.

27 before 27 Day 24 and 23. Also 100th Post!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:01:00 +0000

1990

2001

Today is Day 24 and 23 together. These pictures were taken about 11 years apart. The first is 1990 ish? and is me and my sister at her junior prom. The second is 2001 and me and my sister at my junior prom. How crazy is that? I love the first picture because it's so my childhood. You can see my popples pillow case, I'm wearing dukes of hazard pjs, and there's a kermit the frog casio keyboard sitting on the couch behind us!

I'm so super stoked this is my 100th post. I feel like maybe I should have done something bigger, but alas. It's fun that it's me and my sister together at least.

PEOPLE WITH FEARS OF APES STOP READING HERE

Last night we went to see Planet of the Apes and OH. MY. GOD! I really really liked it. It was super scary though. Before we went in Alex said the trailers made it seem like a zombie movie but with monkeys. God damn, monkey's are scarier. The scenes with the apes were so well choreographed and also scary! Plus Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) was in it and he played a DBag! He also had a terrible american accent. He ALSO said 'Get your hands off me you damn dirty ape!'. I just about screamed.

The theater we were in was really responsive. People were gasping and having real reactions to the film. I know some people hate that, but I LOVE it. I love it because I do it too. There was this one scene, which I wont say cause spoilers, but everyone in the whole room went silent and then ERUPTED. It was amazing. I loved it.

If you're into that kind of thing go see it. It was really super good.

27 Before 27. Day 25

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:48:00 +0000

For the first 7 years of my life we lived next door to my paternal grandparents. You can see my granny here in this picture of me and my mom. My dad must have also still been alive since you can see his motorcycle in the background.

Look at that extra axle just hanging out amongst my 20 ride on toys. The 80's sure were a classy time.

27 before 27 Day 26

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:06:00 +0000

Growing up my favorite movie was the Care Bears Movie. I made my sister watch it so many times that she now wont let her own girls watch it. She's still sick of. My mother made that costume for me.

27 to 27

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Hey birdies! It's 27 days until my 27th birthday! So I thought I'd take some time and share some pictures of me from the last 27 years! Maybe a story or two as well.

Before she passed away, one of my Granny's favorite stories was about how no one thought I would exist. You see neither of my parents wanted children! My mother had come from some bad relationships and already had my sister. My father had divorced his first wife because she wanted kids and he didn't!

When he met my mom he thought he was getting a sweet deal! He got to have all the fun of hangining out with my sister but none of the grossness of having a baby!

According to my granny I was the result of one very drunken new years eve! While my mom was pregnant with me my dad kept saying '18 years and then I'm free'. He was so nervous in fact that he disappeared down south the week before I was due!

Story has it though that once we met it was love at first sight. I don't remember a lot about my Dad, but I do remember feeling very firmly that he loved me.

I really can crochet!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Grape Cluster Pot Holder by Maggie

For Maker Faire they asked us to bring examples of our work. This was kind of an issue for me as I give everything I make away as presents. So I spent the week trying to crochet up some examples. This love pot holder is one of them. Made with Lily and Cream Cotton this whipped up really fast.

I love the way she did puff stitches for this because they really pop out and are completely lovely and poofy. All the older ladies who came buy me loves this.

If you could see me ... dressed as a muppet

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:22:00 +0000

I've been dreaming of doing a Miss Piggy costume for ages. I had planned on doing it for halloween, but then this costume party presented itself and I couldn't resist. Really, who doesn't love Miss Piggy.

Growing up, Miss Piggy was a huge positive influence on my. Not only did she not take crap from anyone, she loved herself. She wasn't skinny or a waif but that didn't stop her. Miss Piggy teaches girls to be strong confident beautiful women. It doesn't matter what size you are, it's all about how you carry yourself!

Outfit Details:

Dress: ASOS

Shoes: Blowfish

Nose and Ears: Crafted by Moi

Necklace: Forever 21

I made it!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 06:02:00 +0000

Hey birdies! I made it! Today I taught at Maker Faire Detroit AND attended a costume party! This day has been stressing me out so much all week, and it's finally done!

