plaidurday [like saturday...but...a really bad pun...]

this entire outfit is almost entirely thrifted.
the hat is a few years old, and it was $1.50. the shirt was from goodwill, i think $4. the jeans came from plato’s closet, which isn’t i guess a thrift store, but it is a secondhand store and these jeans were $12.

i really love this hat. i wear it all the time, especially when i’m having a bad hair day, which happens…pretty often. when i bought it, i was in a long-distance relationship with my husband [who was, at the time, my fiance], and i would send him short videos every night to tell him what i’d done that day. this hat got it’s own video. 

working 9 to 5

Actually, 8:30 to 5:00, here is what I wore to work!

Lipstick: Revlon Super Lustrous-Pearl 619 Rose & Shine

Top: Sweet Biscuit Tee, Anthropologie, circa 2010

Sweater Vest: Thrifted, $1

Skirt: Pretty Pencil Skirt in Gray , Spotted Moth, $19.99

Tights: The Gap, 2 for $20

Shoes: “Rae” Jazz Oxford Shoes in tan, Ruche, circa 2010

the black sheep can wear the golden fleece

my day started off on a terrifying note. while alex and i were getting ready to go out, he found a giant scary spider in his jeans. IN. HIS. JEANS. i don’t know what it is about west seattle, but we have so many spiders in this house. i like to kill them because i hate spiders. i’m pretty sure this makes me a bad person. alex likes to put them under a cup and set them free in our backyard. in my opinion, this just invites them to come back, but he thinks that they will respect our personal boundaries.

ISN’T IT GIGANTIC?
then we headed out, without a specific place in mind. we just…drove. seattle’s nice to do that in, because there’s a good chance that no matter where you are, there are some trees or mountains or water [or all three!] to look at. we ended up in seward park, which is lovely. i had been a bit inspired by a post on the sartorialist:

 i had been looking for a skirt like this for a while, but all the ones that i found were so expensive. then finally this weekend when i went thrifting, i found this skirt! it was the most expensive piece of clothing i have ever bought at a thrift store [$13], but it is worth it. it’s liz claiborne and it’s in perfect condition. i’m also really excited because my hair is growing out a bit, so i can pin it back. i always said that people with long hair who just wear it up every day are unimaginative, but now i think that pinning my hair back is my favorite way to wear it. 

top: forever21, circa 2007
tights: forever21, $6.80
skirt: liz claiborne thrifted via goodwill, $13
shoes: deena & ozzy via urban outfitters, $10 on sale 


i have a food problem. and when i say ‘problem,’ i mean ‘urgent cravings.’ all the time. if i see a photo of a doughnut on someone’s blog, or see someone eating something delicious on tv, i need to have it. i don’t know anyone else with uncontrollable food urges like mine. except pregnant women. i am not pregnant. i just really love food.
i saw a photo of a doughnut and some coffee, and it got my brain really stuck on the idea of eating a doughnut today. so while we were out we went to top pot! delicious doughnuts. and apparently barack obama went there on his most recent trip to seattle and enjoyed a glazed old fashioned

 we got 2 jam doughnuts [raspberry & lemon, top], one bavarian cream, one shamrock chocolate glazed cake doughnut, and a chocolate glazed bar. 

when we got home, the nextdoor neighbors’ dog was outside, so i invited them over to play. their dog, joey [left] looks a bit like ira, and it is incredibly adorable to watch them play. 

my new friend

i do not know this cat’s name, but he lives at the vintage shop i visited over the weekend. he was really charming, and he hung out around my feet while i tried on some shoes i thought were $8, but turned out to just be a size 8. i didn’t buy the shoes, but i did get to hang out with this really sweet kitty for about 15 minutes. 

abbey's 2nd birthday

It’s become a tradition for me to bake cupcakes for my niece’s birthday (she’s only had two so far, but it’s been consistent). This year I made Yellow Butter Raspberry Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream frosting, you will have to endure this entire post to get to the recipe, or just skip to the end if the description alone is making your mouth water…

Here’s the birthday girl and a monkey!

I’d also like to introduce Veruca, my crazy fluffy cat.

V-Neck Sweater: Winter clearance from Target, $8

Striped Sleeveless Shirt: Forever 21, $5ish

Spring Flowers Hairclip: Forever 21, $1.50

Adding the Raspberries

The finished product! I found the recipe at the Big Girls Small Kitchen blog, if you’ve never checked it out before, you must do it now. It is full of amazing recipe ideas. You will get inspired. You will make delicious food. You will be quite pleased.

style inspiration: cassie ainsworth

when i think of my greatest inspirations, i think of the same as many people: alexa chung, michelle obama, audrey hepburn, jackie o, patti smith, and the like. but i’d say my greatest inspiration is a fictional character: cassie ainsworth from skins. 

it’s not that i think that i dress like her, or at least not as often as i’d like to. but inspiration does not require emulation. 

cassie is quirky and lovely. she wears colors that look as though they’ve been captured by an old polaroid: dreamy, flowing, and at the same time completely bold. i recently learned that the actress who played her, hannah murray, actually styled herself for the show and owned most of the clothes. jealousy is not becoming.

i love the way she effortlessly paired her knee socks, maryjanes, and an amazing collection of vintage skirts with modern tops. and did you ever see someone casually wear a gold dress like a champ like that?

these are a pair of my favorite jeans

a year and a half ago, my friend kara gave me a pair of jeans that fit her kind of wonky. we wear the same size in pants, but my hips are bigger. we have swapped a lot of clothes in the past, and it has always been successful.

little did i know that these hand-me-down jeans from kara would become my most favorite jeans. i’m in love. we’re in a very compatible long-term relationship. i see other jeans, but this pair and i see each other a couple of times a week.

oh yeah, and i love mini charleston chews. frozen. SO DELICIOUS.

jeans: BDG, c/o kara

t-shirt: forever21, $3.50

sweater: H&M, thrifted, $1

flip flops: old navy, $2.50

headband, maybe urban outfitters, but i don’t remember