Playing Catch Up- OOTD's

A spike in sales and a ton of activity with Miss November Studio has kept me very busy the past week!

Read about all the excitement on my other blog here!

Here are the outfits you have been waiting for!

I loved this outfit! I was comfortable all day and I felt 6 feet tall (5'10" with the platforms actually.)

Denim and Anna Sui blouse-Anthro

Frye Platforms and vest- Urban

Muse Belt- Contrived To Charm

Llama Shield Ring- Miss November Studio

I got some compliments from strangers on the street for this one...

Jacket- Anthro

Jodhpurs- American Apparel

Blouse- Vintage

Shoes- Urban 

Necklace- Random Vendor in Old Town

Sorry so grainy, left my camera at the studio!

AG denim and Sam Edelman sandals- Anthro

vest- vintage

shirt- TJ Maxx

Necklace- Miss November Studio

Love this dress. Blake thought I looked pretty :)

Dress- Anthro (previously unworn)

Necklace- vintage

Sam Edelman sandals- Anthro

I haven't braided my hair in ages!

Chemise, AG denim, Sandals, tank- Anthro

Umbrella Necklace- Miss November Studio

Blouse and Citizen bell bottoms- Anthro

Frye platforms- Urban

Bracelet- vintage

Blake was tired of taking my picture in the same spot in the house so we switched to a different room. As you can tell I love large (and small) mid century paintings, but the one behind me here is actually mine :) I have an unnatural obsession with agave, I think they are so beautiful and I love the way the leaves undulate. Someday when I have the opportunity to landscape my own property, I'll be planting agave and succulents galore!

Cheers!

Simple Style for the Studio

Hi friends!

I had a great two days off! I ran errands, sent out last month's contest prize (Hey there SJGL! Your ring is in the mail!!!) I got some fun stuff at the thrift store and finished a couple projects in my jewelry studio.

Here is today's outfit, it was warm out, but I knew my studio would be freezing since the boys at Acme Garage like to leave the back door open. That cross breeze is chilly!

Deets:

Sweater- Forever21, fall 2010

Leggings- BDG, Urban Outfitters

Socks- Anthropologie

Boots- Steve Madden, Fall 2010

Necklace- Miss November Studio

I just finished the necklace yesterday and wanted to take it for a test run to make sure the clasp would stay at the back of my neck. I'm giving this as a gift to a dear dear friend who recently moved to LA. You can read more about both of my projects from yesterday and today here.

Parisa's Pho Necklace. Friends Pho EVA!

 I also made this ring, which was inspired by the story of a ten year old amateur astronomer's recent discovery of a supernova.

Supernova Ring

Don't forget to comment and get your name in the raffle for the February Heart-to-Heart Giveaway!

Mexican Embroidery and Vintage Wide Legs

Hi y'all!

I had an uneventful day off, most of it was spent sitting at my laptop doing homework, blah. I made a delicious dinner for my honey and cleaned the kitchen and living room, so I feel accomplished, but I still feel a little guilty that I didn't spend any time in my studio today as planned.

Oh, I also listed the tiki and parasol necklaces on etsy!

And here is my OOTD! I bought this embroidered shirt for $2 at an estate sale with my husband on Saturday. It was brown with age and had stains all over it. A bath in Oxyclean revealed a gorgeously hand embroidered bird and rose motif with silk thread. The fabric is actually from an old flour sack. What I thought was bleed from the thread is actually letters and numbers that were printed on the sack cloth.

I have a collection of hand embroidered vintage mexican shirts, but this is the best one. I'm gonna guess the lady who owned it got it as a souvenir in the '40's or '50's while visiting Mexico on vacation.

The jeans are high waist sailor style wide legs I picked up a while back at the vintage swap store I used to frequent before my New Years Resolution.

Deets:

Shirt- Vintage 

Jeans- Vintage

Shoes- Jeffrey Campbell wood and leather wedges

Beanie- Anthropologie 2009

Glasses- Urban Outfitters

Undershirt- Eloise, Anthropologie 2010

Drawing for the winner of the Sterling Filigree Ring will be tomorrow! I hope your as excited as I am!

