winners!

The winner of the Yellow Birdd Vintage giveaway is

Skeletons in my Closet!

And, also, the winner of the Motives Lipstick giveaway is

Hailey from ThankHeaven.!

Both winners were chosen by the random number generator at random.org. Congrats ladies!

The dog days are over

Yesterday was the best day at work ever. My coworker was gone all day and so I got the whole room to myself, which meant listening to my favorite tunes and singing along all day long. It made the day go by so quickly! I basically just listened to Florence and the Machine and Amy Winehouse. It reminded me of how Amy was really one of those people who got me into style, which I think a lot of people might see as funny since she certainly doesn't look "stylish" when she leaves the house looking like she's emerging from a week long bender. I just remember watching the Rehab video and being totally excited that a celeb had similar hair to mine, all big and curly. And I loved that she didn't give a damn about the press, she was going to be herself, with her huge beehive, slathered on eyeliner, tattoos, and all around bad-girl lifestyle. I mean, it's supremely unfortunate that she's so troubled, but I hope she's getting help because she's a seriously talented individual. Back in 2007 I wore a big beehive like hers all the time and she's what started me doing my winged eyeliner. I mean, she was the first thing I ever posted on in this blog!

shirt/hot topic :: skirt/thrifted :: shoes/courtesy of Darlingtonia

This is one of those outfits that I feel completely comfortable in. I love putting something on and just feeling totally myself. Not that I often dress out of my comfort zone, though I do try to push the envelope of my comfort zone in an effort to grow stylistically and as a human being. It's just one of those things where you concoct and outfit and when you put it on, it seems to mold to your body like some freaky Star Trek outfit or something. I like how it's a bit eclectic, and I decided to put on lipstick for some extra fun. I hadn't worn my deep plum lipstick in a while, and it seemed like a fun addition. I sorta feel like a super hero when I wear lipstick. Now where'd I park my invisible plane...

My sweet sponsor Darlingtonia Moccasins sent over these adorable moccs and I l-o-v-e them. I'm sure you guys know, I'm pretty much a fool for my moccs. I have three pairs of Minnetonkas, my boots, my ankle booties, and my ubiquitous moccs. But these cuties are just to die for. I think what I love most, besides the color, is the sole! I was ever so pleasantly surprised to slip my foot into them and feel like I was walking on air. Easily the most comfortable shoes I own. She's got a ton of really fun moccasin designs, but I, being a simple girl, opted for the plain jane ones. The feel very nautical to me, which I'm obviously a fan of.

Okay, well this post is going up about 12 hours later than I had planned and I need to get over to the Winne to do some suzy-homemaking! I haven't seen it in forever and I really would like to spend some time in there gettin' my decor on. Go out and do something fun tonight! It's Friday!

Eminence Front

Rebecca's post yesterday reminded me that I totally missed my two year blog anniversary! I was waiting and waiting for it to come, and just like that it was ten days ago. I don't know how I missed it. Needless to say, I will be coming up with some sort of belated celebratory post. I've actually been thinking of doing a vlog (I hate that word. It's so awkward. I refuse to say it out loud, mainly because I can't figure out how I want to pronounce it) answering questions that you guys have. I don't have a formspring or anything where you guys can ask questions, so what if you just left any question– serious, silly, meaningful, strange, etc.– in a comment on this post and I'll see if I can answer them in a video (or perhaps a series of videos, if there are lots of questions). I think it would be fun. I've been meaning to do another video since I promised another makeup tutorial, so this could be a way to force me to follow through, eh?

dress/vintage :: shoes/seychelles :: hair bow/idee geniale :: necklace/shop in Kihei

Last night there was a big dinner put on by the missionaries that are staying in our house. With the help of a bunch of volunteers they cooked a multi course meal of delicious Italian food for a huge group of friends and supporters. It reminded me that they were the ones who actually taught me how to make Bruschetta two years ago, which I basically lived off of my entire senior year of college. I'm serious. I could eat a 4 course meal of only Bruschetta. Bruschetta and pizza for the rest of my life. Mmmm.

