Ivory cable-knit V-neck sweater

V-Neck Target
Skirt Chadwicks
Tights Smiths
Shoes Steve Madden

I did it again. I was out looking for something else and found the perfect thing.

I was at Target wrapping up my Christmas shopping and looking for a pair of grey sweats to act as my jammies for Christmas eve. I found this sweater instead. It was on sale for fifteen dollars. I think that was a pretty even deal. I didn't find any bottoms, but I discovered a really easy way to get to Target, so I will be visiting more often.

Christmas look

Shirt - Stand Up 2 Cancer
Jeans - Old Navy
Socks - kb

I took some time for me and did some exfoliating and waxing and did my hair and makeup and dressed in my Christmas gifts.

Our family is a big supporter of the Stand Up 2 Cancer organization. We love their Star Wars shirts. This year they did Star Wars Angry Birds. I could not resist the Princess Leia shirt. Everyone in our family got a shirt with their jammies.

I bought the orange jeans for myself while I was buying everyone elses' jammies.

The socks were in my stocking. I got them from Costco. I love them. They are so comfortable and just the right amount of breathable so I will be able to wear them year round. Not quite as warm and cozy as my wool socks, but their funky colours make up for that.

You look Like Malfoy

That was what Dewey told me when I came home from Unity Salon today.

New Blonde!

I was sick of my natural colour. There was not nearly enough grey for it to look cool. It just looked bleagh with a smattering of silver. Yuck. All the boys hate it. I love it. LOVE it.

I also gave in to the coloured jeans trend:

Shirt - Dickies
Long sleeve - Mod Bod
Jeans - Old Navy
Shoes - Converse
Necklace - Vintage (found)
Ring - Nana

I always treat myself to Crown Burger after a trip to see Tristann, thus the milkshake cup behind me. I went all matchy match with my nails with Meet Me At Sunset. I think I'll go with a blue nail the next time I wear these jeans.

Not bad for being over 10 years old!

I love my Converse. These are extra special because the lining is plaid and the logo is embroidered on. I've had these shoes for ages and ages. I'm pretty sure I bought them before Dewey was born. I also love the look of orange and blue together. 

Something new is coming!

It's gonna be awesome! I can't wait! I. Can. Not. Wait.
I'm changing something and It's gonna be great.

That's all. Stand by for something new happening.
It's happening on Friday, so if the world ends on Friday, sorry - you won't get to find out.

Stay tuned!!

Look of the Day 12-3-12

Blue peplum sweater Nordstrom rack
White Jeans Banana Republic
Black boots Fluevog

To celebrate winter, I thought I would wear colors that make me think of cold and snow. I am also wearing the coziest, warmest wool socks. I will blog about them later.

Sporting my plumeria necklace too. It's not just for summer!

Purple Butterflies

OPI Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not

I liked the butterfly stickers from this post so much, but I wanted to do something a little more subtle.

Normally, I hate purple, but I started buying purple nail polish when mauve started to be so popular. This one is my favorites because it has so much red in it. I have found that it's okay to wear purple polish, but I will never wear purple clothes. I find that my purples go really well with my grey clothes.

I have been really frustrated with the photography process when it comes to photographing my manicures. I have tried three different cameras, with or without flash, all kinds of lighting... and to no avail. The best photos have been coming from my phone! How silly is that?

What did you do to your eyes?

Black cashmere vneck,
Black pencil skirt,
Awesome tights, penguin shoes

I work in an office within a building where I’m stuffed into a cubicle facing the corner with my back to everyone and everything. I like it because I can shut the world out and do my work and no one bothers me. The people I normally talk to are all over the country, so no one sees me except for the other two cubicle dwellers I share an office with and a few others in the building.

Dooce taught me that I should never blog about work, so that’s enough about that.

The reason I mention this at all is because I rarely wear makeup to work. No one ever sees me and it’s a hassle in the morning, and I hardly see my husband during the week, so I have taken to not wearing makeup during the week.

I love beauty products, I love wearing makeup, and playing with different looks. I just don’t like to do it for the day to day crap where no one ever looks at me or cares what I look like.

I always dress nicely for work: skirts, heels, pantyhose, blouses… blah blah. I find it interesting that no one asks me why I’m so dressed up unless I’m wearing makeup.

I wore makeup today: foundation, blush, eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss. Nothing fancy at all. My nails are even naked today!

I had the following conversation with a co-worker:

Him: “What did you do to your eyes?”

Me: “What?”

“Your eyes look different.”

“Different?”

“Yeah, something is different with your eyes.”

“Like how? (pauses) Oh. I’m wearing makeup. I don’t normally wear makeup.”

“Oh, I guess that’s what it is. Well, you always look beautiful”

End scene.

Someone else asked me why I was so dressed up. I’m not wearing anything different than I would wear on a normal day.

