The Accidental Olympian

YOU MOVE, DECLARE YOU HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF, AND INEVITABLY GET SETTLED AND DECIDE YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BUY EVEN MORE STUFF. IT'S A VICIOUS CYCLE MY FRIENDS.

Before we moved to Anchorage I was the DEBT REDUCTION QUEEN. I had actually managed to quell my desire for stuff. New clothes, misc house items, random crap, I still wanted it sure, but I wasn't buying it. I was going to do my garden up with the least amount of spending on my part, plant my flowers from seeds instead of buying starters, I had decorated my home to a point of content, the dogs had what they needed, I had enough clothing to last a lifetime, overall the spending was on hold. 

Then we moved. 

Moving is a money PIT. 

Even though your life fit perfectly in one home, even though you have more junk than you could possibly need for your move into a smaller home, somehow you always end up buying crap. Tons of it. Rugs, pictures, chairs, candles, bathroom storage, curtain rods, bla bla bla WHY DO WE NEED ALL THIS STUFF AND HOW DO I CONVINCE MYSELF I DON'T ACTUALLY NEED IT? 

I can't help myself. I want. Suddenly I want so many things! 

So here it is. My wishlist for the new house. I give in. Don't judge me.

 

 

I am so in love with this twist on normal herb pots. These will go on my deck and I envision some will have herbs and some will be annuals.  

Also in the gardening theme, even though I miss my old garden and yard terribly, the ennui has passed, and damn it I'm dressing up my deck. No more wallowing! First things first, I must acquire deck railing planters. LOTS OF THEM. 

Maybe they'll be homemade, but I assume they'll probably be something I pickup from the gardening store. Wham-bam-thank-you-mam!

(image from renest.com)

I also desperately need a rug for my office. The office has the door to the backyard, and even with my door mat the dogs are tracking in TONS of dirt. So I need a rug to cover the crap carpet, to brighten my office, and then once I cover the backyard in gravel we'll be set.

This beauty caught my eye. I love it since my office is now mostly black and white, and since I can no longer rely on wall color for my "pop," rugs will have to do!

For our main bedroom wall I'm having these four pictures printed in 8x10 and framed in a simple black frame with a nice thick white matte. One or two images below might not make the final cut, but the idea will be the same. Black and white, and all four from our road trip.

I think it will be a great reminder of how our "adventure" started. Even if it did require many many hours in the filthy car! 

For our dinning room wall, I want an antique map of Alaska professionally framed. Bigger the better.

Sure, I had talked about trying to find one on my own, but I'm impatient as hell by nature and I have a feeling I'll pull the trigger on a well framed print before I dig through thrift stores and Etsy.

Will I be as proud of my find if I buy it online? Will I have a fantastic story about my map hanging on my wall? No and no. BUT, will it be up there in the next month instead of sometimes in the next year? Yes. And I am a sucker for instant gratification. 

Turns out our second couch, the most comfortable of the two completely does not fit in our living room. WAY too big. Insert sad face. 

So, I feel a chaise or oversized chair in our future... 

And lastly, I need me some XtraTuf boots. 

Like yesterday. 

In Alaska these boots are known as the "sneakers of Alaska." Fishing, camping, gardening, dog walking, you name it. People up here get married in them they love them so much.

I see a lot of fishing, camping and dog walking, not so much special events use, but who knows. Maybe they'll grow on me! 

 

So in conclusion, this move is trying to break the bank.

The bastard. 

 

HELP ME. I'M AN ETSY IDIOT.

If you happen to live in a cave you are probably unaware that Christmas is fast approaching.

For the rest of us non cave dwellers, our local stores have been informing us that Christmas is fast approaching, since October first.

 

 

Every year I make a list of the select few folks that I would like to give a gift to.

I hem and haw, scratch my head and wonder what in the world I am going to give them this year.

Gift giving for me is hard.

I always think of really expensive things I know people in my life want, that I could never in a million years get them.

Eventually I select something in my budget last minute, but it always makes me feel cheap and pathetic.

And I'm not crafty, so I can't exactly wow them with my homemade fantasticness.

So this year I thought Etsy would be the place to find people beautiful, one of a kind items they might never discover themselves; while still staying in my budget of cheap.

The catch?

Five minutes on the Etsy website and I'm confused.

How in the world do you people find all these fantastic artists?

I did a search for Christmas ornaments and found clothespin  reindeer and cotton ball Santa ornaments.

Where are the delicate hand sewn Christmas pillows?

Beautiful prints?

Quirky, yet to die for jewelry that wont break my bank?

Etsy FAIL.

 

 

So I need your help.

Send me your links.

Your Etsy loves.

What Etsy pages/artists are you obsessed with?

Do you have a store?

I know about my friend Cecily's beautiful store, but that's about where my inside knowledge stops.