I had such an amazing and fulfilling time at maker faire. I got to teach a few really awesome people about crochet. I got interviewed for a craft magazine, AND I got to connect with some of my favorite area crafters. See that lovely Michigan necklace above? I FINALLY got one from Glass Action.

It's such a thrill to see all these talented ladies and gents. I got to watch an amazing lady named Bee spin yarn. Met some fabulous knitters and overall just had a wonderful time! The costume party was also loads of fun and I have just tons of posts I need to write up! So I hope you guys are having just a great weekend too!

If You Could See Me ... Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:26:00 +0000

My life has become some sort of self fullfilling prophecy this week. You see I decided I'd talk about how I've been spreading myself too thin. No time for anything, and here I had no time all week to write this post.

It's something we all do though isn't it? Especially here in Michigan during the summer. We only get a few months of good weather to go out and do all those fun things. Garage Sales are a season here that will end around October.

So we try and pack everything in at once. The past few weekends have been full of lunches and rummage sales and parties. The next few are looking like they're going to be much of the same. But listen, I'm not complaining. This outfit I'm showing off I wore to the birthday shindig of my friend Jennifer. I got to eat cake and meet people I don't know and it was a pretty great time.

Kind of wish I could figure out how to add more hours to the day though! Tomorrow is the Maker Faire here in Detroit so I'll be teaching crochet at that. Tomorrow night is the costume/garden party that I will be attending as well (in costume). ALSO I finished a new doll, so I hope to show her to you guys sometime soon. I promise I'll post tons of pictures.

outfit details:
Top: Alloy
Skirt: Rainbow
Feather Extension: Ashli at the SA Studio
Shoes: Target

8 Scenes: Fantastic Mr.Fox

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:52:00 +0000

I have so so many dvd's. Most of which I've never even watched. Here are 8 scenes I loved from Fantastic Mr.Fox.

Sorry for my long absence birdies. When you write lifestyle, sometimes you have to go live. I'm preparing for Maker Faire and trying not to freak out.

We'll return to our schedule program after a word from

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:07:00 +0000

collage by rweasely

Holy Mother of God! When did Neville Longbottom get to be such a babe? Seriously, report to my pants sir!

ahem. Anyway. That is all.

Saturday Picture and Hour

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:13:00 +0000

On Saturday I set out to do a picture an hour. I forgot about it often, but I managed to get a few fun shots of a day that was literally JAM PACKED.

what an ungodly time to wake up on a saturday

the salon was the first stop of the day

First time I've dyed my hair in years. Finally found a dye I don't react badly to. It's a bit lighter than this picture shows, but it's ok

Time for lunch and a city wide garage sale!

After we got back I ended up crashing on the bed. It was so so hot in my room and I kept having nightmares. I don't remember most of one but one involved a huge pile of bugs hiding under my desk. It was really really terrible. In the end I just dragged myself out of bed so I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. I watched the new torchwood before Brenna showed up. Crochet time!

At the coffee shop I ran into my super talented tumblr friend Jackleen and we talked about her doing some photographs of me for my blog. I'm incredibly excited. I also got catcalled for the first time in my life, which was odd.

It was a great day filled with a lot of funsies. I got this amazing vintage radio, a record player that needs a needle, and a vintage hat. Oh, and that lovely parasol. Everyone got a long to well and my hair came out lovely. I can't wait till next Saturday though, I'm getting a feather extension.

Harry Potter Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Thursday evening we attended the midnight premiere of the last Harry Potter movie. I went with the usual suspects (minus Alex, he's not a HP fan). There were so many people dressed up, it was amazing.

One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter community is the deep sense that we're all in this together. Now, I'm not saying there weren't some horrible teens there that sneered at everything, cause there totally was. But there was also something great, complete strangers bonding over how much they love Harry Potter.

We took a ton of pictures with these giant stands. My favorite is obviously when Joelle photobombed me trying to be sassy, and then died on the floor. Brenna was dressed as breaded lady Dumbledore. When Joelle 'died' Brenna crouched over her body yelling 'MY BOY!'