Huey has been showering at night because he has this long, shaggy hair and he gets cold when his hair is wet and he has to walk to the bus stop in the morning. This causes me to have extra time in the morning because I don’t have to hound him to get in the shower. I was really happy because I had new tights and put together a fun outfit today, so I took the time to put on minimal makeup.

I find it interesting that it made such a difference that people noticed enough to comment.

Also, wearing makeup equals “dressed up” to some people.

Blue Sparkle Butterflies

Essie Limoscene, Julep Blue Glitter, Butterfly stickers

Dewey once again picked out my colours. I used a base of Essie Limoscene - a sheer ivory. Then I did a gradient with Julep's blue glitter. I topped off with blue, white, and silver butterfly stickers. There are blue hearts on my thumb.

For me, this is fun, but it's a little much. There's a lot going on with this nail art. The manicure has lasted a long time, but I just can't stare at it for more than a couple of days.

I'm more of a simple girl.

New Shoe Review - Shoe dazzle

I had seen ads on television and on the internet about Shoe Dazzle. The buy one get one free is what did it in for me. I can never escape a good deal, so I thought "what the heck?" and signed up.

I found the shoes to be reasonably priced, mostly at forty dollars. Seemed like a good deal to me. I have recently thrown out some shoes that were trashed, and that's how I justified the new purchase.

I signed up, but wished I hadn't. I had a hard time even finding two pair of shoes that I liked. Most of the shoes are the huge, platform, Kim Kardashian, Herman Munster type shoes that look great in a size five, but not so much in a size nine.

That being said, I LOVE the black Giselles! They are so comfortable! The straps dig nowhere, nor do they rub. I feel like my feet are being hugged. The shoes are well made. They don't seem like they will fall apart anywhere or any time soon. They go with pants, skirts, and jeans. I've worn them to work, on a date, and to church. They go with everything. I am totally in love with these. They are my new new NEW favorites!

I'm not sure about the other ones. I thought that they were denim blue stripes, but they're black. I was hoping they would go with jeans and casual skirts, but the platform is so huge. I look like I belong on Drag Race, what with my super short hair and all over tallness.

Seeing that I could hardly find anything I like, I'm pretty sure I will not be going back to this website, but the shoes are quality and worth the price. It's a good place to go if you like those kind of shoes. Not being a fan of the style, and the fact that they have no variety will keep me away.

Meet me at Sunset - Essie

Essie Meet Me At Sunset

This is hands down my favourite nail colour.

I was looking for a true orange, but came across this and thought I'd try it.

The formula is awesome. It goes on smooth and thin and not goopy or gloppy. One coat looks perfect, but of course two looks better.

It's the reddest orange you can get without being red. It's such a bright, happy colour! Every time I wear it, it makes me happy.

Plumeria Pendant Necklace

Plumeria Necklace

I bought this in Maui in January 2007.

DH and I had wanted to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon, but we were poor newlyweds and couldn’t afford it. DH went to school in Hawaii, and I had never been, so he wanted to show it to me. I had thought that we could save up and go for our tenth anniversary.

After we had been married for a year, my in-laws took us and DH’s sister and her husband to Hawaii and Oahu for a vacation. I fell in LOVE with Hawaii. To the point that I don’t know whether I would prefer my beloved home of Vancouver, or Hawaii for my ideal place to live forever.

The plumeria is my favourite Hawaiian flower. I love the simplicity of the shape of the flower. They come in many colours, but my favourite is the white ones that are edged in yellow.

We went to Maui for our tenth anniversary, and the place we were staying had a plumeria tree by the sidewalk on the way to the beach. Every day, I picked up a flower off the grass and tucked it behind my ear.

We were shopping on the actual day of our anniversary, and I found this necklace and some earrings. I bought them for myself for my annivearsary. It cost ten dollars.

I love the simplicity of the necklace. I love the black-and-white. It goes with everything. I dress it up, I dress it down. I love the leather thong - it gives it a little edge.

Things that must go – Mustaches

I’m done with mustaches.

Not the ones on men’s faces, and DEFINITELY not Movember, I love Movember and support it wholeheartedly.

I’m done with the ironic hipster mustaches on everything. T-shirts, mugs, necklaces, sunglasses, rings, cell phone covers…. Stop it!

I have decided that all the hipster twentysomethings are just getting to the point where they can actually grow a real looking mustache and so it’s a novelty. Remember the goatees and sideburns of the early nineties? I get it; you can finally grow real looking facial hair! And there are so many hilariously ironic awesome things you can do with a mustache! Like save things for later, but have you ever tried to kiss a guy with a mustache? Not ironic or funny or cool – it’s itchy and it tickles. Sometimes it makes you sneeze.

I know that Tom Selleck is the poster man for mustaches. I am SO on board with Tom Selleck, do not misunderstand me, but remember that episode of Friends where Chandler and Joey tried to grow mustaches? Yeah, not everyone can be Tom Selleck.

Thank. Goodness.

Growing a mustache is one thing, but decorating yourself with a mustache is another. It’s boring me. Quit it. You’re bugging me!

