They Say It's Your Birthday

So, today is my twentieth birthday! Hooray! I'll be spending the day with my family, going on a hike, eating delicious food, and just celebrating. These photos are from last night's pre-birthday birthday celebration. My friends and I met up at a lovely restaurant called Eatery in the city, and had some good food and a real good time. Seriously, when we all get together, I laugh like a maniac and embarrass myself and everyone at the table. But, that's okay because (usually) they're all laughing right along. It was a wonderfully immature and fantastic evening - the perfect way to welcome in being twenty. I didn't take too many photos, but I did get photos of my friends, and of my birthday pumpkin pie - they stuck a candle in it!

Blouse: Forever 21, Skirt: Goodwill, Tights: We Love Colors, Shoes: Urban Outfitters, Coat: Tag sale







We said the word "penis" a lot, and then laughed about it, because we're a very mature and proper bunch of ladies:






Until tomorrow,
Nicole

I Will Love You 'Till the Wheels Come Off

Last night was my job's annual gala fundraiser, so I took the opportunity to get a little bit more fancy (just a little!) than my usual daily wear. Goodness me, do I love this dress. I got it from Asos probably about a month ago for the gala (I know, whatever) and was so, so pleased when I tried it on. The color's so fun, and the cut in my opinion is super flattering. I had been waiting SO LONG to wear this dress! It even garnered a few compliments. Well, some older ladies I was working with said it was cute, my younger boss asked if it was "an old dress" (he clarified he meant "vintage" but COME ON), and my other boss called me a 60's gogo dancer. Wins all around, I think! Maybe. All in all, it was a fun night. I had a good time meeting people, getting hit on by creepy older waiters, seeing my bosses all dressed up, and dressing up myself. Oh, and eating delicious food. There's always that.

Dress: Asos, Heels: DSW







Awkward jump



And an awkward landing. I love it.



Until tomorrow,
Nicole

We Might Be Strangers

So, I wasn't planning on doing a post today. Well, really, I was planning on it, but then my pictures turned out, uh, terribly. Mostly because of my face. As you'll notice by the few passable ones, my face is a face of rage. I wasn't even feeling particularly wrathful today or anything! The problem is, when I think I'm smiling coyly, I'm apparently just making this terribly annoyed-looking face. That's a problem for a whole number of social and bloggy reasons. So, note to self - smile bigger, so that when you think you're smiling like an idiot, you'll really just be smiling coyly.

Anyway, I ended up finishing Slaughterhouse Five, and I know how a Vonnegut shaped hole in my universe. Whenever I finish a really good book, I go on for a few days after wishing there was another chapter, or a part two even, just to prolong the wonder. So, I'm currently in that state. Perhaps I'll have to treat myself to another of his books as a little early birthday present. Though, I don't even have enough time to do all of my school work, so, probably not the best idea. I honestly should be doing work right now since the next few days are looking to be super busy and whirlwindy, but frankly, I'd rather just relax for a bit and spend some time in blog world.

Dress: Thrift store, Sweater: Forever 21, Socks: Target, Boots: Famous Footwear, Jacket: Salvation Army, Bag: Urban Outfitters







Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Animal Farm

I found this big red coat at a tag sale a few weeks ago and never looked back. I'm a big fan of coats, but they're generally pretty expensive, so when I found this cute one for about ten dollars, I jumped at it. Not literally, of course, but I was probably more excited than the average person gets about finding a coat. The buttons even have little owls on them! And it's no big secret that I love animals and cute animal prints on my clothes. So, pair the coat with my cat print dress, and I'm practically a zoo. Practically.

On an unrelated note, are any of you Kurt Vonnegut fans? He's one of my absolute favorite authors and people. I've read some of his books (Cat's Cradle is one of my all time favorite books), and I've set a goal for myself to finish his novel Slaughterhouse Five before my birthday this weekend. I always seem to start his books, put them aside for a while, and come back. I've got a ton of school work this week, but I'm determined to take some time and read what I want. Not just Ovid and Fichte. Oh, Fichte. Oh boy.