Despite getting there 2 hours early, we were still in the third row from the front. I was worried that I would get sick, but it seemed to be ok. I passed the time while we were waiting working on a crochet project I hope to show you guys later on in the week.

My favorite part of the preshow was when the girl behind us broke her wand. Joelle and I took it from her and with a little 'magic' were able to fix it. She called me the crafting McGuyver and it literally just made my life. Who said always having yarn in your purse is a bad thing!

Over all I loved the movie so much. I was willing to look past the continuity errors and the things they changed. I'm not depressed though. Harry Potter is never going to be over. Not really, not so long as we have the people who loved it with us.

I got my hair colored yesterday. It's taking some getting used to, but so far I like it. I can't wait to show you guys!

Five On Friday: Android Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Android Apps I Just Can't Live Without

I've talked about this before, but it bares repeating. I don't have an IPhone. Sometimes this sends me into deep spirals of depression. Most of the time though I'm fine with it. I DO have a Samsung Galaxy which is LIKE an IPhone but runs on the Adroid OS instead. I love my phone (please ignore those times when I'm yelling about how it's garbage and I'm going to throw it in the trash). So for this installment of Five on Friday I thought I'd talk about the apps I just couldn't live without.

Free Demo or Full Paid ($3.95)

Think Instagram without the social network aspect. This photo app has to be my all time favorite vintage photo app. I have the full version but even the free comes with TONS of options. Any rounded border picture you see on this blog was taken with vignette.

LIKES: Tons and I mean TONS of different options. Including toy camera and instant style filters.
DISLIKES: SLIGHTY difficult to navigate. I also wish it supported the front facing camera as well.

Free or Full Pro ($4.12)

This handy app uses the GPS in your phone to track your progress and calories when you're biking or running. If you have other friends who use the app you can even set up competitions with them. It gives you the length of your workout, the distance you traveled, and an estimate in calories burned. It uses google maps so you can see exactly where you went. You can even set it up to run music playlists that you have saved on your phone.

LIKES: I really love that I can see exactly how far I go while taking bike rides. The little map is fun and handy too!

DISLIKES: It takes ages for this thing to find the GPS satellites. Also, there is no option for casual biking. It's alls MOUNTAIN or SPORT. Which I guess makes sense, but I'd love to see another slower bike option.

Free with Subscription Options

At this point, there is really no reason to NOT use evernote. Not only is it available on pretty much every platform ever (including web based and computer program). This program basically let's you dump your brain into notebooks for later use. Leave catergorized notes. Clip websites. Add pictures. Pretty much anything you want to do you can. You can also publish your notebooks for other people to be able to see. I've been using this for a few things including organizing my closet and storing blog ideas (I'm terrible at remembering paper and pen). I can view my notebooks either via my phone or from any computer with an internet connection. I haven't yet downloaded the program for my laptop, but that's probably my next step.

LIKES: Storing every thought I've ever had and tagging it is incredibly useful.

DISLIKES: This is the kind of thing you need to really take the time to learn. At first it can be really confusing.

Free or Pro Version

Now, there is probably a way for evernote to do this and I just haven't figure it out yet, but I love this app. I use it mainly for the groceries or remembering to pack things. You can set up deadlines and edit lists any time. It's incredibly simple but that doesn't mean it's bad!

LIKES: has made grocery shopping so much simpler.

DISLIKES: None really.

Free

I hesitated to put this on the list, because frankly this app has issues. But if you're a Tumblr fanatic like me you're going to want SOMETHING, and this honestly is the best. If you use it JUST for viewing your dashboard and liking things than it's a nice simple app that lets you do exactly that. For some reason mine hates animated gifs, but that may be my phone and not the app.

Likes: Easily view my dashboard.

Dislikes: Everytime you reblog something it takes you back to the beginning which is incredibly annoying. Also if I accidentally exit it I get taken back to the begining. Often doesn't load (that's a tumblr problem in general though).

