Evolution

Warning: super long. Sorry. Mostly.

I grew up with a mom who loved to sew and loved to dress up her daughter, in equal measures. Yes, I'm sure you can imagine the dresses and matching hats and all that. Don't worry, I'll relieve your imaginative powers and let you have this:

Bonus cousin! He's taller than me now.
He's three months younger.
I resent it.

Then, when I was in the third grade or so, I started growing out of these dresses (I mean this more metaphorically than physically, really). All I wanted was a pair of jeans. I started dressing a lot more tomboyishly around the fourth grade. Coincidentally (or not), this was when I moved out of the realm of Little Girl to Little Chubby Girl.

Lust List: Celebratory Style

It doesn't matter whether you celebrate any holidays this winter or not. It doesn't matter whether you have a social life or not. These two things are irrelevant in the face of one vitally important fact: you will celebrate this season.

Whether your plan involves celebrating sedately with your friends or partying with your grandma (what?), you really ought to be prepared. And that means having appropriately shiny clothes, jewels, and accessories at your disposal and on your person.

Get Excited...

Join me, Jess, and Dani for this awesome thing.

...because it's time for another 30x30!

That's right, lovely readers, it's time to return to your closets and get creative again. And excited. Ideally at the same time.

If you don't know what 30x30, it's simple. Choose thirty items of clothing and get creative with them for thirty days. You're only allowed those items for those thirty days, which makes it a challenge, and thus fun. 

Because it's December and some of us are living through the cold weather that comes with that title, outerwear is not included in your list. I know, guys, we live to make your lives easier. Accessories (tights, jewelry, etc.) are not included either, nor are shoes. So, basically, it's just clothes.

Now, after that lengthy description of the challenge (I don't even know if it counts as that, but I like the word, so there you go), I will continue to explain different pieces of the challenge-thing.

Not everyone will start on the 1st and end on the 30th. You are, in fact, allowed to take days off. Wild, right? As long as you finish in a reasonable amount of time, you can live your life knowing you did it right.

If you're interested in joining us, you can post a link here to go in the sidebar. The sidebar will become a place of honor, simply because I think it ought to be. We'll make it a big thing. Just like last time.

So, go forth, my friends, and prepare yourselves for another 30x30!

Huzzuh!

(And in case you missed it, I'm not alone here: the ever-lovely Jess and Dani are in on it, too. Just sayin'.)

Lust List: Keeping Cozy

It's almost December, and finally, things are starting to get chilly. I'm happy, and I'm ready for you, cold weather. Bring it.

Anyway, that cold weather, which we will call "December" provides lots of excuses to wear your new favourite coat, leather gloves, sparkly things, and pretty party dresses. So, to celebrate this lovely month of cold and sparkles, I'm doing a couple of lust lists. Today's list is all about keeping warm. Because seriously, guys, unless you're living in the opposite hemisphere, you're probably going to be cold.

Keep in mind that this list is incomplete. The missing items are: a mug full of cinnamon hot cocoa (cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Do it), fleece blankets (the more the better), and those oh-so-excellent holiday movies. I might make a list of those. There's no telling.

Anyway.

List.

Br00tal00 (Best Not to Ask)

Yesterday was a long one, but definitely a good one.

Erika and I spent the first half of the day on the Boulevard, mostly perusing antique shops, getting haircuts (well, okay, she's the only one who got a haircut. I'm waiting), seeing if anyone was hiring (this one was just me), and eating Chinese food. These are the kinds of days we enjoy. The weather was much warmer than I would have liked, since it's, you know, November, but I made do by wearing my favorite dress out into the world.

But seriously, weather. Get your act together. Sheesh.

After spending a bit of time at her house (eating cheesecake, watching the Sex and the City movie (what?), and getting sort of fancified), we went to her boyfriend's house for a party. Apparently I do that now. Although, what I call a party was little more than a group of us sitting around in the den eating ceviche, taking quick jaunts to the grocery store to pick up more meat, returning to the den for discussions on The Avengers and Doctor Who, and watching Youtube videos. I choose to call this a party, though, even if a member of our group took a nap. Goes to show how she felt about our company.

Erika with her pretty new hairdo.

So good! I feel like we might become regulars. Or something. I 
dunno.

Really wish I'd thought to actually, you know, open this. It might 
either be uproariously funny or drier than the Sahara.

Because I'm who I am, I neither got pictures of the party, nor pictures of my outfit. Luckily for all of us, one of those mistakes was easy to fix and those pictures were easy to recreate. I apologize now for the less-than-stellar quality, and the fact that my room is still  a mess. Or, as I like to think of it, a niece-induced maelstrom.

On Bodies

Halloween 2011. Year of the Pokey-Pokey Stick.
Hideously enough.

Bear with me, this is a rant-type-thing that I wrote up when I should have been sleeping or doing homework. Note that when I say rant, I don't necessarily mean that I'm annoyed. It's just a long...discussion. Yeah, that's what we'll call it. A discussion.

I don't know.

Challenging

Okay, so, I think we all know that I love a good clothing-related challeng. Or a mediocre one. Trust that this one falls in the first category.

Enter: The Ways to Wear Challenge! If you want more information, go click the link and learn.

This month's challenge is a little black dress!

I have three entirely black dresses, one with polka-dots, and one that's half-black-half-grey. Out of these many dresses, only one really works under the LBD umbrella. Which, honestly, isn't that big an inconvenience for me. I mean, none of my adventures really call for one, but it's all good.

