Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Happy 100!

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As you can see, my rage for lace continues.

Since my last post, I miraculously hit 100 followers in record time (thank you to all of you! and special shout-out to lucky #100
Caroline, who just started a new blog) and I actually had a sorta-successful photo shoot where I wasn't completely eaten alive by insects. So why am I not smiling? Well, if you're new to the whole daily-fashion-blog thingmajig, y'all need to take a look at Adored Austin's recent post about how wonderful yet silly taking these photos can be.

I totally laughed out loud (yes, I lolled) when I read her checklist of the quintessential fashion blogger: Outlandish headwear (check), Non-prescription glasses (these are real, biatch), Skyrocketing hemline (not really here, but I've been guilty), Hand on hip or head (uhhhhh that's my "model pose," shuttup) and.... Inability to smile. Why so srs, fashion bloggers?

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But let's get back to the subject at hand-- or as the French say, let's come back to our sheep-- I have two lovelies I must share in this post.

One: Poppy's 5 Questions that she tagged me in an embarrassing amount of time ago.


1: What will always make you laugh without fail?
So many things, it's quite ridiculous. Besides yukking it up with my friends, I just have a stupid sense of humor. I love puns. And lately, I've been greatly entertained by the likes of Wheezy Waiter, as seen here. See? I'm really a basket case.

2: What does your last text message say and who was it from?
It's from Liz, who's basically saying (she likes to write essays no matter what the context) that Skype wonked up and she has to go but she'll talk to me later. We're a regular odd couple. But who'd be Nathan Lane?

3: Do you collect anything?
I used to collect necklaces when I was younger, but now I try to hoard as many posters and tiny art prints (the cheap-o kind, mind you) as I can for my room. Clothing-wise, I'm an avid fan of scarves and childrens' souls. I mean, what....?

4: What were you doing 3 hours ago?
I was.... editing for this blog? I was sitting on my posterior. I was breathing. Also I was juggling knives on fire. Just a regular night.

5: What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?
I was bowling with Lady Gaga and a lamppost when.... aw wait, that's real life. OH I KID. I think the weirdest dream I had was one I had when I was a kid and there were these anime characters from Sailor Moon (I was an avid Moonie, teehee) doing a really low tightrope at a circus and then one of them started peeing and then it was just weird and I don't know. Freud, did you get that?


And here I present with a flourish, 5 Questions for 5 People. It's sorta like The Five People You Meet In Heaven, if Heaven were a blog, I guess. OK, so to Indigo/Tangerine (they count as one because they're Siamese twins, of course), Ali, Mel, Jennifer and Anna.

1. What's your favorite letter of the alphabet, and why?
2. If you could use any medium in the world to create your masterpiece, what would it be?
3. What's the silliest thing you've ever done for your blog?
4. What's something that's intangible (so no possessions) that makes you purely feel that you're alive?
5. A tiger is chasing you through the Himalayan mountains and then you slip on a frozen pancake. What do you do?

Now go! Mush! Go forth on thine blogs and answer these riddles o'mine!

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Just keep twirlin' just keep twirlin' just keep twirlin' twirlin' twirlin'...
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Deep close-up photos are deep.
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Lace top & Skirt- JJ Market from Thailand : Bowler- Target : Flats- Old Navy

What's Lovely for Tuesday, June 29, 2010: Watching more Boston Legal than is legally allowed (see what I mean about bad puns?) and realizing that I'm a flamingo
&
What's Lovely for today, June 30, 2010: In honor of the celebration of 100 followers-- announcing the first GIVEAWAY from Toast with Charmalade! But what, exactly?? Stay tuned for next time, folks!

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Also, hey-ho, meet my doggy-o! No wait, that's just her butt.
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Therrrre she is. Say hi to Cami, everyone. She's a sweetheart who clearly needs a bath and a haircut.

PS: What do you think of the new layout? It still needs tweaking, but I think the color scheme definitely needed to change. Yea or nay?