Except for the mustache finger tattoos where you can put your finger up to your lip to pretend you have a mustache. Those are funny

Weight update - 170

I started this blog so that I could document my descent into my old fabulous more skinny but not too skinny body.

FAIL.

I was reviewing my blog posts and at the beginning of the year I was hovering between 162 and 165. Now I’m lucky to be 168!! This is not good, people. The year I was going to focus on losing weight and being more healthy has had the opposite effect.

I thought when you weighed yourself everyday you were supposed to be more conscious of what you ate and you automatically lost weight! Guess not.

The saddest thing is that I haven’t changed anything. It’s not like I have less activity or I’m eating more or even eating less healthy. I’m eating the same and exercising the same and I’m gaining weight! I know this is partly a hormonal thing, but it’s also a Dr. Pepper/cheeseburger/not-walking-Orso thing.

For the first time in my life, I am actually considered overweight for my height (5’7”). This is not acceptable. I never ever thought this would happen to me. I have never had to worry about my weight. Like, EVER.

I don’t care about the number as much as I care about how my clothes are fitting. My wardrobe choices are diminishing as my “fat clothes” are all I can wear right now. It is unacceptable to literally have nothing to wear and I refuse to buy new clothes because that is accepting defeat.

I’m due for a check-up and I know I need my thyroid re-checked. That might help.

Nails and The Chamber of Secrets

Julep Halloween box

I ordered a Halloween Mystery box from Julep for $19.99. I LOOOVE me a Mystery Box!

Inside were three nail colours; two glitter pots – one blue, one purple, and some nail tattoos. I didn’t know there was such a thing as nail tattoos.

I didn’t have time with the preparation for Halloween and the carving of pumpkins and the in-laws visiting and Dewey’s eighth birthday for any Halloween themed nail art. It made me sad. “O well, next year”, I thought.

Last weekend we had our second snowfall. We’re having an early winter to make up for last year’s late one, I guess. Huey and DH were at Scout Camp, I had a training, and so Dewey spent the day at a friend’s house while it snowed all day long. I got home first, so after picking up Dewey we decided we were going to have some Mummy and Son time. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he suggested I paint my nails while he plays on the computer and we watch Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. We are currently reading the book – this is Dewey’s first time with the books and he loves them – and he wanted to refresh his memory on what happens in the movie.

Dewey’s so sweet – he thought of something we both would enjoy. He knows how much I enjoy painting my nails, so that’s why he chose that for me. I suggested he pick out my nail colours while I got the movie started. I had also let him pick my colours for his birthday, but didn’t have time to do the exact nail art I had planned and just went with one plain colour. Dewey likes to pick more than one nail colour and designs, etc. He likes me to be fabulous.

An aside – the other day, Dewey and DH were hanging out and DH asked Dewey “What’s your mother doing?” Dewey responded, “Painting her nails, what else?” as if I spend all my time painting my nails. I took massive offense to this as at that time I hadn’t sat down to paint my nails in over two weeks!! I had finally taken a minute to myself on a Sunday to do what I love best while everyone else was doing things they enjoyed, and I got mocked for it! Sheesh!!

The left hand is what he picked for his birthday, and the right is what he picked for our “time” together. He also picked out which glitter and which tattoos I used.

Left Hand

Left hand:

Pinky; Julep Morgan and purple Glitter

Ring finger; Julep Morgan, Julep Maggie polka dots, Essie Shine of the Times glitter top coat

Middle finger; Julep Taylor gradient to Julep Morgan, Essie Shine of the Times glitter top coat

Pointer finger; Julep Morgan gradient to Julep Taylor, Essie Shine of the Times glitter top coat (reverse of middle finger)

Thumb; Julep Maggie and purple glitter.

Right Hand

Right hand:

Thumb; Julep January with Essie Shine of the Times glitter top coat

Pointer; Julep January, skull and cross bones tattoo

Middle; Julep January, RIP tattoo

Ring; Julep January, Candelabra tattoo

Pinky; Julep January, purple glitter.

Dewey wanted me to do my whole hand with the red January underneath the purple glitter with the tattoos on top. I have issues with purple and red together, so I placated him with the pinky.

I have never tried a gradient look before and I love how it turned out! There will be many gradient looks coming in the future! I think it turned out really awesome. I also think the glitter turned out really cool. The glitter is really fine and easy to apply. There was no mess and glitter sticking to everything like I had envisioned.

Another thing is this manicure has lasted me all week. I did the manicure last Saturday night, and here it is Thursday and I’m just getting around to taking photos. I don’t know if it’s the new top coat that I bought, or if it’s the layers of polish. Last week, I used three thin coats instead of my usual two (sometimes I can even get away with one coat) and the manicure lasted for a week instead of the usual two days. I also let the manicure ‘cure’ for an hour while we watched the rest of Harry Potter. I suspect it’s a combination of the new top coat, letting the manicure harden, and more coats that have caused this manicure to last so long.

