You r2D2 Me

Hey, you.
YAY NEW SONG.

Thanks for listening!

<3Lovely

I AM NOT COOL

and that's okay.

For example,

• I don't go to football games.
• I don't text.
• I'm not in a sorority.
• I didn't get into the NoZe Brotherhood.
• I wasn't popular in high school.
• In fact, I was a theater nerd and a choir geek for all four years.
• I was even a band geek in middle school.
• I've never had sex.
• I don't drink. I usually don't even like tiramisu because it tastes like alcohol.
• I don't smoke. I never have.
• I've never done drugs.
• I'm bad at sports.
• Even quidditch.
• I'm even bad at video games.
• I have a tummy. :P
• I've never even been INSIDE a Victoria's Secret.
• I get along with my parents.
• I don't have a car.
• Or a driver's license.
• I only speak one language fluently.
• I get along with my little brother.
• I am a staunch supporter of the LGBTetc. community, but I'm straight, was born into the right sex, and have never been to pride.
• I don't have an iPhone or an iPad. My iPod is a first generation nano. It carries so little music that I don't even know where it is.
• I don't watch TV.
• I hate energy drinks.
• I never got married in preschool.
• I was never elected to homecoming court or anything.
• I was a girl scout ALL THE WAY.
• I am a Wiccan at a Baptist University.
• I'm white.
• I have no tattoos.
• I've never been to Urban Outfitters.
• I shop at Target.
• And Ross.
• And Marshalls.
• And thrift shops.
• I don't own TOMS.
• Or Nike running shorts.
• I've never bought a single piece of college gear.
• Now I collect Barbies,
• but when I was a kid, I collected rocks
• My only two piercings are in my ears.
• I'm a sophomore, but I still live on campus.
• My boyfriend is a year younger than me.
• I don't like rap.
• I can't dance. Like, really.
• Not even the kinds of dance I enjoy.
• I blog, and pretty much no one reads it.
• Not even my boyfriend. 
• I didn't make it onto the pep squad in middle school.
• I tried out for the pep squad in middle school.
• I cried when I didn't make it onto the pep squad in middle school.
• I don't have a job.
• Three months into college I called my boyfriend and cried because I had no friends.

But! There's a "But!" I'm also way cool. This post is to make you feel better. If you qualify for a lot of things on the list above, that doesn't make you uncool. I'm just trying to say that the social conventions of cool are SO FAR OFF from what is actually true, at least by my standards. So, point being, you're way cool. Some examples of why I AM cool:

• I do what I love.
• I follow my passions, even if they include writing a blog that relatively no one reads.
• I wear what I want. Including my Caltech pajamas to chemistry class.
• I laugh at my own jokes, because I think they're funny. Even when they're not.
• I get along with my family (yes, this is on both lists).
• Last night I stayed home alone, kind of watched the beginning of 9, and ate cheetos and peanut m&ms with chopsticks. (This one might actually fit better on the other list... but I think that's what I'm trying to say.)
• I hang out with people who are different from me.
• I try new things.
• I'm not scared of bugs, but I'm also not afraid to admit being scared of things, like cars.
• I take responsibility for things that are my fault.
• I'm good at a lot of things, but I'll be honest about what I'm not. See above list.
• I'm proud of most of the things on the above list. Some of them not so much, but most of them... yeah.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that you and me are both cool in different ways, and both of us are cool in ways that are different from what makes other people cool. And, a lot of times, the things that you might think make you uncool actually make you really cool, especially if you're open and honest about them. Learn to laugh at yourself. One of my friends posted as his facebook status the other day, "I just fell down the stairs, which makes me the coolest kid I know." Being able to laugh at yourself is a magnificent talent because 1.) you will always be entertained, and 2.) it makes you easier to get along with. Plus, you're probably quite funny. I think also (and keep in mind this is just what I think) that in order to laugh at yourself, you have to be able to see yourself from a distance metaphorically, and that allows you to see and evaluate yourself better in other regards, as well, which is also a really good thing to do.

There was virtually no structure to this post. But that's okay. And you're not supposed to begin a sentence with a conjunction. Whoops (x2).

Bye!
<3Lovely

The Fairie Queene

Dear Reader,

     Today I am a Fairie Queene. There are many ways to be a Fairie Queene, but the way I chose today involved wearing a flower headband I made myself, some fairy-themed jewelry (one bracelet of which I made myself, too!), a shimmy-fringe-y-flapper dress, spinning in circles, and reading one of my favorite fairy tale books, Fairy Tales told by Berlie Doherty, illustrated by Jane Ray. 

     The illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning, each with its fair share of gold leaf and magical detail. This was the first fairy tale anthology in which I read The Seven Swans, and I have not read it elsewhere since, but it is one of my favorite stories. This book was a Christmas gift from my maternal grandmother quite a few years ago.

