A Touch of Gold + ShopBevel

______One of the lovely ladies from ShopBevel sent me this neat studded ring from their newest designer collection, "A Touch of Gold," that launched today.  ShopBevel is an online jewelry trunk show that works with independent designers to make unique designer jewelry affordable to everyday peasants such as ourselves.  They add new designers frequently, so it's easy to check back and always stumble across a new treasure.  In addition, ShopBevel lets the community vote on what designers they would like to see, and as we all know, having a choice in the outcome of things is always lovely.  Always!

______That being said, if you guys see anything you're totally into at ShopBevel, you can use the code DRAWINGMANNEQUIN for 25% off your entire order!



______In other news, I am wearing lipstick here.  Really bright lipstick.  Bright pink.  It's aptly named "Brazen Berry," which is exactly what it makes me feel like--a very bold, tiny fruit, one wandering aimlessly in a world of larger and more intimidating fruits.  I'm almost certain the color was made by liquifying Barbie and reshaping her into a stick.  Many Barbies were probably sacrificed to make this shade of lipstick.  For shame, Maybelline.  For shame.

______But I'm getting away from the point--I've wanted to wear lipstick for a while now, even if it's just a nuance different from my bare lip color, but I'm always afraid of the looks people may give me (and have given me).  Whether these are looks have been looks of approval or dissaproval, I am unsure, but I'm not always the most confident person, even though my writing may indicate otherwise.  It's so much easier to be confident and outgoing on the Internet when you wear your screen like a guise.  But soon, I will overcome my shyness and blossom into the brazen berry that I was born to be.  Soon, I will conquer not only earth and its inhabitants, but a tiny tube of obnoxiously bright lipstick.

______Be brave out there, my citizens.  This world shows no mercy.




Asymmetrical top: TJ Maxx
Anchor belt: some store in some faraway land
Booties: Chelsea Crew
Leopard tights: Kohl's
Cicada earrings: Etsy
Ring: c/o ShopBevel
Lipstick: Maybelline's "Brazen Berry"

Business Time

_____I used to not be a big fan of blazers, but I quickly learned to appreciate their classiness after getting my hands on this one.  My dad gave me a gift card for Valentine's day and I spent it on this blazer and another one, plus a pair of sheer patterned tights that I remembered seeing Lyddie wear (because as we all know, I am slowly attempting to suck out Lyddie's soul and become her continue to be inspired by her).  Buying those things broke the self-imposed shopping ban I've been on for nearly three months, but it originated from a giftcard, so does it really count?  I think not.  Thus, the shopping ban continues, and with the strength of a steroid-infused pro wrestler.



_____I also wanted to take a moment to thank you all--some you guys' comments on my last drawing made me smile so much!  So much, in fact, that flowers grew from my face.  You think I jest, but I do not.  Literally, flowers sprouted from my face--roses, poppies, hydrangeas, and even a few daisies.  I had a flower beard upon my face, a tiny green garden of loveliness.

_____Well, not really.  What I'm getting at is that I'm quite flattered by you lovely people.  I'm not as hesitant about posting artsies on my blog anymore, and it's all thanks to you guys' kind words.  I know that art is pretty much my thing and major, but still, it can be mentally difficult to post it, even if it's not posted that frequently.  However, I've definitely become more comfortable posting it, and I'm just quite happy to know that you guys are okay with that.

_____So, yeah! If you ever have any little ideas or things you'd like to see me draw, throw 'em at me! I enjoy drawing some weird things sometimes so don't be shy.  I'm shy, but that doesn't mean you should be.  Two shy people just don't go well together, kind of like a mustard, blueberry, and cottage cheese sandwich wouldn't go well together.  I hope that didn't put a weird taste in your mouth.  It put a weird taste in mine.  I'll leave you be now.



Blazer: Kohl's
Skirt: JC Penny
Heels: Jeffrey Campbell
Necklace: vintage costume jewelry
Earrings: uuuhh some shop with a name

Something Fishy

Untitled Work in Progress, 12x8.5, ink

______One thing I really do miss about this semester is not having any type of drawing class. My "artsy" classes are 3D design, which is actually turning out to be quite fun, mainly because cutting wood results in such a pleasant, burning tinder scent, and then (as you all know by now, I'm sure) that film photography class.

______My classes end around dinnertime every day, so after devouring food, I usually have this nice slot of free time at night before I collapse on my bite-sized dorm bed.  I've found that the looming hours of the night are optimal for creative things like drawing and writing, and so I've been trying to use that to my advantage.  Also, when I say looming hours of the night, I mean any time when it's dark and before 10pm, because I'm a lame-o who needs her sleep since she wakes up at 6am like clockwork.

______Yep, 6am.  I'm kind of the worst college student ever.  I haven't gone to a single college party, and I don't plan on doing so any time soon; chances are I've usually fallen asleep by the time a party starts.  I'm basically an old lady in the body of a 19-year old chick, and I even drive a beetle bug to seal the deal.  I haven't ever had alcohol before.  I tell people that and they don't believe me.  It's just never really fazed me.  It's never been important, and I've never wanted to try it.  Once the sun sets, I just want to lock myself in my dorm room, drink copious amounts of English Breakfast tea, avoid human interaction, draw things, and listen to orchestrated soundtracks and 80s pop.

______But instead of describing my hermit lifestyle, I will leave ye fluff-muffins with this drawing I started last week.  It's a dreamy little self-portrait that I sketched out and inked over the course of the week, and now all that's left is to do is color it!

