not sponsored (a post about new shoes, feat. nostalgia)

Um, so, I went a little overboard shoe-shopping of late... This is a chonky post, by the way.

For several months now I've been looking around online at boots. Within the last year or so, I've had to toss four pairs of boots. One was a pair of cowboy-esque boots from Target circa 2010. I actually posted about those when I got them, here! I loved them and wore them to literal shreds. Like, the insides of the boots started shredding! Another pair, also from Target, were my super-beloved black strappy booties that were eerily resminiscent of one of my favorite Blythe shoe molds. And finally, two pairs of combat boots that I got from Payless (RIP) in 2013. These I had in both brown and black. They served me well for ~10 years. Which, I guess, for Payless shoes, is pretty decent!

The crappy thing about "vegan leather," aka plastic, is that it disintegrates eventually. Unfortunately I've had several pairs of shoes as well as purses and bags just spontaneously burst into confetti, or so it looks, by the way flakes slurry off them and they just fall apart! So, this is what happened with all these pairs of boots.

(It's worth noting that none of these shoes were at all expensive in the first place. They were from Target and Payless! But I loved them and wore them till they could be worn no more! And it's tough to find anything but fake leather, especially if you want to spend less than $50 on a pair of shoes.)

I wear boots in the autumn and winter months, mostly, but when it's boot season, that's what I wear the vast majority of the time. As the weather's now cooling, I've been keen to replace my boots in particular. And I really felt I wanted a "historical" sort of boot. I had a particular vision in mind. You can see that vision in the image at the top of the post.

Keywords: historical, ankle, reasonable heel, laces, Kirsten Larson, Violet Baudelaire (book).

I ended up getting a pair of these Winterbury lace-up booties in black from Famous Footwear. I tried them on in the store and they were a) in the "historical vibes" style I wanted without being so old-fashioned as to be nearly unwearable with modern clothes, b) very comfortable, and c) on SALE! (Marked down from $90 to $45!) These do have zippers too, to which I was initially resistant, but which I now like because it's easier to slip them on and do up the zip than it is to have to tie them every time.

"Witchy," was a word the woman at the register used. My dad said, "You look like you just walked out of the 1800s." I showed them to my sister and she said the words "American Girl doll." Nailed it!!! Exactly what I wanted!!!

I've been wearing them every day since I got them, and I love them so much, and they are so comfortable (and also still on sale, at the time of my posting this) that I ordered them in brown too. When I really like a boot and it comes in multiple colors and is affordable, I will almost always get a black and brown pair. For options! And I wear both colors equally, depending on the 'fit.

But, my friend, I didn't stop there. Couldn't, wouldn't be stopped there.

At all the stores I went to on my boots quest, they had lots of Mary Janes. Mary Janes are apparently really in style right now and that makes me so happy! They're my favorite kind of shoe! They make me so nostalgic because I wore them when I was a toddler in the 80s and again when I was a preteen/teenager in the 90s. I can remember pretty much every pair I've ever had. The gray ones I had when I was a wee thing, which I slipped and fell in one day, and got a black eye from landing face-first into our rocking chair. The soft leather pair I got in fifth grade that I wore literally every day. The chunky black Skechers that were oh so Spice Girls that I wore regularly my sophomore year of high school. The pewter-silver patent leather pair my grandmother bought me for a formal dance, and which I wore to my formal every year after that! And which I still have! I still have two pairs of Mary Janes that are over twenty years old at this point too.

Okay, that's it, I'm digging out my old Mary Janes...

See? Haha. That first pair is the pair I wore to all my high school formals/nice events. Look at the shape of the toes on them. They're so bent up and scuffed and stiff with age, but I'll never part with them. The other two pairs are from Payless circa 2002/2003. They all still fit me, although I usually wear an 8 now rather than a 7 1/2. I love how round-toed the black quilted pair is. They're still extremely cute, in my opinion! So Alice in Wonderland! And the cutouts on the red pair are retro and charming to me, so of course I never got rid of them.

I did quite lately get a pair of Mary Janes (as I posted about here). I've been wearing them every time I go anywhere, with frilly socks! And I have another pair besides those, a brown leather pair that you can see in this post from last October.