I think this is one of my favorite dresses of all time. It's so comfortable and it fits perfectly. It's one of those vintage maxi dresses I shortened. I would love to try a maxi style, but It's excessively difficult to find a maxi dress that actually is maxi on a 5'1" person, not dragging beneath my feet. I really cannot remember a time in the past few years in which I wore a floor length dress or skirt... this is making me think I should give it a go.

In other news, not only did I totally fail at going to bed before midnight last night... I even failed at going to bed before 1:00. Wednesday, be gentle.

you are a waterfall waiting inside a well

I did outfit photos a couple days ago and then when I looked through them decided I hated the outfit and went and changed, but I liked this picture, so here it is. I think I just like the contrast of colors, with the fuschia Fireweed, green sweater, and red hair.

It's funny, I'm already thinking about the end of my journey, before it even starts (I mean, assuming the journey ever really ends...). I know I will love being on the road. It's a very natural place for me to be, I think. At the same time, I know it will be hard not having a home base. It was funny, Simon and Little Bit were play fighting downstairs the other night, and every once in a while Simon would run over to the stairs and sit down on the first step. It always looked like he would run there and say "BASE!" with his body language. Little Bit wasn't allowed to get him when he was on the stair. Too cute. But the concept of having a base, a place where you are safe and nothing can get you, it's a comforting one, and I'm kind of giving it up. Thinking about not having a base for a while has made me start thinking about my eventual return to a base. I'd like to end the trip having a base of my own, not just coming back to my parents.

I think I really want to end up by the ocean. Definitely Pacific Northwest. I've discovered that I really love the rain and the ocean. I just like being on the coast. It feels so free. Like you could just get in a ship and leave. Looking over the ocean is like seeing possibilities. I'm not sure if I'd like being landlocked. I guess when I close my eyes, I always see myself parked by the ocean in the Winne.

And I feel like I'm going to always like living in small, simple, organic houses (for some reason I see the Brave as being organic, even though it's a metal box on wheels with an engine). My best friends in Talkeetna are living in a Yurt, and I used to think they were weird and hokey, (and I generally dislike circles in design...) but I really love the simplicity and openness of their Yurt. Plus, it's a really simple way to live. And then I discovered this whole tiny house movement, which is super cool. I think maybe I just like tiny houses and motorhomes because they are very much like playhouses and treehouses, both of which I adored as a child. I used to try and build really makeshift treehouses with my neighbor friends in the woods behind our houses. We would play "bush family" instead of "house"... you may have to be Alaskan to really understand that. I digress.

I love the idea of living very simply. I loathe any sort of debt, so living in an inexpensive house like a Yurt or even my Winnebago (inexpensive as long as it's not sucking down gasoline) is extremely attractive to me. Of course, this is all very far ahead, so I'm not planning anything, just getting seeds planted in my brain.

Ain't no sunshine when he's gone

I finally got a little break in the drizzle to go outside and take pictures. There's nothing but rain in the forecast for the next few days. I don't even own an umbrella. Or a raincoat. I never spend enough time outside in the rain to really warrant using one. Some people have really cute raincoats, I just run from my car to the building and try not to get wet. I should probably get a raincoat or something like it for my trip. It would be silly of me to think I won't be outdoors when it's raining.

I've been getting quasi-stressed about getting ready for this trip. I mean, I guess there's not a lot of prep work involved, but I feel as if I have no time to do the things I need to do. I try to go-go-go, but by the end of my work day I'm so tired, and then my weekends are mostly spent binge sleeping and doing family things. Family things are nice, but to a certain extent I wish I wasn't around my family so I could just get my things done instead of being sucked in to doing fun stuff.

top (dress)/ruche :: skirt/handmade :: cardigan & boots/target

This weekend I got to go up to Talkeetna to see my friend Rebecca play a show! It was a really great show. For the second half of her set, pə-ˈrād played with her. It sounded amazing to have her sing with a full band. Rebecca and I always mean to get together and play, but it just never happens! Hopefully before I leave we can follow through and actually make some tunes together.

