polyvore

So, I've recently rediscovered the addictive amusing-ness that is polyvore, and wanted to share a couple sets I made... so here you go :)

I was flipping through June's Issue of Vogue when I saw this image in the spread and it just caught me, perhaps because I can identify with the rain boots? It's soooo rainy here, I wish I hadn't left my hunters at school. Why did my mom convince me that I wouldn't need them here? It's literally been raining all week, and according to weather.com, we probably won't see the sun until about Thursday. Awesome right? I'm excited (I hope you can all sense my sarcasm...)



This was just too cute of a photo I couldn't resist. And that dress is kind of ridiculous but kind of awesome at the same time, gotta love Chloe :)

So, to share some about my day, I have some exciting news! I went to Costco for the first time today. I know, I know, why is that exciting? Well, my mother has had a membership there for quite a while, and she always comes home with the most random stuff and it's all from Costco! It's always seemed like a magical place, filled with free samples and cashmere sweaters, like the one I stole from my dad... and I must say, I wasn't disappointed! We walked around and sampled bread, watermelon, cheese, potstickers... it was pretty amazing. I think that's it!

P.S. I'm wearing a cute outfit today, will hopefully take pictures and post them tomorrow?

my new stalker

I got my cousin Caitlin, who's visiting us from Iowa for the weekend, to take a few pictures for me (more like 50... sometimes it's just difficult to find something that's attractive). However she wasn't really warming to the idea - apparently she felt creepy following me around with a camera and snapping random pictures? 

old navy tank

thrifted belt

jcrew pants

h&m flats

various rings

We just wandered the neighborhood for a bit, getting eaten by mosquitoes and traipsing into the neighbor's yard (don't worry, I know them and babysit for their children all the time ^^). On another note, my poor black flats are falling into pieces! If you look closely at the picture below you can see at the toes where the black part of them is starting to fall off. Oh well, I guess that's what you get for buying $13 flats from H&M...

The large stick we found on the ground, a.k.a my "inspiration for the shoot" - I think Caitlin has a budding career in photography don't you? But actually, she did do a good job. If you read this (which you apparently only do when really bored...), thanks bud :)

So today was another lazy, jobless summer day! I got up, made myself an omelette (ham and cheese - I was going to add spinach and tomatoes, but the absence of spinach just made vegetables seem futile), went to pilates, read on the porch (Never Let Me Go, I would recommend it, both the  movie and the book, they're amazing), fell asleep on the porch which I would not recommend, it gives you a crick in your neck, and ate lunch. 

We just got home from Midnight in Paris, the newest Woody Allen movie -  I thought it was cute! I love Paris, and all the 1920's literary references were lots of fun. Natalie hated the ending and Caitlin hated, well, the entire thing, but I didn't think it was that bad. Not absolutely amazing but worth seeing once. And Marion wore some beautiful 20's dresses. So there.

Oh, and I went to the Rihanna concert last night! Colleen and I bought cheap nosebleed tickets then jammed out to the show and laughed at the drunk girls in front of us. Gotta say it was a pretty good time, definitely worth the $10. And that is all. 

P.S. I redid the layout to my blog. Do you like it? I just felt the need for a more stream-lined, clean look. I was up into the wee hours trying to make it just perfect, and now I really like it! Hope you do too :)

Taylor Swift's Fashion

So, I just spent a bunch of time on Google looking for something or someone to tell me who all these dresses are by. Sadly I have no such luck. But you still get to look at all the pretty pictures, courtesy of my good friend Jenny's facebook :)

This was her first dress of the concert. It was gold, it was fringe-y and it certainly caught everyone's attention as she pranced around under the lights. I loved it.

This next one was so sweet! They changed the set and brought out this country, small-town little porch with little streetlights attached, absolutely adorable. But this dress definitely goes with the current ladylike lacey trend, and I for one thought it was quite cute.

I couldn't find any spot-on pictures of this dress, though it was definitely one of my favorites. However, this just gives you an idea of the type of show she puts on, with the grand stairs, the trees covered in twinkly lights, and the ballet dancers all around. But her gown, in that almost nude color with the beading all around the bodice and down the sides, tea-length and paired with her little ballet slippers, was perfection.

The last one of my favorites, this dress was completely sequined, perfect for the pop-country stage. But what I really liked was the detailing done with the gold sequins around her waist and chest, it gave it  sort of retro vibe.

So there are just a few of Taylor Swift's stage outfits. And boy did she have a lot of them! And some quick changes too - if I recall, she changed dresses in under a minute while hiding beneath a huge bell in the middle of the stage! Gotta love a good quick change. Regardless, hope you enjoyed her outfits as much as I did, wish I could tell you who they were by but oh well, they're beautiful just the same!

new dress!

