Peggy Sue

I'm nerdy, but I'm not quite thick-rimmed, Buddy Holly glasses nerdy. These babies exist solely as a dress-up accessory (and to put dust particles into my eye which, in turn, scratch the shit out of my retina, but hey. That only happened once!). I like playing dress-up. I always have, and I always will. I used to pretend I was the Little Mermaid when I was younger by wearing my nightgown as a skirt and a bralette my mom got at our neighbor's garage sale. I also used to jump off the couch and dance around in circles. But wait. I still do that...

I think I've finally got my groove back. I'm even shopping again! Well, you know. I'm looking at ASOS.com a lot and loading up my cart. I'm not actually buying anything. But it's the thought that counts.

Jacket: Doma
Checkered shirt: GAP
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Steve Madden

Into the Light

Excuse my random absence from the world of blogging. I haven't been too inspired on the being-fashionable front. So I haven't been. You know when you get in those moods where you just want to put on a hoodie, sit on the couch, and eat cookies? I've been experiencing that mood for almost a week straight. And then I get nervous because I'm like, "OMG. This mood should only last an evening or two, not a week! What if I can't get out of it? What if all I ever do is wear hoodies, sit on the couch, and eat cookies for the rest of my life? OMG OMG OMG!" Then I get a little sweaty and try really really hard to get inspired and be stylin' and whatnot, but, as we all know, pressure + inspiration do not typically go together. So, in the end, I just grab another cookie and hope for the best.

I also had the completely random and uncomfortable notion that I should chop my hair off and dye it dark brown. I think this is a hint that I need more excitement in my life. Maybe I should go out more.

* I'll be catching up on blogs in the next couple of days. Right now, I've got a date with my living room sofa and the remote control.

Sunglasses: Fred Flare
Bandana: Walgreens
Dress: Free People
Vest: Levi's

Mellow Yellow, Take 2

It's safe to say I would rather be wearing these trousers with a barely-there crop top and gladiator sandals. However, that's a little unrealistic now that I'm back in the frozen tundra. So, I decided I would stop mourning over the fact that I'm no longer in Arizona and try my best to restyle them for this climate, and you know what? It was fun. Yes, that's right, I said it. Mopey, moody Ashley had fun.

I don't have much else of importance to say, so here are a few random things: I feel like redecorating my house, despite not really having my own house to decorate. I've only spent $75 on clothes this month, and March is almost over (can I get a woohoo?). I'm trying to not be such a crazy type-A personality since it has seemingly driven me into an unhealthy neurosis, so I'm going to go make myself some lunch, sit my ass on the couch, and watch a movie.

As always, thank you for all your supportive comments! I'm quite behind on all my blog reading, but believe me: I'll be catching up soon. We're getting new internet installed tonight and--if everything goes smoothly--we'll be able to completely switch over to this beautiful thing they refer to as "DSL." They just started offering it out here in the boonies, and I'm so excited to give it a try. At the moment, we have satellite internet and it's the biggest joke you've ever heard of.

Jacket: Eddie Bauer
Trousers & Scarf: Urban Outfitters
Belt: J. Crew
Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden

B is for Bisbee

Bisbee, Arizona was founded in the late 1880s as a copper, silver, and gold mining town. Mining was successful, and the population of the town soared in the early 20th century. But what goes up must come down: by 1950, the boom was over and the population dropped to less than 6,000. The mild climate and picturesque scenery led to Bisbee's rebirth as an artists' colony in the 1970s. Although it has seen many changes since then, the place still feels like a calming retreat. Away from the hubbub of city life, one instantly notices the tranquility of downtown Bisbee. The trip made me appreciate the simpler things. Afternoon haze. A coffee break on an outdoor patio. A sunburnt nose. The setting sun. Love.

My clothing choices match the town perfectly: easy, simple, and a little bit quirky. A local complimented me on my shorts and told me "the pattern looks just like a painting from far away!" (I feel like they would have lost their credibility if I told him I got them for $14 at Forever 21.) Downtown Bisbee was filled with more quirky patterns. The ones in the pictures above were on the tops of picnic tables in a little restaurant hidden in an alleyway.