Cheers!

Something Old...Vintage Anthro and Entomology Taxidermy and I Might be a Cheater.

Yesterday was my closing shift so my picture was taken at appoximately 1am by my groggy hubby.

I adore this dress. I loved it when I saw it for original price back in 2006, but I found this gem just a few months ago at a fashion swap store. It has an itty bitty stain, but other than that its perfectly worn in.

And so comfy! 

I decided to go quirky and paired it with my victorian-esque canvas and leather lace up boots from Urban Outfitters. I fell in love with these in the catalog and purchased them right away. They aren't very versatile but they get tons of compliments.

My accessories for the day were a victorian inspired jet button ring and a green japanese beetle taxidermy necklace.

I bought the necklace from a vendor in Old Town for $10. Its an unusual accessory for a grown woman to wear, but I love beautiful bugs and sometimes I can be a little weird.

I embrace my weirdness!

As I was walking to Pappalecco for a pre-work panini, I found a japanese beetle laying in the mulch of a planter. Luckily I had my journal because suddenly a story sprang into my mind about an unusual girl of 12 named Clara who wants to be a boy and wears a japanese beetle pendant that she and her apothocary father made. I'm probably a little inspired by Edward Gorey since it has a macabre twist, but I certainly can't draw like E.G. so for now the story is playing out in my mind and in journal form. Hopefully I can keep up with Clara and eventually have a full story to share. Right now I'm writing about how she uses a linen bandage to bind her budding breasts and mimics the lumbering walk of the coal boy to practice being a boy. She has also stolen breeches off a clothesline and sometimes wears them in place of her petti-breeches. 

Annnnywhooooo......here's my "Apothocary's Daughter" OOTD...

Deets:

Dress- Odille, Anthropologie 2006

Boots- Urban Outfitters 2010

Socks- Anthropologie

Ring- Anthropologie

Necklace- Purchased in Old Town, San Diego

Michael Kors Watch

Oh...I have a major confession to make. 

I bought a dress and dipped into my February budget by $20.

I HAD TO. 

Last week at work we were talking about the Twinkle Twinkle dress by Girls From Savoy from last spring, there's a new version of it in stores now. I had purchased this immediately at full price and returned it due to shoppers remorse within a few days. I was in love with this dress and by the time it went on sale my size was gone. I'm just not the type to go searching for things, I'm too lazy, and I took it as a sign that I didn't need it anyway. 

Back to last week's conversation...I had said if it ever magically appeared in my size I would buy it no questions asked. I always felt like this was truly "the one that got away!" Anyway, a few days ago a coworker brought it to me and I bought it then and there. FOR $39.95!!! You all know I have been so good this month and still had $20 left in my January budget, so I borrowed from February and I refuse to feel bad about it. Yes I cheated a little, but let's call it bending the rules. Its not like I borrowed from February, March and April to buy the AG Farrahs!

Don't judge.

Can you ever forgive me for fudging a little?

Now I only have $30 going into February. Is it weird that my palms are sweating and I feel a little light headed at the thought?

Cheers!

In English, Please.

I'm working at 3 today so I thought I would get my outfit up beforehand while taking a break from a work project.

I feel a little exposed writing my blog in a public place, but I figured I would multitask by eating lunch, having my tea and getting my work done all at once.

I haven't eaten here in a while but sitting here for the past thirty minutes or so reminds me why I love this place. There is a conversation entirely in italian being spoken between the owner and a patron, a loud conversation that almost begs for a little eavesdropping. If only I spoke italian. I bet the conversation is quite interesting (it certainly sounds so).

The place is Pappalecco in Hillcrest, and you can read about why I love them so dearly here.

On to my OOTD. Whenever I wear this dress I feel like a young girl, its flirty style and vibrant colors evoke a certain girlishness lost in the quest to become a woman. Or maybe that's just me.

