from drab to fab and to drab again...

sadly, it's been back to drab for this soccer mom.  lately, i've been wearing my usual uniform of sweats and jeans.  i'm sure i'll bounce back soon, but until then wanted to share some photos taken last year.
my absolute favorite outfit from last year was my old overalls and my thrifted colorful blouse worn to a friend's farm one unusually warm day in October.  i really enjoyed this fun and playful number and posted it here.

this is okra, really!

the friend whose farm we visited had just bought chickens expecting them to lay fresh eggs every morning.  so i painted her an ornament with a chicken laying a golden egg.  unfortunately, chickens did not really lay golden eggs but i think friend loved the ornament anyway.

next are some photos that i have never posted.  i was dreaming of a perfect camel coat.  the one that would have gigantic shoulders kind of like David Byrne in his "interview". but God knows i don't need another coat so i borrowed Mr. Wonderful's camel sports coat just for the pictures to get the feeling of an oversized camel coat i wanted but never purchased.  Target sweater, thrifted skirt, DSW shoes.

 the look on my face is the reason i never posted these before, but i don't care now, you can laugh all you want to :)

still like my peach color obsession from last year and this thrifted floral dress:

from Georgia Peach post

as well as red nails and bold accessories:

 

see how i made this DIY knuckle ring here

Vivian Maier: travel in time

Vivian Maier - self-portrait

i knew it!  i knew time machine was a possibility; i just did not know it would be discovered in my life time.  Vivian Maier was a nanny and a street photographer from 1950's-1990's.  her works were accidentally discovered by John Maloof several years ago (in 2008 or 2009?) in Chicago.  don't you just feel as if you were traveling back in time?  Chicago Cultural Center is showcasing Vivian Maier's works; exhibition ends April 3, 2011.

all photos are from John Maloof's blog dedicated to Vivian Maier and are re-posted with his permission.

i first learned of VM from a little sidebar on Jill's StreetStyleLondon.

who is this woman?  what is her story? 

would this photo be controversial today?

cute shoes, cute purses...  note Vivian's shadow in the corner

this youtube video tells you how it all happened:

oh, so decadent glitter nails (again) and Tucker for Target dress

you'd probably agree that most efficient way to break winter blah is to get a pretty manicure.  here is my nail polish experiment continued from my "glitter galaxy" post.  it's cheap and it's quick.  though i had somewhat hard time taking glitter off - it is still worth it. 

 one coat of Mercury Rising (by Sinful Colors at Walgreens for $1.99)

then applied a coat of Frenzy (also by Sinful Colors from Walgreens for $1.99)

i was reading on Lori's No More Sweatpants blog her tips for cleaning off nail polish after applying it.  just like Lori i paint my nails at night.  the next morning when i get in the shower i rub my fingers with soapy washcloth.

Tucker for Target dress - Target clearance

maroon tights - Walmart

leopard print clogs - Hanna Andersson (like new from eBay last year)

umbrella - SteinMart

nails - Sinful Colors

bought this Tucker for Target dress (above) back in November but just now wearing it because it was actually my Christmas "surprise" from kids.

DIY: moss ball

i am not much of a decorator at all.  i'm sure most of you are amazing at house decorating.  anyway, just wanted to share this little project i did several weeks ago.  i needed something to go on top of my china cabinet.  all you need is a container, Styrofoam ball that fits your container, moss from any craft store, and hot glue gun.  this was super easy.  i believe my package of moss came from Hobby Lobby and it had several 16"x18" sheets of reusable moss cloth (i only used two sheets).

 container from Michael's

Styrofoam ball and a package of moss from Hobby Lobby

 i used two sheets; each was cut across as shown above with the middle part uncut

 hot glue from top down trimming overlapping areas

 turn the ball over and repeat to cover the whole thing

 patch up any spots you left out

 pottery from HomeGoods that's on the other side of our china cabinet

Boney M

they say 70's is back (again...) in 2011 fashion.  but does it mean we'll listen to Boney M again?  or does anyone know what i'm talking about??  my parents used to have a vinyl record by the group.
RIP Bobby Farrell.  he died in Saint Petersburg, Russia on December 30, 2010 due to heart failure.

double knot hair and a new CD

if i'm patient enough to let my hair grow a bit longer i may be trying double knot hairstyle this summer...  click here for a full tutorial.

from fashionising.com 2011 hairstyles

you may have seen this before but i just now bought The XX CD at Target.  so refreshing.

p.s.

today was the first day i did not need pain medicine after my little procedure.  what a relief!  doctor said that's why you take your wisdom teeth out when you're 15.  apparently, it's not as painful then (??)  still too early to say for me if this definitely helped my facial pain or not...  i keep my fingers crossed.  thank you for all your kind wishes on my old posts.

