Sheknows.com Feature!

I am super stoked and excited to share with you that I was featured, along with 6 other VERY lovely bloggers that I am sure you already love, on Sheknows.com!!  The lovely Erica  (check her blog out too!!)  collected predictions from the 7 of us in December and it was just published yesterday!  I included my little segment above, but be sure to go here and check out what the other girls said because they had some really great predictions and tips!

Big Etsy update

I am dedicated to adding ALL of these items to my etsy shop this weekend.  I took the month of December and most of January off and my inventory is dwindling!  I have a mess of shoes I would like to photograph and list as well, and that update will take place HOPEFULLY tomorrow!  Most everything will be listed between $15 and $30 just in case you were wondering!  I am accepting reserves for people who comment on this post, just be clear that you would like to reserve it! Thanks!

Quick Change

To be really fair, I changed my outfit from the white dress to a pair of cutoffs and a mini grunge dress and sweater just before heading out right now.  I just felt funny about the white one.  Too white.  maybe it will strictly be a summer dress.  Anyway,  Just wanted to be honest.

Guardian

My mom made and gave to me a little brunette cherub with blue eyes and blue dress when I was very young and she told me it was my guardian angel.  She said it would quietly watch over me and protect me from harm.  I still have the little darling, but I have come to discover that sometimes guardian angels are not little blue eyes babies.  In fact sometimes they are just very compassionate people with funny aliases.  My Guardian contacted me yesterday, and due to this contact, I will not give any specifics about WHERE I live exactly.  It is in the Grand State of Nevada and if you do find yourself in my neck of North America and feel inclined to stop by, send me an email and we will talk about it!

Today I wanted to wear something a little ethereal and angelic to pay tribute to all those who watch out for others.  It can be a scary world and we could all use a little help watching our backs.  I have never worn this dress before. White is a very difficult color to me, too pure, too unforgiving.  If I do wear white I dirty it down with lots of brown accents.  I couldn't help but sneak a bit of brown in this black and white palette.  I found this boho hat out thrifting yesterday (which was so fun!! Thanks Rosie!) as well as these lace up boots.  I know everyone has had a pair of these forever, but this is the first time I have actually found a pair in my size at the thrift shops.

Good morning

Another Very early morning!  Going thrifting with Rosie of The Goodwill Girl from the Bay Area!  She is driving through my town (which I will discuss with you tomorrow) on her way to somewhere else and asked if I could give her a small tour of the shops here!  I am delighted to share my untapped resources with her, and anyone else for that matter, so if you find yourself near my town any time soon (or if you want to make it your destination!) let me know (after I discuss it tomorrow) and We can do some thrifting together too!!  My family is waking now!  See you tomorrow!!

pins and needles

I think there has been a subtle shift in the tone of my posts this past week and I think that it may partially be due to the fact that I had my first acupuncture appointment last Thursday.  I found out that my Insurance actually covers acupuncture and made my apt. right away since it is something I have wanted to try for a while.  I don't have pain or physical problems I was trying to be treated for, just anxiety and exhaustion.  My acupuncturist gave me a general treatment and some herbs to take home and try.  Please let me tell you, it was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.  I cried the entire time I was in treatment, not huffing crying, just like tears streaming down my cheeks, releasing, what. . . tension, hormones, stress?  Not sure, but when I left she said to me "You will find it much easier to be yourself now."  She was right.  and how timely.  Just when I NEEDED to be able to verbally express my feeling and emotions and let my true self out.  I had more energy than I knew what to do with this week as well. I can get pretty deep into this philosophically and discuss energetically what I think is going on, but my intention here is to just tell you that if you have been thinking about doing it, I strongly recommend that you do.

I have been receiving some very heartfelt comments recently and have been responding to many of them by email since I am away from my computer most of the day but have my phone to send emails all the time.  I can't leave comments very efficiently on my phone though, and anyone who has a Word Press or Tumbler blog account (MANY OF YOU), when you leave comments, your email address is not provided.  I have written so many people in reply to find that it was sent to Norplay-comment@blogger. somesuch.  It makes me so sad because I don't think any of you have received my letters!!  Please, if you have an account that is not in Google Blogger, leave your email address the next time you comment.  I have a few emails in my draft box waiting to be sent out for me to just go to your blogs and root out your email addresses!  Then when I am at your blogs I get side tracked reading and ooohing an aaaahing and totally forget to look for it until you comment again and I am like OH CRAP I need to get her email!

