Lizzy Rae

Dear (Soon to Be) New York:

I’m sorry I have been avoiding the topic of your trip to NY. Or that when you bring it up I just start getting overly excited for the opportunity that you have to work there for a month and a half. Now, that may come across like I don’t care and that I can readily move along with my day to day while you are gone. It may seem like I won’t miss you every second of every day. Like for example, that I won’t miss you every time I watch Crime Dramas, make dinner, have sushi.  Or every time I give Buddy ice and secretly want to make him jump for it even though mom says we can’t. Or when I can’t help but think in analogies when trying to explain things, because that’s how you do it (PS it drives me crazy). I guess it probably seems like I won’t miss you during those times when I am reminded of what you would be doing.

Now I know you are not dying, that you are coming back in a month and a half, and that you are going to be having so much fun while you are there, hence the excitement that I express every time we talk about your trip. But I want to take a minute to set the record straight okay?

That month and a half, while you may think I can handle it, feels like years and it hasn’t even started.

I will miss you like crazy. Every second of every day. I hope I can come visit you.

xoxo

It might not be the first thing you think of, but sometimes when it comes to clothes good old grandma might just have some trendy digs lying around in her closet somewhere.

The story behind this statement…

I spent last week in Las Vegas for a photography conference with work. I flew, so I packed only my favorite clothes into a carryon and headed out on my Southwest flight. Keyword here is Southwest. Your bags fly for free and therefore my carryon sized luggage was unnecessary. But that is besides the point, the point is that because of my carryon sized luggage I had packed so very strategically for that week. I packed my favorite jeans, accessories, and shirts. The thing that I forgot was that Vegas has a very familiar yet repugnant smell to it. The smell of smoke that seeps into your clothes and into your luggage and doesn’t escape until you have the time to wash them.

Resourcefully, I got through Vegas with the clothes that I had. The next hurdle was when I got home that night went to bed and woke up the next morning and had to pack for my trip to Arizona. (The trip that I was leaving for in about an hour). With laundry still washing and Vegas clothes smokey I packed what I could and headed out.

So how do grandma’s clothes fit in?

On Saturday night while in Arizona, the bf and I went to meet up with some friends that were also in town and had drinks. Hmm those clothes that I packed to wear to spring training baseball games don’t quite work for that occassion do they?

So I went to my grandma’s closet.

There is a little girl’s excitement that happens when you open your grandma’s closet like you did when you were a kid. She always seemed to have shiny and glamorous stuff. So which of that shiny and glamorous stuff would fit for that outfit that night?

The outfit didn’t need to be too fancy but couldn’t be the Cubs t-shirt and sweatshirt that I had brought or be the only other suitable outfit which I had already worn on my way to Arizona that violated my never repeat an outfit rule. I needed something comfortable, casual, and trendy.

In Grandma Villa’s closet I found bunches of clothes that she had bought but never worn. Clothes that she probably didn’t know how to piece into an outfit but thought they were cute while shopping one day. I couldn’t help but drool a little. I was wearing my one pair of clean jeans and found a vintage flannel button up that fit perfectly with it.

When she saw my interest she threw some more clothes at me that she didn’t care to wear but that will serve a very important role in my wardrobe.

So whether your grandma is an impulsive buyer or not, I encourage you to peek around in her closet (if she isn’t creeped out by it)… you might be surprised what you find. My only regret to my excursion is that I didn’t take a picture!

xoxo

I love writing. I love expressing myself through words whether it be here or in a journal or on a dry erase board at work. I love to write. Whether no one ever reads it or all of the subscribers in the world read it. I love it.

I didn’t realize until recently exactly how much I needed that creative outlet. That outlet used to come from writing songs, writing lyrics, but as I got older and my expectations got higher writing songs became more of a stress than a way to let go.

So I began to blog. I wrote about what I was thinking when I was thinking it. But it’s so hard not to get stressed out by wanting constant relevant content. But there are no rules, no requirement of subscribers or readers, there is no need to think about Google analytics or feedburner numbers. It’s hard not to get sucked up into that and to just concentrate on the reason I started. To write.