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Power of Lace

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I didn't end up going out today, so this outfit is sort of a "lie." But after oversleeping and spending most of the day glued to my computer (in my defense, I was greatly distracted by ridiculous pictures like this), I had to de-funk myself. And how do I do this? Why, shower and dress up for no reason at all, of course. I had a pseudo photo shoot and had fun with my makeup (don't let my eyebrows scare you). What do you do to get out of that mind-funk?


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What's Lovely for Saturday, June 26, 2010
: Vandalizing public property with... you guessed it, chalk. It's my weapon of choice, just like dancing is Christopher Walken's chosen weapon.

What's Lovely for Sunday, June 27, 2010: Irish shepherd's pie. What's a really Irish way of saying yum? O'yum? Yeah, that must be it.

&

What's Lovely for today, June 28, 2010: The power of lace.


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Recently I've been seeing a surge of white lace here and here, and I can say (without violating that pesky copyright) "I'm lovin' it." I don't really think of myself as a very trendy person, but when I spot a current trend that really catches my eye, I'm all for it. Clogs, not really. Lace, YES. That's why I bought this lace dress at the beginning of the summer-- if I had my way, I'd be wearing it to death. Today I wanted to go for a babydoll look that contrasted with the scary 'brows and mens-inspired oxfords. What other ways can I wear this dress? I'm eagerly open to suggestions.


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Dress- Ultra Pink via TJMaxx : Tank- Q & A : Oxfords- Jeffrey Campbell via Thailand



Next up: I'll answer 5 questions that Poppy tagged me in a gazillion years (more than a week) ago. And maybe if we're lucky-- an outfit? One can only hope.

PS: How awesome is this??? 95 followers?? Thank you so much, new and old lovely people. :) It's crazy how I just started this blog at the end of last year. I hope for a surprise once the blog hits 100, but I won't say what...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Predicting patterns like Nicolas Cage in National Treasure

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I'm starting to sense a pattern here. An animal pattern, that is (har har). Actually besides that, I think that blogging every single consecutive day is becoming harder to do. So hopefully this works out. However, I definitely need to type up a list of all the shiznit I need to do:

1) Show pictures of my still-sorta-in-progress newly decorated room thanks to Brandi!
2) There are STILL some
Thailand pictures (not to mention a lot of late May-early June What's Lovelies, yipe!) that I want to share. Would any of y'all be too annoyed if I shared some uber late pictures? I'm just thinking "better late than never..."
3) There's STILL one more segment of the
Alive Again! project that I started on back in April that I have and want to do.
4) I'm fairly sure that I'm forgetting something, which is slightly contradictory to this remember-list. I'm really something, ain't I...
5) OH RIGHT, I still have to do that fun list that dear
Poppy tagged me in awhile ago. SHALL GET ON THAT.

Since 5 is my favorite number, I'll stop there. Plus, if I try to remember every single hairy thing I have to do, I'll soon have Cousin It on my hands. And no one wants that (sorry, Cousin It).

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What's Lovely for Wednesday, June 23, 2010
: What I missed about home-- hearing the cicadas for the first time. They're probably one of my very, very favorite things about summer.

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What's Lovely for Thursday, June 24, 2010
: Learning more about business and the cycle of sales than I ever knew existed-- and actually finding it to be interesting. (for those who asked me to talk more about my new summer job: I'm the latest and maybe-not-so-greatest new addition to the exciting job of SALES in your HOME)

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If you haven't recognized this already, just look up at my header (oh right, another thing to mentally add onto my list... make new header). Yes, it's that familiar brick wall, my old friend. Well, he's not much of a talker, it's like talking to ... something similar to a brick wall. Ahem.

As you can see, I'm a big lover of animal print. I'd like to think that this is the summer version of the
almost entirely zoo outfit I wore back in March, despite the fact that I was still quite hot. I swear, that Midwest humidity... but enough griping! Today was a good day (bang trim, woohoo), though I'm obviously posting this way too late than I should (mind you, it's to make up for the likelihood that I won't post tomorrow).

