Looking back on 2013

Usually I'm able to look back on a year and conclude if it was a good one or a bad one, but 2013 is a lot harder to define. It was phenomenally wonderful and horribly, horribly bad. I lost Hypatia in February and my business suffered its worst year ever, and both of those things clouded all 12 months for me. But I also adopted Arrietty, got my first apartment, saw Niagara Falls, went to Disney World twice, and met Steve Carell and other cast members at the Office wrap party in Scranton. I finally realized what I want to be when I grow up (an elementary school art teacher) and I started driving again after almost 10 years away from the wheel. 2013 might very well have been the worst year of my life and the best.




Favorite outfits: first outfit of 2013 & everybody pants now
Favorite posts: The slumber party kit & good things that happened in 2012
Moments: I was modcloth's blogger of the moment, and I discovered Yogurtland which started a year-long obsession for me and my dad




Favorite outfits: polkadots and moonbeams & shamrock shake
Favorite post: DIY cat toe shoes
Moments: We celebrated Hubble's 1st anniversary and Chloe's 10th, I said goodbye to Hypatia




Favorite outfits: the happiest place on earth & to distraction
Favorite post: sweet & gentle
Moments: I adopted Arrietty, I read The Hunger Games books and loved them, I celebrated my 3rd blog anniversary




Favorite outfits: lilac ruffles & with a smile and a song
Favorite posts: my disney outfit posts
Moments: my dad turned 60, Jurassic Park 3D came out and I saw it multiple times, I went to Disney World with my mom




Favorite outfits: backwards buttons & daisies
Favorite post: if you like it then you should have put a coat of paint on it
Moments: I went to the Office Wrap party in Scranton, met Steve Carell, and had the best weekend of my entire life, I did my first art show in 2 years, I got my first tattoo




Favorite outfits: posh frock friday & I have no idea
Favorite post: what's old is new again
Moments: I saw Niagara Falls, I met one of my best friends in real life, my bedroom was featured on Teen Vogue, I got a new car and took it on its first road trip




Favorite outfits: fit for a princess & periwinkle and sea foam green
Favorite post: television cozy DIY
Moments: I dressed up like a minion, Mental Floss started carrying my Puns Intended prints in their store, I shared 10 things you might not know about me, Dahlia produced a dress that I designed (inspired by Hypatia!), I finally realized what I want to be when I grow up




Favorite outfits: polkadots and moonbeams & clouds and rainbows
Favorite post: ode to a very sweet cat
Moments: I went 2 straight years with at least 1 sale per day in my etsy shop (that streak has since been broken, but it was lovely while it lasted!), I participated in GISHWHES (the greatest international scavenger hunt the world has ever seen) and had a complete blast




Favorite outfits: paws for thought & summer nights
Favorite posts: the elusive chloe & daisy button restyle
Moments: I dyed my hair purple, ever + mi crush started carrying my Hypatia dress, I went to Disney World again and got to participate in Dapper Day, I celebrated the 20th anniversary of The X-Files pilot, I got to meet up with Polly in New York




Favorite outfits: hearts again & sweatshirt weather
Favorite posts: my hypatia dress outfit posts
Moments: I got my apartment!, I had my first party at my apartment, I dressed up as Princess Unicorn from The Office for Halloween, I went to NYC to attend a lecture with my dad and we had so much fun!




Favorite outfit: trousers and cats & christmasitis
Favorite post: my cat friendly menorah
Moments: I turned one year older, I finally finished my 2014 Flapper Doodle calendar, I officially moved into my apartment (and also bought a bed for my room at home so I can still sleepover!), I passed 9,000 sales in my etsy shop




Favorite outfits: time flies & mirror mirror on the wall
Favorite post: pet name book display & christmas freebie
Moments: I went to The Film Forum's Barbara Stanwyck tribute with Kyle in NYC (we saw The Two Mrs. Carrolls), my Aunt Annie turned 102 (though I sadly missed her party since I was sick), I had my first Christmas with my new apartment & Arrietty. I shared my new private instagram account.



