Those Tricks

Tegan & Sara CITY GIRLI look so hard I look obvious

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:52:25 -0600

Tegan & Sara
CITY GIRL
I look so hard
I look obvious

thrifted leather mens belt / $2.98

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:00:06 -0600

Fair Park Hall of State.

Whoa. That’s some pretty gross rust. Didn’t see it until the close up photos.
Let’s call it “character.” No, no! “Patina.” For the sake of the blog.

Now for a poll.
What do we think ladies and gentlemen?
Just…in general…
I love you? I love you not?

vintage black suede & leather dress / $14.50

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:00:06 -0600

A very good dress!

Buffalo Exchange Long Beach.
There was a shop tag marked $110 attached.
Very soft and easy to wear.
I biked to the beach in it!
Score, right?

A ladybug was hanging around.
Probably wanted to join in on the red accenting.

I’m lucky to have the getaway to Long Beach available to me.
Belmont Shore is so beautiful. peaceful. quiet. mellow.
My brother lives there.
He still has the bad ass couch I passed on when I left Cali 5 years ago.
Every time I visit and sit/sleep on this marvelous couch, my brain calculates if it would be possible to get the couch back in my possession.
It’s deep. long. grey. seemingly unstainable.
And made by a local L.A. builder.
I bought it ten years ago at a local design boutique on 3rd Street (I think).
Couches are too much of a pain to move from place to place, sadly.
I’m glad this one is still in the family, at least.

brother hoodie / $free

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:00:05 -0600

Had about a day and a half of colder-than-you-expect-in-Cali weather.
I was underprepared.
So, on Wednesday, grabbed a hoodie from my brother’s closet and belted that sucker up.

Also, the neighbors have a cool old Chevy.

And FYI the ratio of skateboards Long Beach:Dallas? About 40:1.

long beach in instagram

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:00:06 -0600

Oh man was I craving that Peruvian ceviche up there.
El Rocoto.
Did not disappoint.

These are instagram photos.
It’s an iPhone app that is essentially twitter but a picture feed, rather than text.
Enjoyable!
Use it? My handle is “mos_steph”

lace back & side tank / $4.50

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0600

Half off at Buffalo Exchange in Long Beach.

It’s been a productive couple of days.
Cleared up a few things I was indecisive about.
Feels good.
Fresh environments generally stimulate me in a positive direction.
Or, at least, start the engines.

change of scenery / $80

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:52:00 -0600

AA.com on the wing tip. Very nice.

On Saturday I got the notion to get the hell outta dodge for a few days.
And one two three four everything came together to get on a plane late Sunday night.
Ready for the palm trees?
Answer : YES.
See? We’re feeling better already.

...and later

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:22:00 -0600

a study.

let’s all just roll with it.
shall we?

"pearl" ring and martin+osa shirt / $free

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:51:22 -0600

Guess where these items came from?

Worn thrifting today.
I found nothing.
Nothing!
I’m getting pickier.

One date this weekend.
And trying a new dinner spot with friends.
Have a good one.

owl ring / $free

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00:06 -0600

We all need a friend like Randi.
A friend whose closet clean outs generate tons of free loot.
I would guess this owl ring came from Forever21, except that it has significant weight to it.
He’s cute, yah?

In other news, I’ve been into folding & slouching down my black boots lately.
Really changes up the style compared to wearing them full length.

Aw, versatility.

Also in the news : I rejoined okcupid, a non-embarassing dating site.
Lots of dates. Dating is so weird.
But entertaining.
A blogging pal (who is also dating afresh) and I have been comparing notes.
Always takes some getting used to after being out of the ring awhile.
One thing I have to be reminded of every time I start dating new men is
whatever you do, do NOT try and plan for a romantic evening.
The best way to be sure you do NOT have a magical evening is to
shave your legs, don a sexy (but not slutty, of course) outfit, and break out the fancy undergarments.
That is a surefire way to know you will be sitting at home watching Netflix.
Do I sound like goddamn Carrie Bradshaw here, or what?
#StoryOfTheSingleLife

all you have to do is play 8 bars of come to me my melanchoy...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:32:00 -0600

all you have to do is play 8 bars of come to me my melanchoy baby

fuschia piplette dress / $free

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:06 -0600

Another of Randi’s rejects.

Hooray for free dresses!
Double hooray for free dresses with pockets.

Have I ever shown you my beloved vintage, golden, duramesh wallet?

