Coastal Jaunt

Today Greg and I drove out to the coast to be witnesses at our friends' beach wedding. We set out a few hours early so we could get lunch in Seaside, before making our way down the coast to Cannon Beach and then Manzanita.

I'm quite tired after the journey, so I'll let the photos do the talking, but I do want to mention the dress I'm wearing. I made it myself! Well, I didn't make the black bodice part -- that's an old tank top. But I sewed fabric on the bottom to turn the top into a dress, and added a bow and side ties. The bow came off on one side halfway through the afternoon, but it will be easy to fix.


























I hope you all had a wonderful Friday!

Grainy Kitchen Photos!!

CREEPER ALERT:


That smile reminds me of the troll face... okay maybe not quite as creepy, but still.

SUP GUYS! Let's have some more grainy kitchen photos! You can blame my extreme and ever-present laziness for that. It's just so hot and sunny outside, and it is not my favorite thing to stand out in that for more than, say, 2 times per week. Perhaps this is to the detriment of my blog, but it can't be helped. I'm saving my energy for sewing times later!








I'm wearing: H&M dress from my mom, Target flats, F21 belt and earrings.

My mom got this dress for me when she visited California last year. It fit me quite well then, but since then I've lost a significant amount of weight, and now it's rather big. I still like it though, and it's special because my mom gave it to me, so I now fix its oversized-ness by belting it with a thick belt, and rolling up the sleeves. Seems to work pretty well! It's not the best dress for warm weather, however. I discovered this after lugging a 24-pack of Coke Zero from the Prius to the apartment. My most of me...!

So I got some fabric at JoAnn Fabrics yesterday! I'm super excited to work with it. I found two cute floral prints, and an amaaazing space print with planets and stuff all over. Hopefully I can create some semblance of a skirt with these fabrics and my shoddy sewing skills! Wish me luck... and may the Force be with us! So say we all. Uh... and live long and prosper! (I ran out of dorky sci fi things to say.)

Wake Up in the Late Afternoon

Oh man. So many awkward things about my shoot today. Firstly, I was super slow about getting dressed today (I woke up at 3:30pm), so my photos didn't take place until the sun was low in the sky. Which means, brighter light and more shadows! Super annoying. Also there were some women sitting on a bench across the street, and I was totally awkward about posing and smiling for my self-timed camera. Thus my serious expressions; I was so embarrassed. Apparently I thought not smiling would direct attention away from my posing and photographing?











I'm wearing: Target skirt, American Eagle shirt, thrifted scarf as belt, Blowfish booties, necklace from Greg.

I'm sorry I look so angry in most of these! Greg hates it when I do the "emo" look, as he puts it. I just feel silly smiling for a camera with nobody behind it. Is that ridiculous of me? No less ridiculous than standing out on the sidewalk taking pictures of my clothes, I guess!

I loved all of your suggestions for TV shows I should watch. I do love The Big Bang Theory, especially the episodes with Wil Wheaton as a guest star. Geek lurve! If you guys like Big Bang Theory, you should definitely check out The IT Crowd. It's a British comedy, and the writing is incredible; it's so freaking hilarious. Look it up on Youtube for clips or full episodes. It's so worth your time!

Oh, am dying for a job; I itch to play Lego Harry Potter but it belongs to my friend, so I can't play it unless I'm with her, and I can't afford my own copy. So frustrating and sad! I was so happy to hear so many of you love the Lego games, though. Aren't they the best? So cute and fun! And hilarious! I can't wait to play the rest of HP, it should be pretty awesome. Any other fun video games you guys love?

Sewing n00b

Another hot, hot day. I think I ought to acquire a new show to watch, as I'm caught up on True Blood (sadface!), and Fringe only happens when Greg is available to watch it with me. Any suggestions? And don't even bother recommending Mad Men! I have heard enough about that show to last me a lifetime. I'll check it out eventually; I just don't have any special interest in the '60s (sorry about that guys, didn't mean to be so cavalier about your show, which is actually from the '60s and not the '50s!), or anything that doesn't involve vampires or space travel, quite honestly. Does that make me a genre snob? Or just a geek snob? We'll just say I'm a snob and have done with it. Any geeky shows I should know about?








I'm wearing: Anthropologie dress, F21 belt, Blowfish booties, Ralph Lauren sunglasses, necklace from a street fair in Italy.

Yes, I know, I've worn this dress before! Gasp. I hope it's not too soon, and you won't harbor a grudge against me for re-styling a dress so soon. Although, really, it is real life here. And I have no money to buy new dresses. Plus, I love this one so much! I got it in California while visiting Greg's mother. Good memories.

I'm thinking of making a couple skirts for myself this week. I have a brand new sewing machine that's only seen a few Renaissance-related projects, so I want to break it in further. I also have a JoAnn Fabrics gift card that's been lying around since Christmas, so I should really get some use out of that! Do any of you make your own clothes? Where do you find affordable, cute patterns? I'm a sewing n00b.

Pasta Salad & Cheese

It's so hot out today that I couldn't bear the thought of standing out in the sun, sweating everywhere, trying to look cute for photos. It just wasn't going to happen. So instead, I took my pictures inside! Greg managed to wander into a few of my photos, but he was being inappropriate, so you only get the one photo of him drinking milk straight out of the jug. Silly boys doing cute boy things. I love that he's so tall his head got cut out of the photo! Silly giant Greg.

