Wal-Mart Chic?

Guess where I went today?! Wal-Mart! Guess how I dressed today? Like a Wal-Mart employee with a casual uniform. I realize about half way through the store what I had done.. luckily it didn't lead to any embarrassing situations. But if I did have to help someone, I'm sure I could have done it since I go there so much.

I spent the day hanging out with my mom. We took a short stroll outside and I got her to take pictures for me, she's a cool mom like that. Even though she has 2 broken wrist and colorful casts wrapped around her arms, we still found a way for her to hold the camera! Each day she is figuring out new skills, it's so amazing to see!

Outfit details - Pants, $1 (thrifted) - Cardigan, $3 (thrifted) - Scarf, 50 cents (thrifted) - Shoes, $5 (Wal-Mart) - Striped top, $7.99 (sizeappeal.com) - Owl ring, gift from my aunt (Avon) - Earrings, $1 (Wal-Mart old)

Coming Up Roses

The title is no lie. I think that things are coming up roses, meaning things are getting good.
This week our town is on Spring Break. Apparently a bunch of my high school friends have a film project and I was asked by a few of them for help! For one project I get to actually act and the other one I will be the camera man. I'm just siked to hang out with real people!

I've had this.. uh, hobby, of making YouTube videos for the past few years. I've gotten bullied and teased about it, some people saying it wasn't a good use of my time. I have indeed proved them wrong by winning some contests (cash prizes!) with the videos as well as having others starting YouTube shows and telling me that I inspired them. But now I will get to use those unique skills I've learned, to help others, which is fantastic to me!

I also wanted to make a comment about these jeans I'm wearing. I bought them from Forever21+. I've heard the quality kind of sucks, so I wasn't expecting much. After wearing them, the material does feel super cheap. I'm certainly going to have a neighbor friend of mine re-inforce the seams, just to make them last. I absolutely LOVE dark wash, and add in the perfect skinny cut and a $12.50 price and it's really not so bad. They are however humongous around my waist, but that is my own bodies fault. haha

Outfit details - Jeans, $12.50 (F21+) - White v-neck, <$3 (Target old) - Brown top, $1 (Sears old) - Vest, homemade - Scarf, $5 (Wal-Mart) - Mocs, $33 (csn.com) - Ring, $1.50 (F21, totally adorable!!)

Striped State of Mind

I have had a super splendid day! A friend of mine (who is on Spring Break from college) asked to take me out to lunch. I was hesitant as to where to go since I've had all the fast food in this small town - 3 times. I asked if it was cool if we went out of town to Arby's and hit up a thrift store. She was all for it. She is a SAINT!!!

My thrifting meter is just a little bit more full now. It could have used another store but I didn't want to push my good luck. Best thing of all? I arrived home to find a package from Forever21 containing the items I ordered last Friday (when they donated all the proceeds to Japan.)

Well, I hope this is the set up for a good weekend! The weather is chill but oh so sunny, so I'm looking forward to leaving the house again. Even if it just to go to Wal-Mart! Have a lovely weekend everyone. :)

Outfit details - Pants, $1 (thrifted) - Striped top, $1 (Wal-Mart old from the pj's) - Jacket, 75 cents (thrifted) - Shoes, $6 (Dollar General) - Necklace, from my sister - Ring, DIY

Question: Does anyone know where I can get/have made a snazzy blog layout? I'm looking to change this one I have here.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

(picture I put together from my sweet 16, I use it every year on my birthday as my Facebook profile picture. It's a tradition)

Hello all! This is unrelated to clothes but I'm kind of excited not to share it with you. Today is my birthday! My golden birthday. I am now 20 and no longer a teen.
When Mr.Rogers was still alive, he shared a birthday with me. Every year on March 20 I wish him a birthday, weather alive or not. In our living room, we have a framed picture of him and everything. It's a conversation starter.. "So, is that your grandpa?" I wish I could say yes!
Shortly before he passed away I wrote a fan letter to him through his website. I'm not sure if it was a real response from him or not, but I have treasured the e-mail and kept it all these years. I would love to share it with you as it is special to me.

Dear Hannah,

Thank you so much for your kind e-mail message and your warm wishes for my birthday. It's interesting to know we share the same birthday! Best wishes to you for this year.

Hannah, I'm glad to know you enjoy our Neighborhood programs and that you especially like the times we go on field trips. It's good that you're a person who is interested in learning about all sorts of things in this world. We often hear from girls and boys your age and older who continue to watch our program. We like to think our Neighborhood can be for growing people of all ages, and we're glad you do, too. You will always be a welcome television neighbor, whenever you care to watch.

You are a special person -- just because you're you.

Sincerely,
Fred Rogers

(This letter is from 9 years ago on my 11th birthday and I received it at 11 am. I just have such a thing for the number 11, it never ceases to amaze me.)

Hopefully I'll get my day going and put on some fancy birthday digs and share them with you! It's currently a perfect thunder storm outside.. kind of random for the first day of Spring.

Just for Kicks

St.Patrick's Day is totally my kind of day. Not because I'm just a tiny bit Irish or anything. But because there is a set theme of everyone wearing green! I love themes.

Usually I wear all the green in my closet because of hearing folklore as a child warning me to wear green or else face the wrath of a leprechaun. I've since grown up and can now add just the right wee bit of green to my attire.
I'm super glad I chose to wear this "dress" with leggings and not with tights. It scooted it's way up the entire day, so inappropriate. I guess it was also a good thing that I was just inside all day! I am pretty good at saving myself from embarrassing moments and social interactions.

