vintage
Oxford - thrifted little boys Cherokee
Bracelet - vintage necklace from flea market
Jeans - Gap
Socks - Target
Shoes - Bakers

Actually, this isn't a bracelet, it's a vintage necklace I got at a little flea market in WI for $2 last summer!

Yay! I'm excited! I'm taking my special needs buddy, Daniel to the Holidazzle Parade tonight! We go every year and it always kicks my Grinch butt into Christmas mode. The whole parade is really pretty because everything is made of Christmas lights. But Daniel doesn't care about that part. He just cares about the end when SANTA comes on his big light up sleigh. It's adorable!

Cross-eyed

2011-12-07T09:49:00.003-06:00

Every time I look at this dress, it makes me dizzy. I still love it though! I'd share a detail shot of it but I don't want to be responsible for causing widespread and massive seizures.

Cardigan - Old Navy
Dress - vintage via church garage sale
Tights - Target
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

Last night was the employee party for the photo booth company where I work (mostly just weekends in the summer) to celebrate successfully getting through a busy "wedding season" this summer. We had a few beers, a ton of pizza, and played indoor bocce ball (which was fun but nowhere near as good as outdoor bocce ball, IMO. I like the challenge of the dents, twigs, tree roots, and squirrels of playing bocce ball on a lawn.) They also had a silly award ceremony for a few employees, where I was named "Rookie of the Year:"

As Ralphie's dad in "A Christmas Story" would say, "It's a major award." Also, yes, I am grinning like a bastard and giving the double thumbs up in that photo. Classy!

Navy, baby

2011-12-06T10:35:00.001-06:00

Oxford - thrifted vintage The Wazer Classic Collection
Necklace - thrifted
Belt - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted little girls Cherokee
Tights - Target?
Shoes - Plenty by Tracy Reese

Today is one of those days when I look around at all the other people, bundled up in their parkas and long underwear under their pants and I'm like, "Man, I am such a fashion blogger." It's 15 degrees outside and snowing and I'm rocking tights and heels (though I did wear boots for my long walk to the bus stop... gotta protect the suede shoes!) But, I think I'd be doing it regardless. It's like they say, "You can take the girl out of the blog, but you can't take the blog out of the girl." Ok, no one says that, but it's true! Besides, I'm Norwegian. I don't get cold (well, until it inevitably hits -20 here, then I will whine like everyone else.)

8-year-old me is very happy

2011-12-05T09:19:00.000-06:00

The 8-year-old version of me would be very happy with this 1980s Esprit skirt, because at the time, I thought pink and black together were the height of sophistication. Then my neighbor friend, Lil, told me that only hookers wore pink and black (or worse, red and black) together. That was the end of me wearing my uber-cool black swimsuit with pink roses on it. I didn't want people driving by as I ran through the sprinkler in the yard to think I was a hooker (not that I knew exactly what that meant, but I knew it was bad.)

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables
Shirt - JC Penney?
Skirt - thrifted Esprit
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Seychelles

I'm taking back the pink and black color combo. Sorry, Lil. Clearly I'm a hooker.

Rock and rock and roll

2011-12-02T09:17:00.004-06:00

I'm selling my screenprinted t-shirts and some screenprinted canvases tonight at "The Great Rock and Roll Swap Meet" at The Hexagon (a local bar/small concert venue). There's a bunch of local bands (Umami, Red Pens, Still Pacific and Bottlekids) playing too and it's free!

Cardigan - inherited from aunt, Bloomingdale's brand
Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom
Belt - from a Target dress
Pants - thrifted, Bleyle for Hooper
Shoes - Seychelles

The most exciting part about it is I'm done screenprinting for a while! I made a ton of shirts and art and now I can stop coming home from work at 4pm and screenprinting and heat-setting until midnight every day. Whew! Plus I'm not expecting to sell anywhere near the amount of stuff I made at the sale tonight, so I'll have some inventory should another event come up that I want to go to (and for all the last minute etsy orders I tend to get, right before Christmas)! Yay!

I don't believe in time

2011-12-01T09:35:00.001-06:00

Cardigan - Target
Necklace - Shabby Apple via Two Birds giveaway
Skirt - thrifted vintage
Tights - TJ Maxx?
Shoes - Michael Kors

I won this necklace from a Two Birds giveaway... unfortunately it is just a necklace, not a functioning watch... um, what? I must say that I am baffled by society in general, but who the heck would pay $64 for what is essentially a broken pocketwatch? I have one that I bought at a garage sale and it was fifty cents and it's made of real gold! Regardless, I'm still glad I won as it is a really pretty necklace. I set it to 10:10 (which most catalogs do because it makes the clocks look "happy" because they are "smiling.") Why do I know this? I don't know. I have a "thing" for analog clocks. I have seven in my house. SEVEN. In three rooms. People come over and if I don't have the radio on, they always comment on the insane amount of ticking in the house. I like the sound.

Necklace and skirt detail:

A fashion mullet, of sorts

2011-11-29T09:15:00.000-06:00

Business on top, party on the bottom... squirrel in the middle?

Dress - vintage via www.areyoutakingmeout.etsy.com

Squirrel pin - thrifted
Tights - Target
Shoes - Sam & Libby (hand me downs from sister)

It's certainly not always a good idea to match your lipstick to your legs, but it was today!

Pink pumpkin

2011-11-28T09:34:00.001-06:00

I'm apparently on some sort of a pants bender lately... I think it's just because I'm trying to adjust to it finally getting cold here.

Cardigan - thrifted It's Pure Gould
T-shirt - Target
Wool pants - thrifted
Shoes - Bongo

I had an excellent five day weekend! Thanksgiving went great, I spent all day Friday screenprinting, Saturday I took my first trip to a spa (first massage! first eyebrow waxing! first facial!) then Saturday night Nate came back to town and went to dinner with my family, and Sunday was my nephew, Henrik's baptism. Since Henrik was born I've seen more of my parents than ever (well, since I went off to college at 17). It's pretty nice seeing them more than two or three times a year (it's a 6 hour drive each way, so that's why it's difficult for us to see each other for just a weekend, especially in the snowy winter)!

It's Friday, Friday

2011-11-22T08:59:00.000-06:00

Ok, not really but I don't have to work the rest of the week, so it's my Friday!

Necklace - thrifted
Cardigan - Old Navy
Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom
Pants - Express (like 10 yrs ago)
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

My parents and little brother are coming up for Thanksgiving, so I'll be spending all day Thursday cooking. My sister still isn't allowed to do much after her c-section, and the rest of the fam will be driving six hours to get up here, so that leaves me to make the dinner! Which I'm fine with, I like cooking and making a turkey is about the easiest thing on Earth. Stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes - all easy as pie. Actually, my sister is allowed to make the pie. So I'm excited to see the fam, eat too much, watch some football and most importantly snuggle the Henrik all day:

He's just the cutest baby ever, no big deal.

A horse with no name

2011-11-21T09:21:00.000-06:00

Well, it finally happened. It snowed. Time to bust out the big ~~guns~~ sweaters...

