Down the Rabbit Hole

Friday Fashion: Put a Blazer on It

2013-05-17T18:48:00.002-07:00

Sometimes you get an awesome blazer at the Assistance League Thrift Store. Sometimes you get blue jeans at the same place, because you have tons of awesome jeans but no actual blue jeans. Sometimes you wear these clothing items with a T-shirt that your parents bought you when they were in San Diego for your brother's graduation from Marine's boot camp. Sometimes you wear it with your favoritest hat ever, which you bought at Wish. Sometimes you photograph yourself in said outfit and then try to eat a flower and then you write a blog post. Sometimes you go back to the Assistance League Thrift Store and find another awesome blazer, this time in green, and also a $2 t-shirt and then you make new jewelry and photograph it and post it on Google+, and then Tom Riddle likes it and you're not sure how to feel about that. Sometimes you just feel like wearing a tee shirt and jeans and then you throw a blazer on over it and feel like it makes you look put-together/like a rockstar. Sometimes you only have to try on one pair of jeans and they fit perfectly (sometimes this only happens once in your entire life but when it does you feel like you won the lottery!). And sometimes those same jeans are like new and only cost $5. And sometimes I tell you to have a great weekend and then I go to the annual street fair and also to gluten-free pizza with my friend.

Nifty Thrifty Thursday

2013-05-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, this probably isn't going to become a weekly post series, because I don't thrift weekly. This is on top of my dresser right now (in real life right now there are more shells and feathers and rocks that I added yesterday).

When you make jewelry faster than you sell it, you have to have a place to put it. And if you make minimum wage, you might have to get creative. Everything on top of my dresser (aside from the jewelry, which I either made or bought) is something I made, thrifted, was gifted, or purchased inexpensively (aside from the copper colored jewelry holder in the center on the right side, which I bought on eBay). I made the picture frame jewelry holder from a Dollar Tree picture frame. I made the wine bottle jewelry holder from a sparkling cider bottle my mom gave me and some wire that I bought on sale at the art supply store. I made the two small blue clay dishes in art school in high school. I also made the box on top of the wooden jewelry box on the right in high school art class. I just hot glued together some cool tiles. (I'll show you it and the clay dishes in greater detail in another post later on.) The biggest wooden jewelry box, wooden mushroom, and little blue owl were all gifts. The little jewelry box on top of the smaller wooden jewelry box is one I've had since I was a little kid. All of the other dishes were thrifted, all for less than $5 each. My latest finds are the oval sectioned dish with the gold handles and a white saucer with a black bird track pattern. I'll dedicate an entire post at a later date to the cool patterned dishes I've thrifted, but not today. I also have some other thrifted teacups that live on my shelf. Some people might think this looks tacky or cluttered, but I love it (even moreso now that I have my shells, stones, and feathers). My decorating sense is definitely eclectic. (and soon there will be more proof when I share my ever-growing wall of art)

Bloggers Aren't Perfect Either

2013-05-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

Some bloggers post about all of the beautiful, happy, wonderful things in their lives. Their readers might get the impression that these bloggers have ideal, perfect lives. But I'm here to tell you that it's not true. So here is my list of things that I am terrible at.

finding places I've never been before

This is the only reason I would want a smart phone, for the GPS.
To give you an example, when I went to my gastric consult downtown a few weeks ago, I looked up the directions in advance because I know how bad I am with directions. I figured out exactly how to get there from my bus stop and wrote down detailed instructions for myself. The next day I got off my bus, followed my directions exactly, and ended up nowhere near the hospital. I ended up walking at least 20 more blocks than I had to, and finally found out (after asking five people for directions and looking at two maps, none of which were helpful) that I just had to walk about ten blocks uphill from where I got off the bus and it was right there.

using eyeliner

I can count the number of times I've worn eyeliner on one hand.
Sometimes I see a makeup tutorial for eyeliner and feel ambitious and try to replicate it, then mess it up horribly and have to remove it all. My eyeshadow comes off in the process and then I have to redo everything and give up on the eyeliner.

