cup of kindness yet.

Happy New Year, folks!

No resolutions over here, just one last look back at the best of 2013.

Read//Well, I really only read textbooks and church books all year. But I will recommend No One can Take Your Place by Sheri Dew.

Listened to//Vampire Weekend-Modern Vampires..., Paul McCartney-New, Hozier-Take me to Church (I mean, have you HEARD this guy? pure soul.) Other than that it was a whole lot of playlists on Spotify. And... the 204 girls may or my not have sparked a mild, mild, like for the 1D boys. They're charming little men, okay?

Watched//The Mindy Project, Doctor Who FIFTIETH anniversary, Warm Bodies, Star Trek 2, The Sapphires, Frozen

Purchased//Arguably the best purchase of 2013 was that hat right up there. Also, 7-Eleven Hot Chocolate. Who knew it was the best cocoa around?

Learned//Bloom where you're planted.

tips on wearing vintage

I have quite a bit of experience wearing used and thrifted clothing. But truly vintage clothing is its own category. A lot (most) of my dresses are vintage finds from my grandmother, friends, or as the one pictured above, antique stores. And because vintage is so unique, it requires its own care and styling. Here are things I would have wished to know sooner:

1. I know that piece is adorable, but you better make sure you're going to get some mileage out of it.

Feel the fabric. Look for stains, snags, hems coming undone, etc. I know this sounds weird, but smell it. Better to look like a freak in the store than smell like a freak, if you know what I'm saying. Unless it's going to last a while, DON'T BUY IT. I have to be honest, I've made this mistake several times. And it's always uncomfortable walking around in something beautiful but being terrified something is going to go wrong. And then when it snags or you have to do major repairs, you will start feeling the little nagging feeling of regret. And when you can't wear it at all anymore, you'll feel the regret full-fledged. That being said...

2. Sometimes it's worth it. 

If you take really good care of your items (which I'm not the best at. hello, throwing clothes on the floor...), It might be worth buying. The dress I'm wearing in the above pictures probably wouldn't pass #1. But I loved it, and it fit perfectly, so I bought it anyway. Sometimes, bend the rules! Have an adventure! Buy something that looks awesome on you even if it won't make it through an all-night dance party, or whatever it is you crazy kids do these days.

3. Prepare>Repair. 

Fix problems BEFORE you wear the item. Stitch it up, wash it (see #4), and be aware of any thinning fabric spots, so you know to be extra careful and not stretch those parts out and avoid tearing. Wearing your clothes with snags, loose seams,  stray threads, or any other problems WILL make those problems worse afterward.

4. Hand wash, hand wash, hand wash.

Did I mention hand wash? Did I just make a really bad joke? 

Older fabrics do not hold up well with electric washers and dryers. Things will shrink. Things will snag. I've found that the fabric in older, home-made pieces bleeds a lot easier than modern fabrics. As in, almost-a-different-color bleeding. On top of that, they are more susceptible to absorb dyes from other clothing. One day, when I'm over the bitterness, I'll post a picture of one of my grandmother's old dresses that was ruined by my burgundy pants, because I put it in the machine. It might be faster, but don't do it!

5. Keep it simple.

This is just a personal preference. But if I have a really unique piece, I like to accentuate it instead of distracting from it with a lot of jewelry or fancy accessories. It's special! Make it the main point of the outfit.

I might have scared some of you off, but really. As long as you take good care of your clothing you will be fine. Just be aware that you need to treat vintage pieces with more love than your heavy-duty levis.

Plumage

Can I get a high five for an all-thrifted outfit? Except for my bridesmaid's necklace from karyine.

hey, look! I only have one arm!

the nineties and the navajos

^super serious model posing.

overalls are my new favorite.

AWKWARD AND AWESOME SATURDAY

IT'S BACK.

I just wanted to make sure you could see my rockin hair.

okay, but disclaimer: it's rather short.

Awkward:

1. walking to school through the gold's gym parking lot. Guy sitting on cement post just clipping his finger nails...

2. 45 degrees and sunny=shorts on campus

3. german teacher on moving to illinois: "I need to learn how black people talk." she's german, give her a break.

Awesome:

1. Pi day.

2. Carrying a pie around campus, almost dropping it, and as you walk away you hear someone shout, "NICE CATCH!" i'm glad someone appreciates me.

3. Some photography major girl said my hair was cool and she asked if she could photograph me. #model

4. new shoes when all of your other ones are broken. I swear mom, i needed them.

okay byeeeeeeeeeeeee

trespassing is fun.

i'm just kidding, i didn't really trespass. or did i?

 hey remember that one time i had a blog? kind of like that time i had a life and mental sanity and good grades and sleep. i miss that time.

in other news, still haven't mastered this whole shooting in low light thing. meh. but hey, duckies!

it's gohna get hawt today.

i sure do love that sun drop commercial. future halloween costume? oh yup.

i do not love muggy heat with no air conditioning.

so let's just say this dress had a rough day. snags. seam catches. the works. i suppose my thrifting luck had to run out sometime.

in other news, tomorrow is my birthday!

and so we had the best lasagna ever.

and oreo ice cream cake. because as i child i had the same birthday party every year: swimming, and oreo ice cream cake.

and nephew is obsessed with water.

grandma shorts

this post is dedicated to my undying love for D.I., whom I would like to thank for bestowing upon me periwinkle grandma shorts today. and i'm sure karoline would say the same for her flower pants.

peace out, freshman year part IV: Things I Learned at College

alas, the final installment of the series. missed the other parts?

click here. and here. and here.

