what's in my bag

It's been a really long time since I did a "what's in my bag" post and I thought now that I have a youtube channel it might be fun to do it as a video this time!

I'm still getting the hang of recording videos, I feel like I talk too fast and get out of breath too quick which doesn't happen when I'm talking to humans in real life. And I'm so self conscious of how I look in motion lol! I know I'll get used to it eventually since THIS was my very first outfit post, but right now I'm cringing so much while I edit these! I'm really looking forward to when this feels as natural as taking outfit photos does.

Anyway, here is the video! Please consider subscribing to my channel if you haven't already! :) And for links to the bag and everything in the bag, it's all listed in the description on the video here.

party pooper

I am so in love with this suspender skirt! Isn't it the most perfect thing ever for showing off t-shirt designs?! Growing up my parents owned a music t-shirt store so I had a healthy supply of t-shirts as a kid, and even though my sartorial tastes have skewed towards vintage/retro/dressy stuff as I got older I still enjoy finding new ways to work t-shirts into my outfits! This particular shirt is my own design (I posted a timelapse of the drawing process in the story highlights on my instagram!) and it's also available as a lapel pin here.

Also, can I just say how much I LOVE IT when Arrietty decides to hang out with me for outfit photos? Honestly she's always in the room, usually just arms length away on my computer table, since she's like my little shadow. But it's even more fun when she gets in the frame lol :)

skirt - amazon | t-shirt - my shop | shoes - bait footwear

life .. uh .. finds a way

Happy Jurassic World Day!!

I know that Jeff Goldblum doesn't apparently have a lot of screen time but to be honest I'm looking forward to seeing Dr. Ian Malcolm again more than anything else in this movie lol! I'm sure I'm not alone on that, right? I'm also excited about the dinosaurs, obviously, but even the little nod to Malcolm with the book sitting on Jake Johnson's desk in the first Jurassic World was the highlight of that movie for me. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't re-release the first one for the 25th anniversary this year, but there IS a brand new installment in the series out today so I need to just be happy about that and stop whining ;)

If you haven't checked out my Jurassic Park accessories in a while, definitely take a peek in my shop here. I've added a lot over the last two years! I have so many pins that it was a little hard trying to choose which one to go with for the themed outfit today, but ultimately it wasn't much of a contest -- Future Ex Mrs. Malcolm won hands down! It's my personal favorite of my Jurassic Park pins, especially because I think the idea of making an mosquito-trapped-in-amber engagement ring was pretty clever (girl.)

dress - modcloth | sweater - forever 21 (old) | shoes - bait footwear

belt - forever 21 (old) | future ex-mrs. malcolm pin - my shop

I want to live in a house

Do you ever get an idea that you're so excited about you just can't think about anything else but making the idea a reality? That's me right now with building a tiny house. I'm not counting on it completely since I don't have the money for it yet, plus I have no idea if New Jersey zoning permits tiny houses, but it's the only thing on my mind. I even found the exact tiny house I want! It's a kit, so you have to assemble it yourself or hire a contractor but it's perfect for me. It's a little over 250 square feet plus it has a loft area. I already have the layout planned in my head, lol! Ideally I'd want to remove the ladder to the loft and add a spiral staircase. All I've ever wanted is to live in the apartment from Sunday in New York and I think it would actually be feasible with this home (or at least *very* close.) I think if I try to save up it might be do-able in the next year. That is, if I cut back on spending (with the exception of dresses because life still has to be worth living in the meantime, LOL!)

Anyway. I'm sure there's a good chance I'll read this in three years and be like "I totally forgot about that abandoned dream!" but right now it's fun to be planning this out. Oh, and since I said I'd start linking to the songs I use for my titles, this one is a song from the movie Starstruck and you can listen/watch the song being performed in the movie here. It's one of my family's favorite films and I was super lucky and got to see the director in person while I was at the TCM Film Festival this year! She also directed My Brilliant Career, which I highly recommend if you want to watch an ultra feminist movie co-starring peak handsome Sam Neill.

dress - asos | shoes - bait footwear | scarf and brooch - vintage

ring a ding ding

I decided to start wearing earrings again recently, and I was shocked that my holes were still there after like 10 years of not using them?! I'm a lot more sensitive to the weight of my earrings than I used to be (maybe I'll get over that once I'm adjusted to wearing earrings regularly again?) so I've been seeking out really lightweight earrings. So far I've found that pom-poms and wood are the best materials if I want a big statement earring without the heavy load :)

You know, I'm coming up on ten years of blogging here and I've probably used song titles as my blog post titles hundreds of times without ever acknowledging the song in the actual post. I think I'll start changing that now. Ring a Ding Ding is a fun swingin' Frank Sinatra song (and also the name of one of his albums) and you can listen to it here!

dress - mata traders (old) | shoes - bait footwear | cardigan - amazon

mint daisies

This week has been so busy and hectic that I've spent every night staying up until about 4am trying to get caught up on work, and my brain is FRIED. I stared at this empty space for at least 20 minutes trying to think of what to write today and I couldn't think of a single thing. Except to say how tired and brain dead I feel, obviously! lol! I think things will be calming down a little on Saturday so I might just sleep in and then read a little or watch a movie to unwind. Nothing un-fries a brain better than a lazy pajama day! :D

dress - asos | shirt - forever 21 | earrings - atomic kiki | shoes - old

bette davis eyes

Every time Brandon Flowers or The Killers cover a song I end up liking it better than the original, without fail. This is my favorite of their cover songs. And have you ever heard Brandon Flowers' cover of Bette Davis Eyes? It's so good! You can listen to it on youtube here.

