Crow Theory (subtitled: Fishnets and Thi-hi's)

I'm flat on my back with a stomach bug, but I'm already one day late posting, soooo I'll just throw a little bit of prose at you and then give you the photos I have. 
Forgive me, dear readers!

This is my other bestest friend, Emilee and I at a concert one of our friend's bands played ("Crow Theory" is their name, and they rock.  Look them up!!!).  Em and I were each other's date, and kinda lolita style: she was the girl, and I was the boy (haha).  We even walked down the street with her arm through mine. 
Lolita? For a concert? you may be asking (jusifiably).  Why, yes.  See, the music ranged from punk to screamo to girl bands to everything in between.  So, really, there was no way to dress specifically for the event.  We just decided we'd wear whatever we wanted, and if we made a scene, so what?  (People who know us are not surprised by this news.)
Luckily, when we reached the venue, there were all different types of people and outfits, so we didn't stick out too badly.  AND THE GIG WAS AWESOME.

Speaking of making a scene, though, we definitely had to snap these photos inside of a Cousin's Subs restaurant we ran to for dinner between bands...heh heh...


Heeeeeere's EM!  Ain't she pretty?



See?  I had to be the boy.  I have a tophat and tailcoat.

Look! My fishnets are backseamed.  Cute, huh?

Thi-hi's over fishnets with combat boots.   [YES.]   Never thought I'd wear that out of the house.

Anyway, I can't give you much of a rundown of where Em's stuff is from.  It's mostly ordered online.  I just wanted to point out that her skirt is an asymmetrical hemilne called a "phoenix"-style (in case anyone whats to look one up).  She's wearing a full petticoat and zebra-striped stockings.  Her corset was bought online, and then she altered it slightly (like a BOSS: she's a sewing whiz).  Her arm party is from T.J. Maxx, I think.

Hat: little shop in Cedarburg, WI || Coat: booth at an anime con || Skirt: Forever21 || Fishnets: Victoria's Secret || Thi-hi's: ? || Boots: Wal*Mart || Fingerless Lace Gloves: Hot Topic

Sofa, So Good.

Yes, that punny title for this post was COMPLETELY necessary.

My dear readers, I have discovered a new means by which to take photos: piling up a basket, a decorative vase, and a book and then placing my camera (albeit precariously) on top of all that lot and setting a ten-second timer.  That allows me to take photos of me laying and sitting on the couch.  By adding another book and shifting the camera from there, I can get me standing next to the couch.  YAY for ingenuity..? 

PLEASE let me know what you think of these shots: I was quite pleased with the results of my little photographic experiment.

opening things up with my favorite shot

Soooo church ended up--SURPRISE--being held outdoors today so they can do some remodelling.  You should have seen me teetering around on the grass in these shoes.  I spent the whole sermon furiously fanning myself with the bulletin, because the dress is black and a poly-blend that doesn't breathe at ALL.  Classy.

Getting "so SEXUAL," as Jenna Marbles would say...

Then there were a few shots that required more editing than simply being cropped (as all the above were).  The following photos were either that whole model-y "I have NO idea what she's doing, but I guess it makes the clothes look pretty cool" thing (you know that you've paged through magazines and thought that), or just...wanted some added filtering and arty stuff.

Really, though...what WAS I doing? 
Gimme a break: I only had ten seconds every time to press the button, run back to the couch, and get in some sort of pose.  Every once in awhile, I'd remember to set my face.  Not this time, though (hence my cropping it out of the frame).

My purse demanded some limelight.  It was unfortunately stuck in a dark spot for most of these photos.

Anyway, this was a fun shoot on a hot Sunday afternoon.  I did all of this in about 20 harried minutes; I wanted to be finished before my husband got home: he would have laughed at me something fierce for the bizarreness of my setup and coquettish posing.

Anyway, farewell my loves, until next time...

(...which should be Monday!  I've got some photos my friend, Emilee took of me and herself from a concert.  We look amazing, if I do say so, myself!  :)  Be excited!!!)

Dress: H&M || Shoes: Target || Bag: Aldo || Bracelet: Maurices || Belt: Express

Get on your dancin' shoes and your bobby-socks!

So the day seems grey? 
Well, you just let it know that--for you and me--there is no such thing as a boring, dull, grey day! 
Take that middle-muddle of a puddle-y grey day, and
show it what it really is meant to be:

It's not really just an in-between,

muddle-y shade of grey

~but actually ~

snazzy 

BLACK and WHITE

mixed together! 

This was the first outing for these shoes, but they were a huge hit with everyone who saw them.  I'm thrilled about them!  They make even my humungous feet look relatively small.

And they'll be great for fall: menswear is still going strong as a trend (I think that--for the truly stylish--menswear will always be around), and the fall runways/magazine spreads are mostly BLACKonBLACKonBLACKonBLACK.  What a change from the neons and brights we've been seeing! 

But anyway, I have a feeling that these shoes will look fab poking out from a black wide-leg trouser.

I'm also looking forward to paring them with a floral print dress (on the comPLETE flip side) with lacey bobby socks (like I have on in these photos). 
But for this day, my fave burgundy shorts served me well yet again.