Honorable Mentions:

the new Daytrotter App is a lot of fun. You can listen to sessions or just random songs. It's very new though, so I can still live without it.
Google +. So far I'm completely in love with this social network. I've always loathed facebook. I look forward to someday being able to delete it.

So that's it! These are my choices and are by no mean defininitive. It's just what I love. What android apps do you love birdies? I'm dying to know.

Did You Know .... Camera Nut

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0000

So, I think it’s time for me to start sharing more with you guys about Sarah the person. The girl behind the birds. So this segment is called ‘did you know’. Little facts and tidbits about my life!

Fact 1: I’m a camera nut.

Now, I know it’s oh so trendy to be a camera fantastic these days, but I’ve been at it since a wee age. I actively remember the first camera I got. It was slim and black and had film you just dropped in (110 I think). My mom got it for me to take on a girl scout camping trip. I think I took 100 pictures of leaves. I have tons of pictures I took on funsavers through high school. Also, recently I actually volunteered with the photography department of a local hospital. Got to learn the ins and out of the huge DSLR’s that pros use. While I have a digital camera that I love, my first love will always be analog.

I have a collection of old ridiculous cameras that I love. Every time I’m out and about at flea markets or garage sales I try and find some gem. My preferences are for the clunky 80’s style cameras, but really, I love em all. I only have two requirements.

1. It can’t be newer than 1990

2. It can’t cost more than 10 dollars.

My collection includes a few gems. I think my favorite being a kodak hawkeye that I’ve dated to somewhere between 1910 and 1930. Since it’s completely manual it still works. I put a roll of 120 film through it and got a couple of really awesome pictures. I found it in a consignment shop for 5 dollars.

I also have a collection of newer cameras as well. A Lomo Fish Eye and a Cannon Powershot that I use for most of the pictures on this blog. I’m really hoping to pick up a few more toy cameras over the summer. I’ve got tons of events coming up and I’d love to have more actual film pictures of this amazing summer.

I’ll leave you today with my latest purchase. This little wide lense baby that I picked up from amazon for only 15 dollars with a gift car.

So birdies. Is there anything else you'd like to know about me? I've got lots to share, but I'd love to answer questions!

My Space! (No, not that one!)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Tonight I got home from the gym feeling super pumped. I had a totally awesome and uplifting experience and I was feeling good! Took a shower, grabbed my laptop and got in bed. Tonight I learned that typing up blogposts in bed will make me motion sick.

I have ridiculously severe motion sickness. I can't watch tv on my back, I can't read unless I am sitting absolutely perfectly still. and it seems I can't write things in google documents while sitting in bed. It got so bad that I sincerely thought I was going to throw up. So I dragged myself out of bed and went downstairs for the solution. What was it you ask? A Pink Lady apple, some organic peanut butter and a couple pieces of whole wheat toast. I've got my spring back now. So I thought I'd make a post!

Inspired by my second favorite blogger of all time (first being the lovely and talented Kate Olmstead. Who just so happens to be a friend of mine since back before I even had this blog!). The fantastic Miss Kaelah Bee made a post today showing off her desk area. So I thought I'd follow suit. Here we go.

Where the magic happens so to speak. Kaelahs is all beautiful white and clean space. Mine is cluttered with a collection of cups and the small pile of shiny things that always seems to accumulate. You can see my my small nail polish arrangement as well. I can't seem to keep this area tidy to save my life. Even now a plate has been added (my apple)

Desk toys include a Patrick Stump action figure and a two legged green unicorn which was one of the first things I ever crocheted. My mouse pad is from Anthropologie. It's a paper pad with an octopus on it. It also has the letter O. They were all out of the S ones so I just decided to get whichever one I liked best. You can't really see it, but fallen behind Patrick there is a one eyed Giraffe Webkinz. I saw it while waiting in line at Old Navy on thanksgiving (15 DOLLAR JEANS!). It was so sad there with a missing eye. I looked at it and knew that no one would ever buy it. It would sit forever until it eventually got sent back. I felt so terribly sad for that giraffe that it would never ever have a home and be loved. So I bought it.

