Momentous moment

Outfit: Dress: Gap
Shoes: Chelsea Crew via Urban Outfitters
Bracelets: Self made and Hawaii Airport
Ring: Self made
Bag: Jess LC

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).

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 Dismount Creative, 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?

Heatherina

 Outfit: Shirt: Modcloth, Skirt: Anthropologie, Necklace: Gift, Cardigan: Target, Flats: Gap

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:

Image from: ballerina project tumblr

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.

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.

Being brave

Outfit: Dress as skirt: Gap, Shirt: Shop Ruche, Necklace: Jess LC, Bracelet: Modcloth, Shoes: Lulu's, Belt: BR

I think that starting to be brave and bold in what I was wearing (and posting it on the internet) has helped to open this up in me.  This outfit, with it's loose undefined top and drop waist on the dress is not a sillouette that feels easy to me, and wearing it out of the house is hard for me, but rewarding.  All that practice in taking chances with this small daily choice is paying off.    After years of missing dance and doing nothing about it (and rationalizing that it was too expensive an indulgence on a grad student salary), I decided to throw myself back into ballet classes.  The boy told me how proud he is of me, and that I'm brave for being willing to put myself out there in this way and go after something even though I feel like I'm flailing.  I felt sick before the first class, not knowing what to expect, but knowing that I don't in any way resemble a dancer (except for my good feet).  My body doesn't move in all the same ways that it used to, even a few short years ago, but mostly, coming to class feels like coming home.

This necklace tells me exactly what I need to hear sometimes. Be brave.  I had admired these Jess LC necklaces since I first saw them, but for the longest time wasn't sure what it was that I wanted to wear around my neck- it's good to be thankful, and yes, also to be present and dream big things- these are things I need to remind myself of often.  But I realized that being brave has been what I've been most intentionally striving for over the past couple years.  Brave enough to take chances (like introducing yourself to that cute boy at a party), to not shut down in the face of the loss of a loved one, to throw yourself into something even though it'll make you uncomfortable.  Brave enough to live and love fully.

Scavenged flower

WHAT, posting two days in a row?  Maybe I'm finally going to start getting my act together.  I am actually starting to feel a little more put together in lab (although only a little bit), since we sat down today and talked about what experiments are going to be done with what materials (so in theory I might even be set-up to get a first author paper out sometime in the next year-ish and not just a second author paper- which would be Ah-mazing).

Also, this dress makes me feel like I'm slightly put-together.  It's disgustingly perfect for Houston summers since it's lightweight and easy to wear- plus I can stand to be in it all day and then meet up with friends to go to the outdoor free theater here.  Be prepared to see a lot of it this summer.  Or I can just only take pictures every other day when I decide to wear something different :)  Although I'm definitely due for an upgrade on my short-sleeve cardigan- anyone have suggestions?

Outfit: Dress: Anthropologie, Cardigan, Leggings: Target, Flats: Gap, Necklace: Flower scavenged from Charming Charlie's broken jewelry craft at TxSCC

I'm seriously loving this view, getting to actually be outside when the sun sets, and getting to bike home when it's light out- what are you loving these days?

Sonny feeling

I love, love the leaf print and fun ruffles on this shirt (even though I don't look totally thrilled about it in the picture below- gotta work on my facial expressions guys).  This outfit actually made me super happy, since I got to throw on my new favorite necklace and mix prints and textures (plus I finally got to wear this dress without a slip underneath (unfortunately the attached slip stops a couple inches before the hem).  And it didn't hurt that the weather was gorgeous.

Outfit: Shirt, Cardigan: Anthropologie, Dress as Skirt: Ruche, Flats: Gap, Necklace: Urban Outfitters

This dress has swiftly become one of my favorites, and I'm jazzed to up it's usability even more by wearing it as a skirt in addition to as a dress.  Do ya'll have any surprise versatile items in your closet?