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

Outfit details - Dress, $7 (Maurices) - Jacket, 75 cents (thrifted, Maurices brand) - Leggings, <$5 (Wal-Mart old) - Sneakers, $11 (Wal-Mart old) - Belt, $1 (Wal-Mart old) - Earrings, $1.20 (Shop-Ko)

Owl Be Quick

I had a pretty great day just hanging out with my mom. She is staying at my sister's downtown apartment for a few days and needed someone to watch her while my sister was working.
The day was absolutely gorgeous (warm 50's/60's and super sunny!!) so we went walking. We got to go into the little thrift store down there, it's seriously the smallest place ever but the man who runs it like to think of it as "a thrift store with garage sale prices". It's just so cute and cheap and I always find something, even if it's little. Today's expedition did not disappoint!

And yes, these are the same pants I just wore in the last post. I just switched them up so they looked like ordinary capris. Also, this is probably one of my most favorite second hand finds. It came from a box-sale for a quarter. I'm quite certain it's older than me.. it's been around.

My Pants Are High

So I've learned one good thing about constantly being in the house with my mom. I get to wear whatever the heck I want to!
Today I felt like changing out of my usual pj's and put on my high waisted pants. Pants. Not jeans. I'm so excited for myself! I like them a lot, I kind of want to buy a whole bunch of non-jean pants.
I had talked about these blue beasts in an earlier post and I'm very proud to be showing them off. I'm not sure if they are a do or a don't for a curvy person like myself, but I went for it anyways. I'm not one to really follow rules for my body type anyways. If I like it, I wear it!

Outfit details - Tee, $1 (Wal-Mart old) - Pants, $2.50 (thrifted) - Vest, $1 (thrifted) - Necklace, 50 cents (thrifted) - Ring, homemade - Shoes, $6 (Dollar General, but my hands want to type Wal-Mart haha) Sunglasses, ?? (thrifted)

For the curious, the shirt says "Can't we all just get along?" and has a picture of none other than the daytime king, Jerry Springer.

When is a Snuggie not a Snuggie?

When it is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

This may be unusual (or not) but my sister picked up this TMNT snuggie in a super great Hot Topic sale last week. (totally linked that for you if you wanna buy it!)
It's incredibly over-sized and super warm! I don't personally wear snuggies, but they have been a wonderful blessing to my mom with her arm deal.
Also, this is probably the only piece of clothing my sister and I can share! (if you recall what she looks like.. she's a stick!)

It's sad to think in only 11 short days, I will no longer be a teenager. Teens (and old people) can get away with doing so much ridiculous stuff. I guess I have my old age to look forward to!

Connect the Dots

I should just rename myself the barefoot fashionista. I can explain how come I'm not wearing shoes this time.
1) I couldn't find any in my collection* that went well. *all 10 pairs that I own.
2) I'm just wearing this outfit around the house anyway, so shoes are unnecessary.
3) I'm just not really a shoe person. Give me bare feet any day!

I am so excited to finally participate in an "Everybody, Everywear" day! I wasn't fully aware of what they were until the last time, so I knew whatever it was this time, I wanted to be in!
Polka dots are not really a pattern I own a lot of outside of scarves, so I used that to my advantage. I used this sa-weet over-sized vintage scarf and made it look like a brightly patterned dress.

Growing up as a child of the 90's, most of my wardrobe was polka dots. They were kind of my thing mostly because of Mickie and Minnie Mouse. If it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me.

Outfit details - Scarf, $1 (thrifted, came with a matching skirt that was sadly much too small) - Purple tunic, $7 (Rue21 old) - Tights, $7 (K-Mart) - Ring, DIY - Necklaces, Claire's? - Belt came attached to a vest - Bangs, my newest DIY haircut

An Ode to Thrift Stores

Thrift stores, I miss you so much.

I miss your fresh urine scent that haunts me in the store, the mismatched and tacky clothes that I buy in bulk, the board games full of more cat fur than game pieces, the locals who talk to themselves and make you feel awkward when you try to keep up with their conversation, the broken locks on the both the bathroom and the changing rooms, the random McDonald's cups that finds a place on your shelves, your collection of sad clown paintings (that by the way I count as going to an art museum), and most importantly your wide-eyed kitty mugs that say "World's Best Grandma".

Online shopping is not giving me the same satisfaction that you do. The clothes are all new and never worn before. How am I supposed to know how loved they are if there is no hole in knee or sweat stain in the arm pit? Don't even get me started on the prices. You always have poorly placed racks of clearance clothes at the back of the store where no one can find, except me, in which case I snatch up all your goodies for a quarter.
Online, there are no sharp metal hangers waiting to jab me in the arm. There is no 109-year-old woman to ring up my purchases. There are no goopy pieces of gum for me to accidentally step in, no creepy mannequins staring at me or bed bug filled couches for me to plant my tush on, or any men in hunting jackets carrying Cher cassette tapes that follow me down every isle.

I hope you understand how much it hurts me not to see you every week. Until we meet again (and at this point, I really don't know when that will be) I can only hope that you miss me too. I'll be back soon.
With much love,
Hannah

DIY Galaxy Tee

Many many months ago, I stumbled upon a galaxy tee DIY. SEEN HERE
I kept saying I would do it and then put it off. Well... I finally did it! It was easier than I imagined and lots of fun.
All I needed was a black tee, acrylic paint (which I was in luck and had some!), bleach, and brushes.
The only thing I did different from that tutorial was..
I did not water down the paint. I was working with the shirt while it was wet, so I didn't have a problem with it getting stiff.
The other thing is, I used an old fluffy make-up brush to soften up the areas that are green and white. When you're without proper paint brushes, you can always make it work somehow!

I'm still thinking of a way to wear it. It's such a standout shirt, I want to do it justice!
Thank you so much for reading this, and good luck with any of your own DIY adventures. Have fun!