Happy Thoughts for Thursday

Air conditioning.  There is no better feeling in the world to step in to an air conditioned building from the unbearably hot, humid outside.  

Reliable internet access.  Library, you got my back.

Wonderful friends.  I'm looking at you, Mariah.

Peanut butter frozen hot-chocolates from Dairy Queen.  I had one last night, and I think I need another. Like, now. 

Spending time in places where my cell phone gets service.  Do I need to rant again about how dependent I am on technology?

Friendly police officers.  You know, the ones that smile while they kick you out of the mall.

MORE ICE CREAM.  Actually, any cold thing.

Being caught up on my word count for camp nano.  Not that I expect that to last.  I have 3 days left.  Of course I'm going to get behind again.

Honest conversation.  Sometimes we don't have enough of this.  We hide our feelings behind 'you knows' and 'haha lols'.  Then we wonder why there are misunderstandings.  Sometimes, it's nice to just tell someone how you feel, and to know what they think in return.  

No internet and a heat advisory

There's a heat advisory going on today.  The temperature is high in the 90's right now, and is supposed to be over 100 tomorrow.  Yikes!  I found out that work has been cancelled tomorrow, so I won't have to worry about leaving the house.  That is, unless I decide that I want internet.  Hmmmm...

This "dress" is a hand-me-down from my mother.  I've had it for years, but rarely wear it, because it isn't actually a dress.  It's some sort of weird romper from the 90's, except the shorts are too loose for one to engage in typical short-wearing behavior, and the front flap is just kind of awkward.  I'm in the process of deciding if I want to take it with me to school again, or if it should stay safely in my closet at home, where I won't be able to flash anyone while wearing it.  Decisions.  

I bought these rings from H$M this weekend, and have been wearing them nonstop.  They were part of a set, and I really wish I had enough fingers to wear them all at once.  

Does anyone have an opinion?  Is this dress-thing ok to wear in public, or is it too short and strange?

Outfit Details

Dress: my mother's

Collar: self made

Bracelet: thrifted

Rings: H&M

Shoes: DSW

Nano is coming along

Instead of blathering about how much I like some particular band today, I have a playlist to share.  I've been working all week on getting caught up on my camp nano novel.  I'm 5,000 words behind and have 5 days left to finish.  Yikes!! Also, word count notwithstanding, I'm about halfway through the plot.  Anyway, here's what's been on replay while I've been working.  

I'm a walking cupcake

My internet has been shut off.  Hopefully it will be up and running again by Friday.  Until then, I'll be blogging sporadically from the library. I have to say that it's kind of nice to be away from the computer.  I'm almost done with a sewing project, and have been catching up on my writing for nano and reading actual books.  If without the internet is pretty alright, although I do miss tumblr.  And being about to google things whenever I want.  

Sometimes it worries me how dependent I am on the internet.  How do I get places without map-questing them first?  How to I meet up with people when I can't check my email?  Unfortunately I don't see a fix to these problems.  

I was at a loss as to what to do without the internet after work yesterday, so I put my hair in pincurls.  They turned out surprisingly well.  After months of pants, I'm finally getting back in to a dress groove.  Here's an actual outfit post.  I haven't done one of these in ages!

Outfit Details

Shirt: Rue ($3!!)

Skirt: self made

Shoes: Payless

Bracelet: thrifted

Earrings: my mother's

Happy Thoughts for Thursday

Cooking things!  I've been in a food rut lately, where all I eat is toast, toasted sandwiches, toasted bagels, and cereal.  Very exciting stuff.  Well, for lunch today I stir fried broccoli and tomatoes, and it was delicious.  Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to taste so good.  By my cooking and baking friend's standards, this isn't that exciting, but I'm pretty proud of myself.

HANNAH.  Ok.  Let me explain.  My friend Hannah is 25, and studying in California for her doctorate in political science.  She's extremely intelligent, beautiful, funny, and basically is who I want to be when I grow up.  She's visiting this week from California, so I got to see her earlier, and it made me very happy.

Aloe.  A word to the wise: don't foret to put sunscreen on the backs of your legs.