So forgive me for taking a break from blogging. I was swamped with work and overwhelmed with the details of starting a new blog for my sister and I to enjoy together, talking about cheap fashion and beauty tricks and tips.

I guess at work I spend so much time seeing other people’s gorgeous designs and amazing content that I forget that I have something to offer, if not to anyone else then to myself, just by letting myself breathe and process the days. Live life in the moment a little more and quit sweating the small stuff.

xoxo

When most people think comfort food they think home cookin similar to mashed potatoes and meatloaf maybe? What is comfort food for you? I didn’t grow up with much down home cooking, we had meatloaf on occassion and some mashed potatoes always hit the spot, never really had casseroles, but to me comfort food includes mexican food and sushi. There is nothing to take my worries away like a bean and two cheese burrito from wahoos or a sushi night at ichiban. Today I went for the comfort food early, as I gave up my usual go to (Soda) for Lent and needed something to give me an extra boost of energy for the rest of the day, Sushi Boy.

I have said this time and time again, I am a sushi lover not a connoisseur so don’t judge me on my love for fast food sushi, it’s not necessarily my love for the fast food version but just my love for sushi in general that takes over and tends to veer left toward the closest sushi restaurant. Don’t judge me. Just love me and my quirky ways. And try not to be too jealous of my Sushi Lover Lunch.

{Sushi Lover Lunch}

I am getting extremely frustrated with my blog not letting me upload pictures. Coming soon…

On another note, I went shopping this weekend. If you recall I have said that I will not be purchasing new clothes this year without the assistance of my graduation gift cards, so just so you know all of my shopping purchases were done according to the rules.

Today’s outfit includes one new item, a long teal and dark blue striped T with a braided high waisted belt attached. Along with this item are jeans, a black loose sweater (for warmth purposes), and brown mid height flat boots.

I really love this new shirt, its a super casual shirt that can be dressed up a little and warn to work.

Here is the proof.

{The Proof}

Coming soon…

Happy Monday!

The pursuit of volume for a straight haired lady.

I have thick hair, there should be something to work with, but while I have thick hair it is also hair that completely lacks volume up until the point that it gets poofy at the bottom and starts to go crazy, all the while staying flat on top.

Curl my hair one second and the next second it’s flat. Flat flat flat.

Today’s solution… Big Sexy Hair products. Specifically Root Pump and Hair Spray

Root Pump (above) and Hair Spray (above)

36/365 

The chosen outfit to accompany this newly volumized hair was a teal blue blouse that is loose at top and banded at the bottom, jeans, and my favorite pair of yellow shoes. I think it was a little too bright though. I didn’t have time to take a picture today, or blog because my computer crashed and everything was a little behind but just picture it very bright.

I am not sure whether or not to consider my outfit an outfit. Is a top and jeans with no accessories and no layers an outfit? Something to ponder, if it’s worth pondering.

There was a company meeting today that culminated with Pizza. I am doing everything I can to not eat every piece. I am obstained completely. Magic. Instead I will eat my black bean soup that my mom made from her Trader Joe’s cook book that my sister and I GAVE her which technically means that we MADE it right? We made it happen. Cocky.

Well my thoughts are scattered because I am overwhelmed with the pizza aroma. So for now that will be all.

Besides the outfit (or non-outfit)…

Rating: Lame

Comments: Not an outfit, fix your hair!

Short lunch today so bear (bare?) with me. Today is kindof a crazy day. In the office at 730 out at 430, rehearsal for church worship team, and then the gym. Maybe its the same for you, but I have a really hard time getting all doll’d up for the day when I know that at the end of the day I will end up at the gym and get all gross. Also its hard for me to have motivation when I am not going to some special event. I tend to want to save up all of my good outfits for good days and the rest of the time I end up looking like a slob.

How to balance this? I don’t know. Just presenting an observation. This is why I have enjoyed this challenge so much. Having to think about my every day outfits and present myself as an overall professional image. Maybe.

For today’s outfit I have gone with Stacey and Clinton’s (of What Not to Wear) principal of shiny. Adding shine to my outfit with an adorable loosely fitted sinched waist top. I love it. (Gift from Stephanie and Sean for xmas. Thanks guys xoxo). It a shade of gold as well which is why it is so very much fun to wear.