This dress counts as LBD and, well, black dress. Visual proof:

Dress: Forever 21 | Tights: Hue | Boots: Forever

The above is how I dressed to face the melee that is grocery shopping on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We got our turkey and some pre-made pies (disappointingly enough) and hightailed it out of there before we could be swallowed alive by the crowd. Thank everything we don't have to go, say, Wednesday night. I'm not one for massive shopping crowds. Probably the main reason behind my absolute refusal to go do Black Friday sales.

Okay, it's really because I am not getting up at three in the morning or whatever for that. Not. Worth. It.

Anyway.

This is how I styled the above dress for the challenge, and whatever adventures might call for an LBD, as opposed to Simple Black Dress.

Dress, bag, boots: Forever 21 |  Stockings: Torrid
Photobomber: niece

Bracelet and ring: vintage | Necklace: Fashion Bug

Among my new favorite boots. So good it hurts.

So that, good readers, is my challenge look. Huzzuh! Now, if you have plans to do this challenge as well, you have till tomorrow to think up/photograph/submit something excellent. Hop to it!

Just Kidding, There's Ghosts

No, seriously, I need to stop going to the mall before everyone there knows me by name.

On a side note, I just really love gyros right now, but I'm only in it for the tzatziki.

Casey's uncomfortably besotted with her mannequin boyfriend.

I can't take mine seriously. Sorry.
Jacket and blouse: Forever 21 | Skirt: mom | Bag: Charlotte Russe 
Necklace: DIY | Ring: Boolvd

Sorry about the crazy eyes. I can't take normal pictures.

We each got makeup sets, in our newly decided respective prints. 
Ten points if you guess whose is
whose.
All from Forever 21.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to read a book by Cousteau, and that is terrifically interesting.

No Snowman Balloons for Us

It's been a long week, which is sort of funny, considering the fact that it was technically a short week. Hooray for bank holidays! Whoo!

Of course, since I had Monday off and Erika ditched classes that day (terrible student), we went to the mall.

I know.

The rest of the week passed as expected, and I discovered that I really, really love working with pastels. They're definitely one of my favorite mediums, up there with ink. It's funny, probably only to me, because I hate working with charcoal because it's so messy. Pastels, however, which are INCREDIBLY messy, are just the best things ever to me.

I know.

We watched a clip from an Italian horror film in Italian (surprise!), and now I'm really disappointed that it's not streaming on Netflix. It's a really campy horror, with a fantastic score. You can find scenes from it on Youtube. It's called Suspiria. Or something very similar.

Today, I went to the mall with Erika and an old friend of ours, Yesenia. I haven't seen Yesenia in a couple of years, and it was really lovely. The trip there was fraught with danger, though, since Erika's car decided to stall or something in the middle of the road. Luckily, she was able to get it back to life and it's working well enough, I suppose. But to top it off, she misplaced something that kind of ruined her night, but we got that problem solved pretty quickly. It was just one of those nights.

And of course, because I have a problem, I spent more money that I should have. But I can justify it because I finally have combat boots and I am happy, okay? Okay.

I'm going to the mall again tomorrow.

I know.

There were too many people in the way of a good penguin 
picture.

The Three Choclatiers! No? Okay.

Dress and Jacket: Forever 21 | Tights: WalMart  
Shoes: Payless

Cold hands and darkness make for shaky photos. 
Sorry.

Necklace: DIY | Bangles: vintage | Bracelets: Claire's Ring: Boolvd

Boris Karloff bow: Boolvd. Aww, yeah.

(Incredibly) Easy Bun

Oh, look, second post of the day! Doing hair things!

Well, I say that. It's really just me being incredibly awkward in front of a camera. This is what I'm really like, guys. Bask in it.

Rainy Days are the Best Days

It's scientific fact.

Because it's cold and rainy and I actually have to go out into the world, I'm dressing as warmly as I ever do, minus the tremendous wool coat that I just can't wait to break out.

The green tea makes things warmer and fuzzier and generally 
nicer.

Sweater: Thrifted | Dress (as skirt): eShakti | Tights: WalMart | Boots: Payless

Now, I'm off to take Charlie to the vet (nothing bad, just a booster shot), assuming my brother is finished playing video games.

No, not assuming.

Hoping.

A lot.

Sigh.

Oh, and before I go: I gave a presentation in my Italian class (on Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara. Google him if you're interested in marine biology) and didn't mess up! Cue proud moment. It was made nicer when the guy immediately after me did a presentation on spaghetti and meatballs, complete with samples on the class. Man, I love Italian.

Update

Out of curiosity on my part, as well as several strangers, I decided to Google the words on this necklace, hoping it might solve some mysteries.

Nope! If anything, I am now more confused.

So now I've come to the conclusion that it has to do with some cult that really, really enjoys volleyball.

Just in case you were wondering, too. And the next time someone asks what it means, I'll just tell them a very (very) long story about this cult and the fantastic, underdog victory in 1983 against some weird Russian private school.

Belated Boo

As you are likely quite aware, yesterday was Halloween. Clearly. It was also the day I officially became a "twenty-something." Well, okay, maybe not that. I mean, I'm only twenty. There's no "something" to it.

Anyway.

I celebrated by sleeping in till almost noon (lovely), watching Halloween episodes of my favorite sitcoms (the best part of the year, you know), dressing like a witch (again), eating jalapeno poppers, and watching Psycho with Erika. I did try to get through Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, but alas, it's tricky when you're on candy duty for the night.

Since my mom is currently in Arizona with my camera, I have no pictures from last night.

Here, have a shark costume for dogs instead.

In the future, I will dress up all creatures with no say (cats, dogs, 
children) as sharks.