What I Wore: A Teaching Day

 

Grey blouse: Forever 21

Lacy black shirt: hand-me-down from my friend E

Pants: Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Cardigan: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Pumps: Target

Belt: Came with a tunic

Pumps: Target

Jewelry: Wedding rings, locket (my grandma's), Moorea Seal earrings 

I'm not teaching this year, but occasionally I'll fill in for a class here and there as a favor.  I wore this outfit on Tuesday to teach my advisor's Pompeian archaeology class.  It was a little more polished than my normal everyday wear, but still comfortable enough to spend most of the day curled up in front of my computer, typing away at the dissertation. 

I've been wearing pants almost exclusively lately.  It's weird, because I've been a skirt girl for years, but I suppose my style is changing.  I tried to make a few different skirt outfits work before putting this on, but just wasn't happy in any of them.  Or maybe I need to update my skirt wardrobe?  I'm not sure, but I'm definitely most comfortable in slim pants and a blousy top these days.



Does your style ever go through shifts?

I hope you've been having a good week! 

Currently Sewing: The Darling Ranges Dress

I love all of Megan Nielsen's gorgeous designs, so I was thrilled when she came out with a line of sewing patterns, and even more thrilled when she sweetly sent me a pattern to try!  The Darling Ranges dress was one of my favorites from last year's collection, and I love the idea of making my own version at home.  

Megan actually sent me this pattern over two months ago, and I've been searching for the perfect fabric since then.  I wanted a print, but just couldn't find something that seemed right.  In the end, I shopped from my stash - I bought this lightweight blue shirting so long ago that I can't remember what I originally intended to do with it!  I'm glad to be using it (finally!).

The pattern is pretty darling, itself.  The pattern paper is nice and thick (no tissue, hooray!), and the instruction booklet is perfectly designed.

Yes, I said booklet, not pamphlet - Megan's directions are printed into an easy-to-follow book, rather than the confusing pamphlet style most big name pattern manufacturers use.

I love how she included ideas for customizing the dress in the back of the book.

And there's even a pattern log!

I cut out all the pieces this weekend (my least favorite part of the process), and now I can't wait to start sewing.  I'm a little nervous - it's been awhile since I've sewn anything from a pattern - but it looks like it should come together easily.  I'll let you all know how it goes!

If you'd like to make a Darling Ranges dress of your own, you can buy the pattern here.  Or, make it even easier on yourself and buy the Darling Ranges sewing kit - it comes with absolutely everything you need to make your dress!

Thanks, Megan! 

Nice Things

Winter has arrived in Cincinnati, and we've spent most of the weekend iced in.  I'm not a big fan of the cold weather, but it is nice to have a chance to catch up on some work, get some things organized (I FINALLY took holiday decorations down!), and of course, do some crafting.  Here's some creative inspiration for your weekend!

1.  Find pretty printable valentines at Love vs. Design: 

{via How About Orange}

2.  Learn how easy it is to customize your camera with this Chevron Holga Camera DIY at A Beautiful Mess:   

3.  Stitch up adorable penguin plushies with a pattern from The Purl Bee: 

4.  I love anything Portlandia-related (seriously, if you haven't watched it, stop what you are doing and start now), including this awesome pattern from Subversive Cross Stitch:

{via Craft}

5.  Elizabeth at Delightfully Tacky shared some great thrifting tips last week: 

6.  Make a summer-camp-chic friendship bracelet with LA's Arrow Bracelet Tutorial on Freckled Nest: 

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! 

Life on Film: Christmas

Okay, this is the last Christmas post of the year (I promise!).  These were all on a roll of film from the Canon-AE1 that I developed this weekend.  I had a bit of a scare with this roll - I started to rewind the film, and must have done something wrong, because the film counter wasn't moving.  So I went into a closet, had Nate shove a towel under the door to keep as much light out as possible, and pulled the film out of the camera to attempt to wind it back into the canister manually.  No dice - it must have slipped off the spool inside the canister, because turning the spool wasn't working at all.  In a desperate effort, I attempted to shove the film back into the canister, which worked for about four inches of film, before no amount of shoving would budge it.  In the end, I pulled all the film out of the canister, wrapped it up in thick black fabric, stuck it inside a holiday-themed tin, put the whole thing inside a black zip-up wine carrier (all while inside a pitch-black closet!), and carried it to the photo store.  Luckily, the clerk did not treat me like crazy person (I felt pretty awesome explaining all of this to him, haha), and no photos were lost.  Hooray!  There's a little bit of damage to the pictures - you might notice some small white dots and blue lines - but considering I could have lost them entirely, I'm happy.