Happy New Year (old style)!

don't mean to confuse you... but since i didn't get to post a Happy New Year message this year- i am wishing you Happy New Year old style!!  in Georgia, they celebrate New Year twice (any extra reason to drink that sweet wine):  first traditional New Year with the rest of the world and then old style which falls on January 14th.  it's a two week difference between the Julian Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar (thus Christmas in Georgia is celebrated on January 7th). 
my family used to put up a traditional Christmas tree (which was much smaller than one you see in American homes).  there we had to call it a New Year's tree.  i miraculously still have some of my childhood ornaments.   before my parents moved to the U.S. they had visited me several times.  each time bringing something special like these ornaments below:

little red riding hood;  though broken (i patched it up) - still beautiful

on the left Grandfather Frost and his grand-daughter Snegurochka (these are actually from Russian folklore, not Georgian)

more Soviet era ornaments

these five ornaments above are of U.S. and German origin; purchased by me two years ago here in Tn

besides the traditional Christmas tree in Georgia they are now trying to revive an old custom of putting up a Chichilaki tree.  Chichilaki is usually carved out of a haselnut branch and is decorated with dried fruits and sweets.  speaking of sweets, my favorite Christmas treats were Gozinaki (wallnut brittle) and Churchkhela (wallnuts strung on a thread and dipped in grape juice mixture multiple times).

Chichilaki tree

Churchkhela and Gozinaki - Georgian treats made for Christmas and New Year

now, living in America, i celebrate Christmas just the way everyone else does.  with gifts and all.  honestly, i enjoy it less and less each year due to the pressure associated with gift-giving.  i'm trying to do all possible not to raise little brats who don't have any idea about reality.  at the same time i want my children to enjoy their childhood.  do you face the same dilemma?

Cordell's note to Grinch (he punched a hole in the paper and hung it on a tree with a piece of yarn):  "to Grinch, don't ruin our Christmas.  would you like if i ruin your Christmas"

 i paint ornaments for my Etsy shop;  here Cordell painted an ornament like a rainbow

below are musical wind-up toys i purchased for my kids at a  Tn state fair.  aren't they something?!  the solder on a rocking horse is broken but still moves and plays music!  they all move and play music when wound up.  i think little drummer boy is my favorite of them!

this video of how one man makes Chichilaki tree is long, but it may teach you something about humility.... sorry, i don't know how to shorten or edit youtube material.  the man in the video speaks in Georgian dialect i don't understand but thankfully there are subtitles:

 

glitter galaxy nails DIY

Christopher Kane dress $925

i find galaxy prints very interesting but can't afford $925 Christopher Kane dress above...
at least i can have glitter galaxy nails, right?!  all my new nail polish is from Sinful Colors ($1.99 at Walgreens).  for once, impulse buy that did not get returned!  this is my first time to try glitter nail polish and i can definitely see how it can be addictive.
from left to right: Frenzy, Queen of Beauty, See You Soon, and Mercury Rising (all Sinful Colors nail polish).

 two coats of See You Soon and a coat of Queen of Beauty

 two coats of See You Soon and a coat of Frenzy

black and white (studded clutch DIY)

white swan clutch gone BAD

first of all, thank you so much for all your comments and get well wishes on my previous post.  i am recovering from wisdom teeth extraction just fine but am not sure this procedure helped my main problem of facial pain.  i guess i should give it couple more days to say for sure.  sorry for even telling you about this deal but we all need a shoulder to cry on sometimes.  thank you for your empathy.
my face is still swollen and i don't feel like posing in front of the camera but i do have some pics to share with you (of some pre-oral surgery projects).
i would like to say this post was inspired by the movie Black Swan, but it would be a lie.  i am not sure if it was the movie or the dinner i ate before...  but about 20 min into it i started getting really queasy and we had to leave.
maybe the inspiration came from a book i read my kids called Rainbow Rob?  Rainbow Rob is a penguin who dreams to be colorful.  But after trials and tribulations Rob comes to realization that black and white is alright and that "being yourself is the way to be".  

so i had this "white swan" clutch from Goodwill for $1 (don't you just love their 50% off days?).  it definitely was lacking a character.  i studded the flap part of the clutch with 1/2" cone studs from studsandspikes.com.
since the area i wanted to stud was too thick i kind of had to butcher up the clutch and gut it out.  black leather tassel was just something i saved and can't even remember where it came from. 

 white swan studded clutch and black and white gloves cut into glovettes

finger puppets made out of old gloves (from above), felt, scrap fabric & yarn; these go with the Rainbow Rob book

 black and white headband made out of old tees (worn here)

 zebra shirt and bows i made for Nina available on my Etsy.  her bear purse is also Goodwill

white genuine leather perforated jacket $10 from Goodwill and faux snake clutch or pencil case???

and here is how black swan/ white swan should be done (by Nina Ananiashvili - the Georgian Goddess of dance):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFJGhQYex-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh-ds_xxvuA

1/24/2011 edit: 
i have just discovered my studded clutch's alter-ego...  Rebecca Minkoff's Studded Fatale for $350.00!

note the tassel...