Katie Daily Style – Random

• Hidden black dress #1 – thrifted
• Hidden black dress #2 – thrifted
• Visible black dress – thrifted
• Teal “cocoon” cardigan – Target
• Leggings – Target
• Teal argyle socks – Target
• Boots – La Mama
• Brown and black belt – thrifted
• Oh Canada! mittens – gifted
• Cactus pin – no idea. Elves? Probably elves.

I rarely write a blog post in one go. I’ll add the photos, plug in text placeholders where I think I should hold a place for text, and then get distracted by food or something shiny and forget what I was planning on writing in the first place and just go and make something up.*

Normally I replace the first-pass, “look at me going all Holden Caufield on your a#$” stream of consciousness I write, because I believe it’s important to maintain the rational and sane persona I present online.** But I can’t think of anything else to write, so here we go (p.s. excuse the mittens. It was frickin’ freezing this morning!):

What situation ever happened that led to the phrase “the elephant in the room” existing? I suspect it had to do with a runaway circus elephant that tried to hide behind some floral curtains, but that’s just my first theory.

The equation E=MC Hammer is 2 Legit 2 Quit.

MC Hammer should be the one with a home improvement show, not Vanilla Ice, because then he’d be able to use the phrase “Stop! Hammertime” in an appropriate setting. “Stop! Collaborate and Listen” just doesn’t fit in the DIY world.

It’s a shame that the hyphen in Boutros Boutros-Ghali isn’t between the two “Butros’s” because then his friends could call him Butros-Squared.

What if you had pica and it made you want to eat pikas? Circular and awkward.

Instead of Zumba, someone should invent a Roomba exercise class and just have tiny robot vacuums chase people around the gym for an hour.

The song “Hungry Eyes” always makes me think of “Eye of the Tiger,” which always makes me think of the band Glass Tiger, which always makes me wonder why Bryan Adams did that totally random backup solo in “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone,”*** and now my head hurts.

Hmm, can I get my leg up on that ledge?

Yes!

Can I get my leg off that ledge?

Not as gracefully, no.

And scene.

*That’s not true. If I was making stuff up, my life wouldn’t sound nearly as embarrassing.

**Have you all stopped laughing yet?

***Seriously, why is he in that song? Were they all in the same recording studio and Glass Tiger bribed him with a beer?

P.S. Notice how this is pretty much just a repeat of this outfit?

Katie Daily Style – Pins and Gravity

• Black dress (underneath) – thrifted
• Grey dress – thrifted
• Black blazer – thrifted
• 2 pairs of leggings – Target
• Boots – Trotters
• Cashmere beret – thrifted
• Pins – thrifted and gifts
• Pyrite earrings – self-made

Welcome to my hallway. And by hallway, I mean alcove. And by alcove, I mean vestibule. And by vestibule, I mean the slight dent in the wall between my door and coat closet.

It was even colder today than yesterday, so I found a place to take my photos indoors. Yes, the lighting is much better outdoors, but every vanity has its limit and mine is when my nostrils freeze shut.

So here I am, a blogger against a white wall. Sort of like those paintings of white cows in snow storms, except slightly easier to spot.

When I put on the blazer this morning, I started with just one pin. But, much like chocolate chip cookies, viewings of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Backstreet Boys reunion tours, one just isn’t enough.

I know I’m not the only blogger out there with an evil-looking animal pin (my mouse has demon eyes). I vote that for a future Everybody, Everywear. Eh, eh?

And here’s where my camera decided to go all blurry on me:

And here’s where gravity decided to abandon me:

Oh, gravity, thou art a heartless bi#@h.

Do you ever overload on the accessories? What do you think: tacky, awesome, or tackily awesome?

30 Day No Repeats: Day 29

Katie Daily Style – Sunshine and Matchsticks

• Unseen black dress #1- thrifted
• Unseen black dress #2- thrifted
• Seen black dress – thrifted
• Grey squid cardigan – Target
• Black belt – thrifted
• Blue gingham scarf (#19)- thrifted
• Blue glass beads – gift
• 1st pair of black leggings – Target
• 2nd pair of black leggings – Target
• Grey knee socks – Target
• unseen fuzzy blue socks – Mum
• Boots – Mum
• Blue beret – Urban Outfitters
• Black coat – Gap
• Canada mittens – gift

I wore a lot of clothes today. The rest of the country may be caught in the latest Snow-torious storm, but where I live it just got cold. REALLY COLD. Today’s high was -5, but the wind made it feel like -14. I wasn’t quite ready to end the reign of No-Pants Katie, so I decided to layer like it was going out of style (three dresses, baby!).