writing academically

I always think I'm doing a good job and then I end up with a 2.2 or something low like that.
Whether I start writing one month in advance or the night before, I end up with the same low grade.
This is one of the reasons that I stopped going to the University of Washington.

talking on the phone

before, during, and after a phone call, I feel super stressed
I tend to be extra awkward on the phone, even when I plan out what to say in advance.
I stumble over my words and interrupt myself.

baseball/softball

You might not know this, but I'm super competitive and also pretty good at most sports, but baseball and softball just do not work for me.
When we played them in P.E. in elementary school, they always had a rule that everyone got to bat until they hit. No striking out. I usually swung about 30 times before barely making contact and then got tagged out before I made it to first.

riding buses

Every time I have to ride a different bus or get off at a different stop, I get really nervous. I write down my whole route and walking directions the night before, but I usually end up getting on a bus going the opposite direction of where I should be going, or get off at a stop that is way too early and end up having to walk about 20 blocks extra.

sewing

I swear that sewing machines plot against me. If the sewing machine doesn't come unthreaded a bajillion times, then it gets all knotted around the bobbin, or my fabric gets sucked into it and then I have to take the whole machine apart to cut it out.

So there's a bit of proof that I am not perfect. What are some things that you are terrible at?

Nerdish Delight: Amazing Indie Games that Need Your Help

2013-05-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

The other day I was looking at posts in the Indie Games community on Google+. It's a really great community for indie gamers and indie game creators. I came across two games that I really want to play. They both have funding campaigns going on, one on Kickstarter and the other on Indiegogo. I really want these games to get enough funding so I can play them at some point, but unfortunately I can't back them myself. My hours at work are incredibly erratic, I'm looking at schools with web design programs, and I'm going through some lady problems that I won't go into (I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow). All of these things are using up my money. Plus rent, obviously. So I am doing what I can with what I have. And what I have is a blog, so I am blogging about these games.

The first game is called Pandora: Purge of Pride. The campaign has 17 days left and is nearly halfway to their funding goal. I would want to play this game for the art alone (but the gameplay is also incredible). Seriously, look how good it is!

In Pandora: Purge of Pride, you'll play a Victorian woman named Pandora (in the picture above). (High five for female protagonist!) She accidentally unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins on her mansion and she must recapture them all to stop them from spreading. When you capture Sins, you gain new powers related to the Sins. For example, capturing Sloth allows you to slow an object down. You can read more about the game on their Kickstarter page.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this game is the fact that is was created entirely by just four Interactive Media and Game Development Students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, who make up High Class Kitsch.

The second game is called 42 Light Years. This game only has 7 days left, and is a little over a quarter of their funding goal. It's another game that I would play for the art alone, but it also has great gameplay. (If you know me at all, you know that art is a huge deciding factor in the games I play.)

This game involves the manipulation of time as the main mechanism for solving puzzles. And as someone who loves Legend of Zelda games, that's a mechanism that I can really get behind. Unlike in The Legend of Zelda games, the hero is not the one traveling through time. Instead he can send different objects forward or backward in time in order to solve puzzles. In 42 Light Years, you play a hero called Quarante who wakes up on an unknown planet and can't remember why he's there. He has to survive and does this with help from a lifeform who gives him the Timeball, which allows him to do the aforementioned time manipulation. You can read more about this game on the Indiegogo page.

And again impressively, this game was created by a team of just 4 members. They are from Guatemala.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, these games both have really great perks for contributing funding. Even if you can't contribute, if you like indie games, you should really check these two out. These games are both very unique, and sound like they'll be shining examples of what an indie game can be.

It's Sort of About Time

2013-05-11T15:19:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I just wish that I could freeze time for a little bit so I could do all of the things that I want to get done. Times when my brain is thinking so many things at once that I can't properly focus on any them and most get lost forever unless I can write them down somewhere. Times when I am about to drift off to sleep and all of a sudden these ideas just fill my head to the brim and they all seem so great. I write down the ones I remember and sometimes they don't seem like such great ideas anymore when I review them the next morning, once I'm properly awake. Sometimes I wish I could watch a movie of everything that's going on in my subconscious, just beyond my awareness but still influencing my every decision. Sometimes I think too much.