Buuuut when I was out and about, I saw a pewter pair of Mary Janes that reminded me immediately of my old pewter Mary Janes! They were too expensive ($80) so while I picked the shoe up to appreciate it and bask in my nostalgia, I didn't indulge the idea of actually getting them. But I found myself thinking about them for a couple of days after that! I thought, "I bet I can find them cheaper online..." And I did. For around $50, most places, and on sale for $40 on Famous Footwear. But because I had Famous Footwear reward points from buying two gersh dang pairs of boots, I got them for $32. And because there was a bogo deal, I also got this other pair of black Mary Janes I also liked for only $13.50.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

I'm far, far too happy right now! I'm kind of a shoe girlie anyway. I am always into shoes over any kind of other piece of clothing or accessories, when it comes to myself. And I get very excited about doll shoes too; my girls have so many pairs of Mary Janes. But I am just particularly stoked on these purchases. Since I had to toss four pairs of shoes this last year, I'm replacing those, sure. But sometimes my personal taste doesn't at all line up with what's on the market. So I feel like, although fashion cycles are going a lot faster than they used to, I need to stock up while I like what's out there!

• Winterbury lace-up booties
• DV Dolce Vita Mellie Mary Jane flats
• LifeStride Cameo Mary Jane flats

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'tis the damn season (almost)

It was 90 degrees here today, but I've been planning for the chilly days ahead by getting some autumnal clothes. It's been a long time since I posted about new clothes here -- clothes for me, at least! I used to do this somewhat often in the first couple years of having this blog. But I certainly haven't done it in many years now. Berets aside.

But heck! This is making me happy right now! So I'm posting about it!

Whatever you wanna say about Walmart, I have gotten a few items I like from there lately, all pictured above: a hugely long duster-length sweater in this pretty mauve-y color; a little floral knit shirt; these wine-colored Mary Janes that are soooo 90s to me; and an orange corduroy "shacket" (a revolting word, imo, which -- to get my Lemony Snicket on -- here means "shirt jacket") that I really love because it's RUST ORANGE! One of my top favorite colors!! The corduroy and color are both super 70s.

It's of course too hot to wear the sweater and jacket right now! But I am wearing the shoes!

Like I said, these Mary Janes are so 90s to me. They remind me of a pair of Skechers Mary Janes that I had in the late 90s/early 2000s, with chunky bottoms/heels! I loved and wore the heck out of those shoes. Mary Janes are a lifelong favorite and I have had so many pairs of various kinds! So of course I saw these and was nostalgia pilled.

I do think they're cute, but I'm not sure if they're cute on me, if you know what I mean. But I have yet to style them correctly, I think. They'd look a lot better if I wore them with tights and/or socks, and a dress or skirt. Tights, I have, but... I don't have the right type of socks.

Because I think the Mary Janes would look really cute with some ruffled socks, specifically! I do prefer the kind that you can fold down. To me that is a classic lewk. Hence the second set. I also like orange and purple. CLEARLY! But I think the floral set is way cutier. And wouldn't that black set look so good with the MJs?? But, the white fold-over pairs would be very useful...

Decisions, decisions!!!

Well, I'll mull over that. But I quite simply can't wait for it to be cooler out so I can plop on a beret and this sweater and stroll around in my Mary Janes.

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beret life in miniature

Ahhh, Junie Moon just dropped BERETS!

I have been really into berets this winter, and have been joking about living the "beret life." I'm only making any kind of deal about it because I tend to get comments when I wear berets?? I don't know if it's because I can't pull them off or I look too twee or just what, really. I have been spoken to in French! I have been asked about my "raspberry beret." (To be fair, I was wearing one in a color that could be considered berry-ish. Berry-adjacent.) Thus I have wholly embraced BERET LIFE, which includes all the commentary that for some reason comes with it!

I think people mean well and the berets are, for them, something they feel they can make conversation about. But at the same time, I can't term a lot of what people have said to me as complimentary?? I don't know; they make me feel playful and happy. It's just dopamine dressing, you know?