Headband - Target
Sweater - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Jeans - Gap
Boots - Seychelles

The back and the boots:

Nate and I had a really fun weekend full of random adventures... we went out for drinks with some friends Friday evening to The Knight Cap (aka the best Minneapolis dive bar). We woke up super early on Saturday and went for breakfast, then I bought a turkey for Thanksgiving so it can start defrosting, then for some reason I really wanted to go to Fleet Farm??? So we did, and marveled at all the weird hunting stuff. Then we went to S.R. Harris, which is an awesomely huge fabric warehouse. It started snowing, so we spent the rest of the day in front of the fireplace, watching movies. Sunday we went to Hymie's Vintage Records and watched football all day and made really awesome pasta for dinner. I'm so excited, it's a two day work week!

Just me and all the weird art kids

2011-11-18T09:32:00.000-06:00

Today is one of those days where I think, "Thank goodness I work at an art school." Because I am not ready for it to be 5 degrees out in the morning yet, so I'm wearing a hat inside all day. Although, with the cold weather comes some nice things... like getting to wear these wool Marni pants I love so much. Also, this is the most comfortable sweater ON EARTH. I wear it lounging around the house constantly.

Hat - thrifted
Cardigan - thrifted Winona Knits
Shirt - JC Penney? clearance
Owl necklace - thrifted
Pants - Marni (secondhand from The Garment District in Boston)
Shoes - Target

Haaaaaaave a good weekend dudes and dudettes! I don't have to work the photo booth for once so I've got the whole weekend to make t-shirts and go record shopping with Nate. Yay!

I'm a witch. A cool witch.

2011-11-17T09:55:00.002-06:00

Something about wearing a black floor-length accordion pleated skirt, always makes me feel like I belong in "The Craft." So don't mess with me, I will totally cast a 1990s teen witch spell on you. And not a cute "Sabrina" one either... no talking cats here... just evil teenage revenge.

Jean jacket - thrifted Gap kids, overbleached by me
T-shirt - beck.com
Skirt - thrifted Styleworks
Shoes - Bongo

My beloved Beck "Debra" shirt... and one of his finer songs, IMO.

Aaaaand in other t-shirt news, my pink plaid couch, which has always been difficult to decorate around, has been temporarily reupholstered...in drying men's t-shirts.

Hmm, I did always want to get rid of that pink plaid... one day I'll stop living like a 30 year old college student and buy actual furniture I like, and not just what I can inherit and/or thrift... my own version of the American dream...

P.S. I finally made a facebook page for FutureLint T-shirts... go "like" it... I swear I won't bombard your wall with updates...

Cranes and seagulls

2011-11-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

Blouse - vintage via eBay
Sweater - Gap
Pins - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Boots - Rockport

I know these are technically cranes on my shirt, but I couldn't resist wearing a few seagull pins... same dif. Put a bird on it and all that.

Operation "Don't Lose Your Mind before Christmas" has been going okay... I got a lot organized and figured out last night... I just get easily distracted. My whole t-shirt operation is in my kitchen, which is not ideal, but I live in a one bedroom condo so it's all I've got. But I tend to start to spaz out about how it's taking over everything and start trying to re-arrange things to fit things better and neater and then all of a sudden it's 2 hours later and things are slightly better but I probably should have just been printing t-shirts that whole time... eh, it will get done. Somehow. In the meantime, birds! Birds make everything better and happier!

Lovey

2011-11-15T09:23:00.000-06:00

IDK why I felt the need to dress like Thurston Howell today... (actually, he would never wear this scarf, so I guess I can get away with it.)

Circle scarf - crocheted by me
Striped oxford - thrifted Melrose Silk Studios
Wool blazer - thrifted Cheryl Tiegs
Pants - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern Signature Collection

I am feeling overwhelmed today... I take on a lot, I know I do, but I like to be busy and I like everything I do... but sometimes, between my full-time job, the photo booth, my disabled buddy, and my etsy shop... I get a bit stressed. And it's usually around this time of year, until Christmas. Plus I have a local t-shirt thing coming up that I'm trying to prepare for and it's overwhelming, but will be worth it. I hope. Ok, that is enough venting from me. Clearly I could fix the problem by quitting one of these things, but like I said, I like them all and don't want to. So I'm done bitching. I just needed a minute to spaz out about how there is never enough time to do all the things I want to do. Ugh.

Photo booth (27) and daytime pearls

2011-11-14T10:10:00.001-06:00

Friday night, I had to go right from my school job to work a wedding for the photo booth. I love that every wedding is different, but this one was VERY different. It was a same-sex marriage, a Scottish wedding (all the men were in kilts!) and one of the grooms as well as about 50% of the guests were deaf... which I was a bit worried about but there were lots of interpreters and it all worked out fine! Plus, it wound up being really fun! Still, working from 8am to midnight = not ideal.

Cardigan - thrifted vintage
Dress - Rodarte for Target
Tights - Target
Boots - Diba

Today...

Pearls - garage sale
Oxford - thrifted J. Crew
Sweater vest - thrifted (no tags)
Jeans - Gap
Boots - Seychelles

I'm excited for the Viking vs. Packers game tonight, even though I'm pretty sure the Vikings will get their asses kicked. Nate and I are going to go watch the game redneck style at Toby Keith's I Love this Bar and Grill... can't beat the huge beers and huge TVs...

I wish...

2011-11-11T09:43:00.002-06:00

It's 11/11... time to make a wish. Actually, no. You already know my wish. It's the same as Skee-Lo's... I wish I was a little bit taller. I was I was a baller... I wish this awesome sweater didn't give off Christmas vibes, even though it's just a red sweater with bows on it and not really Christmasy at all but still... wait, those aren't the lyrics?

Sweater - thrifted Cherokee
Skirt - vintage via www.stephaniegeisler.etsy.com
Tights - Target
Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern Signature Collection

Busy weekend... I have to work the photo booth tonight = boo. But, at least it's at a Russian Vodka Bar, so at least it will be an interesting wedding! Tomorrow, being November 12, means I will engage in my yearly Back to the Future marathon. Nate is pretty excited about it, but probably also thinks I'm a weirdo for doing it on that particular date every year... what can I say? I LOVE Back to the Future. Also, my grandparents from Chicago are coming up for a quick visit to see baby Henrik, so that will be the rest of the weekend! Haaaaaaaaaave a good one and I hope all your 11/11/11 at 11:11 wishes come true!

P.S. Yay! I'm back to dressing like a hot dog! It's been a while!

Neon & neutral

2011-11-10T10:15:00.000-06:00

I was planning to wear this sweater on Sunday, but then I remembered I was going to visit my three week old nephew, Henrik and didn't want to compromise his retinas. Seriously. Who knows what will happen if you wear this sweater near a baby?

Sweater - thrifted vintage Devon Original

Brooches - garage sale, thrifted

Skirt - vintage via www.pangs.etsy.com

Tights - Cynthia Rowley

Heels - Bakers

I don't really think of myself as a huge fan of neon, but looking over past outfits, I've certainly got a few neon items in the closet. They are hard to photograph properly though, either I look totally blown out or I have to tone down the colors to make me look normal and it takes away some of the brightness of the neon. Eh, oh well. I assure you that all these things will blind you in person.