Paper Ephemera from my life. Mostly post cards and pictures. There are some stickers and buttons in there too. The oldest being the photo booth pictures there in the center. I was in middle school when I took those. Also featured is my postcard from Hell Michigan and one of the Black Parade masks that Brenna got me for Christmas.

Madison came up stairs to see what was going on and decided to stay and sleep. He looked way too sweet not to get a shot of! So then birdies, that's where I am sitting right now typing this. I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my terribly cluttered world. It's not much, but it's mine!

Now then. Good Night!

Things I Love: Butter London

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Sunday Brenna and I headed to the fancy mall so that we could go to Nordstroms. Brenna was telling me that she was dying to get some Butter London nail polish. After doing a little research I decided to pick one up too. So we head to Nordstroms and check out the selection. I got the one on the left called Lady Muck, and Brenna got the one on the right called Fash Pack. These lacquers are not exactly cheep at 14 dollars each, but they do come in some really amazing colors. Both of the ones above have a shimmer to them. Fash Pack has a kind of gold streak to it that doesn't show well in pictures.

A pair of clearance Betsey Johnson earrings and a bottle of Justin Bieber perfume later we were home and painting our nails.

Fash Pack!

Lady Muck

This is a good two coat nail polish. The thing I like the best about it though is that it is no formaldehyde, no toluene, no DBP (dibutyl phthalate). As someone who is constantly putting her hands in her mouth this is great. Also it went on very smooth and the color is really really lovely. Lady Muck has just the hint of shimmer to make it really shine. I tried some of the glitter ones in the store but they were a bit on the thin side.

Over all, I would say that if you were going to treat yourself and splurge on something quality, this nail polish would be a good choice. There is a unique range of colors and it's more natural than a lot of other brands. I may go back and pick out another color. It's nice stuff. The real test will be how long it lasts. Between my ukulele, various crafts, and typing I do a lot of nail intensive stuff. I like something that is going to last at least a week, if not more.

FINAL VERDICT:

(catergories rated between 1 and 5)

Number of Coats: 4

Color: 5

Durability: 4

Cost: 2

Ingredients: 5

Overall: I'm going to give this a solid 4. If you want something a little special, it's the way to go.

So birds, do you have any nail or beauty recommendations for me? I love new stuff.

If You Could See Me ... Dream Days

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Such a dreamy day this weekend. Alex and I spent all of our time going to thrift stores, and record stores, and artist markets. Picked up the sound track to 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonley Hearts Club Band' on vinvyl for only 95 cents. I ate the most amazing fruit plate of my life, while sitting on a patio under hanging ferns.

The artist market was so inspiring and I got a ton of compliments on my shirt. It was really just the kind of day I often dream about having. I didn't over plan, just let things happen, and it worked out beautifully.

Well, except that I let alex take the pictures. He gets impatient and doesn't wait for me to pose. My kingdom for a boy who enjoys taking photos! Everything here is thrifted, re-purposed or old. It was that kind of day.

Did you guys have a fun weekend? What happened!

The Best!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 04:28:00 +0000

My favorite meal at one of my favorite restaurants. Living the life you guys!

Only at my job

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 01:45:00 +0000

I come into work and see a trash can full of apples on my ledge.

"what's with the apples?" I ask my boss curiously

"gift basket" he tells me and then walks away.

Later on he shows up with a dollar store bag. Inside there are

clear Mylar bags
three rolls of crepe paper in baby blue, red, and white
a bag of Christmas bows,
several Christmas ribbons that says 'Feliz Navidad'

He looks at me and says. turn it into a gift basket. Frankly, I'm pretty proud of the result. Maybe I've missed my calling. Should I perhaps look into being a rogue gift basket maker?

If this doesn't say class, I just don't know what does.

Five On Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:45:00 +0000

Hey birdies! From here on out fridays will consist of five things from my life. This week we're looking at five items from my extensive purse collection. This collection is so large I'm able to break it into catergories. Here is brown/natural fibers purses.