Anyway: When I saw Junie Moon post about these new items, I was like, "I HAVE TO GET AT LEAST ONE!" To me it's so delightful they'd come out with these great-looking berets right when I'm notably into berets and have been looking on Etsy for Blythe berets and waffling about which to buy.

But Junie Moon posted them on Instagram before actually making them available in the shop, so I had to wait. I slapped Japan onto my world clock and scooped a couple of these the minute they went live! It was noon in Japan but nine o'clock at night for me. (This was nostalgic for me because I used to do PoupeeGirl on JST.) I actually had a dream the previous night about buying them, so you might say I made my dream come true.

I got the ones pictured at the top of the post, in camel and ivory. I have a camel colored one too, so you just know I'm eager to twin it up!

PS: I'm still in the market for more types of berets for Blythe, like knitted/crocheted ones!

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styling the IKEA Huset bookcase three ways

Okay, so I've been slowly collecting miniatures for years now. A couple of times I've been so lucky as to score furniture from thrift stores or eBay or Etsy, and I have even made some things. But mostly, my miniatures collection comes from the various craft stores that sell that kind of thing. Don't hate -- no ethical consumption under capitalism, et cetera!

I've been especially wanting to gather enough miniatures to believably fill in my IKEA Huset bookcase! Lately I've been putting stuff in it at random, loosely sticking to themes, and I decided to take pictures of some of my themed setups...

First is easiest: a kitchen display!

Jam jars; wooden dishes; pots and pans; ceramic teacups and saucers; a basket with a tiny pear and orange; books, including cookbooks and plant books; I am pretending the damask cube is one of those fabric drawer things. My favorite favorite favorite thing is the little gold scissors!!

Next idea: Christmas!

This one's pretty simple! I don't have much in the way of Christmas miniatures, because Christmas tends to be very primary in terms of colors. Red and green, of course, but also blue and yellow. Whereas I lean more pastel toned or earth toned or metallic. But these mini gifts are always everywhere in every miniatures section each year, so I have acquired a couple of packets on deep discount in the last few years. I got the mini bottle brush trees from the Target dollar spot a couple years back, and although they are large in scale for 1:12 or 1:16 scale, I think they still make for a super cute display!

Also in the shelf: a small scarf I knitted, all rolled up, and some miniature Christmas books. This gold mirror isn't Christmas-y per se, but I still think it works!

Finally: a cottagecore witch shelf!

I love this one!! I can imagine the owner of the items really clearly. I could have gone 100% witchy -- just spellbooks and spooky stuff -- or 100% cottagecore, with baskets and gardening supplies and herb books. But the rose quartz rabbit figurine, which I've had since childhood, inspired me to mash up the crystal boho white witch aesthetic with cottagecore! Bunnies, knitting, gardening, tiny mushrooms! I crocheted this rainbow rug from the same pattern from which I make rainbow pillows. I imagined it would go well with the yellow gingham sofa cover I have for the Huset sofa. But it looks sweet and soft here by this shelf, in my opinion!

I need you to know that this box holds a tiny but full deck of tarot cards!!! It's a bit hard to hold, so I put it in the lid of a small paper box I made years ago. I'd like to finagle a basket that's the perfect size for the deck. I'll probably need to get some twine and wrap a box to make a bespoke basket just for them...

Those are the three styles I messed around with today! Other ideas: craft/art room shelf (lots of knitting/yarn, an art set, maybe miniature paintings or drawings); bedroom shelf; shoe/bag collection shelf; an entire shelf of nothing but various mini mushrooms!

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mushroom bag!

Just thought I'd post about this mushroom bag I got from Maobabie! (Direct listing here!)

I saw prototypes for this bag a long time ago on Twitter and waited ages for them to drop! When they did, I became paralyzed with indecision about what color to get. So paralyzed that I never pulled the trigger on getting one. I don't usually spend much on purses. Buuut I finally ended up getting one when they went on sale months later. As you can see, I got the yellow one!

It's not the roomiest bag ever, not gonna lie! I can fit my Switch Lite and phone in it, but not much room remains.

If I have the time to Tetris things out, I can fit all this in it, but I don't really want to have to Tetris on the fly. Especially not in front of people! A woman at the grocery store stared at me as I went through self-check out and was fitting my wallet back into the bag. She said, derisively, "I don't know how you can fit anything in that bag. It's cute, though."

