I did this myself.

I've never really been a big fan of the whole D.I.Y. acronym explosion on the Internet. For some reason it's always bugged me. I mean, what's so hard about saying 'do it yourself?' We really need a shortcut for that? I guess it's catchy and cute and current or whatever, but I'll just stick with using big girl words. That being said, I made a vest the other day. I was going through some old jackets of mine and I came across a pink denim jacket that I bought at Target probably 8 years ago. I thought to myself, 'Why do I never wear this jacket? It's adorable! Oh, that's right. The arms fit funny.' And they do.. er.. did. They were super bulky and had elastic wrists. Ew. But the body of the jacket is adorable, and not being able to part with it I decided to be crafty and turn it into a vest. I even sat for about an hour and a half carefully and diligently sewing two heart patches that I made out of an old tee-shirt I never wear on the back of the vest... you know, to add some spunk. Rock and roll, everyone. May you find your inner vest.

Two in one.

Today I am going to address not one, but two topics in my blog post. Whoa folks, watch out, Dynamite's gettin craaaaazy. No but seriously, I have two awesome topics to share (well, awesome to me), so rather than sharing each of them in separate posts, why not put them together? The more, the merrier, as they say.

Anyway. The first part of this post will be about hair (boys, you may want to sit out on this one). The second part of this post will be about outfits. That being said, let's get started.

Hair. I have hair. I have A LOT of hair. And it doesn't look awesome because I wake up in the morning with birds and deer hanging out in my bedroom and a fairy godmother sprinkling 'awesome hair dust' on my head. Nope. I have to work for this rad mop. I have a good amount of people asking me fairly regularly how I get my hair to look the way it does. Seeing as I don't have the money (and never will) to get my hair professionally done every day, I have to do it myself. It really isn't that difficult. It can be tedious, but over time I've gotten used to working with my hair, so in my opinion, styling my hair is easy. And if you have the tools and the know how, styling your hair can be easy too.

Here's what you need:

1.) A flat iron. A GOOD flat iron. Not one you bought at CVS or Target, but one you purchased online, at a beauty store, or at a salon. Yes, I know I talk about how poor I am all the time, but some things are worth the investment. My flat iron is a Sedu. It's amazing, and I've had it for 3 years. Still works like I bought it today.

2.) A fine tooth comb. NOT A BRUSH. Not in this case. A fine tooth comb separates each strand of your hair individually so the hair will trap more heat with the straightener. Blah blah blah, yeah. Just trust me on this.

3.) Hairspray. I use TRESemme Extra Hold. I love it because it adds volume and holds my hair in place for a long ass time without making it super stiff. Also, it's cheap.

4.) That's it.

So take a look at this 'before' photo, right after a thorough blow dry:

Wah wah. Yeah. No fairy godmothers or forest friends in sight. Just a frizzy, flat, sad mop.

On to the transformation process:

1.) You MUST make sure that you blow dry your hair thoroughly, like, to the point of it catching on fire. Ok that's a bit of a stretch but there should be absolutely NO moisture in your hair when you're done blow drying. If you touch parts of your hair and they still feel 'cool', then you aren't finished. This is crucial because when you straighten your hair, if there is any moisture in it at all, your hair will not hold the heat, and will be frizzy or wavy or curly again once you step outside.

2.) Comb out your hair with your fine tooth comb.

3.) Separate your hair into layers and flat iron each layer (the length of your hair depends on how many layers you will need to separate). I separate my hair into three layers and start from the bottom. I secure each layer with a bobby pin so it stays in place and doesn't get in the way of the hair I am straightening. Also, bobby pins are better for your hair than elastic.

4.) Flat iron about two to three inch sections of your hair. But before you do this, comb out each section (again), with your comb. This will make for a more thorough and accurate process. And your hair will straighten better then ever.

5.) TEASE PLEASE. Yup, ya gotta tease your hair. After you are finished flat ironing your first layer, tease it. You do this by also separating your hair into about two or three inch sections, holding the sections out and teasing the base of your hair, starting outward and going inward towards your roots. When you are done teasing a section, take your hairspray and spray at the roots of said section. BE CAREFUL. DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY. Yes, you want volume, but you don't want to end up resembling a ridiculous scene chick like this (it's like a dumpster exploded in a candy store and this was the end result):


6.) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each layer of hair you have sectioned off. Smooth out with your fingers any strays that you don't want, and re-straighten any sections that have become a little 'moody' during the whole teasing process.

7.) Bangs. Almost forgot to include the bangs. Bangs are important. I like to do my bangs first, when all my hair is separated into layers, because it's easier to straighten and style them. I treat my bangs just like I would a section of hair when I am flat ironing and teasing. The only difference is, I do NOT spray them at the roots. I just use my fingers after styling to brush my bangs into place and I lightly spray the top of them.

8.) When all is said and done, you gotta spray some more. When you are happy with your hairstyle and feel that the straightening and teasing process is complete, take your hairspray and spray a light coat all over your hair. This will hold the style into place (remember what I said? The hairspray I use does not make your hair stiff, it holds the style perfectly while still allowing movement).