Some things I was absolutely obsessed with in 2013:

TV: Fringe, 30 Rock, The Walking Dead, Ancient Aliens, Supernatural, Derek, Breaking Bad, Terriers. MUSIC: Goldfrapp, Joy Division, New Order, Marianne Faithfull. FOOD: Frozen yogurt, coconut everything, fried green beans, eggs in a basket. BOOKS: The Hunger Games, Where'd You Go Bernadette, Gulp, Is It Just Me? VINTAGE: The perfect pink robe (found it!), bell-sleeved lace blouses, 60s party dresses, scalloped lamp shades, lace bed jackets. RANDOM OBSESSIONS: decorating my apartment, Greg Kinnear, dinosaurs, finding unique white blouses while thrifting, documentaries about the plague, searching "kitsch" on pinterest, salt and pepper shakers, Disney pin collecting.

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heat wave

Aside from this awesomeness, and seeing Despicable Me 2 (which was fantastic!!) it's been a rough week. My printer broke on Monday and the replacement I bought was defective. I pinched my skin between the printer box and the Staples shopping cart (OUCH!) and I literally stepped in gum. Then me and my brother got in an argument and haven't been speaking :\ The whole printer episode set me back way too much with work, and on top of all that I've been running a high fever during the worst heat wave of the summer. All I want right now is to set up a pillow fort near the a/c vent and watch Supernatural between naps.

Today is my mom's birthday so no matter how much work I have piling up on my desk, I'm just going to relax and spend the day with her. Whenever we ask her what she wants for her birthday she always says Bounty paper towels (seriously) since we go through them so quickly. So me and my dad bought twenty four 8 packs and piled them outside her bedroom door last night as a surprise. It was SO funny to see her reaction when she opened the door, with this giant wall of paper towels in front of her!! Things like that really make bad-luck weeks not so bad after all :)

pinafore - c/o dahlia | collar - vintage | belt - asos

shoes - urban outfitters | lace blouse - c/o oasap

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figuring it out

I've spent most of my twenties trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I know technically I have a full-time job as an illustrator (at the moment) but the financial instability that comes with it makes me break out into a cold sweat at least once a week. Somehow at the end of each month I still manage to pay all my bills and buy food (and dresses) but the fluctuations in daily income make me physically ill sometimes. I'm always wondering if today will be the last day I ever make a sale... if things will suddenly come to a screeching halt and I'll be left without a career, a job, or any reliable income.

My dad has owned his own business since before I was born. His father owned his own car radio business and my dad's maternal grandfather owned his own furniture shop. Being a small business owner runs in my blood, and for a long time I never even considered an alternative. Growing up, I was going to be an "artist" and nothing else. A real job wasn't even an option.

I see now, though, that the stress I'm feeling at 26 is still plaguing my dad at 60. I've known for a while that this is not going to be how I spend my whole life, but I've never been able to think of a better alternative. Earlier this year I thought I'd just get a job, not a new career. I went for a group interview at an ice cream parlor along with five other applicants. They were all still in high school. One of the questions at the interview was "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" While they all pondered what the future would look like when they were in their mid-twenties, I was thinking about where I'd be in my late thirties. LATE THIRTIES!?

I obviously don't want to be dishing out ice cream with people young enough to be my children. But I also don't want to be making ends meet in a job that could cave out from under me at any given minute. I started giving serious thought to going back to school and starting a new career. But what?! It always seemed like I was horrendously unqualified for every field that interested me (hi there, astronomy!) And then suddenly, it dawned on me... my ideal career. I have NO idea why this never occurred to me before, because it is literally perfect.

I'm going to go back to school to get a degree in elementary education so that I can be an art teacher. I know it's not a job market swimming with openings, but I can be patient. I just know deep down that this is the ideal choice for me, and this might sound corny but I feel so much peace now. It's like I've spent the last six years searching for something and I finally found it.

