OOTD: All You Sinners, Stand Up

Okay so again with the whole "I'm broke and can't afford crap" approach to blogging- but it's so honestly true. I'm working on making it better, but it's going to be a long and bumpy road which means I've decided to make this current financial situation work in my favor.

The holidays were a little awesome and a little depressing at the same time. On one hand, it's the first time in ten years I've celebrated Christmas with my family and it was awesome. On the other hand, I'm broke and I'm in a new place, missing my old traditions and people. In an effort to cheer myself up, I did do a tiny bit of Black Friday splurging and got myself two 10$ tees from hottopic.com. One thing you've got to know by now is that I'm addicted to band merch. I love it. The problem is most band merchandise doesn't come in plus size unless you count men's shirts, and actually a lot of those are 'slim' cut for the skinny emo boys. So when I ordered my shirts, I knew that I was going to use one of my tutorials to refashion them.

This is the first one.

Cardi/Thrifted, Dress/Handmade, Leggings/Target, Shoes/Frye-Ebay

I was going through my breakup just a few months after discovering my love of Panic at the Disco. It was actually kind of appropriate timing since they'd just released Hallelujah and it kind of became my anthem to keep carrying on through the hard times. I tend to cling to music during any kind of difficulty. I remember when I first moved to Philadelphia, MCR's Famous Last Words was on repeat all the time (that's a different blog post altogether).

Anyway, when I saw this super pink shirt on sale at hottopic, I knew it'd be the perfect pick me up. It's rare with projects for me to immediately know what I'm going to do with something. I usually just mash things together and hope they work, but I had a bubble gum pink tee in my stash and a yard of thrifted pink striped knit and I just saw this in my head. I even knew which tutorial I wanted- the Calliope tunic since I seem to be living in that style right now.

I love how this project 1. Looks amazing on me but 2. Took a shirt which I knew even the biggest size would be too small and made it into a comfy garment I'll definitely wear all the time. I love it with my sparkly $5 necklace from Wal Mart (birthday present, thanks Mom!) and my tough-as-nails Frye boots.

There's a sneaky peak of an upcoming OOTD - This is from one of my favorite shops, Rainbow Alternative. She's a great Philly artist and I miss seeing her booth at the Punk Rock Flea (she's still there, but I'm obvs. in Maryland). Told you, I'm all about the Calliope this Winter/Spring.

So, as delicious as Hallelujah is, a few months after I was so into that song, my ex admitted that he had started listening to P!ATD on my recommendation and really clicked with that song. Which made me want to throw up a little because that was 'my' break-up song! But that's fine, because they also released Emporer's New Clothes, which might just be my favorite music video ever made.



I'm takin' back the Cirque, baby, one little blog post at a time. ;-)

PS: Guys, I can't even tell you how much I'm loving my new hair.

PPS: Special shout out to Sheila, Shawna, Megan and Trees. Without your encouragement, I don't know if I could even write these posts anymore. < 3 you guys give me life. 

OOTD: A Return (ish)

Look at me go! Another blog post and it's NOT six months later.

All is basically the same in Nowhere Land. I'm slowly getting my creative buzz back, although it's hard. I'm still looking for a weekend job to supplement my week day part time office job. But, after six long months, I randomly cooked up a new tutorial and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Strangely enough, this was my inspiration.

Snapped Garters

I saw this beautiful image over on Snapped Garters and I mulled it over. There was something I loved about this strong stripe and bold color combination. I looked at both of the outfits in the picture and realized I'd wear both of them! Even now!

I didn't reference the pic while I was making my new tutorial, which is bad because I remembered the stripes a little different (I thought it was more patchy), but I'm so in love with the new tutorial I don't even care!

Etsy

Look at that beauty!

I LIVE for this look.  It's very comfy, very soft and has a nice v-neck style. This dress is so cute with leggings and winter boots- even though it's not exact, I love that it's still as 80's as the inspiration pic.

Details: Cirque du Frock Dress & Necklace, Thrifted Cardi, Frye Boots/Ebay

Look! It's the elusive Meghan Edge in her new natural habitat. I was so excited about this dress I just had to take an outfit pic to share. It's been a hard few months but I can still smile for the camera when I need to.