The Avengers.  I finally got around to seeing it, and it was pretty good!  I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had seen any of the other movies.  Maybe I will do that..

Smiling until your face hurts.  I spent five hours petitioning people outside of a farmers market, working my tail off at being that obnoxiously happy person.  Even if I didn't cheer anyone else up, I felt happier than I had reason to be.

Productivity.  I've been in a writing groove lately.  I'm almost caught up on my nano writing, and have been working on essays for scholarships and my study abroad application.  Last week was a little odd, but I'm feeling back in the game!

Busy weekend

This weekend my roommate from school came up to visit me!  On Sunday we went downtown to Navy Pier and took a billion pictures.  Despite having lived in Chicago suburbs for my whole life, I've only been to Navy Pier twice before this, and always at night.  It was kind of funny that my out of town friend was leading me around.

Before this I had also never been on the Ferris Wheel downtown before.  It was so nice up there!

 

I was playing around with the focus of my camera the whole time.  I'm starting to get the hang of it, maybe.  

Also, who knew that there's a stained glass museum in Navy Pier?  Or that said museum is completely free?  I had no idea, and thought the whole thing was pretty awesome.

Free trolleys are pretty fantastic.

The State and Adams intersection has been turned in to an art exhibit for the summer.  It was pretty cool looking.  The colors go a few stories up the corner buildings, and when you're in the shadows of the buildings they cast colored shadows over everything.

My mom, sister, and grandpa celebrating father's day. 

Ed Sheeran

Alright.  So.  Ed Sheeran.  Listen.  Now.

I started listening to Ed Sheeran months ago.  Now that his cd has finally been released in the U.S. I've been listening to little else, though.  His songs really are beautiful, both musically and lyrically.  Just listen to it, ok?

The Lavender Saga

Alright, this project.  I have no idea what this fabric is.  I got a yard an a third from the clearance rack at the Textile Outlet Warehouse for $3.  I washed it and dried it, and it came out terribly wrinkled.  For once in my life I ironed the fabric before I cut in to it, and most of the wrinkles came out, thankfully.  My mom told me that they weren't going to, and that I had ruined this fantastic mystery fabric.  Scare tactics.  I had a very clear picture in my mind of what I wanted this to be.  It was going to be a peter pan collar shirt with short sleeves, and a matching skirt. Easy peasy, right?  No, not right.  

I used the same pattern that I used for the heart blouse.  I tried that on with all the buttons done up, and had no trouble getting it over my head.  So, I went ahead and whipped this up without trying it on.  Then, I went to put it on.  And couldn't get it over my head.  After a lot of sighing, I went ahead and cut a slit in to the top, so the top looked like a weird cross between little girl shirt and polo shirt.  But whatever, it fits over my head.  I try it on again.  The sleeves are so tight that I can barely move my arms.  Well, crap.

I would like to take a minute to wax poetic about these sleeves.  I've never tried to french seam anything other than a side seam before.  I imagined that french seaming arm holes would be courting disaster.  On the contrary, it was the easiest part of this whole project.  They were beautiful, inside and out.  Well, I didn't have any extra fabric to expand them or cut new ones.  So I did the only thing I could.  

I cut them off and threw them in the trash.  I have no heart.

Once I was done mourning my beloved sleeves, I put the top back on.  Now that the sleeves weren't pulling it horizontally, I realized that IT WAS HUGE.  More problems.  I sliced it up the front and cut about 4 inches out of it.  I used some of what I cut out to make binding tape to hem up the sides.  Then I sewed 8 hooks and eyes up the front.  That part is all fine and dandy, except for the whole gaping around the boob area thing.  I need to find one more set of hook and eye to sew in place there, for safety's sake.  Other than that, it's finally done!  Also, the collar is a little floppy and the hem doesn't quite match up at the bottom, but who's counting problems, right?

The top out of the way, I figured the skirt would be a nice easy project.  It was, too, after I ripped out and re-sewed the pockets in 4 times.  But it's done now, and I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. 

Put together, it...looks like a dress.  Imagine that.  I didn't plan that at all.  

Happy Thoughts for Thursday

My roommate is coming to visit TOMORROW!  We get to spend the whole weekend together, and I can't wait!!

