______I always see lots of fashion bloggers with what I call their signature purse--a purse which they are wearing in many or most of their outfits, a purse which radiates with that blogger's inner flame (this is gettin' deep, guys). I have always felt a bit empty since I have no "signature purse" to call my own. Sure, I have some purses that I use to carry my things around, but never one which was fully versatile like I'd want it to be.
______I have been searching for a purse for quite some time now, and have been quite picky about it: I wanted one that was leather, had a detachable cross body strap, was cognac in color, and would be big enough to fit my camera without being too large of a bag. I don't want to give off that crazy bag lady vibe. No offense to any crazy bag ladies out there. Welp, while shopping with my mom and brother this past week, I stumbled across what I was pretty sure was my dream purse. I basically stood still and stared at it, refusing to leave it from my view until my mom decided to come over and look at it with me. I unzipped it, took out the paper tissue stuffing, put my own things in there, and walked around with it on my shoulder for a while. It felt so right. It felt so true, so honest. It was like the boyfriend I never had, or never will have.
______Love at first sight is real, you guys.
______It's going to be one of my birthday presents, so I won't be able to actually have until then (a month and a half to go!). But purse-dearest is there in my mind, and the perilous journey of finding it has at last come to a halt.
______Have you been searching for anything in particular lately? Whether that be some tangible thing, the promise of adventure, or a man who has the body of Chris Hemsworth and the class of Robert Downey Jr.?
Bodysuit, socks: Forever 21
Skirt: JCPenny (eight dollars!)
Necklace: Charming Charlie's
Heels: via DSW
Ring: white gold with sapphire and diamond; graduation gift from dad!
______I had a pretty good weekend. Yesterday, le family took a trip out to a local state park to attend a "Trader Days" event! It was basically like a giant outdoor thrift or craft mall of sorts, where a bunch of local artisans and collectors of things arranged their wares beneath an array of tents. There was actually a ton of neat stuff--I ended up getting three really neat necklaces, one which included some matching earrings. This one lady had a mad collection of costume and antique jewelry, and when I told her I would give her twenty dollars for a necklace, she bumped it down to fifteen! It was rather lovely of her to do so since I'm really no good at bartering... or social situations in general.
______I also worked my first pool shift of the summer on Saturday. Kind of exciting, I suppose! It'll be nice to finally have a steady supply of moolah these next few months, even if they're not suuuuper huge paychecks. All I really have to do is keep the pool clean and make sure that no thugs set anything on fire. Other than that, it's basically a sit-and-make-sure-that-the-pool-guests-behave kind of job. That, and a play-Pokemon-when-everyone-is-behaving kind of job.
______Hope your week is going smoothly!
Top: AZWell
Skirt: Charlotte Russe
Heels: Liz Claiborne via TJ Maxx
Necklace, earrings: Charming Charlieee's
Purse: vintage Coach
______I received this lovely and ever-most gorgeous plaid B.B. Dakota skirt for Christmas from my parents; up until now, I haven't had a chance to wear it since it was a bit too big. It flopped below my waistline just enough so the pleats wouldn't lay right, sort of like a forlorn jellyfish. Thankfully, I finally got around to taking in some of my old skirts last week, and so now my closet feels much better--it sure stinks to have a bunch of clothes in your closet that don't fit right! That problem is remedied now, though. Hark, the closet angels sing! My sewing skills are pretty awful, but taking in skirts is one thing I can do right. Or kind of right. Kind of right might even be stretching the truth. Sigh.
______...Well, as long as you maintain a three-mile distance of where I took it in, everything will look just fine. Promise!
______I probably could have worn this skirt in a more exciting way since it has so many colors in the plaid, but for now, this will have to do for introducing it to le blog.
Top: Bissou Bissou
Skirt: B.B. Dakota via Modcloth
Necklace: Alter'd State, from brother dearest
Clog heels: Charlotte Russe
______....Patrollin' they be tryin' to catch me drawin' dirty. Tryin' to catch me drawin' dirty. Tryin' to catch me drawin' dirty.
______How's that for an awful song remake?
______"Hey, Ali, who sings the real version of that song?"
______Chamillionaire, of course.
______"Yeah, let's keep it that way!"
______Well.
______Anyway, here are two charcoal drapery studies that I was required to do with for my Drawing I class! Drawing with charcoal can be quite the messy task. You kind of tend to get it all over your face and your whole body, and then when you're done with the class, it doesn't look like you walked out of art class--it looks like you got into a brawl since the charcoal marks resemble bruises. It doesn't help that the charcoal likes to pretty much stain your skin and not wash off until the entire campus is convinced that you're one tough chick. That, or a victim of roommate abuse.
______I like to think I'm pretty tough. I mean, how many people can brag about being able to beat the tar out of small, immobile things that can't attack back (such as, but not limited to: Furbies, chess sets, and sand-filled hula hoops)? That's what I thought. Not many.
______Stay strong out there, citizens. The world is merciless.
Drapery Study + Dress Drapery Study, charcoal, Drawing I, Spring 2012
______Hey, how many pictures can I take where I'm looking to the side and not smiling? Apparently all of them! Sorry for the angry/fierce stares of doom that I've got going on. I promise I'm in a happy mood. I'm just as happy as a jubilent little bumblebee in a hive full of honey. No, really--I'm all done with exams and my freshman year of college, so what excuse would I have to not be happy? Exactly. These pictures are merely an illusion. A lie. A stripe-y and yellow-y lie.
______Last night, I saw The Avengers with two friends and my brother and it was amazing. I'm not going to say anything in case any of you haven't seen it yet, but yeah, it was just plain ballin'. And there was so much man eye-candy (Captain America's bootay, anyone? Or how about Hawkeye's perfectly sculpted arms?). And Robert Downey Jr. was his precious and witty self as usual, of course. I'll stop here and spare you any more ramblings before things get too out of hand.
______Even earlier on Thursday, mother dearest and I went out to do a little shopping and got pedicures for the first time in what seemed like months. The guy who gave me mine was sort of hilarious--he said some silly things, one of them being about the massage chair: "You can turn off the butt massage with the button at the bottom. The chair tends to get a little perverted. It has a mind of its own." He spit out a bunch of other clever things, too. I don't know, I just appreciate when people actually have personalities; it seems that they can be hard to find in people these days. Maybe it's just me. I always try to be happy and friendly, and it's nice when someone else does it in return! Heck, sometimes if a cashier or a worker seems bored with their life, I'll tell them that their hair is really pretty or that I love their earrings or something with the hopes that it will cheer them up and maybe make them a little more friendlier in the future.
______Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a nice start to their summer (or end to their school year... or just a generally nice time)!
Dress-tunic: Ross Dress for Less
Shoes: Palladium
Necklace, earrings: Charming Charlie's, land of fabulous jewelry
Cuff: Lulu*s
