New Media Fashion Brunch

I know I am literally "tardy to the party" as far as when I arrived at the New Media Fashion Brunch on Friday, March 12th, (Indiana had to come unlock a door for me to let me in), and in that I'm just now posting pictures.  I have no excuse - I've been seduced by sleep and SXSW the past week.  Nonetheless, I was very excited to receive an invitation to this event that Indiana of Adored Austin put together and hosted for fashion bloggers in and around Austin. 

Of course I tried on about five outfits before I decided on what, (thanks Michelle for helping!).  It was windy outside and we were going to walk a lot, so I opted for flats.  I got this necklace at a boutique in Granada, Spain because I loved the color.  This tunic was too short after I belted it, so I put a white skirt underneath it to add length.

Tunic: Forever 21
Skirt: free from clothing swap
Boots: Buffalo Exchange
Necklace: Spain
Belt: Thrift Town
Bracelet: gift from step-sister

The food was almost too pretty to eat - breakfast treats and lunch fare laced with jelly beans and candy, and lovely displays by sponsors and Etsy Austin.  And the food wasn't just pretty, there was a lot of it; when leaving to walk to the boutiques, Indiana had her purse stuffed with Jelly Belly's and chocolate biscotti for anyone who got hungry, I think that's evidence she's going to be a great mom!  Our treat bags included the supplies for making an obi belt (there weren't enough needles to go around, though), as well as lots of pendants, rings, cute business card wallets, and other fun swag I was excited to find.  We first walked over to the 2nd Street shopping district, and I had to leave after that to see my family, but the girls continued on to South Congress afterward.  I'm sad that I missed my free cupcake!  There was lots of networking and business card swapping going on, so maybe I should make my blog a business card for future, similar occasions?  

Clearly I need this necklace, right?  Or at least that charm.

and finally...

You didn't know I was such a Bowie fan, huh?

In retrospect, I should have taken way more pictures, but I was shy because I didn't know anyone.  There were lots of lovely ladies to meet, though, so please check out the blogs of the following girls!

Rachel

Kelly & Kristin

Katy

Kayla

Tranish

Diya

Market Publique

Fashism

and of course Indiana!

There were a lot more girls there, and I know I'm leaving someone off and already feel terrible, please see the New Media Brunch page for the full list of attendees, and I have to run off to work now!  I hope you enjoy this lovely, warm day.  Prepare yourself for the mass amounts of band photos I'll be posting next.

OMG! Band of Horses & Holly Miranda Are Coming To My Church!

 
Can we take a minute to talk about how much I love love love Band of Horses, and Holly Miranda ever since I fell in love with The Jealous Girlfriends?  If you've been with my blog for a while, you may remember how Holly Miranda broke my heart when she canceled her appearance at Mohawk, after I bought tickets just to see her open for some other guys I'd never heard of.  All is forgiven though, because during SXSW she's playing in my church's sanctuary and I get to volunteer and thus be allowed to watch!  OMG!  So excited!

Speaking of church, this is what I wore to go there this morning.  We have a new co-pastor, Joseph Moore, and he's very nice, and funny, and apparently has read my blog!  I feel all famous now.

Today I had a difficult time getting dressed, as I only knew I wanted to wear these shoes, and couldn't think of anything to go with them.  It's like writer's block, but more of a social hazard, as nudity is looked upon unfavorably.  "Fashion block"?  Seeing as services start at 11 a.m., by 10:48 it was time to wear SOMETHING, so this is what I haphazardly ended up in.

Shoes: Anne Klein via Buffalo Exchange
Skirt: J. Crew
Cream shirt: from a boutique in Columbia, MO
Tank: Old Navy
Necklace: from my mom's costume jewelry

After church I had a shopping date with Michelle, so I got to do an outfit switch-a-roo, and the fun challenge of this is to leave on as many original items of clothing as possible, proving one to be a master of wardrobe versatility.  I give myself a 7 out of 10 in this church-to-Sunday-shopping transition, as I only kept on two original pieces.  (It's Olympic season, perhaps I've caught the fever).

Shorts: Bitten, $2 from Thrift Town
Flats: Target (big spender at $17)
Cardigan: Old Navy
Necklace: Sola on the Triangle

Michelle and I walked over to Sola, and I realized that unless they are having an end-of-season 50% off sale, I really can't afford anything but jewelry.  But they have lovely Oxford flats that I so-so-so would like to buy myself for a mere $90... I appeased my wants with a $12 pendant reminiscent of this famous photograph.  We then drove (I know, lazy us) over to Buffalo Exchange, where Michelle found swanky $50 Michael Kors heels, which if they were in my size, might have gotten "lost" in my car on the way home.  We then hopped next door to Toy Joy where I got to try my first taste of vegan chocolate hazelnut yogurt.  I'll probably be going back for more, soon.  Next week we have another girl date and I'm so excited: Zara and Alice in Wonderland (with costumes!!!!)!!!!