Seattle Etsy Love

2013-05-10T16:15:00.003-07:00

Seattle Etsy Love by jaythejedi

The fact that I picked these items because I loved them all and then realized that they all have light grey backgrounds can probably tell you a lot about Seattle. The Seattle sky is usually close to this shade of light grey, but lately it's been nice and blue and sunny. I find myself drawn to crystal jewelry, flower headbands, and bright bags. These are all items made by Seattle Etsy sellers that I really like and wanted to share. Click the picture to see where you can buy the items. Enjoy your weekend. I hope it's full of lovely weather.

A Simple Flower Photomanipulation

2013-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this photo of a magnolia blossom on Witty Title Here and couldn't resist playing with it.

the original photo

my edited version

First I adjusted the Exposure. Then I added a new layer, filled it with 50% gray, set the Blend mode to Overlay, then used the Dodge and Burn tools on it to bring out the highlights and shadows. Finaly, I adjusted the Color Balance to give the photo a warmer tone.

New Glasses from Zenni Optical!

2013-05-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

I ordered these glasses from Zenni Optical and they arrived last Thursday, but I didn't get around to photographing them until today. My eyesight changed enough that I noticed that I wasn't seeing clearly three weeks ago, so I set up an eye doctor appointment. I thought it had been about a year since my last one, but it was almost two years! As I expected, my eyesight had changed quite a bit, so I got a new prescription and went online to browse for glasses. I wanted to try one of the sites with the free at-home try-on programs, but those glasses were still more expensive than what I wanted to pay, so I went to my usual website, Zenni Optical. I wrote about how great their site is before, in this post. Their glasses start from just $6.95 a pair (for both frames and lenses! without upgrades), so they fit any budget. I have ordered from them before. I got the green glasses in these photos there, as well as some brown ones that I don't think I ever posted pictures of. My new ones cost more than the previous pairs, but were still affordable at just under $95. I got these glasses. I got them as no-line bifocals, with oleophobic lens coating (meaning that they're oil-resistant and therefore I don't have to clean them a million times a day), and with the tint that makes them turn into sunglasses when I'm out in the sun, which is great because my eyes have been pretty light-sensitive. They get a light purple tint, which is pretty cool. I am still getting used to the no-line bifocals. It's pretty interesting. The bifocals I had before had a line, so if I looked through that spot in my glasses, I just saw the line. But these ones don't have a line, so if I look through the spot where the prescriptions change, it seems really blurry and feel a little bit nauseous. I'm starting to figure out where that spot is so I don't look through it though. Overall I really like these glasses. They got the prescriptions correct, just as I entered them in my order. They are quality glasses with durable plastic frames and pretty thick lenses.

Zenni Optical sent my new glasses in a hard case, along with the prettiest cleaning cloth ever!

Blog and Shop of the Month: Moth de Lune and Rescued Threads

2013-05-07T18:06:00.003-07:00

This month's choice was an easy one. This shop and this blog were my choices as soon as I discovered them. My shop of the month is Rescued Threads. They take old clothing and fabric and give it new life in the form of really great clothing, art, and jewelry. Their shop also supports some really great organizations, including Doctors without Borders and Habitat for Humanity. If I had to choose my favorite item from their shop, I wouldn't be able to choose between this headband and this artwork.

You can find all of these great items and much more in the Rescued Thread shop on Etsy.

I found Moth de Lune through Rachael's blog and I instantly loved it. Ella is so nice and down-to-earth and she always shares the coolest stuff, like this Break-Your-Own-Geode from Etsy, which I just had to purchase for myself. I bought one, but I haven't opened it yet. I'll share the results when I do. I'm hoping to get some nice chunks to wire wrap and make into cool jewelry for my shop. Ella likes to write about stuff like crystals, stuff she made, fashion, and her hobbies (which include going to old graveyards!).

