feeling fancy

Last Friday was pretty festive for us.  I have two friends with the same birthday, so I went to lunch with one and we had the other over for dinner! 

 

Robert made an amaaazing chocolate cake.  It was so moist that it kept falling apart when I was trying to ice it!  I had to use extra icing to make sure it wasn't too uneven looking, and to hide the hole in the middle where the cake stuck to the pan!  What a shame.  Sometimes we're a baking team -- he makes things delicious, and I make them pretty.

Sweater: H&M (thrifted), Dress: Target (thrifted, ha!), Print: The Black Apple

Oh look!  Outfit photo.  I was feeling fancy.  I really like this ruffly dress because it's good at hiding my little post-baby-belly. 

Ruffles and icing can cover so many flaws!

P.S. Thank you all for the sweet comments on the birth story.  I assure you, I was not looking so hot the day after!  Robert has agreed to be a guest blogger here occasionally and share his experiences as a new dad.  I'll be posting his version of the birth story soon! 

fall fashion inspiration

Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes on my last entry! I had a great day and being 24 has been nice so far.

I just wanted to pop in and do something fashion related. When's the last time I talked about fashion here?! It's been quite a while. I've been having fun dressing up for work lately -- I just haven't had any time for pictures! But this is something neat.

fall fashion set 1 by chumblyface

Anja over at Clever Nettle is participating in a Polyvore fall fashion contest, and anybody who wants can help contribute. My first collage (made during breakfast this morning) is above. I haven't had much time to play around with it since, but this is FUN. Go over to her blog and use the mini editor to make a nice set! She's filled it with her favorite fall clothes, and it's a really great collection. The blogger with the best entries in their collection will receive a $1000 gift card, as well as a $1000 gift card to give out to one reader. So! Head over and check it out if you're so inclined.*

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming season! It's starting to cool down a bit here, and I'm loving it. The trees are doing that magical thing, too! You know the thing!! Where a bunch of leaves fall in slow motion and it makes you excited about life?

*This is NOT my contest; I am simply directing folks over to Anja's blog because she thought it would be fun to have a lot of people contribute! :) Should she win, she will receive the gift cards and choose a reader to win one!

EDIT: [days later...] Here is another set I made! I like this one much better. However, today, September 6th, is pretty much the last day to contribute! It's still fun to play around with.

Untitled by chumblyface

mixed feelings

Here are some skirts I bought specifically to go into my Etsy shop, but which might never make it in. I thought they were too tight at the waist, but then I took pictures (intended for the item listings) and realized they're REALLY cute anyway, and now I'm trying to figure out if I'm willing to compromise comfort for style. It's a real conundrum. They will probably make their way into the shop in a few months, when I realize I'm not willing to be uncomfortable for more than 15 minutes. That's my prediction.


And here is an interesting blog post* on "bloggers with perfect, beautiful, craftsy lives" that make people feel jealous and insecure... or something. A part of me thinks it's a waste of ranting, because I know that blogs are a place for people to present themselves as they wish, and obviously most of us don't have perfect lives. We have insecurities, we have messes, we have problems - we just don't want to share them all of the time. Having control over a blog means you can ignore the bad stuff and show off the good stuff.


Another part of me understands that jealousy sentiment, though. There are times when I've fallen into that pit of browsing through seemingly-perfect pictures and lives and feeling like I will never be as talented or praised as others. And that's why I don't share everything on my blog all of the time. There are probably hundreds of pictures on my computer that I intended to blog about, but in the end just felt too inferior to post. And that's not cool.

I started this blog as a place to share some of my creativity (and also because I had recently quit my full time job and blogging was a fun, time-consuming activity). Over time, instead of just sharing things I would have done anyway, I think I started creating content specifically for the blog. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's just not what I intended to do, and I don't like the way things have been going.


I haven't been posting outfit photos as often, because I no longer feel the need. There was a time when I enjoyed the feedback and compliments, but I think I'm at a point in my life where I don't need that outside encouragement: I'm content to wear whatever and not show it off. [That's no guarantee I won't do more in the future, but it's how I feel at the moment.] On the flipside, I've been disappointed to discover that outfit posts garner the most comments. There are a few friendly, faithful readers who will comment on just about anything - and it means a lot to me! - but it can feel like an insult when I've taken the time to think out a blog post on some other topic that I find interesting and only get a handful of comments. What upsets me most is how upset I get over this petty stuff. It's really made me rethink my motives for blogging: why do I even keep this up?

This is in no way a warning that I'm about to delete my blog, or something to make readers feel guilty or other bloggers feel like I'm insulting them. I just thought it would be an interesting discussion to have. Do you ever feel this way about blogging?