Or maybe better yet, how in the world do you stumble on people that are utterly magical in every sense of the word?

Help me.

Because if you can't help me soon, my parents are getting that Etsy clothespin reindeer and my sister will be the proud owner of a cotton ball Santa.

You don't want to ruin my families Christmas do you?

I didn't think so.

SCARVES!!!!!

Oh boy!

After I wrote about the various items I was coveting this fall I got THREE WHOLE EMAILS asking me to talk about my love of scarves, and how exactly I integrate them into my life.

THREE PEOPLE!

You can laugh, but I was shocked.

Even though I'm a little nervous to talk about fashion again, scarves are near and dear to me, and in a moment of total narcissism (looking through all the pictures that are tagged of me on Facebook and getting rid of the ones that might get me fired) I realized that there are a LOT of pictures on the internet of me in scarves. LOTS.

So, let's get to it shall we?

 

I have probably 30 scarves. Thick, thin, long, short, plain, crazy, soft and scratchy. I think that's the key to scarves. You have to have a lot to choose from so you always have something to add to your outfit.

The most tried and true way to wear a scarf in MY book is to take the scarf, let the ends meet, grab the fold in one hand, and the bottoms in the other, place the middle of the scarf on the back of your neck, and then feed the bottoms through the loop. This will give you a nice little loop around your neck, and it works for lightweight scarves in the warmer months, and gives your neck full coverage in the colder months.

Look how happy we are to be wearing scarves!

I usually only do this loop scarf 'trick' when I have a shorter scarf. BUT, here you can see I threw caution to the wind and decided that with a lightweight scarf and the opportunity to ride a saddle in the middle of the room that the loop scarf look would still work. 

My guide is usually if the bottom of the scarf comes down more than a few inches past the top of my jeans I don't wrap my scarf in this loop manner.

If the scarf is too long I usually opt for a double wrap around the neck.

Take the scarf and place one of the ends where you would like it to lay on your chest. I usually want the bottom pieces of each scarf to rest either right below my tats or hitting the very top of my jeans. Depends on how long your scarf is really.

Don't ask why, I just do it this way.

With one bottom in place I take the loose scarf and wrap it in two big loops around my neck, finishing with the other end of the scarf resting in the same place as the first. Pull on the loops to adjust how long or short you want the hanging scarf pieces to fall.

Here my friend Naomi and I are rocking two very different styles! She is opting for the loop scarf look seeing as her scarf is shorter, and I am rocking the double wrap. We are also adding additional accessories such as wine to the mix for an added pop of color.

And really, now that I'm looking at this shot I would probably pull on the loops to loosen them a little around my neck, pulling the bottom of the scarf up a bit higher.

Apparently my wine 'accessory' was keeping me from managing my scarf correctly.

Please excuse the hookah and my closed eyes in this next example. This is a lesson about scarves, not hookahs.

I am actually wearing a dress here, so the double wrap helped turn a sort of dull one color dress into something with layers and fantasticness.

At least in my book.



And lastly for the double wrap, I personally believe the double wrap is the best way to ensure warmth with a nice wool coat. You can fluff up the loops to get a lot of neck coverage, and there is something about the look of a well fitting coat with a bundle of bright scarf at the top that makes me go all Rachel Zoe and say things like, "Bananas."

 

 

Ahhhh! I almost forgot!

My last tip for the double wrap is if your scarf is STILL too long after wrapping it around yourself twice, maybe even three times, take the remaining hanging scarf material and tie it in a simple knot around your neck or down as low as your chest. This will shorten up the hanging pieces and give a little detail you don't always see in the scarf wearing community.

I also suggest you pose for pictures with your mouth open catching snowflakes.

The last scarf wearing example I want to show you that I hardly ever use is the free hanging scarf.

I only use this method if the scarf is thin enough, and the perfect length, hitting right around my jeans. I wore this red scarf, a lovely cashmere number loose because I didn't want to distract from my neckline, or the cute little detail the shirt had at the meeting of the V.

Aka I didn't want to cover The Girls on New Years Eve!

(Please stop looking at this pose. It's terrible and burning my eyes.)

As the night wore on I threw one side of the scarf over my shoulder, because I'd had enough to drink to think I was a movie star.

But I applaud drunk Ashley because I think the look is quite nice!

OH, I almost forgot skinny scarf!

This one I don't do too often either, but if you have a very skinny scarf that isn't too long you can do a once wrap, and let the two ends dangle. The length has to be just right, and on this particular night I was borrowing my friend Naomi's scarf and the planets aligned and I got to try something a little different.

Different in the world of scarves that is.

Exciting! Crazy! Danger!

So there you have it.

The many ways I choose to wear scarves.

Some may work for you, some may not.