Happy Thursday!

What I'm Wearing: Yellow Pants, Again

Blue top: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Navy cardigan: Banana Republic, Hebron Gap Outlet

Blue tee (layered under top): Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Yellow cords: Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Belt: thrifted

Boots: Nine West, Hebron Gap Outlet*

Jewelry: wedding rings, pearl studs (gift from my parents), vintage micro-mosaic necklace

Okay, I didn't realize how heavy on the Hebron Gap Outlet this outfit was until typing up this list!  I swear, I do shop at other places.  Sometimes.  Anyway, moving on...

So it turns out that my most popular outfit post of 2011 was this one.  This was not a result of it being a good outfit (oh goodness, NO).  Instead, it seems that people are constantly googling some variation of the phrase "how to wear yellow pants."  Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds these things tricky!

Here's what I've discovered in the past year - I think yellow pants look best with color.  I once assumed they would be perfect as a pop of color in a neutral outfit, but I just can't find a combo I like as much as pairing them with another bright color.  In the past few months, my wardrobe seems to go either one way or the other - most days, I live in blacks, browns, and greys, but occasionally I go for serious color, head to toe.  There's no in-between!   

Cousin Itt time (yes, I did look up the proper spelling of "Cousin Itt")!  Have I mentioned how long my hair is getting?  It's kind of ridiculous, but I love it. 

I hope you have an awesome Wednesday! 

Collecting: Vintage Japanese Stacking Mugs

I firmly believe in enjoying little luxuries.  I wash my face every night with gorgeous handmade soap.  I keep my feet toasty in cozy slippers.  And every day after lunch, I make a cup of tea to sip while I work through the afternoon.  My collection of Japanese stacking mugs makes the ritual even nicer!


My first mug is still my favorite.  I spotted it amongst the ubiquitous mess of mugs at the thrift store and knew it had to be mine.  I think it was the curvy handle that did me in.


The other three have all been collected this fall, one at a time from various thrift shops.  I love how they are all similar without being quite the same.


These rich glazes make me feel all weak-in-the-knees.


Japanese stacking mugs are cheap and easy to find, which is both a blessing and a curse, in my mind.  Etsy is full of them, and I often run into full sets (sometimes with adorable trees to hang them on) in antique stores.  Since I enjoy collecting them one at a time, and because I don't want the collection to get out of control, I've set a rule for myself - I only buy a mug if it costs 50 cents or less.  This way I  maintain the fun of the search, while preventing myself from buying so many that we run out of cabinet space (always a risk!).  Two of these mugs were 25 cents, and the other two were 50 cents.  Not too shabby!



Are you the collecting type?  What do you collect, and do you have any strategies for managing your collection?

I hope your week is off to a great start! 

What I'm Wearing: Rainy Day Duds

Cream cardigan: hand-me-down from my friend S.

Striped tank: thrifted

Burgundy cords: Gap, Hebron Gap Outlet

Socks: Eddie Bauer, gift from S.

Boots: Hunter, gift from my mom

Scarf: gift from One Red Boot, made in a craft swap ages ago (thanks, I still love it!)

Jewelry: wedding rings, Moorea Seal earrings, vintage micro-mosaic necklace (this one!) 

Today I woke up to the sound of pouring rain, and all thoughts of putting together an interesting outfit, doing my hair, or putting on makeup went out the window.  January has been beautiful so far, but I've heard that the rain will usher in actual winter temperatures.  Sadface! 

The one good thing about the rain is that it gives me an excuse to enjoy my big Christmas gift - these awesome Hunter wellies (thanks, mom)!  I hate, hate, HATE cold, wet feet.  Seriously, I can't even stand other people having cold, wet feet - I shudder every time I see a girl walking around in ballet flats on a rainy day.  I've had my eye on Hunter rain boots for years, but they always seemed ridiculously expensive for a pair of rubber boots.  One day this fall, however, I was walking to school and suddenly discovered that my cheap-o Target rain boots (which are less than a year old) had developed cracks in both feet.  I spent a very grouchy day in wet socks, and decided that expensive rain boots might be worth the money.  Now I hope that my Hunters live up to their reputation of lasting forever!

What are your thoughts on rain boots?  Do you stick with the cheapies, or have you tried pricier versions?

Happy Wednesday! 

*Yes, I still have my holiday decorations up.  I can't help it; the thought of taking them down makes me so sad!