Part of me is a little sad that I didn't realize this until I was 26, though. I know a lot of people don't "find their calling" until they're older, but it's definitely sad to realize what you've missed out on. But I'm ridiculously excited about going back to school and starting this new adventure! I can't even tell you guys just how HAPPY this has made me. I'm just so happy.

dress- modcloth | sweater - forever 21 | shoes - asos

brooch - kate's little store | cat bag - amazon

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mid-year resolution

Today is the day that I finally get caught up on my emails. Or at least start to. It might take more than one day...

For the last few years, staying on top of my emails has been my #1 new years resolution (ambitious, I know) and every year I've failed miserably. I have a tendency to flag emails that I need to reply to, and then I completely forget to reply. Sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. I'm kind of like an absent-minded professor except without the professor part. Honestly I am quite the unorganized mess. I'm one of those people who runs out to Old Navy to buy pajamas because all of mine are dirty and I forgot to do my laundry (I say "one of those people" because I'm hoping desperately that it's not just me...)

Anyway, today is the day that I am tackling my inbox. I have unanswered emails going as far back as February. YIKES. I shouldn't even be allowed to have an email account. I'm pretty sure everyone waiting for a reply must hate me by now but I'm going to write back nonetheless. I got caught up on everything else on my to do list (um, except for laundry... oops) so my schedule is cleared for emailing. LOTS of emailing.

When I'm all caught up (assuming that's even possible) I'm going to sort my inbox and start making folders. And then I'm going to set aside a certain time to reply to messages every single day. As soon as I start putting it off for one day, it'll turn into weeks and months again.  I know there are a lot of online tools for organizing your inbox, but I think for me it just comes down to willpower and making myself reply to every message within 24 hours of receiving it. As soon as I start putting things off, I never get around to doing them.

All this to say -- if you've been waiting to hear back from me:  a) I'm really sorry, and b) you should be getting a reply before Monday. If you don't hear back it probably means I never got your message to begin with because I'm literally replying to EVERYTHING :)

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better in person

This was one of my favorite outfits I've ever worn, and yet I kind of hate how it came out in my pictures. It's weird how that happens sometimes! I promise it looked so cute in person. Pinky swear!

I was so excited to find this dress on ebay. I've been after a perfect black and white polka-dotted dress for years and this one (originally from h&m) really does the trick. blah. I got a comment recently that said my blog has gotten dull the last few months, which was kind of rude but probably a little true. I know that I'm still mourning the loss of my cat and having a hard time creating fluffy content with a heavy heart. But now that the thought is planted in my brain, I just can't seem to write *anything at all* without feeling like whatever I'm typing is Dullsville, USA. aghhh! I just seriously can't think of interesting things to say now. It created a big mental block (catch-22 alert!) Outfit posts always present that problem to begin with (like how often do you really want to hear "I love this dress, here is why") but now it's even harder to come up with an interesting way to make trite conversation about what I'm wearing or what I did that day. Oh phooey! :p

ps. I didn't want to do a whole post on the office finale since I'm getting into "might turn into an office fanblog" territory but did anyone else watch it?!?! I was in a constant state of crying the whole time. It was so perfect. I want to watch it again so I can catch things I might have missed the first time, but I don't know if my heart can handle it just yet.

dress - ebay | sweater - steamtown mall in scranton

shirt - forever 21 | shoes - asos

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a new chapter

Well, as of today I am no longer a full-time etsy seller. My flapper doodle sales have been on a steady decline for the last several months, and no amount of frantic title tweaking, advertising budget increases or new product releases seem to have made any difference. I'm still trying to keep things afloat, but I also faced the inevitable and decided to apply for a real job.

