Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Celebrations in South Dakota (and Iowa)!

It's been way too cold lately to wear anything cute, but here are some outfits from a couple weeks ago to enjoy.

Monday
Similar shirt
Pants
Boots
Similar earrings
Similar scarf - Savers
Similar necklace - I Like You

Ooh, I love this one.  I'm really into these pants.  They're the perfect length, width, rise for pulling off a bunch of outfits that I could never do before.  You'll be seeing a lot more of these pants in the future.

Tuesday
Sweater
Similar skirt - Savers
Different color tights
Shoes - My Sister's Closet
Necklace

Here's a matronly outfit featuring a Dress Barn skirt. That's right, Dress Barn.  I actually really like this skirt, but it does have a librarian kind of thing going on.

Friday
Similar blouse - Stephanie's
Pants
Similar necklace - BYMN
Similar earrings - Urban Outfitters
Boots

And here they are again, those miracle pants.  I wore this outfit last week with different black pants and I like this version so much better.  Also, I've been rocking this shirt a lot.  I got it at this great little boutique called Stephanie's in St Paul.  I visit Stephanie's a lot, but have only ever purchased two items there.  I bought a pair of jeans with the help of a gift certificate and this blouse with the help of it being on sale.  Nothing in this store is inexpensive, but everything in this store is fabulous.

Saturday
Dress
Similar sweater - Old Navy
Tights
Boots
Earrings
Similar necklace - BYMN

I'm trying this summer dress out again this winter because I can't not wear it.  This time, I paired it with ivory instead of black.  Much more successful.

Sunday
Similar t-shirt - I Like You
Similar sweater - Savers
Different color cords
Boots

I wore this to drive for 4 hours and then do some shoveling.  Super fun day!
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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Hard to style clothing problems solved, thanks to hoarding.

This week I inadvertently wore a bunch of clothing items that I've had forever, but never get worn because they're hard to style.  Luckily, some recent acquisitions and new ideas have made these pieces work.  I love solving these kinds of problems.

 Monday

Here's a little winter get-up to try and convince myself that January's not so bad.  Oh, who am I kidding?  January's the worst!

Tuesday
Boots - Delia's

I feel like I've been  leaning towards men's wear this winter.  Wool, straight up!  And how great is this sweater?  It's so soft and warm and simple.  

Wednesday
Earrings

I was really excited to buy these pants because I was looking for a slim pair of black dress pants and Express had them for half off.  Perfect, right?  Well, they're OK.  Because they're stretch, they tend to get saggy over the course of the day and the fit changes.  I guess I'm still looking.

Thursday
Similar dress - Savers
Similar sweater - Go Vintage
Similar belt
Tights
Similar boots
Similar earrings - Everyday People

 Here, I'm pairing two hard to style items and I think it's working out pretty well.  The dress is sort of awkward because it's white with a summery crinoline underneath that suggests warm weather.  The fabric, however, is pretty substantial and heavy.  Today, I got crazy and cut the crinoline out of the dress.  I think it looks better, but the skirt now sticks to my tights.  I guess next time, I'll just have to wear it with a slip.  The sweater is also hard to style because of it's length and bulk.  I'm busty as it is, and this thing adds a lot of volume where I don't need it.  I really like it though.  It's like something straight out of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.  That's a good thing, I genuinely like the fashion in that movie.  I think that putting the bright colors of the sweater on a blank canvas makes it look less loud and the dress' voluminous skirt balances out the bulky sweater.  One small victory.

 Friday
Similar hoodie
Similar jeans
Similar t-shirt
Similar hat - Urban Outfitters
Similar boots - DSW

 This sweatshirt was a sweet garage sale find and the pants were purchased out of self inflicted pressure to buy something during a trip to Montreal.  They're fancy jeans that were only $20, but the rise is a little low, so I hardly ever wear them.

