tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4556484514041937352024-03-19T06:11:57.425-05:00Embracing your inner cupcakeHeather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-57409177525484089822011-12-12T14:52:00.001-06:002011-12-12T14:58:55.998-06:00City Lights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AfWC4MWCEX8/TuIbyudTM2I/AAAAAAAADCg/B7HzI3x0FDA/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AfWC4MWCEX8/TuIbyudTM2I/AAAAAAAADCg/B7HzI3x0FDA/s640/IMG_3001.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It feels like I was just home for Thanksgiving, or at least I just uploaded my pictures from then onto my computer, but my Dad is actually traveling down to Texas this week to celebrate an early Christmas with the Houston branch of the family later this week! The boyfriend and I bought a little live tree from Kroger that we're hoping to nurse through the hot summer (and protect from cats) so that by next year it'll be a slightly bigger live tree. In between editing papers and collecting data this week (and caroling with my a cappella group), I'm hoping to sort out most of the rest of my Christmas/ Chanukah shopping/making- I've finished one scarf and I'm planning to get someone on my list a subscription to <a href="http://www.whimseybox.com/">Whimseybox</a> (it's a craft sample box in a similar vein as Birchbox and a new project from Alicia of <a href="http://www.dismountcreative.com/">Dismount Creative</a>). That still leaves me with a rather terrifying amount of knitting and sewing for projects that seemed totally doable at the beginning of December and lots of gratitude for the Amazon prime student membership (free shipping is the best, but when it only takes 2 days it's even better), but most of the people on my list and an appropriate gift are starting to come together. And when all else fails, there's always baked goods wrapped up with a pretty bow.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I'm a grad student and make $2/hour, and I have a reasonable amount of patience for crafting, it's mostly been handmade gift guides that have caught my eye this year. Here's a list of some that I've been looking at for inspiration:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://transientexpression.com/2011/12/01/diy-gift-guide-for-the-fashionista-part-2/">http://transientexpression.com/2011/12/01/diy-gift-guide-for-the-fashionista-part-2/</a> (there may be some projects that end up being gifts to myself, plus she links to quite a few other gift guides that for the <insert descriptive here>)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mintdesignblog.com/">http://www.mintdesignblog.com/</a> (there's even diy gifts for pets included)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2011/11/2011-gift-guides-skip-the-stores-use-your-hands.html">http://www.designsponge.com/2011/11/2011-gift-guides-skip-the-stores-use-your-hands.html</a> (more experience driven than crafting)</div><div style="text-align: left;">And of course, there's <a href="http://pinterest.com/innercupcake/things-to-make/">Pintrest</a> (that links to my diy board, which isn't all Christmas gifts, but there are a lot of ideas floating around on that site).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><i>(Images above were taken from the Hancock Observatory in Chicago)</i>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-23554692989730340372011-12-09T15:50:00.001-06:002011-12-09T15:51:07.484-06:00eShakti discount and how I occupy myself during seminars<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Hey all- remember <a href="http://innercupcake.blogspot.com/2011/11/product-review-eshakti-dress.html">that dress</a> I wore that I got to review from eShakti? That dress continues to get wears even though I bought it in the summer and it's now the Houston version of blindingly cold (so 30s to 50s, and I'm fully aware that anyone from the North would laugh at me for saying that. I would laugh at me for saying that), so I feel pretty comfortable endorsing how much I like and use that dress. Well, the folks there were kind enough to send me a promo code- </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">CUPCAKE0811-</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> that was created for ya'll to get $20 off when they shop at </span><span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #222222; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">eShakti, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">it's valid till 31st December, 2011. In the interest of full disclosure, I wanted to let you know that if you use this code, I would get store credits.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">On an unrelated note, being a grad student means that I am encouraged to attend many seminars. Some of these I'm totally jazzed about (like today where the speaker gave a really comprehensive view of drug development in my field of study- and it was a really well done talk). Sometimes though, the talks that I attend are less relevant to what I'm working on or totally over my head, and I am plagued by the problem of zoning out during seminars (this happens even during talks that I'm excited about and interested in-it's something that I struggle with). And so my careful notes start drifting towards to-do lists and clothing design ideas and lately, sketches of what I'm wearing. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I actually managed to get a real-life comparison for the one of the right. You might notice that in real life, I have hands. And facial features :)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KLelA_8JUOA/TuIayla2TaI/AAAAAAAADCY/QjwzEN85gAw/s1600/IMG_2922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="586" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KLelA_8JUOA/TuIayla2TaI/AAAAAAAADCY/QjwzEN85gAw/s640/IMG_2922.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I've actually tried doing some outfit doodles at home now and the bf saw them, asked me about them, and then asked me if I was going to upload them to the blog (which cracked me up, and I thought was really adorable). Considering how well I'm doing on making time to take pictures and how often I'm in seminar, it might be time to change the format of my outfit posts :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Outfit: Dress: La Posh Style/ Cardigan, belt, leggings, socks: Target/ Boots: Steve Madden Girl Via Delias</span>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-43077446537965626732011-11-09T18:57:00.000-06:002011-11-09T18:57:11.894-06:00Committed to sparkle motion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfE0J371niM/TrKvw7H0yZI/AAAAAAAADBk/-CToTpfAvTk/s1600/IMG_2579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WfE0J371niM/TrKvw7H0yZI/AAAAAAAADBk/-CToTpfAvTk/s640/IMG_2579.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br />
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Oufit: Sequins: Express/ Skirt: Target/ Jacket: Banana Republic/ Shoes: Target/ Belt: Target/ Earring: Handmade/<br />
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I used to be a minimal sequins kind of gal, but fell deeply in like with this shirt over the summer. The theme for my sister in law's bachelorette party was sequins, so I made the rare decision to buy something specifically for a purpose (which I haven't done since being invited to my first wedding as an adult where I found myself scrambling frantically around the Galleria (mall) to find something that was appropriate and fit well- I'm pretty sure that experience was traumatizing enough to explain why I now have too many dresses for all occasions hanging in my closet). This shirt is not the sequins that I wore to that party- it was the back-up sequins that I bought along with an insanely fabulous dress that I wasn't sure I had the courage to wear (turns out I did), but I couldn't manage to return the back-up as planned. Now I'm bound my the rules of my closet to manufacture occasions to wear sequins. Like Wednesday. Wednesday can be a holiday now, right?Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-76695935693179235752011-11-04T22:29:00.000-05:002011-11-04T22:29:15.097-05:00Friend Friday: Heather goes on about books editionI know, it's been a long time since I've participated in one of these, but the theme this week is books and reading, and that's one of my great long-lived passions- has been since I first discovered how amazing losing yourself in a good book was. I was actually scolded as a kid for reading too much (and sometimes walking while reading- which I swear I was actually great at even though I'm a huge klutz). Now that no one is around to stop me, my bookshelves are stacked dangerously high, and I almost always have a book in my purse. There's a lot of text here, so read on if you're okay with me running my mouth about books, but if you want to scroll past it to look at pictures of pretty clothes, it's okay. We can still be friends.<br />