A couple more friends have made it back home from college.  

A few friends and I got together earlier this week and watched the 1D concert dvd.  It doesn't sound like it would be that exciting, but I had a blast.  We started making plans to watch it again before it was even over.  

Ed Sheeran's album was finally released in the US yesterday.  I bought it at 9am and have been listening to it nonstop since.  This is seriously one of the most beautiful things that I have ever heard.  Seriously, it's fantastic.

Earlier this year I applied to write for collegefashion for the looks on campus column.  There are a couple people on campus that I've seen and immediately thought, they deserve to be featured on there!  I didn't expect to get the position, since I don't have any experience with journalism or with photography, other than with what I've taught myself for this blog.  Well, I got the job!  I'll be writing for them starting in a few weeks.  

This is a really good cup of coffee right here.

Late night discussions of the meaning of everything on Mrt's couch make my life better.

Chilly nights, bright lights

I love the way that lights blur in nighttime photos.  These were taken from the balcony of my friend's apartment.  The lights on the horizon are Chicago.  

Blogger Love: Soychild

Today I have an interview to share with you with the lovely Soyoung, from Soychiild!!  Soy runs an adorable blog and is really a sweetheart.  Go be her friend!

How would you define your personal style? 

I think I gravitate towards girly/classy styles but I've always loved boho/hippie and edgy styles from time to time.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to find their style? 

I'd say to experiment and wear things you would never usually wear, don't be scared to wear whatever the heck you want in public (just don't expose certain private areas!) and most importantly, dress for your body type!!!!!!

Do you have any style icons or sources of inspiration you’d be willing to share?

Oh man. Audrey Hepburn of course!!! She's been my inspiration forever because she was the epitome of kindness, grace, and style. The trifecta am I right?!

What are your 3 favorite pieces and why? 

Probably my H&M butterfly dress, my F21 black ballet flats (everyone needs a pair!), and my Goodwill flower maxi dress :)

Do you feel you have any trademarks? 

I think my trademark would be pairing dresses with Toms. Or my dreadful socks and Toms  trademark. But it's okay. #PROUDOFIT

How do you define a stylish woman? 

A woman who is sure and confident of her identity mentally and physically. (Does that make sense?)

Tell us your best joke. 

Okay, I don't have jokes but I have a FAILPROOF pickup-line: Girl/Boy, you're as hot as the bottom of my laptop ;) Guaranteed digits. Guaranteed.

If you were offered an all expenses paid, risk free trip to the moon or 6 months traveling

the world, which would you pick and why? 

Honestly, the moon. Think about it- all expenses paid, would you choose your planet or another location in space?! I'd love to see my home planet from afar. How beautiful would that be?!

What do you do when you aren’t blogging?

I usually spend my summers taking some summer classes, but since I'm in potato mode I watch reruns of Doctor Who and bake. As well as peruse the Youtubes :) 

Thanks, Soy!

Shine For Me

Music Monday has been difficult lately, because honestly I've been listening to almost nothing other than One Direction, and I don't want to bore everyone with posting the same thing every week.  As a result of this, I have one song to share today, Shine For Me by Cameras Can't Lie.  They sound really promising.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to listen to more of their music soon!  

Time blurs together

Since I've been home from school I've been very inconsistant with outfit posts.  Partly this is due to working, and that I have to wear a uniform.  That I tend to change the details of a given outfit several times a day while at home is also a factor.  I was so pleased with this outfit, that I just had to try to take some pictures.  I had a lot of fun, just spinning around.  

Outfit Details

Shirt: my mother's

Skirt: Forever 21

For the future!

I went fabric shopping yesterday.  After I finished up with internship training I took a train all the way to Pilsen, all by myself.  Woo I'm 20 years old and can walk alone.   I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing with everything yet, or if I have enough for what I want.  I really wanted 3 years of the light purple, but there was only 1.5 on the bolt.  I can't wait to get to work!

Happy Thoughts for Thursday

This week has been full of nothing, which is different, but nice.  My brother's graduation party was Sunday, and I'm glad to be done with the cleaning!