Also, if you study the pictures and magnets on my fridge, you can possibly learn a lot about me. It's like a fun game... who can spot the Vulcan?









I'm wearing: French Connection skirt (via Buffalo Exchange), ModCloth t-shirt, Target flats.

This is a fall skirt! I won't deny it. Not only does it possess muted, earthy plaid tones perfect for fall and winter, but it's made out of a soft lined flannel. However, I'm so limited in my clothing choices that I thought I should bust it out for an outfit anyway. Plus, I just love its shape and style, and it has perfectly located pockets as well as an adorable buttoned front. I couldn't pass it up when I saw it for 50% off at Buffalo Exchange, and I have some credit there, so I snapped it up. I mean seriously, I can't be expected to wait to wear it until fall!

Greg and I picked up a ton of groceries at Fred Meyer today, and proceeded to make a huge (3 boxes of pasta's worth) batch of pasta salad. This is one of our favorite foods to make in summer. It's nothing special, just whole grain penne and rotini pasta, chopped up bell peppers, and Tillamook cheddar cheese cubes. Delicious! And Tillamook cheese is so much cheaper here; I love it. The best cheese ever, in my opinion.





Om nom nom, peppers, cheese, and pasta salad!

Speaking of delicious cheese, I picked up this No Woman cheese in the special super expensive cheese section of Fred Meyer. Somebody had recommended it to me a while ago, and I never could get this cheese and the desire to try it out of my mind. So I splurged; I had to try it! I don't regret it, either. If you like to eat chunks of cheese as a snack, this is the cheese for you. It's infused with spices, and it has a hint of brown sugar. So nommy. I highly recommend it!

And now this blog has become a food blog, apparently? Not that anybody's complaining, I'm sure. We all have to eat, and who doesn't like a new cheese recommendation? Nobody I would associate with, surely.

Sunny Friday

Not much to ramble about today, unfortunately! I have a friend coming over in a few minutes, and we will likely be spending all night drinking and/or playing Lego Harry Potter (best series of games ever, the Lego games).








I'm wearing: Target skirt, Old Navy t-shirt, Rampage shoes (from Ross), Ralph Lauren sunnies, great-grandmother's necklace.
I threw this on pretty haphazardly, pretty much picking the closest clean shirt and the nearest skirt that would match it. The shoes I've had forever, but I rarely wear them. I don't like how they grab at my ankles, but I'm trying to get the most out of my current wardrobe and shoe collection. Admittedly this is harder than it sounds.

Featured Friend!

Before I depart for the night to watch silly vampire television and eat ice cream, I want to share a super awesome blogger friend with you guys. Online she goes by Elbee (which happens to be the name of her blog), and I've known her for so many years now it's hard to remember when we first met, although I do believe it was through our mutual friend Nikki of Snailbird.com (which you should also check out; she is a web designer extraordinaire). We got to know each other on livejournal, and she's always been an awesome presence on the web as well as a good friend.


The reason I'm featuring Elbee here is because she's started a super cool project on her blog. She lives in Phoenix, and suffers from ridiculously hot weather, so she wanted to see if she could survive the sweltering summer months while staying stylish! I know how hard it is to look cute when it's 90+ degrees outside, so major props to Elbee for busting out cute look after cute look in such yucky weather.






I love the way she pulls off a casual, feminine and stylish look while looking so natural and cute. And look at her badass plugs! Adorable! ♥

Elbee's blog isn't just a style blog, it's also where she records her thoughts and day-to-day happenings. However, I love her outfit shots and I think you will too! Her blog is a great read regardless, so hop on over and check her out at elbee (agar). I highly recommend it; she is super awesome to the max!

Business Fun

I had an "interview" with CampusPoint today, an agency that helps students and recent grads find jobs. It was a fun and exciting group interview. Group things always make me feel super awkward and judged. I'm sure nobody is actually judging me, but it's so awkward answering silly interview-type questions in front of like 8 other people. I'm so relieved it's over! I'm also pretty hopeful about finding a job through them; they sound like they'll be a really great resource.






I'm wearing: F21 skirt and blouse, Target tights, Aldo shoes.
Shortly before my first interview here in Portland (which didn't actually end up happening thanks to communication fail -- thanks, Goodwill Industries), I realized I didn't have any professional clothes aside from a bunch of pinstriped hand-me-downs. I figured I should wear something that would make me feel confident, so I picked up this skirt and blouse from Forever21. Admittedly I wasn't very picky and kind of just grabbed the first two "business" items I found that went together, but I'm quite happy with the results. I feel young and stylish, but very put together and ready for interviews! It's the first step to becoming a real professional. It's funny how clothes can so often affect our feelings and goals. Now that I have an interviewing uniform, I'm prepared and motivated!

I think I'm going to make a jaunt down to 82nd after rush hour; I discovered a Value Village down there last time Greg and I went to Walmart. It's a super sketchy area of town, kind of far away, but I'm in such dire need of new clothes that I'll risk my sanity for such an endeavor. I've always had good luck at the Value Villages in Spokane, so hopefully this one will deliver. Wish me luck!