Hello Weenie

Did I tell you we got a dog?

She is a tiny lil 5 pounder named Gertrude (Trudy for short).

Naturally, we like to put her in humiliating outfits for our own pleasure. Halloween is the perfect excuse to do so.

She was the belle of the ball at our halloween party on Saturday. I dressed as the Mad Woman in the Attic. You get exactly one million points if you have any idea what that is, which my uncultured friends were unable to do. Which is totally not their fault and they should in fact be praised for being friends with a giant nerd like me.

(Thank you to friend, Witt, for taking this delightfully creepy photo of me in madwoman action)

I also ran across this old throwback from 2010. I'm Annie Hall. Not sure if it was Halloween or just for fun as I would wear this on a normal day. (Side note: One of the biggest regrets of my life is misplacing those sunglasses).

Do you dress up your pets?
What's your favorite dress up moment?

Eating your way through Barcelona. Part UNO

Food glorious food, you will sing these words often in Barcelona. Particularly if you choose to treat yourself to a night of exquisite local dining like at the charming and rightfully celebrated restaurant, La Pepita (http://www.lapepitabcn.com). Shall I commence the obscene food pornography?

Start by ordering a few appetizers to share. We dove into these so quickly I failed to get a before shot. Let the ravaged plates speak for themselves. It probably doesn't matter what you order but this was a kind of croquette with sweet sauce and tart apple slices.

Get your own individual Sammy's. You'll need to eat these crispy bad boys with a knife and fork, and lick that soy avocado goodness off your fingers. I promise not to look.

We started with (delicious) wine but quickly grew jealous of the amazing gin and tonics we saw being made at the neighboring tables. We also read the words "world famous gin and tonics" in the menu and were instantly sold. They offer corking so we corked our wine and moved on to ginnier pastures. The face I'm making is probably related to the desert I just ate, which you can admire here:

This is chilled fresh pumpkin on fluffy cheese with honey and sugared nuts. Death and instant heaven. Come to me. 

It's a casual place, but its moments like these you must use as an excuse to get out your sparkly gold peep toes. You did lug them all the way to Europe, after all.

Wearing:

Sheer blouse hand me down from friend

Shorts hand me down from same friend (I have amazing friends)

Gold sparkly Nine West peep toes from DSW and probably made through salve labor and by chopping down a rain forest... But they were on sale! and so shiny! It was a momentary weakness and I will do better in the future.

African bracelet gift from Africa

Big red ring vintage from 70s (was my mom's)

Stack rings from Sole Shoes and Accessories (scoutmob)

Black nested ring from street artist in L5P

Shell ring home made by yours truly. Shell Yeah!

Want to go to La Pepita? Here's what you need to know:

Address: Còrsega, 343 Gracia, Barcelona 08037

Phone number: +34 932 38 48 93

Closed Sunday.

MAKE A RESERVATION!! This will allow you to breeze right through the hungry waiting crowds and go straight to your table.

Go late! Like anywhere in Spain it really comes to life after 9:30/10:00

Frida Love

We took our students to see the Frida and Diego exhibit at the High Museum of Art, so I got a little Frida-fied with my outfit. 

While I can easily recognize her work, there was a lot I didn't know about the colorful Frida Kahlo! I didn't know that her body was constantly in pain from polio and a bus accident as a teenager. I didn't know she was in love with a much older (and larger) Diego Rivera... that they got divorced.... then got married again. I didn't know that her accident made her unable to have her own babies. That she lived in the USA and hated it and Paris and loved it but was always obsessed with her native Mexico. Turns out, there's a lot more to Frida than colors, flowers, and self portraits!

Cool thing about being a teacher #951: sometimes you get to do as much learning as you do teaching!

Anyway, if you live in Atlanta, you should definitely visit the Frida and Diego exhibit at the High. If you have the option, definitely see the lovely multimedia performance before the exhibit. It's appropriate for kids and entertaining for adults, too. And if me and my blog post are any proof, educational!

Wearing:
Vintage peasant skirt
Blouse from somewhere crazy cheap and probably not ethical at all
Belt bought in Paris
Circle scarf gift from a parent
Boots from Target
Glasses from a boutique in Brooklyn, NY

photo haiku (love poem to Spring)

Pretty one.

Come quick, Spring! Craving

sockless shoes.