 I'm fully aware San Diego is boasting bright blue skies and the most glorious weather in the western hemisphere at the moment, but I'm just not ready to bare my legs yet (hence the tights).

Deets:

Dress- Maeve, Anthropologie 2010

Tights- Hue, Anthropologie 2010

Shoes- Totem Heel, Anthropologie 2009

Necklace- Contrived To Charm

Ring- Miss November Studio

I made this ring from a piece of Anthropologie hardware. I have one in yellow too!

Tiki heels! Sometimes accessories can are more fun with unexpected details.

My friend Tiffany (of Contrived To Charm) gave me this necklace she made with found objects for Christmas when we had our vintage store together.

The vintage name charm is my favorite part.

I wonder what the note in the bottle says?

Sterling Filigree Giveaway Contest Question of the day:

If you were to send a bottle to sea, what would your note read?

Cheers!

PS...The conversation in italian was about tourists coming home and receiving multiple traffic tickets in the mail from driving in Italy. I guess if you're going to visit Italy, do not drive! Pappalecco owns a travel company that sends its patrons on exciting trips to Italy. They have been hearing back from a lot of their patrons about the tickets they have been receiving in the mail once they are home. Four tickets and $1500 Euros later, the poor guy sitting near me (topic of conversation in italian) having his lunch seems dejected and finacially drained after having a great trip. There are cameras at intersections you may not be aware of. Yikes!

Gold Lion's Gonna Tell Me...

I had a long, exhausting day at work today. When I came home I relaxed with some gelato, tea and Saturday Night Live (good episode, love the PeeWee sketch!). Once that was done I got straight to work shoveling through the giant mountain of clothes in the corner of my room.

It was getting prettttttty bad...

Then I found mildew on my wall. Yuck.
So I cleaned that too.

DH came home a few hours later and made me dinner. He was a late bloomer in the kitchen, but everything he cooks is fantastic. So I cleaned while he cooked and now I'm full and my bedroom is sparkling and mildew free.

And I'm still exhausted.
What better to wake me up than a silly photo session with hubby?

Deets:

Dress- thrifted

Shrug- Free People 2010

Tights- fleece lined leggings, Anthropologie current

Belt- thrifted and frankensteined (Blake made this belt from two different belts)

Boots- thrifted suede and leather

Gold Lion

DeHoarding Contest Question of the day:

What second-hand gem do you have hiding in your closet?

Cheers! 

City Girl Gone Wild

I had a looooong day at work today, productive, but loooooooong. 

You know why!

Tuesday at Anthro :-)

I got home as soon as I could to plant the succulents I bought yesterday after work that were still in the back of my car. Blake came home as I was finishing up and laughed about us being "city folk." I had turned our kitchen table into a potting station and everything was covered in soil, including my hands and face!

Tomorrow morning I'll take some pictures so you can get an idea of the obsession I have for succulents. 

Here's the outfit I wore today. I have to say, I felt very comfortable and received tons of compliments for this look. This one will be a repeat down the road when I'm lacking creativity in my outfitting.

Deets:

Jacket- Vintage, recent thrift store find

Blouse- Odille, Anthropologie 2009

Vest- Vintage

Denim- Earnest Sewn high waist wide leg jeans, Anthropologie 2008?

Shoes- Miss Albright, Anthropologie 2009

Hat- Vintage

Necklace- "Barty's Bad Day" (More on Barty here), Miss November Studio

Barty's Bad Day by MNS 

Don't forget about the STERLING FILIGREE RING GIVEAWAY CONTEST!

(REFRESHER)

Your Question for Today...

What are you obsessed with?

Me? Clothes/jewelry/accessories (obviously), boots and rings specifically, vintage, mid-century modern home decor (as you can see), succulents, makeup, Devendra Banhart, Jenny Lewis, ETSY, rosebud lip balm before bed.

Cheers!

Watching My Budget Shrink!

I forgot to mention in my last post that I made another Anthropologie purchase:

anadyomene malliot, org. $148 by pez d'or

I had to buy this. It was waaaay marked down and I shelled out a mere $20 and change for it. It has a sweet 1950's style with a halter strap, gathered mid-section and low cut leg holes. I have a slew of teeny bikinis, but as I enter my 30's I just don't feel like prancing around the beach nearly naked anymore. 