Click Ella's shoes to go see the rest of her awesome blog.

Friday Fashion: My Summer Fashion Wishlist

2013-05-03T20:51:00.001-07:00

Summer Fashion Wishlist by jaythejedi

I have a long wishlist, but these are a few of the items that I wouldn't mind showing up in my closet. I want a flower crown so badly! It would be great to wear with a colorful lace dress. I like them paired with bright flats in contrasting colors. I like these flats because they're my favorite color and my current brightly colored flats are super close to dead (but I still wear them anyway). I'm always a fan of cute floral printed blouses, and this is one of my favorites. Foxes are one of my current obsessions and I don't have any fox stuff at all! This ring would be a great to remedy this problem. Hats have always been an obsession of mine and this hat would be perfect for exploring and going on adventures! I also really want a satchel. This one has lots of color and personality, and it's big enough to hold the essentials, including my wallet, book, and camera. I love the bright summery colors on this striped top and I love horizontal stripes, well any stripes actually. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal; I'm not picky. And this skirt! I would wear it with so many things! It's twirly and asymmetrical and amazing and I adore it.

So if I had everything I wanted in my wardrobe, it would definitely contain all of these things, plus a lot more.

Old Cemeteries

2013-05-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

I love old cemeteries. There's a pioneer cemetery near my hometown that my mom and I used to visit. It's kind of sad though, like everyone just forgot about all of the people who were buried there. Some of the headstones are so eroded by time that you can't even tell there were ever words on them. I just feel like it's important to remember the people who are gone, even if I never actually knew them, or even had a chance to know them, since they died long before my grandparents were even born.

The oldest graves are behind this rusty wrought iron fence.

Lots of the headstones have poems engraved in them.

This is the tallest monument in the cemetery.

another poem and some lichen

The children's headstones are especially sad. This little girl was only 3 months old when she died.

This little girl wasn't quite 2 years old when she died.

I think this is the most recent headstone in the cemetery. They don't bury anyone there anymore.

This was a really big and elaborately carved headstone. Apparently the family was wealthy.

Thankfully this cemetery doesn't have any weeping angels in it. Another reason I like old cemeteries is that there usually aren't any other people there. It's quiet and peaceful.

Friday Fashion: How I Would Wear Stripes with Florals

2013-04-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

What I love about mixing floral prints with stripes is that it's pretty foolproof. Pretty much any combination of stripes and florals will look good together (as long as the stripes are black-and-white). I saw these two images awhile ago and completely fell in love with the look of stripes and floral prints together.

via Sunday Crossbow

via Life Unsweetened, which is a blog that I highly recommend

So then I created my own outfits with stripes and floral print. I made them in Polyvore, of course, since I still haven't bought a black and white striped shirt or black and white striped jeans.

This is the super bold version:

Pattern Mixing: Stripes and Florals 1 by jaythejedi

I feel like if you're going to go this bold with your prints, you should stick to neutral colored shoes and accessories, in similar shades. I think this would be a super cute outfit for date night or even for work, depending on where you work. And each piece in this outfit is under $50! (Okay, the dress is $51, but it's close.) You can recreate this look even more affordably if you already own some similar pieces or if you shop at thrift stores.

This is a more subtle way of mixing your stripes and florals (as subtle as you can be with black and white striped jeans, anyway!) You could make it even more subtle with light grey and white striped jeans.

Pattern Mixing: Stripes and Florals 2 by jaythejedi

I couldn't really decide on one floral top, so I made an outfit for three different tops. I would definitely wear all three of these outfits. I think the brown bags and shoes that match the top add a fun touch while still keeping it more subtle. I would add a blazer, cardigan, or jacket with each, because I live in Seattle, but I ran out of space, so you can use your imagination.

I think that mixing florals with stripes is a really cute and fun idea for spring.

