undeniable determination

dress - vintage/altered

shoes - aldo :-p

coat - target

This outfit is a testament to how determined I can be when I find something online that I really like but can't have. I saw this dress on Modcloth last year and coveted it for a while before finally buying it for my birthday in November. It was much, much too small for me (those darn hips again) so I had to send it back. But ever since then, I've been scouring the etsy vintage listings every week for a plain teal sheath dress to alter. I finally found it about 2 weeks ago! The dress was about 5" too long for me, so I hemmed it, and used the excess fabric to make a peter pan collar using this tutorial. Then I used some plain white fabric to make a giant bow, and ordered gold buttons from amazon. By the time they arrived I ended up deciding that I really liked the dress better without them, though. It's much easier to dress up or down, and match it to different sweaters without the gold.

Now, the shoes. When I saw these on Modcloth, I fell deeply in love. But I have these really stupid ethics about wearing real leather (sometimes I get on my own nerves) and wouldn't buy them. Enter a day-long internet search to find a man-made alternative. After trying every single store in my shopping bookmark list, I finally remembered to try shopsearch.com, where I stumbled upon a pair on Aldo that were 50% off. The color is a little different from the Jeffrey Campbell pair on Modcloth (which I prefer) but they're definitely sufficient. They have the exact same shape, wood stacked platform heel and cute penny loafer style.

I'm absolutely thrilled with the shoes now, but I do have to say that Aldo's customer service is the worst I've encountered (well, except for a tent company I dealt with a few years ago, but that's another story for another day) I'm not going to go into the whole thing, but suffice it to say, I'll never buy from them again after this experience. I guess on the bright side, at least I didn't have to purchase real leather :-p

sunday funnies

In the last week, I have become utterly, hopelessly, wonderfully in love with the SyFy show Eureka. It's about a town of geniuses who work for the government to create the newest cutting edge technology, whether it's medicine and cellular technology or nuclear weapons. The town sheriff, Jack Carter (played by Colin Ferguson, who is so brilliant --and so cute-- I feel like squealing each time he's on screen) is not a genius, but he more than makes up for his intellectual shortcomings with his wit, common sense and spot-on hunches. The show is part drama, part comedy ... the overall storyline is serious, but each episode has more than enough humor to keep it light. Even when a computer malfunction triggers a 24 hour countdown to planetary destruction, there are still jokes all around. It's geeky, but grounded. I mean seriously.. if I could marry a tv show, I would be Mrs. Eureka by now. I'm just so head over heels.

So, you're probably wondering by now.. "why are you posting this on sunday funnies day, Kate?" Glad you asked. It's partially because I couldn't contain my excitement any longer, and my family locked me in my room until I promised I'd stop talking about Eureka (I'm exaggerating, but they'll probably resort to that soon.) But it's also because this one clip from an episode I watched tonight struck me as so hilarious that I had to share it. I don't know if it is as amusing without the backstory of the episode (short story: contaminated meat makes all of the geniuses temporarily super stupid) but to me it was spit-out-your-grapefruit-juice, hyperventilating kind of funny. But then I'm sort of high on Eureka love, so I might be a bit biased ;-D

meow miaou meu

Crazy cat lady necessity: a tote bag that says "meow" in 10 different languages. Seriously amazing, and only $15 at fieldguided. I have a box of 200+ tote bags in my basement that have my art printed on them (they were a stupid investment that never sold at my art shows) and yet I still find myself buying tote bags all the time. If ever there was an example of someone buying something they don't need, this is definitely it. ;)

By the by, does anyone know where I can find some pretty cat carriers? I need new ones for Chloe and Hypatia but all of the ones I've found so far look like ugly luggage. I did however find some beyond awesome cat beds during my search..

posh frock friday

dress - 60's vintage

shoes - marshalls

cat necklace - modcloth

About Posh Frock Friday participation -- I think most people are under the impression that you need to be REALLY dressed up to join in. But just because I choose to wear crinoline and cocktail dresses doesn't mean you have to! It's really just about whatever is posh to you. The idea behind the day is to wear something that makes you feel special and less ordinary. Wearing something you love puts an extra pep in your step, whether that is a prom gown or cotton jumper or blue jean overalls! Since I wear dresses almost every day, I like to save my favorites for Friday, but that doesn't mean you have to :) Whatever makes you feel happy and more dolled up than usual -- that is your posh frock!

If you joined in this week, you can leave your link below :)