Fall (when these photos were taken) is a lot like Spring sometimes! They are the soft, bakery fresh bread sandwiching the slightly frozen bologna that is Winter. Days are clear, you get to wear loafers without socks, and you're in the mood to explore playgrounds along the Atlanta Beltline with pretty friends.

Come quick, Spring! You are missed. 

Wearing:
On Me-
Oversize blouse from Uniqlo
Loafers from Zappos (Steve Madden)
Skinny jeans from H&M
Glasses from shop in Brooklyn, NY.

On Freind-
Cute clothes. :)

Raven Cliff Saturdays

ATLiens, if you want a fresh way to experience Fall, I recommend taking the 2 hour drive from Atlanta to Raven Cliffs Falls. It's a lovely, easy trail ending in some impressive waterfalls. The last bit of the hike you have to scramble up these tree roots to get to a a cliff that causes your stomach to pay a visit to your throat when you peer over the edge.

I loved this weekend because it gave me an excuse to wear my cute polkadot backpack I bought in China and my vintage Outdoorables by Daniel Green. (I'll tell you a secret... I changed into ugly unstylish tennis shoes for the actual hike). I also threw on a bow, because, well, I just can't help myself sometimes.

I can't seem to stop photographing mushrooms. Below are just two favorites of the dozens I found. Did you know the "mushroom" we see is actually just the fruit? The real mushroom is underground, unseen to us. Being a 2nd grade teacher is fun because you learn things like this. Fact: Hanging out with 8 year olds all week makes you smarter.

Lastly, is there anything more lovely than the sight of your own dear city sparkling across the interstate as you make your way home?

Katie posing with a new skirt, May 2012.jpg

It's so cute when my dad snaps an outfit picture for me, because it usually comes back with a highly descriptive file name. This one is a bit inaccurate, because I am not wearing a skirt, but wide-legged billowing Bill Hallman trousers straight from beach heaven. Can't really blame Pops, he's just a dude after all.

Wearing:Pants from Bill Hallman in Virginia Highlands
Racerback tank from H&M in Suzhou
Roxy Habana sandals
Purse from Last Chance Thrift Store 

These flowing Bill Hallman pants are a dream; a dream that I desperately need to hem. I have been meaning to for ages, but I couldn't resist wearing them out on a lazy Sunday, little-girl-playing-dressup long or not. I only tripped four times and only made contact with the ground once! I consider it an accomplishment.

heidi seek

With temperatures rising into the 80s, it is time to get that mess of hair OFF your neck! Heidi braids are a cute way of doing it. Your hair gets to ride around like it belongs to a Von Trapp daughter, which is fun for everyone! Until, you know, you have to flee into the Alps to avoid Nazi persecution...

This jumpsuit I found at a thrift store a long while back. (Click here to see it in 2009, rolled all the way into shorts, complete with a pixie cut!).  The trousers are actually an unflattering boot-cut that just kind of hangs there. Solutions: rolling them up, which doesn't always stay, or I suggest popping on two hair rubber bands to give it some elasticity without actually having to sew anything.

I'm certainly no expert, but if you'd like to try out the Heidi braid for yourself, check out my tips and some links to helpful video tutorials HERE!

Wearing:
Vintage jumpsuit
H&M Cardigan (worn inside out)
Minnetonka moccasins
Sunglasses from $10 store at Dallas airport

so long, winter

Yellow like a sweet
canary, yet skimming the
earth, water-bird style.
Some skirts cary warmer days
in just the thought of their hue.

Another outfit from several weeks ago. It must be old because such length and layers would be unthinkable now. I wish I'd worn this skirt more during the brief winter; it's long and oh so warm, but I think the bold bright yellow threw me off. I tend to be a muted-toned dresser in the muted-toned seasons.  Still glad I picked it up for a few dollars at (I think) Last Chance Thrift Store; some cold days are just begging for a bit of color, and sometimes it's your job to bring it!

Wearing
Knit yellow skirt from Last Chance Thrift Store (?)
Lace up boots from Underground Atlanta
Gray shirt from Rainbow
Jessica Simpson brand scarf gift from grandma
Bow barrette gift from Korean student ;)

collecting cobwebs (and a thought on ethical shopping)

Wearing:
Rainbow white tee and poofy hip pants
Laceup boots from Underground Atlanta
Cardigan from H&M (Suzhou)
Shawl/scarf vintage, found in attic.