Weird. I thought that the more coats you put on the more easily it chips!

Things That Must Go – Leggings at church

A few things:

I’m forty years old; meaning that I have lived through multiple leggings trends. I think leggings are fun, but they have their place.

Leggings are not pants, but are worn like pants and are considered pants in certain circumstances.

I am an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe in dressing modestly. No short skirts, nothing sleeveless or strapless, no obvious cleavage, etc.

Leggings are not an excuse to wear a short skirt or dress to church because they cover your knees and your skirt doesn't. If you are wearing leggings in this manner, you are wearing pants and a tunic. You do not wear pants to church.

If you couldn’t wear the skirt to church without the leggings, then you shouldn’t be wearing the skirt to church. (in regular life, fine - I'm not judging. There is separate standard for what you wear to church)

Leggings are casual wear. You are supposed to dress up for church. Leggings are a popular trend, but they are not appropriate for church. There is a time and place for leggings, church is not one of those places.

You are not allowed to wear leggings with short skirts/dresses at BYU. Most of the girls I see wearing leggings to church are Cougar fans.

Please stop dressing your girls in leggings and short skirts for church. I know that they are wonderful because they can wear a skirt and run around and not show their panties. I have two problems with this. One, little girls are supposed to be reverent at church, not climbing all over the pew and running and jumping around. Two, we should be teaching our little girls how to behave like a lady in a skirt. There is a way we behave when we’re in play clothes, and there is a way to behave when wearing our Sunday Best.

I know how hard it is to find modest length skirts. I was tall and thin my whole life. Do you know how hard it was for me when I was a size two to find a skirt that would go to my knees that still fit my waist? One of the main reasons why I sewed my own clothes was because I could never find anything in the stores that fit me around the middle that was long enough. However, we live in Utah where there are many stores that cater to the LDS modesty demographic.

Wearing leggings does not make up for the fact that you are wearing a short skirt. You are still wearing a short skirt. Wearing leggings is casual, not Sunday appropriate. Stop it, it is driving me crazy.

Look of the Day 11-15-12 Grey V Neck Sweater

Orso is a great accessory

I know that I’ve written in the past how I have a perfect thing and something happens to it (like it wears out) and I can never find a replacement.

WAIT - That's a lie. I’ve written in the past how I find the perfect thing and I don’t buy it and then have buyer’s remorse for years because I didn’t buy it and it haunts me because it was so perfect and would go with everything but the time has passed and I can’t find it anywhere!

So this is similar in that I can’t find the thing that I’m looking for anywhere.

A long, long time ago when I was nineteen I had a very fashion conscious boyfriend. He was, like, SO fabulous. He had a grey v-neck sweater that I adopted. I wore it with everything; jeans, my black and white houndstooth pants, a black skirt and tights, etc. It hung right and was warm enough and not itchy and held its shape and was well made and I could go on, but let’s just leave it there and say it was perfect.

I returned it along with some other things he gave/loaned to me after we broke up. (He let me keep the ring, though!)

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why o why did I return that sweater? I guess I was moving on to a new phase of my life and didn’t want it to remind me of my old phase. That, or it was because I was completely over him and I knew that he really liked the sweater too and I was just borrowing it and technically it belonged to him, so out of a sense of right and wrong or something I returned it. I didn’t need a souvenir from our relationship.

This was the longest relationship I had been in so far: a whopping 18 months. Even though he broke up with me I think the break-up bothered him more than it bothered me, and it was the first time that I had ever been dumped where I didn’t want the guy back. The minute he left, I was so glad we were over. I knew he was right that we should break up, and I was over him. He was the first ex-boyfriend that I was able to honestly be just friends with afterwards. No part of me yearned to get back together with him ever and that has remained true still to this day. There has never been any hard feelings between us. 

So I guess that’s why I returned the sweater.

Any way…..

I was getting some things in Costco the other day and I walked past this grey v-neck cable knit Tommy Hilfiger sweater for $19.99 and I had to buy it. Not because of all the memories of the ex, but because of all the memories of the outfits! It’s perfect and I hope that it never wears out!!

I should have bought two.

White Crochet Cable-knit Cardigan

DH and I, Not the best photo of the sweater, but it'll do

A long time ago I had a white cardigan that I had bought from Fred Meyer. It was really soft and cozy and I wore it all the time. When buttoned up, it had a v-neck so I used to wear it on its’ own.

For Mother’s day that year, my husband bought me a white cable-knit cardigan that he got from Costco. I was a little disappointed. Why did he buy me a white cardigan? I already had a white cardigan that I wore all the time!

Well, this new cardigan became my new favourite. It was a lot more classy than my old white cardigan. It was also more sturdy, so it went with more things and covered more seasons. I ended up getting rid of the old white cardigan because the new one was so much better.