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November is the national novel writing month (NaNoWriMo), and since Katy of <a href="http://www.modlychic.com/">Modly Chic</a> and organizer of FBFF (Fashion Beauty Friend Friday) has been working on her next young adult book for the last several months with very little progress it got her thinking...what's everyone reading?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://data.whicdn.com/images/17142941/book,heart,carla,books,colors,design-7dcc21c0530ea5e30fcdd764afa72c02_h_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://data.whicdn.com/images/17142941/book,heart,carla,books,colors,design-7dcc21c0530ea5e30fcdd764afa72c02_h_large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via <a href="http://weheartit.com/entry/17142941">weheartit.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Top <strike>5</strike> <strike>6</strike> books and authors that I feel like I can always come back to:<br />
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I tried to narrow it down to 5, but I kept adding things on and not being able to remove things- and I had a hard time picking favorites even within authors, so you're getting more than 5 (and the knowledge that I'm terribly indecisive). I don't want to overwhelm you any more than this, so I'm cutting myself off, but please feel free to continue the discussion if you're interested :) I tried to put them in roughly the order that I read them in, but while some of the earlier books are aimed at a younger audience, they're still books I read and enjoy to this day.<br />
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<b>A Wind in the Door</b> and <b>The Arm of the Starfish</b>: Madeline L'Engle<br />
-One of the most influential authors on my life, since I'm pretty sure that A Wind in the Door sparked my fascination with science and The Arm of the Starfish was one of the first things that interested me in Neuroscience (my chosen field of study). Many of the same themes come up in a lot of her books (science, music, family) that I really appreciate, and I love her style. Honorable mentions for this author are The Small Rain/ A Severed Wasp, which I didn't read until I was older, and act as beautiful bookends on one character's life (and were written at the beginning and end of MLE's career).<br />
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<b>Court/Crown Duel</b>: Sherwood Smith<br />
-This is one of the first books that I remember loving as a kid. Also, saving up my pennies to buy it at Crown Books (and those went out of business a long time ago). I've later realized that my early attempts to write the next great novel were almost attempts at fan-fiction, before I even knew what that was. Strong female lead, political intrigue, and one of those antagonistic romances that are great on paper (but would probably suck in real life). It was originally published as two hardback books, so I even wound up buying a second copy (paperback and had both books= way easier to transport).<br />
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<b>The Black Swan</b>: Mercedes Lackey<br />
-A revisionist look at one of my favorite ballets (the music for Swan Lake makes me feel alive like almost nothing else). It's got magic, love, and some sweet outfits, and I love that it turns the traditional story on it's head and the personalities it brings to life.<br />
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<b>Hexwood</b>: Diana Wynne Jones<br />
-A little unusual in formatting, but very worth re-reading even after the novelty of the first time through wears off. This is one of my long-time favorites, and even though I'm probably pretty close to memorizing the book at this point, it's still a comfort read for me that often gets taken on trips. I'd like to choose honorable mentions for her, since she was a great and a prolific author, but I don't think I can pick.<br />
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<b>The Salmon of Doubt</b>: Douglas Adams<br />
-Most well known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which is hilarious and smart), but for some reason this odd posthumous collection of bits has been what's stuck with me most- first read when I was starting to think more carefully about certain things (like religion), and it really helped thinking through serious things.<br />
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<b>Anything by Terry Pratchett, but particularly Small Gods and Night Watch</b>:<br />
-It would be hard for me to not include him on this list, since the bf and I have now amassed an almost complete collection of his Discworld books. Most of his books are set in an alternate universe (much like our own except completely flat and balanced on four elephants on a turtle flying through space), which means that it falls under the sci-fi/fantasy umbrella, but in addition to being hilarious, these books are some of the smartest discussions of serious issues I've ever read. Small Gods is probably the best one and Night Watch sticks out as one of my other personal favorites. Also, the bf loves them, allowing me to live out my lifelong fantasy of reading in bed next to my bf.<br />
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<b>The Eyre Affair</b> and Thursday Next books: Jasper Fforde<br />
-Much like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, this author uses the fantasy/sci-fi genre to make smart commentary, and I actually laughed out loud while reading it. It also involves more literary jokes than you can shake a stick at and allows the main character to do what I've always wanted to do: literally lose herself in a book.<br />
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<b>Enchantment</b>: Orson Scott Card <br />
-Revisionist (theme, I've got one) Sleeping Beauty. I love that it pulls from history and Russian folklore influences. Honorable mention for this author is Ender's Game/Shadow, which were super influential on me when I was younger.<br />
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<b>Robin McKinley, particularly Sunshine, but also Spindle's End and Chalice:</b><br />
-Her books have this magical hold on me, where I feel as though I'm being totally consumed by the book's world while reading through it (more so than even other good authors). She does a lot of revisionist fairy tale/ mythology type things (which I love), but it's the way she writes and not just the content that puts her here. It doesn't hurt that Sunshine (along with the TV show Pushing Daises) are among what I cite as influencing my love of baking. <b> </b><br />
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<b>Neil Gaiman</b>: American Gods<br />
-Dark, gritty, and pulls together a lot of different mythologies- both the gods that we've forgotten and the gods that we've unknowingly set up in modern times. I'm also a huge fan of Stardust (both book and movie) and Mirrormask (more so the movie than the book).<br />
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For what it's worth, I'm currently reading:<br />
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<b>The Court of the Air</b> by Stephen Hunt- an odd but mostly engaging read that I don't know how to summarize well (think steampunk mixed with elder gods and human sacrifice).<br />
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<b>The Tortall books </b>of Tamora Pierce- I'm not sure if anyone else was enthralled by the world of Alana the female knight, but it come up in conversation with friends over a few drinks, and it made me realize I was totally ready for a re-read (strong female lead! coming of age! fighting and magic!) Unfortunately I read through them much faster now than I did the first time.<br />
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For more people's thoughts about books, check out today's <a href="http://www.modlychic.com/2011/11/friend-friday-open-a-book.html">link-up post on Modly Chic</a>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-79887182558264119232011-11-03T23:25:00.000-05:002011-11-03T23:25:11.610-05:00Product review: eShakti dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auV9htRLvWo/TrKtfYMUVFI/AAAAAAAADBE/ZaeomslU_mI/s1600/IMG_2771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auV9htRLvWo/TrKtfYMUVFI/AAAAAAAADBE/ZaeomslU_mI/s640/IMG_2771.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Outfit: Dress: c/o <a href="http://www.eshakti.com/">eShakti</a>/ Belt: Target/ Shoes: Target/ Necklace: Jess LC/ Bracelet: Self-made/<br />
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The first time I wore this dress I got a compliment saying that it looked like it was made for me, and the truth is- it kinda was. I was contacted by eShakti to do a product review of one of their items and gleefully chose this dress that I had been eyeing. To be honest, I haven't bought anything from their website before, but I had definitely window-shopped there, and I was intrigued by their policy of customization (both in size and style for $7.50 extra). I was a bit hesitant to take on a product review, since I was wary of putting myself in a position where I might compromise my opinions, so I'm going to be up front with you here- this dress was provided for the purpose of a doing a product review, and all opinions here are my own.<br />
