Thursday, March 28, 2013

Au Revior, March. Don't Let the Door Hit You On The Way Out!

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Top to bottom: Shoes on the South Side // A sunny cat // The line outside The Moth // Working from the cafe // The CMU costume closet // Zephyr really likes having his head scratched

A few shots from March, a month that I'm excited to leave behind me. Like most of the country, we're still very much in the grips of winter- it has snowed every day this week- and I'm just one in a chorus of many, singing the same song of "where's spring?"

Thanks for all the positive thoughts last week regarding our apartment hunt, we got the place we looked at and are looking forward to: no more wall-to-wall carpets (the bane of my existence), being within walking distance of something other than a gas station, and living in a space that lends itself better to socializing. I'm hoping this also means that we'll be able to get Zeb (our other cat) back, because Zephyr is pretty darn lonely. And clingy. We're not moving until early summer, but I've already started planning. I'm ready for a fresh start, we both are. How was your month? Anything exciting happening in April?

I'll be working on my recap of the Whole 30 this weekend, if there is anything specific you'd like me to address, please let me know, either in the comments or on Facebook.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Snow Season

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What I Wore:
Coat: Gentle Fawn (ModCloth)
Stole: Antique
Dress c/o Ruche
Top: Thrifted ($5-ish)
Tights: American Apparel ($25)
Boots c/o Lulu's
Cardigan: J.Crew outlet
Brooch: Vintage/ Thrifted ($3)
Snake ring: ModCloth (2011) (similar)
1st knuckle ring: from childhood...it's actually just a small ring

Where I wore it: To work

My intention today was to show you that, not only is this bag super handy for camera accessories, but on office days, it doubles as a laptop bag. As you can tell, the weather had other ideas (that's not dandruff in my hair, it's snow... that miserable kind of snow that's almost rain and makes normal things like photoshoots really difficult). So, I hope you'll take my word for it, instead of hauling a purse, small backpack, and lunch bag into the office, I just pack everything- including my camera- into this one bag. It's awesome. And I look so much less like a crazy person when I don't have to waddle through the parking lot with a million bags looped around me. The best part? It's comfortable. Sure, it's still a heavy bag after all that stuff is packed inside, but one heavy bag is better than three. The front pockets are large enough to keep my wallet, extra notebook, phone, and a small arsenal of lip balm, and there are about three other pockets that I haven't yet filled (but you can bet I will). So yes, I'm a Jo Totes convert now, my poor camera is no longer floating freely in the bottom of a cotton tote, smashing into door frames and rolling around in the car. No more broken lenses.

On another note, it's almost April, there were four inches of snow on the ground yesterday, and I'm wearing heavy layers. It feels like January. I've been optimistically mixing lighter colors into my outfits, in hopes of coaxing out the spirit of spring. But it's not working. Aaaaand, this brooch is the coolest thing ever- it's painted silk. I found two of them, the other is much simpler, but I love how modern this one is.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Let's Work Together in April!

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April is nearly here, and hopefully, spring weather not too far behind. I have lots of fun things planned as the weather warms up, so if you've been considering ad space, now is a great time to jump on board!

All sizes are available, and if one is sold out, your ad will be queued. Ads run for 30 consecutive days once approved, regardless of date purchased. For more info, and to purchase a spot, visit my sponsorship page. Have a question? You can always email me!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Neutral Spring

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What I wore:
Jacket: ModCloth (find it here)
Vest: Swapped
Dress: BB Dakota
Belt: Vintage/ Avalon ($10)
Boots: Thrifted ($5)
Bracelet: from childhood

Where I wore it: To the office, out for Thai food, to banjo night

I know, not springy at all. But to be fair, we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground this morning with temperatures in the 20s. Blergh.