*I can't believe that some of the bloggers they listed were people I interact with online... Girls, I guess you should take it as a compliment that your blogs are pretty enough to make it into such a piece!

things I've been wearing

This morning I was in a panic. I had an appointment at 10 at a temp agency, and I suddenly decided to dress very professionally. This is something I should have thought about yesterday, but yesterday I said to myself, "oh, I'll just wear those black pants and a nice shirt." I forgot that I don't actually own any nice shirts. Fancy shirts, maybe, but not anything that could be defined as "professional" or "business casual" or anything normal like that. No no, I ditched most of my business clothes when I quit my office job over a year ago. I did keep one button-up blouse around, just in case. I've wanted to banish it from my closet so many times, but the voice of reason in my head told me that I should keep it for emergencies. The problem is, I don't even like it. I don't even like it at all. It looks fine in this picture, but it has slightly puffed sleeves and a funny tie in the back, and this morning I just felt silly when I put it on.

peg leg?

But it was the most professional-looking top I had, so I decided to go with it. However, once I'd decided on that I most certainly couldn't wear the black pants: they're probably not even the same shade of black. So, a skirt? Do I own any business-like skirts? Oh, not really. 'Cept this one which, like the black blouse, has been hanging in my closet just in case. And lucky me, this is one of the skirts I chose for the wardrobe challenge! Funny enough, I only wore it because I felt forced. The shoes, too - I haven't worn them in ages, but I keep them just in case. So, by this great misfortune, I ended up wearing 3 pieces I don't really enjoy - but they worked together, at least! My appointment went fine, and now I'm planning to stock up on some professional clothes that I actually want to wear.

By the way, can you tell I got a haircut? I bet not! It looked pretty neat the day of the trim, but it's descended back into madness. Here is somewhat of a before picture-- it was getting really long:


And an outfit from last week! And finally, a picture in a room you haven't seen yet! This is the room that we informally call "the scary room" or my "craft room." I've warmed up to the bright green paint a little, while Robert seems to be hating it more and more. Want to know something funny? This is the house's master bedroom... the previous owners actually slept in this monstrosity. We chose one of the smaller bedrooms with a less offensive green paint color as our own. Maybe one day we'll repaint it, but it's certainly exciting! I painted my sewing machine table white a couple of weeks ago - it was originally yellow and that was just not working with the green walls.

Happy Tuesday!

the birds, again

Another outfit for my wardrobe challenge! In 2 weeks I've only managed to put together 3 outfits (out of 12) -- this is definitely going to drag on a while. But I'm determined to complete it! Now that it's warmer outside, I know I'll be wearing skirts and dresses much more often. It feels SO GOOD in the sun!

This is what I wore yesterday to meet Robert for lunch.

Cardigan: Anthropologie / Dress: Converse (from Target) / Slip: Vintage Hem / Sandals: Target

I thought the birds might be too busy with the zipper, but it worked out just fine!

And I remembered to accessorize! Ring: my lavaliere / Cuff bracelet: stamp

Ah, macro settings... so much detail. Can you see where the ring starts to irritate my finger after a few hours? That's why I don't wear it so often! Too bad, because it's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

Oh and if you didn't see my baby goat post yesterday, go back and look! They're worth looking at a lot. I keep showing them to people just so I can stare at them more.

ensemble number two!

I'm back, kind of! Do you ever find that after spending a few days away from the internet, it seems like a chore to return? I do. Some days I wish I wasn't even friends with the internet, because it distracts me so much from other adventures I could be having.

I have plenty of exciting pictures and stories from this past weekend to share, but I thought I'd ease back into blogging with the second outfit for my self-imposed wardrobe challenge. To be honest, this is something I only wore for about 30 minutes. I was t-shirt & jeansing it again, but put this on when my mom got out her camera to take some pictures of me and Robert in front of our house. And then I changed back into my boring clothes so I could work in our yard. But I will wear this again for some fanciful occasion! Minus the stripey socks, haha.



Check out my new [perfectly well-worn Justin] boots! I like them for their simplicity. I had some nice thrifting luck over the past few days. More on that later!

ensemble number one!

Today I put together the first outfit for my wardrobe challenge!

Sorry the picture's a little blurred! Still finding the best spots for lighting in this house.

I'm going to give myself an extra high-five for using this dress, because it's something I thrifted months ago and have never worn! It came with a matching long jacket, and I was thinking I might wear it to my sister's wedding [but didn't]. I originally had a pair of black tights and grey shoes on, because it's still a little chilly here, but after a couple of hours they needed to come off. Not only were they uncomfortable, but when I looked at my first set of pictures, I looked entirely unbalanced. I decided that my pale legs would be a better match for the neutrals!