 Saturday
Dale's
Pants
Similar camisole - Savers
Boots
Similar earrings

 This shirt is extremely unique and I'm having a hard time finding anything online to compare it to.  It's basically a vintage vest and a moomoo re-purposed into a blouse.  It's also another top that I've always found hard to style.  Again, it's very voluminous and needs to be balanced out on the bottom.  I recently bought these pants at Anthropologie for a good price and they're a perfect match for this top.  My two loves, Dale's and Anthropologie joining forces to create this cute outfit!

 Sunday
Similar shirt - Savers
Cords
Boots - Delia's
Similar belt
Earrings

My fancy face does not match this casual Sunday get-up.  A friend of mine had a groupon for facials at Blush Beauty Room.  I got my make up done by a stranger, which is not something I usually enjoy and I think it turned out really nice.  Yay for that!
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Friday, January 10, 2014

A New Year is Glittering with Possibilities

Monday
Similar hat - Savers

I'm not sure how I feel about pairing this dress with black, but I was so excited when I got it that I couldn't wait to wear it.  The minute it came in the mail, the dress I was wearing was on the floor and this baby was on my body.  Also, it matches my boots perfectly!!  It's actually a summer dress and I'm excited to wear the shit out of it when I don't have to have a mini mouse under layer.  

Tuesday
Similar necklace

This New Year's Eve I went for shiny and I was probably the fanciest lady at the Cabooze.  At least I didn't wear a fur like I normally do on this holiday.  I didn't think the hippies would care for it much.

Wednesday

Normally on New Year's Day, you can find me laying on the couch with my dog in my pajamas.  However, Sample Night Live landed on January 1st this year, so I got all dressed up to play a couple of songs with my band and try to sell some art.

Thursday
Earrings

Not much to say about this outfit except it was really comfortable and I'm in love with these boots.
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Thursday, January 2, 2014

December Shenanigans

Same pants, but for kids
Boots
Similar earrings

Three years ago, I got a gift certificate to a little place called Hunt & Gather.  Because it's not in my neighborhood, I didn't make it out there until just recently.  Now that I've been there, I can't believe it took me so long.  According to me, it's the best place on earth.  I am the type of person to get excited about barrels of doll parts, glass dishes filled with buttons, fur coats for miles and whatnot.  This is what they have.  A lot of random, weird vintage shit and this is where I bought the top I wore on Monday.  It came with matching pants.

Tuesday
Similar dress
Similar top - Forever 21
Similar skirt - Target
Similar tights - Poppy
Boots
Similar earrings - Up 6 Vintage

I feel like this is my uniform in the winter.  Mini dress/jumper, long sleeve t-shirt, opaque tights/leggings and boots.  Easy, cute, warm.

Wednesday
Soulcrate T-shirt
Similar cardigan - Target
Similar cords - Delia's
Similar boots - DSW
Similar scarf - Savers
Similar necklace - I Like You
Similar earrings

I got this anchor necklace for my birthday and decided to get all nautical on your ass.

Thursday
Similar dress
Shirt - My Sister's Closet
Leggings
Boots
Similar earrings - Claire's

I bought this dress for a dance when I was a freshman in high school.  For some reason, I could never get rid of it.  I had another dress just like this, but purple and floor length and it's long gone.  I guess I thought that some day I would want to wear it again.  This is that day.

 Christmas Eve
Similar dress - Savers
Similar sweater - Delia's
Tights
Similar necklace - BNOX
Similar earrings

So maybe I was a little fancy for oyster stew at Earl & Syl's, but I just can't help myself from dressing up on Holidays.  At least I'm not wearing red and green as I've been known to do.  I've fully embraced the concept of winter white.  It's quite refreshing.

Sunday
Similar dress - Target
Similar cardigan
Tights
Leg warmers - Grand Jete'
Boots
Earrings

Today was cold.  So cold that I wore a coat like this.
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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Catching Up

After a month of bag making, I am back to blogging about my clothes.  I created about a dozen bags and sold many of them at art sales this holiday season.  It's been fun and I'll probably continue to make bags.  Stay tuned for a post-new year Etsy page.  






During my time working in my own personal sweatshop, I did a few outfit drawings for special occasions.