On another note, we are looking at a new apartment this evening. If you wanted to send some positive vibes our way, I wouldn't turn them away (and would be very appreciative). Apartment hunting is stressful, wish us luck!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Homewood

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What I wore: 
Sweater: Sheinside ($33)
Tee: Target ($8)
Jeans: J.Brand via Gabe's ($20)
Boots: Mom's vintage
Necklace: Swapped
Bracelet: Thrifted ($2)
Gracie bag c/o Jo Totes

Where I wore it: Running errands and a walk through the cemetery on Sunday

The Homewood Cemetery is one of the prettiest I've seen. A place full of eccentrics who knew what they wanted when it came to their burials: pyramids, statues, a life-size tree replica. We always see deer wandering through the trees, and it's blissfully quiet. A nice escape from what has been a stressful month so far. After running errands on Sunday, we took a quick walk through, it was colder than expected and our fingers froze up quickly. On the weekends, when I have a little more time to stop and look around, I like to cart around a few extra camera accessories: an extra lens, my mom's old AE-1, and my charger (because I'm terrible at keeping my battery charged).

These boots are one of my favorite hand-me-downs from my mom. She was a very tiny lady in the 70's so I was wearing most of her old clothing as a (really groovy) sixth grader, but some things like these boots, work now. She said she bought them in Portland, ME for $70.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Currently...

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This past weekend I successfully unplugged- if a little by accident. It's easy to step away from technology when you forget leave your phone at home all day. Saturday was beautiful, spent thrift shopping with Kate (I've been slowly adding to my spring and summer wardrobes this way). But Sunday, oh Sunday! What glorious weather. Turns out, the sun still exists, and it's awesome. Chris and I took a long walk along the river on the North Side and just generally tried to stay out as long as possible. And now, another week is off to a busy start. Here's what I've been up to:

Listening to...
A few new-to-me favorites: Big Dipper, A Camp (they do an amazing cover of Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging), Foxygen, Low Cut Connie, and Gap Dream (their song Generator sounds like a fuzzed out T-Rex). It's always nice to find something new, but I've also been listening to an old favorite: Weezer's blue album. I've forgotten how much I love that record, it always reminds me of high school art class and skipping school to go drive around.

Reading...
I borrowed Julia Child's book My Life in France from a friend and I can't wait to dive into it. I'm finally almost done with It Starts With Food, and I'm excited to start reading something a little lighter that's purely for pleasure and not quite so...information-heavy.

Enjoying...
Watching the birds. I hung a bird feeder so Zephyr can have some entertainment. Since Zeb is at my mom's and Chris and I both work long hours, I think poor Zeph has been more than a little bored, and has he been vocal about it! If I'm not right by his side in the mornings he meows- loudly- until he finds me, something he and his brother used to do, like a sort of demented, codependent game of Marco Polo. The birds are just now figuring it out, and we've been enjoying the cardinals who occasionally come to visit.

Excited about...
Daylight savings time! It's already made such a huge difference in our productivity after work, and it's so much easier to get myself to the gym when it's light outside. I'm still adjusting, just like everybody else, but this first sure sign of spring makes me so happy.

Craving...
A class to take. I think I'll finally be able to swing a class or two this spring. I've been dying to take some sort of art class, especially a metal jewelry class.

What have you been up to lately?

Photos, top to bottom: 1&2- East Liberty after PGH Creative Mornings, the writing team on a brainstorm walk, my mom's boots- finally refurbished.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Winter Roses

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What I wore:
Denim jacket: Vintage Lee/ Avalon ($18)
Cardigan: J.Crew
Dress: Beacon's Closet ($12)
Tights: Free People ($9 sale)
Boots: Vintage Justin/ Thrifted ($7)
Necklaces: Gift/ Flea market/ c/o from closed shop
Bracelet c/o Lulu's

Where I wore it: to the office

A few more items unearthed from the back of my closet. These boots, while I don't wear them very often, are one of my greatest thrift scores to date. Mint condition Justin ropers? Hell yes. I bought them a few years ago when we were still in Massachusetts, there was a girl checking them out at the thrift store and I feigned disinterest until she decided against them and set them back on the shelf, and then I swooped in, grabbed them, and walked away. One big rule of successful thrift shopping? If you're undecided, put it in the cart, you can decide later. Otherwise, someone like me- who is only pretending to try on those 80s heels- might be lurking in the shadows to snatch up those boots. The more you know.

