Fashion Beauty Friend Friday - 12.31.10

FBFF Questions for 12.31.10 - New Year, new blog, new you ... resolutions, goals for 2011, courtesy of ModlyChic. (These are the questions that Vahni of Grit and Glamour so kindly suggested.)

1. What's the one thing you vow to learn or do in 2011 to improve your blog?
Better photos. It's a constant struggle to get decent images in the wee hours, but I will persevere!

2. What did you learn about blogging in 2010 that you plan to put into practice next year?
It's all about connections -- reading & commenting & being active with other people's blogs. Plus replying to comments on your own blog. But no blog stands alone.

3. Do you have any high-level goals for your blog in the coming year? Monetization? More comments? More connections with other bloggers? A new template?
Not really. I like where this blog is going right now, & I want to keep it up. Just more interaction with readers & other bloggers, keep posting regularly. I feel like I've barely started. Besides, I'm not in this for money or fame (my real job is already writing on the Internet, so I don't want / need more ;-)

4. If you could collaborate with one other blogger within your sphere of influence in 2011, who would you like to collaborate with, and what would you like to collaborate on?
Hmm... yes, but not sure what. I'd love to do a DIY project or swap circle, like we used to do on a.g.f, & because that would take some coordination, it'd be great to share with another blogger. Or maybe Sarah & I could do some photo project together. I'd have to think about this more!

5. What do you plan to do to support other bloggers next year?
Comments, definitely! Interaction is where it's at. And hey, maybe I'll suggest some of these 5 questions too. I like the ones that are less meta-about-blogging & more about fashion or seasonal topics.

Happy New Year everyone! Bonus question for you: What fashion or style blogs do you read?

Shopping With My Man

On vacation this week, kicking around the house, not doing much -- which is awesome! I never get this kind of break. So yesterday, my husband & I went out & bought each other the xmas gifts we decided we really needed.

For me, an iPad & a G4 iPhone (upgrade from my old iPhone). For him, a better big-screen TV & Blu-Ray player (also kind of a business need; he's a professional videographer & shows demos in our living room, so this will show off his work). I also got him a fabulous black cotton-velveteen blazer that we randomly saw at Macy's, then we had a leisurely lunch.



What I'm wearing:
Purple & pink patterned cardigan, Chadwicks
Black T-shirt, Gap
Black jeans with studs at the pockets, Calvin Klein
Black buckled flat boots, Aldo
Burgundy flower hair pin, Forever 21
Large silver filigree earrings, Target
Black & silver beaded necklace, Target
Cabernet lipstick, Tarte
Black leather purse with metal accents, Jessica Simpson


Today, I'm playing with the iPad & dyeing my hair (black, as always). And it's raining, so I don't think I'm going anywhere.

I hope those of you who are off work are also enjoying the time!

DIY Fashion Projects on My Mind

There are a bunch of fashiony sewing projects I've been wanting to do. Not quite sure when I'll get to them, but I have this week off from work, so perhaps I can make one or two of these...

As soon as I saw this lace-trimmed T-shirt on the Ann Taylor LOFT website, I thot, "I can do that." Maybe in grey, like the original or in black with white lace or in white or dark pink with black lace. A black shirt with black lace would make a nice, tonal look too. Will look first at the thrift store for shirts, & if I don't find anything, I'll just grab a tee at Target or Old Navy. Plenty of black lace in my fabric stash.

I'd like to make a pieced skirt using a bunch of the fancy fabric scraps I have laying around. Last week, a coworker was wearing a gorgeous black pencil skirt with silver & blue patterned fabric piecing on the front. Very stylish, sleek, & elegant. I immediately thought I could do that in my colors.

Should have asked her if I could take a picture because now I just have hazy memory to go on for inspiration. I can't find anything like it online. This Etsy wool skirt has the vague concept & this Etsy jean skirt has more of the small piecing that I like (& that rocked on my coworker's skirt). Of course, neither are the right shape or materials. Gotta use your imagination!

Then there's this cropped jacket with lace by INC Concepts (a Macy's brand that often has goth-friendly pieces). It was an eBay auction that I didn't win -- I didn't want to bid too high because I had a feeling I could make something like this from a thrift-store velvet blazer & a bunch of lace.