Here it is with my usual combo of jeans and flats and a long necklace.

What is our thought on the hands on the hip pose? Beyonce enough?

Skipping all of the boring stuff…

Rating:

Top Knotch Top

Comments:

Love the shirt (blouse?). Have I mentioned that yet? Well I do.

“Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.” -YSL

The quote that I have featured on the top right of my newly formatted blog (with the new adorable header that my bf designed for me) is by Yves Saint Laurent, famous French fashion designer. I think this quote explains a lot of what fashion should mean to me in that fashion isn’t necessarily about what clothes you are wearing but how you are wearing them, not in the way that you wear them right but that you wear them with confidence. A challenge, to myself, to you (if you’re reading) to take a day and be a complete knock out. Who cares what you are wearing? Sounds dumb coming from someone who writes about what she wears everyday, as if anyone cared… but it is important that amidst the fun of writing about different pieces of clothing and different outfits to remember that its not the dress that matters its the girl.

Today’s knock out outfit… Would I normally call this a knockout outfit? No. But even with an overly bloated belly (not sure why, but it could have something to do with my usual salt content +1500mg, probably an overshare!) I will pretend its a knock out… Or say confidently? Maybe pretend for now, baby steps.

{When you think about it, Beyonce in Vogue and me in the office is really the same thing}

I think it’s important that I finally set the scene for how I blog most days and how I am blogging today. As usual I blog during my lunch break at work. At the beginning of lunch I walk over to Emily’s desk and ask her to take a picture of my outfit with my iphone. We laugh at the awkwardness of the background and how she is practicing taking pictures incognito for “People of Walmart”.

After that I write my post and then email the pics to myself and then post them as well. I like to make it a super quick process so I don’t spend all of my time editing and tweaking the post. It is meant to be verbal vomit (gross) of what I am thinking at the time.

Today’s situation, almost the same except that Emily went out for lunch before I asked her to take my picture so I might just have to add the picture later. Also in the mix today, spaghetti and a white tank. If you saw me eating my lunch at my desk today you would think, did the girl just learn how to eat? How do you graduate from college when you can’t even eat spaghetti? Well maybe you would agree with me, that eating spaghetti is hard because of the noodles. They are long and hard to twirl around the fork… but the main reason I am eating like a complete dork is to avoid spilling red sauce on my shirt. Good luck. It will probably end in complete disaster. Even dogs can eat spaghetti…

So anyways, there is one piece of clothing that always makes me laugh, well not exactly the clothing itself but the adjectives used to describe it. Batwing (Batwinged?). You know what I am talking about right? You probably don’t find it at all funny, but when my sister and I were doing inventory on my closet, any time that we had to label something batwing (ed?) I died laughing. She laughed too, but mostly because we are sisters and she is obligated to.

I have never worn this batman shawl, I have had it since this summer when I bought some things that would be more work appropriate at TJ Maxx, but never really thought of a good outfit to wear it with. You will probably laugh when you see this picture because, it is a black sweater basically and shouldn’t be too difficult to put into an outfit with just about anything, but I always found it difficult.

Today I conquered the batwing (ed?). Together with my new H&M white tank, not very new purple necklace, and pretty new purple knotted suede flats, I did it. We did it. Oh yeah and I also added a headband because my boyfriend turns to me the other day when we are shopping and says “I like it when you wear headbands.” (PS he has never seen me wear a headband but…) I said “okay” and today I wore a headband, ironic thing is most likely I will not see him today. Oops.

{Photo Updates}

Batwings and non batwings. Still trying to figure out how to not make my face look like a 12 year old. One day

Taking a second to write about something other than clothes…

The life of a TV Camera Operator. Late nights, early mornings, and a lot of driving. A lot of days and nights spent on your feet and not enough time between shifts to recover, so you get sick. Welcome to the life of my amazing and adorable bf Jason Ippolito.

Just thinking of him as he is working another 18 hour day with another early call time tomorrow morning and a head cold that makes him feel like crap.

{xoxo}