I don't know if this dress is very flattering on me: it's a bit tight on my hips but not as fitted in the waist as I would like... but I still think this would be a nice thing to wear on a summer evening! Guess I'm getting a bit ahead of the seasons.

But it's warming up! We're hoping to spend some time in the yard this weekend. Happy Friday!

wardrobe challenge

I've been dressing really terribly lately: just outright boring! Jeans and t-shirts have become my every day wear because I'm at home most of the time. It makes sense to me, but I also know it doesn't make for an exciting blog post -- which is exactly why I haven't done an outfit post in forever. But today I came upon an idea that sounds like a fun way to get some of my nice clothes back into rotation. I found the idea at What I Wore, who was inspired by La Fille D'or.

The challenge is to find 3 items in your closet which you never wear, and then over a couple of weeks try to create 4 outfits based around each item (for a total of 12 outfits). Here are my 3!

This little sweater shrug that I got on clearance at Anthropologie a while back..

...for obvious reasons. I can never find a good way to wear it!

This pleated skirt.

Seems like a simple enough piece, but I hardly ever use it.

I bought this skirt to go under my wedding dress, but feel like I should get more use from it.

It has neat pleating and is great for layering. I think I never wear it because I'm afraid I'll get it dirty.

I'm not sure I can get all 12 outfits into a 2-week period, but I'll play dress up around the house and see what I can put together! This should get me motivated to dress a little nicer!

keeping busy

I haven't got anything visually exciting to share today, but I thought a "hello" was in order. I've been keeping pretty busy lately. How are all of you? Here are some things I've been up to..

Wearing tights all the time. It's still snowy around here!

Trying out a new hairstyle for blah days -- It's really easy: just put your hair up in a ponytail and then tuck it back through .. if that makes sense! Even as the day wears on and it gets messy, it looks cute.

I helped Robert clean out his closet and then commandeered some of his unwanted pullover sweaters.

Here's the big reveal: notice what's going on in this last photo? Packing! If you've been reading my blog for the last year, you've already seen me go through 2 moves... but this one is different! I've almost mentioned it a couple of times here, but it seems like if I discuss it too much, I might burst the bubble! ("What bubble?" you ask. The imaginary bubble around the house we're about to buy, of course. It's a fragile thing!) I am incredibly excited, as you can imagine. It's not 100% final yet, but it should be by the end of next week, and we're going to start moving in immediately. So I've got a lot to do! I hope you won't mind if I'm a bit scarce. I will share more when I can!

hair long enough to braid

Hey, check it out! I was playing around with my hair this morning and realized that it's now long enough to braid. That's somewhat of an accomplishment-- and so bittersweet, because I'm planning to get a haircut tomorrow. I think I will aim for longer hair, though, and just get a trim and have the layers shaped up. I sort of miss my long hair from a few years ago!

Top: Delia's / Pants: Forever 21

I think I've had these pants since I was a senior in high school. They're an old standby. And the thermal top is from at least 3 years ago, but it's so good! Check out the thumb holes and cartoon owls printed all over it. I'm glad it's cold enough to wear again. Today was a day for nostalgic fashion!

Hat: from my cousin / Hoodie: ??

I had to add some layers later on in the day. The hat was a necessity as my hair had become quite messy -- it's long enough to braid, but not long enough to stay in place very long. This little red hoodie has been around for ages. It's funny how I can wear a 40 or 50 year old dress and not make a big deal about its history, but this thing was with me on my first dates with my first boyfriend. Hahaha. I think I've had it since I was about 14... Is that cute or scary?

In other news, I listed a purse in my etsy shop today... Nothing too exciting! And although it's been two months since Robert and I added anything to our food blog, we haven't forgotten it! A new recipe is on its way - promise! (Hint hint: write the text, Sir Robert!)

hello there

Did everyone have a nice weekend? I'm aware that it's actually Tuesday afternoon now, but who's really keeping track? I keep thinking today is Wednesday! Anyway, I had an excellent weekend! It was busy and I met new people and had new adventures! I went places and saw things and all kinds of neat stuff. You'll just have to trust me on that - I don't have many pictures to show for it.

On Saturday Robert and I met up with Elena Lu for about an hour or so! She just happened to be in town and we arranged some coffee shop time. We had so much fun talking about everything! We briefly considered taking some photos for our blogs, but I think it would have just felt out of place. It wasn't a photo shoot-- it was just sort of hanging out with a buddy. A very adorable buddy. :) So I have no photographic evidence and you'll just have to take my word for it!

Here is a pumpkin waffle with maple syrup. Wanna be friends?

