shoes of adulthood

You know you're an adult when these are the shoes you love:

Source: dsw.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

and these are the shoes you buy:

Source: softspots.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

The reason behind the sensible pumps? I got a new job! Next week, the world of retail will be behind me (for now). I'm super excited to be able to wear heels/boots/shoes that are not the most comfortable flats I could find to work again. And okay, they may be sensible, but I actually like these a lot! They 're classic and cute and very comfortable. Plus, they're navy, which makes them a little bit more fun than the standard black pump (which was what I actually went out shopping for! They didn't have the black in my size.) Although I'm still pretty passionate about those amazing Minnie Mouse shoes up top!

I had a request for interview outfits, so I'm going to whip some of those together for a new post. Anything else you guys would like to see?

valentine's day

It's that time of year again...no, not Christmas (although we have some lovely Christmas decorations up for testing in the store right now, which is confusing some patrons): Valentine's Day! That most romantic and Hallmark-y of holidays, devoted to exchanging sweet things with your sweetheart.


Conversation Heart cookies! too cute, right? Photo & cookies by thedecoratedcookie

...but what about those of us who are lacking a sweetheart? (I wanted to put a picture here, but have you ever Googled "broken heart" images? That is scary stuff!) It's easy to be bitter about Valentine's Day...heaven knows I've spent my fair share of years being resentful of "Singles Awareness Day." But being bitter can get tiring, and why should those darn couples have all the fun?

I say, fight the power in a positive way: make Valentine's Day about all kinds of love. There are all sorts of people in my life that I love, and I think a day when I can celebrate them and eat candy sounds pretty great. Bust out the construction paper and glitter and show your family/friends/classmates/neighbors how much you love them! Just like I love all of you, my beloved blog buddies ♥

Source: someecards.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Happy Valentine's Day!

operation update: delusions of gallerie

I want a gallery wall. They're trendy right now, and I know there's some backlash against them, but I don't care! It's a great option for people (like me!) who don't have/can't currently afford a big piece of art. This way, you can show off a lot of little pieces. And even if you do have big art, there's no reason not to also have a gallery to show a few other pieces off. It lets you support a variety of artists, which is always a great thing to do! Plus, look how pretty:

Source: housebeautiful.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: plushpalate.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Source: younghouselove.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

There's so many ways to rock the gallery wall, from museum quality cleanness to the funky clipped on art above. You can mix and match your frames or keep it classic...the choices are endless! Personally, I think I'd like to mix and match a bit, but keep it mostly in the same color family. I have two black frames already; one already has art in it, just waiting for me to decide where I to start my collection.

Kim and Scott of Yellow Brick Home just did a great post about how to layout a gallery wall, especially when you're working with limited space. It's all been really inspiring to me, and it makes me want to Buy Art Now! I would really love to have a wall full of prints from artists whose work I admire! I started a pinboard of prints that I would love to buy. There's some (okay, mostly) dorky TV and movie inspired art, but I'm a dorky media inspired kind of person, so I think it works out okay!

Do you have a collection of prints you'd like on your wall? I'd love to see them! Alternately, maybe you're a steadfast original art or bust kind of person -- what's your favorite piece you own?

commitment issues

Sometimes, it feels like "committed" is in the same family "interesting" or "distinct" often fall into when describing style; even if you don't like what someone is doing/wearing, you can at least applaud them for "committing" to their look! I don't totally agree, though. I think that committing to a style is something that should be applauded! It takes a lot of guts and a lot of effort to maintain what I would consider an "intense" style; to be honest, I'm a little jealous of those people! I adore the aesthetics of a lot of these subcultures (like lolita, Goth, rockabilly, etc) but I definitely do not have either the guts or the dedication to really commit to the look...I want to visit, but I don't think I could live there!

I suspect many of you have the same dilemma, which is the reason for my new series: "Commitment Issues." I'll be taking inspiration from fabulous styles that require some serious commitment to make them work, and showing you pieces that let you bring elements of that style into your own everyday look!

Up first: Lolita. Lolita started as Japanese street fashion; there are a ton of subcultures and substyles that I won't even pretend to be informed enough to speak about. But the bare bones essential (and what most people think of when you mention Lolita fashion) is looking like a Victorian doll. What I'm inspired by today is the "Sweet Lolita" style: lots of deliciously fussy girly details!


Photo from a great source for girly inspiration, ALB in Wonderland

If I had to sum up the best way to put the over-the-top frothy confection of Lolita style into every day in one word, that would would be ruffles. (The second word would be pink.)

ladylike ruffles by ficklekitsch featuring a tie blouse

I would wear every single one of these pieces, and I wouldn't even consider my style to be that girly! Seeing them all together is a little bit of a pink/pastel ruffled explosion, but consider pairing one of those fussy tops with a black pencil skirt or some wide-legged trousers and you've got the right idea. Those comfy shorts seem a little far out from Lolita, but this is about making it work for your everyday...I think they kind of look like bloomers, which definitely fit with the Victorian doll idea. Next up, accessories!

sweet accessories by ficklekitsch featuring brim hats

I took the "sweet" part pretty literally here; bows, more pink, cupcakes, flowers, all great ways to add a girly touch to any outfit. One of the things I love most about Lolita style is the dedication to a theme in an outfit--there's a reason they call them "coordinates"!

If you need more inspiration for making Lolita style work, I highly recommend checking out Cupcake's Clothes. Georgina has some great full-out Lolita fashion, but also works the same ultra-feminine aesthetic into all her outfits (and looks super cute!)