Oops

2013-04-26T19:16:00.002-07:00

I had every intention of actually posting the Friday Fashion today that I had postponed from last week. I swear that I did. But then I ended up working today. And instead of the 4 hours I normally work, I worked 9 hours and 40 minutes. It was fun; I got to help my boss design some really cool new jewelry, but I am tired. And I am going to hang out with my friend soon, and make (and eat!) gluten-free brownies and watch movies. It's for my birthday. You know, the one that I had on January 28th? We haven't had free time at the same time to celebrate until tonight, so I will not cancel. I'll post the Friday Fashion tomorrow. For reals this time, hopefully.

On Being Content

2013-04-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been finding myself trudging through certain parts of life and waiting for others. Working during the week and longing for the weekend. Wishing the weekend lasted longer. And I guess that's pretty normal, but when have I ever been normal? So starting today, I am making a decision to enjoy every part of my life, every day, every minute, every second. I will find something to be happy about. Because I don't want to spend my life waiting to live it.

via mary.fran on Flickr

via Matthew Sanzone on Flickr

via workisnotajob

via Jessica Hische

via piece of cake/peace of mind (which is a fantastic blog, by the way)

Happy Earth Day: 40 Ways to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

2013-04-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Whether your motivation is being kind to the planet or just saving some money, finding ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle will help you to achieve your goal. Here are my favorite five ways to save both money and the planet. You can see the other 35+ on my Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Pinterest board.

via Family Handyman

I found this one in a blog post about Holiday Decorating Tips, but it is useful year-round. Use a paper towel holder to store supplies such as tape (of the washi, Scotch, and duct variety), ribbon, trim, twine, lace, and more. This is especially helpful for those of us who have small spaces instead of a whole separate room for crafting.

via Craft and Creativity

For your thinner ribbons and trims, Tic Tac containers are a great storage solution. This recycling idea is originally from Instructables, but I like the photos on the Craft and Creativity post about it much better. It's pretty self-explanatory. Just roll up your ribbons and trims and put them in empty Tic Tac containers. This will keep them from getting tangled together and make them easier to keep organized.

via Apartment Therapy

This is one of my favorite things. It is by Dutch designer Isabel Quiroga and I found it on Apartment Therapy. You can make your own by either using old furniture that you no longer use, buying some inexpensive furniture from a thrift store, garage sale, or estate sale, or (if you're really lucky) finding it being given away for free by the sidewalk (usually in June and September in college towns, when students are most likely moving). As you collect your furniture treasures, clean them up (if necessary), then paint them all the same color, or contrasting colors, or whatever you feel like. Then stack them up however you would like. They can work as desks, dressers, shelves, and probably a lot more. The only limit is your creativity (well, and your ceiling height, I suppose)! I love how you can make it so unique and personalized to your own tastes.

via my blog

I like this one because as a jewelry maker, I constantly need more and more jewelry storage solutions. I have already bought all of the jewelry boxes at my new favorite thrift store (true story), so I had to think outside the box. And in this case, outside the box meant inside the bottle. If you don't drink wine, like me, you can either get n empty wine bottle from a friend, use a sparkling cider bottle, or use something else, like a vase. To see how to make your own, check out my post.

via Wrapped Up in Rainbows

I am so in love with cute satchels right now. I don't have one of my own yet. For now I am content with browsing dozens of pictures of them on the web. I love this satchel redo on Wrapped Up in Rainbows. She took a plain tan colored satchel and made it into the beauty you see in the photo above. You can do the same if you have a satchel, or any other bag made of the same material, lurking in your wardrobe somewhere. Maybe you don't use it anymore because it's so plain, but if you give it a makeover, it will be ready in time for Summer!

So whether you're into saving money or saving the planet (or both!), I urge you to try these DIYs ranging from super simple to rather time-consuming. And if you want more, be sure to check out my Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Pinterest board. Right now there are 43 pins, including these 5, and I am always adding more. Have a great Earth Day. And if the weather where you are is anywhere near as nice as it is here in Seattle today, go enjoy the outdoors!