I guess being born in 1981 means I'll always love the fluorescent. Next let's bring back Hyper Color (no, actually that was always a bad idea.)

Severe

2011-11-09T09:44:00.000-06:00

I feel like between the glasses and the red lip, I look kinda severe today... like I could severely fly off the handle at any moment. But I also look pretty artsy-fartsy today. So basically this look is "Don't criticize my art or I will brandish the X-Acto knife concealed in my hair at you." Isn't that a nice little story to sum up this look?

Glasses - thrifted, lenses replaced
Necklace - thrifted
Cardigan - Old Navy
Dress - thrifted Moda Int'l
Socks - Target?
Boots - Rockport

Regardless, this dress rocks my socks (ha! literally today!) but I wish the top of it was shaped differently... it's too risque to wear without a buttoned up cardigan or a top underneath...

Checkerboard

2011-11-08T09:13:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the brief absence, I had yesterday off work! So I spent the day catching up on some extra work stuff I do for the photo booth and then made potato leek soup! Now that it's officially cold here and there is snow in the forecast, soup is my favorite thing on Earth. I love making it and chopping all the veggies. I love eating it and freezing some for later. Seriously, I think I'll make a different kind tonight and maybe one tomorrow too! Any suggestions/links for particularly awesome soup recipes?

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf club
Sweater - Old Navy (10 yrs ago)
Skirt - Free People
Boots - Seychelles

It's all in the socks

2011-11-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

For some reason, after I dress up a bit one day, I feel the need to rebel and get casual after that... I really like the bright pink socks with the light peach and mustard today... The socks totally make the outfit, yes?

Glasses- thrifted, lenses replaced
Cardigan - hand-me-down from my friend Megan, 6 years ago
Oxford - Isabella Sinclair
Jeans - GAP
Socks - Target
Shoes - vintage via eBay (no brand)

Also I feel like this outfit would look awesome on someone with long legs because it's difficult for a shortie like me to break up my leg with cropped pants and socks and shoes, without looking even shorter than I am... I know, I can't complain about my legs, but I often find myself seeing outfits and loving them and then actually looking at the outfit for what it is and I realize I don't actually like the outfit, the girl wearing it is just exceptionally pretty with ridiculously long, thin legs... and that is what I'm responding to, not the actual combination of clothing. I do it all the time. It's annoying. I have to really look at things and think about why I like them before I "pin" them or stick them in my inspiration folder or it would all just be J.Crew models in boring outfits, with cute glasses and long legs. Ahhh, the grass is always greener, but I'll keep my shortie legs, thank you very much, because as I've said before, as long as my legs work, I won't complain. Um, random tangent much? Sorry!

Little Lady Fauntleroy

2011-11-02T08:47:00.001-05:00

This dress is obviously awesome, but I don't wear it very often... the tent shape of it is just not too flattering, so I threw on a shrunken blazer to give it some structure - much better! And motorcycle boots because with heels I felt like the prissiest, fanciest Little Lady Fauntleroy on Earth and I just can't do it today!

Blazer - thrifted JH Collectables
Dress - Anna Sui for Target (clearance)
Tights - DKNY
Boots - thrifted Colin Stuart

Yes, I wore my hair down for once and I'm sure work will be full of lice and puke today, just to teach me a lesson. Ahhhhh!

Cold nose. Warm heart.

2011-11-01T08:58:00.000-05:00

This sweatshirt is insanely awesome (duh!) and it was instantly one of my favorite shirts ever! I found it at the Arc's Value Village in St. Paul for $4! Unfortunately I found it in August so I had to wait what seemed like FOREVER to wear it... but it just seemed silly to wear before it got a bit cold here! Anyhoodle, I am in love with it and won't ever sell it, not even for ONE MILLION DOLLARS. We are in love, me and this sweatshirt.

Sweatshirt - thrifted
Skirt - DIY
Tights - Target?
Shoes - Sam & Libbey (inherited from sister)

True. Very true.

My superhero boots

2011-10-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

I didn't dress up for Halloween at work (sorry, though I do work at a school, I don't own themed cardigans for every holiday like all the teachers I had growing up.) But I did wear these boots, which make me feel like a superhero whenever I wear them... but unfortunately they are so old and the suede is dried out so every time I wear them, they crack a bit more and little bits come off... it's like watching them slowly disintegrate and suffer, how sad!

Oxford - thrifted little boys Cherokee
Vest - thrifted (relativity)
Skirt - vintage via www.stephaniegeisler.etsy.com
Boots - thrifted vintage (no brand)

Since I live in a condo, I never get any trick-or-treaters but Nate and his roommates live in a neighborhood with a lot of kids! So I'm heading over there right after school to watch Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas while we answer the door and give out candy! Yay! And here's one more photo from Saturday's Halloween party... I am dating Ron Swanson.

Sally costume! (The Nightmare Before Christmas!)

2011-10-29T19:45:00.001-05:00

Yep, here it is... the Halloween costume...

I'm taking back The Nightmare before Christmas from all the emo kids and Hot Topic, who tried to ruin it. I LOVE this movie, have since it came out. I made the whole thing out of fabric I already owned, so this whole costume cost me $6? Had to buy several blue eyeshadows and that's it! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A girly badass

2011-10-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

T-shirt - Target
Vest - thrifted Target sample (from Fake Target)
Skirt - thrifted (no tags)
Shoes - Unlisted by Kenneth Cole (inherited from sister)

I love this skirt but it's hard to make it not so... precious? So I paired it with my most bad-ass vest and I love the combination of tough and sweet... kinda like this ~~graffiti~~ street art I've been passing every day this week and forgetting to take a photo of until today...

Aww, cute (and huge! It's like 15 feet tall!) I can just picture the guy, spray painting all night then taking Erin (whoever she is) there with a can of spray paint and her writing her answer in the little box! Yay for bad-ass love!

Please, Tommy, don't hurt me

2011-10-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Cardigan - Old Navy

Dress - thrifted vintage (no brand)

Tights - Target

Shoes - Michael Kors

I gotta admit, I stole the color scheme of this outfit. Stole it from a Who What Wear article about "Pajama Dressing"...

See the Tommy Hilfiger dress I will never be able to afford? Yep, lifted it's color scheme and copied it today. I'm not sorry. Though, I'm not very pajama-ed out today... another day perhaps. I do own a pretty bad-ass white piped black silk pajama top that I've worn with jeans before... I guess it's time to dig it out of the ol' closet! Time to get trendy!

Cowpoke

2011-10-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Cardigan - Only Hearts

Dress - thrifted Positive Attitude (shortened a lot by me)

Boots - vintage Justin via eBay

Cowboy boots are something I love... in theory. In practice, I kinda find them hard to wear. I don't want to look overly country-western nor do I want them to be just a random afterthought to an outfit. They are kinda a strange height (not to the knee, but not exactly mid-calf either) and a strange shape (that V shape in the front and back just throws me off!) Anyone else have trouble figuring out how to wear cowboy boots? I even have a third pair that I thrifted and I've never worn because I can't figure out how to wear them because they are crazy:

I'm thinking I need to just wear a black dress and rock the insanity boots... any other ideas? I've seriously had them for like 3 years and I need to wear them or sell them. Soon. Closet real estate is too precious to waste on unworn boots.