Could you pull a little bit of Lolita-inspired flair into your outfits now? What style have you always secretly loved but aren't willing to commit to full-time?

coveting: retro appliances

I posted a little while back about my love for retroiffic colored fridges, and the fire has not died out. I've always had a little bit of a passion for pastels in crazy places; after watching hours upon hours of house hunters on HGTV complain about strangely colored bathrooms, I realized one set of grandparents have a blue toilet and bathtub and the others have a pink toilet, bathtub, and sink! Theirs, obviously, are not "retro" style -- they're actually old! But obviously there's a genetic component to my fondness for a pop of color in an unexpected place.



How beautifully does this Smeg fridge fit in with the gorgeous retro kitchen belonging to Piewacket? I want one terribly, but it will be a long time before I live somewhere that I'll be selecting the fridge for, if ever. (And isn't that a lovely thought?) So, imagine my glee when I discovered the clean lines and funky colors of Nostalgia Electrics!

Now, I do not own nor have ever tried any of these appliances, so I can't recommend them or vouch for their quality. But look how cute!



I was first seduced by this 3-in-1 breakfast maker. I don't even like toast or coffee, but I want to have this thing on my countertop in all of its atomic age retro-futuristic glory. It doesn't appear to be on their website or Amazon any longer, more's the pity. But a quick exploration of the website brings all sorts of nifty things to the eye!



If I owned this microwave, I would feel like I was in a cool diner every time I reheated leftover pizza. I might wake up one morning to discover that I'd installed black-and-white checkered flooring in a retrolicious haze.



I may actually die. Hot dog toaster! I don't know why I wouldn't just put the hot dogs in my stylish red microwave, but there's something deliciously retro about unitaskers, isn't there? Now I want a malt machine.

Do you feel a pull towards colorful unitaskers like I do, or are you a strict modern stainless fan? I probably won't ever own a hot dog toaster (sob!) but I think a colorful microwave could go a long way towards making a blah rental kitchen feel a little more fabulous (and since my parents have commandeered my plain black college 'wave, I'll be in the market for one when I do move out!)

me party

Sometimes, you need to have a "me party."



Okay, so in The Muppets (which is amazing, by the way) the song is kind of comically depressing, but I am 100% behind the idea of doing fun things by yourself sometimes. Maybe I'm just a hermit (fact), but as much as I enjoy going out with friends, I need time by myself to recharge my batteries. Usually my hermit time is spent at home on the internet, but why should it have to be?

I went to a movie by myself for the first time yesterday, and it was actually a really great experience. I've always been afraid to go places by myself: what if it's boring? what if people think I'm a loser? what if it's just really awkward? This stigma is very strongly attached to movies, but movies are in truth really well-suited to solo adventures. It's all external stimulus, and it's not like you were going to be chitchatting during it anyway (unless you're incredibly rude, but I know all of my readers are impeccable specimens of theater etiquette!). A movie is a great baby-step towards more adventurous "me parties" like going to a restaurant alone (still haven't done that, but with a book, I don't see why I shouldn't!) So when I was sitting on the couch and realized that I really wanted to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and had no one to go with...by gum, I was going to put all the nerves aside and just go!

I enjoyed the movie very much, and it was actually a really good one to see alone: very quiet and intense, good for sitting in silence and puzzling through. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes an intricate and mostly unspoken spy thrillers and British actors. Because I wasn't really alone! I was spending a few hours with some of my very favorite gentleman:











So, when you think about it, it's kind of like I had a really excellent date with Benedict, Gary, Mark, Colin, and Tom. And for those of you who would suspect that I am taking gross advantage of the opportunity to put pictures of enticing gents on my blog, well. I'll have you know that I'm a blogger with very high integrity, and would never stoop to using eye candy to please my readers.



Oops, I dropped something. (Oh, pouty Darcy, you're such a heartbreaker.)

operation update: bits and pieces

Remember how I was updating my room? Well, after rearranging the furniture, things definitely stalled out, but I've made a few little changes in the past couple weeks that have made me happy. It's always those tiny touches that make you smile and help reinvigorate you on a project. I'm looking around the room AS I TYPE and it's actually making me smile. I've got a long way to go, but I'm feeling positive about the path I'm on. Maybe I'll allow myself to enter the home goods section again!



For my birthday, my parents offered to buy me the lamp of my choice. And lo, six months later, I finally found the lamp that was worthy. I got this beauty at World Market (one of my favorite stores!), and I love the vintage feel. It looks like a cool DIY project, which does make me feel a little bit guilty for just buying it outright, but damask! This lamp is actually part of World Market's super nifty Mix and Match Lamps. Just pick a base and then find any shade in the appropriate category: accent, table, or floor. (My guy is an accent lamp!) I actually saw this base ("Greta" in turquoise) over the summer, but I wasn't feeling too passionate about any of the shades. When I stopped in last week and saw matching damask, I was a goner!

The lamp is pictured with a lovely little pail that JUST HAPPENED to match my comforter! I use it to keep pens and pushpins and all those desky things. Pictured with the pail is a sweet pair of Quidditch goggles. Oh yeah, you know you're jealous.



In other way past due news, I put up my wall decal! My mom got me this one way back in spring when I was still away at school. I didn't want to stick it up with only a few months left in my apartment, and then it just kind of sat on my desk for month after month. I was cleaning my room, and when it came time to clear my desk, I was sick of having the decal sprawled out on there and decided to stick it up then and there. It was a very frustrating process (those darn curlicues!), but I do love wall decals, and this one is super "me."

So the whole thing together looks a bit like this:



Go desk, go! It feels like a very Grown Up Writer thing to do, have a cute little desk set up. Now I just have to a) do some writing, b) keep myself away from fabulous office supplies, and c) stop piling up all my clothes on the chair. Those shouldn't be too tough to overcome, right?