I also did my own hair, but I'll make a post about that later. Even though I cut a few inches off of it and it turned out so amazingly well, I'd still like to take it shorter, like a pixie! But I'm trying to make it closer to spring for that cut.

Speaking of hair, I've made a few crochet headbands and I listed them in the shop. I really don't like to crochet much but I'm trying to use up a large stash of yarn I brought from Philadelphia. Wouldn't this blue one match my outfit?

$18 on Etsy

I'm excited for the upcoming holiday. This is the first year in a decade that I've been with my family during the holiday season. It's difficult because I'm not emotionally in a holiday mood and I'd like to be. Yuletime is one of my favorite times of the year except for my birthday and Halloween, and I'm hurting so it's hard to be merry. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to baking cookies with my mother and watching Christmas specials with the family.

As much as there are things I wish I had, people I wish were near me that will not be, I have to say I have a lot to be grateful for this Turkey Day. I'm especially grateful to be wearing that lime green skull dress to my grandmother's house.

OOTD: Mango

I've had a tiny taste of unpleasantness in my shopping world lately, and let me tell you, I'm flustered! I know I dress a little weird, but hey, I'm still a generally nice person and I like to treat myself when I can, so it always surprises me when people decide to treat me... weird. Sometimes it happens when I'm in a boutique or store and I feel like I'm being judged and watched. Part of this could be the anxiety. I hate being in crowds of people, so sometimes stores make me nervous. I'm willing to accept that responsibility on myself, to a degree, but there are some boutiques where they just assume you are too poor to buy yourself something there and immediately discount you as a potential customer. It's sad, really, because a lot of stores have lost me that way.

So to balance the bad with the good, I want to tell you about a store that I've fallen in love with near my house. It's called Mango and it's in Chestnut Hill. The shop people working there are lovely, they have an ever-changing stock of gorgeous garments and accessories, and I've never once regretted a purchase from them. Speaking of, take a look at my outfit below.

Top & Pants: Mango, Cardi: Thrifted, Collar: Buffalo Exchange, Mocs: Minnetonka

These pics were taken in an attempt to get myself psyched up for blogging again. The problem is that I get up too early for pics and the sun is always shining directly at my camera. There really is no other place for the pics (which also means messy kitchen table is included in my shot!). On the plus side, I really love lens flares, and at this angle I get bunches of them.

I feel so pretty when I'm wearing this outfit. Like some kind of weird fairy-tale princess. The shoes are so comfy and I love the color of the top. It's definitely one of my favorite new outfits and I have a wishlist a mile long of things I also want to buy from that shop.

The day I went in was during that rough week I had a while back, so I needed a treat. In addition to the top and pants, I couldn't leave behind this awesome statement necklace. I don't know where (or if) I'll ever wear it- I don't go out, except to work, and it's really not work appropriate, but that beaded sugar skull was calling my name!

I really hope to do more of these type of posts where I show you the awesome stores I like. I had a fantastic shopping experience at Mango and I look forward to going back.

OOTD: Owls Are Not What They Seem

I'm back!

This time I'm doing a brief little write-up on the outfit I wore on Sunday. It's really hard, having a blog but having all the other social media we have, because by the time I post this OOTD the actual pictures will have been circulating for a week. I could always hold back and wait, but I get so excited I just have to share immediately! So, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, sorry but you're getting repeat pictures.

Dress: Cirque du Frock, Shoes: Chucks/Ross, Jacket: Thrifted/GAP, Jeans: Old Navy

This outfit is kind of my favorite thing now. I love the cuffed jeans under my dresses look, and I practically live in this denim jacket when I'm not at work. It's still a little chilly in the Philadelphia area, so jackets are a must have. My hair is still wet in these pics but I don't care. We were on our way to our new favorite store- BJ's Wholesale. It has a funny name, if you're as childish as I can be, but we got a case of Mexican coke and I got a 32 gig memory card for my phone, so it was a productive outing.

I love owls so much. This is another example of what you can do with my Sideshow Dress tutorial. I usually use a lot of contrasting colors/patchy fabrics when I make this dress, but you can also use the same color for a more monochromatic look. It changes it up completely. The large graphic print on this dress needed to be the focus, so I accented it with a men's v-neck and black jersey side panels.

