A Good Riddance Rant, and A Welcome New Year!!!

You know when it feels like your getting the short end of the stick, over and over and over? And when it feels like the last ounce of bad luck HAD to have been used up but it just keeps on coming, and you can't even cry anymore because now life is just utterly hysterical?! The last few months of 2012 were a whirlwind and I am glad to have left them behind! Good riddance 2012! While there were definitely some good times to remember over the past year, the past 3 months have certainly been trying and I am so glad to be moving on now.

The great news is that I am currently writing from my new new apartment in Seattle! Wait, new new? As in, not the new apartment that I just moved into a few months ago?! Yeeeeah.....It turns out the new apartment was NOT in livable condition although this was not brought to our attention until AFTER we moved in. The problem was supposed to be fixed, while we drove all the way back to California to retrieve our 'things,' but alas it was not. So great, we have to move. Again. The annoyance here is that when you spend a bunch of time and money moving (and do not have anymore time or money), the last thing one expects is to repeat the process immediately - this isn't shampoo people! Between work stress (I swore I would never work more than 12 days in a row again...what happened?!?!) and holiday stress, the last thing you want to add on top is house stress. It just doesn't feel good! There was a moment (or two) where I wanted to throw in the towel and just go back to California because it actually seemed easier but thanks to our families, our new friends here in Seattle and old friends at home we stuck it out and I have to say, I'm pretty excited for 2013!!!

The highlight of the holiday season for me was definitely New Years because it's been a good number of years since I was actually available to do something fun! And fun it was! We ended up dancing in the New Year at the Paramount (our first Seattle venue!) for the Beats Antique show along with some amazing friends that I'm so glad to have met! Happy New Year!

A few down and dirty shots (meaning quickly and badly taken!) of my Christmas day and New Years Eve ensembles!

My Christmas outfit was a last minute frenzy of anything remotely Christmasy..so snowflake necklace, skiing geese, red cardigan, gold polka dot tights, a quicky DIY set of earrings, and present ribbons - yeah, tooootally works!

My New Years eve outfit was intentionally as sparkly as I could make it! At the last minute we decided to make fascinators although mine kind of became something else! I wore a sparkle feather crown of my own devising, a FABULOUS faux fur coat over a sequined skirt and beaded shirt, blue sparkle tights and silk flats. Sounds crazy but it all ended up coming together, making me deliciously happy : )

Here's to a WONDERFUL and HAPPY New Year!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I'm kind of ignoring all the upcoming holidays this season - but people are starting to say 'Happy Holidays' and 'Merry Christmas,' trees and lights are everywhere and I'm finally starting to cave in. The first signs of caving in are excessive Christmas tree pins!

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I love big decadent holiday trees! One year I'm going to have a fabulously themed tree that's huge and awesome! For now, I have a fake, hot pink, 12 incher with random things like key chains for ornaments. It works but I still like tree fantasizing - did you notice the Woodland tree!? Eeee! I also really love the cotton ball tree idea and it would be super cute decorated with little fabric ornaments.

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I have less Christmas decorations than any other holiday which for now is perfect. I really like the simple holiday look like these three above - evergreens with gold and silver accents because it's more like seasonal decorations rather than outright Christmas decorations. 

I don't know what it is about Christmas decorations, maybe it's those colored lights, you know the ones...orange, blue, red, green and yellow - something about those lights glowing on the little reindeer plushies with cute faces just make the decorations a little kooky. In a good way of course, just kinda goofy and funky and definitely playful. I like that bright, colorful style but I also really like this more elegant, simple style. Pinecones, mistletoe and mercury glass glowing from strands of white lights - so pretty! I guess it's kinda like Santa's Workshop vs. Winter Wonderland - which style are you drawn to?!