what's in your notebook?

I want to be a more active blogger, but my lack of camera is a major barrier! So I decided to take advantage of having access to one at work and took some pictures of the contents of my notebook. Now you'll have something (hopefully) interesting to look at though not fashion related.

Do any of you carry a notebook around for ideas and doodles? I never leave home without mine! I have a weird little hobby of writing syllabic poems (mostly haikus and tankas that I put on my tumblr), and I like to jot them down immediately as they come to me. Here you can see a bit of my writing process! Also, you may not know this about me, but I'm a wee bit of a cartoonist... not that I'm ready to be featured at the Louvre or anything, but I do enjoy it if just for my own amusement. So for your entertainment, here is a sneak peak at the contents of my notebook (which disturbingly might reveal the contents of my mind!):

PBR portrait, the drink of champions and the love of my life.

Some strange cowboy cat that came out of my imagination after several of the previous doodle.

Hey, Arnold! Because I can.

A creepy looking portrait of my hand. Ugh, more incentive not to smoke: my skin could really look like this some day!

Quotes I liked from a magazine article.

Poems being born.

I dunno, why the heck not?

Haha, a little doodle I drew to shame my PMSing boo.

Bare with me while I await the arrival of my camera's replacement charger and there shall be pretty clothes galore!

platfornication

Weird title, I know, but I've been lusting so hard over platforms lately I kind of wish I could do them. All night long.

(the Kork Ease platform wedges owned and frequently rocked by Calivintage)

One of the hardest things for me about moving out of the country in a month is trying to keep my clothing collection under control. I feel like I've been purging and purging my wardrobe, yet can't seem to muster up the self control to keep new additions from sneaking in. Some things I justify, by making myself get rid of three items for every one I add, or telling myself how useful all the blouses and blazers I can't resist will be for teacher outfits in China.

But then there's shoes. Oooooh wonderful shoes. I know a lot of girls can relate to the warm fuzzy feeling, the pitter patter of the heart, the cold sweat that erupts at the sight of a beautiful pair of shoes. Platform shoes are one of those highly impractical items to lug halfway across the world, being bulky and heavy by design. And just as the nature of eros in classic greek thought requires the beloved and the lover to never actually unite for "love" to exist, so must I be sundered from the object of my desire thus intensifying these pangs of plat-love.

(Sappho, thinking about the sequined Louboutins she can never afford.)

This feeling has inspired humans to create art about it for thousands of years, like Sappho immortalized in her fragmented versus on eros. I was similarly seized by inspiration when Margaret from the blog Shine by Three wrote up designer Irene Brandt, and I got a load of these incredible platforms:

I don't know why I am so in love. Maybe because they remind me of space-monster boots except super chic in lovely soft gray suede, and that they would make me taaaalllll!

I wrote a haiku about them for my tumblr blog:

You kill me, Irene,
with your fab ankle boots. Note
to Self: MARRY RICH.

Okay, so I'm no Sappho. But I do find it therapeutic to fantasize about all the platforms in the world that I shall someday make mine without actually indulging the urge. I already have more crap than I can bring to China, and must remind myself that China is a glorious mecca for all things trendy and fashionable and inexpensive... I can buy as many platform wedges as it takes to fill the void in my heart once I'm over there. I do have one really awesome pair already that are absolutely coming with me though. They're familiar and comforting (if not terribly comfortABLE). I love them even though they're far from designer. I picked them up for something like $30 in one of the ghetto fabulous boutiques at Underground Atlanta.

H&M blouse

Thrifted hawaiin print skirt

Sam Moon bag

Platforms <3

I don't have a good picture of them by themselves but here they are featured in these outfits. I wore this when my three best friends from childhood and I were on a trip together. As it happens, all three of them are TALL, like, grazing the 6 foot margin. At 5'4 I'd say I'm average, but somehow always feel like a twelve year old when the four of us get together!

(I'm the short one)

One more reason to declare my devotion to the plats: They make me feel like one of the girls instead of a little sister! As long as the rest of them opt for flats, that is...

(sorry for the quality and slight irrelevance of my images, my camera is still out of service so I worked with what I had!)

stars and stripes and outfit evolution (in reverse)

I think I'm going to be one of those embarrassing moms or kindergarten teachers who has a dress and a broach and a pair of earrings for every holiday. I love dressing in theme, and have the most fun ever preparing the right dorky outfit for the right occasion. Naturally today was Fourth of July! My camera is out of commission, but I had some fun with photobooth this gorgeous day of independence. Here's the evolution of my outfit (the top pics are the result I settled on).

I started with last year's Walmart tank, cut up and reshaped, but I didn't feel classy enough with the torn up T and shorts and braids.

I reaaaallly wanted an excuse to wear that amazing jacket I found forever ago at a thrift store.... but Atlanta in July is just not the place to pull that off. Plus I wanted that class-factor like I mentioned.

I got really happy with this old plain blue t-shirt; that with the paisley granny shorts and flats made for a sweet 50s picnic look, I thought. Plus I pinned up the french braids Heidi style. I'm using plain black sewing ribbon for a belt and my necklace is an anchor with an American flag design.

Hope everyone else looked festive and ate plenty of our national foods and mayonnaise and PBR etc.