But I think the great thing about scarves is they are a cheap, simple, re-wearable accessory that can add a lot to the look of an outfit and also give you much needed warmth and comfort. 

 

 

How'd that picture get in here?

Muahahahah!

With enough drinks you too can get your boyfriend to wear a scarf for a black and white themed party.

But please, if you're going to use the image to later embarrass him, DON'T MAKE A STUPID FACE IN THE PICTURE.

Because then when you show it to the world, you'll both end up embarrassed, and where is the fun in that?

COVETING THIS FALL

Fall for me is many things.

Pumpkins, beautiful colors of the changing leaves, crisp afternoon walks, the return of weekend morning fires in the fireplace, and the strong urge to covet new fall clothing.  

You see, growing up in southern California we didn't really have a fall.

We had one tree in the whole city that turned a pretty color, and other than that the hills sort of green up for the first time ever, and sometimes it gets below 70 degrees out.

BURR.

Moving to Seattle at 18 meant I could finally own things like BOOTS! WOOL COATS! SCARVES! SWEATERS THAT KEEP ME WARM INSTEAD OF MAKING ME SWEAT!

Basically, Seattle allowed me to experience weather other than 80 degrees and sunny.

Now every year when the weather begins to turn frosty I gladly toss my sundresses into the back of my closet, hide my 'never-seem-to-fit-correctly-always-pulling-them-down-in-the-back-when-I-think-no-one-is-watching' shorts, and place my sandals in the back of the shoe rack.

Because kids it's time for fall clothing!

 

 

Now, this all would be MUCH MORE exciting if maybe I had an actual clothing budget. Or extra funds of any kind really. So, in the absence of actually being able to buy much of anything, I'll just show you some of the random things I'm coveting this fall.

You may think I am insane.

But that's ok.

I never said I had good taste.

Just that I want this stuff.

 

For the longest time I thought the only cute way to wear boots was over your jeans and that they needed to have a heel. So, I owned zero boots because nothing makes a pear shape look more pear like than boots over jeans with a tight top. Hi, this is my ass.

Plus, ouch my feet.

Eventually somewhere in the mess that was my early 20's I realized my figure looks best in dresses and skirts. I had another SHOCKING realization after the 'dresses are magical' phase wherein I realize that in the winter this look could still be achieved with tights/leggings, and FLAT boots.

Skirts and dresses all year long! Hurrah!

(please stop making fun of me. I'm slow to assimilate to trends of any kind)

So, last year I bought these,

and these.

And then did a really bad job of photographing them to share with you!

I tried to find the links online for the exact boots I bought last year, but sadly no go. Here is a link for this years version from Target (I bought my brown ones from Target last year and they are SO COMFORTABLE and under $30), and another version by Steve Madden.

 

Another fall love of mine and hopeful covet is a North Face rain coat, in trench coat style. I wont lie, I saw this on my friend LP the first time last March and I nearly stole it from her. Then I saw someone at work with one, and a few people around Olympia, and my easily influenced mind was SOLD. Functional, living in the Northwest and all, but, it's also adorable.  

Another thing I really really wanted for this fall/winter was a fun but functional skirt. Something with pockets (because I think pockets are adorable, not so much worried about functionality), a skirt that could be worn with leggings and boots for day, or tights and heels for going out.

Meet my new, $20 Woven Tencel Skirt from Forever 21.

Yes, the face I am making is truly strange, and I am standing in front of a picture of salmon, the color is all wrong in the picture and you can hardly tell black from green from grey, and I didn't manage to move the water bowl out of the shot, but give me a break, self photography is hard.

Here is the picture from the website.

She obviously has LEGS whereas I have, legs.

But I think you get the picture.

While at Forever 21 I fell in love with two other dresses I am thinking I might have to save some pennies and return for.

The Epaulet Woven Dress seems slutty short I know, but I promise that woman has a freakishly long torso or something because it was very very normal looking on me with leggings and my black boots. The zippers at the pockets and the shoulder detail are so fun and definitely something I could see wearing dressed up to go out with friends in Seattle or dressed down to have dinner with friends.

...

HAHAHAHAH because I do things like that ALL THE TIME.

Where is the outfit for sitting at home on a Friday night eating pizza, drinking too much wine and watching 3 movies in a row?

The next dress I am obsessed about is the Crochet Knit Dress. This is 100% a dress I will be returning to buy once I find some pennies in the couch cushions. When I picked it up Adam said the only place I could wear this was a funeral. And then I told him to go sit outside and wait for me.

The front is so simple. Pockets, simple neck, and then BAM you turn around and there is mother fucking lace.

In the words of Rachel Zoe, "I die."

I am also looking feverishly for a faux leather jacket. Maybe a little motorcycle inspired, maybe bomber inspired like this one. All I know is it needs to be less than $100. I might have a desire, but I'm still cheap.