Dress: H&M, Sweater: Forever 21, Coat: Tag Sale, Shoes: Urban Outfitters











Until tomorrow,
Nicole

I Didn't Know I'm Not Invincible

Happy Halloween! Unfortunately, today's not feeling very autumnal or Halloweeny in these parts. If it wasn't for the teeny costumed children knocking on the door I may have forgotten all about the holiday. I was originally going to wear this leather skirt with an orangey sweater, but I really wasn't in the mood for being overtly Halloween. So, I went with dark colors, mostly just because I felt like it, but partly as a nod to the holiday. Do you guys have any plans tonight? All I've got on deck is some quality time with Ovid's love poetry and a bag of candy, but I'm not complaining. Candy is delicious.

Top/Dress, Skirt, Sweater: H&M, Tights: We Love Colors, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

La di da, La di da

So, to be perfectly honest, I didn't do much this halloween weekend except carve pumpkins and make caramel apples (both good, Halloweeny things, though), and all I'm going to do in the next few days to celebrate is watch Vincent Price movies. But, I had an idea for a costume and figured I'd wear it around for a bit, because, you know, that's cool. So, if you didn't guess, and hopefully you have but if you haven't I understand, I decided to dress up as Annie Hall! I remember when I first saw this movie in my high school film history class, and how funny and wonderful and smart and real I thought (and still think) it was. I also remember loving Annie's outfits, even before I cared much about how I dressed (I was still in my tee shirts and skinnies phase). So, why not dress up as her for Halloween?











Cat pumpkin thats sitting on the table with a candle in it because it's too snowy to put it on the front porch!



Delicious caramel apples that we covered in cut up oreos, sprinkles, and candy bars





Also! The winner of my 300 followers giveaway, according to the Random Number Generator, is

#4, Chelsea!

Congratulations, Chelsea! I'll be emailing you shortly :)


Until tomorrow,
Nicole

Smells Like Wilderness

Do you ever put together an outfit that just feels really...right? There are days where I get dressed, and though the outfit looks fine, it just doesn't feel like I should be wearing it. Today's outfit came together surprisingly nicely. After hitting the snooze button for an hour due to the cool, dreary weather outside, I had about twenty minutes to get ready and leave the house. It was kind of like, "I like this dress. It's cold. What sweater matches? It's rainy. Boots for the mud. Still cold. Denim jacket. That hat looks cozy. Aaaaaaand, break!" I always talk about my style being pretty undefined, but I do know that I'm always trying to strike the middle ground between cute/girly and rugged/practical, and I feel like this is pretty close to that. Speaking of rugged, I may as well share my thoughts on men's deodorant (obvious connection, I know). I was in CVS to pick up some deodorant the other day, and since the lady products are right next to the men's, I thought I'd take a gander at the more "masculine scents": Smells like freedom! Smells like wilderness! Smells like pine trees and magic! Smells like awesome! And I couldn't help but think, "Hell, I'd much rather smell like a forest at dawn than a citrus fruit mixed with ginger." I did go with my usual boring deodorant, but am I wrong in thinking those sound so superior? I don't even care If I'm wrong. Or, if this is weird. I don't care SO MUCH that I'm going to go and make the title of this post a man deodorant scent. It's been a long week. I'm very tired. Pardon my tangential deodorantial ways.

Also, if you're somehow still reading, don't forget to enter my giveaway! It closes soon!

Dress: Pretty Penny in Oakland, Sweater: Forever 21, Jean Jacket: Salvation Army, Tights: Asos, Hat: Hot Topic, Boots: Famous Footwear










Also! I thought I'd share a little DIY I tried out today! Elsie, of A Beautiful Mess, posted this DIY a while back, about how to make song lyric art from a vintage paint by number kit. I couldn't find a paint by number kit, so I used heavy duty scrapbooking paper instead and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I actually made one with Shins lyrics ("I learned fast how to keep my head up") last Friday, but wanted to try another. So, this one has lyrics from one of my newest favorite songs, Come Here and Love Me by Doug Paisley (it's a beautiful, lovey dovey song that you should all hear). The paper had a vintage postcard print on it, which I loved. I can't wait to add this little DIY to my ecclectic wall of pretty things, which I may have to photograph in full for you soon






Until tomorrow,
Nicole