Writing!  Nano camp is going well.  I'm still pretty excited about my story, although sometimes it is hard to stay focused.  I've been going to a friend's house every night to drink coffee, listen to music, and write, and I'm really enjoying both the process and her company.  So far I've managed to keep up with my word count.  I really hope that I can keep it up!

Crafty projects.  I have a trip planned today to the fabric store.  I wonder what I'll find.

Living with Mrty.  I think I'm at Mariah's house more than I am at my own.  It's not a bad way to live.

My roommate may be visiting in a few weeks!  We'll find out in a couple of days whether or not I'll be busy when she's able to come up.

She made me eat cannoli and I liked it.

New work friends.  We've been discussing marching band, politics, and beautiful british boy bands for the last few days.  The new employees are keepers.

Potential new friends.  My other summer job officially starts today, and I'm extremely excited for the job itself, and also for getting to know the people that I'll be working with.  Cool job means guaranteed cool fellow employees, right? I love the hopeful anxiety that comes from meeting new people.

This obsession.  Ok.  This is really a problem.  I let myself have a ten minute tumblr break, get in to the One Direction tags, and then realize that I've been crying over Harry gifs for two hours.  Make the feelings stop, please.  Also, I may or may not have signed up for twitter with the sole intention of following One Direction.  And then this may or may not have happened.  (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  And I may or may not have over 100 follows after one day of being on twitter, and after only posting one sentence.  I do love this fandom, but...geez.

Heart blouse

 

First off, I just want to rant a little about the effort it took to take these pictures.  I live about 2 miles from the town library, and there's a cute little park next to the library that I thought would be perfect for taking pictures in.  Today seemed like the perfect day for a bike ride.  Last week my bike broke (that is a whole other story) so I took my mother's bike, which she told me to do.  I decided to do the whole bike borrowing thing the right way, and took a good ten minutes to adjust the seat so that I could ride comfortably.  I used a wrench and everything.  So, I get all ready to go, and then the garage door won't close.  Finally after a lot of button pushing it closed.  Great.  Time to leave.  I get to the end of the driveway and notice that the tires are a little low.  Oh well, I can just fill them up when I get home.  End of the block: the brakes don't work.  At all.  One block later: the chain snaps in half.  Well, hey, I guess I'm driving after all.  Sigh.  I was so looking forward to riding, too.

Alright, back to the shirt.  I made this last week with fabric that I got at a thrift store for $1.50.  I rubbed the pattern off of an old blouse of my mother's.  The collar and button placket were cut out of the back of an old dress shirt of my brother's, and the buttons were from there also.  

For once in my life, there are no raw edges in this.  I used french seams for the side seams, and the button placet and collar have all the edges sewn neatly inside.  This is one of the few things that I've sewn that I wouldn't be ashamed to show someone the inside of.  

I saved this pattern, and think that I'll probably be reusing this a lot in the future.  I will probably adjust the arm scythe a little, but other than that I think it fits pretty well!

Third time

Last night I went downtown with some friends to see Company of Thieves play at SausageFest.  We got there 20 minutes in to the show, and didn't actually pay to go in to the festival, instead choosing to stand along the railings outside.  Therefore, I got a different view of the band.  Honestly, we were probably closer than we could have gotten had we paid the $5 to get in, and the speakers were pointed away from us, so we didn't suffer from the usual post-concert ear trouble.  Also, Gen came over and waved to us, which was really cool.  

Gorgeous/Grotesque is one of the best songs to hear live.  The cd recording just doesn't compare.  During the heavy guitar part Mark stopped playing, turned his guitar outward, and was grinding it against the railing.  I don't know if that's really good for the instrument, but, man, was it cool.  That song makes my toes curl, in the best way possible, and watching the band go nuts made the experience even better.

 

 

Gen playing drums in Won't Go Quietly.  They played this as their last song, as part of the encore, the same as in the last time I saw them.  It was definitely worth driving up to see them, even though we were late.  I can't wait until they post their tour schedule for next year.  I really want to drag my school friends to see them.  

Look!  She's touching me!  I guess that's another month that I can't take a shower for...

Oh hey, 1D.  Obsession, what?