So that leaves me with about $21 and change to play with for the rest of the month and its only the 6th!!! Its gonna be tough, but I can handle this!

Yesterday's outfit was chosen for thrift shopping. I always try to wear leggings so I can try on skirts and pants without too much trouble and I just love this little fish chemise. It was a beautiful, warm day so a light cardigan was all I needed. 

Deets:

Chemise- Lilka, Anthropologie summer 2010

Cardigan- Splendid, Anthropologie 2009

Leggings- BDG, Urban Outfitters 2009

Boots- Steve Madden 2008

Boot Cuffs- KittyDune on Etsy, current

A note on the boots, I've had these re-soled twice in the past few years. If you spend a lot of money on shoes and happen to wear the soles out, invest in shoe repair. Its about $30 depending on where you go to have new soles put on. These boots had a slick sole on them and the shoe repair replaced them with hard rubber soles with tread. No more slipping on slick surfaces! My advice is not to try and take all of your shoes at once. Shoe repair costs add up so take them in as they wear down.

KittyDune is an Etsy seller I found while searching for something to spice up my legwear collection. The boot cuffs are about 6" high so you won't experience excess bulk or overheat in your boots. I also bought them in plum!

Etsy is a fantastic site for finding great handmade goods for fair prices. Most sellers will fulfill custom orders as well, so if you have something specific in mind, find a reputable seller and make a request or try posting your idea on the Alchemy where sellers will bid on the job! I love searching through the  Treasury and other seller's favorites to find new and unique hand made items perfect for gift giving! There's also a ton of vintage clothing for sale on Etsy!

Today's outfit is boring loungewear, so I won't be posting it :)

Cheers!

Ack-ses-o-rize!

Welcome back from the weekend! I'm into day three of my 365 day challenge...so far, so good.

Does anyone else stay up too late, pull their outfit right before bed and throw it on at 5am without a thought? I'm not sure I love this outfit, but I received a ton of compliments on the poncho and I was warm and comfortable all day, so I guess its a win. I had it shrugged up and cowled at one point today, the buttoning and slouching scenarios are endless!

The poncho was previously unworn and sat in my closet since early summer. It was one of those $9.95 Anthro purchases I just couldn't pass up at the time, but each time I came close to wearing it, back into the closet it would go. I ripped the tag off and finally committed to keeping the poncho this very morning. 

The skirt was a pre-owned find, I usually find black, red, or brown suede miniskirts, but lavender? I couldn't pass it up! It was purchased at a fashion swap store around late summer and again, it sat in the closet until I tore the tag off this morning. It has a high waist perfect for tucking fitted or blousy tops. It wins for versatility within my wardrobe. I'll be wearing it again soon!

These Steve Madden boots were an impulse buy early in December, but I have already gotten my $188 out of them. I was lusting after a Sam Edelman military boot in a Free People catalogue a few months back, but they sold out quickly. The lace-up military styling of these makes them extremely versatile in my wardrobe and magically they fit my skinny calves! Hooray!

Size 9's with thin calves. Boots are not an easy fit for me.

Deets:

Knit Poncho- Pure Handknit, Anthropologie winter 2009

Tunic- LA Made, Anthropologie summer 2010

Leather Miniskirt- Cayenne Leather

Leggings- Eloise (fleece lined, yuummmmm), Anthropologie, current

Boots- Steve Madden, current

Coral Necklace- Anthropologie in case, 2006

Boot Necklace- Anthropologie in case, 2008

Ring- Anthropologie in case, 2006

Watch- Michael Kors Rose Gold, Nordstrom, current

I bought this December 2008 as a gift to myself for a promotion! MK should be giving me a sales bonus for selling to people admiring it!

boot necklace

glass and brass ring

I'll be going out to a bar for a bit tonight to say Happy Birthday to my dear friend Celestina! I'll probably change up the outfit a bit so I'll post any wardrobe updates later!