Today's Friday Fashion is Postponed

2013-04-19T13:43:00.003-07:00

I had an eye doctor appointment today. They dilated my eyes with eye drops, so now it's hard to see clearly, which makes it hard to type. It will wear off in the next three or four hours. But I am going to do the post that I had planned as today's Friday Fashion next week. It will be worth the wait though. It involves print mixing.

I am happy because the eye doctor didn't do the two tests that I hate the most, the air puff and taking photos of my eyes. I need new glasses, which I already knew. I will be buying them online again. I'm really excited because lots of sites have at-home try-on options now, where you can pick your favorite five or so frames and they'll send them to you for free to try on. You are allowed a certain amount of time and then you send them all back and order your favorite pair(s).

I think my eyes look kind of cool dilated, but they don't see well at all.

Game Review: Blue Toad Murder Files

2013-04-17T17:47:00.003-07:00

Image via Adventure Corner

You should know by now that I love free stuff, so it should as no surprise that I enjoy downloading free video games from the Playstation Network. I downloaded the game Blue Toad Murder Files the other day because as you'll recall I enjoy murder stuff. I also really enjoy games where I get to play a detective and solve mysteries, so this seemed right up my alley.

I'll go ahead and tell you right now that I didn't enjoy the game. I think that I'm older than the target audience or something. Most of the puzzles are ridiculously easy. And then there's this one puzzle where you're supposed to remember exactly what an old lady you talked to earlier looked like. Instead of staring at her face when I was talking to her, I was waiting for her to stop babbling.


one of the more enjoyable puzzles, image via Adventure Corner

So basically your character is a detective on vacation in the town of Little Riddle. He arrives just in time for a murder to happen. Then he has to solve it. He does this by solving puzzles.

I'm sure that there are people who will enjoy this game, but there isn't enough exploring and investigating in it for me. When I'm playing a detective game, I like to have to look around and spot small details. This game basically makes you follow a set path, and I don't like such rigid structure in games.

This game is available as an app. I think it makes more sense as a smart phone game. It doesn't take a whole lot of brain power, but it isn't too repetitive. But if you are going to play this game, you need to be observant in order to pass the pop quizzes throughout it.

The one thing that I liked about this game is that one guy voiced all of the characters. I thought that was pretty cool.

I give Blue Toad Murder Files 1.5 stars out of 5. It wasn't my favorite, but it was alright to play for about a half hour.

Where to Go in Seattle: Olympic Sculpture Park

2013-04-15T19:53:00.003-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had really nice Spring-like weather here in Seattle. (It didn't last long though.) While it was still nice, G and I went to Olympic Sculpture Park on the weekend. I have wanted to go there ever since I learned of its existence. And also it's completely free to go there, so if you're strapped for cash or on a budget, it's a great place to go to. I took about a bajillion photos of the sculptures from all sorts of different angles and will be selling prints of some of the photos in my shop before too long. Here are a few of my favorites, and I'll share more in the future. I'm pretty sure I'll have a whole post full of them called "These Photos are Blurry but I Like Them Anyway". I'll save the sunset sculpture silhouette ones for a separate post too, and make another post for my beloved "spot the Space Needle" photos.


This sculpture looked really cool from every single angle, but this was one of my favorite angles to shoot it at. It's also a great sculpture for taking (in my case accidental) self-shots, though I'm not in this photo.

It took so long for all of the people to clear out so I could take this photo.

This was my favorite sculpture to photograph.

This one sort of resembled a shipwreck.

And here's one more of this sculpture.

Friday Favorites: Flowers

2013-04-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

If you know me at all, you'll know that I absolutely love things that are different from the ordinary. So it should be no surprise to you that one of my favorite kinds of flowers is the anemone They're like if you took a photo of a poppy and inverted the colors, sort of. Here in Seattle, we had one week of sunshine and then it went back to rain. It was enough sunshine to make the flowers bloom though. And I'm pretty conflicted because the flowers are so pretty, but they drive my allergies crazy, even with allergy medicine.