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Now to the details- Since the dress was being purchased online, I wanted to choose something in a fabric that I knew I would like (100% cotton, and no complaints here) and went with a color and style that I knew would be used in my everyday closet. Since I've worn this dress about once a week, which is pretty much the highest endorsement I can give a clothing item, I feel pretty confident saying that this is something I quite like and has pretty much the best strap staying power of any of the dresses I own (and even went through the was well). I often use stretchy fabrics and elastic waistbands to my advantage when choosing clothing, since I find it provides a better look than too loose/tight clothing (and I'm not yet skilled enough with a sewing machine to tailor all my clothes), so it was definitely a change to wear something that A) has a zipper and B) was made to spec based off of my measurements. I'm really pleased with the workmanship (invisible zipper! totally lined! interesting pleat detailing on the top!) and felt like it translated really well from the website (exact dress can be found <a href="http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=new+arrivals&productid=CL0022486">here</a> and what I think is the same dress in other colors <a href="http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=new%20arrivals&productid=CL0022674">here</a>). The only difference I think my dress has is that the waist hits a little higher than I would have expected considering my height and measurements were provided. While I'm currently trying to minimize my spending on clothing (since my budget has shifted dramatically over the past few months to compensate for dance classes), once I'm able to set aside enough for it I will probably buy something else from their site (aaand it might be <a href="http://www.eshakti.com/clothpdpage.asp?catalog=Clothes&cate=solid+dresses&productid=CL0022688&pcat=">this dress</a>).<br />
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<i>Disclosure: Dress was provided by eShakti in exchange for honest product review</i>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-69503540617041918172011-11-02T22:17:00.000-05:002011-11-02T22:17:37.742-05:00Lately: life flailing edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc8Y7GXiYS4/TnNGeFV9bmI/AAAAAAAAC-0/UuY4m5ybHZg/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc8Y7GXiYS4/TnNGeFV9bmI/AAAAAAAAC-0/UuY4m5ybHZg/s640/IMG_2375.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Outfit: Shirt, belt: Anthropologie/ Skirt, shoes: Target/ Necklace: Gift/ Earrings: Self-made/<br />
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I know, I know- I didn't write, I didn't call. My dad even commented that it had been a long time since I've updated here. The truth is that while I'm still interested in this little piece of the internet, but I've struggled with making time for it, and also with what I wanted to do with it. In a lot of ways this outfit shows how I've been feeling lately- a little disheveled, a little blown around and pulled in different directions, and surrounded by things that I really love. In the time since my last post I've:<br />
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-turned another year older<br />
-had to buy a new bike<br />
-gave a big talk about my research to people outside of my lab and thesis committee<br />
-posted my first jewelry listing on Etsy (and completely failed at following through with it) <br />
-sang a solo as part of my a cappella group's performance at the med school talent show<br />
-sewed an awesome costume for a friend that looked a lot like the flight attendant outfit (we sang a Britney medley): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOZuxwVk7TU<br />
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I've also been doing a lot of science (and thinking more seriously about what will go into my first first author paper) and dancing my heart out with the occasional side of watching a zombie tv show with the bf.<br />
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I have managed to get dressed on most days, and I'd like to get back to taking pictures of what I wear sometimes cuz getting dressed is fun, but it's not something that I'm prepared to do at the expense of these other things. So, consider this more of a hello again than a goodbye, but for now I'm considering it a pretty cautious hello.Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-43915420168482975552011-09-12T23:30:00.000-05:002011-09-12T23:30:13.531-05:00Through the looking glass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VqK67BDqok/Tmob-I3qDwI/AAAAAAAAC84/EJzr63KVBdo/s1600/IMG_2067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="468" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VqK67BDqok/Tmob-I3qDwI/AAAAAAAAC84/EJzr63KVBdo/s640/IMG_2067.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Outfit: Dress as skirt: American Apparel/ Shirt: Urban Outfitters/ Shoes: Chelsea Crew via UO/ Necklace: Ruche/ Earrings: Self-made/<br />
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I'm not sure if I feel super about this dress when it's worn at a skirt, but I love having an extra way to wear something and the extra length that pushing it down gives me, since apparently this has turned into the summer of longer length skirts. I don't know how much of this change is just the subtle way that trends influence you, since even when your immediate impulse is not I-need-that-and-need-that-right-now, you still get used to seeing trends around and they become more familiar. Another part of this shift in length might be that in the past I've kept a firm grip on leggings to add a layer of comfort and modesty, even in the summer. Over the past few months of taking pictures of myself and scrutinizing myself to figure out what gets posted, I've grown more comfortable with the way that my body looks and more at ease with wearing things that fall outside of my comfort zone of personal rules of flattery and more okay with baring the skin that comes with leaving the leggings off. <br />
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Or it could be that I'm overthinking this, and I'm just getting old :) And well, it's not a good idea to wear any more clothing than I absolutely need to and biking in Houston summer.Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-17273726410797572142011-09-09T18:42:00.001-05:002011-10-12T08:25:35.620-05:00Pajama day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtgad9kYdQw/TmohzbBxcMI/AAAAAAAAC9U/vxEgS4ibFxA/s1600/IMG_2008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wtgad9kYdQw/TmohzbBxcMI/AAAAAAAAC9U/vxEgS4ibFxA/s640/IMG_2008.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Outfit: Skirt: Handmade/ Shirt: Anthropologie/ Shoes: Target<br />
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Hey all- I know I haven't been very present on these here internets, since somehow the past month that I thought would be give me more free time (ie: a month off from dance class), turned into the opposite. It turns out that coming home late at night is not conducive for taking outfit pictures in the evening (nor is being hangry) and the days are turning shorter (my phone's weather widget keeps telling me that the high for the day is in the mid-nineties, but it has in fact been cool enough to open up the apartment at night, which has been a blessed relief and it does feel like the weather is starting to change. Now if only we could get some rain here in Texas!) To ease my way back into taking pictures again, I thought I'd declare it Pajama Day and wear my jammies outside. I'm only sort of kidding- this shirt was meant for apartment wear, and was initially categorized as such until I realized that I could find a happy medium between how much I care about undergarments being visible (kinda lots) and how visible my bra straps are underneath the lace detailing (fairly little). And I may have made sleep shorts out of extra fabric from the skirt after I realized that I didn't have the heart to turn it into a dress (which was the original plan), since it seems like it goes with everything, and well...feels like I could fall asleep in it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/challenges/view/diy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY | Everybody, Everywear" height="50" src="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/photos/idAwAAA.png" width="200" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-2244969115333556542011-08-17T13:45:00.001-05:002011-08-17T22:42:56.545-05:00Lately I've...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ER11m0KEw/TkvYGYVA_pI/AAAAAAAAC3I/yAEhATHmbTI/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J8ER11m0KEw/TkvYGYVA_pI/AAAAAAAAC3I/yAEhATHmbTI/s640/IMG_1865.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">...been looking forward to a sneak peek at BHLDN's new store (how totally cool is that their first store is opening in Houston?). The invitation was one of the cutest things I've ever seen and included paper dolls of some of their gorgeous items. It's tonight, but I'm still trying to figure out whether I can go or not since I last minute realized it conflicts with singing practice, and we're performing on Friday (considering how much sadface I gave the bf this morning when I realized this, I'm leaning towards trying to find a way to make it work).</div><br />