Some past wearings of cowboy boots... Click on the photos to go to my flickr if you want the outfit info...

Tiny dancer

2011-10-25T09:22:00.001-05:00

This is one of those outfits where I just want to walk backwards all day, because it's so much cooler than the front!

Jean jacket - Target/ DIY by me
T-shirt - Target
Skirt - American Apparel
Tights - TJ Maxx?
Shoes - thrifted Joan Helpern

And while I have a photo up where you can see the back of my hair for once, can we talk about this little situation?

Not cool, hair, not cool. If you are going to have a random awesome blotch of blonde hair, why not do it in the front? Or on the side? But no, you have a cool blonde skunk spot underneath my hair, where no one ever gets to see it except for when I take back shots of stuff for sale in my etsy. It has been infuriating to me my whole life. As Stephanie Tanner would say, "How rude!"

The photo booth (25) and Missoni zig-zags

2011-10-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

Friday night I had to work a wedding for the photo booth:

Glasses - Prada
Dress - vintage via The Junk Bonanza
Belt - inherited from a friend
Booties - Saks Fifth Ave

Today (if I look super tired and zonked, it's because I am. Nate and I went to see Frank Turner at the Triple Rock last night and didn't get home until midnight. Totally worth it though, especially when he covered The Hold Steady.)

I was not planning to buy any of the Missoni for Target stuff, then I stopped in on Wednesday to buy a men's t-shirt for a custom order and saw this sweater, sitting on clearance and couldn't resist.

Cardigan - Missoni for Target (clearance)
T-shirt - thrifted vintage Surrey
Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic
Tights - TJ Maxx?
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

Hurry up, today!

2011-10-19T09:15:00.002-05:00

Glasses - Prada
Scarf - street vendor in NYC, years ago
Shirt - thrifted little boys Cherokee
Skirt - thrifted
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Miss Me via Modcloth gift certificate

I can't wait to get done with work today to get to the hospital and visit my first nephew, Henrik! I only got to see him for a few minutes yesterday and I'm dying for a longer visit! He was exactly 7lbs and 20 inches long. And perfect! He kinda looks like my sister, he kinda looks like her husband, but mostly he looks like all the Whos down in Whoville. Yay!

I've got tomorrow and Friday off work for MEA weekend (all public school teachers have to go to the Education Minnesota Professional Conference, but I do not since I'm not a teacher!) Woo-hoo for days off with perfect timing!

Tante

2011-10-18T11:06:00.002-05:00

Today is the day. The day I become Tante Christine (that's the Norwegian word for aunt, and what I call all my aunts on my dad's side of the family.) It's been a long, and at times heartbreaking journey, but in 40 minutes, my nephew will be born! He is apparently already showing his personality by being a stubborn little monkey and refusing to stop being breach and turn so it's c-section time. I'm off to go hang at the hospital all day with the fam, so comfort is the name of the game:

Cardigan - thrifted vintage (no tags, other than the name of the man who owned the sweater, ironed on from a retirement home)

Polka dot blouse - thrifted Kenneth Cole

Jeans - thrifted Armani Exchange

Shoes - thrifted Minnetonka Moccasin

Hooray! I'm SOOOOO excited to meet him and find out his name! My sister and her husband have kept it a secret from everyone! What brats! Just kidding, love you Kim and Luke!

Photo booth (24) and preppy painter

2011-10-17T10:11:00.003-05:00

Saturday I worked the photo booth for a wedding (surprise, surprise) but it was neat because it was in the Semple Mansion, which I've always wanted to go in! It is insanely gorgeous and ornate and had amazing chandeliers.

Dress - thrifted (handmade)
Brooch - thrifted
Shoes - BCBG

Sunday I had my first day off since September 25th, so I spent the day with Nate, watching football and The Walking Dead, drinking malts and eating ramen. Perfect.

I've had this shirt for years, it was my mom's painting shirt and I love wearing it. It's so comfy and soft and I like the paint splatters. As long as I wear it with real pants and not sweatpants, I think I can pull it off as a sort of artsy top:

Shirt - my mom's old painting shirt (John Henry brand)
Pants - Target
Shoes - Madeline

Green and jeans (not green jeans)

2011-10-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

Necklaces - Target
Sweater - thrifted vintage (no brand, just a big tag bragging about how it's made of 100% acrylic fiber - oooooh!)
Belt - thrifted
Jeans - GAP
Wedges - Dezario

Well, it's official. Bare leg season is over. I went for a walk yesterday on my lunch break and froze my poor little calves off, so they will be relegated to tights and pants for the next six months. :( Which isn't THAT big of a deal, except I hate socks (and tights which are like the biggest socks on Earth)... so I will delay wearing socks as long as possible (until it snows?) I am SO excited it is the weekend. This week SUCKED. Every possible thing that could have gone wrong at work, did. It's been a long while since I've had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad week. So I'm excited to start fresh next week. Ugh. Now to just get through the day... wish me luck!

South... south to Motherboy.

2011-10-13T09:29:00.001-05:00

This sweater is very southwest, and whenever I see the word south I immediately think of Arrested Development - "Little did George Michael know that he wasn't going north to the promise land. He was going south. South to Motherboy." And now I've written the word south so many times it no longer even looks like a word. I hate when that happens.

Sweater - thrifted JG Hook ($2!!)
T-shirt - Target
Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

I've been looking for one of these sweaters for a long time. On Monday, some of the thrift stores were having a 50% off sale for Columbus day, so Nate and I went to one (then we went to dinner and I got the best Cuban sandwich in all of Minneapolis. Trust. I've tried them all. It's a quest I've been on over the past year and a half and the one from Mac's Industrial is the clear winner.) It's weird. I loathe mustard. Pickles are gross. I'm not a fan of pork. Swiss cheese is the worst cheese of all. Yet, combine them all together and it makes the best sandwich in the world, IMO. Strange, I know.

The T-Rex

2011-10-12T09:52:00.004-05:00

I thrifted this poncho like a month ago and I've been waiting for it to stop being in the 80s so I could finally wear it.

Poncho - thrifted (no tags)
Shorts - Target
Sandals - thrifted Candies

I feel the need to point out that my shorts are a light sage green, not khaki... I don't rock the red top and khaki bottoms look because I work about two blocks from Target headquarters, so that color scheme is off limits.

I always THINK I like ponchos and capes, and then I wear them and I'm annoyed and feel like a Tyrannosaurus Rex all day and wind up selling them on my etsy... we'll see how today goes! So far this one seems pretty good because it's cut pretty high on the sides so it doesn't restrict your arm movements too much! So does anyone else have a love/hate with ponchos and capes? Is it because you feel like a T-Rex? You probably will now after reading this.

Chicks rule

2011-10-11T10:20:00.000-05:00

My whole school is walking down to see the MN Lynx parade and WNBA championship ceremony today... leave it to the women to be the only respectable sports team in MN this year.

Cardigan - thrifted Ann Taylor Loft
Blouse -
Jeans - Old Navy
Wedges - Dezario

Years ago, when I ran a summer program for special needs teenagers, we went to a Lynx game one day. The kids spent the morning working on big posters and signs to hold up at the game. One thirteen year old boy made the best sign that said, "Chicks rule! WNBA for life!", thus the title of my post. Ahhh, those were the days...

