harsh!

I forget that if you're not into the whole "vintage era" people tend to look at you differently. Especially when you live in a small Southern town. I wore my red "Marilyn Monroe" lipstick into work yesterday and all my co-workers kept asking me if I'd forgotten to wash off my Halloween make-up! Haters!

I'm trying a different shade today--not because of what they said, but because I'm still trying to find the perfect every-day-wear red lipstick. I can't wait to get back out to California. No one even gives you a second glance if you're wearing something different. Plus, from the blogs and websites I've been visiting recently, I've found a lot of happenings in Los Angeles and even Phoenix, AZ.

By the way: I've found my most favorite and perfect shade of red nail polish! OPI's "Chick Flick Cherry." And what a surprise, it's from their "Classic Hollywood Collection."

(I don't think the picture does it justice; it's the color on my finger nails in my Halloween pictures.)

halloween

My friend Sheryl and I went vintage this year in our Halloween costumes! Getting into character was so much fun! I had a lot of people (older grandpa-aged men) asking to hug me because they'd always wanted to hug Marilyn Monroe. A lot of people also just wanted pictures of us together. It's was really neat feeling like a minor celebrity for a few hours.

(Me & Heather)

(Left to right: Sheryl as Bettie Boop, Angela as a dead doll, Heather as herself, Leigh {the host} as a black widow, and yours truly as Marilyn Monroe)

(Me & Heather's baby Maddie)

the hunt continues

My new setting obsession? Halo rings. When I think "vintage rings," this is always what comes to mind.

my scarlett letter is e...

In the iconic book "The Scarlett Letter," Hester Prynne is defined by her inappropriately beautiful "A" stitched into her clothing. It was her identity throughout the novel and not once did she question it.

I swear, day in, day out, I suffer from an identity crisis. I look in the mirror every morning and wonder, "Who am I today?" The vintage starlet with dark wavy locks and red lipstick? An ultra-chic fashionista with glossy straight hair and designer labels? A natural Southern beauty with only a bit of make-up to show that she is simple and demure? Or a feisty Irish lass with wild tresses, bold eye make-up and a taste for trouble? In truth, I am all of them.

I see people who are able to define themselves with one word, one style, one brand, one label (as in, "surfer," not "Dior"). Sometimes I envy them, and other times I think how sad. To have only one dimension to yourself? Maybe it makes day-to-day decisions easier, but where's the fun in life? Where's the knowledge that wherever you go you can choose to blend in or stand out?

Take my friend Anna:

Gorgeous, isn't she? And what a chameleon. On the left is a picture of Anna and her family on a recent trip to New York. On the right, the same trip. How's that for versatility? In one she's elegant, simple, and very lady-like. In the other, she seems like an extra from a modern day version of "Singing in the Rain" or "Newsies" (if Newsies had girls in it). I love her ability to mix and match her feelings and her styles. They seem to embody her as an artist (she's a dancer) and they let her run with wild abandon.

While I can identify with all my loves (vintage, Irish, high fashion, and the quintessential stay-at-home-wife-and-mother) I can't honestly say that any of them defines me as a person. I have a love for burlesque, small towns, big cities, the ocean, shopping malls, aged bookstores, and cafes as well. But none of them defines me.

Perhaps life should be lived embracing all your different sides, characters, and passions. Maybe that's what's so wonderful about our society; that we can be anyone we want to be any day of the week.

My scarlet letter is "E." For if I have to define myself in one word, it's Eclectic.

fall is coming

Who would have thought a girl from California could ever love a season more than summer? But I do. I'm in love with fall. Autumn. Which ever word you choose to use for it, it's my favorite. The air is cold and crisp with just enough bite in the air to warrant a scarf and gloves. The smell of cinnamon abounds, and the coldest days are spent inside reading a book with a hot cup of tea, or mug of hot chocolate.



And while I love the fresh colors of spring, the warm ambers, oranges, and reds of fall bring a sense of warmth and togetherness. Jason and I love cold Saturday mornings when we get to stay snuggled up in bed together, just watching the room grown light.

well put together

I long for the days when a woman walked out of the house completely put together from head to toe. Her new hat that she'd just bought, her dainty little gloves, a tiny matching purse, and chic little heels, all accessorizing a beautiful dress that made her waist looked nipped in, and cascaded into a full skirt. Her hair was done, her make-up applied, and she was a lady.

God how I miss hats with bird cage veils attached to them, or little pearls sewn painstakingly with love. Even the horrendous catastrophes of those made with little birds and high piles of lace. My grandmother had a huge collection of them and I used to love trying them on with whatever outfit I'd pulled from her closet.