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...been dividing my time between lab and the Art Show. Helping to coordinate the Art Show and prepping my stuff has eaten up a large chunk of time, so while I'm glad to have volunteered my time, I'm excited for it to be over with soon. The other two girls who I've been working with (and who have done even more for it than me) have been amazing, and I'm hoping that a lot of stuff sells (a little selfishly, since a portion of the proceeds go to an art program at Texas Children's, but also there's a ton of really talented people at my school).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbWkxM58W3E/TkvXsH_s4RI/AAAAAAAAC20/iYS4md4RC5w/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jbWkxM58W3E/TkvXsH_s4RI/AAAAAAAAC20/iYS4md4RC5w/s640/IMG_1876.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
...finally replaced my cell phone digitizer, since the phone's warranty is voided by the fact that it has cracks (it was cracked over 8 mo ago), but it's hard to use a phone that the touchscreen is only working 2% of the time. I did it myself, since the 3rd party repair place wanted to charge 2x what they do iphone screens for, my warranty's already voided, and I really like this phone. It was a little weird to spend a couple weeks with a mostly-not-working phone, and made me think- I also ended up spending a week without my credit card earlier this month- another weird experience of doing without the things that I've been used to since I was in high school. I actually only have one credit card, so when my account got shut down with no warning (while I was traveling, so I didn't have much with me), it made me feel really vulnerable. I am pretty financially dependent on that little piece of plastic (by which I mean I feel uncomfortable carrying around the amount of cash I would need to do even the everyday things like buy groceries for the two of us for the week), but it's startlingly to actually find that out.<br />
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...gotten to visit my family in the suburbs of Chicago. I went up for a local reception for my brother and sister-in-law to celebrate their new marriage, which was a great way to include family and friends. While there I took advantage of spending as much time outside as possible in the slightly cooler/less humid climate, Midwestern grilled corn on the cob (one of my favorite foods), good beer and good company on the patio, and made this skirt from <a href="http://innercupcake.blogspot.com/2011/07/sewing-projects-to-do-list.html">my sewing to-do list</a> (as a gift for a friend). I'm extraordinarily blessed by my family and close friends (a couple of whom were able to come to the reception, which was fantastic), and while distance makes things more challenging, I cherish the opportunities that I get to spend time with them. I also got some free time to play around with my camera :)<br />
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Pictured above: Some of the best friends a girl could have.<br />
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</div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-2152039729516694292011-08-12T22:44:00.000-05:002011-08-12T22:44:15.643-05:00Momentous moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcJvz6-F3WI/TkVMytcW5eI/AAAAAAAAC1s/fFCdxd-MmYk/s1600/IMG_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="564" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcJvz6-F3WI/TkVMytcW5eI/AAAAAAAAC1s/fFCdxd-MmYk/s640/IMG_1782.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Outfit: Dress: Gap<br />
Shoes: Chelsea Crew via Urban Outfitters<br />
Bracelets: Self made and Hawaii Airport<br />
Ring: Self made<br />
Bag: Jess LC<br />
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Hey look! My first (real) maxi! Believe me, it's not the first one that I've tried on, but it is the first one that I felt reasonably suited me- and a lot of that is due to the glorious color and feel of the fabric. I've still got plans to make a couple of long-skirted things, which would allow me to combine the things that I like about maxis without dealing with some of the things that make me leery of them (seriously, why do so many of them have those triangle tops? That is eeeevil). I'm not sure how practical this baby is for work (or biking into work- I ended up knotting it at the bottom to avoid gear entanglement and sadness), but I'm looking forward to seeing how much I can do with this (mostly because I'm head over heels with the color. And the fabric. And the fact that it's long-as in long for a maxi, since I was able to buy this in a tall size).<br />
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Other things that I'm excited about? It's something that I've been thinking about for awhile now, but after making up pieces to sell at my school's Art Show, I'm now gearing up to open an Etsy shop. My first (and now that I think of it, my last) endeavor into selling jewelry was in elementary school (I made those totally rad daisy chain beaded bracelets), but I've been playing around with things people might want to wear for years, and I'm excited to be moving in this direction. Most of the things that I've been working on lately are wire-wrapped jewelry (like the bracelet and ring I'm wearing above), which I couldn't have done without taking an excellent class by Alicia of <a href="http://www.dismountcreative.com/">Dismount Creative</a>, and I've also been messing around with headbands and other accessories. I'm a little nervous about putting my stuff out there and whether it will sell, but for now I remain cautiously optimistic. Have you made a leap into the business of selling things that you make, or other endeavors of the self-employed nature? Any advice?<br />
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Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-60829127151528681762011-08-11T20:43:00.000-05:002011-08-11T20:43:21.051-05:00A place in the sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7y8urtQw0A/TkPypdw0F6I/AAAAAAAAC0o/rsT7w5dnuvA/s1600/IMG_1659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7y8urtQw0A/TkPypdw0F6I/AAAAAAAAC0o/rsT7w5dnuvA/s640/IMG_1659.JPG" width="638" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojniK-xjVcA/TkPymAVyXcI/AAAAAAAAC1U/uJpJV9wUHNQ/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="520" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojniK-xjVcA/TkPymAVyXcI/AAAAAAAAC1U/uJpJV9wUHNQ/s640/IMG_1637.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojniK-xjVcA/TkPymAVyXcI/AAAAAAAAC0U/Bef5i5t8W8g/s1600/IMG_1637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>Outfit: Shirt: Anthropologie<br />
Skirt: Self-made<br />
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell via Gilt<br />
Belt: Anthropologie<br />
Bag: Jess LC<br />
Bracelet: Hawaii Airport<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">It'd be nice every so often to show up to pictures with my hair did, but after two go-rounds with the helmet (and ya know, the actually biking part) and work, it sometimes seems like taking pictures before work would be a better option-- but oh, the light that I'm sometimes lucky enough to get after work? Trade-off totally worth it. It doesn't hurt that bike commuting in the Houston summer is a pretty good excuse for not doing your hair :)</div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-3209395182373194472011-08-10T09:45:00.001-05:002011-08-10T09:47:31.420-05:00Can't hold me back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSwV3mGnxtg/TkKV8dvKg0I/AAAAAAAACy8/XvN8nOwmpZc/s1600/IMG_1569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSwV3mGnxtg/TkKV8dvKg0I/AAAAAAAACy8/XvN8nOwmpZc/s640/IMG_1569.JPG" width="524" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N2Ij_NVBTTo/TkKVrgF6GkI/AAAAAAAACy0/Q-lU05H03rk/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N2Ij_NVBTTo/TkKVrgF6GkI/AAAAAAAACy0/Q-lU05H03rk/s640/IMG_1575.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sBhO3xCGl4s/TkKWKnKrplI/AAAAAAAACzE/OqgWSgznyxc/s1600/IMG_1555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sBhO3xCGl4s/TkKWKnKrplI/AAAAAAAACzE/OqgWSgznyxc/s640/IMG_1555.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp9NXwr8ngk/TkKU8jowMQI/AAAAAAAACyo/zPL7CezL4I8/s1600/IMG_1622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gp9NXwr8ngk/TkKU8jowMQI/AAAAAAAACyo/zPL7CezL4I8/s640/IMG_1622.JPG" width="574" /></a></div><br />
<b>Details: </b>Dress: Target reconstructed by me<br />
Shirt: Bitten<br />
Shoes: Chelsea Crew via Urban Outfitters<br />
Bracelet: Self-made<br />
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If there's anything that's going to get me off my seat and out on the roof for pictures, it's an <a href="http://everybodyeverywear.com/">Everybody, Everywear</a> day. Especially one that involves patterns (although the striped shirt is a little on the subtle side). Even though I'm now realizing that the last time I posted was for EBEW, aaand it may have included this dress. But the truth is that this reflects what I've been wearing for the past week pretty accurately- it's been a lot of lightweight pretty dresses, often with sandals and something thrown on top once I get inside my lab- and plenty of times it has been this dress. As in, I now realize that this dress is the one that I never knew I always wanted (even the bf has noticed and commented on my frequent wearing of it), and I'm probably not going to be able to stop myself from wearing it multiple times a week for a couple weeks. Good thing I'm in love with remixing!<br />