Photo Booth #22-23 and "You look... like a doily"

2011-10-10T10:04:00.001-05:00

Saturday night, worked another wedding for the photo booth:

Glasses - thrifted American Optical, prescription replaced
Necklaces - thrifted, garage sales
Dress - thrifted A.J. Bari
Watch - Michael Kors
Shoes - Chinese Laundry

The back (from last time I wore it because I am obviously not wearing that belt or shoes this time):

On Sunday, I dressed a bit more casual because it was an afternoon wedding for the photo booth... I just realized that because I worked last Sunday and this Sunday, I will work 20 days in a row without a single day off... ugh. Oh well, $$$.

Necklace - Target
Cardigan - TJ Maxx?
Dress - Allen B
Shoes - Bakers

And today... this sweater always makes me think of the part in Reality Bites when Ethan Hawke tells Winona Ryder that she looks like a doily because of her crochet dress...

Cardigan - thrifted It's Pure Gould
Dress - thrifted
Sandals - Frye

Otherwise I spent the rest of the weekend with Nate, drinking wine and watching The Wonder Years... which is SOOOOO exciting! I love that show and haven't seen it in forever and now it's streaming on Netflix (which I've never had but Nate does - YAY!) Winnie Cooper FTW! Actually, Wayne is my favorite.

Made for each other

2011-10-07T09:35:00.001-05:00

This cardigan and this dress... made for each other. Manufactured 17 years apart, they are united at last, in my closet. A love story for the ages. Sorry, apparently my ability to make sense died last night and now I'm going to anthropomorphize everything and make objects fall in love. Forever.

Cardigan - Blue Asphalt (OMG, it is seriously from when I was in 8th grade...as in 1994. So I Googled the brand and it is a Wet Seal brand... damn, I was hoping it was from Contempo Casual or Carousel)
Dress - thrifted Target
Wedges - Nicole (hand me downs from my friend Megan)

Well, it's the annual Zombie Pub Crawl on Saturday, and I am sitting it out this year... the photo booth. Ruins my social life. Actually it's fine. There has only been about nine months of my life (well, since I started working at 15) where I haven't worked weekends, so I'm used to it. I have also had 4 jobs at a time for the past 9 years, so it's old news to me. Besides, I can always hang out at the local zombie bar whenever I need a fill of the undead. Speaking of which, I REAAAAAAALY need to get started sewing my Halloween costume! So excited (and no, I won't tell you what it is... not til Halloween weekend.)

Gretel goes golfing

2011-10-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

This dress is sooooooo very Octoberfest/Hansel & Gretel that I feel the need to try to downplay the pumpkin pie vibe of the dress when I wear it. To make it less costumey, last time I paired it with a crisp white t-shirt and today I tried itwith a preppy polo (maybe it's because I grew up in the '80s, but I love me a popped collar... not in the modern douchey-Abercrombie way, just in a '80s swagger way... make sense?) No. It doesn't. But that's okay! I understand the distinction!

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf course
Dress -thrifted vintage (no tags)
Sandals - FRYE

Whoop! Going to see my friend Steve's new band tonight. It's their first gig and it's at The Hexagon, which is one of my very favorite local venues! It sucks they don't play til 10pm though because I am old and like to pretend that I can go to be before midnight on a school night but I always fail. Oh well, I'll sleep when I'm dead!

Gypsy stripes

2011-10-05T09:22:00.001-05:00

Holy moly it might get up to 90 degrees today... Hooray! So I tried to dress for the heat, but still giving off the fall vibes...

Vest - thrifted (no tags)
Guatemalan worry dolls pin - thrifted
Circle pin - thrifted
Dress - Free People
Bangles - thrifted
Wedges - Dezario

A million detail shots for you today (which is rare, I usually forget to take them altogether.) I got this dress a few years ago at the crazy Opitz Outlet annex, for $5 because the side zipper was broken and needed to be replaced.

I know we're in a drought here but I am loving this exceptionally warm weather and no rain, it's so fun to bike to work every day! As much as I want to start dressing for fall and in layers, I've got the next six months to layer, layer, layer and wear tights every day. So stick around as long as you can, warm weather, because we won't see you again until April or May!

Los Flores

2011-10-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

It's supposed to be 83 today... which is insane. But I'll take it! I will take any excuse to wear this dress!

Dress - vintage via www.santokivintage.etsy.com (previously worn 1,2,3)

Bangles - thrifted

Sandals - thrifted Candies

Yes, I am wearing approx. 1 million bangles today. I like the clacking noise they make whenever I move my arm! Plus I have a hard time sitting still, so it's nice to have some toys around to entertain me. Seriously, I am constantly spinning them around my finger. I do it with my watch too. Sometimes it makes Nate crazy, like when we're watching a movie and I'm just a fidgety bastard for two hours. I can't help it, I get bored easily!

Photo booth style files (20) and (21)

2011-10-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Yessir, another Saturday night, another wedding. My life is soooooooo uninteresting...

Glasses - thrifted, prescription replaced
Dress - Gryphon
Wedges - inherited from a friend Nicole (brand)

The heavily armored back:

Then Sunday morning? More photo boothing... ack!

Sweater - thrifted vintage Premier-Fluff
Lace shirt - thrifted Target sample
Belt - thrifted
Jeans - GAP
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

Yes, this sweater miiiiiight be made out of a muppet...

Actually this event was pretty fun because no one is obnoxiously drunk at an art museum on a Sunday afternoon, it's just a bunch of cute families and couples. So at least it was different than my usual wedding shifts. It was insanely busy though and between Saturday nights shift and this one, I started to lose my voice, especially when Rogue Valley started their concert in the museum and I had to shout over them. Since I only wore this for five hours yesterday, at which point I put on pajamas and watched football with Nate for the rest of the evening, I am totally wearing this to work today too. Ha! Which was perfect for a braindead Monday morning.

Retro-rama

2011-09-30T09:36:00.003-05:00

I feel excessively retro today, but eh, it happens (especially when I don't pick out an outfit the night before).

Glasses - thrifted vintage American Optical, lenses replaced
Cardigan - Old Navy
Dress - thrifted vintage (no tag)
Necklace - street shop in Seoul, Korea
Shoes - eBay (brand worn off)

Speaking of retro... the following things are now in the shop! (click them to go to the etsy page)

And more will be added SOON! (probably including the dress I'm wearing today!)

And, PSST! If you're local and looking for something to do on Sunday, come to the grand re-opening of the Weisman Art Museum... a certain someone might be there with a photo booth. Frank Gehry always felt the museum was "incomplete" so he put on an addition and now it's open! And it's free! And you can look at art! And there's printmaking, yoga, dance, and a performance by Rogue Valley. And me! Yay!

The least punk

2011-09-29T09:37:00.001-05:00

This has got to be the least punk employment of a million safety pins and a skull necklace...