"It's not very practical, is it," said my dad, another time.

I have gotten compliments on it too, though! From a random dude who works at the pharmacy, even. "Is your bag..."

"A mushroom!" I said.

"A mushroom! That's so cute."

So true, bestie, and thank you for refilling my Prozac on this day.

I've been carrying it for a couple of months now and I think it's more of a "going out and socializing, accessorizing a cute dress" purse than a "running daily errands" purse, if that makes sense. A conversation piece, for sure.

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acnh drip

I had a nice, chill birthday! I bought that rotary cutter set I linked in my last post and it's a game-changer for me. Sewing clips have saved me already.

I'm still hyperfixated on sewing (😅) but I wanted to divert course momentarily to post a compendium of some of my favorite outfits I've worn in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

Which I'm still playing! Not with 100% regularity, but in months-long bursts with breaks in between. I'm actually a year behind in the game, so it's August 2021 on my island. I don't know about y'all, but the way so many people had virtually complete islands decorated to the max with all the hard-to-attain items just two weeks after the game was released actually killed my own motivation and desire to play. So I didn't for months at a time, between smaller periods of energy/inspiration. Thus I got quite behind. But I got back into it again during the fall/winter, and I got very into adding to my Amiibo card collection, and got into screenshotting my dressups every day.

So: some ACNH drip! I named each fit.

This dressup screenshotting tendency of mine is likely brought to you by how much I still, to this day, miss Poupeegirl. (Of course there's Bentewee and also there was the Dolly Collection app. I did both for a few months, but it's not the same experience as Poupeegirl, imo.) I think Poupeegirl heavily influenced the way I dress my Blythes. I even mentioned it as an influence here several years back.

Must say my favorite dressup items in ACNH include the berry beret, the mustard pleather ankle booties, the lavender glasses (both round and hexagon frames), the ballet shoes (any color), and the basket purse. My island rep's almost always in double braids.

All right, I'm off to do more sewing.

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90s Teen Witch Part 2

Happy October. I can't believe we're almost halfway though it! Stop going by so quickly, October!

I'm finally starting to limp into recovering from my #cruelcruelsummer. I couldn't wait for the weather to be cooler, for it to seem like fall, just so I could feel like summer was over with. Now here we are, in spoop season, and I want the days to slow down so I can soak in the chill and not have holidays looming.

The other day I got this cute romper from the sale rack at Target. I didn't realize it was a romper until I was trying it on, but I still liked the top enough to get it; I figure I will wear it with a black skater skirt I have, because I need more volume on bottom than this offers. But it spoke to my witchy feels! And I thought wearing it with a choker would treat me just right. I got this one today. (I love that chokers are "in" right now!! Thank you, 20-year fashion cycle! I'm just going to go ahead and say that, yes, I'm still deep, deep in the 90s Teen Witch aesthetic that I posted about here.)

Looking at chokers, I was reminded of my favorite autumnal movie, Sleepy Hollow (which I can't watch this year due to Johnny Depp; it will take me some time to separate the art from the artist. Such a freaking bummer!!) because in it, Christina Ricci has this necklace I'm obsessed with.

It's not a choker, per se, but it is a short necklace with a star-shaped charm that she wears throughout the movie on different ribbons. Ob-sessed with Christina in this movie. Her fantastic costumes, her thick blonde hair, her bleached eyebrows. While I was looking at chokers, I kept thinking, "Oh, that's Katrina-esque. I want it because it's Katrina-esque, but I know it wouldn't look good on me." So I did the next best thing and found them online so I could compile this little post.

( one, two, three, four )

If I were better at Polyvore (is that still a thing?) you can bet I'd be compiling modern day Katrina van Tassel fashion boards.

In doll news, I am going to film a little haul sometime soon. I really wish I could film an autumny dolly dressup with Gavin; we'll see if I can manage to do both. Gavin's so hard to dress, yo!!

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e.c. mini (my bag, baby)

Happy Friday the 13th! I'm getting good vibes off this day.

