And The Days Go By

______Welp, another week has zoomed by and I didn't even realize it. I hope you all had a most excellent holiday, ate lots of things, saw lots of family, blah, blah blah, I'm sure you've heard this from every blog so I'll spare ya. My Christmas was more wondrous than I could have imagined, as was having everybody (including our spoiled wirehair pointer pup) under the same roof. The parental units cooked a meaty turkey on the Big Green Egg to celebrate our togetherness, and we opened the gifts up on Christmas Eve, as per tradition. I received a lovely number of cycling goodies and a limited edition gold Zelda 3DS.

______Yes, I am twenty years old. Yes, I was ecstatic to get Pokemon X and the newest Animal Crossing. Yes, I stayed in my fluffy robe all day and played my handheld nonstop.

______Huzzah, adulthood!






______Thinking it was over, and more than thankful for what I had already been given, I moseyed on over to our cookie counter to suck the white chocolate off some pretzels doused in the sweet stuff. When I turned around, I heard a soft clicking noise, and to my astonishment, witnessed my dad wheeling out a brand new Specialized road bike. It possessed a dazzling black frame that boasted a carbon fork, and the curved handlebars were taped off in a fiery red.

______Such divine. So much unexpect. What pretty. How English?

______Somehow my dad snuck this into the house and hid it under a big old tarp from me for two weeks, even though I was mere inches away from it from time to time. I don't question the big old tarps. Oblivion is a beautiful thing.

______For those of you who don't know, I'm super into biking and have been seriously for about three or four years now, doing at least ten miles a day, even if that means braving the cold winter air at 5 in the morning before college classes. Now, I'll be able to better that tradition and train more smoothly on roads with this bad boy, who I have named Sir Spider. Pre-Sir Spider, I tried to convince myself that I didn't need a shiny new road bike, but after receiving this one on Christmas morning and easing through my usual routine in record time, along with feeling faster than a cockroach in a brightly-lit room, I quickly erased that notion from my mind.



Cape jacket: via Lotus Boutique (similar)
Dress: Charlotte Russe
Booties: Lucky Brand, secondhand (similar)
Bow gloves: via Target
Socks: also via Target
Necklace: land down under naw naw jp Charming Charlie

Holiday Lately

______Somehow, someway, I've gotten myself into a busy rut--and on the winter break, at that! I built myself a mega-canvas on Tuesday and have been painting on it ever since, and my, how time flies when you paint! Why, one of the clocks in my house sprouted wings and took flight after it witnessed me at work. Now it is out in the real world and will probably soar to a neighboring state and befuddle the citizens of a differing time zone.

______But I digress! Because of my severe case of the busy bees, I was unable to get any formal outfit pictures up this week; however, I have been snapping a few pictures here and there of myself and of all the scrumptious things I've been baking, so that counts for something, right? Close-ups of my face, my fashion junk, and sugar-filled goodies... what more could you ask for?

______Hope you guys have an excellent weekend! Be sure to devour everything you can, and watch out for flying clocks!



Sunnies: thrifted
Booties: Lucky Brand, secondhand (similar)
All jewelry: Charming Charlie
Sweater: via TJ Maxx
Hair: styled by the mom

Wintry Wishlist + Persunmall

______Now that exams are out of sight and out of mind, I can relax to the max, both by merrily working on some art things and doing a much needed closet cleanout. I've already sold a good chunk of my wardrobe, and today I'm getting to organizing my socks. Guys, please don't ever become a sock and tight addict. It's not worth it. I'm drowning in an estimated fifty plus pairs of socks and tights and now very aware that I have a problem. Welp, the first step is admitting it.

check sweater | abstract sweater | green dress 

necklace | red sweater | cropped blazer 

______Once I get through it, though, I'm eager to fill the cracks of my closet with a plethora of wearable new goodies, namely smart, classic patterns and bold hues... perhaps some of these delicacies from Persunmall would fit the bill? Persunmall offers an ogle-worthy collection of sweaters, dresses, shoes, and more; I'm seriously impressed by their stylish selections! I'm especially eying their sweaters, like the three I've picked out above.