     I made this headband with pink and goldenrod imitation silk English Roses last night at one of my dorm's periodic Sunday night Cookies and Crafts. This is one of the traditions that has led me to believe that university is AWESOME, especially if you live in a Fine Arts LLC with Dr. Jules Sweet as your faculty in residence (she hosts these craft nights for all the girls in my dorm). 

     I am told that the flowers are from hobby lobby. These particular flowers popped right off the stem, which made them ideal for this project. A few cookies and a couple generous gobs of hot glue later, I had two alternating rows (one front, one back) of pink and yellow English Roses firmly attached to the teal plastic headband base, and I felt like the prettiest fairy in town. <3

     Don't try and tell me these shoes aren't fabulous. I'll know you're lying just because you're jealous. ;) These happenin' heels (oh, alliteration... <3) were a gift from my friend Emma Dahling and her mother, and I'm told they were purchased at Out of the Closet in Los Angeles--don't worry about it, it's only the greatest thrift store EVER.

     This was one of those things that Target sells and you're all like, "Whoah, Target! I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were that good!" I used to wear it only to special events, in the evening, I mean, but I decided today that it was officially fair game for day wear. Also because I need to do laundry and I was running out of options, but hey--no one needs to know our little secret. :)

     I'm kind of madly in love with this lipstick. It's Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, Creme, in 626 Cha Cha Cherry. Dude, I didn't even know the name until I just read it for you guys. Is that not adorable? Now I'm gonna have to do the Cha Cha Cha every time I apply. :-* It was originally purchased to put tribal markings on my friends' and my faces at Super Secret Sisterhood Sleepovers (say that five times fast), aka Powwows, but fell out of use because it wasn't the proper red it looked to be when it was in the tube.

     Yay fairy earrings! I love these. They're sterling silver, and I can't remember where I got them. I feel like I was on a road trip somewhere. In any case, I see this pattern all over the place, so if you like'em that much they shouldn't be that hard for you to track down. :) That's the alchemical symbol for earth on her wings, so I've decided she's an Earth Fairie.

     I wore some rings today, too, because I'm a ring person. Have you noticed? Yeah, sorry about that, only not really. I found the star one on the ground after a theater festival, got the bee (that has a little dangly thing that doesn't hang right in the photo) in Chinatown LA, and the paste ruby is vintage.

     I don't know where I got this plastic pearl bracelet, but the red one is Murano glass (like the necklace I'm wearing, see below), and I made the one with the fairy pictures in a workshop class at Zinnia, an awesome craft store with really great people in South Pasadena. Tamara taught this class, and I took it with my friend Alana, who made a vegetable themed bracelet!

     Incidentally, the red and silver bangle was a gift from Alana! She's a film major at Tisch NYU right now, and way cool. And I did just say "way cool," because those are some very true words in reference to her, despite how '90s that sounded.

 With all my love, dear tiny readership,
<3Lovely

Hoe Gaat Het?

I'm learning Dutch! (Irrelevant.)
(The title means, "How are you?")
Yay, pictures:

I have no idea if this outfit worked or not. I'm pretty sure there were a couple of major fashion faux pas. 

BUT I ROCKED IT ANYWAY!!
(Cuz that's just how we roll, baby.)

I couldn't decide, so you get THREE:

pink jeans, xhiliration for Target

reddish shirt, xhiliration for Target

shoes, xhiliration for Target (Jesus, they should pay me!)

checked scarf belt thing, Charlotte Russe

where I got the top hat is anyone's guess.

woven pink earrings from somewhere in Africa, gift

black net-ish goth-ish crop top thing, homemade

wicked awesome style, ...oh, wait. You can't buy that. ;)

(I SWEAR, I ONLY WANT TO BE ACCEPTED BY THE STAR WARS GEEKS!)

Awesome wooden matryoshka pin from Russia, gift

mini matryoshka necklace, Forever 21

big matryoshka necklace, Forever 21

Awesome vintage mesh bag (I think it's vintage, anyway), gift

If you look closely you can tell that it has a kind of gloss v. matte print of fish scale-type things... it's REALLY subtle, though, and even more so in the photo than in real life.

wooden bracelet, xhilir... do I need to finish this line?

clear and silver bracelet, xhi... you know.

spider bracelet, gift.

skull bracelets, won at fair.

faux pearl bracelet, um...?

Italian charm bracelet, gift (not really visible here...)

pink bangle, Claires

black bangle and silver bangles, a set, gift

Mickey Mouse ring, Forever 21 (doesn't F21 have AWESOME jewelry?!?!)

Love,
<3Lovely

Cuz I'm An Advocate For Change, Bitches.