Wedding
Similar dress
Similar jacket
Similar fishnets - Target
Shoes - Schuler shoes
Similar necklace & Earrings
Similar ring

In this outfit, I decided to wear all of my black silk and all of my jade jewelry.  While that sounds crazy, I think it turned out pretty good.  
I really love this dress.  I got it at a vintage store with an awkward group fitting room and when I put it on, all of the other girls in the room went "ooh".  So I bought it.  I thought it would become my little black dress, but because it's silk, I think it's a little fancy to be so versatile.  I've only worn it twice, but I'll probably keep it forever because it's so timeless and unassuming while being completely fabulous.

 Art Sale
Similar blouse - Stephanie's
Skirt
Similar tights - Target
Boots
Similar earrings

I completely butchered the print on this shirt.  It's really more art deco than jagged fangs.

Cabaret
Similar dress
Similar fishnets - Target
Similar shoes - DSW
Similar brooch
Similar earrings

Here's a fun one!  I had the opportunity to sing in the annual Christmas cabaret at Nye's piano bar in Minneapolis.  The dress code for performers was to wear something that we considered to be festive.  I opted for a blue velvet dress, even more appropriate considering I sang Blue Christmas and Pretty Paper.  All I needed to complete my look was some dramatic back lighting and a cigarette.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

In Production

The Holidays are approaching, which means that I am in full on production mode.  As an artist, I am usually  invited to participate in a few art and craft sales around this time of year.  As a painter, I don't readily have a whole lot of inventory that can be sold at such sales.  Patrons are looking for gifty purchases under $50.  Most of my paintings are over $100.  These do not sell at art and craft sales.  Because of this, I have gotten creative with what I have to offer.  
Last year I bought a ton of interesting picture frames from Goodwill and framed a bunch of prints of my original artwork.

sampling of framed prints
I sold quite a few of these over the Holidays and since then, but I still have a lot left.  I didn't feel like doing the same thing again this year, so to add on to this lot, I decided to take up one of my old past times - sewing.

I used to try to make my own clothes, but was never very good at it.  I was, however, good at simple sewing, like making pillows and tote bags.  About 6 years ago, I made my first bag for a friend of mine as a gift.  She's been carrying it around every day for 6 years and this is what it looks like today.


It's been well loved, that's for sure!  She asked me to repair it, which I intend to do, but in the meantime, I made her a whole new bag.  It was frustrating at first, working the kinks out of myself and my sewing machine, but once I got the hang of it, I wanted to make more.  After going through my massive fabric collection, I came up with some great patterns that I could mix and match to make a butt load of fun bags.


Here's what I've made so far:





I can't wait to make more!
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Thursday, November 14, 2013

A Change of Pace

Over the past couple of weeks, my time has been taken up by other projects such as sewing bags for upcoming craft sales, framing prints for said craft sales and this little number that I'm sharing with you today.  I'll probably be busy with crafty projects until Christmas, so the weekly day by day outfit posts might turn into sporadic outfit posts littered with pictures of handmade bags.  Either way, I'll still be blogging.

As you may or may not know, I sing in a band called Herschel and the Detainees.  It's a lot of fun to be a part of this group and it's a great outlet for creative expression, be it music, art, or what we wear for shows and photo shoots.  Personally, I love that part of it.  I can't stand to see someone performing in a band wearing boring clothes.  All I want to do is style that band.  The way I see it is being on stage is your excuse to wear the craziest shit you can imagine.  The stuff that sits in the back of your closet because it's too shiny, too short, too low cut, too colorful, too whatever it is that makes you think twice about wearing it everyday.  That's the stuff that you can get away with on stage.  Herschel encourages fun performance outfits and I appreciate that.  

He also encourages my art, which is where this post comes from.  After I started this blog, he had the idea for me to draw the band in the style of my daily outfit posts and this is how it turned out.

Herschel on Vocals

Alex on Guitar
Anna (me) on Vocals
Devin on Drums 
Josh on Guitar
Lynelle on Keys & Vocals
Mina on Vocals
Ryan on Bass


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