______What colors are you most excited to wear this season? I'm pretty in love with deep burgundy right now!

Cinnamon and Cloves

______Besides baking truckloads of scrumptious cookies and fudge, one of my favorite holiday activities is viewing the festive light patterns that speckle and spatter people's homes in the crispy cool evenings. Not far from my own house, there's a quaint cluster of homes on a hill that's vivified at night by a spectacular montage of tacky holiday decorations. And when I say tacky, I mean all the tacky. All of it: odd Santa Clause blow-ups with spinning eyes, labyrinths of intricate candy-cane paths, multitudes of seizure-inducing lights, rainbow-bright reindeers, and nativity scenes constructed from blowups and plastic figurines that pulse with a strange inner light.

______My family lovingly calls it, "Redneck Christmas," and we appreciate its fragility each and every passing holiday season. It truly is a spectacle to hold within your mind.


___
______This camera here was purchased for five buckaroonis (yes, that is most definitely a word) at an antique shop. What it lacks in function it gains in being a precious little prop. And also at being a weapon for slinging ferociously at zombie butterflies. They're coming one day, you know. Legend says they're born when the butterflies in everyone's stomaches are regurgitated after college finals are over. Be safe out there, my friends. It is said the collective beating of their wings can deafen a man.



Coat: Altr'd State (same here)
Dress: Forever 21
Socks: Target
Booties: Chelsea Crew (similar)
Gloves: some leather shop sorries forgot
Earrings: Charming Charlie
35mm Kodak: $5 from an antique shop

Dreamscenes I

______Man, I've been slower than a fat Santa through a chimney on keeping up with my artwork this semester, but I feel like that's because I've been experimenting and learning new ways of approaching art opposed to actively working at producing end products. Which I am totally fine with. You can always make stuff on your own, but sometimes you need a little teacher coercion to tug you out of your comfort zone.

______I did come out with a few snapshot-worthy works, though, and I'll be posting those throughout the winter break (if I make it through exam week... insert frightening organ pipe music here). This was my figure drawing final, in which we were to create whatever we desired using anything at all.  I mean anything. One guy used butter, mustard, and vaseline to finalize his, and curiously enough, it was effective.

______I didn't add perishable food products in mine, but rather opted to scan through my Word document full of dreams I've scribbled down and use acrylic. I decided to base mine on an uber weird dream I had that involved a mushroom-cloud-like tree, two figures contemplating said mystical mushroom tree, and multiple crows delivering cobs of corn to the tree (which I chose to left out, because naaaaah). 

______There are lots of things I've learned through making this: 

______a) working on such a large scale is quite refreshing! 

______b) I need to paint more and more, for I've only produced a single-digit number of paintings and I know I could have done better than this. Painting should be second nature to me by now! 

______c) dreams are a rich source material, and having a fashion blog and a brother who is overtly willing to pose for you makes finding decent models easy peasy!

Dreamscenes I, acrylic on Rives BFK (60"x44")

Figure Drawing, Fall 2013

Pale, Pink, and Punctuated

______BornPretty sent me over these neat little punctuation mark earrings, and I think they're positively precious! Quirky earrings have to be my favorite accessories, because even if you feel like they're a little too much, you can always have them peeking out from your hair to tone 'em down a bit. But I was more than delighted to let these punctuated cuties have full stage. Plus, it got me out of my comfort zone with outfits and into the colorful tight wearing season.

______They have an arsenal of funky fresh earrings, and you can use the coupon code ALT10 for 10% off your order.




______For those of you who celebrated it, I hope that your Thanksgiving was wonderful, and that you voraciously consumed unmeasurable amounts of gravy-slathered turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing until your stomach faced a glorious, carb-induced coma. Mmmm. May we all suffer together.

______I am thankful for many things that I am unable to list. I am thankful for my new car; although it is no longer a cute little beetle bug, it has much more amenities, is much safer for interstate travel, and can lug around all sorts of clunky art projects (and more dead bodies, as a friend so kindly pointed out). Now I have five extra seats and a trunk bigger than a mini-fridge to carelessly toss junk in. Fabulous!

______I'm thankful for the wonderful art teachers I've had this semester. Though the semester isn't quite over yet, I've learned an abundance of artsy knowledge, such as discussing the direction of my own work, conveying ideas on a deeper level, exploring potential career opportunities, and learning how art nowadays isn't about being able to render something like a renowned Renaissance artist, but rather (loosely) a practice that depends on how you do it opposed to what it is... which is weird.