Blazer - thrifted little boys, brass safety pins added by me (previously worn 1, 2, 3)

Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom

Necklace - Disney Couture

Belt - thrifted Frye

Shorts - thrifted Due per Due (previously worn 1, 2)

Wedges - Nine West Vintage America Collection

Yay! I'm excited! Tonight I'm taking my special needs buddy Daniel on our yearly trip to the Minnetonka Orchard! We pick apples, walk the weird haunted fairy tale trail in the woods, feed farm animals, and eat apple cider donuts! Yay! It's our 8th year going together! I like to have little traditions for us, like going to the Arboretum every summer, the orchard every fall, and the Hollidazzle Parade every winter! But we hang out every Thursday evening, so I guess our weekly traditions are dinner, Yahtzee, and playing H.O.R.S.E.

Here's some photos from last year of Daniel being a very cute apple, and us pretending to be scared of the wood cut-out of the witch from Hansel and Gretel...

Go, dress, go!

2011-09-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today I'm wearing one of my favorite and most versatile dresses. I tend to throw it on a lot on weekends when I need to go somewhere quick and not look like a bum. It was a terrible 1990s mom dress (think Patty Chase in My So-Called Life) when I got it, but I hacked a good 18 inches off the bottom and now I love it! Tiny polka dots!

Sweater - Free People

Dress - thrifted/shortened My Michelle

Sandals - thrifted Franco Barbieri

Some previous wearings of the dress:

And IDK why, but here is a picture of what I look like every morning. I bought this yellow helmet years ago, thinking it would be the most obvious and noticeable color to cars. So in theory, drivers will see me and be like, "Ooh, look at that yellow head. I bet she wants to keep that head. I won't turn left in front of her in the bike lane." So there you go... GPOYW (Gratuitous Picture Of Yourself Wednesday, for those of you not in the know) - me smirking in a bright ass bike helmet. Every morning. Unless you do turn in front of me in your car... then I will stop smirking and start swearing. Don't mess with me and my cheese colored helmet.

School picture day

2011-09-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

Wet your comb and trim your own bangs, it's school picture day! (and apparently I am saving all my smiles for those photos, not these photos.)

T-shirt - thrifted vintage Surrey

Cardigan - Daisy Fuentes (I know)

Belt - thrifted

Skirt - thrifted sam

Shoes - Chinese Laundry

Oh man, school picture day. I for sure had some unfortunate haircuts (c'mon, it was the '80s! It was cool to have 50% of your head as bangs), at least one where I had lost a lot of teeth at once, and one with an unfortunate "Blossom"-like hat involving an oversized sunflower... but I never gave myself a crooked haircut, had a black eye, or stole my mom's lipstick for picture day. Even my senior photos weren't that bad... I don't have any leaning against a tree or crouching in front of a brick wall or posing like "The Thinker." Anyone have any traumatic school photos they want to relive for my entertainment?

Photo booth (19) and easy peasy dresses

2011-09-26T09:55:00.000-05:00

Another Saturday night, another wedding to work...

Dress - no tags, $2 from Opitz Outlet because it had a broken zipper

Watch - Michael Kors

Sandals - Nine West Vintage America Collection

I found these sandals super cheap over the weekend on DSW clearance. With my coupon, they wound up being $6!

I love that I can just throw on this dress, not put too much thought into it, and still look put-together on a hectic Monday morning:

Dress - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Necklace - thrifted

Socks - Target

Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

I had a fabulous weekend! I went to three out of the four Arc's Value Village thrift stores for their Halloween Boo-tique! Last week I volunteered there, helping to tag and sort costumes, so I was excited to go buy some stuff and use my volunteer coupon! I found tons of great vintage that I spent the weekend soaking and washing! It will be added to the shop tomorrow and Wednesday! They add new stuff to the stores every day, so don't worry, I didn't buy everything good! Go check it out! It's up until Halloween! Which is coming up fast! I need to get cracking on my costume!

J. Crew vibes

2011-09-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

I kinda feel like I fell off the pages of the J. Crew catalog today... but I'm not actually wearing anything from J. Crew...

Striped oxford - thrifted vintage Melrose Silk Studios
Sweater - thrifted vintage Devon Original
Pants - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Shoes - Michael Kors

Also, I FINALLY got around to making a new blog header! Hooray, it's about time! It was fun picking what photos to use for it, trying to define my indefinable style with six bottoms and six tops!

I wanted to keep the same style of the original one, because I like to imagine that the photos up there are like my own little Fashion Plates... I loved them as a kid and I'm still mixing and matching like a madman! But I finally stopped looking at the ground in all my photos because I stopped being too lazy to edit out my red devil eyes in Picnik and figured out how to edit them properly so they're not so dark. So the old header was just looking sad by comparison.

And actually, that wasn't the original one... I had this tiny one for the first few months of the blog and it's still my etsy header... this one needs some updating for my etsy too! I'll get on it! Soon!

P.S. A big double-awesome thank you to Kelsey of Kelsey Creates for this post on how to add a "Pin It" button to all your blogger posts You're my hero!

It was all yellow

2011-09-22T09:12:00.001-05:00

I found this Banana Republic dress for $2 because it had a big yellow stain on one side (NO! Not that kind of stain!) I figured for $2, I could at least turn the bottom half into a cute skirt, but I was able to get it all out! Hooray! I just let it soak in a bucket full of OxyClean for like 24 hours and it was totally gone! Then I just threw it in the washing machine and ta-da! $2 dress!

Headband - DIY (it's the hem of a black jersey dress that I shortened)
Necklace - Kohl's
Cardigan - thrifted Aeropostale
Dress - thrifted Banana Republic
Tights - Cynthia Rowley
Shoes - Seychelles

Does anyone else get nerdily excited about stain removal? I mean, I hate when I spill on things (which is sadly often - damn travel mug of coffee on the bus gets me every time!) but it's kind of exciting to fix the problem! No? Just me? Ok fine, if we're giving away deep dark secrets I will also tell you that I secretly love alphabetizing things (like the health files at work) an insane amount. I'm cool, I know. So what's your nerdy secret love?

The glitter rebellion

2011-09-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

It is raining and has been for two days, so I have to take the bus to work instead of my bike. :( So I'm making the best of the situation by wearing a skirt that would be impossible to bike in. It's also impossible for people not to notice and comment on it apparently... which I understand... I am wearing a silver glitter accordion pleated maxi skirt on a Wednesday, in an area of town where 90% of the adults are in suits. I'm gonna stick out, but I still tried to keep the skirt pretty casual by wearing it with a t-shirt.

Necklaces - thrifted
T-shirt - Target
Watch - Michael Kors
Bracelets - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted vintage
Sandals - Juicy Couture

I thought it would be fun to do gold accessories instead of the expected silver... I also though it would be fun to channel my inner '90s girl and bust out a kiddie barrette for my shirt:

I'm a granny. And an old man.

2011-09-20T09:40:00.002-05:00

I kinda feel like a granny today, but I'm not sure why...

Cardigan - Old Navy
Necklace - thrifted
Dress - thrifted Joy Gordon
Shoes - thrifted newstock Target

Last night, since I was half-sick and coughing like crazy, I was dressed like an old man. It happens. Luckily I have been dating Mohawk Boy for long enough that I don't care if he sees me that way, and he is cool enough that he thinks it's cute. Here's a picture of us from the brewery tour on Friday, in front of a wall of Surly Furious... we are clearly surly and furious, yes?