And here's the list:

Just because it says chicken on the package does not mean it’s actually meat. I’m looking at you, buddig.

Nutella is its own food group.

Be quiet on the bus. No one wants to hear about your dog’s bowel problems.

It is possible to only attend a class for two weeks and still get a B in it. I don’t recommend this path though.

Never leave things on your porch. People will seran wrap them.

Sell your books back at the beginning of bookstore buy-back week before they reach their quotas.

Going by fake names at food places only works until you give them your debit card.

If you drop something in front of a pretty sheltered boy, you probably shouldn’t say “balls.” They don’t really appreciate the sentiment.

Laundry: the gentle cycle? Please. The regular cycles don’t even get your clothes clean.

You probably shouldn’t pack your ghetto fridge full of food. It will freeze the stuff in the back and everything in the front will go bad.

Don’t go on a blind date with someone five years older than you. Awkward…

If you don’t like talking to people, sit in the middle of the row. Everyone else pulls the douche bag move and crowds the edges.

Yes, you can live off bread and cookie dough.

People like you more if you give them food.

The internet goes on forever. Your due dates don’t.

No one wants to see you making out on the grass with your significant other.

Probably check if there’s toilet paper before you go to the bathroom.

Don’t be alarmed when you find people sleeping in the bathroom, library cubbies, hallways, etc.

You probably won’t make your solid friends until a few months into school. Everyone else is adjusting too. It takes people awhile to get settled and really act like themselves.

Advice I should take but don’t: don’t make weird noses. People think it’s weird.

Don’t be the guy that takes their shoes off in class.

   

makes me want a hot dog real bad

apparently i'm very patriotic. 

i'm obsessed with buttons. specifically button skirts.

shout out to my mother for the original salt-water sandals.

a few people have seen this skirt in my closet and said it was hideous. it's one of my favorites. haters gon' hate.

i'm taking back the bowtie!

because bow ties, as the Doctor would say, are cool. and also, who decided they are just for boys?! nope. not anymore. i'm taking the bow tie back.

Reasons I hate today.

If you thought you were reading the blog of an optimist, you were sorely mistaken.

 

1. singing outside in 35 degree weather for twenty minutes.

2. cleaning checks.

3. psychology papers.

4. having lost $30 and now not being able to buy things i planned on getting.

good riddance, tuesday.

checkmate.

cute face right here.

dinner? check.
study for psychology? check.
procrastinate for an hour and a half? check.
mad abs-march task? check.
watch marry poppins? check.
run around with karoline in her lizard costume? check.

leap day and the story of the bagel.

happy leap day to you lovelies out there. today, i took advantage of the extra day by taking a german test and baking a cake! big spender right here. anyway, the other day i had a bagel with strawberry cream cheese and it reminded me of a little story:

so, in second grade, i noticed that all these kids were bringing bagels to lunch with pink stuff inside them. considering my family was never a big bagel family (who knows why, they are sweet manna from heaven), i had no idea that it was strawberry cream cheese. no, no, that would make entirely too much sense. guess what i thought it was they put on their bagels?

...pink frosting.

so when that glorious day came that we had bagels in my house and just so happened to have strawberry frosting on hand, i took the opportunity to join the debonair lunch club a-la pink filled bagel.

let me just tell you, that was one of the most disgusting incidents of my life. i was obviously so cool in elementary school.

Mom Skirt Sunday!

Melanie and I decided to rock our mom-skirts today. Melanie totally wins, though. Hers has frogs on it.

I look like a teacher, right?

yesterday I had my music ed. auditions. in other news, karoline has awesome shoes. in other other news, we're living off of bread and lasagna in our apartment.

it's thursday!

awkward:
1. the blurriness of this picture.
2. the conversation I had with a boy that sat next to me in German the other day:
     boy: "What's your name, again?"
     me: "...Kelli."
     boy: "Oh I knew it started with a K, but I didn't want to just guess. You look like the type
     of person that would get mad if I got your name wrong."
3. In church choir on Sunday, the tenors were singing this super high line that the Sopranos double. So one of the tenors asked something along the lines of, "Why are we doubling them, they sound fine by themselves!" And of course I had to respond, "Because tenors and sopranos are soulmates!" Leading to the director saying to said tenor, "SHE SAYS IT'S BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE SOULMATES."
So now I look like the crazy stalker that thinks that boy and I are soulmates. which is not what I meant AT ALL.
4. when your mom is the only fan of your blog.
5. trying to take jumping pictures outside your apartment complex.
6. the result  (see above):

7. The fact that I look like I'm holding a glowing orb. What is that all about? In most of my pictures lately I've had these spots around me. I'M HAUNTED, GUYS.

Awesome:
1. While all you Western Washington folk are freezing and getting trapped under trees, Provo today was a balmy 46 degrees. Didn't even wear a coat walking around.
2. This:

     why yes, I did call a famous writer a bully after he emotionally traumatized me. (in a
     good way...)
3. full cupboards and refrigerator after grocery shopping. so many options!
4. The coat I keep stealing from Karoline.

fun fact: the dad in "A Christmas Story" graduated from the same high school as me. bam. i'm almost famous.