Bette Davis is one of my favorite actresses, and I've seen most of her movies at this point, but I just watched a new-to-me one recently called Marked Woman and it was fantastic! It's part gangster movie, part courtroom drama, with a satisfying helping of girl power. If you have Filmstruck it's available to stream here.

t-shirt - my shop | skirt - amazon | shoes - bait footwear

who wore it better?

When I found these shorts on asos, I had major deja vu. I owned an almost identical pair when I was eight years old! I found a photo of me wearing the shorts on a trip to Disney World and thought it would be fun to recreate the outfit! Minus the peace sign fimo clay necklace, lol!

So, who wore it better? Me, or me? 😂

shirt - amazon | shorts - asos | shoes - asos

rainbow sherbet

Does anyone else pronounce sherbet "sherbeRt"? I have no idea why I add an extra R in there, but it's how I've always said it and I can't seem to shake it lol

This was one of three dresses that I bought with Disneyland in mind earlier this year, and didn't end up wearing it there. I'm sure it will get a Disney day at some point though -- I'd love to take pictures of this in the circus section near Fantasyland in Disney World! I think it's such a fun dress and so easy for matching! Today is scorching hot so I'm going cardigan-less but the possibilities for cardigan/dress pairings are endless since it has so many colors in the design!

dress - modcloth | shoes - asos | belt - old | sunglasses - amazon

masterpiece

Today I'm going to see one of my favorite movies, Jules and Jim, on the big screen! It's one of the rare movies that falls into my "personal favorite movies" list and also my "best movies ever made" list. It makes my heart almost burst, I enjoy the experience of watching it SO much, but at the same time I think it's a perfect cinematic masterpiece. Most of my faves are fluffy 60's comedies and capers, or 90's teen horror flicks, or Fred and Ginger films (sidenote: if anyone else is a huge Fred and Ginger fan, The Film Society at Lincoln Center is doing a complete retrospective in July!) They're all super fun to watch but not necessarily Citizen Kane, you know? But Jules and Jim. Sigh.

I was talking about Jules and Jim with my dad recently, and I said it's like the movie version of the Mona Lisa. It's enigmatic, it's a great work of art, and you aren't entirely sure if it's smiling or not. And it deserves to be in The Louvre.

dress - modcloth | cardigan - amazon | shoes - bait footwear

I scream, you scream

Like basically everyone who has an instagram account, I love taking pictures with ice cream cones in the summer. I do not like that they're melty, and that I need to find an ice cream shop that matches my ~aesthetic~ in order to get a perfect photo. So I just bought a fake ice cream cone. I KNOW IT IS SUPER EXTRA. But look how cute it looks with this sweater!

Plus fake food makes for great knick-knacks. I have this on display on a shelf when I'm not pretending to eat it for social media, lol. I got it from this display food site, and I'm so tempted to get their fake sushi and a giant fake cake even though I have literally no actual use for them. I think I just miss play food. I had some really cool play food when I was little. My favorites were always the ones with "real" restaurant items like Pizza Hut personal pan pizzas or Dunkin Donuts donuts (they looked SO lifelike!) I went to a toy store recently and the selection was kind of pathetic compared to the 90's, which I'm guessing must have been the hey day for plastic food? Now it's all miniaturized and so unrealistic. If I was a parent I think I'd just buy my kids restaurant display food instead, lol!

dress - thred up | sweater - modcloth | shoes - bait footwear

arms are for hugging

Today is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and to raise awareness for the cause Everytown for Gun Safety is asking people to wear orange June 1 - June 3.

In America we are TWENTY FIVE TIMES more likely to be killed by a gun than citizens of other developed countries. Every single day 93 Americans are killed by guns. 93. Every. Single. Day. That's unacceptable.

I've always been a proponent of gun control, but ever since the Newtown tragedy it's felt so much more urgent. No parent should ever be afraid to send their kids to school. Nobody should ever be scared to go to the movies, or to shop at the mall. Honestly if I had my way, I'd get rid of guns entirely. I hate that they are used for hunting animals, and I hate that they're used for killing people. I just don't understand the need for a machine thats sole purpose is to kill.

But most gun safety organizations, like Everytown, aren't actually trying to get rid of guns entirely. They're seeking common ground with people like me (guns are evil!) and people who are responsible gun owners that never want to see another American massacre. They want background checks and safety locks and reasonable, common sense laws that will keep guns out of the hands of people who might hurt innocent children or church-goers or college students.

Wearing orange today, tomorrow, and Sunday will help raise awareness for this vital cause. You can learn more, take action, and/or make a donation on Everytown's website, here.

And honestly the most important thing you can do is vote. Vote for candidates who will keep us safe, not the ones that are beholden to the gun lobby. Vote in primaries, local elections, midterms, every single time that you can cast a vote, do it! And if you aren't registered yet, you can do that right here.

dress - asos | cardigan - amazon | shirt - urbanog (old)

shoes - bait footwear | button - homemade