Six years later, we were travelling a lot between central Utah and home because DH’s dad had passed away and we were taking care of the house that he left behind. During this time, we discovered that Huey got carsick. One time he was complaining that he was cold and DH wouldn’t turn on the heat in the car, so I gave him my beloved cardigan. Next thing we heard was an announcement that he was going to throw up, followed by the sounds of throwing up. All. Over. My. BELOVED. Cardigan.

The cardigan was put in a plastic bag to be cleaned after we got home. The bag had somehow ended up in the garage. It ended up covered in mold and was subsequently thrown directly into the garbage.

Interestingly enough, Huey quit getting carsick after this blessed event. He must have grown out of it.

Aye me! My sweater! I loved that sweater! IT. WENT. WITH. EVERYTHING!

I bought a cotton cardigan for work, but it was totally not right.

Five years later, I decided I was going to try to replace it and went to Land’s End and bought what I thought was its’ twin. Problem was that it was wool, so much too warm to go through all four seasons, and it was ivory and not white.

Six years later, earlier this spring in fact, I was walking to the checkout in Costco, and there were a pile of off-white cardigans and I scooped one up because it was perfect!

See, at the time of the original white cardigan, I was looking for a crocheted cardigan similar to one that Andie wore in “Pretty in Pink”. This new cardigan was the perfect combination of the original favourite and the one I was seeking.

Huey will is not allowed anywhere near this new cardigan!

Look of the day 11-8-12

Grey, grey Grey

The Photographer and I are experimenting with light and poses. I really should have looked at the photos before wearing this outfit in public. In my defense, I checked the greys under the light in my closet and they seemed to go just fine!!

Guess Not.

I've had this grey boatneck sweater since before I had children. I love the look of it, but the fit is not the best. I toyed with the idea of getting rid of it recently, but after wearing it today, decided that I would keep it, but now that I've seen it in a photo....

Also, I'm growing out my hair. Not because I'm tired of my short hair - far from it - but I figure that I will eventually, and if I start growing it out now, then by the time I want to grow it out, I'll already be half way there!

The Photographer hard at work

I have some new ideas and things to do with this blog. I hope you will enjoy them!

In the meantime, please enjoy my shoes walking up the stairs:

Still my favourite shoes.

But I should really not drive while wearing them.

I love my legs. They are my best feature. I always look my best when I am walking away.

I have decided that all shirts should have snaps

Black Dickies shirt, White denim Ralph Lauren skirt

This is the third shirt with snaps that I have purchased in the last year or so, and I have decided that snaps are the way to go. Sure, they make a lot of noise in the dryer, but that's the only down side. They take seconds to snap, and even less time to undo. No more buttons for me!! It's snaps all the way.

I love Dickies. I know that most of their clothes are made for working stiffs, but that's what I am - a working stiff. The quality is top notch, and the style of some of their clothes is totally rockabilly retro and suits me just fine.

I liked this shirt so much that I turned around and bought it in white too. Can't wait until it comes in the mail!

Things That Must Go – The Eight Inch Hooker/Drag Queen Shoe

It just seems like a trend will come out and at first it’s awesome, cute, and so clever, and then the masses get their hands on it and cheapen the experience. All of a sudden, you see seventeen versions of the thing and the market is saturated with it. It’s like an awesome song that gets overplayed so much that you hate it.

At five foot eight I am just medium tall. For whatever reason, the place that I grew up in was full of short people. I was at least three inches taller than all of my friends. My mother drilled into my head that being tall was burden (she’s five foot ten) and you should never be taller than your man. Having this drilled into my brain my whole life, and since the boys had not hit their growth spurts yet, I wore a lot of flat shoes and pencil heels in high school.

The first question I asked my future mother-in-law when she was trying to set me up with her son was “How tall is he?” He’s six two. I wore four inch Fluevogs when we got married. I love so much that I could be six feet tall and still be shorter than him. My wedding shoes are some of my most treasured things.

I never really embraced the high heel until after high school. My first boyfriend after I graduated was six foot one. It was like a whole new universe was being opened up to me!! Wearing heels made my feet look smaller! I could use my height to intimidate people! Being tall was an asset and I could be so much taller!! There are so many cute shoes out there! I went through this phase of dating taller and taller and taller guys. I topped out at six foot eight. It was so nice to feel small compared to them and to be able to be as tall as I wanna be. I love it when people meet me at work (especially men) as I’m sitting at my desk. As I stand to shake their hands, their heads go up, up and uuuuup. O, you’re a tall one! They say. Did you play basketball? Is another one I get a lot.

Like I said, I’m not that tall, but I am taller than average. My love for high heels increases my height by at least three inches making me five eleven so I guess if you take into consideration that I spend a good chunk of my time in tall shoes, I am rather tall.

