Wednesday, February 29, 2012

in which i've got sugarlips

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Just kidding. I don't really have sugarlips. (Unless the ridiculous amount of Girl Scout cookies I've been consuming have sweetened them unbeknownst to me... I have been eating Thin Mints and Samoas nonstop!) But what I do have is this amazing Rhyme & Reason dress from Sugarlips Apparel! And I won't lie, I kind of love it. Even more than my Thin Mints.

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(Rhyme & Reason Dress: c/o Sugarlips; cardigan: old navy; faux fur: h&m; bracelet: vintage/gift; shoes: seychelles)

Sugarlips is a fashion brand based in Los Angeles (swoon, sunny sunshine), and when they asked if I might like to choose one of their dresses for my very own, you can bet I wasn't about to say 'no'! The Rhyme & Reason Dress is so gorgeous--even prettier in person than it is online--and incredibly well-made. I cannot wait to wear it simply in the summer months (to show off the super-sexy open back!) with a pair of sky-high wedges--and maybe a straw hat!

Here are a few of my favorites from the Sugarlips site. I'm seriously thinking about buying all of these... how adorable would the Saturday Lounger be for hanging around the house in cat-eye makeup and a beehive or bouffant?

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Speaking of summer months, after dosing myself with Ibuprofen to kill the raging headache I had all day at work yesterday, I spent the rest of the evening altering a peachy-pink terrycloth sundress. I was pretty proud of myself when all was said and done--I brought in both sides and shortened it significantly, and my sewing machine hummed along without a single mishap!

Does anyone else feel the blogger-pressure to dress for spring, even though it's still only 2 degrees above freezing outside right now? I feel like florals and corals are on the brain, and all of those bloggers in the southern hemisphere are pulling out the S/S prettiness while I'm still stuck in A/W (and will be for a while now). Oh well, work with what you've got, I guess!

(PS: I know it's too cold for bare legs, still, but I secretly kind of wanted to show off my blogging battle scars before they faded completely--check out those knee bruises! They were much, much worse last week, but they're still pretty ridiculous. I'm hardcore. Or, the ice is, anyway.)

Happy Hump Day, friends!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

in which winter has returned with a vengeance

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When I woke up this morning to frigid cold and a fresh layer of snow, there was only one thing to do:
FUR HAT FUR HAT!

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(dress/shoes: thrifted; chambray: walmart; tights: tjmaxx; hat: h&m)

I love this little jumper dress, but for some reason I always feel like it looks the same every time I wear it. That's not really the case. This is how I wore it last time. I'm even wearing it backwards today... maybe I'm just crazy. One thing is for sure: I think it will look so cute in the summertime, as a little sleeveless sundress (hint hint: summer, where are youuu??). I'll just need some fun wedges to go with it...

I spent some quality time with my sewing machine last night (before The Bachelor). I think I've got it pretty well figured out now (finally getting my hands on the instruction manual sure didn't hurt!), though the upper thread doesn't like to pick up the bobbin thread and I'm not sure why (thoughts??), and I still haven't gotten the balance of tension quite right. But I'll get there! And now I have a nice floral summer skirt freshly hemmed (double hint hint: summer, where are youuu??).

Seriously feeling inspired, you guys, about everything. But tired--there is so much I want to be doing instead of sleeping, these days!

Monday, February 27, 2012

in which i'd like to thank the academy

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I really enjoyed the Academy Awards last night. For some reason it made me think about how many great movies were made this year, and how many great movies will be made in the coming years, and how I can't wait to see what filmmakers come up with next. It may sound a bit ridiculous, but the ceremony somehow reminded me that there is so much ahead of us in life, in general, and what a thrill it is to be alive.

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(dress: modcloth; coat: mirage; scarf: thrifted; shoes: lulu*s)

I also got teary-eyed a total of ten times:

I cried when the cinematographer ran off the stage so fast, like nobody cared.
I cried when one of the winners for makeup design thanked his children.
I cried when Octavia Spencer won for Best Supporting Actress and was so, so happy.
I cried when Christopher Plummer won for 'Beginners,' finally, after 82 years, and again when he thanked his 'long-suffering' wife.
I cried when the Northern Irish girl said 'mom, this one's for you!'
I cried at: 'And for all the women in Pakistan who are working for change.'
I cried when Jean Dujardin won Best Actor for 'The Artist.' I f***ing love the French.
I cried when Meryl Streep thanked her husband first, so it wouldn't fade out with the music.

I'm serious about my blubbering, apparently. It might have been all of the wine I was drinking, but it all just made me feel so happy and warm :)

Oh, and Michelle Williams was my Best Dressed, by far (and everyone else's, apparently!). I loved it almost as much as her 2006 yellow Vera Wang (right):

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Friday, February 24, 2012

in which there is romance in snow

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I had a completely different getup planned for today, but it felt like a hazy romantic sort of morning. Sure enough, not long after I took these photos it started snowing--big, fluffy flakes like we've hardly seen all winter. We'll see if it sticks around. I'm just glad I have the weekend to huddle inside and catch up on Downton Abbey and do some hemming and Oscar-watching.

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(dress: Modcloth; tights/necklace: gift; sweater: stolen from cedar chest; shoes: seychelles; slip: uo)

I love this dress, madly. It was my first Modcloth purchase, and maybe my favorite. I think the print is perfection for spring, but the cool florals work equally well for the winter months, which is a fashion blogger's dream! Also, I like my milkmaid braids much better when I make them looser like this... I'll never go back to my old braid ways.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

in which i fought the sun and the sun won

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Today's outfit was inspired by a self-challenge. I decided that I had to wear this jumper immediately or it was going to Goodwill, because I really never know what to do with it (it's so... white!). And then this outfit was born, and I actually really like it, so the jumper stays. I'm such a sucker for an excuse.

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(jumper/scarf/belt: thrifted; dress: h&m; hat: vintage; shoes: lulu*s)

Last night I watched the documentary "Life in a Day." It was pretty enjoyable--not earth-shattering or anything, but I thought the concept was brilliant. I've always been so intrigued by the lives of others, which is probably why I love reading blogs so much (and books, and watching movies...). There is nothing more fascinating than the human life, even down to the daily minutiae. I have so many possibilities swirling in my head these days, it's exciting--last night I couldn't sleep for the dizziness of endless ideas, and still I woke refreshed and ready for the day.

I'm looking forward to the weekend (but what else is new?). There is so much I want to do!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

in which the denim jacket is the robin of blogging

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I went for it. The denim jacket is definitely a transitional springtime garment. Not sure why that is, exactly, but it sure is. It snowed a little bit last night and started to get worried that maybe winter had just been lying in wait and that actually it would happen from March-June this year (how incredibly awful would that be???), but luckily I was just being paranoid and it all melted instantly.

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(dress: banana republic; jacket/scarf: thrifted; glasses: forever 21; boots: seychelles; earrings: gift)

I've been working a lot lately on fleshing out my first draft of the novel, which makes me feel awesome and productive, and I think I might soon be ready to pass it on to friends for input (scariest thing ever!). I have always been super-secretive and have never let anyone close to me read what I've written, with the exception of those one-act play workshops I did in high school, which hardly count. Even when I was writing screenplays in college I never let anyone I actually knew read them--they were for my professor's eyes alone, and occasionally for the strangers in my class who were called upon to read aloud and critique. I can take constructive criticism from strangers. I'm not sure I can take it from my friends. What if they hate it? I'm already thinking about the next book, and how I can try to do better. How self-sabotaging of me!

On that note, I am going to go eat some Cheez-Its.