At a Glance

I have been fiercely neglecting this blog as per-usual. But that's OK, because I will invariably makeup for it through a ridiculous collage of photos. I will be describing them from left to right, top to bottom.

1.) I realized that I hadn't indulged in a "selfie" in quite some time, so one day I took three. I happen to be wearing a floral dress with a gloriously fluffy skirt. And that's all it really takes to make my day.

2.) My dearest friend Chigozie sent me a birthday package from her recent trip to Germany (the one seen in pic 10) that included a sunflower that grows in a can. Sunflowers are my favorite and I was watering it faithfully at the time of this picture.

3.) Last week I made Ina Garten's French apple tart. It was a delicious work of art. Seriously, it looks so rustic!

4.) I ordered a package of adorable temp. kitty tattoos for my sister's birthday in September, but of course I had to try one for myself. It didn't last as long as I would've liked, but it filled me with glee for at least 48 hours.

5.) "Antebellum"and "Pilgrim" are just a few words that my peers selected to describe this outfit. Memphis is so full of acceptance.

6.) Raspberry chocolate cake. Yes. Yes. Yes. I made it with German Himbeere jam from my friend Chigozie and then proceeded to stuff the whole thing in my mouth.

7.) Ahh the heard scarf. So versatile and often sported by my two favorite ladies of fashion, Kimbra and Keiko Lynn. This look has rescued me from a bad hair day on more than one occasion. 

8.) Walnut Choc-OAT-late Chip Cookies! I baked these a few days ago when my friend Arlann came into town and we consumed half of them in 30 minutes. That might be overstatement. 

9.) Maisy. My darling 8 month old kitty that wandered into my backyard a few weeks ago. Her leg was injured, we took her to the vet, and now she is mine. Huzzah!

10.) This is the magical abundance of German goodies that my best friend sent me for my birthday. Granted, this was from a few months ago, but I'm still sitting here marveling at everything. Da is Liebe drin.

11.) Me sporting several of my german goodies while simultaneously fueling my caffeine addiction. Go nature.

12.) Finally, the oldest of the old, but I'm still proud of it! I stitched this elephant detail by hand and it only took me like 2 hours. I've yet to wear this anywhere, but the wheels in my head have been turning; it will make an appearance soon.

What's in the Oven?

FOOD!! Here we go!

Pulse those grahams in a food processor until fine like sand. Add the sugar and pulse a few more times, then add melted butter in a continuous stream while processing. Now the mixture should look like wet sand. Cover a 13x9 baking sheet with two pieces of foil, transfer mixture to pan and form the crust.

While that's happening, combine these three ingredients:

Which will give you this. 

Now combine these three ingredients in a separate bowl:

Mmmm.... toppings.

Once the crust is out of the oven, spread the raspberry mixture directly onto it, followed by the brown sugar topping.

Let it cool on a wire rack for an hour, cut it up, and enjoy your Experimental Bars of Raspberry.

 Crust:
2 sleeves of graham crackers (9 crackers per sleeve)
4 tablespoons of sugar
10 tablespoons of butter

Filling:
6 ounces of  raspberries
1 cup red currant jelly (or whatever you want)
zest of one lemon

Toppping:
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts

This is Love (Feels Alright)

Kate Spade Cosette glasses in Tea Fade

Lucca Couture Romper - Thrifted

White Tommy Hilfiger flats - purchased in the 8th grade

Recent Findings

Hello. It's been a while, but here I am. A mixture of laziness, busyness, and apathy has kept me away but I'm back with a vengence. Recently I've made some kick-ass (and thrifty) purchases that I'm very excited about, therefore I've decided to post them! Prepare to be amazed. One thing I've found is that you never know what labels you'll find in a thrift shop. I personally like to google them in-store if I'm not familliar with them, and sometimes their origins turn out to be quite suprising-- and sometimes, not.

This little baby was discovered at the Collierville Goodwill, and I don't think I paid more than 5 bucks for it. Apparently "Fever" is a pretty common department store label, but who cares? It's adorable. Maybe this wasn't the most weather-conscious purchase, but I've never been one to shop seasonally.

http://www.feverclothing.com/history.php

I'm pretty excited about this other Goodwill find. I had no idea what "Celle Celle Celle" was when I bought this. My sister estimated that it was some Anthropologie brand that happily found its way into a donation bag. I googled it and found that it was made by a certain Calypso Christiane Celle, a St. Barth's designer with a chain of boutiques called Calypso. Not too shabby for five dollars!

http://www.calypsostbarth.com/sites/about-us

Here's my new favorite! This darling little jacket was recovered from the new Collierville Plato's closet. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that hoods like Collierville are where it's at when it comes to recycled name brands. I paid around 10 bucks for this. And the hood is detachable, so that's sort of handy.

I saw this dress at the Goodwill and I'm pretty sure it winked at me. Then, I tried it on and it said, "Hello Madame. I look great on you. Let's take this to the next level," and I was like, "I hear what you're saying, but I only have 15 dollars left." Thankfully for both of us, it only cost me 10!

This is some kind of floral skort/romper hybrid and I very much like it. Also a Goodwill find, this was around 4 bucks because I think the cashier thought it was a shirt. It is quite short and in desperate need of ironing, but I can tell this will be one of my summer go-to's. "Have & Have" is a line from HAVE Fashion. According to their website, they've been serving "long-time, royal customers" since 1999. Seems legit...

http://havefashion.com/eshop/index.php?l=page_view&p=about_us

 

Thanks for reading!



Puddle-Wonderful

 

 

The phrase puddle-wonderful doesn't have much to do with anything in this post. I heard it in an E.E. Cummings poem this week and thought it pretty well describes the landscape I've been living in. Anyway, I made this fox hat all by myself... I was going to tell you how to make one also, but I'm not really sure how I even managed to make it come together in the first place. I guess the lesson is, get creative and half-ass those crafts like a champ!

The Sweetest Thing

Blouse -- Thrifted

Belt -- Thrifted

Hat -- by Pins & Needles (also thrifted)

Skirt -- Francesca's Collection

Shoes -- UrbanOG

I wouldn't call myself a hat person, but that's probably because I never found the right hat. Until now. This outfit makes me seriously question if I was born into the right decade. 

Silver Soul

Dress -- Thrifted

Blouse -- Thrifted

Tights -- Marshalls (C.O. Elizabeth Sharp)

Boots -- Mustang Sally

I think it's clear that Thrift stores deliver the goods.