thankful

The last year of my life has been very, very difficult for me. I've had something going on offline that made my life a living hell this year. It's not something I'm comfortable sharing (I didn't even tell my closest friends about it until about a month ago) but it was truly horrible, and it made every single thing in my life stressful, even the things I'd normally enjoy. Thankfully, the situation was finally resolved this weekend just in time for me to spend Thanksgiving feeling more grateful for all of life's simple pleasures than I've ever felt in my life.

There were so many times this year that I thought about the quote "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" because it's so true. We all choose to share tidbits of our lives online, but a lot of us are also fighting secret battles that nobody knows about. There have been a lot of times this year that posting my normal fluffy content on social media has been tough because behind the camera I've really been struggling to be happy. And there have been a lot of times that I just stopped posting things entirely because I couldn't bring myself to try to be positive online. 

Thankfully this chapter is behind me now and I can really enjoy my life again. I'm so excited to share *genuinely* happy content with you here and on social media this holiday season!

If you are also going through a difficult time right now and feel like you're in a tunnel of misery with no end in sight, know that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. You might not believe it now when every day feels like you're living a twisted version of Groundhog's Day, but someday things really will get better. And in the mean time please reach out to friends or talk to a therapist. My doctor helped me find a therapist earlier this year and our weekly video chats are what got me through this.

If you are reading this, I am so thankful for you and I hope you have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving today ❤️

dress - unique vintage | shoes - bait footwear | belt - collectif

100% that witch

Hey, long time no see! I promised you guys that in my next outfit post I'd be wearing a dress I designed and I did not mean for it to take two months but HERE IT IS!! 💁🏼‍♀️

I've had quite a lot of setbacks in the life department and, more relevantly, in the "having a room to take outfit photos in" department. The shower upstairs sprung a leak and flooded my studio several weeks ago! My pretty pink rug was ruined, my ceiling is all brown and peeling and falling apart, and I can't use my light because the water was pouring down through the fixture. The sky was literally falling, LOL! As you can tell by the grey wall-to-wall carpet here, my room still isn't back to normal yet. I actually have a replacement pink rug ready to go as soon as the contractors finish working on my studio. But I figured I'd waited long enough to share some of these dresses with you guys, so grey carpet be darned, I'm posting them!

This particular dress was the culmination of years of searching for a Halloween dress that wasn't black, dark, or orange. I wanted something really cute and pastel but also Halloween-y, so I designed it myself! I think this one is going to get a lot of wear in the next couple weeks. I also paired it with a brooch that I made (Veronica Lake from I Married a Witch with "100% that witch" written in her hat. I HAD TO DO IT.) I have my laser cutting machine up and running and I'm having so much fun coming up with new designs for it!

Oh, and I'm back to pink hair! I'm in the process of trying out a new method for dying it so that it won't be like neon pink, something a little more subtle. This was step one and I have step two sitting on my head as I'm typing this! If it all works out I'll write a little post with details about what I did :)

dress - my shop | brooch - my shop
cardigan - amazon | shoes - bait footwear

un deux trois

For this week's wardrobe remix I picked this most-perfect-item-for-fall-ever sweater. I've been wearing it a lot lately (including for pumpkin picking -- THE perfect place to wear it!) and I like it so much that I ordered it in dark green, too. I've always loved the idea of chunky sweaters but I don't usually like the way they look on me. The dropped shoulder seams usually create a weird bulge on my arms that makes me look bigger, but this one lays so nicely and I think it's actually flattering.

Can you guess which outfit is my favorite? I'll tell you at the bottom of the post! :)



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Skirt: Lazy Oaf (old)
Shoes: Amazon

This is going to sound so cheesy but the model in the product listing had her sweater tucked in a little bit, and I thought it looked so cool that I decided to try it. And that's how I've been styling it almost every time I wear this sweater now! It's a thick sweater so I was surprised that it worked, but I love it! Also I just got these boots recently that said "mauve" on the listing but are actually closer to my skin tone in person, and I love the lengthening effect I get with them. That's unusual for an ankle boot, they usually make me look two feet tall, lol.



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Jumper: Asos
Shoes: Bait Footwear
Necklace: Vintage

I'm just going to go ahead and say this is my least favorite of the three outfits, even though the concept is my favorite. I like the *idea* of a long necklace, tall boots, and a corduroy jumper but this dress just doesn't fit me well. I bought it about 12 pounds ago and it was big on me then, so now I'm swimming in it a little. I also need it hemmed a bit. I think if I get it tailored to fit me better I'd LOVE this outfit though! It feels very 70's-meets-cozy :)



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Hat: Forever 21
Pants: old
Shoes: Aldo (old)

Pants?! Yes, pants! This one is actually my favorite. I love these pants with these shoes, and I'm very obsessed with this chenille beret because it lays nicely, unlike wool berets which always, without fail, look stupid on my head. This is an outfit I could definitely wear pretty much every day this fall and I'd be perfectly happy with that! :)

whatever, as if

Something about this outfit reminds me of Clueless. Maybe it's just the combination of plaid with yellow and white? All I need now is a feather pen and Paul Rudd! ;D

On a totally different note, this weekend my brother had a severe allergic reaction to nuts and was in the hospital all night on Saturday. It was the scariest reaction he's ever had, and he actually passed out a few times before they stabilized him. He's totally fine now and completely back to normal (and decidedly more committed to carrying his epi-pen at all times!) but this seemed like a good time to mention the Teal Pumpkin Project. If anyone is unfamiliar, it's a movement to get people to offer allergy-free treats on Halloween. You can read more about it on their website, but basically you put out a teal pumpkin that indicates your house offers non-food items (like party favors, glow sticks, or little toys you can get at Party City for example.) You can paint your own pumpkin, or I've even seen pre-painted teal ones specifically for this purpose at Michaels!

When my brother was little we had to sort through his candy to pick out anything that could potentially kill him... which is scary in a very real, not Halloween-y way. I love that this movement exists now so today's kids don't have to be scared that the treats they bring home on Halloween could be dangerous. I'll have a teal pumpkin at my house and I hope you'll consider doing it too! :)

dress - c/o modcloth | shirt - vintage | cardigan - c/o modcloth

tights - target (old) | shoes - c/o modcloth | earrings - target

ginger spice

Happy fall! I'm trying to avoid sugar right now (I'm on an anti-inflammation diet in an attempt to convince my doctor that I can heal my body with diet instead of procedures and pills. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!) so no Starbucks pumpkin spice flavored goodies for me. I've been having ginger lemon tea every morning though, and it's *chef's kiss* so good! I'm just using a lemon ginger tea bag and then adding some extra grated ginger and a little bit of honey. It has a nice kick to it that helps wake me up, it feels very autumnal, and it miraculously seems to stave off hunger until lunchtime.

I used to be so snacky, constantly hungry and in need of munchies all day long, but since I reduced my sugar intake I'm not living in a constant state of starvation. Even if my diet plan doesn't fix my health issues I think I'm still sticking with it just because it makes me feel so much better. And I've lost a little weight on this diet, too, which was very welcome. I've been testing the limits of my dress zippers as of late, but this week I was able to easily fit into one of my favorites that had been unwearable all summer. Hooray!! :D

dress - asos | sweater - h&m (old) | socks - amazon

shoes - old | necklace - vintage