Sideshow Dress Tutorial

Because Megan Mae is such a sweetie and features my stuff all the time, I put together a little collage for our Tumblr accounts featuring her. We have one for each tutorial. This is the one for the Sideshow Dress. I love the various ways my tutorials come out, and I love seeing her in her cool dress.

.... I thought I was hilarious when I wrote that caption under the 'wardrobe remix' part. Don't let me market my stuff at 3 AM guys, it can get really weird.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll be back soon!!

Laurel Hill Cemetery (Part 2)

In an attempt to return to blogging, I'm breaking up my Laurel Hill post into two. The first post was the cemetery itself and all the gorgeous things I saw. Next is the #ootd portion of the day.

I've been very proud of my outfits recently. I'm beginning to feel more comfortable in my style and less self-conscious, and it really helps that I'm making things I'm utterly mad about. I love all the clothes I'm wearing! Last week was such a treasure, too, because I went out with friends which means I had an excuse to dress up.

Tracy took this pic after we'd finished being ghosts and went to a local diner for some lunch. She's friends with the girls that made my cell phone sticker (Rainbow Alternative) and wanted a picture of me holding it. I'm happy she took it because I worked really hard to get my hair cute! I braided my bangs to the side and pinned the rest back from my face. I felt super adorable!

I love this tunic. This was the first ever Calliope tunic that I made. It's a neon yellow Ireland T-Shirt with a striped knit blouse and a favorite fabric scrap along the bottom. I appliqued the little shamrock from the original tee on the front. It's worn here with my new favorite Minnetonkas, my ON Rockstar Jeggings and a favorite denim jacket.

I had this jacket on at Target and I got compliments on my 'awesome pins'. It was pretty sweet to hear!

Tracy also snapped these two action shots of me. She's the sweetest!

I felt so pretty in this outfit. I wish that jobs were more relaxed with their dress codes because I would wear stuff like this every day and feel so much better about myself. In regular clothes, for whatever reason, I just feel awful, but in weirdo patchy tunics with rolled up jeans I felt alive.

Here's to more days spent feeling like that.

Laurel Hill Cemetery (Part 1)

This past weekend my friend Tracy and I had a special outing to Laurel Hill Cemetery. Laurel Hill is a place I've wanted to go ever since I first moved to Philadelphia. One of my favorite things to do is walk around graveyards, looking at the beautiful sculptures and words left behind, and this cemetery is huge. It's actually 78 acres, so there was no way for us to see the whole thing, but we saw a great portion of it!

Here are some of my favorite pics (warning, giant pics).

Cemeteries are so beautiful and peaceful. I'm already planning to take Megan there when she visits next because I know she'd love it. The mausoleums were my favorite part, I think, and that giant set of stones with the woman opening the coffin. I want to go back when it's a little more overcast and take creepy pictures.

I had a blast and Tracy and I are already planning more adventures.

'Best' Week Ever

When I wrote this post I mentioned how last week should have been the best week ever but because of the work situation it was not, and I said I would explain later. So since I've given you the emo points about last week, let's switch gears and I'll tell you all about my exciting week out.

On Monday I ordered a beautiful pair of Minnetonkas from ShoeBuy (before all the work drama). They are a perfect lilac color. 

They were kind of a necessity because I don't have any summer shoes, except Chucks, and sneakers aren't quite office wear so I thought I was purchasing them for work as well as just because I love them. They are the perfect lilac pink-purple and fit like a dream. In addition to that, they came with a free tiny moc keychain in it's own box! I love packaging surprises like that. 

Monday night I went to a poetry reading with my friend Tracy. (Who just dyed her hair the most perfect shade of grey, omg.) The main poet, Andrea Gibson, was new to me and AMAZING, but the highlight for me was the opening act. I've followed Amber Tamblyn since I was about fifteen years old. Her column for BUST is always a good read and her poetry is beautiful. I thought I was just going to go listen to her read, but OMG I got to actually stand in a picture with her! 

I was shaking so hard because I was very nervous, and she was the nicest person. She kept saying over and over again, "It's okay, it's okay!" I'm such a geek. 

I also managed to convince my boyfriend to start taking outfit pictures for me sometimes. I felt beautiful in this (it's what I wore to the poetry reading). Bandannas are my new favorite hair accessory. This Lucille Ball pin-up tunic was made using my Sideshow Dress tutorial, mocs by Minnetonka, and jeggings from Old Navy. I got the choker from Buffalo Exchange while Megan and I were shopping. Jacket is from DOTS. 