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For more examples of pattern mixing, check out the latest EBEW:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/challenges/view/pattern-mixing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pattern Mixing | Everybody, Everywear" height="50" src="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/photos/iSgoAAA.png" width="200" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-78692686782543219552011-07-23T11:53:00.001-05:002011-07-23T11:53:10.086-05:00Hearts all a-flutter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmH6JiJNvWs/TimHIX0aq9I/AAAAAAAACn4/TbY31kvCegI/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KmH6JiJNvWs/TimHIX0aq9I/AAAAAAAACn4/TbY31kvCegI/s640/IMG_1222.JPG" width="586" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dThhFUbOnt4/TimEEtidK2I/AAAAAAAACm8/b_zpDk2bfG0/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dThhFUbOnt4/TimEEtidK2I/AAAAAAAACm8/b_zpDk2bfG0/s640/IMG_1251.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHcb8yxeCc4/TimFZesH52I/AAAAAAAACnI/emHZHsyxpfE/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RHcb8yxeCc4/TimFZesH52I/AAAAAAAACnI/emHZHsyxpfE/s640/IMG_1233.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rdvwVdEzq4A/TimHAJzLKGI/AAAAAAAACns/jq-aiBoxLPE/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rdvwVdEzq4A/TimHAJzLKGI/AAAAAAAACns/jq-aiBoxLPE/s640/IMG_1253.JPG" width="622" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zabxKVSZXso/TimGK6poL3I/AAAAAAAACnc/gxdM1CVsagI/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zabxKVSZXso/TimGK6poL3I/AAAAAAAACnc/gxdM1CVsagI/s640/IMG_1254.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Dress from Asos/ Shoes from Lulu's/ Necklace from Ruche/ 1st picture taken by good friend/co-worker<br />
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It was with great glee that I met up with some of my friend/labmates for drinks at the bar in a nearby university (I'm kinda jealous, and wish my school had a bar/ fun gathering place). In addition to cheap drinks and good company, I also got to see one of my labmate's baby (and consequently practice my picture-taking skills on a subject that can't complain). In exchange (and because she had just bought the same camera I have), she snapped some pictures of what I was wearing. Naturally, my favorite one is the one where I'm cracking up. I feel like it's characteristic of me- cheerfully awkward. Also awkward? Yeah...in the place where I stopped off to get some of the details of the dress (because it looked like no one else was over there), I wound up sort of in the way of someone's bridal portraits.Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-64031025297853476742011-07-21T22:22:00.000-05:002011-07-21T22:22:02.792-05:00Happy outfit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfftgBmav7U/TijhxAgJ5cI/AAAAAAAACmU/A4rWwgPJOcQ/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="813" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfftgBmav7U/TijhxAgJ5cI/AAAAAAAACmU/A4rWwgPJOcQ/s640/IMG_1289.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRYa7whHn10/Tijg9e6O3jI/AAAAAAAACmE/txDMZZZXm7w/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRYa7whHn10/Tijg9e6O3jI/AAAAAAAACmE/txDMZZZXm7w/s640/IMG_1288.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdGwIqD3Nu4/TijZlzurr5I/AAAAAAAACkw/yRIDhbC6DiQ/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NdGwIqD3Nu4/TijZlzurr5I/AAAAAAAACkw/yRIDhbC6DiQ/s640/IMG_1296.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Remember this skirt? Well, dress worn as skirt, since the whole thing was a bit short for my liking, and the top part was triangles and thin straps, which doesn't work well for my shape. But for some reason, I couldn't bear to give it up, and over time the idea of what I wanted it to look like as dress started to develop in my head (and I started compulsively doodling the idea on the margins of my seminar notes). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyo0uUOlMHE/TZ3nRoGJARI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/L3e5hELsYpM/s1600/CIMG5287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yyo0uUOlMHE/TZ3nRoGJARI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/L3e5hELsYpM/s640/CIMG5287.JPG" width="640" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now (finally) I have something that is much closer to the dress that's been living in my head for so long. It still needs some improvements in terms of the fit on top, but I am positively giddy that it's at a point where I can wear it out (without a skirt underneath it, which is what I've been doing for the past couple weeks until I finally added on the bottom part this morning, because I have a hard time not wearing things simply because they're not finished if they're wearable).</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCwM_zMhtFY/TijgWbkjnZI/AAAAAAAACl4/5OeEzQBxlEA/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mCwM_zMhtFY/TijgWbkjnZI/AAAAAAAACl4/5OeEzQBxlEA/s640/IMG_1287.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Srqb3T-1Fw/TijgrYVcV4I/AAAAAAAACl8/eg8tt9nipn4/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Srqb3T-1Fw/TijgrYVcV4I/AAAAAAAACl8/eg8tt9nipn4/s640/IMG_1292.JPG" width="636" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Reconstructed dress from Target/ Chelsea Crew shoes from Lulu's/ Necklace from Anthropologie/ Thrifted belt from Goodwill -- Photos taken by the boy <br />
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In addition to the epic poem I'd be willing to write to my dress, I think the belt is worthy of at least a haiku or something- after all, it is <a href="http://everybodyeverywear.com/">Everybody, Everywea</a>r thrift day (special edition!), and this belt is one of my few thrift finds. I want to be a nifty thrifter- all the cool kids are doing it- but it's something that requires time (during normal people hours), patience, and a better knowledge of Houston. Because most of the time when I stop by Goodwill, the only things available in my size are a bright red dress with fruit and ABCs that looks like it belonged to an elementary teacher. And costs $8 (and are not crazy awesome dresses with the original tag on them that are made even more awesome when the neckline is altered by your friend- Sarah, I still totally covet that dress). So I need to work on broadening my scope and put a little more effort into this whole thrifting thing, because I've been seduced by this totally awesome belt ($1!)- that and Everybody's doing it :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/challenges/view/thrift" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Thrift | Everybody, Everywear" height="50" src="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/photos/iSgkAAA.png" width="200" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-31094376330165275072011-07-18T21:05:00.000-05:002011-07-18T21:05:24.495-05:00Sewing projects to-do listIn addition to a couple of skirts that I've made (and proudly showed off here), and a dress that I'm reconstructing (I've worn it out, but it's not totally finished, so I haven't photographed it yet), there are a few ideas that have been running around in my head and doodled in the margins of my seminar notes over the past couple months. Happily, I've finally picked out fabric for a lot of them and took the time to sketch out a decent version of what I've been thinking about. One of these might look <a href="http://innercupcake.blogspot.com/2011/04/lengths-to-which-i-will-go.html">familiar</a>, one of these is a project for a friend, and one of these I actually made over the weekend, and wore in to lab (and was delighted about it all day). I know that some of them (all of them) are overly ambitious, especially since I'm not really working from any particular pattern, and I don't have the advantage of having a dressmaker's mannequin, but I'm eager to render my sketches into fabric, and naive enough to try to do it. So what do you think? What should I make first?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vKnCZMGFr2g/TiQ3bOIgEfI/AAAAAAAACkQ/xnItzy0PAMA/s1600/Recently+Updated2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vKnCZMGFr2g/TiQ3bOIgEfI/AAAAAAAACkQ/xnItzy0PAMA/s640/Recently+Updated2.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W8IIUx3kxlQ/TiQ3XrYM8FI/AAAAAAAACkE/XZpykQjZlks/s1600/Recently+Updated3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W8IIUx3kxlQ/TiQ3XrYM8FI/AAAAAAAACkE/XZpykQjZlks/s640/Recently+Updated3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-69334563067633400892011-07-15T07:44:00.000-05:002011-07-15T07:44:28.349-05:00Party time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iiCpW98niMs/Thr71JmWDyI/AAAAAAAACdQ/95MgNLDF4Nc/s1600/IMG_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iiCpW98niMs/Thr71JmWDyI/AAAAAAAACdQ/95MgNLDF4Nc/s640/IMG_1116.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgPewordfiA/Thr78RbfakI/AAAAAAAACdY/oNzm6L70b9M/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgPewordfiA/Thr78RbfakI/AAAAAAAACdY/oNzm6L70b9M/s640/IMG_1095.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2YUqYEHWBYI/ThnOah1ASCI/AAAAAAAACcI/_8ugDmEH4FM/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2YUqYEHWBYI/ThnOah1ASCI/AAAAAAAACcI/_8ugDmEH4FM/s640/IMG_1038.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sphFfWwz0WQ/Thr8FIyesbI/AAAAAAAACdg/wTD1KIFBv0Q/s1600/IMG_1082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sphFfWwz0WQ/Thr8FIyesbI/AAAAAAAACdg/wTD1KIFBv0Q/s640/IMG_1082.JPG" width="618" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3L32o4NW6I/Thr8LaE_vZI/AAAAAAAACdo/yX_uIuMHHOo/s1600/IMG_1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3L32o4NW6I/Thr8LaE_vZI/AAAAAAAACdo/yX_uIuMHHOo/s640/IMG_1068.JPG" width="626" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Tiered Fronds dress from Anthropologie, Shoes and Cardigan from Target, Necklace from Modcloth<br />