Last weekend was the ol' b-day, and I don't mind telling you it was a prosperous one. I got hella gifted! It was a pleasant surprise. I kind of dread birthdays, for every conceivable reason. I'm getting older? I have to socialize?? I have to think about my life whilst feeling it run out like so much sand in the hour glass and reminisce and wind up feeling existentially horrible?

I am not a hugely material person (although I know my propensity for going "yay!" here and taking pictures of things I've recently gotten doesn't make it seem such; I appreciate stuff, of course. I am a Taurus) but get truly touched at the notion of anyone thinking of me in particular. Being known as a person is just nice, and I got a few gifts this year that made me go, "Wow, this person really knows me and my whole steeze." My best friend K sent me a package with lots of stuff in it, but I wanted to take pictures of this item in particular just because it's so stinking cute??

It is a wooden box bag from the 60s, made by Enid Collins, and it has a pink mouse (!!) on it! In person it looks extremely good, too -- the eye doesn't catch the imperfections that the camera lens does. It is so buttery in person. I love vintage as much as the next Beatrix, but it also it tends not to suit my personal style, but this is PERFECTION!

K and her mom both collect these box bags, which can be carried as a purse or just displayed. She called it "mid-century Etsy" in style, and she's delightfully right. But more than that, UUGHHH!! She said that she thought of me when she saw this design and hunted one down for me, and it really is perfect. It totally just goes with me.

I can probably fit my phone, a pack of gum, a tube of lip balm, and a small card-holder situation in here if I want to really carry it. It has this gigantic mirror in the lid!

Right now it's just on display hanging from the toadstool hook by my mirror. Looks so cute!!

(Oh, and for posterity, I found a couple of "this looks like it belongs in my room" tissue paper sets in the dollar section of Target and have been making these little tassel garlands out of them. My room absolutely doesn't need this going on, in retrospect.)

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I'm soothed just looking at this post.

Uh, I've posted about my abrupt obsession with Claire's-style rings here before. Recently. A couple of times. As well as my odd little love affair with geodes. 

WELL, I was hanging out with my sister a few days ago and she lives about three doors down from a local shop that, you know, sells Grateful Dead tees and glass pipes and incense and... I'm sure you get the idea. But they had a case of rocks, and I got a few that I liked. I wish I had written down the names, but I didn't, so I don't even know what they are. But I like having them on my shelf.

ALSO, I had a really rage-inducing morning, so I stomped out the door and drove directly to Forever 21 so I could buy some stupid cheap rings, because sometimes, you just need some retail therapy. Seriously, I spent $26 for about 21 new rings, and it was very soothing. I was highly vexed, but new bling and Carly Rae Jepsen helped me down from my ledge.

For further therapy I grouped some rings and stones together, color-wise, and took pictures. (I really like taking pictures of rings, I guess?? But also I like grouping things by color. Pleasing.)

I honestly just keep these rings in a little plastic baggie that something came in; I need one of those ring tray things. To display my collection. Of worthless but soothing rings.

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birthday blues

Yesterday was my gentleman friend's birthday. Gent wanted a kettle with which to make tea, so gent got a kettle! I don't drink tea or coffee, so I really don't know anything about kettles, so I was reading reviews for days.

I also found some super cute mugs so I got him those, too. Plaid, yo!

(This post is just because I was pleased with all this. I took pictures for my own happy posterity.)

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September styles

Right now, a bunch of my girls are wearing a particular combination: sweaters + shorts. I'm so ready for fall, but acknowledge that it's still summer out, so I wind up compromising with a little of each.

Beatrix's vintage Ken doll sweater is actually too big... the sleeves come down over her hands, and I have a bobby pin cinching the sweater in back. But it's such a gnarly retro look! I love it! She looks ready to get back to school and nerd out in the library.

Still doting on Wisp. This is only her second outfit change. I'm sure I'll put her in something other than lovely browns, but her hair is swaying me big-time.

Wisp and Aury (I love taking pics of my first girl, Aury, with my latest doll!!) are wearing mimundoblythe sweaters -- I highly recommend them!

I haven't just sat around taking pics of my dolls in what feels like a good while. I enjoyed it so much!

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