The slightly ragamuffin result reminds me of The Little Match Girl, but (hopefully) my encounter with the cold will end a bit better.

It was still unbelievably cold, but the layers helped. A little.

Why yes, those are Canada mittens I’m wearing, complete with giant applique maple leaves. I prefer my patriotism in the form of novelty clothing items. I may or may not also have underpants with a giant Canadian flag on the bum.*

Feeling shamed that so many of you are still taking outdoor photos in the snow, I decided to stop being such a wuss and brave it sans jacket. Note, however, that the stylish mittens stayed on.

Apparently it was so cold my head was in danger of falling off.

I finally got so cold I started jumping between shots to stay warm. Timing? Not my strong suit.

Weeee!

In other good news worth of balcony jumping, the disease I was diagnosed with in the fall that’s supposed to be permanent may, in fact, be getting better! It’s early yet, but my fingers are crossed. What wasn’t so great is that when the doctor called me, I was in a meeting and my cell phone was in my bra (loooong story). Awkward…

So in celebration, and a feeble attempt to remember what it was like to be warm:

*I don’t   But now you know what to get me for Christmas!

30 Day No Repeats: Day 28

Katie Daily Style – Plaid, Beards, and Finger Paints

• Black jersey dress – thrifted
• Purple plaid dress – thrifted
• Black belt – thrifted
• Black and silver fringe “scarf” necklace (#17)- self-made
• Silver cuff – Grandma
• Boots – Trotters

Whenever I wear this scarf/necklace doohickey, The Rocket Scientist  says it looks like my chest grew a beard. Obviously he says this out of envy, since his chest hair is not nearly so long, luscious, or full of silver sparkles. And, yes, I can hook this piece over my ears and wear it like a false beard. And, no, I didn’t take a photo of that. One photo of me in a fake beard is enough.

A few months ago I read a magazine article in which the author railed against what she called the “old lady jumper” style of wearing a sleeveless dress over something with sleeves. She equated the style with Midwestern church ladies and kindergarten teachers. If there’s one thing participating in the style-blogging world has taught me, nothing is completely off-limits; it all depends on execution. So, pass the casseroles and get me some finger paints because I think my execution of layering dresses (including sleeveless over sleeved – gasp!) is smashing.

Have any of you been style rebels lately, breaking rules that other people have declared hard and fast?

30 Day No Repeats Challenge: Day 22

Katie Daily Style – Rainbow Brite

• Blue t shirt dress – Old Navy
• Purple dress (worn underneath) – thrifted
• Madras plaid silk scarf – Uzbek artisan
• Gold belt – thrifted
• Red shoes – Hush Puppies

I feel very much like this little lady today:

Rainbow Bright

Apparently my tendency towards neutrals as of late took its toll, and I rebelled. In a big way. It may not be the most refined, or the most professional, but I do love decking myself out head to toe in color.  What makes this outfit work, without a doubt, is the scarf. Because the red, blue and purple shades I’m wearing are perfectly reflected in the scarf, they all end up “going” together. Also, red+blue=purple, so the combination of two primary colors plus their secondary is less jarring than other strong color combinations might have been.

The Rocket Scientist is in Washington D.C. this week, and keeps taunting with me with all the amazing museums he gets to visit. My favorite message so far? “I went to the Library of Congress and tried to get you a book as a souvenir. Apparently it doesn’t work that way.” That, folks, is why I love him.

I’m most jealous that he got to go to the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, a place I would happily spend entire days (and would have during my 8th grade field trip to D.C. if my class had not been asked to leave after Chad MacGregor thought it was a good idea to play “mosh elevator” and gotten us stuck between the 2nd and 3rd floors). I’m compensating as best I can, which includes alternating my reading between a book on the history of phosphorus and a novel about a giant squid that disappears from the London Museum of Natural History and may in fact be a god. Let me tell you, I am so popular at parties…

Every once in a while I try to do one of those typical “style blogger” poses – legs akimbo, head down, a giant mammoth in the background. It never ends up working. Take this photo. I don’t look cool; I look like I have to pee.

I bet the real Rainbow Brite never looks like she has to pee…