Pics of pretty

Sorry for the lateness, work kind of hijacked my brain!

This guy's dance photography is absolutely stunning -- check it out here.

Gold Star to every little girl who wanted to grow up to be a ballerina.

The day job.

So,I've been thinking a lot about the phrase "don't quit your day job." I've decided I don't like it at all.

A.) It's meant to demean your skills as a writer/actor/dancer/artist/etc.
B.) It implies that if you have a day job, you're not good at what you're passionate about
and
C.) It makes the day job seem like a bad, miserable thing.

Well, I havent had a day job for very long -- only about two weeks or so. But I love it.

A.) I work in a children's clothing store, and am therefore surrounded by cuteness.
B.) It's a block of time that gives my life framework (and makes me leave the house).
C.) Its close by a lot of the errands I have to run.
D.) It makes me get up in the morning, which I almost never do unless I have a reason (and therefore I waste some of the most productive hours of the day.)
and
E.) It's a basic retail job, based on routines and being friendly, and so it's easy to just be busy for a few hours without the need for intense meditation.

Although I love my field, the fact that it is becoming increasingly work-at-home may mean I'll always want a day job. Just something little to get me out of the house and make me be social. There are definitely a lot of benefits to working at home, and it makes my day job easy to schedule, but there are also downsides. While working in your pajamas is nice, I'm such a creature of set -- and crowded -- schedules that the nebulousness of at-home work is a little uncomfortable sometimes. I have to put a lot of effort into scheduling and disciplining myself, otherwise it's very easy to get off track. Even having the schedule of a few shifts a week is already boosting my overall productivity. Someone should research that.

So I'm going to be keeping my day job. And I'll fight (verbally, of course) anyone who says that makes me any less of a writer.

Gold Star to all the lovers of their day jobs.

Oh, fall.

So, I'm a big fan of plaid. And nerd chic shoes like loafers and oxfords. And everything academic and  back-to-school (especially since I'm not going back to school, not this year, anyway.) So even though I'm not looking forward to the cold at the end of fall, I'm all about embracing fall this year. So I celebrated my new-found appreciation with a very procrastinatory polyvore set.

Fall Fancies by xdancinghappyx featuring wooden jewelry

Chair envy

This chair from Anthropologie

I'm in love with the french on the chair's seat.

Gold Star to whoever combined writing AND interior design.

Finished!

Yay! I love finishing projects. Being able to place them on their own hanger in my closet is such a wonderful feeling. Like letting free my hand-raised baby bird... except its not free literally, its just free to be style. I shouldn't be required to make up brilliant metaphors at midnight.

Anyway, project one: a dress. This has actually been done for a long while, but I forgot about it. It's been buried in my to-do pile because I need to reset the panel in the front (so excuse any puckering -- it is currently fixed with safety pins.)

 I revamped this dress from a Volunteer's of America find. I forgot to take a "before" picture, it was originally white with blue and yellow checks. I over-dyed it Kelly green, made and added the trims, cut a new neckline, and set a zipper in the back (the waist was narrow -- it fit my waist, but not the curves surrounding.)

The trim at the waist and hem is made from two ribbons found in my mom's stash with some double-sided iron-on tape, and a lot of small-width zig-zag stitches. Then I used the thinner ribbon at the neck, stabilized on the back with bias tape and zig-zagged over the top.

(the aforementioned trim in close-up)

(and a really awkward-angle close-up of the trimming at the front.)

Project two: a skirt made from scratch. For some reason, a tan button-front skirt has been on my list. I've never been a tan or beige person, but neutrals have been really attractive lately. I guess I'm growing up?

(with my sweater temporarily crop-topped to show off the waist. I don't actually own anything cropped, due to a lifetime of suffering tops being short on my abnormally long torso)

(yay successful spin picture!)

(and the best feature of this skirt is, adjustable decoration! I sewed this button to a snap, so I could wear it under close fitting tops without awkward bulges, but then I can also have this feature...)

(you can switch it out for a bow!)

(I'm wearing leggings, my legs don't just disappear after the skirt, in case you were wondering.)

(excuse the blurriness. But this is my little hidey-hole for the button so I don't lose it, made with an extra snap)

Gold Star to all the Peter Pans who will never grow up, neutrals or no neutrals. 

Hemming a skirt at three in the morning

because it simply had to be done.

I hope to have pics tomorrow (if we're lucky, of more than one project.)

Gold Star to the night owls, who are lucky to have families beyond judging them for their odd nocturnal behavior. 