Oh, and did I mention how excited I am about Band of Horses and Holly Miranda?  Because I am.












And of course, the song I've been trying to learn to play on guitar for like, three months, but have yet to master, (plus I just love the video and the bottle breaking - just wait, I'll have a cover of this song... sometime... and it will make babies weep, for one reason or another):

A Short Guest Post (Gwost?) + An Award!

The Novelista Barista posted my New Years Resolutions for 2010 over on her blog - which is both sweet and exciting!  There is lots of motivation for positive goal setting if you head her way.

Amy over at Ha Ha. Wait. What? gave me this awesome blog award - which is basically the BEST blog Christmas present ever.  Thank you, Amy!  This is especially flattering because Amy has excellent taste in her blog reader, and I've slowly been making my way to check out all of the blogs she frequents, as most of them are wonderful. 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  Indiana at Adored Austin recently posted this picture of the world's most awesome alligator ring, which she found at Target, and I might have to go see if they have any left... after I've swept and done my chores, of course.  Back to work on Monday after a nice holiday and stints with younger kids in community clubs - remind me why I chose older kids over elementary?  They're adorable!  (Until they throw sticks at each other).

Butterfly Necklaces + Urban Decay Love Affairs

The butterfly necklaces I ordered finally came!  A few weeks ago I purchased this orange pendant along with a black and blue butterfly pendant from Butterfly Senses on Etsy.  They had taken a while to arrive, so I'd gotten nervous they were lost in the mail until I re-checked the seller's web site and noted that these pendants are made in Malaysia, so I should be probably be a little more patient.  The patience was worth it, because they got here yesterday and they are lovely - my new favorites. 

I've been trying very hard lately to not shop, but I have indulged a few purchases.  I'm finished with clothes buying, seeing as my Austin closet, compared to my wall-o-closet and then my walk-in-closet from my two Little Rock apartments, is paltry in comparison, so nothing new will fit inside.  But, there's always room for jewelry and makeup.

While in Killeen last week, I stopped by the new(ish) shopping center in Harker Heights to go by Ulta, a makeup store that is like Sephora, but with more drug store brands.  Can I also note, that when I lived in Harker Heights in 3rd grade, there was a Wal-Mart, a Win-Dixie, a local rodeo... and that's about it.  Now the Win-Dixie is gone, but it has Club Rodeo in the parking lot, so that sort of makes up for my loss, and with the cigarette burn scar I have on my elbow from the creepy guy who hit on my step-sister, that place is eternally "burned" in my memory... (ha, sorry).

Moving right along... I usually skip the drug store makeup since I can buy it at Walgreens, and head straight for the Urban Decay display.  I've lusted after the mica powder and glitter pressed into Urban Decay cosmetics since the only place I could find it was at Nordstroms in the Galleria when I was in Jr. High, (my love of sparkles is a long-standing affair).  Today, I love Urban Decay even more because it's vegan-friendly and cruelty free, which is to my detriment, because it further justifies my decisions to buy products with money I should be saving. 

This trip, I picked up the Ammo Shadow Box, because I couldn't decide on one color, and truth be told, the box itself was so damn cute that it influenced my indulgent decision.  Even though I rarely wear more than mascara to go about my day, I will take any excuse to wear rock-star glitter... even a trip to a cowboy bar like Club Rodeo.

My favorite item by Urban Decay is their Heavy Metal glitter eyeliner... a discovery made after I tragically used up my entire stick of glittery purple eyeliner pencil from Hot Topic after owning it and using it sparingly for three years.  If you see me wearing this stuff, rest assured I feel on my A-game.  And just so we're clear, I've never been paid by Urban Decay or given free samples - they have more of my money than I care to admit - so if they ever feel like sending me something in reward for being a loyal customer, I'll be camped out by the mailbox. 

Now, about being a saver not a spender...

Favorite Finds: Glam Rock Princess

Sunday night was the Ladies Rock Camp showcase, where the three bands got to perform their songs on stage in front of friends, family, and bar patrons.  My band went with a black and pink theme, (although one of our girls - a former Hell Mary roller derby girl, had to voice her concern that these were the colors of a rival team - but we went with it anyway), and I don't think there's any color combination better suited to rock and roll.  On Sunday afternoon I overslept during a pre-performance nap, so I had to throw on my pink knee socks, pleated skirt, and black t-shirt quickly.  In my fantasy world, I would have sported glam rock attire more like this:

Pink shiny dress by Claire La Faye: I love wearing dresses and skirts because they're easy to move in, and shiny + bright lights is the equivalent of getting extra star power on Guitar Hero. 