Now, for anyone looking for an outfit post: today is your day!! I haven't been into exciting clothes lately, and this might even be considered boring by your standards, but it's something. You would surely be less impressed with the other things I've been wearing around! Surely.

I love how this dress has a bow at the neck, because in my mind it requires no other accessories! I'm not all that great about accessorizing, and I often forget all about it.

Drop waist!

I liked the background in the above picture, but please ignore my terribly concerned face. I must have been channeling Norma Desmond, because this dress was designed by Gloria Swanson! I'm spiraling into madness as I watch the leaves fall!! Ha ha..

cozy clothes

I've mentioned before how much I like to layer clothes... My time has come! Here's my cozy outfit for today. Ah, you'll also get a peek at our new(ish) living room, which hasn't been seen on this blog yet. The family visit this past weekend finally got me motivated enough to make it look nice!

I pinned a leaf into my hair! I like it.

Posing!

Posing like a pony!

I never know where my hands should go. I also do not know how to use our fireplace.

Nothing too exciting to see here! I thrifted the brown dress a couple of weeks ago, the cardigan is from Buffalo Exchange [I miss having one of those stores around], and these threadbare woolly tights are from Target. I look for new ones there each year, but I haven't been able to find any as good as these, which I bought years ago. No shoes required.

This outfit might be a little warm for today-- I haven't been outside yet-- but what are you going to do?

(I don't know - what are you going to do?)

easy breezy

The rain has finally stopped. After nearly a week and a half of constant stormy weather, it feels amazing outside. Cool, sunny, a nice breeze... excellent for spending time outdoors. I have a few errands to run today, so I spent a bit of time dressing up. It's been a while since I did any outfit photos - I've been boring lately. I'm excited about the upcoming seasons, though, because I am a layering fiend.

My hair is getting increasingly unruly!

Look at my bracelets while I watch someone bike by, like a startled rabbit!

I know, I know, I wear this jumper all too often. But we're in love.

This is the best way to avoid making a cheesy "outfit photo" face.

This is actually the third thing I put on this morning - the first two outfits were no good. I think I may ban anything with puff sleeves from my wardrobe, because I always feel uncomfortable with how I look in those. Cheap accessories [minus the wedding ring] courtesy of a bag of makeup and jewelry I recently stumbled upon from my high school years. Ah, nostalgia! Sparkly rubber bangle bracelets!

Also, even though you can't see them, I'm wearing some tights that I picked up from the thrift store last week. Before you get grossed out, let me just say that they were new in the box! Well, it had been opened... but the tights still looked like they would fit a baby, so I knew no one had been wearing them.

unicorns and dinosaurs and such

I love weekends. Although they're technically not all that different from regular days for me, they're always so much better. Robert is home and we have things to do and everything is lovely! Here are some pictures.

Raisin bran muffins

My "new" bird dress! Haha, you can still see where the hoop was...

New unicorn shirt because I can't stay out of the kid's section at Target. (By the same designer as this one!)

Robert tried scouting a bike-route to his office, and he found this guy on the side of the road!

Poor little fellow! Someone cut off his foot and tangled him up in rope and threw him out a window (I guess).

By the way, thank you for all of the nice comments on the embroidery tutorial! It's seriously so much easier than you can imagine. I hope to start a couple of new projects this week.

entings

A couple of weeks ago I decided to spend some money and buy myself an early birthday present! I wanted something made by someone I admire and wish to support [and there are many of you out there!], so I bought a dress made by Elizabeth of entings. There aren't many items in her shop right now, but you can check out some of the sold items from her previous shop, elizabetheff, to get an idea of her style*. She is one of my favorite internet-people, and sometimes I wish to kidnap/adopt her as my child. (Sorry, it's just the truth.)

What do you think?

I think it's lovely! And, though I haven't been thinking about Fall fashions that much, I couldn't help but try this with some layers...


It's so cute with a jacket! And boots! I think this is going to be really fun to wear.


*If you need any further proof of how neato Elizabeth is, look at this magical creation...

photo and diorama by elizabeth!

My sister actually purchased the above diorama, and intended to give it to me for Christmas last year, but ended up keeping it for herself. I can't say that I blame her!

For another example of dazzling awesomeness [if the hippo isn't doing it for you], I once mailed Elizabeth a bunch of wizard bookmarks -- they reminded me of her so much -- and in return I got some handmade paper and the tiniest, most exciting little painting! She's a real gem: someone to keep an eye on for sure!

(Quick sidenote: I've noticed that a lot of times when I post photos here, they look sort of blurry! If you click to enlarge them, they're fine, but within the post they seem to be a bit squished. Has anyone else noticed this or have any tips on how to fix it? Maybe it's just my screen...?)