So now I get to show off my favorite new dress! Technically I wore it yesterday, where it got its grand unveiling at a Taylor Swift concert. I was appropriately boho yet not as horribly fake-country as some of the girls there (seriously though. I have decided that Taylor Swift concerts are some of the best places to people-watch) and more people than the 5-year-old and 7-year-old I was babysitting earlier that day got to see it! So I'm pretty happy. Here are some photos of the outfit, taken in my new favorite place for self-timer photos, the landing. Perhaps one of my lovely family members can start helping me take photos more often soon? We shall see.

 vintage dress

vintage necklace

h&m flats

If anyone reading this lives in the Twin Cities, may I suggest the vintage store Lula? They have such a great selection of dresses and are really quite helpful. Last time I was in there, I fell in love with this ruffled shirtdress, and as I was checking out we noticed a little hole in the armpit of the dress. The owner of a store took out a needle and thread right then and there and sewed it right up for me, no charge! She was so sweet, even asked me if I would like to model for her fall showcase (sadly, I was already at school by that time, otherwise that would have been so much fun). Also, anyone with a subscription to Lucky Magazine may have noticed that the Twin Cities were the subject of the City Guide in the June issue (I for one was beyond excited that we finally got some recognition) and Lula was in the spread, with a photo of some of her gorgeous dresses! Seriously, go check it out.

 When I first saw this dress I just couldn't put it down, mainly for two reasons - the pattern, which is so beautiful and luscious (good word, don't you think), and the sheerness of the fabric, which gave it a light, airy feel. The girl working in the shop at the time even suggested that I put different slips under it when I wear it, to give it a different feel each time, something that I would do if I owned slips - maybe it's time to get some? However, when I first tried the dress on, I wasn't sure if I could make it work, even with the fabric and pattern, and here's why:

Here is a picture of what the dress actually looks like! Very flowy, long, and boho, something that some people can just inherently pull off. Me, not so much. However, the fun thing is if you roll up the sleeves and use the tie blouse the waist (like seriously blouse it. You may be able to notice in some of the first photos, but there is like a foot of fabric bunched on my waist) it looks adorable and much more modern! And it's really easy to pull off, so much so that I probably won't even hem it - although that's mostly because I'm cheap. But who knows, once my leg is accustomed to wearing heels again, I may toss on my wedges and keep it long, just for a change of pace. I'm a fan of options. 

On another note in this extremely long post, the Taylor Swift concert was so much fun! I hadn't originally planned on going, but on the day of my friend Jenny looked up tickets on Stubhub and found some she really wanted to buy, and as a treat got me one for my birthday! So we sat 7th row on the floor and watched Taylor put on a really good show (I don't see why people criticize her live performances, she really is great) and wear some amazing outfits. Probably I will steal some photos off of Jenny's facebook and put up a post of Taylor's fashion, as she brought a camera and I only took pictures on my iphone - slight quality difference. Anyways, have a good night!

lazy days

Well, without a job my schedule is a bit too open these days. My current plan is to have at least one thing planned a day so I feel that I have at least something to do. Like tomorrow I'm babysitting and the next day I have pilates - but it's hard to plan a whole day around a one-hour event, you know? I know, I know you must all be so annoyed at me, complaining how I have too much free time in my summer. But it gets old! I mean, watching tv, reading on the porch and playing the piano are fun activities, but they can only hold you for so long. At some point you want to get out there in the world and actually do something (preferably something paid). Who knows, maybe I'll find something. But send out some good vibes, k? Thanks...

 equipment shirt

vintage necklace

 martin&osa necklace

This is the new Equipment shirt I was talking about! I'm such a fan. It's a dark blue, which you all may have noticed by now is a favorite clothing color of mine, and it has such a nice texture and feel to it. And I've always loved their shirts! Basically I love it. Sure to become one of the button downs in my regular rotation. Speaking of button downs, my friend Jenny (who always says I should mention her more in my blog) borrowed one of my favorites a while ago and still hasn't given it back. So, if you're reading this, here is me reminding you on the world-wide web. Thanks bud :)

This seems to be my new favorite necklace. Every outfit I come up with just goes really well with it! It's a good length, a nice-size pendant (which opens, so I can play with it - always a plus) and you know how I love my vintage. And speaking of vintage, I just got this gorgeous 70's floral dress today at a shop in St. Paul. It's long, like past the knee, which I'm usually not a fan of, but I loved the pattern so much I couldn't put it down. And with its tie-waist, it's actually quite simple for me to pull up a foot or so of the fabric and blouse it to make it into a short dress! You will most definitely be seeing some photos soon.