And just since that is such a crappy photo, here is one of us from my 30th birthday:

And yes, obviously he no longer has the mohawk, so perhaps I will just tell you that his name is Nate. Nate the Date. And now that he's on the blog, I think he's here to stay. I'm stuck being a cougar.

Photo booth (18) and polka dot roses

2011-09-19T09:21:00.001-05:00

Another Saturday night, another wedding for the photo booth...

Dress - Target (GO International)

Watch - Michael Kors

Shoes - Bakers

Today...

Blouse - Old Navy

Belt - thrifted

Skirt - vintage via www.pangs.etsy.com

Sandals - Frye

I'm half-sick with a ridiculous cough (probably because I've been biking through fields of ragweed for two weeks on my way to and from work and I'm very allergic to it... nothing like huffing and puffing in air you are allergic to...) so I'm gonna keep this short and continue to sound terrible answering the phone in my office.

It's a go...

2011-09-16T09:11:00.002-05:00

Well, I did it... I completed the fashion traffic light of wool pencil skirts.

Cardigan - thrifted men's Winona Knits
Blouse - thrifted Kenneth Cole
Skirt - thrifted Ann Tjian for Kenar
Socks - ??
Shoes - thrifted deadstock Target

I generally dress pretty colorfully, but this week was exceptionally bright I think (and kinda rainbow-ish when put in order... a happy accident!):

Yay! Friday! I'm excited because tonight Mohawk Boy and I and another couple are going to tour the Surly Brewing Co. They make my favorite beer in the whole world which is called "Coffee Bender." It's a dark beer that is fermented with whole coffee beans in it (which are then removed before it is canned... yes, their beers all come in pint cans!) Delicious! Unfortunately you can only buy Surly in MN for now, but I'm sure that will change eventually. It's like a cult here, the Surly cult of devotees. I've also got to work the photo booth for a wedding at the zoo (!) on Saturday and may go to the Renaissance Faire if it doesn't rain on Sunday (and if it does, foooootball, here I come!)

#2 Pencil

2011-09-15T09:21:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's a pencil skirt, the 2nd pencil skirt in a row, and it's the same color as actual pencils. Yesssss. Actually, I just bought a vintage green pencil skirt and hand washed it last night, perhaps I will rock it tomorrow and make it three wool pencil skirts in a row! Watermelon, mustard, and hunter green... it'll be like a fashion traffic light. (I'm a nerd... these are the things that thrill my little heart.)

Jean jacket - thrifted Wax Jeans

Blouse - vintage Bryn Mawr (from the Seoul Folk Flea Market in Korea)
Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Wedges - Nicole (hand-me-downs from my friend Megan)

Toodles, dudes and dudettes!

WTF is up with colorblocking?

2011-09-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

It was only 44 degrees on my bike ride to work this morning with a high in the mid-50s for the day... oh fall, you're here! :) And shortly going to turn into winter! :(

Pearl collar - eBay
Sweater - thrifted Boundary Waters
Skirt - thrifted vintage (no tags)
Sandals - Jessica Simpson

More colorblocking? today... is anyone else confused by the need to call it colorblocking? I guess it's good to have a name for when one garment is a different color than another garment, but I feel like all of a sudden (well for the last year or so) everyone is talking about colorblocking and how trendy it is... and I'm like??? My shirt is a different color than my skirt and suddenly I'm a colorblocking fool? Okaaaay. What can I say? I like to rock the solids (not to be confused with "solid as a rock" - like Starla and the Bluth Company).

My pants are brighter than your pants

2011-09-13T09:06:00.001-05:00

It's colored pants day on Everybody, Everywear so I busted out my bright red-orange ones and resisted the urge to pair them with all neutrals like I did last time I wore them. There are quite bold on their own, but today I decided to just run with it and pair them with my favorite red cardigan.

Cardigan - thrifted vintage Marella Knits

Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom

Pants - thrifted J. Crew

Shoes - Nicole (hand-me-downs from a friend)

I think colored pants are really fun to wear and feel like I need to pick up a few pairs of colored skinny jeans as well... like kelly green ones! I'll keep my eye out for some. I really only have a few pairs of colored pants (well, assuming we're not calling black, camel, brown, blue jeans, grey, etc as colors...)

Some colorful pants of the past:

Go check all the other colorful pants!

White to a wedding, hot pink for a hot day

2011-09-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

I had to work the photo booth for a commitment ceremony for two men on Saturday. I figured it would be my only chance to wear this white dress while working, because there was no bride to piss off by wearing white to a wedding.

Dress - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target Sample

Pin - thrifted

Watch - Michael Kors

Sandals - thrifted Nine West

It's supposed to be 90 today, but only 60 tomorrow, so I wanted to wear this dress on it's own one last time before the fall weather kicks in. I also wore this dress for a few hours yesterday to go to a second baby shower for my sister.

Dress - thrifted vintage

Bangles - thrifted, garage sales

Watch - Michael Kors

Sandals - thrifted Candies

The weekend was beautiful and still so warm! I went boating and swimming on Medicine Lake with Mohawk Boy and his friends all day Saturday. Sunday I went to the baby shower, then watched the end of the Vikings football game, then went to Minnehaha Falls with my family and ate fish tacos at the Sea Salt for dinner. Ahhh, a perfect weekend!

Panic mode

2011-09-09T09:56:00.001-05:00

I was planning to wear this skirt with a different shirt and a blazer but when I saw the high temperature for today was 86, I quickly changed. There will be MONTHS of blazer weather ahead of me, no point in sweating in one today.

Cardigan - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target

Tank - little boys Fruit of the Loom

Necklace - eBay

Skirt - American Apparel

Sandals - Unisa

I'm really excited for the weekend after my first week back working 8 hour days... those 4 hour days in the summer really spoil me. Can't complain though, it's been fun getting back to school and the weather has been PERFECT. Plus I'm hanging out with Mohawk Boy tonight, I'm working the photo booth for a commitment ceremony for a couple of fellows tomorrow night, and I'm going to a second baby shower for my sister on Sunday (Yay to brunch and my mom and great aunt visiting). Double yay!

Is it too early to call it "Indian Summer?"

2011-09-08T09:27:00.001-05:00

Also is that a politically incorrect term? I had the same problem when stuck in traffic the other day and asked Mohawk Boy to do a "Chinese Fire Drill" with me... I suspect that it's a politically incorrect term, but I didn't know what else to call it. Any ideas?

Knit vest - thrifted (no tags)

Dress - thrifted vintage (no tags)

Watch - Michael Kors

Shoes - thrifted Target deadstock

Details, details:

It's the first day of school for the kindergarteners today (the rest of the kids started on Tuesday)... which means there's an awful lot of crying parents and vomiting children around here... and it's only 9am. There's usually a lot of wet pants that happen this week too... ugh, good thing I love my job because it gets pretty gross up in here.

$1.50 worth of awesome

2011-09-07T09:26:00.002-05:00

I found this Liberty of London shirt (a real one, not a Target one) at Goodwill for $1.50 last week. Score! Seriously, what can you buy for $1.50? An hour and a half of metered parking? A soda? I'll take some vintage Liberty of London, please!