Question: 

Boots are one thing I struggle with fit-wise. The calves are usually too big for me, and with size 9 feet (make that feet-slash-swim fins!), I think boot designers automatically assume the average 15" circumference will work for everyone. What wardrobe item are you forever hunting for worthy of public dancing (touchdown! Yessssss!) when it fits just right?

$50 Going, Going....

Don't worry, I haven't blown my January Anthro budget just yet, but I did purchase a new dress:

 $9.95 STEAL: Nathalie Lété Paris for Anthropologie Marine Mural Dress 

I picked it up after work for $9.95! Someone made a huge return of summer items and I saw this little number hit the return bin. I know the last thing I need is another dress, but it will be so comfy in summer with heels or sandals! 

Here is my OOTD:

I don't know what the motivation was, but late last night I was pulling together an outfit really late and I had to be up really early.  I guess I was feeling playful (as you can clearly see)!

Deets:

Blouse- Anthropologie, summer 2010 (previously unworn)

Pants- Vintage LEE Frontier Woman Denim Cigarette Pants (late '50's/early '60's) $5 at Frock You Vintage's Huge Frocking Sale (in San Diego)

Shoes- Anthropologie, Miss Albright summer/fall 2009

Belt- Contrived To Charm, The Muse, current

Necklace- Vintage, sterling and copper

Ring- Miss November Studio, sterling silver and turquoise

My headband is a chiffon sash tied around twice and knotted.

I'm a silversmith, check out my shop Miss November Studio on Etsy!

vintage necklace gifted on Valentine's Day by my Mother in Law

More on those pants...

Frock You Vintage is a FANTASTIC little vintage haven in North Park in San Diego. They carry some high end, some rare and collectible, and a ton of wearable vintage in really good shape. Every so often they have a "Huge Frocking Sale" where they fill the yard next to the shop with racks and racks of $1-$10 vintage clothes and accessories. They also invite guest vendors to sell. Its like a free for all and I have found some really great, super cheap stuff. You can check out some of their amazing vintage at www.frockyouvintage.com, but I suggest you visit their store if you can!

...and that belt...

Contrived to Charm is owned by my supertalented friend Tiffany who is amazingly crafty. After Tiffany and I closed our co-owned vintage clothing store, I started silversmithing and Tiffany picked up leather tooling. Her business took off immediately, people love her belts, especially The Muse. We have spotted Contrived to Charm on Margaret Cho virtually anytime she is on television, and there's a rumor that Kat VonD is a C2C fan, although she never seems to cover her midriff... Tiffany's belts are featured in Etsy treasuries and she has been on the home page of Etsy more times than I can count. She has definitely found her calling. I remain her biggest fan and at last count I own 7 C2C belts. She can be found selling her various belt and handbag designs at www.contrivedtocharm.etsy.com and her blog www.contrivedtocharm.com, or shop her wares at Home Mercantile (yelp profile link) in North Park in San Diego.

"The Muse," handmade by Contrived To Charm

Cho LOVES her Muse belt by C2C

I need your opinion...

I showed off my supersweet dress deal to Blake and he thinks $50 is a baloney budget. Maybe he just has no idea of what my clothes cost (from years of sneaking things into my closet), but he thought one piece of clothing a month is better. With a $50 budget I have to stay within that set amount, regardless of what the item is. I think $50 is a good, manageable budget. What do you think? 

Day two down...only 363 days to go. 

Piece of Cake.

First OOTD of 2011!

Today's outfit was easy, starting a project always is.

I've got this, no sweat!

Deets:

Blouse- vintage

Vest- Cartonierre, Anthropologie ca. 2005 or 2006

Pants- AG Slim Khaki, Anthropologie summer 2010

Shoes- Sam Edelman, Anthropologie fall 2009

Hippo Necklace- in case, Anthropologie spring 2010

Moonstone Ring- (not shown) Anthropologie current

Day one, great outfit and no urge to shop! (pat on the back)