______I am thankful for my bike and for my darling roommates, who are the best I've had so far in college.

______I am mostly thankful for my parents and how supportive they have been... especially over this break, since I have art projects spilling from one room to the next (specifically, one on each floor--one consuming the floor of our second-story bonus room, one in the main floor's study with colored pencils flanking it, and a decent sized painting lazing about my dad's basement workshop).



Dress: Forever21
Blazer: Charlotte Russe
Tights: probably made from cotton candy
Booties: Jeffrey Campbell
Earrings: c/o BornPretty
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Hair: styled by Momma

And A Roll Tide to That!

______One day, I will grow sick of brightly colored socks that scream in your face louder than sleep-deprived children do in the middle of a morning church service.  One day, I may not be attracted to the most obnoxious lip stain in Sephora. One day, I may have a grey hair. Alas, today is not that day, and I shall continue donning the brightest of reds and most pleasant of prints.

______But let's not lie here--vibrance is a dandy quality that all can enjoy. Be colorful and be bright, my pleasant little friends. You were made to stick out, just like a pair o' nipples through a sheer silk blouse on a blustery winter day.

______(Why were you wearing a sheer silk blouse on a blustery winter day?)

 ______Not my problem. You should have checked the weather.





______One of my favorite things to do on the University of Alabama's campus is shout, "Roll Tide!" from the balconies of the art buildings when a University tour group waddles through the art quad. I've always received a bustling, "Roll Tide!" in response, which is comforting as much as it is hilarious.

______It's funny because even as a Junior, I still haven't attended one of the games yet (hey folks, I made a good amount of moolah off last week's ticket, can you blame me? That's a butt-ton of gumballs). It's also funny because I am an art major, the lowest denomination of student at the grand University of Alabama. Don't get me wrong, I do love the benefits it gives our school, but I've never been an avid football fan myself; however, I will be spirited and shout at the wee folk when the opportunity is presented. Doing so makes me feel like a snotty old king who is perched atop the art buildings, shouting gleeful things toward the peasants below... ah... ahaha... peasants...



______The phrase "Roll Tide" has become a verb, a mood, an adjective, a synonym for many phrases. It can mean, "Damn straight!" just as much as it means, "I fervently agree" and, "I have no idea why you would do that, but okay, we'll go with it." It's all about the tone of your voice.

______Have a very Roll Tide weekend, you guys. Be sure to Roll Tide.



______**Also, the winner of the Canon T3i camera, Sunita H., has been contacted! Congrats!**

Jacket: via Belk
Dress: Forever 21
Socks: also Forever 21
Oxfords: Jeffrey Campbell

Canon T3i Giveaway! [Closed]

_____Hey there, dear minions followers. Man, have we got a giveaway for you today: A Canon T3i bundle! Want to enter? Read through to the widget below.



_____But wait. There's more. Along with winning a camera that's cooler than the one I currently own, you're also getting a remote timer and a camera strap of your choosing.

_____Why? Because the lovely lady Katherine from Of Corgis and Cocktails, along with 13 of us other ladies, have scrounged up enough of the green stuff (the legal tender, not the illegal substance) to purchase these desirable goodies to give away. Katherine's birthday is on the 23rd (which is also when the giveaway ends!), and to celebrate that alongside her second blogversary, she instigated this fabulous giveaway. Now if that ain't sweeter than your grandma's homemade cookies, then I don't know what is. But ah, enough of my bombastic babbling.

_____To enter, follow the instructions below:

_____1) You must be following me via Google Friend Connect (GFC) 
_____2) Enter in the Rafflecopter widget for additional entries (the more you follow, the more chances you get to win!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

_____Enter and be happy, my sweet followers. And thank all of these lovely ladies below for such a grand opportunity.  Oh, and a big, frosting-covered HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to you, Katherine. I hope it's a good one!




Katherine of Of Corgis & Cocktails // Kelsey of Ladies in Navy // Sabrina of One City Owl // Maddie of Maddie Richardson
Marisa of The Shades of Monet Chronicles // Jennifer of Earl Grey Blog // Shell of Kitty and Buck
Amanda of Amanda K By The Bay // Ali of The Drawing Mannequin // Nicole of Happy Pretty Things // Yen of Diva In Me

Elana of Room 334 // Sara of Swing the Day Away // Jenna of Smitten

**Giveaway is now closed, and the winner has been contacted! Thanks everyone!**