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I know I wear a lot of dresses that I'd be fine wearing to a party, but man does this feel like a party dress to me. Unfortunately, it wasn't really a party day, unless you count presenting at lab meeting and running around the lab all afternoon as a party (woooo! pipetting!). But sometimes you need a pretty dress to make the day feel a little less long (until your shoes start hurting your feet, which to be fair were totally awesome up until the last hour of the day and I'd totally rec them, my feet just slide around a bit since they're a little too big aaand it's hard to find 9 1/2s). In addition to the awesome-ness of wearing a dress that <b>already </b>mixes brown with black (although you can't see it as well in these pictures as I'd like, wearing this also made me feel like I was celebrating my general shape. Just because Dress your best week(s) are over, I haven't stopped thinking about which parts of my body I'd like to celebrate, and I've gotta say that once I started thinking of body parts I take pride and pleasure in, it was easy to come up with more than 5. I know that so often when I start itemizing my body,* it's easy to do so in a negative way- who know that the opposite could be true? While there are things that I'd be okay changing about my body (teeth with no cavities, a body that's still physically capable of going up on pointe), there are so many things that I genuinely feel positive about, even though I have often (and I'm sure will often in the future) get frustrated about (hair, skin). To see how other people felt about this subject, check out this wrap-up post on the <a href="http://www.academichic.com/2011/07/11/dress-your-best-roundup/#comments">Academichics</a>. One of my favorite posts from this challenge can be found <a href="http://interrobangsanon.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/katie-daily-style-rainbow-brain/">here</a> from Kate of the Interrobangs Anonymous (people, it involves a lab coat, which is awesome).<br />
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*The idea of itemizing my body reminds me of some poem we read in school in addition to that one scene in Twelfth Night- does this ring a bell with anyone else or am I just making this up?Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-44577241469608989112011-07-14T01:14:00.001-05:002011-07-14T01:17:00.116-05:00Love letter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WiYs4_4qt28/Th5wIQ0HG8I/AAAAAAAACiI/pQ1pVNNh8-s/s1600/IMG_1168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="868" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WiYs4_4qt28/Th5wIQ0HG8I/AAAAAAAACiI/pQ1pVNNh8-s/s640/IMG_1168.JPG" width="640" /> </a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEa2WBRx-m0/Th5vmmdWHEI/AAAAAAAACh8/OzmcXu4UqmQ/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="692" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEa2WBRx-m0/Th5vmmdWHEI/AAAAAAAACh8/OzmcXu4UqmQ/s640/IMG_1153.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cTw_NoiZEc/Th5uuxqdDFI/AAAAAAAACg4/BLYWnaHj7J0/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2cTw_NoiZEc/Th5uuxqdDFI/AAAAAAAACg4/BLYWnaHj7J0/s640/IMG_1142.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zekkd6khVnI/Th5u7pQvRiI/AAAAAAAAChA/Fc2-ldUqtek/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zekkd6khVnI/Th5u7pQvRiI/AAAAAAAAChA/Fc2-ldUqtek/s640/IMG_1144.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-j_RVwaccs/Th5y5apxsYI/AAAAAAAACik/lXFyGMCVocU/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G-j_RVwaccs/Th5y5apxsYI/AAAAAAAACik/lXFyGMCVocU/s640/IMG_1184.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit: </b>Sugar work skirt from Anthropologie/ Shirt, sunnies, and shoes from Urban Outfitters/ Necklace and bracelet from Modcloth/ Scarf from packaging from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/clydesrebirth?ref=pr_shop">Clyde's Rebirth</a>/<br />
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I threatened my friend earlier with the possibility of me being able to devote a love letter of a blog to her, and that's pretty doable- I feel like I could easily start up a whole new blog of love letters to the people in my life that I love, the people who inspire me on the interent (like <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">the woman who's blog I'm dependent on for making interesting food</a> and stylish ladies like <a href="http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/">Kendi</a> and <a href="http://hellomonkeyface.blogspot.com/">Monkeyface</a> and a ridiculous amounts of other people), and the things in my life that I appreciate. Right now though, a lot of my love might be taken up by this outfit (the cats woke me up in the middle of the night, so they're out). After I threw it on, I thought I'd go up and take pictures, but was 90% sure that I'd end up changing out my skirt and shoes (because if we're being honest, the skirt is a little tight on me since I was so blinded by yellow skirt lust that I kept it even though it's a smaller size than what I need). But after flouncing around in it, it won my heart, and I found I couldn't take it off. Plus the shoes helped me to nominally tie in the scarf, which I've been sitting on since it came wrapped around my Clyde's Rebirth jewelry (which is a totally genius idea for packaging). Again, I was totally charmed since normally I find it next to impossible to get things to stay put on my head when they go all the way around it (also it was the perfect answer to the question of whether I really needed to wash my hair this morning- it's cool, I washed it tonight after dance class). Also one of the guys in my lab complimented me on my hair thing today, which means that it totally worked as a distraction from the actual hair (win!).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-44892914889702762812011-07-13T00:04:00.000-05:002011-07-13T00:04:19.571-05:00Bits of yellow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20oMz_b26HQ/Th0XqOtH_qI/AAAAAAAACfE/4jH6xrAZGPU/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-20oMz_b26HQ/Th0XqOtH_qI/AAAAAAAACfE/4jH6xrAZGPU/s640/IMG_1137.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gma7f9ktNCo/Th0X7AEK_TI/AAAAAAAACfs/CQaCUwDGeGo/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gma7f9ktNCo/Th0X7AEK_TI/AAAAAAAACfs/CQaCUwDGeGo/s640/IMG_1135.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit: </b>On the breeze chemise and Daisy fay headband from Anthropologie/ Yellows and leggings from Target<br />
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I was positively giddy when I saw that this month's EBEW theme was yellow, since I'm a little infatuated with the color (I blame my college roomie and long distance bestie for this as well as my for my everlasting love for David Bowie). I swung open the closet door with glee to figure out what to pick now that I've gotten over my "oh I can't wear that color phase." A couple years ago, my only yellow item was these shoes, since I couldn't resist the color and figured that this was the safest way to incorporate it. Since then I've bought an embarrassing number of yellow skirts and wore a yellow bridesmaid dress (and no longer really feel like there are colors I shouldn't be wearing), but here I've used neutrals to set the backdrop for first and latest (and new favorite) yellow purchases. Do you have colors you thought you'd never wear that you now love? Tragically, my camera battery died, so I got to choose from about 5 pictures (and couldn't find any that showed off ma shoes without having and awkwardly angry face) (and forgot to change the light settings). How did you celebrate yellow day?<br />
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These yellows previously:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ji0f3BKVSUg/Th0j4xdJuUI/AAAAAAAACgA/xslInqSVfK4/s1600/2011-04-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ji0f3BKVSUg/Th0j4xdJuUI/AAAAAAAACgA/xslInqSVfK4/s640/2011-04-12.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/challenges/view/yellow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="50" src="http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/photos/iwwcAAA.png" width="200" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-13128068369541602962011-07-08T11:08:00.000-05:002011-07-08T11:08:39.183-05:00Beauty is painful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfYFnNrELGs/ThZz66GkAhI/AAAAAAAACac/ciV0cluoy44/s1600/IMG_0931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfYFnNrELGs/ThZz66GkAhI/AAAAAAAACac/ciV0cluoy44/s640/IMG_0931.JPG" width="496" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w-PHl5t3GM0/ThZ0yCNgQPI/AAAAAAAACaw/Fdnynb9UJa0/s1600/IMG_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w-PHl5t3GM0/ThZ0yCNgQPI/AAAAAAAACaw/Fdnynb9UJa0/s640/IMG_0918.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2I2JK7LxkIk/ThZzNOyjVdI/AAAAAAAACaE/HZeJmyAlSaQ/s1600/IMG_0913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2I2JK7LxkIk/ThZzNOyjVdI/AAAAAAAACaE/HZeJmyAlSaQ/s640/IMG_0913.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Dress, belt from Target/ Shoes from Urban Outfitters/ Bracelet from Hawaii airport/ Bag from Ruche<br />