So I've been getting my flower fix online, where they don't make my eyes water and my nose run. I even have a whole board full of lovely flowers (and flower crafts) on Pinterest. It's here if you want to see it.

via Indecora

Where to Shop in Seattle: Assistance League Thrift Store

2013-04-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

My bus goes past this thrift store every day on my way to work and every day on my way home, and you guys know how much I love thrifting, so it was really only a matter of time until I checked it out. I stopped by for the first time two weeks ago on Thursday, which is the last day of my work week. Unfortunately that day they had to close early because one of the volunteers who work there wasn't able to come in. I did have enough time to find and try on a really cute blazer which fit me perfectly, so I bought it.

I went back to the thrift store last week, again on Thursday. I asked the lady working there that day if I could take some photos for my blog. She let me take some photos and then she shared information with me about the wonderful organization that runs the thrift store. The thrift store is called Bargain Fair Thrift Shop. It is located in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle at 1415 N 45th St
Seattle, WA 98103. It is run by volunteers who work for The Assistance League of Seattle. (The Assistance League has branches in many other major U.S. cities.) The Assistance League is a really great organization. The Seattle branch of this organization provides new school clothes for underprivileged children, provides enrichment scholarships for kids who couldn't otherwise afford extracurricular classes, and awards community college scholarships to adults who may not qualify for traditional scholarships.

And if a great cause isn't enough to convince you to shop there, maybe the great prices will. When I was there they were having a half off sale on all of the black clothing or clothing that had any black in it. But enough words, it's picture time!

so many lovely teacups and saucers!

This dress is so pretty!

racks of clothing just waiting to be browsed for treasures

a pretty good selection of dishes and vases

And now I would like to share with you all of the things that I bought. Keep in mind that I hadn't thrifted for quite a few months while I was sick and not working, so I had to make up for all of those months without any thrifting.


I bought two jewelry boxes, a gold-rimmed saucer, a flower print mug, a little dish for jewelry, a pretty orange top

a ring holder, a cookbook for G, next year's winter coat, a Forever 21 floral top, a black lace top,

a black dress, a ruffly grey dress, and a floral scarf, all for the grand total of $57!

So if you live in Seattle or are planning to visit Seattle, you should definitely visit Bargain Fair Thrift Shop. There is lots of vintage clothing, modern clothing, and housewares, all for unbelievably great prices.

Blog and Shop of the Month: Perfect Mode

2013-04-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

I discovered a lot of really great shops and blogs in the past month, but once I saw Minimal Mode and The Perfect Pear, I easily made my decision about who would be my Blog and Shop of the Month this month.

Minimal Mode is a really cool Etsy shop that has only been open since November 2012. They have some really unique and interesting sort of modern-meets-punk jewelry, as well as some really cool wire crochet necklaces. (I can't even crochet yarn!) I am personally wishing for this bracelet from Minimal Mode to grace my wrist. To see all of the jewelry that Minimal Mode has to offer (most, if not all, with free shipping), check out their shop.

some of the jewelry made and sold by Minimal Mode

Lauren is the lovely lady behind The Perfect Pear. To be honest, her lovely header drew me in, but then I stuck around for the content and the personality. Lauren writes about projects, recipes, photography, and beauty. She always takes really great photos and shares some really pretty things (including her outfits!). You should check out Lauren's blog here whether you want to learn something, look at pretty things, or be inspired. And check out this DIY post she wrote about how to make a Mini Book Necklace. So cute!

Exhibit A: blogger with personality

Fashion Friday: In My Perfect Wardrobe

2013-04-05T10:35:00.002-07:00

Rock and Roll All Night by jaythejedi featuring colorful earrings

I would love a purple studded "leather" jacket, and these boots (along with the ability to walk in them and not get them dirty, because white shoes are so hard to keep clean and pristine). Lately I've been wearing more bright colors because it's Spring (and I went on a thrift store shopping spree yesterday at a thrift store that I'll share with you next week and thrifted some very cute springy clothing), but sometimes I'm just drawn to neutrals. I really love neutrals that aren't so neutral, because of studs or sparkle or cute details.