knew you in the wild

Yesterday we went on an impromptu trip to Prince William Sound! Consequently I got pretty much nothing done that I had planned to do, but it was worth it. Weather has been pretty dismal lately (though I've been enjoying the drizzly days), so the sunny weather was definitely cause for a trip out to sea. It was Simon's first time on the boat and he was such a trooper! He wasn't scared of anything, and was very well behaved! Of course, he's like a whale shark and basically just runs around with his mouth open putting everything in it, so we kept having to remove various items from his mouth. In between his bouts of extreme excitement and general mischievousness, he curls up on any available lap and falls right asleep. Too cute for words.

dress/shop in Kihei :: dress underneath/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/thrifted :: cardigan/target

We anchored up and had a late lunch, then dragged the skiff off the flying bridge to go to shore for a bit of exploring. Little Bit was my exploring buddy. My little brother and I went up a creek for a ways and also down the shoreline. I really wish we could've just hiked and hiked for hours. Alas, we didn't really have the time and my outfit was not constructed for such activities. It was just so lush and there were so many fallen logs to climb all over, I think I could've explored for hours. I really want to explore places like this on my trip. Last summer we went to some places on the Olympic Peninsula that were similar to Prince William Sound, and I just loved being in the woods. The air smells so fresh and crisp and you've never seen so much green in your life.

Simon had a blast on shore. He was by the water and putting his feet in when a little wave came up and got him and he just decided to start swimming out. For a sec my Dad thought he'd have to go swim out and get him, but they called and he turned around and swam back. Of course then Simon was soaking wet, so he got to be all curled up on a lap in my Dad's polar fleece vest. What a spoiled little thing! At least he likes the water and isn't afraid of it though! And he can swim! What a capable fellow.

I got a craft attack the other day, and went to Michaels to get some blank canvas bags and embroidery floss, so the boat trip gave me time to sit down and start my little project. I'm embroidering a Winnebago on the side of the tote, like so. I have three blank bags, so if I have time I'd like to do all three. Time is a luxury these days and I'm about three weeks behind on a few things I've been meaning to do, so Winnebago totes may be a project for future times... I got the outline done though! I sure do like making things with my hands. Wish I had more time to actually do it!

Oh, and the reason I'm wearing a dress underneath a dress: The dress on top is just a bit too big for me, especially in the bust and I'm always worried I'm going to flash someone. I wanted to wear it today, though, so I threw on this other dress underneath that has a beige lace top. Plus having the underlayer kind of made the top dress fit a little better.

Photos by mom and my brother, Matt. Thanks guys!

Fireweed Alley

I have to say, I'm falling in love with these wedges. They make me feel super tall, which is not usual for someone of my modest stature. Plus, they are some of the most comfortable shoes I own. I have some gift certificate left over to Revolveclothing.com and I've been ogling the shoes. I've always loved shoes, but with my size of feet it's nearly impossible to find ones (especially heels) that will fit or be comfortable. I usually end up getting a size or so too big and just dealing with it. I've been really eyeing the Jeffrey Campbells, since so many of my blogger friends have them and I just am sitting here totally drooling over them, wishing I could afford them. So I'm thinking that my gift certificate is going to get me some new Jeffrey Campbells. Of course all the ones I love are out of stock right now. I'll just have to have patience and wait for them to come back in. I'm thinking maybe these flats in either the brown or black, these chunky heels, or these nude flats. Which ones are your favorites?

top/forever 21 :: wedges & skirt/courtesy of modcloth :: necklace/handmade

I'm selling makeup online in an effort to have some measure of income on the road, and pretty much all the makeup I wear is from the brand I sell, so I get a lot of it sent to me. The other day I accidentally received two of the same shade of lipstick in the mail, so I thought I'd put one up for giveaway! I'm wearing the shade in these pictures, it's called Red Coral. It actually kind of reminds me of a watermelon red ala Jolly Ranchers. It's orangey red with a bit of pink to it. I normally don't wear shades like this, but I actually liked how vibrant it was. Lipstick always makes me feel a little bit different. Perhaps it's just because I don't normally wear it, but it kind of just gives me some sort of extra zing.