Oxford - thrifted Liberty of London

Suspenders - thrifted
Shorts - thrifted Express
Sandals - Melissa

Fabric detail and sandals:

I also finally finished updating the etsy with new stuff:

End of summer, first day of school

2011-09-06T13:05:00.002-05:00

Here's my last outfit from the summer... from a BBQ on Saturday. Farewell little shorts! You made my summer so comfy, but now we must say goodbye... you are too short to wear to work. See you in June!

Oxford - thrifted little boy's Cherokee
Necklace - thrifted
Watch - Michael Kors
Shorts - Jenny Han
Moccasins - thrifted Minnetonka Moccasin

And today's first day of school outfit... Unfortunately all the staff had to wear our school shirts and jeans today, which ruined my 25 year ritual of spazzing out over what to wear on the first day of school ... of course I jazzed it up a bit with a cardigan (it was still cold on the bike ride into work) and some necklaces.

Necklaces - DIY
Cardigan - Target
T-shirt - from my work!
Jeans - Old Navy
Shoes - Target

I made these necklaces out of embroidery floss, homespun yarn (not spun by me), and cotton clothesline.

So far, so good. My bike ride into work was perfect, with great weather and views! Otherwise, the day has been spent entering hundreds of immunization records (kill me now)... but it needs to be done, so oh well!

Photo booth style files (16) and my last day of freedom

2011-09-05T15:40:00.002-05:00

Another weekend, another shift working the photo booth for a wedding...

Pearl necklaces - garage sales, thrifted

Tube top - Target

Belt - thrifted
Watch - Michael Kors

Skirt - thrifted Target Sample

Sandals - Steve Madden

This outfit came about in a strange way... I asked Mohawk Boy what I should wear to work and he said "Tube top and hot pants" and while I couldn't pull off hot pants for a wedding, I did work in a tube top. This outfit also caused me to get hit on by drunk groomsmen more than usual, so maybe it's time to retire the tube tops... I've got my hands full wrangling drunks and children in the photo booth as it is.

Skirt detail and sandals:

And here is what I'm wearing on the last day of the "Summer of Christine"... school starts tomorrow! I'm ready. Back to the routine. Back to blogging five days a week. And I'll stop being such a deadbeat on commenting. Back to getting up early. Biking to work. Fixing the boo-boos.

Sweater - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target
Watch - Michael Kors

Shorts - Jenny Han

Sandals - Linea Paolo

I had a fabulous last weekend though... midnight swimming, BBQ, too many beers, mini-golf, zoo, Chinese fire drill, Bridesmaids at the Riverview... plus earlier in the week I went to the MN State Fair for the first time in like 10 years, and ate enough grease on a stick to last me the next 10... see you all tomorrow for the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Photo booth and open house

2011-09-01T16:34:00.001-05:00

Saturday's photo booth outfit... let's blame this "deer in the headlights" look on the fact that I had a birthday hangover, shall we?And thanks so much everyone for the birthday wishes! I had a great time turning 30!

Dress - Donna Ricco (got it 80% off at the crazy outlet store)

Ribbon flower - Jo-Ann Fabrics

Shoes - Nicoe (hand-me-down from a friend)

Today is the open house at my school so I need to go man the "Health Office Table" and collect a million immunization records, health information packets, and med forms. Whoopie! As soon as it's done I'm high-tailing it over to the gay bar to watch Project Runway with my boys!

T-shirt - Target

Shirt clip - from my gma

Skirt - thrifted Target Sample

Sandals - SODA

In other news, I added quite a few vintage separates to the etsy shop last night... and will be adding a bunch of dresses tomorrow. Phew. This listing stuff is hard work. For reals.

The big one

2011-08-26T18:53:00.002-05:00

Today.

Is the day.

The day...

I turn 30!

I know, kinda a let-down after the build-up yesterday, as nothing is really changing with the blog. I'm just entering a new decade of life, no biggie. So when eShakti contacted me last week and offered to send me a dress, I immediately started browsing the site, looking for something festive enough for my birthday, but could be worn other days too!

Ding, ding, ding! This dress is the winner!

Dress - c/o eShakti

Bangles - thrifted

Watch - Michael Kors

Shoes - thrifted Candies

I ordered a custom size, and it fits... like a custom size! Perfect! Awesome! And let me tell you folks, these people know how to make a white dress. Ordering a white dress online is a bit of a gamble, a gamble involving slips, tank tops, and nude undergarments, but this bad boy is fully lined so I don't have to fool around with all that jazz! Double awesome! I WILL order from them again. It took less than a week from ordering for a CUSTOM dress to arrive on my doorstep. What am I up to now? Triple amazing? I am beyond impressed and I love that they let you not only customize the sizing of the dress, but you can actually change the neckline, sleeves, hem, etc to make the dress truly your own! So thanks a million, eShakti, you really are an amazing company!

Anyhoodle, I'm out of here. Mohawk Boy is taking me to dinner, then I'm heading off to a local dive bar to meet up with a few dozen friends. Whoopie for my birthday being on a Friday! Later kids! I gotta admit, I think I'm looking pretty good and young for 30 and I'm perfectly happy with where I am with my 30 year old life...

Some old lady

Alive yet lost

2011-08-25T16:24:00.001-05:00

Well, I didn't mean to disappear for a week! Over the weekend I went to Marshall, MN (about three hours west of Minneapolis) to meet Mohawk Boy's family. His cousin was getting married, so I accompanied him to the wedding. It was actually pretty fun and his family is really cool.

Worn to take my disabled buddy Daniel to the arboretum, an annual excursion for us!

Necklace - thrifted vintage
Dress - thrifted Target
Sandals - thrifted Candies

Huge roots sculptures everywhere...

Every year, we get hopelessly lost in the hedge maze...

Worn to do nothing but sit around with Mohawk Boy...

Necklace - thrifted vintage

Oxford - hand-me-down from my aunt (Mark, Fore, & Strike brand)

Shorts - Lucca Couture

Shoes - thrifted Talbots

Jean jacket - thrifted GAP Kids (overbleached by me)

Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf course

Watch - Michael Kors

Skirt - thrifted Ralph Lauren

Sandals - Old Navy

Alright dudes, I'll be back tomorrow with some big news and a new dress, especially for the news!

Noooo! Summer! Don't leave me!

2011-08-17T18:56:00.000-05:00

Only two more days of summer school left! Then I have two weeks off before the school year starts! While I'm usually ready to get back to a more "normal" schedule and certainly excited to have my regular paychecks again, I'm just not ready for summer to be over yet! Though I've done most of the things on my "summer to-do" list in terms of fun... I just need to hit up the drive-in and maybe another mini-golf place. But otherwise can't complain about a summer full of biking, pool parties, BBQs, baseball and weddings.

Worn to the Pizza Luce Block Party and my friend Matt's BBQ...

Blouse - thrifted little boys Cherokee
Skirt - American Apparel
Sandals - Linea Paolo

The first graders in my summer "Global Cultures" class had a special guest today, our school's new teacher who just moved here from China! Fascinating!

Cardigan - Target
Dress - thrifted, handmade
Shoes - Madeline