* Many thanks to everyone for their recent support, especially in my last two moody posts. Last week was a bad week filled with too much uncertainty. But life is filled with uncertainty, and as much as I don't like it, I can't plan my entire life out today and know that's exactly how it's all going to pan out. So I'm going to have to back off and try my best to live for today. Whatever that means.

Top, sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Shorts: Forever 21
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell
Necklace: J.C. Penney

Trying to find my way back home

This leather jacket from Doma was somewhere in the $600s, making it my most expensive purchase ever. I never used to wear it so I always felt guilty for even purchasing it, but recently I've come to realize what a great piece it is and how versatile a single leather jacket can be. Plus, it has the potential to last for a very long time if I take care of it right. The perfect example of an investment piece.

I'm having a hard time adjusting now that I'm home, and I don't quite know why. Things are the same as before I left, but they're different to me somehow. Nothing excites me. Nothing inspires me. I'm not hungry, I'm not happy, I'm just tired. I feel like I'm living out a prison sentence.

Jacket: Doma
Tank top: Buffalo Exchange
Jeans: Eddie Bauer
Shoes: Steve Madden

Mellow Yellow

I got these high-waisted paper bag trousers from Urban Outfitters and I totally love them (although they are pretty delicate). I love the idea of a crop top and polka-dot scarf with them, so, you know, that's exactly what I wore. And then I marched off into the desert, sucked my food baby in, and had my boyfriend take a million and one pictures of me (and then I only post one on my blog, lulz). Ta da!

I'm having some issues at work so I haven't been feeling up to much lately. We got a new manager while I was on vacation (background story: the store I work for just opened last fall and they never hired a manager until now) and she isn't my cup of tea. It's kind of a slap in the face when you just graduated college AND have management experience yourself and you're being micromanaged by a girl a couple of years older than you who hasn't finished school, has seemingly ONLY worked in bars, and talks about drinking beer all day. I'm obviously overqualified for my job, anyway, and was planning to quit by June...but something tells me it might be sooner than that. I've even considered buying a one-way ticket back to Arizona.

Crop top: Free People
Trousers & sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Gladiator sandals: Doc Martens

Stripes and Chiffon

I just made it back from Arizona, and shit, man, I'm tired. We took the red-eye from Phoenix to Minneapolis this morning, and it was probably the worst flight I've ever been on. No sleep. Nausea. Delirium. Old fat guy taking up way more than his designated seat. Hate. But oh well. We made it back, safe and sound, and that's all that matters.

I've still got a lot of pictures left to post from my trip, so expect to see lots mo' sunshine here for the next week or so. Speaking of pictures: if some of the photos on this blog aren't showing up, I apologize. I upload some to my Photobucket account and some to my photography portfolio website, and apparently the server my portfolio is hosted on experiences lots of downtime. I'm looking to change hosts, so if anyone knows of some kick ass web hosting companies, holla at me.

I'm going to go take a nap now. I've been up far too long and am at that weird stage of tired. You know, the one where you slur your speech and stumble around like a drunkard. Not pleasant. It took me about five minutes to spit out: "You, you know coffee? Coffee, yeah. So coffee has more....coffee has more caffeine than espresso. Did you know that? ...Not many people do," this morning to my boyfriend.

Crop top: Buffalo Exchange
Skirt: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Grandma's
Shoes: Steven Madden

Desert Rose

Fact: I am a horrible speller. I've had to correct "dessert" to "desert" about a million times already. Although a dessert rose sounds pretty goddamn good right now. Not like I haven't already had my dessert today. At 2 p.m. Butter pecan ice cream in Tombstone. And I might just have a second dessert in a few minutes, because I'm on vacation and it's still my birthday week. Neener neener.

I only packed one pair of sunglasses, which is why I've been wearing these every day recently. They're from Urban Outfitters. I picked them up before we left town and have barely taken them off. They were like, $10 and seem to go with just about anything...can't go wrong with that! The close-up shot is a picture of my earrings on a piece of wood.