Every comment on this post will be entered to win the lipstick (one comment per person). Of course I'll need a way to contact you if you don't have a blog or link where I can reach you. I'll pull the winner the same time as the Yellow Birdd giveaway, July 26 at 9 pm akst (10 pm pst).

yellow birdd giveaway!

Congratulations, everyone, we made it halfway through the week! I for one am thrilled about the weekend. Hopefully you guys have a nice weekend ahead.
I get to bring you a lovely giveaway from my sponsor, Yellow Birdd Vintage! This giveaway is for a sweet stone gray, vintage purse! It has four spacious compartments and a detachable shoulder strap in case you want to use it as a clutch. This is totally my type of bag. I love shoulder strap bags, as I hate carrying things around in my hands, and compartments=excellent for keeping me from losing things (even though I still do...). But for one lucky reader, this bag will be going home with you!

To enter, leave a comment on this post: 1. Telling me what you'd pair this purse with from the Yellow Birdd shop (for me, I'd say the Meet Me in Kansas Jumper!). and 2. With a way to contact you if you win.
The giveaway will be open from now until July 26 at 9 pm akst (10 pm pst). Open to international entries. One entry per person.

I'm still accepting sponsors for August and beyond! You can visit my sponsor page for more information. If you'd like to become a sponsor or have any questions, email me at delightfully-tacky@hotmail.com!

The retrospective

Since it was pouring rain last night, and I didn't have an umbrella or the desire to go out in the rain, I thought it'd be fun to post some of my favorite summer outfits from last year. I think I did that for spring, and since it's smack dab in the middle of summer it seems like an appropriate time for a retrospective of last season. Also, remember when I didn't have red hair? Also, hey look, this was before I chopped a bunch of it off!

That last look I pretty much copied in yesterday's post! What can I say, favorite skirt + favorite plaid top= super comfy outfit. Summer outfits aren't that much different from fall or spring outfits. Alaska never has a sweltering summer, so it's not necessary to dress for extreme heat. Thus, I still do quite a bit of layering and wearing of sweaters/tights.

This post reminds me of a comment I got asking me to talk about how I chose where to take my photos. It kind of all depends on my mood and what kind of time is available for my pictures. If I'm feeling lazy or don't have a lot of time to spend, I'll usually just go in my back yard and do them. This is why I had so many pictures featuring that truck on our neighbor's lot! I really like taking pictures in nature, or around more weathered buildings. The textures seem to jive with my style and hair. I feel silly trying to take pictures in a more urban setting. Plus, since I do all my own pictures with my tripod and self timer, doing pictures in the woods or natural settings makes it a lot easier. I have to focus on something where I'll be standing, otherwise I'll be out of focus when I run in front of the camera (doesn't it just sound so glamourous?).

Some days (weekends) I go on photo adventures and drive around trying to find somewhere cool to do my pictures. I'm still kind of shy when it comes to doing my pictures in public. Not really because I'm embarrassed, just because I don't really have the desire to respond to the obvious question, "what are you doing?" If I had a significant other to take my pictures I'd do it all the time in more populated areas, simply because it's normal to have another human being taking your picture. Not so much: lugging around a tripod and running back and forth setting the timer. It seems like such a natural thing to do when I'm alone, I don't realize how strange my actions are until I'm around people who don't know what I'm doing.

It will be fun and daring to find places to do my photos on the road. I have a feeling some shoots will be extremely remote, while others may be among fellow campers. I suppose it could be a good way to meet people. I'm usually opposed to meeting people, but on the road my purpose kind of is to meet people and see slices of life from other people's perspectives, so hopefully I can shed a little bit of my introverted shell.