Sequins: Drawing a Blank

So there’s this part of my life that’s awesome. That part includes  my friendships, my partner in crime, my job, this blog, art projects, writing exercises, the excitement of moving out of state, my sister’s wedding…. the list goes on. That part is pretty full, and most of the time, I’m pretty good at focusing on that part.

There’s another part of my life, though, that really isn’t fit for blogger consumption, or even Facebook. That part tends to rarely make an appearance, but when I go for multiple blog posts with nothing of anything substantial to say, I have to admit that (like 99.99% of other bloggers out there), there is in fact more going on behind the scenes. Today is a day like that.

Without being frustratingly vague, today is a rough day. Today I have to deal with certain unpleasant things that I’d rather just pretend don’t exist. Today I also am supposed to blog a cute photo of whatever ridiculousness I wore to work the previous day, which is cool. It’s fun, and I’m totally game. I’m actually a pretty big fan of what I wore yesterday. See?

I’m just not overly in the mood to write something appropriately fluffy to go alongside it. Tomorrow is a new day, and with it another chance for me to get refocused on the awesome parts of my life. A part that includes playing the most ridiculous, old school Sega Tetris-styled games with Monsieur, watching a ventriloquist act flop on it’s poor little wooden face, and continuing to town shop as we plan our next big adventure!

Sweater, Shoes & Necklace: Thrifted/ Dress: Charlotte Russe/ Tights: Bella

I’ll see you all on Saturday, my friends, with a slightly chipper post!

Stripes: Sometimes

Sometimes I like to pretend I am a model and I photoshop my pictures. And sometimes I love them. A lot.

Sometimes I’m not quite sure what I am doing. And sometimes my eyes are reflective enough that you can see Miss Sequins if you look hard enough.

Sometimes I am a big old grump and am overly skeptical.

Sometimes I make weird faces and look a little awkward (only because I am a little awkward).

Sweater:H&M//Skirt:Gap//Belt:Wet Seal

And sometimes I feel like I’m not sure really whats going on any more. This week really marks the start of my transition out of college: it’s my last week of classes, it’s my last week of volunteer work, it’s my last crunch time before finals, it’s the last time I am going to see some of my friends for a long while. I can feel all the impending changes and as ready as I feel some days, other days I am shaking in my boots.

Anyone have some words of wisdom for a soon to be college graduate? Anything to calm these pre-graduation nerves?

Sequins: Numerically

Driven approximately six hundred and sixty five miles (Monsieur, that is)

Driven a total of two miles (Me! And one was with the manual, on the roads!)

Eaten a combined total of three burgers

Watched one movie in theaters (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and we loved it)

Sat and watched the river flow by two times.

Purchased four books

Eaten at zero Chinese restaurants

Took an all-time record low of only twenty five pictures

Drank ten million ounces of tea

Stripes: A Little Thing Called A’capella

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, there’s this little thing I’ve been doing for a while called a’capella. A’capella, or the production of music using just human voices and bodies, has been a pretty big hobby of mine for the last couple of years. I think I’ve mentioned this before, if so please forgive my repetition and if not ignore what I just said, but a’capella has pretty much been my number one hobby for the last year. I spend all of my free time doing a’capella-y things including: singing, finding new music, and listening to other groups (when I’m not watching British TV, of course). And here is the first image ever on our blog of me singing curtesey of Miss Sequins!

Ok, so I’m not actually singing here…I’m blowing a note in my pitch pipe…but close enough (and in the rest of the pictures my face was absolutely ridiculous or I moved too much and made them blurry).

Wanna learn more about a’capella. One: Feel free to comment and ask me any questions. Two: Watch the following videos. And three: Sing your heart out anywhere anytime (unless I am trying to sleep and you’re within earshot, in that case I will give you my look of death and hate and nobody wants that).

This one has been passed all around the a’capella community since the day it was put out. It’s super mainstream and really exemplifies what the human voice can do. I adore their rich sound and am working on trying to adapt my voice to have more of this same fullness and depth. They are super cool and I’m really excited to see what they put out in the next couple years.

Barbershop is one traditional type of a’capella but they have so moved beyond the straw hats in recent years. I know I’ve posted this one before but I am absolutely in love with this song (probably because it largely marked my entrance into the a’capella world as I know it today). Enjoy!

This is An Aladdin medley by Vocal Spectrum (another barbershop group)…it’s super cool how they fit the whole movie into 7 minutes and they have some pretty awesome vocals that, dare I say, span the spectrum.

I’ve been itching to sing this one since I found a copy of the music floating around the interwebs a year ago. OMG dream song.