Dress: Free People
Leather jacket: Doma
Sunglasses: UO
Earrings: My Grandma's
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

Windy City

I am thoroughly enjoying my vacation. It's been windy and a bit chilly lately (and by a bit chilly, I mean in the high 60Fs, suckaaaas), hence the hair-in-face and Ashley-in-jacket. Yesterday (which is when all of these pictures were taken) we went for a little drive in the desert. Didn't see much, but, in the desert, I'd rather not see enough than see too much, if you know what I'm sayin'. I'm terrified of snakes and lizards and other creepy crawlies. I'm down with the cows, but snakes and lizards? No thank you.

If you just can't get enough of me, make sure you read my interview at the Her Catwalk blog! It was a wonderful opportunity and Michelle asked me some unique questions, so check it out if you haven't already!

Bodysuit: MinkPink
Denim shorts: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Eddie Bauer
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

Look ma, no snow

So, although I think this is kinda an obvious statement now, I made my way to Arizona safe and sound. The airport itself wasn't particularly fun. I mean, I know airports are never really a good time, but this trip was especially unpleasant. To make a long story short, I: A) got chosen to go through the new nakey X-ray machine, B) got severely scolded because I forgot my cell phone in my pocket, C) had said cell phone briefly confiscated from me, and D) got frisked*. Thank you, airport people, for a great 21st birthday gift.

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone! I'll be catching up with emails and comments very soon...still trying to get settled in here!

* If you just went through the See-You-Naked machine...is being frisked really necessary? You can stop feeling my thigh now. I know it looks bulkier than your average thigh, but I swear it's just cellulite.

T-shirt, skirt, and sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Scarf: Miscellaneous
Sandals: Steven by Steve Madden

On thick ice

I sure wish winter would be over so I could stop wearing these damn horse blankets. It wouldn't be so bad if I actually knew how to wear them. This one has a leather strap that supposedly allows you to "wear as shawl, wrap vest or scarf without falling off body." Well, for some of us (ahem), this little contraption is a bit too much to handle. As in, I do not understand how the leather strap works. So, when in doubt, grab a belt (that almost rhymes but...doesn't). And then break into song and dance because it's almost my birthday and I have one more work day before I'm off to parts unknown.

I'll be gone for about a week, but have no fear! I'll still be blogging like a fiend.

Thank you to the lovely Michelle for featuring a bunch of my looks at the Her Catwalk blog! Hello to new subscribers, and THANK YOU to old ones for your continued support! This blog is about 2.5 months short of being a year old...it seems like a lot less and I'm loving every minute of it. Like I mentioned in my last post: time flies when you're having fun.

Scarf/Shawl/Thing: Cheap Monday
Belt: J. Crew
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Shoes: Urban Outfitters

March Madness

I cannot believe it's March already. Didn't February just start? I have a feeling this is how it's going to be for the rest of my life. I'll be knocking on death's door in my old age, not really knowing where the time went. I'll probably blog about it, too. "OMG, I can't believe I'm 95! Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? Well anyway, here's what I'm wearing to my funeral!"

I decided yesterday that I'm sick and tired of spending money, so I'm thinking I'd like to do one of those infamous spending challenges (inspired by A Closet Fashionista, no doubt) and see what kind of madness ensues. Except I'm thinking now might not be the best time to start, since I have to drop about $800 on new furniture this month since my mom gutted our house this weekend and put a bunch of our old stuff up on Craigslist. I went to work and everything was still intact. I get home and we're missing two club chairs, two end tables, a dresser, and a futon. We can make due without all of it, except my boyfriend (and sometimes myself, when I'm feeling brave enough to put up with his snoring all night) always sleeps on the futon when he comes a-visiting, so I was going to buy a new mattress and this bed frame, although it's more than likely a piece of shit and not at all worth $299. Meh. Maybe he can just man up and sleep on the couch for a while.

T-shirt, dress, socks, hat: Urban Outfitters
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: Dolce Vita