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Tank- Mom? : Skirt- secondhand : Scarf- Urban Outfitters : Sandals- Nine West via TJMaxx : Bag- bought at Floating Market in Thailand

What's Lovely for Friday (today), June 25, 2010
: Brilliantly bright sidewalk chalk + the best salt and pepper chips I've ever tasted that cause me to feel guilty for having scarfed down too much (you've done it too, right? please tell me you have)

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Disclaimer: This wonderfully colorful work of art isn't of my doing, but of Grimsay. Give a round of applause for Grimsay.

PS: Thanks to every single one of you who shared your summer song. It was great that you satiated my curiosity, I loved hearing your answers. :)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I've got Soul, but I'm not a Soldier

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Oh my, it's been awhile since I've updated, haven't I? Well... time for.... marathon What's Lovelies, ready set GO.

What's Lovely for Saturday, June 19, 2010: Combination of a moon bounce and brownies. Both are lovely, lovely things.

What's Lovely for Sunday, June 20, 2010: First day on the job = WHEW

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Since it was raining outside , we had to make do with the stove. Which may or may not have set some of our food on fire. woops.

What's Lovely for Monday, June 21, 2010: Indoor roast of weenies and s'mores (with dark chocolate, no less)

What's Lovely today, June 22, 2010: Long talks. Whether on the front porch or under the artificial stars, long talks are great.

Grooveshark, where have you been all my life???

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I love this dress-- it's so versatile and light. I could (and did) wear this from work to play.

Dress&Flats- Thailand : Purse- TJMaxx
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Sorry for the blurriness... and the bad posture.... and... everything? These were taken in a hurry, double woops.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Passed on Forward!

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What's Lovely for June 18, 2010: Thank you Brandi, for paying it forward!

Take a look at this and this to jog your memory. Not only is it wonderful to get stuff in the mail, but a lovely gift full of good will after a long, hard day at work? Effin' priceless. Which reminds me: I need to get a start on mine. :)

PS: Thanks to all those who shared their favorite summer songs! Hey, but why stop? Keep 'em coming: anyone who hasn't already told me, what's your summer song?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Summer Song

What's Lovely for June 17, 2010: Unearthing a new song that you just find absolutely, thrillingly perfect for the summer



I was fortunate to find this over at Flattery's blog. She said it was her new favorite song, and ever since I clicked "play," it has been mine too.

The first time I listened to this song, I would liken it to seeing an impossibly tantalizing new boy who catches your every interest, like how a prism catches light and blinds you. You're thrilled the first time and try to not-so-surreptitiously catch his attention again and again, just to listen to him. And because it's summer, you think anything's possible. I mean... what? It's just a song. But that's what I feel. Am I the only crazy one? I probably sound like I'm either under mild drugs or trying too hard to be like Hipstercrite (Lauren, please don't hate me, I think you're fantabulous).

The point is, I think I found my summer song, the tune I want to listen to so many times that someone might assume the player is stuck on replay. My summer song last year was anything by Brooke Waggoner (who is honestly one of my most favorite singers). In the summer of '09, this was the song that caught my attention and gave me that wanderlust to go search for a vast field of soft grass and spin around until I'm dizzy with wildly calm.



Do you have your "summer song?" I want to hear all about it-- I want everyone to share their favorite song for the summer, the one that you want to play in the car while driving, the one that makes you just so stupidly happy. New and old commenters, hark! I want to hear your voices!

(Speaking of wanderlust, mentioned before... I seriously want to take this opportunity during the summer to meet fellow bloggers. Preferably from the US, but if you're willing to jet here from Yemen, I'd be more than happy to meet you.)

And now, in honor of Toy Story 3 (who else is excited?!???):



I keep playing this clip over and over, and it never gets less funny. I'm a headcase.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Blue skies and sun--KITTY.

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Looking into its eyes can be deadly. It's like watching the Ark of the Covenant, only you melt because of overloading the cute.