I don't know why I let some outfit pictures languish on my desktop for weeks without posting them. Maybe I'm busy, or a bit discouraged by a fussy camera. Or maybe it's because I can't quite decide what I want to say about them.

Reading this Asian Cajuns post didn't help me want to gush about my clothes either. Boo! I hate it when the reality of a favorite indulgence confronts me. Lar basically points out the ugly truth I always know but never really think about when it comes to trendy cheap clothing stores like Forever 21 and H&M and probably my beloved ghettofabulous Rainbow, too. That for me to get that brief satisfaction of scoring a sequined top for $7, someone on the other end is sacrificing in some way. I like the way Lar puts it when she says, "at the back of my mind I did have that niggly sensation (aka guilty conscience) because I knew if I was buying a necklace for £1, someone on the other end wasn’t making very much money." I know exactly the sensation she means.

But what's an impoverished clothes-addict to do? Lar suggests shopping in thrift stores, but sometiems you just need your quick fix of a fleeting trend (you know, to set off all the frumpy oversized thriftstore garments you wear during the week). What do you think, my lovely fashionable ones?

tooth ache teacher

Is this sweater with the little doll stamps slightly too precious? I asked myself this question before shrugging and pulling it on anyway. I don't typically wear clothing with graphics, especially overly saccarine ones that might increase the youthfulness of my appearance... I need no help looking ten years younger. But some mornings, sweet little doll sweaters are the only thing that will do!

Wearing:
Vintage doll-stamped sweatshirt from Clothing Warehouse Warehouse
Blouse underneath from a free clothes pile in college
Blue corduroys frommmmm... H&M??
Outdoorables by Daniel Green vintage ankle boots
Antique socks from Dodie's Antiques in Sylva, NC

springtime in the winter

I don't wear a lot of these straight-up vintage dresses anymore, but these warm springy February days just seem to scream out for them! This sweet little violet number was purchased in Austin, Texas several years ago (here I am wearing it in 2009!). I fell in love with the big peter-pan collar and the subtle tribal print, the latter of which makes it kinda perfect for this day and age considering the tribal craze going on! All the more reason to give this dress another outing in the sun. I try to keep from being too costume-y by pairing it with my ole faithful lace-up military boots. 

These kinds of dresses exist for simplicity; throw them on with a ribbon for a belt and you are well outfitted for lunch dates with lovely sisters and mothers. These photos were taken right outside of Leon's Full Service in Down Town Decatur. Eat their french fries. Right now. Do it.

Wearing:
Vintage 50's dress from Austin, Texas
Gray tights
Lace-up military style boots from Underground Atlanta
Mustard cardigan bought in China
Tapestry clutch from thrift store.
Ribbon for belt and in hair.

lbvd - little black velvet dress

I love everything about this little black velvet dress from Festivity... particularly the part where I got it for 20% off! It has the sweetest little shape with an open back and exposed zipper.  The only thing wrong with it? Not enough occasions to wear it. 

Playing with color is fun with a black dress, so I paired it with my favorite shade of lavender lace bra and green tights. A Chinese friend gave me the latter straight from her shop, deeming the hue "unacceptable" to Chinese girls. Fine by me! 

Wearing:

Velvet dress from Festivity in Virginia Highlands

Lavender lace bra from American Apparel 

Green tights from China

Golden snitch necklace, gift from my sister

Black bracelet from a friend's give-away pile.

my heart runneth over-- teacher outfit

I'm going to sound like such a sap, but did you know I have the best job ever? In my world, one must dress prepared for impromptu dance parties and sneak-attack hugs. And sometimes a combination of the two. Today was one of those days I thought my heart was going to leap straight out of my chest and swallow everyone up, it was so full of love. How fitting that I wore my dorky little patchwork hearts sweater on such a day! To accompany it, the pants I can only describe as "sweatings", a chimera of jeans and sweatpants offering the necessary freedom of movement for Russian dance kicks and squatting low to boogie with small ones. Hope you all found something to love today <3

Wearing:
Patchwork hearts knit sweater from Last Chance Thrift Store
Sweatings/jeggings/pants from Festivity
Boots from Underground Atlanta
Collared blouse (underneath) free from university give-away pile.
Brown ribbon in hair.