Initially, three inch heels were considered really high, a stiletto, but now three inches is average. My four inch wedding heels were rare fifteen years ago, but now they’re the norm. At first, platforms on a pump would be an inch thick max, now they are one to two inches on average. I just bought a pair of wedge sandals that were five and a half inches high. I couldn’t find anything that didn’t have a platform that was cute. I’m not interested in wearing old lady sandals, but those seem to be the only ones that don’t have a two inch platform. I’m also not interested in being over six feet tall. It’s bad enough that I tower over half the people I know, I don’t have to tower over the rest of them. I don’t really want to look like a drag queen.

It’s all fine and good for these five foot nothing reality television “stars” to wear these enormous spiky platform-y “open for business” shoes, but now they’ve become so popular, that it’s hard to find a flat. Have you ever seen a pair of those shoes in a nine or ten? They look like they were made for men who like to look pretty.

My favourite is when I see pregnant moms with their toddlers in tow at church in five inch patent leather spike heeled peep toe platforms. Sorry, sister, but your knee length skirt and modest cleavage covering camisole under your low cut blouse does not cancel out your street-walker shoes. I can’t judge – all my shoes look like that too, I’m just not pregnant and don’t have to carry around a diaper bag any more.

The first time I went to a drag show I commented to my friend afterwards about how much fun it was and how ‘the gays’ were so friendly and personable and how I had never been touched so much or asked to dance so many times in a straight club. You know what he told me? “Well, there were a lot of convincing looking females here tonight, perhaps they were trying to determine if you were real or not.” Nice. Thanks. Idonotlooklikeadragqueen.

Let’s tone it down, people. The tall girls need something to wear that doesn’t make them hit their head on the doorway. What’s next? Real stilts?

Polka Dot

You should see my toes!

After cruising websites like Nailasaurus and Julep and following Glo Nails, Lucky Nails, and The Beauty Dept on Pinterest and seeing so many fun tutorials on nail art, I decided to buy a toy and experiment.

I bought  a dotting tool that has a brush on the other end at Sally Beauty Supply. It was five bucks and totally worth it. It took me some time to get the hang of it, but I can't wait to play some more!!

The index finger kind of looks like I have the measles, but I love the rest.

I'm wearing Essie Limoscene for a base. The dots are Essie Licorice and Julep January.

Love, love, love this new toy!!

Things That Must Go – The Accent Nail

The great thing about fashion is that there are usually so many trends out there that one can pick and choose which trends they would like to follow. Everyone has different style, but there always seems to be something for everyone out there.

I have never been a slave to fashion, but a lover of what’s new now, what’s hot, what’s happening, (what’s ‘the latest’ as my mother would say, guaranteeing an eyeroll from me). I like to observe what’s happening in fashion right now and pick and choose the trends that I will add to my style pallet.

I hate wasting money, so my style is mostly classical and traditional, but I don’t fear the funky and trendy. I hate the thought of having to get rid of something after six months because it’s so out of style. That seems like such a waste to me. I like to buy things that will last forever. I have letting go issues when it comes to clothes.

As I am an observer of fashion, I often come across a trend where I think, “O, that’s clever” but then I see it EVERYWHERE and it drives me crazy because it becomes so overdone. Because of this, I have added a “Things That Must Go” section to the blog.

My first thing is the accent nail. This is when your manicure is all one colour with the exception of one nail, usually the ring finger, which is painted a different colour. The first few times I saw it, I thought it was awesome and cute, but now it’s everywhere!! At first it was tastefully done: a french manicure with a green tip on the ring finger for St. Patrick’s Day, or fireworks on the thumb for Independence Day. Now I just cringe every time I see it.

I read an article where men were commenting on fashion and they said that it looked like you were too lazy to do your whole hand. I could not agree more. To me it just looks tacky and overdone and like you missed the rest of your hand. While I see the point that having all five fingers in a Gingham pattern or sparkled out like crazy can be distracting and look a little much so it’s fun to have just one nail done, but the rest of the nails need to coordinate so that the one nail doesn’t stick out so much.

This just goes to prove that you can rock a trend and make it look great, or you can miss the mark completely and look like a clown.

No more accent nails! I’m bored already.

Penguin Shoes

So. I told you about the Polyvore and I told you about the new shoes.

Here is the story about how Polyvore made me get the new shoes.

Right after I joined Polyvore, I was workin’ a set and putting together a black and white outfit (black and white is my favourite) when I did a search for Spectator pumps and these babies popped up.

OOOOOh! Those are cute! I thought.

So cute, in fact, that I thought and thought and thought about them. Then I dreamed about them and then I thought some more. I am familiar with the brand as I have two pair of shoes from the same brand and they are well made and affordable. Oh my GOSH did I think about those shoes and how cute they were and how much I loved them and how I would wear them every day and they were only $60.00, so I could justify the price and….

Well let’s just say that I could not stop thinking about those shoes and how cute they were.