(Warning: gross generalization coming!) Living in the South, I've seen more women who walk out of the house in old stained sweats, slippers, and faded t-shirts that should have been tossed out with their acid washed jeans! But then, on occasion I see the older ladies who never go out without their lipstick, still dab themselves with their opium perfume, and make sure they see the inside of their beauty parlor twice a month. You can't help but long for the times when these women were at the height of sophistication, and a lady still looked, dressed, and acted, like a lady.

the hunt for diamonds in october

My hunt for the perfect antique setting. I'm trying to reset my diamond into something less trendy and modern into something more classic.

Fun fact: did you know that it was common for most women to have either an engagement ring or a wedding band, not both? Even today more ladies are choosing one or the other. Especially for those of us with small fingers, having only one ring affords us the chance to have a more ornate ring if we wear only one.

I won't be buying it any time soon as I want to make sure I see all that I can and that I make the right choice!

a number's game

1-number of homes I've owned before my twenty second birthday.

2-the number of wedding anniversaries I have. Jason and I were married in a small ceremony by my grandfather on February 19, 2006, just 2 days before he re-enlisted into the United States Marine Corps. Our big wedding was held on July 7, 2007.



4-the number of truly close friends I have (besides my family). My husband Jason, my "boyfriend" Carson, my friend Katie, and my best friend Stephanie (see below for more reference on her...)

5-cities we plan to see on our cross-country trip: Memphis, Houston, San Antonio, San Angelo, and the Grand Canyon (okay, that's not technically a city, but it might as well be).

12-more years until Jason retires.

16-the number of months we lost when the military decided to move us back to California in 2008 rather than 2010.

24-The age I turned this year, when I came to terms with several life altering discoveries. a.) my husband is truly the best man on Earth. Bless him for putting up with me. b.) I don't want to go college. And that's okay. c.) My father never loved my sisters anymore than he loved me. He says I'm his hero for being a Marine wife, and that will always bring a tear to my eye. d.) If I never travel Europe, it's okay. e.) I will never be a size 2. I will always have hips, always have a butt, and that's fine. The beauties that defined this country had hour glass figures, not stick shaped ones.

f.) Things don't have to be expensive to look expensive. g.) The happiest people in the world don't have the best of everything. They make the best of everything they have.

30-actual working days left to work until I get to quit in preparation for the big move (not including weekends and time off).

64-the number of days BFF Stephanie and I ditched our junior year of high school. Wow, did we get in trouble when we finally got caught!

884-days I have been living in North Carolina, 2,649 from my hometown in Southern California.

Update Christmas Ornaments | His & Hers DIY Coasters | DIY French Grain Sack Pillow | PVC-Pipe Curtain Rods |Add Some Flair to a Bookcase | Industrial Desk Re-Do | Grunge Up a Store-Bought Tray | DIY "Coat" Rack | Pottery Barn Knock-Off Lamp | Turn a Cookie Sheet Into a Breakfast Tray

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How to Strip Furniture | How to Restuff Your Own Cushions | How to Upholster a Cane Weave Chair | How to Repaint Large Pieces (with out any fancy equipment) | How to Make a DIY Tufted Headboard

Jason and I have been married for four years. We met online in a military supporters group in 2005 and in June of the same year, Jason moved in with me and we've been together ever since. We've moved--a lot--in the short five years we've been together. Just a month after we were married we got orders to Cherry Point, North Carolina. For someone who'd never lived outside of San Diego, North Carolina was a long way from home. There were a lot of tears along the way, but when we arrived I found the east coast rather enjoyable. We traveled as much as we could while we were out there and were lucky enough to spend one 4th of July in the nation's capital. I even saw my first snowfall in North Carolina.

We got a little surprise in August of 2008 when we were informed we'd be moving in December of that year. Jason was selected to attend schooling back in California. We packed up and headed back West--only to land smack dab in the middle of the dessert! Hot, dry, 122-degree weather was a big change from the frost bitten snowy home we'd just come from. But as the Marine Corps motto goes, we had to "adapt and overcome."

Luckily our time was short lived and in October of 2009 we went from a land of sand to a land of grass. We now live a hop, skip, and a jump from the beach where we've landed for the next three years.

Life is an ever changing ever moving roller coaster for us, but we've loved every high and low we've gone through. We spend our time enjoying life and whatever new interests come our way. Jason loves baseball cards, old movies, and video games--he's such a boy! I love DIY projects, theater, and make-up--I'm such a girl! ;) Life isn't always "happily ever after," but we'll spend eternity laughing about the flubs that made our story not-so-story-book and much more how-the-heck-did-we-manage-that?!

As my husband has so lovingly said on more than one occasion: "We're not two peas in a pod, we're two nuts in a shell!"