The Acorn Purse

The most expensive one featured here today. It was 10 dollars at The Rustbelt Market

Mini Tooled Leather

25 Cents at a garage sale

Leather and Fabric Circle Purse

50 Cents at a garage sale

Barbados Bag from my wicker purse obsession

3 Dollars at the Royal Oak Garage Sale

By far my favorite. The Fruit Bag

I want to say 5 dollars. Also at the Royal Oak Garage Sale. Inside it has a tag that says 'made from vegetable fibers'. The fruit are stuffed with little pieces of newspaper. It's starting to fall apart, so I don't use it much anymore.

This Week:

In the Car: Still listening to Empires A LOT. I did download some stuff from Daytrotter though.
On The Treadmill: I've been getting down to the old boybands. 5ive being my fav
Purchases: Picked up this dress from an upcoming costume party. Been drooling over it for months. Also my super lovely headband from Kaelah came. Can't wait to wear it out!

Born Of The 4th Of July (that's a lie!)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Good morning birdies! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Those of you celebrating a holiday (Canada Day, Independence Day) had a good one! I know I certainly did! This past Sunday I decided to host a small informal get together (not a party!). We headed to eastern market to get supplies.

Downtown Detroit plays host to a lot of really interesting and diverse places. Eastern Market has to be my favorite. This humongous open market is open all year long, but summer is the time to go. People selling everything from flowers to meat. I bought some lavender, peppers, tomatoes, corn, honey, and oh goodness lots of things! All the bakeries were there and I couldn't resist a couple of pretzel rolls, tried some of the sharpest cheese (oh my!), AND I managed to pick up two hanging baskets for my mom (only five dollars each!).

Sunday was when the business happened. There was a lot of running around getting last minute items. Chopping fruits and vegetables for hours. I made up some lavender lemonade based loosely on this recipe. Around four the guests started to arrive and we got down to business.

Turns out Kabobs take approximately forever to cook. We all stood around the little charcoal grill trying to find ways to entertain ourselves. Several trips to the store were made for various items but soon we found a good rhythm, well some of us

Matt Vs. The Skip IT from Sarah S on Vimeo.

The best part of any bbq is getting to hang out and just chat. We had the chairs in kind of an informal semi circle (there were more people than chairs so often someone was on the ground). We had sparklers and snakes.

I brought out my uke at one point and demonstrated all six chords that I know. Everyone wanted to noodle and soon Matt had the acoustic out. We agreed that we would start jamming again. Perhaps the real Birds Vs. Bees will come back (this blog is named for the band Matt and I never really started).

Over all I just had the best time. I really look forward to doing more of these cook outs in the future. Everyone had a great time and no one was stressed out! So tell me birdies, what did you do this weekend?

A Little Help From My Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:28:00 +0000

This has been my life motto all week. Why can't I do anything I set my mind to? I truly believe if you want to do something bad enough, you will. It's important though to have people around you who support you. It's important to support the people you love.

Last night a very dear and very supportive friend of mine said 'you're not going to lose fifty pounds'. Now I know for a fact she did not mean this in a derrogative or mean spirited way. It's just something she said. It got me thinking though. Well, why couldn't I lose fifty pounds if I wanted? Of course I could if I worked hard enough and was patient. With the right support I could do anything in the world.

So could you.

If a friend said 'I want to go to the moon' then my response would be let's figure it out! (or whose identity do you have to steal Gattica style, depending on the person). Often the support we give others is the key to whether or not they succeed or fail. Sometimes having everyone say 'you can't do this!' is a great motivator. I think a lot of the time though, eventually you just believe you can't and stop. I don't mean to get all 'Oh The Places You Will Go' here, but it's true. Support and love the people around you and see how much better they do.

big this week:

BANG by empires has been on permanent loop in the car.

Foster The People is coming in close second

Ready To Go by Panic at the Disco is my new favorite treadmill song.

THIS super cute fascinator by Kaelah Bee is on it's way to me!

Realized I have 4 events this summer, all of which will require a dress.