I bought a Linux tie this summer.

And a red polka dot shirt.

They both came from Out of the Closet, $2 and $8.50 respectively.

My awesome boyfriend gave me these awesome socks.

(See how they're both awesome?) 

This ring is from Charlotte Russe. It was on sale.

I attended a protest this weekend. I made a different sign, but somebody else got it before I arrived, so I used this one. Then I took it home to hang on my wall. I was protesting with BU Democrats the presence of a certain Rick Santorum on Baylor campus as a speaker for the CareNet banquet. Google Rick Santorum if you don't know who he is. He is clearly an evil person. :P

This private banquet for a private political organization that propagates lies as a means to an end (an end that inhibits free will, choice, and everything America stands for, mind you) was hosted in a campus building the upkeep of which is paid for by my tuition dollars and my classmates'. So.

I have no idea where this fedora is from. It was a birthday gift from a dear friend. :)

The dress that I am wearing under the shirt is from Ross. 

It's super-cute, but since you can't see most of it you'll just have to take my word for it. <3

I dress like this to freak out the Republicans. Clearly.

One of my favorite buttons ever, found it in an underground market in Seattle.

<3Lovely

The Hat Gave It Away*

Orange necklace from somewhere in Africa--

it was a gift from my awesome Dad, who just turned 50 on September 10!

Dress from... Ross? That's really a shot in the dark. I don't know where it's from.

Shoes from Target.

Repieced vintage velvet jacket with epic glass buttons, 

a treasured gift from Emma Dahling, found at Buffalo Exchange.

Green Apple pin, a random find at Zinnia, the most awesome craft store in South Pasadena, CA.

Gauntlet ring from Forever 21

Pirate ring from Oriental Trading Company. 

SO worth it, I've been wearing all these different pirate rings for years. 

I am not Catholic or, indeed, any form of Christian, but I love this wooden icon bracelet with images in black and white. I have one in color, too, but there's something about the black and white one of which I can't seem to get enough. This one was a gift from Queen Maryjean.

The glass millefiori bracelet was a gift from one of two people on my Dad's side of the family, and I really can't remember which of the two it was. I am so very sorry. However, I obviously love it and make good use of it, so thank you! It came with matching heart earrings that I did not wear today, although I do often wear them together. :)

The cool African-esque plastic beaded bracelet was made by me in, like, 2nd grade out of an African bead kit my mom bought me at Ross. See? Ross and I go waaaay back. <3

Green cloisonne earrings from somewhere in Chinatown, LA. I wear these SO OFTEN. 

I take cool weird pictures in hand mirrors. Yay!

Now I can make animated gifs. Yay!

I love the way this skirt moves--it has so much fullness at the bottom that isn't there towards the waist because of the triangular inserts, and I adore how ruffly and mermaidy it gets, especially when I spin like this. Yay! Spinning is fun! :)

See y'around,

<3Lovely

*One of my favorite professors, Dr. Hanks, has recognized me from behind twice in the past four days just by my hat (and all those other strange things I wear). Yerp, that would be me. 

Odd anecdote: The other day my CL asked, "Okay, this is gonna sound really weird, but did you have a different hair color two days ago?" "...no?" said I, knowing that it had been over a year since I'd dyed my hair... we talked for five more minutes before I remembered, and exclaimed, that I'd been wearing a wig two days previous. Hehehe... oh, the adventures of being me. :)

Gimp Awesomeness

In light of it being September 11, I would like to quote whoever it was that said "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness," 

and provide you with some pretty artwork that took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to do.

This is not EXACTLY a self portrait, because my boyfriend took the photo that was the basis for this, but all the actual work beyond that first press of a button was done by me, so it's MOSTLY a self-portrait.

So this is my life. 

And you can totally click it to make it bigger.

Jarritos de Fresa=BEST THING EVER.

<3Lovely

Queen Amidala's Handmaiden

The whole time I wore this outfit I felt like a genuine lady, and it took me till late afternoon to figure out why: I didn't feel just like any lady, I felt like one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens (or mayber Amidala herself in disguise), when they wear this:

which totally doesn't make sense, because our outfits are really only alike in that they're both flowy and on the  high wavelength end of the color spectrum... but still. That was how I felt.

I seriously debated whether or not I should post this outfit, because I didn't actually manage to get any good pictures of it--they were all just a little bit blurry, and most of them were in bad to mediocre lighting. However, I have decided in favor of posting (obviously, since you're reading this), because I am still proud of the outfit and you can still tell what it is, and it still makes me happy, and because I am not a pinnacle (or even the slightest example) of perfection, and I don't want YOU to think that YOU have to do everything perfect, so I'm going to do something that is definitely not perfect. Hrumph. :) </unsolicited justification> 

 

<3Lovely