I recently made a narrow black belt with a velvet bow in the front. The main part of the belt was a leather strap that I removed from the new purse I bought (it had an extra shoulder strap, even tho' the double straps are perfectly long enough for shoulder-wearing, weird!). I made a little bow from velvet ribbon & tried to glue it to the bow with the usually stick-to-everything E6000 craft glue. No dice! Had to sew the bow on using a leather needle. Haven't worn it yet tho'.

I've also been making a lot of necklaces & a couple pairs of earrings. Love making jewelry! It's so fast & easy, once you have a collection of shiny bits.

Do you like to make clothes or accessories or refashion items? Got any success stories or amusing attempts?

Fashion Beauty Friend Friday - 12.24.10

Another set of Fashion Beauty Friend Friday questions, courtesy of ModlyChic. The topic this week is holiday memories...

1. Your favorite holiday memory:
I don't know if there's a favorite ... but I can think of a worst. Well, it's a worst with a happy ending! In 2003, a ton of my husbands' family members, plus my parents, were gathering in Lake Tahoe for Xmas week, including a number of his relatives from the U.K. & France. Well, a few days after Xmas, he & I were scheduled to leave for Rio de Janeiro for New Year's Eve, followed by Argentina to leave on a cruise to Antarctica. This was a trip we'd dreamed about for a decade. So we could only be at this gathering (that was a 4-hour drive away from our house) for literally Xmas day.

We drove up on the afternoon of Xmas eve (as soon as we could get off work) & were immediately caught in a horrible snow storm on the one highway up to Tahoe. We put chains on the car, & then traffic was stopped for hours. Cell phone reception was spotty, so we could hardly tell our family what was going on. It was awful. We didn't make it to the Tahoe house until midnight.

But then everyone was thrilled to see us, & my husband's uncle from London had made a fantastic French onion soup that warmed us right up. The next day was great, even tho' we had to leave immediately the following morning. And, of course, Rio & Antarctica were amazing :-)

2. Were you ever a victim of those family Christmas party photo shoots? What do you think about them now? Care to share an old photo?
We never did staged family photos. But I love this picture taken on Xmas night, before we went out for dinner. It shows my mom, my stepdad, me, & our cat Sam (the cat is since deceased but he grew up with me like my little brother).

Not sure of the year -- around 1989? -- sometime during my first year or two at college. Soon after that Mom stopped getting an Xmas tree since I didn't live in the house.

3. Best Christmas gift you ever gave:
I'd like to say what I'm giving my husband this year, except it's on backorder, even tho' I ordered it in October, & now they say it won't arrive until February! Dammit, but if it arrived, I suspect it might blow his mind a little.

Otherwise, we don't do a lot of big gifts. Our three sets of parents, my husband & I all decided about five-ish years ago to only exchange handmade & charitable gifts with each other. It's a lot more fun & satisfying than going to the mall.

4. Craziest/funniest holiday family tradition:
My family is very small (growing up, it was just Mom & me), so we don't have a lot of traditions & not much in the way of  unique ones. The funniest story is probably when the cat (not Sam, an earlier, kinda mean black cat named Cat) knocked over the Xmas tree while I was at school. Being a latch-key kid, I came home, saw the huge, 7-foot tree down in the living room, & panicked. I thought I'd get the blame. By the time Mom got home in the evening, I was in tears. She gets a great laugh out of that story now.

5. Favorite type of Christmas cookie:
All of them! Hmm... I rather like gingerbread because I only have it in December, but I also love rolled sugar cookies. Love decorating both of these, so much fun (but I didn't have time this year).

1970s partridge in a pear tree ornament made by my mom, now on my tree.

A Couple of Casuals

Thanks to my super-awesome pal, Sarah (whose blog Yet Another Fashion Blog you really should check out), I have documentation of a few casual outfits. Because when we hang out together, she's the one with enough foresight to bring a camera, among other things.

So reverse chronologically...

Mmm ... circular chair.

Yesterday, we met at the mall after I was done working from home. After I bought shoes at the Clarks store, we walked across the street to the other mall for happy-hour cocktails & a snack.

Here, we're goofing around in Z Gallerie on the wild furniture amongst the wacky art. Hopefully the pix I took of Sarah will turn out because she was wearing a fabulous little outfit featuring some really spiffy tights.

What I'm wearing:
Black wool ruffled bolero sweater, Kohl's
Black & grey pinstripe long-sleeve T-shirt, Old Navy
Black linen skirt with huge pockets, H&M
Black leggings with lace insets on the side, NY & Co.
Black elastic belt with large silver flower, NY & Co.
Black spool-heel boots, Target
Chunky silver bead necklace, Target
Raisin Rage lipstick, Revlon

Art is fun!