You know I love the duramesh. And I love this wallet so.
It has fallen apart, but no luck finding a replacement.
I’ve repaired it multiple times by sewing the top mesh to the zipper area.
You can see my threading in the shot below.

Boy! have there been some surprising shifts this past month.
READY for February to get going today.
Last month I left my day job (hooray!), got notice my rent is going up 20% (looking for new digs)
and the boyfriend and I broke up (ah well - a promising new suitor has appeared).
All or nothing for me, apparently, in January 2012.
How about you? Pretty much the same?
heehee
Don’t worry, I feed on free falling.
Love the adventure and invigoration of unknown landing spot(s).

thrifted kenneth cole leather skirt / $6.98

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:58:37 -0600

I don’t know why some thrifts list prices with .98 (vs.99), but they do.
This skirt’s leather is well-worn…supple, if you will.
Between the comfort & pockets, it’s an actual practical leather skirt.
Versatile length. Easy to dress down.

These shots were taken at the Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake.
Lots of sun here lately. And warmth.
Everyone is terrified that may mean a 120 degree summer.
Maybe winter will show up in February?

line & dot black silk jacket / $94

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:58:42 -0600

Fair Park #4
The Cotton Bowl

Ohhhhhhh this jacket…
is outta control.

I picked it up at local boutique Milk+Honey.
A lot more than I generally spend, but was a necessity once on.

While taking these photos, I got a nice surprise!
It happens that my brother works in administration at Fair Park.
It happened that he was taking a breather and walking in a random direction.
In which he happened to stumble upon his sister photographing!

fun.

A note on this historic park :
Instead of modernizing the Cotton Bowl stadium smack in the center of Dallas,
major football events that used to take place here now happen in Arlington (which is not Dallas).
That’s a bummer.

Fair Park is crumbling.
But these once-grand, public grounds could be refurbished and used for many types of events.
There are so many beautiful structures, halls and much impressive artwork.
Today Nick showed me a vestibule where murals were discovered underneath coats of white paint.
There are small spots delicately sanded down revealing bright, bold colors.
From floor to domed ceiling.
Of course, no money is available to complete this project right now.
It’s such a shame to see an amazing public area unsupported and unused.
What can be done to change this?

And so it goes Oh yeah, music. Ya know, on my computer, an MP3...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:14:18 -0600

And so it goes

Oh yeah, music.

Ya know, on my computer, an MP3 sounds infinitely better when played in Spotify VS iTunes.
iTunes squeezes up the files somehow when it plays them back, making the sound tinny.
Music played through Spotify has a wider space with thicker, heavier bottom-end tones.
Check it out.

By the way, isn’t this song something else?
The production sounds so pretty to my headphoned ears.
Go ahead and throw down the $0.99.

thrifted vintage red sweater

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:00:05 -0600

Seen before here.

black cotton gap dress / $2.99

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:00:00 -0600

It was 70° and sunny yesterday in Dallas.
But technically we are still in winter.
This dress was a good weight and style for the non-winter weather day.
When I was “sent home to change” for wearing a scandalous outfit to work,
I headed to the thrift store near (my former) work and grabbed this Gap dress to throw over.

Ended up working out, since this is a great basic.

From my grandmother’s collection.

Have a great weekend!

joan vass top / $40ish

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:05 -0600

Another of my last purchases from Last Call.
Retail was $288, but had all kinds of markdowns and a store sale.
So cozy.

A favorite touch - hidden secret.
Bright orange, silky poly lines entire interior.
Caressing my skin at every move.

Remember this belt from this hideous dress I bought just for the belt?
My pal Toni thought she could rock the hideous dress, so I took it to her in Greece.
Still waiting for it to show up in a facebook photo.
That hideous, hideous dress.

80s-style floral & lace top / free

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:30:05 -0600

Another freebie from Randi’s rejects.
“MollyringwaldprettyinpinkYesI’lltakeit!” was my thought at first glance.
Luckily, it fit.

Some interesting changes with minor drama happening in my household.
Tough, but stimulating.
What oh what will happen next?
Life getting lived.
Gotta love it.

black skinny pants / free

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:14:15 -0600

Fair Park #2
Centennial Murals found in Halls surrounding the Esplanade Fountain.

Jean-Michel Cazabat heels purchased at Last Call

Even better than a great buy is free stuff.
These pants came courtesy of my friend Randi’s closet cleaning.
I went away with a whole bag of goodies.
Aces.

Changes. On many levels. Tossing it up. The dice are rolling.