What is this??? My blog has been hijacked by a kitty!

What's Lovely for Tuesday, June 15, 2010: KITTEH.

I was hanging out at my friend's house yesterday, where he had to tend to this stray kitten that was recently found near his home. Not that it was a hassle. I mean... look at that face. I honestly couldn't contain myself when I saw this three-week old little THING. I was a blubbering mess: "look, kitty is rolling over! Kitty shake head! Kittehhhhhh..." And for the sake of pimping out my blog, I wonder how many comments I'll get by using this kitty's cuteness as bait... (muahahahaaaa)

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ME TINY KITTEH, GONNA EATCHU, OMNOMNOMZ.
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I think it's really true what xkcd says about coherent you get depending on your proximity to a cat. The closer you get, the more you just wanna go: KITTY!!!

And now back to your local programming.

What's Lovely for June 16, 2010: Sweet bubble tea on what can only be called an effing beeyooootiful day is the sweet life.

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This look is daring for me in the crucial fact that I never, never, NEVER show my midriff. But I figured... it's summer, and I tried not to come off as a hussy doing it. I did really like wearing jean+jean, which I've never really tried out before until now. In my mind, I was going for casual 50s pin-up. What do you think? Classy or trashy?


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And yes, I've been using every excuse and occasion to wear these shoes. They're just so perfect and bright and sunny!
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This is the bag Lizzie either got for my birthday or Christmas (either one of the two... they're both in the wintertime). Today was the first time I took it out and about!

Shirt- Eddie Bauer (stolen from Mom) : Shorts- gift from Thailand : Wedges- Bandolino via TJMaxx
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Oh, I can never be Bettie Page.
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I think my photographer (pictured below) has a personal vendetta against me...
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This is what I meant a few days ago by "parkour" in quotations. Meaning, fake parkour. My friend is so hardcore-parkour.
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I hope Jess from Wild Tortoise won't think that I'm copying her when I put up a picture of the sky here. I wanted to show how damn beautiful it was today. And yes, maybe there's a little bit of imitation... But! Imitation = sincerest form of flattery.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Just Kidding Around

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What's Lovely for Saturday, June 12, 2010: Milking a goat for the first time and flirting just for the heck of it. The two are not correlated (I hope).

You're probably wondering why there are a bunch of pictures of a stone memorial garden and a barn. Well this past Saturday I got to see a bit of the glorious nature and greenery the Midwest has to offer. To be honest, the day started off poorly. I had no idea what plans were going on, the day was hot, yaddayaddayadda... long, unnecessarily boring story short, I ended up having many lovelies in the day.

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On the way to the shindig I was going to, Mom and I randomly stopped by this quaint-looking "Irish graveyard," called so because that's what my mom called it at first. It most likely isn't, but it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
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It's like the Secret Garden! if... the garden was a lot less secretive.
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That's me looking like black death, glaring all huffy-like amongst the happy yellow flowers. What a bummer I am.

Tee- Threadless : Skirt- something via TJMaxx : Flats- Thailand

My friend lives on a "farm" (only put in quotation marks because she refuses to call it such, since her family doesn't make a profit from it), which my simple little "townie" mind saw in a romantic light-- what with the barn and vast fields and ... goats? Yes, goats. A small, veritable army of goats. And this brave blogger actually got to milk one for the very first time.. and not get kicked. Which, personally, I think is a great feat in itself. And the flirting? Well, y'know those goats. Such kidders. Get it? Get it? Hey wait, why are you walking away...

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The last thing you'll ever see in your lifetime before you're attacked by an army of docile goats. BAAAAAAAAA...
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The army of goats, led by their leader, Captain Barn Lolcat. He can haz grainz n oatz?
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What's Lovely for June 14, 2010: Getting in the car JUST when it starts to downpour cats and dogs. Whew. How's the weather over where y'all are? Because it's certified monsoon weather over here, only without the monsoons.