the spring witch

Whew. I just got back from a 3-day trip to Boston (or, 1.5 days in Boston with 1.5 days of travelling) for a conference and boy am I glad to be home. Not because I don't love Boston (because I do!), but because plane trips just take it out of me. Even though all you do is sit when you're on a plane, it's still incredibly tiring. I couldn't tell you why.

Oh wait, yes I can — it's because being crammed in a tiny seat for 4.5 hours next to people who don't understand the concept of keeping their elbows to themselves so that you can actually nap without waking up every 5 minutes from a bony jab to the ribs and/or head (this actually happened) is vexing, and being vexed for extended periods of time is exhausting.

Air travel is a lot less fun now that I'm all grown up. Maybe because now I know that Disney World isn't at the end of the flight.

But anyhoodle, here's a little something I wore the week before my trip...

And those dots on my nails aren't random. They're wee little constellations.
dress, vintage via ebaysweater, f21tights, xhilarationboots, vintage via etsybelt, j.crewheart ring, coachstone ring, novica

the starry night

Some people love stripes. Some people love dots. Some people love plaid. I love all of those things, but I especially love a good star print. The only problem is that clothing companies/designers don't seem to love star prints as much as I do because I rarely ever see them. Luckily, this adorable little star-speckled frock from French Connection made it to production and then proceeded to go on sale at Macys. Star print dress, welcome to my closet.

star dress, french connectiontights, merona (target)pumps, seychellesskull ring, ebayband ring, f21watch, fossilgold bangle, kate spade

The nails are my take on Nailside's "nude clouds" design. I'm not very skilled with doing my own nails, obviously, but I liked how they turned out! Maybe I'll get better with more practice... Also, it's kind of weird that my red nail polish kind of stained my nails, so they look unusually pink in the clear part. Hmm...

so many pleats, but so little fun

This outfit seemed cooler in my head than in execution. I think maybe with a bright skirt and a plain white button-up (instead of a striped one), it'd look better. As is, it's pretty "ho hum, that's a lot of drab colors... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawnnnzzzzzzzznnnxxxxx...." Next time!

But at least my nails made it slightly more interesting, maybe? I loved Jessie's "Galaxy Nails," so I

just had to try it out for myself, especially since I have a not-so-secret fascination with all things space-related. Despite my general lack of motor skills, I think they turned out pretty good! (And please ignore how dry and crazy my fingers look. I'm working on it.)

Try not to fall asleep while looking at this outfit. Unless you're an insomniac and desperately need something to help you knock out after you've been awake for 3 days straight, in which case, let the outfit work its magic and give in. Give in to the sweet, blissful haze of slumber's embrace... zzzzzzzz--wha? Sorry, here we are:

shirt, gapjacket, diane von furstenbergskirt, anthropologietights, targetbooties, seychellesbelt, calvin kleinring, novica

Heading out to Houston's Alamo Drafthouse tonight for the release of Houston's own Scarlet Spider (see here for more details if you're so inclined). Even though I don't follow comics or anything (Boyfriend is the geek of that department, which is why we're going to this panel tonight), I'm still stoked that my city finally gets a superhero! I never understood why New York City got all the supers anyway, so I'm glad one of them finally made his way down here.

And then tomorrow I have jury duty. Wah-wahhhhh.

they're taking the hobbits to Isengard

I'm glad you all had the impeccable taste and judgement to appreciate the majesty of the illustrations I showcased in yesterday's post. They are works of beauty, aren't they? You can find them at the Louvre this fall. I heard they're throwing out a rando, unimportant painting called "the Mona Lisa" to make room.*

Couldn't get enough of the grandpa cardigan and ended up dressing like a little hobbit gentleman (but with flats! and a bowtie!) today because I realized that due to a lack of clean tights, I couldn't wear any dresses or skirts. January is still far too cold for bare legs. Unless you live in the Southern hemisphere, I guess. Lucky ducks. (Seriously, Rolling Stone Australia has Soundgarden on the cover. SOUNDGARDEN YOU GUYS. Anyone from Oz mind mailing me a copy? Don't make me beg. It's so unsightly.)

shirt, j.crew

cardigan, target
pants, j.crew
flats, j.crew
bow tie, j.crew outlet
ring, f21

Did I tie my own bow tie? You bet I did! And for those of you who are super into the wonders of nailpolish, here's a breakdown -- Orly ("Liquid Vinyl"), half-topped with Hard Candy ("beetle"), half-topped with Milani ("Jewel FX Gold"). Had a few coworkers and strangers comment that they "couldn't stop staring at [my] nails." I think it's all the shiny gold flecks. It appeals to the inner magpie in all of us.

*not at all true

drapey, slouchy, glittery

[UPDATE]

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that I'm officially on Twitter now! Follow me by clicking on the Twitter icon in the left side menu. Woohoo! I'm still new to this whole thing, so excuse me if I ever commit a Twitter faux pas....

[/UPDATE]

Guys! Where have I been? What has been happening? Why was I gone for so long?

Collective deep breath. I will tell you what I've been up to – or rather, I'll show you what I've been up to.

I was sick on Monday, which doesn't exactly put me in the blogging mood. Luckily, it wasn't anything an entire day of sleeping, Harry Potter-reading, and tea-drinking couldn't fix.

On Tuesday, I was in the Toyota Center, screaming out the words to "Wanted Dead or Alive" in the vain hope that maybe Jon Bon Jovi would hear my glorious tone-deaf voice soaring over the chorus of other tone-deaf voices, and that he'd then point at me and say, "You there! In the nosebleed section, with the voice that could give a manatee a headache! You should be in my band!" (That didn't happen, though, much to my chagrin.)

Then Wednesday crept up and I just plain old forgot to update.

But now I'm back, frizzy hair and all!

dress, modcloth

cardigan, j.crew

tights, xhilaration

vara pumps, salvatore ferragamo

half-slip, anthropologie

polish, clear base + milani's "disco lights" + sally hansen's "strobe light"

belt, mom's

I put my hair up after looking at these photos because I was creeping dangerously into "bobblehead" territory with that poofy, unruly mane. Sigh. My haircut this weekend could not come soon enough…

Check out the nails, too! I followed the tutorial from Jelly's Nails again, which is where I also got the inspiration for my floral nails. I've not met a glimmering, glittering polish I didn't love, except for when it comes to getting that stuff off. Ugh. Sometimes I feel like I need a hammer and chisel to get the most stubborn remnants off. If there's an easy way to remove glitter polish from your nails, do share those tips in the comments!

friday link time

So sometimes I wake up an eensy bit too late (15 minutes, which is like 257234810 minutes in the AmyK time spectrum) and end up not being able to snap a picture pre-work. And then sometimes I come straight home and strip before I'm able to snap a picture post-work (8 feet through the front door and I am already putting on my loungin' pants). And sometimes both of those things happen on the same day, leaving me with no OOTD to post.

But, fear not, for the Internetz provides!

Check out my awesome floral nails!

To learn how to do it yourself, go to this post from Jelly's Nails for the design tutorial. I swear they're supposed to look more like flowers (and less like pink amoebas with green feet), but I am what some would call "tragically uncoordinated."

Ribboned asparagus salad, anyone?

I made this a few nights ago for dinner and it is YUM. Thinly shaved raw asparagus, lemon, olive oil, salt + pepper, toasted pine nuts, and shaved Parmesan. What better way to celebrate the return of spring/summer vegetables? Make it over the weekend. You won't regret it. Scope out the recipe over here from smitten kitchen!

Have a good one!