Back to reality

Last week, Brett and I snuck off on a quickie vacation to Mexico via Carnival Cruises.

Here we are, still in the Mississippi River waiting to push off.  That's one of the twin spans in pront of me, and I was laying directly underneath the other one.

It was a great trip.  Incredibly relaxing, fun, with nothing to do except lay in the shade (I'm pale, yo!) and drink fruity drinks.  I'm back at work now, with nothing to show for it except a nasty necklace induced rash on my neck and a few cheap Mexican bracelets (20 cents each, kind of a steal).

I'll get around to getting the real pictures off my computer and editing them soon (thank god picnik came back in the form of picmonkey).  I have some frames to fill anyway.

As gaudy as the boat was, there were some things I found inspiring.  The white and royal blue color scheme on the sunny decks and all the smooth wood hand-rails.  The sun-faded wood decks.  The dusty blush, lavender, and gray tiles in our stateroom's shower.  The washed out colors of the Spanish style homes in Merida.  Beautiful.

I finished my book and slept on the deck, and managed to get away with just a minor sunburn on my shoulders from playing minigolf on the very top deck in a tank top.  I learned how to play roulette and won enough money to be a little giddy about it.  And I enjoyed my husband.  But it's over and now I'm at work again, and there's no deck chair in the sun where I can enjoy my lunch break.

I've recently decided I'm taking on a new, big (for me) project for the summer.  I'm going to make my first quilt.  After talking to my grandma who teaches quilting, I think I'll send it off for finishing and binding.  But just making the layers is enough for me.  I'm making a baby quilt, not because I'm having a baby anytime soon.  But because it is small.  And small is good for a first timer.

My inspiration is going to be an abstraction of the color wheel.  I'll start with a few white square in the very middle and move outward from there with colors that blend into one another.  I hope it looks cool and not cheesy?  Fingers crossed.

Like this (from quilter fromthebluechair)

OOTD: Dogs and Denim

I had such a great time at my cousin's wedding this weekend.  Such amazing style everywhere!  Their friends are seriously cool.

Today, after driving home from Austin on Monday and staying up late to see Brett, and then staying up late last night for pottery class, I'm a sleepy bunny.  but I'm very happy to have some new outfit options after an Old Navy sale snookered me back in.

I feel really happy today.  I think it shows.

Here's a close up of the dog print on the shirt and the pleated neckline (and my elephant necklace.  Love this shirt!  It was super cheap at Old Navy.  It also has a really cute scoop back with a bow and puff sleeves, but no pictures of that.

I wore my normal jewelry, Bhati beads, a thin gold bangle, a red leather braided bracelet, and a yellow bangle with my gray diamond ring.  I like to mix a lot of color in with my jewelry.

This outfit has definitely perked me right up for this rainy spring day!

form vs. function

This morning, I realized that there's a definite difference in the way people view certain items.

I have to say, I never expected this coming from my sneaker obsessed husband.  Just as an aside, our credit card information got stolen a few weeks ago and what tipped the company off was a $500 charge to a sneaker website.  When they called to ask if that was a legitimate charge I honestly had to think for a minute whether he would have bought that many pairs of sneakers.

But, the point, when it comes down to it, what goes on my husband's body must ultimately be functional.  I think most of us are somewhere on this spectrum, and I think I'm more practical than a lot of people (considering my absolute aversion to heels).

But today is our first big spring rain.  It will be a big, long, soaker, lasting all day, producing floods, tornadoes, a big clusterfuck that happens all the time in the spring and summer and ultimately is the reason that our city is so beautiful and green.  I did think about this when I decided what to wear this morning.  And I settled on cropped black jeans, a black and cream striped tee shirt, and a cotton cardigan.

Which was fine.  But my husband apparently had an issue with my shoes.  My idea of dressing for the rain is choosing leopard calf hair ballet flats that can withstand getting wet instead of suede.  On my way out the door he asked if I had my rain boots in the car.  I do, just like I do most of the time this part of the year.  But I don't plan on using them.  Cold damp feet are and okay trade with me in exchange for cute shoes.

Now to be fair, if I was planning on doing any extensive errand running in the rain today I would be sporting my Hunters and an umbrella.  But just normal outside exposure, the flats are fine.

So where do you stand on this spectrum?  Are you with me, in the rain with slightly wet feet?  Or are you firmly in the function camp, in a raincoat and boots?  Now I have to tell you, when it's cold, all bets are off for me, and I'll be in as many layers as possible, no matter how little they match.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Because they give you an excuse to go crazy buying adorable clothes?

I don't have a little girl, but if I did, I'd be hard pressed not to pick up a piece or two from the latest big name capsule collection, DVF for Gap Kids.

Honestly, this is a GREAT pairing.  DVF is about easy (if a lot expensive, flattering clothes for working women.  Gap Kids is about easy (if a little expensive) adorable clothes for kids.  Bam.  Do it up.

I've been known to dabble in the little girl's section for inspiration, and I am absolutely loving these prints.

A blouse in that bright green stone print?  Yes please.  But shrinking down the iconic wrap dress and making it into a romper for little girls was so smart.  Kudos on that.  The $55 price tag is not so kid friendly, but I bet a lot of grandmas will splurge on this one.

It's interesting to me that they made this dress short and so short-waisted.  They definitely won't have any petite adults squeezing into these.

My favorite is this t-shirt dress.  Such a great color/print and a simple cut.  Very DVF.  $45.

They also offer some very cute shorts and leggings, swimsuits, and some unfortunate rompers.

But what is any childless fashionista's favorite part of a kids' capsule collection?  The shoes.