And yesterday I got the call that I was hired, by my favorite local ice cream parlor! I think it's a perfect fit for me, and I'm really excited about working there. It's a part time job so I can still maintain my (albeit floundering) shop. It'll be so nice not to have to worry about my loss of income and I really think it's a job that I'll enjoy. Flapper Doodle will remain open (as long as my sales are still trickling in, I suppose!) as will Sweet and Lovely. The only obvious change will be that I'll probably have more interesting things to blog about than the weather and my tv viewing habits ;)

I was really lucky to have had a successful etsy shop for as long as I did -- I can't even express how thankful I am that I was able to work from home the entire time that I had Hypatia, since it enabled me to spend so much time with her. She was a special needs cat and needed a guardian who could care for her constantly, and I'm so grateful that I was able to do that. I treasure every single second I had with her, and thanks to Flapper Doodle I had so many more seconds than I would have had if I had to leave for work each day.

I'm incredibly sad that Flapper Doodle is losing steam and that reviving it seems to be out of my control, but I'm also very excited about this new chapter in my life! I've been self employed (before etsy I sold my art at outdoor street fairs full time) for ten years so this is going to be quite an adventure! But I'm really looking forward to hopefully making some new friends and having some wonderful new experiences! I'm also a teeny bit scared since my decade of self-employment has turned me into a bit of a reclusive hermit but maybe this was just what I needed to come out of my shell :)

dress- modcloth | lamb brooch - c/o sugar cookie 

cardigan - forever 21 | shoes -asos (similar) | belt - h&m

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lilac ruffles

I think I got this dress almost three years ago and it's still one of my all-time favorites. It's probably the dress I've worn most on this blog too (I think a remix post is in order soon!) This time I layered a lilac shirt underneath and I love the way they look together! The shirt came with a tie-collar but I cut it off since I think the flouncy neck and black piping are perfect without it.

For the first time in a while I actually have a lot of things to look forward to this month. As you can imagine, I'm ridiculously excited about Jurassic Park being re-released tomorrow. I pre-ordered tickets online for the first showing at my local theater, and then me and my mom will hopefully see it at the Downtown Disney theater while we're in Florida, too. And then I'll make everyone I know go with me again countless times when we get home ;) On Saturday I have something top-secret but really exciting happening (details later!) This Sunday me and my brother are going to the flea market, which somehow always seems like a mini-vacation to me so I'm really looking forward to it :) Then next Wednesday I'm off on vacation! Oh and later this month is my dad's 60th birthday (!!!) so we'll be planning some fun stuff for that too!

dress- modcloth | purple blouse - c/o modcloth | cardigan - forever 21

shoes - urban outfitters | belt - asos

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to distraction

I hardly ever wear pants but when I do I think the outfits always end up among my favorites. I love this one so much, with the scalloped collar blouse and polka dot pants that match my shoes exactly.

I'm still having a really, really hard time coping with losing Hypatia. Tomorrow will be a month and I've lost it quite a few times this week... Distractions are helping somewhat though. My mom has been joining me for X-Files marathons almost every night in the living room, and before bed I've been losing myself in the Hunger Games books. I really wanted something to read that would suck me in so my mind wouldn't wander and these have been doing the trick! I'm almost finished though, so I've been limiting how many pages I'll let myself read each night to stretch it out a little longer. If you have any suggestions for completely engrossing books I could read when I'm finished, I'm all ears! :)

blouse - c/o tulle | pants and shoes - forever 21

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everybody pants now

Whenever I say the word "pants" I think of Leslie Knope singing "Everybody pants now! Pants, pants, pants, pants, pants" ... I obviously watch too much tv.

But yeah, I am wearing pants! It's a novelty indeed, but I think I might wear them more often... at least this particular pair. They're very comfy (for pants) and I am in love with the color and polka-dottedness. They actually are a much nicer color in person.. a little lighter and more like cornflower blue. I'm getting really tired of the overcast weather we've been having here, not just because it makes taking photos virtually impossible (even photoshop can't work its usual magic on my might-as-well-be-midnight dark photos) but because it's affecting my mood as well. I've just been so darn down in the dumps for the last two weeks. Every waking minute I've wanted to be asleep. But hopefully the clouds will soon say toodle-oo and my room, my life and my mood will all be sunny again :)

sweater and pants - f21 | shoes - c/o bait footwear | dinosaur necklace - sweet and lovely

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