A Strange Fascination

2013-04-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have this strange fascination with murderers, especially serial killers. I'm not really sure how else to say it. I think that there are a couple of different reasons why. First of all, I just can't understand how anyone can be so cruel to another human being. Second, while supposedly scary movies make me laugh my head off, movies with serial killers actually scare me, because they could actually happen, to some extent. And for some reason, watching a lot of those types of movies makes me have fewer nightmares than I do when I don't watch them. Maybe it gets it out of my system somehow? Thrillers are my favorite kinds of books and one of my favorite kinds of movies. I always used to watch The First 48 on Friday nights with my mom when I was growing up. I've watched Bones, NCIS, Monk, CSI, and countless movies with the same theme. And I love the new show The Following.

There's not really a point to this post. I just felt like sharing.

Easter Sleepover

2013-04-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went over to my aunt's house, which is only about a half hour away from me. Almost all of my cousins from my dad's side came up, as well as my aunts and uncles from my dad's side. Everyone slept over Saturday night. We played a whole bunch of fun and crazy games. Then we watched Bridesmaids and then all of the people my age except two slept on couches and air mattresses in the finished basement. I ended up unknowingly getting the air mattress that had a slow leak. I found out when I woke up in the night and I was laying on the floor.

On Easter we had a big breakfast, of which I could only eat the scrambled eggs and the strawberries. The Easter Bunny brought all of us cousins a chocolate bunny, but I couldn't eat mine because it was made in a facility that also processes wheat. After that we started cooking. We also tried to have a Peeps joust in the microwave but that didn't work very well. The Peeps got really puffed up but then they deflated. They looked really funny at the end. And then they tasted like toasted marshmallows, only covered in sugar.

We also made deviled egg chicks, which was interesting. We didn't have any olives, so we used peppercorns as eyes. Then we had to tell everyone not to eat the eyes.


The one I made was the first one on the left in the middle row that looks like it has wings.

The only thing about making these adorable little deviled eggs is that it's hard to eat them without feeling bad, especially since they're too big to eat in just one bite.

After that we had a big dinner with lots of food that I couldn't eat. I could eat the deviled eggs and ham though, and they were good. Then there were a whole bunch of desserts that I couldn't eat at all, including two cakes and a cheesecake.

Then all of the girls got free facials, because my cousin has started selling skincare products and needed to practice. Well actually we only got free half-facials, because we only got to do it on one side of our face so we could see the difference. The products worked really well, but they are way too expensive for me to be able to buy any. After that everyone went home, because we all had to work today.

Friday Fashion: Striped Jeans

2013-03-29T12:20:00.001-07:00

Black Rose by jaythejedi featuring rose jewelry

Can we talk about jeans for a minute? Of course we can, because this is my blog and I can talk about whatever I want. And right now I want to talk about jeans. I love jeans. I especially love weird, crazy, zany, fun jeans. I don't even own a pair of ordinary blue jeans. I don't own a single pair of blue jeans, not even one. I do own: a pair of black jeans with distressing and red sequins, a pair of army green jeans with lots of pockets, a pair of khaki jeans, a pair of pinkish-purple jeans, a pair of dark red jeans, and a pair of dark gray jeans with a bleaching pattern that's sort of like tie dye. The point I'm trying to make here is that I am a big fan of jeans. They are a serious wardrobe staple for me. And I want more, specifically a pair of camo jeans and a pair of black and white striped jeans, like in this outfit.

Why black and white striped jeans are so cool:

1. I would feel like a character out of a Tim Burton movie every time I wore them, and I love Tim Burton movies.

2. They're surprisingly versatile. I would be able to wear them with just about everything, including plain tops and printed tops. This would allow me to do some fun pattern mixing including polka dots and stripes, floral and stripes, and subtle zebra print and stripes.

3. It's all the fun and excitement of a circus without scary murderous clowns.

4. I could wear them under skirts and dresses like striped leggings. This would be especially helpful next winter when it's cold again. (It's sunny in Seattle right now and has been this week. Look quick before it's rainy again.)

So basically black and white striped jeans need to find their way into my wardrobe posthaste.