These espadrilles are pretty darn cute.  The criss cross even reminds me of some of the more iconic DVF wedges for women.  I wouldn't mind having a pair for myself, but I'm holding back.  They're already sold out in the 6, but they still have 5s available.  (I'm a women's 7.5, on the smaller side of that size, and I can wear a kids' 5).  At $45 they're a pretty good deal.  I love the heart print and the color.  They're available in all sizes in a pink splotchy print, and completely sold out in black except for size 12.

These printed hi-tops, for $40, I love.  Love love love.  That print is just adorable.  They're already sold out in 5 and 6, but if you have teeny tiny feet or, you know, an actual child you may still be able to snap them up.

The graphic tees and tank are also selling out quickly, especially in the larger sizes.  Hopefully some of this stuff will be available for kids!

A preview sale is up right now for Gap cardholders.  The sale hits stores and will be available to the public online tomorrow.  Hurry before crazed tiny women buy it all!

Radio Silence

Sorry I've been kind of MIA lately.

I'm working out some personal stuff and trying to get more stable.

Random things that have been happening:  I'm obsessed with the anything blush.

I went to New Orleans to meet some girlfriends this weekend, and we saw Harrison Ford!  He's there filming Ender's Game.  But he was just walking down the street talking on the phone.

No pictures, because we're a bunch of spazzes.  But here's some penguins we saw at the aquarium.

They were pretty adorable.

I'm hoping to have material soon.  Or, I'm hoping to actually make posts about material I already have soon.

Here's a picture of my cat to top things off.

It's done

My first post on this blog was about getting a tattoo.  It's been something I've thought about forever.  At that time I was decided on a design but it never felt quite right.  I've thought about it off and on for probably a year.  I'm not one who thinks every tattoo has to have some deep meaning, but I did want something beautiful.

I settled on an octopus.  I am just so charmed by the way they look, move, their extremely high intelligence.  They're just fascinating creatures.  I also thought the shape (or lack thereof) would be perfect for where I wanted my tattoo, on my foot.

So Thursday night I had an appointment with Amanda at Art Addiction, at 7.  Now I am not going to lie.  This thing hurt like hell.  I had just gone to get a bikini wax and at first (while she was outlining) I thought, eh, not so bad.  not as bad as a wax!  But when she started shading and going over the same areas more than once, I thought I would die.

But it was definitely worth it.

She's shading here, and I'm trying to distract myself

My biggest mistake was not eating dinner before hand.  I thought I would have time to grab a bite, but I didn't.  And I totally underestimated the amount of time it would take.  We were done just after 10, and I was ready to go home and get in the bed.

Unfortunately, I had to wait a couple of hours to take off the bandage, wash it, and put ointment on it.  By then, I was having chills with shivering and chattering teeth.  And within another hour I was throwing up.  Apparently this isn't unheard of, but I think eating before and a little better timing could have avoided it.  I ended up falling asleep after 4 am, then waking up again when Brett's alarm went off.  I slept a little and was sick all day Friday.  Brett finally made me go to sleep at 7:30 that night.  I slept like 16 hours and came up feeling like a champ.

So I just needed rest and probably food.  But now I feel 100% better.

Still, I'm not sure I will ever do my other foot.  It hurt like a bitch.  Still hurts, but not very badly at all.

Looking at this picture (I can't figure out how to rotate it!), it's amazing how much the swelling has gone down in just a couple of days.  My foot was HUGE, and the swelling went into my toes and into the bottom of my foot.  I've been sleeping with my wisdom tooth ice pack on it and that's helping a ton.

Here's a picture in context, and my OOTD for today.

Sweater (which is actually hot pink), tank, jeans are Gap, shoes are J. Crew.

I love the way the tentacles kind of poke out from under my jeans and shoes.

If you have eagle eyes you may have spotted that I got another tattoo as an add on.

Another one I can't rotate.  Yes, I shamelessly copied Grace Bonney from Design Sponge.  I also wear the Stone and Honey ring she mentioned almost every day.  And this one actually has a little meaning for me (stylized symbol for change), but most of all I just love how simple it is.

So, I'm tattooed.  I'm a fan.  I'm sure I'll be getting more, eventually.

But first, my husband has to get his, which we're planning out right now!

Buy this: Sally Hansen Salon Effects

I really love nail art and having a great, clean manicure.  But I am just physically incapable of doing my own nails.  First, they are super short.  That's my own fault for chewing on them, but it makes things difficult.  Second, I'm just kind of spazzy about it.  It probably comes from the fact that I haven't really practiced, never did my nails as a teenager.  The result is that I'm shelling out $15 every time I want my nails done.

No more.  I'm taking a day off to relax today, and I picked up some Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips at Target last night, in case I felt like trying them today.  Well I just spent about 20 minutes applying them, and I am smitten.

Look how cool I am with my miniature globe

I picked Lustrous, which is a shiny black base with silver and gold glitter.  I think this is a style that might be too much for everyday with longer nails.  But with my stubs I think it works.

My Target sold the strips for $8.50, and they didn't have all of them available.  Personally I can't wait to try Tweed-le-dee, Check It Out, and Stripe-Tease.  They also have solids, and Debu-Taunt looks like a really great color.

I think they're worth it at close to half the price of a manicure.  We'll see how they look over time, but I've already framed and hung a picture, which can be rough on nails.  And they still look perfect.

I did my left hand first, and learned that erring on the size of too large for the strips was better.  I have more complete coverage on my other hand.

Each kit comes with 16 strips of various sizes so you can find that perfect fit.  It comes with all the tools (nail stick and a special file) that you need for application.  And it was definitely fool proof.  I ruined one strip and just started with another one.  I am definitely a believer, and am going to be using these pretty often.

Maybe it will keep me from biting my nails!