A brief history of not buying something that I can’t get out of my head:

A long time ago, I saw the perfect white ballet flats. They had no heel whatsoever. There were no embellishments. They had a slightly pointy toe which fits with my pointy feet perfectly. They would have gone with everything. I had just bought a pair of shoes and had no more babysitting money, so I didn’t buy them. Years went by. I looked and looked and looked for white flats and could not find any that fit the bill. Either they had a weird heel or a dumb bow or there was no toe room. The main reason why no other shoes would do was because I had seen the perfect ones and couldn’t get the idea of the perfect shoes out of my head and nothing compared. I finally found a pair of Fluevogs that were perfect. I wore the heck out of them, befriended a cobbler, had them re-made, and wore the heck out of them again. I threw them out when I got married and moved from Canada to Salt Lake City and have regretted it ever since. To this day I have not found another pair of perfect flats and do not possess a pair.

What have we learned? That if you see something you LOVE, not like, but LOVE, you should get it. You should save up your money and think about it and if you can’t get it out of your head, then you should get it before it’s gone and you can never have it and it haunts you for the rest of your life.

I have similar regret with a pair of charcoal grey flannel pumps I saw at the Nordstrom Rack in 1998 and a pair of black and white houndstooth pumps I saw at Famous Footwear three years ago.

I always find what I’m looking for when I’m not looking for anything which is why I found these shoes. Seeing that I suffer from non-buyer’s remorse, I try to have a little extra tucked away for moments like this. Since I had thought of the shoes non-stop since I saw them, they would go with everything I own, and I LOVED them, I bought them. I had read the reviews saying that you need to go up a size, and since I already own two pairs of shoes made by the same company and they are super duper tight, I ordered a size ten and with the exception of some toe pinching on the left foot (which is normal for me when breaking in new shoes), they fit perfectly. I am VERY glad I went a size up. (going a size up is very hard for me because I already hate my feet, so admitting that they are also giant feet makes me very sad and want to crawl into a hole and die.)

I’ve had them two weeks and worn them three times already. Since I can’t wear my suede Steve Maddens in summer, these are my new New Favourites.

When dancing around the house with them on my feet, in my hands, on my head, and showing them to all the males in my house including the dog and forcing them to tell me how cute they were, the consensus of their opinions came down to this: they look like penguins.

You see why I have a blog? No one in my house appreciates me so I have to turn to the internet for validation.

White Manicure

Remember when we were in Grade seven and would paint our fingernails with Liquid Paper? Remember how goopy and gross it would look? Remember how we would do it on purpose so that our fingers would glow in the black light at the school dance?

Enter the White Manicure.

O.P.I. Alpine Snow

I had purchased Essie Limoscene thinking it was the perfect Ivory colour that I was looking for, but naive me, didn't look closely enough to the consisitency of the colour. It's sheer, not opaque. I was looking for opaque.

I'm wearing Limoscene in this pic

I just happened to be cruising the nail polish aisle at Smith's the other day and saw this one and paid attention to the consistency of the liquid to ensure it's opaqueness. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just looking to see if something would jump out at me, the most successful way for me to shop, and this one jumped out at me. It must have been a return, because it was the only one there.

This is opaque, but the consistency of the polish is too thick. It goes on goopy and stripy and I. Am. Not. Happy. I look at my hands all day long as they are right in front of me, so when I have an imperfect manicure it bugs me. I tried shaking the heck out of the bottle thinking that maybe it had just been sitting too long or something, and trying again, but no luck. I'm afraid to try using nail polish remover to thin it out because I don't want to wreck it. I have faith though - I'm thinking that if I try another time that it will work out.

I really like the colour, and it's exactly what I was looking for and I'm usually not this disappointed in O.P.I. products, so I will keep trying to make it work. Worst case scenario I will have to use it only for daisys and polka dots, which is what I bought it for any way.

Sally Hansen Acrylic top coat, Alpine Snow, Pro FX base coat

Polyvore

Polyvore is a website that lets you put outfits together. It’s fun, check it out.

I’ve known about it for some time, but was never quite able to figure it out until recently. Now I love it. It’s like playing paper dolls, but with clothes that have links to where to buy them!

I’m not much of an accessorizer (yes I made up a word), but with unlimited access to any kind of accessory that I can think of, I can accessorize the heck out of an outfit. I now can see why I wear the same accessories over and over. If I price out an outfit, sometimes the cost of the accessories can double the cost of the outfit! (or more, depending on the shoes and the bag) Plus, takes time.

The plus side:

1)      It has inspired me to sew. One of the things that I hate about shopping is that I have a hard time justifying the cost of some things because I know that I can make them for a fraction of the price.

2)      It has inspired me to design. I see a thing that I like, but the sleeve’s wrong, or there’s a detail that I’m not in love with, so I can use the thing as inspiration.

3)      It has inspired me to draft. Last Halloween I declared that we were no longer buying costumes; my mum and I made all my Halloween costumes and DH’s mum made all of his. I can make much better/cooler/more creative costumes. I bought a pattern drafting book to replace my textbook from college that I lost years ago, but had not used it. I dusted it off and made a new pattern block from scratch for myself since my body has changed considerably in the twenty-two years since college. I love drafting and making patterns. The measuring and the cutting and the truing… it’s all so soothing to my brain. I have my island in my kitchen cleared off, so it’s high enough that I don’t kill my back when making patterns.