My mister is the best at getting me to smile. 

Speaking of OOTDs, I had some pretty great looks last week. I like to take selfies in the bathroom while I'm on my lunch break. There are days when the doctor doesn't see patients and he allows us to be pretty casual, so I was able to wear my Sideshow dresses and thrifted treasures. I love the new grey/black/orange one because it features a large velvety griffin on the front, and the MCR one in the last pic was made using the tee shirt I bought the day the band broke up, so it's super important to me. 

You can tell I love that necklace I bought when Megan was here. 

Even though the rest of the week went sort of sour, I ended it by exploring a large cemetery with my friend Tracy. I took so many pictures that I'm definitely doing a separate post dedicated to just that day, but it was amazing. It was a gorgeous day! We both want to go back when it's more overcast, though.

Some aspects of last week were terrible, but so many of these days had such positive parts! It was both giddy and terrifying, and all of it was wonderful. 

* UPDATE * Work is working with me on the aforementioned issues, so fingers crossed that everything is looking a little brighter than it was last week. 

Tennessee Whiskey and Philadelphia Gin

You know, I always say I'm going to get back into blogging and then disappear for another few months! Gosh, crazy sauce. I should stop promising things. ;-)

As most of you know, because we've got so many mutual friends, my dearest friend Megan came for a visit last week. I've never met Megan in person, but we speak to each other every day and have so much in common. She lives in Tennessee (land of the whiskey and Elvis) and she's one of my favorite people. I was worried that we might not click in person as well as we did online, but I have to say, I had a blast!

To make the visit even more special, on Friday evening our friend Ally came down from NYC and spent the evening and Saturday day with us. The week was packed with good conversations, delicious foods and TONS of shopping (which is my favorite activity next to writing and sewing).

Megan and I ate at Moriarty's, because we're both Sherlock fans, Yummy Yummy bakery in Chinatown (where I had kimbap for the first time and discovered my new favorite food), a gorgeous little Chinese restaurant in Old City, a Greek restaurant on South Street, Trolley Car Diner (she'd never had chipped beef before!!) in Mt Airy, The Juice Room (apple, pear &celery= OMGGGGG) and Tiffin, also in Mt Airy. We didn't have a single bad meal!

Some of the places we shopped at: Philly Aids Thrift, Buffalo Exchange, Greene Street Consignment Outlet in Mt Airy, and Eyes Gallery (I really love Eyes but I did feel like the cashier was following us around too much and got uncomfortable and left). We also went in Passional and Condom Kingdom. I wish I would've remembered to take Megan in Urban Princess and Retrospect because I also love those stores, and we totally missed Garland of Letters but we were soooo tired. Next time!

Then on Friday night Ally took the reigns and took us out for a special  course taster dinner at Mica that was specifically designed around our tastes. One day I will figure out how to make coffee dusted fettuccine because it was the best thing I've ever eaten. On Saturday, Ally took us both to a delicious brunch at one of my favorite childhood memories- Longwood Gardens. I had the most amazing omelette with a delicious salad (I don't know what pancetta vinaigrette is but I'm going to figure out how to make that, too.)

We spent Saturday afternoon photographing all the pretty flowers at the gardens, and taking tons of pictures of ourselves. Then we wrapped up the day with consignment shopping in Chestnut Hill and dinner at my personal favorite place- Iron Hill Brewery where Megan and I both discovered a new love-- FRIED GOAT CHEESE.

There is really nothing more exciting than spending time with people you're close to. I have a tendency to push away my friends, and I have to say, I really did need some time with my buddies. ESPECIALLY shopping! I didn't actually buy much, but I got lots of inspiration. Megan went home with most of Philly in her luggage. ^_~

I can't wait until the next time Megan visits. We wanted to have a day to work on blog posts together, there are so many more shops to see, and I'd love for her to see Penn's Landing (it was cold and raining the day we tried to go), and we didn't have time to squeeze in Eastern State Penitentiary. Not to mention if I have my driver's license, I have MANY more thrift stores for us to visit that are hard to get to without one. Fingers crossed she comes back soon.