Saving The Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:32:00 +0000

Now, normally I'm not the person who would sell you anything. Well .. If you want to buy some of my crafts that would be ok, but I'm not a corporate sponser. Thing is, I have been asked more than once about the products I personally use. So I thought I'd do a post on that, and maybe another one next week and so on. I'm not telling you to buy anything, these are my own personal experiences.

This particular product though gets a Birds Vs. Me seal of approval. Now let me tell you a story.

When I saw these shoes at target it was love at first sight. I carried them around the store with me, clutched to my chest as if they were a lost kitten that I was saving from the snow. I didn't even think twice when the gals and I got to the check out. I could go without starbucks, I HAD to have these shoes. That night I gleefully painted my toes in preperation. The very next morning I slipped them on as I was leaving and 'oh! no!'. How had I not noticed how badly they rubbed my heel? At this rate my foot would be raw by the end of the day.

Now, it should be known that on more than one occassion I've been accused of having 'dead feet'. Basically it means that I will wear the most uncomfortable shoes and walk around in them all day. So on that Friday morning I just slapped a bandaid on my heal and went along my merry way. I did promise myself I would not wear them to the concert that night (which I didn't, wore my TOMs).

Fast forward now to Saturday night. I run out to Alex's car and we head towards the movies. Here I am in my gorgeous new floral shoes, only ANGST I don't have a bandaid for my heal. I push my foot forward, trying to walk comfortabley but it's no use. Before the movie I direct Alex to the nearest Walmart to get some bandaids, so distressed over the mutiny of my new shoes. That is until, I find these.

Now, at 4.95 they are a little pricey for what is essentially a rubber sticker, but they saved my life. Not only did they completely stop the heal rubbing, but they keep the shoe from falling off the back of my foot (I get that a lot). I've been wearing the shoes pretty much non stop since then and I completely love them.

So I give these Heel Liners a A+ on usefulness and a B- on price!

{P.S. - Something wonky has gone on with my header. It's just as well though, except a complete redesign here in a few days!}

Who said I can't do it?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 02:08:00 +0000

There is a lovely article over at Refinery 29 about Proving Plus Size Fashion Rules Wrong. It's a great read for people of any size. Often we're taught to hide our body instead of celebrate it. So in honor of celebration I decided to throw the oldest rule in the book out the window.

Never Ever Wear Horizontal Stripes-

Well that's just not going to happen. I happen to love stripes! So here is the same striped shirt worn in the day and the night.

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt and Shoes: Older than Dirt

This is the shirt as worn to work. My office is pretty conservative, and I was actually a little concerned about the cut of the shirt there. I got a lot of compliments though. Everyone said I wore the yellow well. I was comfortable despite it being seriously muggy.

Shirt: Still Old Navy

Skirt: Rainbow

Shoes: TOMs with a hole in the toe

My evening ensemble was built for keeping cool. Going to see Empires again I knew I was going to the a sweaty mess by the end of the evening. Did my first headband braid and wore a high waisted skirt for the first time ever.

So you see, fat girls can wear horizontal stripes. I felt awesome all night.

If you're wondering, Empires was amazing once again. That band is basically a religious experience for me. At this point going to listen to someone sing and feeling the the beat move through me is my church. There is nothing better for my soul than that.

Dream Life!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah Shackleford) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:16:00 +0000

finding this gogo's record for .25 cents and then riding it home on my bike is definitely dream life.

This past weekend I've been pretty obsessed with the concept of dream life. Now, obviously this is a really fluid concept and means different things to different people. For me it's about being the person I envision myself being. Doing the things I dream of doing and making my wishes a reality.

I've spent a lot of my life being really self destructive. I've engaged in a lot of self hate and self doubt. Some of this I know was part of my depression and anxiety and outside of the relm of my control. Some of it though was me throwing the biggest pitty party of all time. As long as I didn't try and make things better I could wallow and play 'woe is me'.

The thing is birdies, when I try and make things better, they USUALLY get better. When I stop indulging in self destruction and start indulging in self construction I feel better. So that's what dream life is about. It's about doing the things that make me happy and make me a better person. I'm going to be working on this all summer, we'll see how it turns out.