Last night I went out to a drive-in movie theater with my sister Natalie, Mary (an old friend of ours), and Mary's boyfriend. I always love drive-ins, they are such a fun change from regular movie theaters (not to mention a lot cheaper), and have this cute, old-timey feel to them! The first movie was Super 8 which, I've got to be honest, I didn't really like. It got good reviews and apparently has been doing quite well in the box offices, but I just thought it was kind of stupid - so a glowing recommendation from me, not that I'm a movie expert :) Next was Hangover 2, which I actually thought was pretty good! For one, we changed seating arrangements in the trunk of the car for this one, so I was a lot more comfortable. Second, even though the plot was basically the same, the jokes were good! I enjoyed it. The third movie was Thor, but since Hangover 2 ended around 1:30 approaching 2, we decided 3 movies was a bit much and headed home. So that was my Sunday night, pretty entertaining I must say.

Now, it is bedtime for me as once again I can barely keep my eyes open. Why is it that this happens? Perhaps its my earlier complaint that I have nothing to do all day, so I never really wake up that much. Who knows. Good night, hope you all had a lovely Monday!

global warming is a joke

Remember how my last post was talking about how it was blazing hot, like 100 degrees? Well, for the past few days since then its been like 60 and rainy. Really Minnesota, really? I knew we lived in the land of weather extremes, but this is just a bit... extreme. Regardless, I didn't feel like dressing up much today, so here is my throw-on outfit

 simply vera vera wang cardigan

all time low concert tshirt

gap jeans

Oh my oversized sweaters, gotta love them. I always get compliments on how soft this one, and it makes me so feel so warm and fuzzy when I wear it. Its a good rainy-day sweater, makes up for the shapelessness :) Anyways, I needed something comfy to throw on, I got home around 2 last night then got up before 9 (gasp) to go the farmers market and pick up some more rhubarb. I got my sister this cookbook for her birthday, and it had this amazinggg recipe for rhubarb juice in it! Only problem, it takes a lot of rhubarb and we have quickly used up our own garden supply and have had to outsource. But the market was fun, I got a yummy pastry and some salad greens out of the bargain as well

I have to thank my friend Beth for the tshirt, or rather, thank her for accidentally ordering an extra one and giving it me :) I love All Time Low, and concert tshirts are so much fun! And this one isn't signed so I don't have to feel guilty about washing and wearing it.

Ok I'm actually exhausted now. I'm going to bed and hoping I don't wake up until at least 10. I need about 12 hours of sleep, maybe it will perk me up? I doubt it. But on the bright side, I walked 9 holes of the golf course today, and can basically walk on my tiptoes now - the foot recovery is coming along! Night all :)

oh minnesota weather

So it was approximately a bajillion degrees today... well, to be more accurate, about 100. Still. That's pretty hot, especially by Minnesota standards. We're made to withstand extreme cold, not extreme heat! Add that to the fact that I spent all morning gardening for my grandparents, and I was basically a mess. It was kind of gross. But post-gardening (and almost death from dehydration. Just kidding. And don't tell my grandparents that, they already thought I was going to too much trouble. Like they weren't out there working too! And they're in their 70s...) I got dressed up like a normal person and went out to lunch with my lovely friend Shannon. And here are some lovely self-timer photos I just took of myself on the landing outside my room

 jcrew button down

vintage necklace

old navy skirt

 jcrew flats

One upside of the morning gardening, I think I may be getting slightly tanner! Or that could be the lighting... A girl can dream, right? I notice that as the days go on, my posts seem to get more and more stream-of-consciousness-ey.... and the fact that I just made that into a pseudo-adjective says a lot too... I really need to get out more

 Find Alison... Oh wait, I'm not actually in this photo! I angled the camera wrong, but then I ended up in the mirror, and I kind of like it.

Silly me, spinning around and making the camera unfocused. Ok, finished commenting on every photo now. You're welcome.

Well, tomorrow is going to be another early morning, this time to babysit the nextdoor neighbors. It appears that even if I don't ever get a job this summer, I can make my money in child care and lawn work. The problem is, can I put down my father as a reference under "Lawn-moving Supervisor"? Or my grandmother as a "Weeding Overseer"? Probably not. So, despite the fact that it pays better than just about any other job I'll get, it's not going to help in the long run. Sigh.

I think I will read a bit before going to bed early. Yes, midnight strikes me as an early bedtime. How college has changed me! I hope you all had a lovely Tuesday, and that if your weather was anywhere near as hot as ours was, that you stayed indoors. Good night!