Dragonblood + DressesStylist Review

______This outfit features another lovely dress that DressesStylist sent me for review.  This one is flowy and fabulous, and just like the first dress I received, is of high-quality.  Though still quite dressy, I feel that this one is a lot more acceptable for day-to-day wear.  The criss-cross back is a cute detail, and I also adore the asymmetrical chiffon hemline since the layers catch the wind so elegantly.  The hemline is like a cape, but for your booty. A booty cape. My friends, join me as we begin the generation of the booty cape people.

______The deep red color is another nice little element, and I'm pretty sure it's the exact color of dragon blood.  I don't know what color dragon blood would actually be since dragons are extinct and all, but if I did know, I'd say their blood was the color of this dress.  I sure hope dragons stop being extinct soon so we can find out.  Dragon blood just sounds rad.  It sounds even cooler when you take the space out of it words together: dragonblood.  That would be an awesome book title.  I should write book titles.  Is that a job--writing book titles, and nothing more?  It should be.

______I feel like this post is pretty choppy, and I'm going to end this post by saying, "I hope it stops raining."  I like the rain and all, but not when it interferes with my morning bike rides.  I much prefer foggy mornings. Every morning last week, I was able to ride around campus in the fog, and it made for the best bike rides in the history of bike rides ever.  Fog is neat because it not only devours all the sounds and brave souls around it like some semi-transparent sponge, but it also makes the temperature perfect--not too extreme on either side, just the ideal 55 degree lovechild of hot and cold.

Asymmetrical dress: c/o DressesStylist
Heels: Jeffrey Campbell
Collar necklace: Wet Seal
Bracelet: Lulu*s
Clutch: won via giveaway

As The Wind Beckons

______The picture-taking process started out pretty normal.  As mother dearest and I snapped pictures, there was a slight breeze, one that tousled my hair here and there, as it normally would, and made a few ripples in the fabric of my dress, and maybe even loosened a few stray hairs from my ponytail.  Nothing too severe was going on.  Nothing too awful.  Nothing that would cause alarm.

______But then, without warning, a monstrous wind came from nowhere and furiously swept itself through the area, twisting and dancing through leaves and clothes and hair.  The people of my valley were astonished by this dasterdly wind and took cover.  But no, not I.  I would not wimp out and take cover like those peasants.  I would not succumb to the fear created by the wind.  I was a man, a real manly man.  A real manly man who liked monster trucks and football and bench-pressing girls in swimsuits.

______And so, being the manly man I was, I embraced it.  I embraced the fear.

______And then magic happened.






______....And here's an especially magical one.



______Also, I'm pleased as a peach to announce that the winner of the $80 Msdressy voucher was Heather.  Congrats, lovely lady!

Dress: Modcloth
Studded jacket: JC Penny
Houndstooth tights: pressie
Ankle booties, most jewelry: Charming Charlie

The Dark Room

______Before she entered, she remembered there was sun.  Sun that was bright, beaming, and perfect.  The skies were blue with wisps of clouds in the sky, and a warm breeze pushed them through the air like little ships through Caribbean waters.  It was a flawless day, really, and that was very unfortunate.  She would not be able to enjoy such a perfect day, but that was that, and there was no use dwelling on it.

______The building before her was quite old, with moss seeping from the fissures of the worn brick.  A vine curled lovingly about the curve of the door's arch, and from that, a single yellow flower popped from a green bud, pleading for attention.  She opened one of the heavy doors.  Both were marred with peeling paint and chipped so the moldy wood showed through, and the metal knobs were spattered with layers upon layers of rust.

______Beyond the doors was a room much dimmer than the daylight.  Even further in were more doors, and little passageways here and there, all which progressively grew darker as they worked toward the center of the building, all which led to their own important areas.  The room at the very end of the hallway was the darkest room of all, with no light other than a faint orange-red glow that flickered like a weak fire from above.  That was the room she went to.  It wasn't her favorite room, but she had a penchant for it.  It smelled musty, but it wasn't a bad smell.  There was something about the strange smelling room that was homey.

______After adjusting to the room's scent, and soon not even being able to notice it at all, she began the process.  She spent many hours inside that place, working away, moving things from place to place, checking things, testing things, always concentrating on details, never halting except for thinking.  Minutes passed.  Hours crept by.  The hand on the clock was always in motion, as was her own.  She never paid attention to the exact time.  There was no point in looking at the numbers on the clock.  The numbers that the big and little hands were pointing at were not important, because what they told her wouldn't matter.  It wouldn't matter how long she was in there until it was done.  

______She was responsible, and looking at an arrangement of numbers on a circular plaque would not change that.  Time had no meaning in this place.



______But soon, it was done.  Soon, the process was over.  She could look at those numbers and care, but even so, they still would not be important, and so she refrained from doing so.  Things were put away; everything had it's own place.  As she closed one of the hefty doors, she sighed, though the wind was quick to steal her breath, so all that was heard was the whistling of the wind and the scratching of shutters against plastic windowpanes, and all that could be seen was the slinking of the sun behind fog-ridden mountains.

______Anything that happened at that moment would have been an okay thing now that everything was finished.  The darkness and the cold wind were trivial matters.  The dark room had been reduced to a thing that her mind was able to comprehend, and that was that, and nothing else ever felt more important in that moment.  Nothing else came to mind.  Nothing else at all.  She was okay, and she almost felt like smiling, even though she missed out on the perfect day.  

______There would be other days, she told herself.  There would always be other days.