And a good peek into the silly side of the a’capella movement. Oh yes this is happening. (Also, got to see these guys sing live in February! They are really awesome guys!)

And of course some Eric Whitacre…this man’s music has the uncanny ability to put me into the most intense trancelike state

These are just some of my favorites. What kinds of music do you like? Are you a fan of a’capella or hate it? (Secret time: I actually hated modern a’capella the first time I heard it. I was dating the first of my a’capella men and I remember thinking this music is weird and I actually forced myself to listen to it so we could have more to talk about…clearly this relationship had a firm foundation. And back to the main point, you may not like it yet but you’ve just gotta find which kind of a’capella floats your boat. Turns out I just wasn’t really a fan of Rockapella but loved everything a’capella ever.) If you have any cool a’capella videos please post them! I’d love to see some new stuff!

Sequins: Exciting News? Perhaps…

Hallelujah for the weekend, amiright? And a holiday weekend, at that! You know those greedy coworkers who take a vacation day on a holiday weekend? Ugh, right? I know! I’m totally one of them this weekend, though, and I could not be more excited about my four day weekend! You guys are totally reading this as Monsieur and I hit the road for a trip to his hometown, one state south. It’s like an eight hour drive, but it’s totally worth it.

Why? Because we need to scope out the town for good apartments to rent!

…. That’s right, we’re moving.

It’s true, and it’s pretty exciting. I’ll be done with my job at the end of July, and we’ll be moving in August, after two of the three summer weddings are over, and then popping back into town for my second gig as a maid of honor this year. It’s going to be kind of crazy, but in a fun, wild adventurous kind of way. I’m excited and terrified and convinced we’re just being goofballs.

Jacket: Old Navy, thrifted/ Necklace Ring & Sweater: Thrifted/ Dress: H&M/ Tights: Macy’s/ Shoes: Target

 

PS I totally have tamed the craziness that is my hair, don’t fear. It’s still kinda crazy though

Stripes: Quick Check In

This last week has been my last really hard week of my undergrad career so, out of exhaustion, I am going to keep things short and sweet today.

Yesterday I took my last mid-terms ever (two, one right after another), had a 2 and a half hour chem lab where we got to make gummi bears explode…pretty cool!, sang in a show, then worked a 4 hour shift at work all on 4 hours of sleep because I stayed up late studying. So today, I am pooped.

But, it also means the next 15 days (eeeeek!!) until graduation are going to feel like a breeze. I can count the things I need to accomplish on one hand and I’m pretty sure this is the easiest last month of a quarter I’ve ever had. So as I sit back, relax, and brace myself for my impending ”adulthood” I promise I have plenty of things to tell you all. But for now, I shall rest and let the anticipation build!

Shirt:JCrew, Thrifted//Belt:Wet Seal//Skirt:Target//Boots:Lucky Brand

And I’m still trying to figure out my phone…after having to have a friend show me how to make a phone call things have gotten much easier. And I am already addicted to draw something and words with friends…my biggest pre-iPhone fears have some true and I have embraced them so, so much.

Anyone else having a busy, busy week? Anyone else love their iPhone? What are your favorite apps?

Sequins: A Realy Good Morning

This doesn’t have a whole lot anything at all to do with my outfit, but it’s what I’m thinking about.

This morning was pretty awesome.

Nothing huge happened–no life changing decisions or amazing elaborate plans. Monsieur and I didn’t even have our usual hour to read and sip coffee together, which we usually try to fit in. It was a little rushed, and we spent most of the morning in separate rooms getting ready. But it was one of the best mornings because we talked the whole time.

We were silly and we sang harmonies to a couple of songs that have been stuck in our heads lately. He’s been learning a couple Bowie songs on the guitar, and he’s been listening to the Space Oddity album a bunch lately. Which means we’ve both been singing the Space Oddity song non-stop. This morning we kept singing it to each other as we putzed around in different rooms getting ready.

Then we switched over to Hooked On A Feeling and all heck broke loose. Do you guys remember that song? It’s impossible to not act super silly singing that song. We used to get in his 1984 Subaru and blast it on his pitiful speakers, banging on the sides of his car whenever it’d get to that drum beat. Good times, ya’ll.

This morning we pretty much pretended we didn’t live on the top floor of our apartment building and stomped our feet and sang at the top of our lungs and reminisced about the silly college years.

And then he packed my lunch for me and drove me to work since he was already heading out. Such a fella, I tell ya’.

Jacket, Vest, Necklace & Dress: Thrifted/ Tights: Betsey Johnson/ Shoes: Clarks

Stripes: Goofball

I have some news for you all. I feel like we’re getting closer so it’s time for you to know something about me that I haven’t really shared with you before. Now, before you jump to conclusions, hear me out-90% of the pictures I am in look ridiculously silly. I don’t know if it’s something about my body language in front of a camera or the way my face looks when I smile or that I am just a perfectionist and in reality only a few of my pictures are really as weird or awkward as I see them. Regardless, sometimes our photoshoots end up like this:

Shirt:JCrew-Thrifted//Skirt:Inherited from Sequin’s Sister//Belt:Wet Seal//Shoes:Lucky Brand

This is why you see a lot of pictures like this last one where you can’t see my face…it hides the awkward. So there you have it. My unphotogenic secret.

Anyone know the a trick for awesome pictures? I would seriously LOVE to hear any tips to turn that sexy hot mess up there into a sexy hot model.

Sequins: I Placed A Bird Upon It

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m assuming everyone knows the reference in my blog title, so yeah… I went there. But, in all honesty, it’s true! I’ve been adding my favorite new little accessory to just about every outfit I have.

I wrote more about how I actually made it on my other blog, should you be curious. I’m planning something big with that, so you know, watch out for that.

This is possibly the most “boring” outfit I’ve put together, but that really shows how often I’m predisposed to overdoing it. This outfit is comfortable, fun and (let’s keep this on the down-low, eh?) SUPER busty. Like oh-my-goodness-maybe-not-work-appropriate-but-only-because-I’m-a-prude-kind of busty. Also, the more I stare at this picture, the more I’m like “Time for a haircut, mmm?” It’s getting a little mop-top-y. Ugh. I mean, if you can’t spike it up in a fabulous bird-of-paradise-kind of way, then what’s the point of short hair, I’d like to ask?

(How many more overly-hyphenated-types of descriptions do you think I can fit in this post? Getting too crowded with those yet? No? Good! Moving on!)

And I’ll just put this out there, but I have (had?) no intention of being a “thrifty” blogger. I never really intended to go the “and everything I’m wearing is,  like, totally for sure real thrifted”. But, um, everything I’m wearing–except the tights!– is thrifted. They were some suh-weet finds, let me tell you. Oh, wait, no–my sweater is something that was lifted from my sister’s closet eons ago. And then I made my pin myself. But the jacket, dress, and shoes are thrift store deals.

I used to work at a shop where the dress code was black and white. For a while, it included gray as well, and let me tell you–I think I kind of blew the manager’s mind with vibrant and crazy looking I could make black and white look. It was a fun game to play, and that’s definitely the source of inspiration I was pulling from this morning with my mix-and-match polka dot theme going on.

The more it gets warmer and drier, the more ecstatic I am about these polka dot shoes. Like, oh man, guys. They’re kind of the bee’s knees. They’re completely useless for when it’s wet outside since they’re made of fabric, but holy crap. They’re comfortable, they’re adorable, and they go with almost everything I own. It was a match made in heaven.

I have to say, this is one of my favorite faces to make. Is that weird, to have a favorite face? Also, and what potentially makes this even weirder, is this is only my favorite face when I have short hair. I’m much less likely to make it when my hair is long. But if you know me in real life, you’ll recognize this face. It screams I’M BORED SLASH ANTSY OH MY GOD LETS GO RIDE PONIES OR EAT SNOWCONES.

It’s also the face I make when Stripes has taken more close up shots than I’m feeling comfortable with. Moment of truth? I don’t enjoy having my photos taken. I know it’s weird to start a fashion blog up and say that, but I’m super self conscious. About, like, everything. I think recording my outfits is a good and fun way to help me push past it, and having a great bestie (Stripes) to do it with makes it even better. Which is to say, this face, at this particular moment, is saying OH MY GOD LET THIS MOMENT BE OVER SOON

And I’ve managed to showcase my abilities to write not one but TWO entire paragraphs about a face. And now I want a snowcone…

Stripes: A Smart Announcement

Today is a monumental day for me. I am joining the developed world because today is the day I got an iPhone.

I originally was super hesitant to get an iPhone. When I last got to upgrade my phone a year and a half ago I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be connected to the world 24/7 and I was terrified of breaking. But today, I face my fears, open this box and join the world of smart phones.

While I anticipate a pretty significant learning curve (I’ve had a MacBook for just under a year, I’m still 99% sure I only utilize about 15% of the features it offers…I’m sloooooow to explore technology), I am beyond excited to play with it and adapt to a world filled with words with friends and angry birds.

And with that, I leave you…gotta play with my new toy!!