Tuesdays are for tangents

So, I've tried to keep this blog pretty focused, but the fact of my writing is that some of my best work is tangents. Those random streams of brilliance I get about toasters when I'm supposed to be writing a 4 page paper on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the oddly lucid mental rant that shows up when I'm driving to the post office, and so on. Therefore, my writing is tangential, and ADD. Fact. So I've decided to embrace it and let myself outlet my tangents, and see what springs forth -- and, most importantly, amuses you.

This weeks tangent is in the form of an imaginary letter to Forever 21.

Disclaimer --if this sounds bitter, I assure you its not -- its ironic. Any pictures are entirely exaggerated for comic effect. Plus, I tend to make really ridiculous faces in photographs.

To whom it may concern,

I have been a loyal customer of your stores, and have had my procrastination heartily fueled by your website. I know there are some rumors circulating about your copying of designs, but my loyalty has been bought through the affordability and adorability of your versions.

And that is why I am writing today, to thank you for making the load of my wardrobe financially lighter. Not only is this achieved by your unbeatable savings, but by the fact that 85 percent of your apparel fails to fit me. If you threw in a few XLs, some pieces that accommodate a healthy tuchus, or something without a drop waist (the bane of every long-torsoed gal), I would be doomed to spend much more money at your stores. With the current setup, I can enter your dressing room with a dozen pieces, and only come out with one or two that tempt me. Your store makes it easy for me to budget AND get great trendy pieces.

I so enjoy shopping at your store, I want to share one of my recent adventures.

First I tried on this cute number.

(My "Is this a dress??!!!?? I'm afraid to turn around and check if my tuchus has escaped" face.)

Unfortunately, it was too short.

Then I found this delicate chiffon confection.

(Attack of the Secret Romper!!!! I hate it when they sneak up on me. Please ignore the fit problems, again, the long torso is a burden)

It was absolutely adorable, but the style didn't quite suit me.

Next, I tried a more minimalistic piece, for a change.

(Unless kindergarten utterly failed me, I'm pretty sure this isn't a shape. It's close to rectangular?)

The silhouette wasn't quite my style, unfortunately.

Next, I found a wonderful pair of quirky red shorts with suspenders. They fit wonderfully, but then I found...

(Holy exploding pleat, Batman!)

Unfortunately, they didn't quite make the mark. However, I found this wonderful dress to budget for, 

(all photos by me and my android, except this one, from F21)

and a few quirky jewelry items to refresh my wardrobe. Thank you, Forever 21, for making my style ambitions easy to afford. 

Sincerely, 

Anna

Gold Star to anyone who calls me out for being a hipster ;)

Pics of pretty

Um, leave home and travel in a customized gypsy caravan? Yes, please. 

from here

Or I could just park it in my front lawn for times I'm feeling wistfully whimsical. 

Gold star to everyone who thought Esmeralda was the best part of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (with her pet goat, of course).

Meet Dave

(and my glowing-eyed dog, Taja, who got very interested that I was moving furniture and woke him up)

And no, I didn't name him Dave, IKEA did. But I keep calling him that, as he is such a handy little piece of furniture he deserves a name (and apparently, a personification). A simple laptop desk, really, but he allows me to work wherever I feel like it. Whether it be the couch, my bed, or a random chair that appeals to me, he is always there to support my computer (and tilt it to an ergonomically appropriate angle.) Dave is very supportive of my nomadic working habits. One fact about working from home -0 you take advantage of working where you're comfortable. 

Gold Star to all the nomads :)

Things that inspire me...

I may move this feature to a bi-weekly one. Not that my life lacks inspiration (and I am so gifted for this), but just to mix it up a bit (especially since my creative rampage this last week means I have a lot of projects to share). What do you think?

But for now...This week's topic is Green.

Its a color, and a concept, and a lifestyle. Also, a blood type for hardcore fans (fans of what, you may ask...you'll see). And thankfully my home has lots of it to be inspired by.

 My mom painted this on our entrance door. It makes entering my house feel like stepping into a 

fairy tale :)

Drying spices in my garage (painted, you guessed it, green)

I have always loved this little willow. Like how my car photobombed this picture?

Some of the lovely foliage. I will miss this SO much in the winter. 

This is what I meant about bleeding green :) Yes, that is State duct tape. Being a Spartan is in my blood from both sides, and really strongly from my mom's, as all of her kin who has gone to college has gone to State...except me. In fact, the flag was a possession *ahem* obtained *ahem* when my Grandpa went there in the fifties. It's kind of a family relic. 

In an act of failed rebellion, I chose a school with green and white anyway :)

Gold Star to all the cool kids with failed rebellions.