"A Ball? I long for a Ball!"

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend a magical evening with some dear friends at a Regency Christmas Ball.



We were all dressed to the nines and quite snobby about it ;P



Not everyone was overly excited to be there (or at least he claimed so with his "just shoot me now" pictures)



There were hours of lively dancing





In a beautiful hall



And some of my favorite people to chat with while nibbling on scrumptious food!




All in all we had a lovely evening of fun, beauty and elegance...



Well... mostly elegant.



We tried at least.

My First Christmas Tree

Why should it be traditional?

I spent all weekend putting my “Book Tree” up at the library. A lot of carting old encyclopedia sets up from the dungeon, stacking, re-stacking, and yet again repositioning to try to make them look like a short squaty red Christmas Tree.

Then I precariously balanced a star atop of it all.

It didn’t turn out exactly how I planned, but I’m pleased. Besides, what other job would I be allowed to cut paper snowflakes out to my heart content?

That's right people, a lot of sweat and (possibly tears) went into this, don't you dare destroy it.

I love my job :-)

"That Looks Like Something Lydia's Family Would Do." "Umm... that IS Lydia's Family."

The quote in the title was said by two co-workers of mine who just happened to be passing by a local park on Labor Day afternoon and noticed a group of people oddly posing like famous paintings, eating, laughing, talking and in general, just having a ton of fun.



In other words:

BEST. LABOR DAY. EVER.

Enjoy!

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Originally by Georges Seurat

Us:


"Opening of the Mouth Ceremony" from The Book of the Dead of Hunefer

(Sarah Beth is suppose to be Pharaoh Tom's head)

The Creation of Adam Originally by Michelangelo

(Sorry about Adam's clothing, or lack thereof,but I guess it's biblical!)

"The Hands"

Silly Adam, if he would stretch just a little it would work! Something I guess I could learn huh?

Apparently I Like To Randomly Point at Signs....

Next to home sweet home, my favorite place in the world just happens to be:



Actually it's Bellwood and the surrounding country side including the completely adorable town of David City (From East to West there's only one...)


This week was flurry of all my favorite things, like...

Books!

Shopping (with amazing sales!)

Fun Food,
(I don't mean to be disloyal or anything, but I happen to ADORE Arby's *hides*)

Movies,
Note: I give Letters to Juliet two thumbs up, Erica and I loved it!

and my absolutely wonderful family and friends :-)
I love my peeps!!

I Officially have the Awesomest Grandparents EVER.

Really.

In September 2007 my Grandpa said he wanted to get started on my hope chest. (My Grandpa makes hope chests as Graduation presents for all of his granddaughters) I did some brainstorming and googleing and decided I wanted trunk-ish chest that looked like it was a hundred years old.

Two and a half years later:



And it's just what I wanted! I love it!

The side, aren't the handles totally vintage?!


The lid open.



The lid closed.




The front


My Grandpa made the whole thing, by hand, just to suit the whim of his fanciful granddaughter.

I lovely him much-o.




... and me, goofing around with my webcam.

Outfit Six: "...And Something Blue"

I firmly believe that one of the key elements of frugality and practicality is knowing not how much to spend but WHAT to spend. I admit, I'm prone to buying something just because it's cheap, or because it's fits me. NOT because it's something I need, or even like.

Two weeks ago, my best friend and went shopping in the closest big city (a rarity for me!) We went to a huge (and I mean HUGE) consignment shop just for fun. (Fun here means: We tried on $80 dresses and took pictures, then we put them back!)

While I was aimlessly wandering through some $20 dollar items I saw lots of cute dress, some skinny jeans that would never, ever fit me. And... this skirt:

I loved it instantly, and guess what? It fit!

Now I had to decide if it was worth the $20. I knew that I would wear this skirt all the time. Nice enough for church with the right top, and fine for work or just having fun. The type of skirt I could wear once a week no problem, which is much better than buying 8 or so cheap jean skirts for 4 or 5 dollars that you only sort of like.

Considering that I have always wanted a practical trench coat (It's so African safari-ish) and that it was in perfect condition and only $10 made it completely worth it!

And finding a blouse that goes with the outfit just makes my second hand shopping day about perfect :-)

Merona Coat: Consignment Shop
Talbots Jean Skirt: Ditto
Blouse: Ditto
George Yellow Sweater: Thrifted

I had lots of fun putting these outfits together this week! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

(To my regular blog readers : sorry to post these pictures twice!)

Outfit Five: A Spoon Full of Sugar

"Helps the medicine go down,
in the most delightful way."


And having just purchased a brand-new antique umbrella,
($3.50)
certainly helps me weather the first rain storm of the year.


(I love how brand-new antique sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not :-) )



Today I wore:
Piper and Blue Blouse: K-Mart Clearance $5.00

Faded Glory Sweater: Borrowed from Debi

Van Heusen jean skirt: Consignment Shop $4.00

^same red shoes from Outfit Two

Oh, and I got my hair cut today.

Good?

Bad?

Horrible?

Outfit Four: What (not) To Wear

This is what I wore today.






Or not ;-)

(April Fools!)

One of the most wonderful things about second hand shopping is the vintage finds. This particular retro top is a favorite of mine. But after I first got it I couldn't figure out how to (and how NOT to) wear it. After my failed attempts (such as the outfit above) I learned several things about wearing vintage and empire waists:

a) Do not pair long shirts with skirts. You end up looks like a shapeless blob. Pair with pants or capris.
Also, mix modern with retro, you don't want to look extremely too out-of date, but still unique and creative.

Top: Tag-less. Goodwill.

Capris: (Actually they're technically shorts, but on me they're capris :-) ) Walmart clearance


b) Wear cute shoes with vintage, they deserve it.

^cute shoes, what TO wear: Khols

^What NOT to wear: Lands End Bargain Shop
These are great shoes for hiking and such, but just not with this outfit.


c) Don't mix too many waists into a single outfit.
High Waists = Cropped Jackets

The problem the first outfit has is WAY too many waists and layers. It's confusing and does not in any way contribute to slimming the mid section.

Jacket: Lands End Bargain Shop
This is also a favorite jacket, just not with this ensemble!



So instead, put the bow in your hair, and toss the jacket, it's spring people!!! :-)

I love the dramatic flare that a fun vintage top can add to the jeans and sneakers look!