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This is definitely one of those dresses where I feel infinitely more awesome in it than I feel like it photographs, I think in part because it's a different silhouette for me and makes me feel slightly more like a grown-up (even though in real life it is also still terribly wrinkled). But let's talk about something that hopefully distracted people from my wrinkles instead! A couple times a year I get hit by the impulse to make my hair look intentionally pretty (what I now mentally think of as <a href="http://hellomonkeyface.blogspot.com/">Monk's</a> style) and pull out the curling iron. And then I burnt myself on the chin (fortunately the bottom) typical Heather style (I'm known for injuring myself in creative and unusual ways and my boss jokes about Heather-proofing parts of the lab). I was <strike>complaining</strike> relating the story to a friend who replied "Did your hair turn out? If so, worth it!" I still feel like a bit of an idiot, but at least it's not a super obvious mark, and I have photographic evidence :)<br />
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I'm not going to lie, I am really glad that today's Friday, more so than usual- I know everyone's busy, but I find it really hard to reset sometimes when I have to been in lab every day for a couple weeks straight (which happens all too often to grad students), and after completing a time/labor-intensive first stage of an experiment, I'm (at least in theory) planning to spend most of tomorrow not at work, so that A) my Dad doesn't tell me I shouldn't be staying in lab until 10:30 multiple weekend nights and B) I get to spend some time with the boy before he takes off for a week and a half of traveling. Instead of being good grad student Heather, I'm hoping to be the Heather that manages to do laundry and clean the bathroom and maybe fits in some time at the sewing machine- I'm half done with a dress reconstruction that I've been thinking about for at least a year, and I'm super excited to finally be doing something about it!Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-19273943417755577672011-07-01T19:45:00.000-05:002011-07-01T19:45:37.295-05:00Heatherina<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJNx8EbmGYU/Tg5hAZb2UBI/AAAAAAAACYU/qiRSnCbJuZM/s1600/IMG_0804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fJNx8EbmGYU/Tg5hAZb2UBI/AAAAAAAACYU/qiRSnCbJuZM/s640/IMG_0804.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlDTQxfvv7U/Tg5hdJN0tLI/AAAAAAAACYg/5eiwoAaUsgA/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlDTQxfvv7U/Tg5hdJN0tLI/AAAAAAAACYg/5eiwoAaUsgA/s640/IMG_0794.JPG" width="616" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ofmyxsHp_k/Tg5hvit_dbI/AAAAAAAACYw/m00CbmxBLPE/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ofmyxsHp_k/Tg5hvit_dbI/AAAAAAAACYw/m00CbmxBLPE/s640/IMG_0797.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh57cPvEFPw/Tg5j6fNf2vI/AAAAAAAACZA/_LvyGih9fDQ/s1600/Recently+Updated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nh57cPvEFPw/Tg5j6fNf2vI/AAAAAAAACZA/_LvyGih9fDQ/s640/Recently+Updated.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Shirt: Modcloth, Skirt: Anthropologie, Necklace: Gift, Cardigan: Target, Flats: Gap<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>These aren't quite the photos that I had hoped to match up with this body part- the sun here burns quite brightly, even around 8 (which, embarassingly enough, is early for me to be ready to get out the door, and I anticipate being in lab for another hour or so, which is long enough for the sun to be gone by the time I leave). Also, most of my action shots involve some pretty awesomely silly arm positioning or terrible facial expressions, which sort of ruins the image I had in my head while I was attempting said action shots. In my head today's Dress your best was going to look a little something like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8udaw04Vw1qdx47so1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8udaw04Vw1qdx47so1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from: <a href="http://ballerinaproject.tumblr.com/">ballerina project tumblr</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>But it's been awhile since I've spotted my pointe shoes, and my body has changed quite a lot since I danced seriously. What hasn't changed much are my feet- they can still point with the best of them, and they identify me in ballet class as someone with serious classical training. I remember someone telling me my feet were pretty after a class (I was young), and I looked them over and said, no they're not in an offended manner (I was also embarrassingly bad at accepting compliments). They're very picky about the shoes they wear, have a tendency to get cut into easily, and are now a terribly awkward size to find in stores (why don't more people sell 9 1/2s?), but I think I appreciate them more now- when I was younger I took them and all they did for me for granted. These feet? They can dance. The rest of me is still catching up, but they haven't let me down.<br />
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I'd also like to give an honorable mention to my hair for looking awesome in a low three bun cluster today- I can easily see this becoming a regular summer hairstyle, since I have a little patience for doing something with my hair only to have it ruined by putting a bike helmet onto it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-30867637756389117452011-06-30T17:14:00.001-05:002011-06-30T17:16:07.956-05:00Such great heights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xcgkivS_scg/TgyNWISUAmI/AAAAAAAACWA/BH2FNL_cA-Y/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xcgkivS_scg/TgyNWISUAmI/AAAAAAAACWA/BH2FNL_cA-Y/s640/IMG_0786.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYRDeeXKeoA/TgyPnXwfG4I/AAAAAAAACXE/81zBEgEAm7Y/s1600/IMG_0750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="797" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QYRDeeXKeoA/TgyPnXwfG4I/AAAAAAAACXE/81zBEgEAm7Y/s640/IMG_0750.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SJPXhohvGFQ/TgyPIUg8tKI/AAAAAAAACWo/Nz4e8uwmeMo/s1600/IMG_0722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="773" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SJPXhohvGFQ/TgyPIUg8tKI/AAAAAAAACWo/Nz4e8uwmeMo/s640/IMG_0722.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGTFPKp_9U0/TgyOVmijePI/AAAAAAAACWQ/XOCt6NPPQ3Y/s1600/IMG_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="704" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YGTFPKp_9U0/TgyOVmijePI/AAAAAAAACWQ/XOCt6NPPQ3Y/s640/IMG_0736.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--wLhbjvG3RA/TgyNkj0UkHI/AAAAAAAACWI/Qu9yjCcnBQQ/s1600/IMG_0760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--wLhbjvG3RA/TgyNkj0UkHI/AAAAAAAACWI/Qu9yjCcnBQQ/s640/IMG_0760.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Outfit:</b> Skirt: Self-made, Shirt: Delias, Cardigan, belt: Target, Shoes: Modcloth, Necklace: Jess LC<br />
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Second on my list of things to celebrate about my body is on the opposite side of the scale from my first- rather than a small detail it's more of a whole body approach, and instead of being something I've always loved, it's something that I needed time to embrace. I haven't always felt comfortable being among the tallest of my peers (kinda hated it growing up, especially being around all the little bits in dance and ice skating), but I've gradually learned to love my height. Without you I wouldn't be able to reach those tall shelves, get places with my long stride, be able to see/ breathe in concerts, or have been the tallest person in my lab for a couple years (although I no longer hold this honor). So let's celebrate with our tallest heels and a skirt that I know for sure isn't too short (because making things yourself means you get control over the length). Those hearts? They're for you height- you're pretty awesome and we are totally besties. Full disclosure- I did not wear these heels to school- my limit is around 3 1/2 inch heels for a school day. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="85" src="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-14877805164082627902011-06-28T23:31:00.000-05:002011-06-28T23:31:26.756-05:00Lately I've...... been kind of lazy in the kitchen since getting back from Cancun last week- BUT I found myself seriously longing for some oatmeal cookies on Sunday (and went to my old standby of Smitten Kitchen, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-and-pecan-cookies/">recipe here</a>), and I found myself missing the crepe station that was part of breakfast at the resort (and found <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/crepes-recipe/index.html">this crepe recipe</a> after seeing it on <a href="http://foodcomablog.com/2011/06/sweet-crepes/">Food Coma</a>). Other ways that we've brought our favorite parts of the trip back with us include: the fancy bottle of tequila the boy bought at the airport in celebration of us finally getting on a plane back to the states 24 hours later than we were supposed to be, mimosas on Saturday (and Sunday...had to finish up the bottle), and a hammock chair from a flea market (as soon we figure out how to hang it up). How have you brought back the good of vacation with you?