I know my outfit today is pretty similar to Monday's, same scarf and color palette at least, but I just found this scarf again in a drawer and have been wanting to wear it as much as I can!  The sweater is also a real favorite of mine, super warm, oversized dolman sleeves and the perfect length.  Also, I am going to list the brands of my clothes if they are not vintage in the labels line in case anyone is interested.  If they were from the thrift store I just don't say anything.  Hope that will help a little!

Keys

Keys have suddenly become an interesting symbol for me.  This interest started around Christmas time when I couldn't think of what to buy my sister.  I went to this local, privately owned gift shop hoping beyond hope that she would just have something that would bridge the gap between my ignorance of what she would like and thoughtfulness.  I did find something, a liquid silver bracelet that I happened to love as well.  As I was checking out I noticed a bowl of random keys, and one had the word happiness on it and one had wisdom.  I asked aloud, "What do you think is more important, Happiness or Wisdom?" I still wasn't sure what I thought, since I think they are intertwined a bit, but for my sister I chose happiness since I already thought she was wise beyond her years and didn't think It was making her very happy at the time.

Last week I had a dream about my childhood home and the insecure feeling I had about all the doors being unlocked.  I also pointed out that my sister and I never had house keys.  I was not very happy that day, but pearls of wisdom came from all corners of the world and the next day, that wisdom was the key to my happiness.  Shortly after, I received a package in the mail from a very sweet and generous person named Courtney.  Inside was a key, cast in brass from recycled bullet shells.  The gesture alone got to me but what really freaked me out was that a key close to my heart, was the most appropriate trinket to remind me about the lessons I have learned so recently.

My outfit today was pretty much built around this gift.  I have also wanted to mix these prints for a while and thought the plain black dress would be the proper base to let everything else shine.  The picture of me and my sister was taken a week after my son was born (I am still physically trying to hold my stomach skin up since my muscles were severed in the C section.)

Season of mist

Is everyone familiar with that phrase "People are in your life for a reason, a season, or a life time"?  I have no Idea who said it originally, but its the freaking truth.  The person who gave me these boots and this dress, blew into my life in September of 2008 stronger than the fall gusts that knock trees down around here during that season.  She literally moved into my house, and she stayed there .  .  .  during the coldest, darkest time of my life.  By February 2009, it was time for her to leave, and her exit felt like the worst earthquake I had ever experienced.  Yelling and throwing things and crying and bags stuffed with god knows what and thrown onto front lawns and crazy messes that I won't even go into.  Just as powerfully as she entered, she left.  I have no Idea where she is now.  She is not on my list of letter recipients.  It almost feels like that season of time she was with me didn't even exist.  She left proof though.  In the form of the best vintage clothing, shoes and styling tips I have ever encountered.  I don't wear this dress much because it somehow feels infused with memories, as if she put a spell on her gifts so that I could never forget her.  I was even thinking of selling it, but I can never do that.  I sort of don't want to forget.

I never wear jeans anymore

I have noticed I never wear jeans anymore.  I have a hard time finding them the right size and fit at thrift stores (plus sometimes they can be a little worn in the wrong kinds of ways if you know what I 'm sayin) and I can't justify paying lots of money for them since I wear skirts dresses and shorts all year long anyway.  I have my few pairs, like these Levis that I bought Years ago, but they just don't look that great on me.  Giving them a little shot today, though I think I should actually just cut all my jeans into shorts and just be done with them all together.  

The pictures below are from yesterday.  Yesterdays pictures were from a dress up session the day before because yesterday I was working at the high school again.  I am collaborating with the screen printing class on a redesign project of thrift store items.  I took a class of 35 students to a local thrift store, they all had $5 each and could buy whatever they could, scarves, textiles, clothes, to deconstruct, sew back together, and screen print on to make something cool and new.  The kids are really into the project!  Even the boys!   In fact that middle picture features a shirt that was made by Chase.  He put fur on the collar and sewed a tie around the collar and to the shirt.  He had it all wrinkley and stuff and calls it the "the Lazy Man's business shirt"  So conceptual and creative!  Wrinkles and all!!    My girls Tawnie and Danielle took that first picture of me standing in the high school hall!  Thats them in the last pic!  Thanks girls!! I am working there again next week and I can't wait!