 Last Friday, Sarah & I went to Rabbit's Foot Meadery, a tiny little place that serves amazingly good ales, meads, & ciders. It's run by SCA folks & is quite a regular Friday-night hangout, so we knew lots of friends would be there. Photo on top I took at home before leaving (forgot that was on my camera!) & Sarah took the photos below at the Meadery.

This is my Exclusive Bitch face, powered by two beers.

What I'm wearing:

Black peasant top, Macy's

Dark grey jeans, Calvin Klein

Pale pink glass bib necklace, Forever 21
Black & pink Victorian-esque dangly earrings, random accessory store
Dark cherry lipstick, Sephora
Pink flower hair clip, Forever 21

Moar Shoes!

Hi, my name is Trystan, & I'm a shoe whore.

This is nothing new, of course. I've had this little addiction for years now, decades even. I'm just getting a bit more upscale in my choice of drug. Tho' I still have a nose for bargains.

When my black knee-high boots bit the dust, I wanted to replace them with real boots. The old ones were cheap, poorly made, all synthetic materials, & the uppers were stretchy fake leather. My calves are wide, but I held out hope that I could find real leather to encase them elegantly.

I'd been reading reviews online, especially at Barking Dog Shoes, & bookmarking possible boots. Then today, I happened to be at the mall (yeah, a few days before xmas, it's a long story & I'm nuts). I walked by the Clarks store & saw "25% off when you buy two pairs." I walked in, as one does. There I saw several pairs of boots I'd been stalking online. Dun-dun-dun!

A latte later, bolstered by my compatriot in love of shoes, Sarah, I tried on a few boots & some shoes, & bought the Wyld Polka knee-high boots & the Indigo heels, together costing about what one pair of the boots usually costs. They were both so comfortable, such a great fit, & perfectly awesome looking. I suspect I will wear out before those shoes do!

I haven't owned a pair of Clarks in ages, & I miss them. Such a great, reliable brand. Not always the most fashionable, but if you find something classic like these two, well, you can literally wear them forever.

Oh & I totally want to swap out the laces in the Indigos with different ribbons to match my outfits. How cute would that be???

Unexpectedly Last

I didn't plan it, but this is my last outfit worn to the office in 2010. I thought I'd be going into the office on Wednesday & then working from home on Thursday; we have Friday off, along with all of next week. But this afternoon, my supervisor came by & said there was no need for me to come in tomorrow if I didn't want to. Turned out everyone else in our department was working from home or on vacation already!

What I'm wearing:
Black lace jacket, Macy's
Black long-sleeve T-shirt, Old Navy
Dark grey jeans, Calvin Klein
Black pointy boots with buckle accents, Baker's Shoes
Pale pink glass bib necklace, Forever 21
Black Victorian-esque dangly earrings, random accessory store
Dark cherry lipstick, Sephora

These are the jeans I ended up buying on my recent quest, & I give them a solid "thumbs up." Very comfortable & attractive. No gaping at the waist, & they don't feel quite as short as I initially thought (tho' I still wouldn't wear them with little flats).

This evening, I received the additional jeans I ordered from Macy's online. The "worn black" wash CKs are awesome! Same fit as the ones pictured here, almost true black, plus there are black studs along the front & back pockets for a nice, punky touch. Love them!!! Unfortunately, the Calvin "skinny" jeans were all a failure. Same size as the above, but apparently it's not just the legs that are skinny -- I couldn't zip 'em up. Ugh.

The Levis were the right length, nice cut, & a rich, true black, but not the right size. I think I just misremembered from what I tried on in the store (fingers crossed). If the Levis 512s are available online, I'll try the next size up. All of these jeans were in the $30 to $50 price range, most were on sale, & I consider this a perfectly reasonable price for jeans that fit. Especially black jeans!

Not totally satisfied with this outfit. For one, I need to replace the buttons on this jacket. They're cheap, ugly plastic. With all the holiday crafting I'm doing, I didn't want to lose the jacket in my sewing room, so I hung it up in the closet immediately. Thus, I forgot about changing the buttons & then thought, hey, cute jacket I haven't worn! Oh well. I'll get to that little project next week, when I'm off work. I plan to blog a little bit more then, maybe even some casual outfits. We shall see...