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgkok82Beho/TgiWwxY1FaI/AAAAAAAACSA/_V5m55Y2FFQ/s1600/IMG_0608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgkok82Beho/TgiWwxY1FaI/AAAAAAAACSA/_V5m55Y2FFQ/s640/IMG_0608.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7FdI4ptecEU/TgiW89llc8I/AAAAAAAACSM/WRyJRqxPARM/s1600/IMG_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7FdI4ptecEU/TgiW89llc8I/AAAAAAAACSM/WRyJRqxPARM/s640/IMG_0612.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And here's a few pictures from our weekend awayt- it was nice to spend lots of time poolside and down on the beach (even though I don't look terribly tan and got that question a lot at work). In place of a rehearsal dinner, we went on a sunset catamaran cruise (which was awesome).</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SJP7zyz92nk/Tgqfvv74FQI/AAAAAAAACUo/KPdGL9Ulbho/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SJP7zyz92nk/Tgqfvv74FQI/AAAAAAAACUo/KPdGL9Ulbho/s640/IMG_0264.JPG" width="468" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q94Bg8WPzWg/TgqaQeYIatI/AAAAAAAACTs/fcqri31UxGo/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q94Bg8WPzWg/TgqaQeYIatI/AAAAAAAACTs/fcqri31UxGo/s640/IMG_0396.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBA83zo-ZGU/TgqbZqRvMvI/AAAAAAAACUI/EhwRcxu7AG8/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BBA83zo-ZGU/TgqbZqRvMvI/AAAAAAAACUI/EhwRcxu7AG8/s640/IMG_0094.JPG" width="632" /></a></div><br />
My brother and his new wife! So cute!<br />
Since this post is picture heavy, I've included more pictures after the jump<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dcum7MZp1z8/TgqdbKM6j0I/AAAAAAAACUM/bOe9yL9agIQ/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dcum7MZp1z8/TgqdbKM6j0I/AAAAAAAACUM/bOe9yL9agIQ/s640/IMG_0117.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>My dad, his brothers, and my grandma (not pictured) wore matching shirts during the rehearsal cruise (more adorable!)<br />
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Brother with my new sisters<br />
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My aunt and uncle with new sister <br />
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I think we may have to make the effort of spending some more time on the beach this summer. And make more mimosas. Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-11366099892194482832011-06-27T23:05:00.001-05:002011-06-27T23:07:57.402-05:00Dressing my best part 1<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the days before I started my own blog, there were a couple community challenges that I really admired and had wished I had a blog so that I could participate in them- one of these was Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 remixing challenge (which I've participated in <a href="http://innercupcake.blogspot.com/2010/11/30-for-30-picks-and-philosophy.html">previously</a>), and the other was the Academichics <a href="http://www.academichic.com/2011/06/20/dress-your-best-2011/">Dress Your Best week</a>:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://www.academichic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/academichic-dybw1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
My first favorite part (that I don't really know how to dress, but wanted to highlight):<br />
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Eyebrows!<br />
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Admittedly, I'm starting off the week with something that has always been easy for me to love- I grew up entertaining the family by wiggling em at dinner (seriously, I would do the "can-can" on request), and once my mom sweet-talked the hairdresser into giving them a shape at the tender age of 12, I've never really looked back. So for today eyebrows, I'm getting my bangs out of your way and giving you some sunglasses to peek out from behind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ex3Fi0Vvatk/TgiXo35-68I/AAAAAAAACSo/GpB68hwx-9s/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ex3Fi0Vvatk/TgiXo35-68I/AAAAAAAACSo/GpB68hwx-9s/s640/IMG_0628.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BjUwDDHFcIw/TgiXgyF5h6I/AAAAAAAACSk/YLd1WhFwTFo/s1600/IMG_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BjUwDDHFcIw/TgiXgyF5h6I/AAAAAAAACSk/YLd1WhFwTFo/s640/IMG_0622.JPG" width="632" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Outfit:</b> Shirt, Dress, Shoes, Sunnies: Urban Outfitter, Belt: BR, Headband: Modcloth<br />
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I tried to take pictures of me wiggling my eyebrows, but it turns out that A) eyebrows look weird in isolation, B) it is difficult for me to hold that pose long enough for the camera to take a picture outside in bright sunlight without looking like I'm in pain and C) I'm much better at raising my left eyebrow than the right. On a completely unrelated note, looking at these pictures now kinda makes me feel like I look like I just escaped from a pirate ship. Thoughts?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbY12ZG-O8Y/TgiY-WfYEjI/AAAAAAAACTA/T6djmyoTNoY/s1600/2011_06_26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nbY12ZG-O8Y/TgiY-WfYEjI/AAAAAAAACTA/T6djmyoTNoY/s640/2011_06_26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-73313115114097231172011-06-23T22:41:00.000-05:002011-06-23T22:41:19.061-05:00Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuQ1HcKfyOPGdHB5wuTyZNFnehwaBAPYHcFKkdEAMwpghw3QwmSz12thnR1e-vceAQYgtPmUYfyOBZrmWBzx13wKnSqp4pcmbABGo3q528xvB-rFaD-xmcgg6iTnrFcfo7Gq7WyOPkfrE/s1600/IMG_0484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuQ1HcKfyOPGdHB5wuTyZNFnehwaBAPYHcFKkdEAMwpghw3QwmSz12thnR1e-vceAQYgtPmUYfyOBZrmWBzx13wKnSqp4pcmbABGo3q528xvB-rFaD-xmcgg6iTnrFcfo7Gq7WyOPkfrE/s640/IMG_0484.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Outfit: </b>Skirt: Ruche, Shirt, Shoes: Urban Outfitters, Necklace: Clyde's Rebirth, Bracelet: Hawaii Airport<br />
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I hadn't planned on there being so much time between this and the last posts, but we wound up with a slightly longer vacation in Mexico than had been planned. Spent mostly in the Cancun airport. After having a hard time getting out of the country (we missed getting up to the check-in counter by a couple minutes and had to be on stand-by all day to get out to Cancun) I was less than delighted to have to do the same thing heading home (this time it wasn't our fault- the flight got canceled and they didn't schedule us to go out until two days after our original flight). Needless to say, I'm delighted to be back home and getting back into the normal routine, or I will be just as soon as I recover from my vacation :) Mexico itself was pretty awesome, and my brother's wedding was amazing, I just wish I had spent more time on beaches and less in the airport!Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-455648451404193735.post-60396174498667236522011-06-17T06:55:00.007-05:002011-06-17T06:55:00.353-05:00Leaving on a jet planeSo, I may have decided to get a new toy prior to making the trip to Mexico...<br />
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A shiny dslr of my own! Naturally, the first thing I did was take a picture of one of the cats. Because cat photos are always a good idea right?<br />
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I also got to use it to show what I packed for the trip: <br />
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My typical packing method consists of pulling out everything I might want to bring with me, and then thinking about what I actually need and might reasonably use. Between that, the extra charge for checked bags, and my own healthy sense of distrust/ paranoia (I like knowing that my bags make the trip with me), I've gotten much better at packing.<br />
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So what did I bring? At last count, 2 skirts, 5 dresses, 4 shirts (I pulled one out post photo), 2 light weight button downs, 3 cardis, 3 pairs of sandals, and 1 bridesmaid dress and flippy floppies ( and one giant sun hat). I didn't do it intentionally, but I'm sort of tickled that everything is in the same general color scheme or neutral.<br />
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It's probably still more than I really truly need, but I'm anticipating a couple nice dinners balanced with plenty of time at the beach, so I want to be able to deal with both. In my tote went my new baby, books, and enough layers to deal with whatever weirdness the airplane climate deals me.<br />
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I thought I was doing pretty well, until the boy finished pulling clothes, looked at it, and said, I think I can fit this in my backpack, yeah, I'll just take that. Sigh. Look like I still have something to learn about packing light.Heather - Inner cupcakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04034692894141065116noreply@blogger.com0