I'm sure you're getting bored, so here are my last two. I have a creepy obsession with long sleeved sweater dresses like this one from the Gap. I think it's from growing up in the middle of the tank top lifestyle of southern California that makes the idea of a sweater, that is also a dress so damn appealing and comfortable.

Need more.

Last but not least, I'm collecting dark nail polish colors this fall. I NEVER have the cash to pay someone else to paint my nails, but sometimes I take the time to painstakingly apply color to my own nails while watching tv. TIP: Let the nail painting process get messy if need be (my left hand is always a mess), then take a q-tip dipped in nail polish remover and rub away all your mistakes! Looks like you did it right the first time!

Anyway, my favorites for fall are dark dark blues, forest greens, and deep reds and purple. Bye-bye spring pinks and soft reds! Hello short nails and dark polish!

So there you have it folks. My wants. My desires. The things I think about as I stare at my empty checking account.

What are you coveting this fall?

Is it pretty?

Are we the same size?

Can I borrow it?

I promise to return it.

WINDUP GIRL GIVEAWAY

Last week the lovely, funny, and very very talented Jamie of Grumbles and Grunts made me a collection of thoughtful and oh-so-lovely gifts for winning a contest on her blog. The fact that Jamie was capable of sitting down and drawing me an exact replica of one of my very own photographs AND designing two beautiful cds in her free time between working, blogging, being a mother and wife left me wondering where exactly my own creative side was hiding.

Someone had taken time out of their life to make me these wonderful things, and if I was to hold my own contest I would only be able to offer them a sentence or two littered with bad spelling and horrible grammar, or a picture of my dog. And although I think she's adorable, I doubt me giving you a picture of Oly would bring you to tears the way Jamie's gift left me.

I am never going to make someone a delicate handmade card, or a piece of spectacular jewelry. I am never going to knit you a scarf, or sew your daughter her first pair of slippers. Any and all Christmas ornaments I ever give as a gift will come from a store, you wont see me baking something as delightful as this anytime soon, and if I am going to draw you something, it is going to come out looking like a deranged stick figure mauled by a rabies infested stick figure alien. Picture that one please.

But before you feel like I'm on the downer train there is light! and laughter! and happiness! because I might not be able to make you lovely people those things, but I know others who can.

Let me introduce you to my dear friend Cecily Furlong.

As you will note, if you can manage to tare yourself away from her fabulous hair for a second that Cecily is wearing some amazing earrings. The kicker? She made those herself. Cecily has always been artistic, so in High School (we were friends in High School, we aren't STILL in High School) instead of passing notes she would pass me elaborate cartoons, or instead of doodling on paper she would craft sharpie tattoos of mermaids that stretched the entire length of my calf. Seeing as she has two little ones now (ADORABLE I might add) she has lately been focusing on her jewelry instead of her art and selling it on her Etsy page. And when I say 'focusing' I mean creating the sort of shit I might think about stealing from her if she was stupid enough to leave me alone in her house it's so pretty.

So here is the deal. 

I want to give you something one-of-a-kind, beautiful, something that you will treasure and people will stop you to ask where you got it, AND I want Cecily to gain more and more eager and dedicated clients at her Esty store.

It's a match made in creative heaven if you will.

Cecily and I would like to offer one lucky reader these beauties.

Here is what Cecily has to say about them,

On Etsy, you get the opportunity to name your creations. I love this. Before I even start, I usually have a name in my mind. I am inspired by my environment, and southern California is a pretty inspiring place. Whether it be a swarm of bees looking for a home in our pine trees, or the Spanish moss floating ethereally in the White Oaks, or just a simple trip to the beach and finding a seashell in the sand, I am constantly inspired by nature. I specialize in earrings, because I absolutely am obsessed with them! Each piece is handmade by me, and one of a kind, to ensure a completely individual look.

 For this particular pair, "Rosy Outlook", I just fell in love with these tiny pink coral pieces, and the miniature pink beads that top them. Just looking at them made me smile! They are so delicate and beautiful, and make a subtle statement all on their own. I wired each one individually and attached them to a length of silver chain for a fluttery and glimmering effect. These would retail for thirty dollars on my website. This is what I do and I love it, I hope that they will make someone as inspired as they make me!

The giveaway will work as follows. You check out Cecily's Etsy page and gaze at things like this,

and this,

and then be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of THIS post. I don't care what you say, maybe you could answer the question, "Where would you wear these lovely coral earrings?"

The contest will be open from today (April 16th) until next Friday (April 30th). Then I'll close comments and pick a winner. Note, I'll let you enter twice if you repost this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter! Think of it, extra chances to look amazing.

Now GO! Comment! Shop! Gaze at the artistic talent of someone with great hair!

I'll see one of you with a new pair of earrings next week. 

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian