An Ode to Shoes

I love shoes. I've loved shoes since I was 13 and realized I owned almost fifty pairs of them. I was awed and amazed to discover I had an obsession with shoes. Since that point in time, I've continued to hoard shoes, loving everything about them except one thing: wearing them.

I hate wearing shoes.

I walked around barefoot whenever I could get away with it. I took off my shoes as soon as it is feasible. I was that person who will take her shoes off on the plane and put my feet on the gross carpet. Why? Because due to the fact I hated wearing shoes, I had about ten inches of callouses on my feet. I could hardly feel anything.

Till I got my first pedicure.

It's been all downhill since that point in time because do you know what they do to your feet when you get a pedicure? They scrap your feet and remove the callouses.

I was horrified. Utterly, completely horrified. I wanted to rip my foot out of the tiny woman's grasp, as what the hell was she doing?

I didn't though and I regret it all the time. Why? Because up till that point, shoes, when I did deem to wear them, didn't bother me. I never got blisters. I never had to break shoes in.

Then, my years of work hardening my feet was taken away from me and suddenly my feet always hurt. Shoes gave me blisters on my heels, my big toes, between my toes when I wore flip flops for the first time in a season, and worst of all I had to break shoes in suddenly.

I'd never had to do that before.

Why the hell do people get pedicures? Seriously. I've gotten maybe four total in my life and each time they scrap away my callouses on my feet I think, well, maybe this time will be different.

It's not.

Yeah, my feet look pretty, but my shoes and I have a hard relationship after this point.

I haven't had a pedicure in seven years. I got one before I got married. Mostly because I was like, "What the heck? It's fifty degrees. I can wear flip flops." I mored when the polish finally began chipping and swore I'd get another one in the summer. Maybe keeping up with the whole foot scrapping would help?

Then, I never got another one.

I thought about it. Multiple times, but I've never gone. Even while I was pregnant. Mostly because I had no idea where to go to get it done other than the place by Walmart and I was like, "I don't want to go there by myself. It's alway awkward."

So, yeah. I've got seven years of callouses on my feet, but I still have to break in shoes.

That's where I am going with this: breaking in shoes.

I finally broke down and bought a pair of Tory Burch flats. I've only wanted a pair for seven years. The only reasons I didn't do it before now was because I had a minor heart attack each time I saw the price of a pair. Then, as discussed in a previous post, I discovered designer resale. And I know what you're thinking: used shoes. Ick. But, seriously, I'm not about to pay $400 dollars for a pair of heels I might wear twenty
times in the next seven years.

LK Bennett Sledge

Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon

But, oh, how I lusted after Kate Middleton's shoes. I love the Sledge by LK Bennett and the Corkswoon by Stuart Weitzman. I seriously wanted the Corkswoon, but I cannot pay $400 for a pair of 4 1/2 inch platforms I won't be able to walk in. Towering high heels and I are not friends after my pregnancy. About 3 1/2 inches is what I can get away with without a platform and four with, but that extra half inch is not doable. I cannot walk. And it breaks my heart, BUT, I found the perfect subs for the Corkswoon and they are super comfortable. Last spring, I was tooling around JC Factory's website and found a very similar pair. They were navy, wedges, but used rope rather than cork. However, I was never able to find a look-a-like pair for the Sledge within my low price point and in my size. I'd find the perfect pair, but they'd not have my size.

Tragic. On many levels.

Then one afternoon, I logged onto ThredUp and there they were: the LK Bennet Sledge. In the Right color.

I don't think I even really thought about it, I put it in the cart and checked out before I even realized what I was exactly doing: buying used shoes. I did not even care. All I could think: I was going to own a pair of $400 designer shoes! And I only paid $77 for them!

I was giddy by the time the shoes arrived and threw them on my feet as fast as possible.

They were a little tight in the shoe box, but I didn't care. I owned a pair of LK Bennett shoes! And the ones I'd lusted after for years! Also, as I wore them around the house to get used to them/break them in, I discovered if I put my foot in sides, my toes didn't get squished. (I know, does that make sense? No.) I also discovered, if I wore them with socks, I could wear them longer. The only issue was finding no show socks that were low enough cut not to shoe. (I've yet to find them.)

Anyways, so I had my first pair of high end designer shoes and I could not stop thinking about my next pair. (The same thing happened when I first bought a designer purse, I couldn't stop thinking about my next one.) I trolled the two resale sights I use and never came across what I really wanted: a pair of Tory Burch flats. Oh, sure, both sites have a lot of Tory Burch flats, just none in my size. I spent months waiting and hoping, but never did they show up.

Then one day, Pilot Boy said something that made me think: I could buy a pair of designer shoes at full price. (Then I shuddered.) So, I ventured out onto the retail sites online and began to research. I looked at Stuart Weitzman, read reviews. What I like about his wedges is the heel base is larger than on most wedges, making it easier to walk in. Yet, I still could not bring myself to pay for a pair of shoes I might not be able to walk in, so I turned my sites to Tory Burch.

I can walk in flats. I've always wanted a pair of Reva flats for seven years. I remember when I first saw them on PurseBlog (yeah, weird I know). The writer had just gotten a pair and loved them. That weekend, I was at Dillards (I think) and saw a pair on display. I grabbed it up, flipped it over, and promptly put it back down.

For newly wed and currently unemployed me, they were way too much money.

I didn't pick up another pair till we were in San Antonio and at an outlet mall. I went into the overly crowded Tory Burch outlet thinking maybe I could get a pair of flats. The store was a zoo, so I just waked around quickly looking for shoes. I found a pair, flipped it over, and promptly put it back.

The outlet shoes cost the same as the non-outlet shoes.

And that's the thing about outlet malls I've come to discover: their not any cheaper any longer. Retailers MAKE clothes for their outlet stores. Yeah, they have "sales" on them, but in reality its not any cheaper than going to the actual store if they had a sale.

So, before I had a panic attack in the overly crowded store, I left and decided I'd just buy the flats another day. (I'd just gotten a pair of Ray-Bans, so I figured the flats were out of the question for that trip.)

Fast forward two years and my current obsession with designer shoes.

I've wanted these shoes for seven years. Yes, they've changed over the years, but the Reva flat is still made, still comes in black and gold.

Only, I really hate gold.

And I really do hate labels. (Odd, I know.)

When I first began lusting after the Reva flat, no one knew who Tory Burch was, nor knew her logo. Now, they do. So, yeah. But, it was mostly the gold logo that turned me away from the Reva flats currently available. I was surfing around the Tory Burch site and found the flats for me: Mini Miller.

Mini Miller Flat in yellow

I am not sure what is mini about them, but they are the typical Tory Burch flat, but the logo is done in the same color, and in this case leather, as the shoe itself. After a few days of thinking about it, I bought them.

And like when I bought my first (and third) designer purse, I fretted about the purchase. Like my first designer purse, I cannot brag about not paying full price, as I did. Tragically. Why? Because each and every time Tory Bruch has a sale, the flats are never on sale in my size. NEVER. Everyone must wear an 8.5. Seriously. Anyways, so, the shoes showed up a few days ago. After the dog stopped barking (UPS delivered and he cannot stealthily deliver anything due to the noise his truck makes never mind his instance on ringing the bell), I unpacked the shoes and stared.

I've never had a designer shoe box before. The LK Bennett shoes didn't come in a box, they were simply wrapped in bubble wrap. Now, I know, why does it matter. Most people throw away shoe boxes. I used to, but now I keep my shoe boxes and store shoes in them. You know, so they don't get dusty. I started doing this in Alaska when I had a shelf to keep the boxes on. Now, I have a shelf for shoes to display them, so I keep the ones I wear often on there and the nicer ones all in boxes, sometimes doubled up if they don't have boxes due to being bought at TJ Maxx.

Anyways, so I spent a lot of time staring at the box. I also spent quite a bit of time looking at the wrappings, as that is one thing I just love about ordering designer things from the designer's website: the packaging. I'm pretty sure I only like this due to the fact I ran my own shop for four years and took pride in how I presented the handbag to it's new owner via it's wrappings. So, I spent quite a bit of time enjoying the shiny paper and shoe box before I actually took the rubber band (nice purple elastic thing) off and looked at the shoes.

Yup. Those were the shoes I ordered.

I put them on and stared at my feet. I almost expected something to happen, but nothing did other than Wiggles deciding she also like the trappings of my shoes and made the box explode of packaging.

Not knowing if I ought to keep them or not, I wore them around the house, realizing they were kind of uncomfortable. Now, I didn't expect them to be like my boat shoes, instantly comfortable. They are hard leather and need breaking in. And today, after three days of having these shoes I decided to "break them in" quickly by use of a hair dryer. I found it on Pinterest. So, I was like, eh, worth a shot. Especially after I am not sending them back. Between the fact I do really like them, Wiggles has drooled all over them a few times before decided, No. I do not like Tory Burch as much as LK Bennett (yes, she nawed on my LK Bennett shoes. She loves them.) So, I took my hair dryer, blasted the shoes for a total of 8 seconds each then put them one with a pair of SmartWool socks.

They are a lot more comfortable with the SmartWool socks on, even if I look like an idiot due to the fact I'm wearing designer flats, SmartWool socks in grey and blue, and exercise pants. (I'm dressed for working out this afternoon when Wiggles goes to sleep, not just because I didn't feel like putting proper pants on this morning.)

However, part of me knows that if I'd never gotten a pedicure all those years ago, I wouldn't be breaking shoes in at this moment and instead would be dancing around merrily not having any idea what blisters felt like.

Buying for Baby

I'm feeling greatly accomplished. Since officially entering into my third trimester (not semester, no matter how many times I say 'semester' it's not a semester), I've been in a blind panic because of one simple question posed to me by one of the preggo apps I've got.

The wall color for the nursery.
Shermin-Williams, Grey Screen

What was this question?

It was: What was the first item you bought for baby?

So, what was the first item I bought for my kid?

Paint.

Seriously. When I read the inquiry, I hadn't actually bought anything for the kid. Yeah, I had some clothes, a few pacifiers, and some other random things, but I had not bought any of those items. They'd been given to me. I personally had not bought a thing for the baby. And when I did finally buy something for the baby, it was paint for her room.

So, I began to buy stuff. I got some snappy t-shirts my mom suggested, I bought an adorable Peter pan collared shirt on sale from The Gap that won't fit her till she's six months or so, I went out and bought canvas and paint to make artwork for her room, and...I...bought...a....crib (and a mattress, as cribs don't actually come with the mattress. I had to explain this to Pilot Boy, as he couldn't figure out why the crib failed to come with the mattress).

The crib. 

In my life, I've bought very few "expensive" items. I think the most expensive thing I personally have ever bought was the eight hundred dollar area rug. I had a mini heart attack after I hit the ORDER button.
The crib I bought wasn't ANYWHERE near eight hundred bucks. No, I'm not that mental. I also didn't pay for most of it. (Gift vouchers are amazing, as are grandparents.) However, after the area rug, this crib is the second most expensive thing I've hit the ORDER button for. Granted, out of pocket, I wasn't paying much, but still.

Yet, I did not wake up for the first time this week in a blind panic about the lack of baby items for the baby. I mean, besides ordering a crib, I've also signed up for those pesky birthing classes. And I announced later this month I was ordering the car seat and stroller. (It was pointed out to me the car seat is a must need, as you can't take the baby home without one. Pilot Boy seemed to think we could just store her in the trunk with Basil. Kind of like how he didn't think we needed a crib because she could just sleep in the crate. Without Basil, as Basil would sleep on the floor. Clearly, Pilot Boy is confused. The Baby is not a dog. You cannot put the Baby in the crate. Will she crawl in there someday and try to sleep in there? Likely. Will Basil like this? No. Will it happen? Yeah.)

Dream light

Next month, I plan to order the furniture for the room. I'm getting a dresser and a nightstand.

Pilot Boy said I don't need a nightstand. Clearly, he wants to be woken up fully when I feed the baby in the middle of the night when I turn on the overhead lights in order to see what I am doing instead of turning on an adorable little table lamp. Also, he's never read anything about pregnancy or afterwards, as he ought to know that breastfeeding requires things. I've seen it in books. You need a 'breastfeeding' station. Thus, a nightstand.

(Also, I know if I do not order the nightstand now, the kid will never get one. Just like I don't actually have one. Nor does the guest bedroom. We don't actually have any side tables either. We use stools. Yeah. We've been married for six years and have no side tables or bedside tables and use stools. Okay, we've got one table that Pilot Boy claims is a bedside table, but until this house we never used it as a bedside table. It also doesn't have a drawer, it's just a higher than normal side table which is huge. It's tall because the bed Pilot Boy had in college was lofted and it's huge because, well, I don't know why it's so big. He did build it for me as after I showed up in his life he realized I had no where to put my glasses at night and I think he got tired of me trying to find them in the morning.)

I plan to get new knobs.
I hate those knobs, but it has everything else I want. 

Now, I plan to use the dresser as a changing table. Kill two birds with one stone, you know? So, I also ordered a changing pad thing to mount on top of the dresser. The only other major item needed for the nursery: a glider.

The ones I've found that I like are either way too pricey or now sold out. Everything else is ugly as sin and I don't want it in the room. Will I actually get a glider before the baby shows up? I not likely. So, where will I sit at three am to feed a squalling newborn?

No idea. I'll likely wind up on the couch.

A Walk Through Handbags

I have three designer purses.

Three.

Coach. Linea Pelle. Rebecca Minkoff.

The Rebecca Minkoff is the most recent edition to my tiny collection. None of these designers is so called high end, but I still like them. I've lusted after Rebecca Minkoff purse for years, at least four. I stare at them, see the price and find myself sighing loudly and waiting for a sale. When I lived in the Dirt Hole, I told myself I'd hit up the after Christmas sale next year, as I was amazed at how much I could get a Morning After Bag for (now I don't remember the price).

I never did buy one.

Then, in the fall (I think), I discovered Bluefly. Or rediscovered it. I don't know what lead me there, or how I got there, but I was there, looking at Rebecca Minkoff purses and drooling once again. One day, I was going through the SUPER SALE on handbags the site was having and came across this Linea Pelle bag that was, well, TARDIS blue. I thought the brand name looked familiar, so I used Purse Blog to check it out and sure enough, it was a brand they'd covered. They had even reviewed the bag.

So I bought it. For something like $180, which for the fracking size of this bag, that was a good price. (It's leather.) I was so excited when it finally showed up. It's really a great purse. It's HUGE. Things get lost. But you can cram a whole coat in it! Among other things.

Well, it's summer now, and technically, I could carry a purse of my own creation. But then it rains and cotton purses don't do well in rain. So, I kept carrying my TARDIS blue hobo bag. (Which did really well this winter. You just brush the dirt off!)

A few weeks ago, I was staring at Facebook. Or Twitter. Or both at the same time. One of these outlets informed me of a sample sale Rebecca Minkoff was having.

Online.

My eyes bugged out.

I wasn't holding out too much hope, as the last few collections she's come out with haven't really caught my fancy. Why? Because I'm boring. I like her orignal line of handbags. I don't like my handbags cluttered with...zippers, studs, or whatever. I like Nikki, the Morning After Bag, Morning After Clutch and the Manatiee (a bag she doesn't really make any more...) I like the mini versions of these bags. (Well, not the MAC mini, it's just too small.)

The sale was going on a week. Or something. And daily, the selection changed. Sometimes it changed hourly. (Yeah, I checked it often.) I know what I want, which is a tragic thing as usually when I know what I want, I cannot find it. However, low and behold, the bag I wanted magically appeared.

Well, one of them.

The Nikki and MAB that were on sale weren't what I wanted. I wanted colored leather, not too bright, with silver hardware. Most of the bags seemed to carry gold. Not into gold. Then it appeared: a full size MAC in purple with silver hardware.

I stared at it for a full twenty four hours before I bought it. I spent the next day freaking out, but then rationalized myself off the ledge. I was bouncingly giddy by the time it arrived. I opened the box and found the purse packaged the same manner I package my own purses (tissue paper with a sticker bearing the designer name). Granted, the bag was also in a plastic bag and came with a dust bag, but it was similar.

I spent the day peeking at the purse, unsure if it was really here. I still catch sight of it and think, "Do I really actually OWN a Rebecca Minkoff purse? Did I really only pay less for it than I paid for my hobo bag?"

Yes. That is the answer to all those questions.

The Coach purse cost roughly $300 dollars. I used it till I wore it out. I spent a lot of money on it, when I didn't really have a lot of money, but I had my first real job and I wanted a nice purse. After I got it, I always regretted not getting the little hobo bag in all leather and going for the stupid bag in canvas. But, I still brought it out when I needed a "nicer" purse. The major issue with it: it's a arm purse, meaning it's meant to be carried on your forearm or in your hand. It fits over my shoulder and into my armpit, but it's not meant to be there. And don't try it if you're wearing a winter coat. You'll pull a muscle.

It got squished in our last move. I unpacked it and it was...dented.

I tried to be outraged. I tried to get mad.

I didn't care.

This of course alarmed me greatly. I should care. I spent three hundred freaking dollars on a purse! What is wrong with me!?!?!?!?

So I hung it on the back of the closet door and forgot about it. I have not carried it since I left the Dirt Hole, which was when I discovered a plastic bit sticking out of the bottom piping and thought, "WTF? I paid three hundred dollars for this stupid purse."

When I traded the Linea Pelle hobo for the MAC, I put it in its dust bag (after I fished it out of the pantry...dont' ask) and hung it on the back of the door with the Coach bag (which has a dust bag, I just don't know where it went.)

I ought to find the Coach dust bag. I think I stuffed with fabric remains.

The Linea Pelle purse isn't falling apart. Granted, I only carried it through the fall and winter, but still, I dont' think it's got any plastic bits in it. Honestly, plastic bits?

I love the MAC. It the perfect size for me and things don't get lost. I also can wear it cross body, so it doesn't fall down on my arm and try to rip it off. I could use a smaller wallet though, as my wallet takes up the whole purse almost.

Not that there's much I carry besides the wallet.

The wallet is Coach. I bought it after the purse, at an outlet mall. The day after Thanksgiving. It's leather. Brown and cost roughly 80 bucks. And would have matched the purse I should have gotten instead of the one I got.

Notice a trend? The one I paid the most money for, I regret getting at all. Hmmmm....mental note: only buy things on sale.

Developments in Sizing

So....

When I was in high school, I wore a lot of stuff from Abercrombie. I had to wear the x-small because I was...well, extra small. Everywhere. I had no boobs. I had a tiny little waist. I was basically a walking skeleton that did not enjoy buying extra small shirts and 00 pants. Because I thought it made me unhealthy. (Which is true, my doctor kept telling me to put some weight on me, but it took a good ten years to sink in.)

Anyways, the last thing I got from Abercrombie was when I was 21 and I ordered a sweater. I had boobs by this point and had about two inches more to my waist and some hips.

I am currently sitting in my house wearing a LARGE sweatshirt from Abercrombie.

It does not fit like a large. I expected to be slightly swimming in this thing, if I am honest with you. Because while I would not put myself into an extra small these days, I'd think I'd at least maybe need a medium. I read the size chart before I ordered it too. My chest is not 37-39 inches. Okay? It's 34. What the hell do people who actually have that size chest do? Because this sweatshirt would be way too tight on them. According to the size chart on the website, I need a small.

I do not need a small. I NEED A FREAKING LARGE.

Now, this has occured to me before, where I follow the size charts online only to discover they are WAY OFF.

During my skeleton phase, American Eagle claimed I needed a size 6. Yeah. Guess what happened when skeleton Ireland put those suckers on? During my time in the dirt hole, I had many battles with Victoria Secret. The website claimed I was a size 8/10. I was like, SERIOUSLY? Everywhere else, I was a 4/6. So I ignored the website and ordered my usual size. For most items, the things fit. The shorts that were a size 6 were swimming on me. The shirts that were smalls, sometimes were too tight in the chest, sometimes were fine. If it was a tank top, it was fine. If it had sleeves, it almost always had to go back for a medium. In swimsuits (which were a whole different size chart all together) I was a large top and a medium bottom. (I KNOW LARGE TOP? ARE YOU SERIOUS?) I ended up with a medium top (which was kind of small, I guess I did need a large...) and a large bottom (which was too big, go figure?) Moral of the VS website: their swimsuit guide is correct. Trust nothing else.

I am very average, okay? I have probably the most average measurements known to man, okay? I do not understand why things are sized so wildly. I mean, I don't CARE what size I wear. I don't care I am wearing a large sweatshirt. The thing that annoys me is I wanted it to be BIGGER. Large is the LARGEST size Abercrombie sells. And, well, so sue me, I like their sweatshirts. I guess if I want a nice comfy one, I'll have to get a dude's one. But....what does a person with big boobs do if they want to wear Abercormbie shirts? They can't wear a large....because I don't have big boobs. They are average.

Or am I just totally out of the loop? I mean, I shop at like two places: Target and Old Navy. In juniors lines at Target, I wear a M. In everything else, usually a S. Their sizing is very consistent. If I buy a large, it will be bigger on me. At Old Navy, it's usually a S or M, depending on the item (Old Navy is totally wild in sizing things. They have no consistency in the least...it's the only place in the world I try things on before I buy them.)

This is why I like shoes. I buy and 8 1/2 and it fits. And if its too big, I just stuff an insert in and wear heavy socks. BAM. It fits.  (I have average size feet too, it's almost impossible to find an 8 1/2 on the sale rack...and it's almost always the first size to run out online...)

Though, purses are the best. They have no size and they will always fit. Purse rock.

Outfit Homerun

I'm going through a miniskirt phase. I bought a miniskirt at Old Navy for two bucks awhile ago, and now that fall has arrived, I've been wearing it a lot with knee high riding boots. So, today, the 2 dollar miniskirt was dirty, so I wore a pencil skirt instead. I wore white fishnets, my awesome boots, the khaki pencil skirt, green turtle neck and my Military inspired coat I got from Kolhs. I don't have pictures and this isn't a style blog, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Anyways, I went to Old Navy today because I wanted a corduroy mini. That was all I was going to get, but they had so many things on sale...like the cami's with the bras built in, basic t-shirts and that awesome thing they do where they give you an extra 30% off the clearance price. Tragically, there were no corduroy minis, but there were other minis. So I got three minis. A dark denim one, a pigment dyed green one, and a tan corduroy one, which wasn't in clearance but was amazingly on sale for 16 bucks (I thought it was 24.)

Now, let's get to the title of this post. First off, I thought I looked kind of silly, but I REALLY wanted to wear a skirt and fishnets. I figured I'd buy a mini skirt and go home and change and then go about my day. Well, while I was there I managed to get a few compliments. My boots almost always get compliments. I got them last spring on super sale. I then, from what looked like a store head hancho, got a compliment on my fishenets. This surprised me on many levels, as I thought they looked kind of silly. (I got white ones because there is this one outfit that Rory Gilmore wears in the sixth season I love and I thought she was wearing white fishnets. Later, I realized, she was wearing black or gray ones. Not white.) When I was checking out, the cashier liked my coat. I love my coat, but I hate the way it closes with eyelets. So, after leaving Old Navy and getting great deals, I also got compliments and felt I had a winning outfit.

Till I got home and put on one of the new minis and realized the mini is the way to go, not a pencil skirt.

Rain, wipers and pressed rawhide

The past week has been rather cloudy and rainy here. On Monday, I ventured out to mail off my first international shipment (yay!), then to buy new wipers for the "new" car. My husband didn't think it needed new wipers and I knew they sort of were bad, but I thought they were okay. Well, while I was on vacation, my mom and my brother drove the car and complained heavily about the wipers, so I went to get new ones. Just to get them all to shut up and leave me alone.

Normal car stores don't sell wipers for s40s. I have to go to the dealer or some speciality store to get them.

Uh, no thank you.

So I came home (after ramming my knee into the auto shop door on my way out), and cleaned the wipers. I thought they were okay. Then I drove. In the rain.

They were fine at first. Then, as it rained more and I drove more, they began to suck to the point I could not even pretend I could see. I could not pretend. I had to pray I didn't crash. It was bad.

It was epic bad.

So, I came home and said I was going to order new ones.

Instead I went to the pet store. This only makes sense if you know what happened after I came home and annoucned I was going to buy new wipers. First, my mom was thrilled. Then went to get Basil B Dog a greenie. She was running low. Earlier that day, she had run out of "waste" bags. So I needed to go buy those. So I made some comment about needed those and greenies.

This excited my mom as she needed a Turkey and the local PetsMart is located near the food store that sold the kind of turkey she wanted. Also, I learned, my mother likes the pet store.

So instead of buying wipers I bought: a new collar, greenies, pressed rawhide bones, kitty litter and dog food. At the food stores we got: a turkey, pudding, organic lemonade, cheese, orange juice with calcium, lemons, pasta sauce, pasta, ice cream, and chipolte powder. I have been dying for chipolte powder since I got here and discovered the house failed to have any. I just kept forgetting to get it. But I've got it now.

Basil B Dog enjoys her pressed rawhide bones.

No one cares, so why should you?

What I managed to do yesterday in relation to my current profession:

I cut out a purse and ironed the pieces.

This was all I did due to the fact after I finished I could barely stand to stand. I know that sewing the thing together would have required me to sit down, but I was also sweating a lot, so I figured I should go take a nap and maybe it'd all go away.

For the most part it did go away, other than my sinus headache, which I've had on and off today, so all I've done today is re-take pictures. Which I should go load onto my brother's laptop and cut them down to size and redo all the purses I've recently put up for sale.

Will I do this? More than likely not.

My mom and I ordered some stuff form this scrapbooking place online. I need a new blade for the paper cutter, as the blade on the on I found in the drawer of the room I live in needs a sharper blade. Somehow we managed to order blade scorers, not cutters. Not good. The site doesn't have any blades, just the odd score thing. The rotary cutter my mom ordered wont' cut cloth and barely cuts paper. It totally butchard the picture I tried to cut with it. The dull blade on the paper cutter is better. My dad gave me his old photo paper cutter he had for his dark room, which hasn't been used since 1992, thus its covered in rust and dust and has to be cleaned. It is also huge and I usually scrapbook in my bed. I know, not the best place, but I'm not one of those crazy scrapbookers. I just stick thing on the page in a haphazard way. Then I stick some stickers on sometimes. When I was on my game, I stuck random objects I had saved in the book, but so far that has only worked when I went to Scotland.

I've been doing more research on the whole going to Alaska in the winter thing and am thinking the ferry looks like a really good idea. I'm not sure its such a steller idea for Basil, but then again, she spends roughly maybe 8 hours a day in her crate when not barking, then about 12 at night in there. The 8 hours during the day is of her own free will. We've been closing the door so she won't hang out in there, but she's been super smart and nosing the door open. We try to keep her out of there at night because once she goes in there after she eats, she won't come out to go potty, which is an issue.

I ordered jeans from Victoria Secret. Finally. I got 34s because that was all they had, but I really need 32s to wear flats (or heels....it seems). They are a little long, but they fit. They are a size smaller than all the shorts I ordered because the shorts are all falling down. Least to say, my butt looks nice in the new jeans, especially when I've got my super heels on. I've also been surfing through White House Black Market looking at dresses. I'm not sure who runs their site, as there's always a bunch of dresses that they don't have any or they show up in the size searches when there are none of the dresses. I am confused. Last weekend I went with my dad to the mall and I hit up WHBM to see if they had the dress I wanted in my size. They only had a size 0. My dad told me to just try it on.

And I did.

I got it zipped up all the way till I hit my boobs. The waist fit. The lower hips fit. My boobs were just too big. Seriously, my boobs were too big! I knew they were huge. Well, huger than they used to be. I needed about another two inches of material around the bust area. I was so shocked. I stood there staring at myself wondering what was going on. The other dress I ordered back in teh dirt hole was a six. The boobs were a little big, so I thought I'd need a four. I never ordered it because I didn't like the dress all that well, but this dress I loved. It was gone from online when I went to look later that day. Then it appeared again last night. Only they only had a size 8. Then it was on there this morning only they did not have any sizes. Now it is gone.

Thus I have become obsessive in my search of the site for dresses. They don't seem to have any in a size two, which is what I'd need I think.

I think I might be wasting away. I'm not sure why. I don't have a gym to go to any more and I seem to eat more here simply out of boredom. I'm not sure what is going on.

Well, that is all.

How I came to Heart Sephora

A couple weeks ago, I was sitting on the floor in the bedroom looking at my makeup. I realized it was all rather old and I ought to go buy new stuff. This did not excite me in the least, due to the fact I live in the Dirt Hole and the only place to get makeup is Wally Martinos. But I needed mascara desperately and I had an major life event coming up, so I put Basil Dog in her crate and went to Martinos.

Two hours later I emerged. Why did I spent four hours in Walmart?

I decided I wanted red lipstick. This was after I spent twenty minutes debating what sort of mascara to get (I am a Max Factor convert now. I used to only wear Almay. Nope, no more.) I ended up getting a soft black color and a brown for everyday use. On my way out, I decided for my outfit for a major event I wanted to wear red lipstick. I had the red shoes, red lipstick would complete the look. So, there went an hour. Seriously, do you know how many red shades are out there?! I had no idea what would look good on me, so I just sort of guessed. I all ready knew that a bright shade would make me look super pale, so I thought something a little lighter or something.

Least to say when I chose was wrong.

After I spent an hour forging for red lipstick, it suddenly occured to me that I'd need a darker shade for an evening event I had to go to, as red wouldn't jive with the dress. I needed a plum shade.

There went another hour.

And that shade looks a little better, but I still don't like it too well. I felt it was slightly tragic that this lipstick buying had gone so horridly wrong, as I sort of needed it for the coming weekend. I ended up wearing the nude color I usually wear, but I figured I'd find something for the other events in Civilization.

Before going to Civlization, I did some research on Red Lipstick. Casey over at Casey's Elegant Musings did a whole tutorial on red lipsticks. Seeing she's got a pale complextion like me, I figured I'd start with her favorites. I sent to Saphora.com to start my search for MAC.

Sephora doesn't sell MAC. However, Sephora ships for free if your order is over 50. That part was easy, as I needed new makeup brushes for the new eye makeup I had ordered from Etsy. (Orglamix, and while I love the staying power of the eyeshadow and blush, I'm still not sure how to get the color to be as intense as her pictures. But this is due to the fact I am an actual novice when it comes to makeup. I have come to realize that when I wear makeup, no one notices. Which can be a good thing, I guess...I told R my story about trying to find mascara, to which she said, "Do you wear mascara?" and I was like, "I have it on now." She stared at me intently, but I am not sure she noticed it or not.) So, after suring around Sephora's website, I came to the conclusion I needed to actually go to the store.

Fast foward two weeks, and I go into Sephora. I've only been in one maybe twice in my life, both times I was imediately asked if I needed help and given a basket if I had anything in my hands.

I stood in the store for at least ten minutes staring at lipsticks. No one spoke to me. I finally began picking up lipsticks and staring at them closer to my face. The testing tubes of lipstick always freak me out (as do most testing makeup things just open to the public), so I just stared. I finally picked two shades out and then some lip liner. I wandered to find the travel kits for brushes and found them. I stood there for a long while and no one spoke to me. I am not sure why this happens to me. When I desperatly want help, no one offers. When I am perfectly happy not having any help, everyone wants to help. (Similar things happened earlier in the day at Oakley, as I stood there for a long while before a salesperson came to my aid.)

I think I stared at the brushes for about fifteen minutes before I finally picked up a kit and was like, "Okay, I think this is what I want." The one I wanted, of course, had no price listed anywhere for it. I figured it was between maybe 32 and 36, so I went to check out. I just stood there, not really paying attention, then it was my turn and a lady checked me out, offered to sign me up for some club, I declined, then I paid. Later, I found out the brushes wer 44 bucks, and I was like, "Well, oh well. Let's hope they are better than Target brushes."

They are. I am not sure, having only used them once, but they are pretty good. I know they are better than the brush I bought at Kohls a month a go. And they are a lot better at putting on my new eye shadow than the old Target brushes. Though, I wish I had gotten the 36 dollar kit, as it came with more eye brushes. It lacked the angled blush brush, but oh well.

However, why I heart Sephora is not for their brushes. Nope. I heart their lipstick. I got two different shades. They were both the same type of lipstick, the Sephora Glamour Lipstick, which is semi-sheer. I got two different shades, the Romantic Rose and the Red Flirt. The Romantic Rose is the perfect sort of nude shade I need on a daily basis, as it is not so nude as it looks like I didn't put any color on, but its not in your face color. And Red Flirt is PERFECT red for me. It is sheer enough that it is not so in your face red that I feel like a clown. And they last pretty long (even after eating), they smell good (I hate the way L'Oreal lipstick smells, gross) and they feel GREAT on. And while 12 bucks a pop is a little more than I would usually spend, I did spend 30 on Dior Addict lip glass two winters and I never wear it because the "new" coral shade they have is all wrong for me. (This was another example when I wanted help and the lady at the Dior counter was like okay, what do you want? Okay, take it and pay get out of my face. I mean, I was standing there telling her that i used to wear this one shade and I had to toss it because of my eye infection and I was in the market for new makeup. She sort of thrust the new coral at me and lip liner and that was all she was willing to do.)

Anyways, after trying out the red shade, I decided I heart Sephora today. The lip liner I got, without aid, is the exact shade of my lips, go figure. It is a little darker, but it looks great with the Romantic Rose lipstick. I didn't try it with the Red, but I can do that later this week.

Moral of the story: If you are in the market for some lipstick, try Sephora. If you are in the market for good brushes, try Sephora. If you need good lipliner, try Sephora. However, if you're in the market for a long lasting, all natural, mineral eyeshadow, try Orglamix. If you want good customer service at any store, don't actually want any when you walk in.