Posing for my mom at McDonald's.
Yeah: we's classy.

Had waaaay too much fun editing all my "bobby-soxer-meets-schoolboy" (how do I come up with these things???) photos...Hope you enjoy!

Top: Express || Shorts: Banana Republic (thrifted) || Scarf: thrifted || Socks: Target (from the little girls' section, of course) || Shoes: thrifted || Umbrella: Totes

Celebrate Life!

Best. Shot. Ever.

CHECK OUT THAT FABULOUS SHOT!!!  LOOKIT THAT!!! OH MY GOD! 

So. I was hanging out with my friend, Piera, for a long weekend.  On a sidestreet in Chicago, we had a photoshoot.  I mean, I was wearing a tutu. 

doll pose

 Piera went through my weekend bag the first evening and pulled out a pile of pink tulle with a supremely shocked look on her face. 
What?  Normal people don't travel with their petticoats?

I was feeling very "Carrie" (from Sex and the City).  Meaning: It was one weird outfit that somehow just worked.  :)  And it seemed to make a lot of people smile besides just me.

I grabbed a couple snaps of Piera, too.

Ain't she a beauty?

And, yes, she still was seen with me in public downtown Chicago while I was wearing a tutu.  (Psst: I think she even may have enjoyed herself.)

Anyway, we photo'd and walked and talked and got Starbucks and sat in a park...until it rained. 

I literally wilted, but I just can't see that lovely afternoon ending any other way than us dashing across city blocks through a warm summer rain, me attempting to hold onto my flopping headbow, and Piera attempting to see through water-covered glasses.

If that ain't a beautiful mess, tell me what is. 

It was wonderful.

Top: Victoria's Secret PINK || Belt: Express || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Chucks: gift || Petticoat: Hot Topic || Bracelet: Maurice's || Scarf: thrifted

Breath of the Windy City

I adore Chicago a little more every time I visit.

My best friend (AKA my photographer for these shots YAY) and I went down to Chicago to see a show involving another dear friend of ours.  The company is just starting up, but the show came off beautifully!

I have been searching for a black faux leather jacket for awhile, and I've finally found one I like!  It may be getting studded in the very near future for added badassery.

You'll be seeing more of Piera's photography in my next post!

Tee: American Eagle Outfitters || Belt: Express || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Shoes: thrifted || Jacket: thrifted || Bag: thrifted Louis Vuitton || Shades: Marshall's || Bracelet: Maurice's || Earrings: Express

What a Wonderful World

Hello.  I have flowers in my hair.  :)

My Arm Party is killin' it.

my lil ole thrifted Louis backpack/purse  <3

Photos by my dear friend, Emilee.
Editing done by yours truly.

I picked this dress up at my local St. Vincent DePaul ("St. Vinny's" to me [and all who talk to me for more than five minutes]).  Originally the white opaque layer underneath was as long as the crochet top layer, but I took it home and chopped it off to make it a more interesting article of clothing.  I may even attempt to make it some sort of hi-lo hemline... Thoughts?

You'll be seeing a lot more of my "re-design" creations soon (I'm currently working on jazzing up an old leather jacket and attempting to turn a dress into a peplum top...heh heh We shall see just how far my hand-stitching "skillz" and Bedazzler can take me *sweatdrop*).
(If you follow me on Instagram [@Spritzy88], you'll get some sneak-peaks of works in progress before they reach the bloggity-blog here.)

Dress: thrifted/DIY || Denim Shirt: H&M || Belt: H&M || Necklaces/Arm Party: thrifted & gifted || Bag: thrifted || Wedges: Target || Flower Headband: ???I can't remember???

A Day at the Lake

OMG, LOOK:  flats.

Hubby was kind enough to take these pictures for me.
We were at a family party, and I totally forgot to photo-document my outfit until it was dusk!  I tried to brighten the photos uyp a bit when I edited them, but...it only sort-of worked.  Oh well: you still get the gist, right?

Now, this gathering was a shorts-and-t-shirt affair.  But I'm none too keen on shorts: much prefer a (more flattering) skirt.  So I intended to just throw on some cool and comfy cotton clothes for the long drive up to my aunt's cottage, annnnnd then I thought, 'wow, this belt would give me a nice cinched waistline...and I wonder if I could pin this brooch on...and oh, look how cute my oversized faux pearls are! let's just try them on for funzies...' and so on and so on.

And all of a sudden, I was overdressed.  :( 

Now, overdressing used to be a gargantuan faux pas...let's hope that that rule isn't as stringent anymore. 
Actually, rules in general are kinda "out" when it comes to fashion at large, so I'm probably pretty safe.
Thoughts?

Anyway, my family usually gets a kick out of my clothes, so I didn't let them down, at least. 
And the afternoon and evening were lovely: sitting outside by the lake and chatting while sipping my uncle's fabulous brandy Old Fashionds (sweet for me, of course).

Top: thrifted || Skirt: thrifted || Brooch: ? || Pearls: thrifted || Flats: hand-me-down || Bag: Forever21