Bicycle necklace by Maureen Duffy: This necklace reminds me of vintage french art prints.  The fact that it's also black and rough looking makes it all the better to add a touch of edge to something sweet.

Mini chrysanthemum earrings by Pretty Littles: I don't have the earlobes to wear dangly earrings, but even if I did, I'd imagine having long earrings while hopping around would not be comfortable.  I'd go with something small, pretty, and poppingly bright. 

Black cherry blossom ring by LuLu Coco: Not only do I love big cocktail rings, but this one is also black and floral.  It seems appropriate to wear a fat ring when fingers on guitar frets will be the center of attention.  Plus, the seller is offering a buy two get one free deal on all of their rings like this. 

Flower headband by PBB Flowers: I hate having hair fly in my face, so I love headbands, even when I have a ponytail.  And this one is both feminine and bold.

Pintuck skull clutch by D's Chic Boutique: Skulls + just big enough for an ID, extra guitar pics, and maybe a capo.  What more do you need?

And of course, the final flourish: sparkly black chucks, like these Converse One Stars, which were sold at Target.  I have a pair in white, which I love.  Oddly, the price is only a few dollars off from the original Converse All Star, but I couldn't find any of the originals in the color sparkle, which negated a sale by my standards.  If you were going to be a rock star, what would your style be?  Goth ballerina?  Grunge goddess?  Blue jean virtuoso?

The showcase was held at Nomad Bar, which I will be visiting again in the future.  It's decorated with international currency, maps, and time clocks with major world cities.  As an army brat, I felt right at home.  They also had Mothership Wit, which just might be my new favorite beer. 

 

One of the Ladies Rock Camp bands on stage: Wild Things Disguised as Normal. 

 

Me with an extra belly thanks to my well-placed shadow, and our bassist Wendy, with Nikki in the background on drums.  My designated photographer didn't get any pictures of our guitar player, or all of us together, so if you have any better pictures, please send me some!

Terri and Melissa played for us after the Rock Camp bands, and Bonnie joined them on stage for a song.  I love their energy on stage and how comfortable they are as performers - it often goes unnoticed how much talent that takes until you yourself try to get on stage and realize it feels like you're standing naked on a pedestal - difficult to act at ease then!  The final band - if I understood correctly - actually formed at Ladies Rock Camp last year, called Butch County.  I'll be excited to see if anyone from this season keeps playing together in the future.  Either way, I can't wait to go back!

Favorite Finds + Day of the Dead Excitement

This Saturday will mark my first chance to participate in a Dia De Los Muertos celebration, and I couldn't be more excited!  Austin has a parade, there are Day of the Dead exhibits at the Mexic-Arte Museum, and after helping my kids make sugar skulls on Thursday, I'll get to try my own hand at it this weekend - assuming there's any meringue powder left over.

It's also this time of year that my family and I start compiling our Kaboodle lists for Christmas.  I have a difficult time choosing things I'd like to get, but I have no issue finding things that I like!  Here are a few of my favorites after browsing through Etsy:

Top left: goldfish ring by dillondesigns.  Choosing a favorite design was near impossible - I liked them all.

Top right: starry night lamp by glyntpottery.  I used to spend hours sticking glow stars to my ceiling in the patterns of constellations.  This looks much easier... and much prettier.   

Bottom left: Lucy peacock feather headband by Lovmely Accessories. This makes me think of a vintage ladies cap to be worn to a movie theatre with red velvet seats and chandeliers. 

Bottom right: Frida and Diego organic t-shirt by Mis Nopales Art.  Frida + Dia De Los Muertos + red + wearable art = perfect.

Top left: Upcycled orange vintage messenger bag by Get ready, set, go!!! This seller has all kinds of vintage luggage - including the baby blue cosmetics case my grandmother has (probably) had since the 60's - all with hand painted designs to guide the pieces into modernity. 
Top right: Typewriter key bracelet by Keys and Memories.  I've posted something like this before, last spring, so maybe the fact that I'm still attracted to it merits a purchase. 
Bottom left: Butterfly wing necklace by Butterfly Senses.  I actually did purchase this - two of them - just in different colors.  Hopefully it's as beautiful in hand as it is on monitor. 
Bottom right: Deep purple satin skirt by larimeloom.  It's true, I'm a skirt chaser, and I'm in fabric love.

Now the difficult part will be to remember that the money in my account is for spending on other people's Kaboodle lists, not my own!  Lucky for me, though, if I need an insta-fix of handmade items, I can go down to Parts and Labour on South Congress and spend the afternoon admiring hand sewn, hand screened, hand-me-down worthy pieces.  It almost makes me want to break out my hot glue gun.  Almost.