Also, it felt like spring yesterday and the birds felt it too because they are chirping like mad, but now this rocky sidewalk location is blanketed in six inches of snow. Weather!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Polkadotted Collars

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What I wore:
Jacket: J.Crew (2010)
Jumper: Thrifted ($5)
Top: Thrifted ($3)
Necklace: Vintage/ Swap
Sweater: J.Crew (similar)
Tights: American Apparel super opaque ($25)
Shoes: Secondhand ($10)

Where I wore it: To the office

Whenever I'm in need of some new outfit ideas, all I have to do is reorganize my wardrobe. Pulling clothes from the depths of my tiny closet and throwing them on the bed in a pile, I'm able to see new combinations and unexpected pairings. I did this on Sunday evening, rotating a few forgotten pieces to the front so I'll wear them, and bringing order to the tangle of shoes on the floor. WHich is how I came up with this. I've had this polka-dot shirt for a few years now and I love the collar, but the rest of it fits overly blousy with big, billowy 80's sleeves. My solution was to stuff it beneath this corduroy jumper, which worked for the most part. I love how the collar is sticking out, but I have to admit that the sleeves bugged me for the rest of the day, even hidden beneath a cardigan.

Monday, March 4, 2013

A Few Small Goals for March

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I thought I would combine this month's goal post with some shots I took around town yesterday. We went out to breakfast early (Square Cafe), stopped in to Construction Junction, and then headed over to an antique mall in Verona (Miller's, we bought a metal cabinet), before heading back home to relax (i.e. clean the house). Nothing too crazy or mind blowing, but nice nonetheless. A good way to start off a new month, after a really hectic February.

Looking back at February's goals, I accomplished about half of them. I went on a couple of day trips to Ohio, I started our taxes, I did organize our office- but it's no more inspiring, just somewhat cleaner- I saw a few friends, we had a nice Valentine's Day, but I did not get to the book part. Partially because I've been reading a book and it's taking me forever. So, for March, I'm focusing on the things that I've been nagging myself to do in the past couple of weeks, but for one reason or another, I haven't gotten around to doing them (say it with me: PRO-CRAST-IN-ATION):

Do those taxes!
Enough said. I gotta do them. This week.

Tackle my "to alter/handwash" pile
I've been making an effort to purchase less lately, partially due to the fact that it's that weird, in-between time of year, and partially due to this looming pile of stuff. There are about a dozen skirts, dresses, tops, and pants I could be wearing right now if I just gathered the gumption to alter them and/or handwash them.

Stay in better contact with friends and family
Twitter and Facebook are great and all, but those outlets definitely contribute to a false sense of keeping in touch with people, for me. I'm pretty bad at calling people regularly, so this will be something to really work on this month.

Sell/ Donate/ Toss
There are bags of to-donate/sell/toss clothing lurking in the shadows of our apartment. The count right now is five: two in the basement, two in the car, and one in the office. I know that if we were to go through our closets, there would be more. It's weighing on me, time to get rid of it.

Get our adult lives in order (i.e. GET ORGANIZED!)
If you can't tell already, organization is a trouble spot for me. I know I talk about it constantly, but my reasoning is that if I talk the talk, I better be able to back it up. It works...sometimes. This is actually the intention I've set for myself for the year- get organized, pay the bills on time, visit the doctor when I need to, keep in contact with my friends and family, get rid of the excess. I guess this goal really is the combination of all the goals above. So yeah.

Go on another short road trip
I'm kind of phoning this one in, because I might already have one planned (I haven't decided yet). But yeah, I'm really into exploring lately. Blame it on being sick of the cold and being super restless.

Do you have any goals for the month? I'd love to know what you're working on!