Voila. I am my own fairy godmother.

So yeah. There you go. You want sweet hair? You gotta be dedicated and patient enough to achieve it. Or just be naturally awesome. In which case, I hate you (except I really love you).

Let's take a break (boys, if you even got this far, I commend you, and I also apologize for most of this post being about hair. But most of my readers are females, and, well, a lot of females love to talk about hair. Deal with it).

For your viewing pleasure:

Aww, look at her. We could all use a little Punky Power.

Back on track.

Outfits. Outifts are fun. They can also be tricky. Enter my hot pink shorts I found at Goodwill (see previous posts). What the hell do I wear with them? This is the predicament I ran into yesterday, when I had an overwhelming urge to sport them. So I stared into my closet for quite awhile, and then I stared some more, and finally I came up with two options, both involving the same accessories and shoes, but different tops. The result? Two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT outfits. Amazing. I'm always talking about how accessories and shoes can completely transform an outfit, (and they can), but by merely changing the shirt and nothing else, I had two completely different looks to choose from. This problem can often occur when you have rad and versatile accessories that totally carry the outfit. Anyway, I thought I'd snap some photos of both of the outfits so you could see for yourselves:

Outfit #1: This one is super feminine. The flowy floral tank makes the outfit super soft and girly. Like, I should put a basket on my bike and fill it with daisies and kittens sorta shit.

This is Outfit #2: Big difference, eh? Recognize the shirt? ;o) A bit tougher and a bit more rough around the edges (ok, I'm not gonna go around starting any bar fights, but in this outfit I think I'll leave my kittens and daisies at home and put a boom box on my bike instead of a basket). Nothing has changed but the shirt. The shoes and accessories are all the same as in the previous outfit.

Outfit details:
Shoes: Bronze T-Strap Flats, Crossroads Trading Co.
Accessories: Gold Bangles, Target. Turquoise Ring, Flea Market.
Shirt in Outfit #1: Flowy Floral Racerback Tank, Urban Outfitters (circa 2007).
Shirt in Outfit #2: My boyfriend's 'Adicts' tee-shirt, originally purchased at a show by his ex-girlfriend (no hate, just fact), now stolen by me, his current girlfriend.

This is what I am talking about, people. You have to work with what you have. Don't have money to run to your local boutique and pick out a smashing outfit for your friend's birthday party? BE CREATIVE. It's easy. It's fun. And you know what? You won't run the risk of showing up somewhere, wearing the exact same shit as someone else.

Oh, what outfit did I pick, you ask? Let's just say I'm going to start searching my local thrift stores for a boom box. :)

Love you all. Thanks for reading. You're rad.

Super fly flea market finds.

Ooooh yeah. You know what that means. It means coming home after a fun-filled day at the flea market, sitting down, and breathing out a happy sigh of excitement, satisfaction, and relief. Does the feeling sound familiar? I experienced this euphoric bliss on Sunday, when my boyfriend and I decided to take advantage of the absolutely amazing weather here in the Bay Area and ride our bikes all around Oakland and (some of) Berkeley. Our first stop was the Ashby Flea Market, one of my favorite 'beautiful weather' spots.

During the visit I scored three items (not a lot, I'm a frugal girl): peacock feather earrings, a gorgeous greenish/turquoise-ish ring (my boyfriend bought me the ring because I loved it so much when I saw it.. such a fucking sweetheart!) and pink wayfarers. The vendor who sold us the ring told me it was 'old turquoise'. Hmmm... not sure if that's true but I'll go ahead and believe him because it sounds cool to tell people 'Oh you like my ring? Thanks! It's old turquoise.' You know, like it was handed down from my great-great grandmother or something.

Anyway, the earrings were a surprise purchase too. When I walked past the vendor who was selling them, the bright, vivid color of the peacock feathers immediately caught my attention, and I made a beeline straight for them. They are a little more unique than your typical peacock/any kind of feather earrings (you know, the ridiculously long frayed ones that eeeevery budding 'hipster' chick dons), and, well, I've always adored peacock feathers. Also, I felt like my more simple, casual outfit needed a kick in the accessory department. I thought to myself 'this is exactly the kick I need!' So I asked the vendor 'How much?' His reply, 'Five dollars'. Done. He had me at five dollars.

Oh and the pink wayfarers? Who doesn't love pink wayfarers? That's all.



I think this was my favorite booth at the flea market, if you can even call it a 'booth'. While I didn't buy anything from this particular spot, I was in awe of how beautiful every single item was. When I stepped inside it felt like I was in a different world.. or at least a different country. The way everything was set up was completely breathtaking. I had to snap a photo (or two).


This was where I got my ring! (I see you, ring!) Such beautiful stuff.. I wanted it all.


This photo doesn't do the color of the sunglasses justice. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the camera to capture the pink just right. Oh well. You get the idea.


So to all my flea market lovers who scour your little hearts out every weekend (or when your budget and work schedule allow it) in search of the perfect item to make your day a happy one, this post is for you. Scour on, comrades!