4)      It inspires me to get my chores done so that I have time to play.

5)      I have discovered endless.com which is the fashion arm of amazon.com. They have the cutest stuff that I can’t make for myself and the prices are reasonable.

6)      I have discovered other sites with cute and fun stuff that I can save my pennies for and add to the things that I love.

7)      It’s like Pinterest where I can put together ensembles that I have floating around in my head. I can save them on Polyvore and refer to them when I’m ready to shop.

The down side:

1)      It makes me sad that I don’t have time to shop for fabric or sew or make patterns.

2)      It makes me want to spend money

3)      It makes me want to have all these outfits NOW.

4)      It makes me spend money because I. CAN’T. GET. THOSE. SHOES. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!

5)      Needs and wants have become skewed.

6)      I hate all my current clothes and want my Polyvore closet!!

Overall, it’s a fun place to play and experiment with new looks and I really enjoy it. Here is a sample of a set I created on Polyvore. Try it out!

New Shoes!!

I am literally standing up while typing as I am running out the door, but I just couldn't hold it in:

New shoes, new shoes, new shoes!!!

Look! SO cute!!

More later. Loveyoubye!!

New Toys!!

Awhile ago, I read an article about environmentally friendly nail polish and came across Julep.

Emma, Taylor, Sandra, January, Maggie

Julep is a company based out of Seattle, so it stuck out to me as Seattle is very close to my heart. Julep Nail Color is “4-free” and does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP. Their website is chock full of fun fashiony things and have lots of tutorials on fun things to do with nail polish. I absolutely love their website.

I also follow them on Pinterest.

The only issue I have is that it’s $14.00 for a 0.27oz bottle of nail polish. I usually spend $8 -8.50 on a bottle of O.P.I. (0.5oz) or Essie (0.46oz) at the grocery store or beauty supply, so $14.00 seems a little steep to me.

If you join their mailing list, you can be a Julep Maven. I got an email last week that I could order a mystery box and get between $60.00 and $120.00 worth of product for $20.00. That seemed like a pretty awesome deal (like, DUH), and I hadn’t used any of their products and I wanted to support a North American company so I took advantage of the deal and ordered a mystery box.

I.Could. Not. Wait. I was so excited to see what I would get. It’s so fun getting presents in the mail!

I got my box this week and eagerly opened it.

Looks like I got my money’s worth, eh?

The five bottles of nail colour alone are worth $98.00. Not bad for 20 bucks.

I haven’t tried everything yet, but I did my nails yesterday – colour only – no base coat or topcoat or anything and I am in love. The periwinkle colour is my favourite and it’s not something that I would have thought to buy on my own. The red is the perfect classic red, and I don’t have one of those. The consistency of the paint is thick enough that you could almost get away with one coat on all of the colours – even the grape purple colour. The polish is shiny enough that a topcoat is not necessary, but I suspect that it will look even better with the topcoat. The brush in the bottle is wide and the polish spreads evenly when you paint it on.

Maggie, January, Sandra, Taylor, Emma

As mentioned earlier, my only concern is the cost - $14.00 plus shipping = not my cup of tea – but I will definitely take advantage of all future deals and I totally recommend this product.

I give this a 9 out of 10 fingers score.

Weight - under 160!

White jeans - Canadian tuxedo

Yesterday I weighed in at 159.6 and today was 159.4. I am completely wowed.

Here's what I've been doing:

• Last week I vowed to stay away from fast food. Since last Friday, I have had no fast food.
• I am on vacation, and therefore am not making my daily 7-11 run for 34 oz of soda.
• Dewey has had me jumping with him on the trampoline.
• I have not been sitting at a desk all day, but running up and down the stairs cleaning various areas, doing laundry and ironing.
• My period is ending.
• I have been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner thus not bingeing on a burger in the middle of the day and then feeling so gross about myself that I don't eat anything for dinner. I have also been eating at home, so I'm sure that my sodium intake is at least half of what it normally is.
• It's summer, it's so hot. I normally lose weight in the summer because it's so hot all I want to do is drink water and eat fruit and vegetables, which is what I've been doing the last few days.

Here is my Canadian tuxedo. I've also heard it called a Texas tuxedo, but I'm Canadian, so I'm going with that. A Canadian tuxedo is denim with denim. Normally, I abhor such behaviour, but I thought I could get away with it by wearing different types of denim - like the above white jeans with a jean jacket. Not so, according to canadiantuxedo.com, but whatever. You will not catch me DEAD wearing blue jeans with a blue jean jacket or denim shirt.

Stone Necklace

This necklace was bought for me by my DH and my son Huey at the Pioneer Day weekend in Emery, UT. I very much like it, it's kind of rock star, yet I will wear it with a blouse in place of pearls. It's another one of my favourite accessories.