Going Orange

My favorite Halloween costume yet

If you haven't seen the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, you won't understand this. But if you have...

Me as Alex Vause

As always I was scrambling last-minute to get a costume. I wanted something pop-culture related but not too trendy and definitely not having nothing to do with Miley Cyrus. Orange is the New Black is an awesome show and I really liked Alex Vause as a character. But did I want to go as Alex Vause with no Piper Chapman? No! So I texted my oldest bff, Jo, and asked if she wanted to be my Piper. She said yes! :-)

Alex and Piper

Here is why I loved my costume: Jumpsuits are very comfortable, the glasses looked cool and the fake tattoo sleeve was totally badass. On top of that, people knew who we were and responded well to our costumes. It wasn't too obscure that we had to explain it to everyone but it wasn't so obvious that it felt like a washed-up idea. It might, however, seem washed-up by the end of this weekend when I've worn it a total of three times.

My hand-me-up sweater

Pass it on, sisters!

One of my favorite things about being one of five sisters is having the opportunity to get so many hand-me-downs/ups. I say "ups" because I'm the second oldest so my younger sisters hand their unwanted clothes up to me. :-) There have actually been times I've given a younger sister hand-me-downs then had it handed back up to me and I get to fall in love with the piece all over again. Sweet sisterhood.

Some fabulous hand-me-ups

My youngest sister cleaned out her closet before going back to college this fall and I jumped at the opportunity to see what she had ready to go to Goodwill. I probably took half of it. She has such classy taste in clothes I ended up loving way too much of what she was tossing out! Among the treasures: A comfy knit sweater (featured below), a white hobo bag, a blue striped tank with floral lace detail on the front and a really cool off-the-shoulder top with a woman's face on it. You'll see that one featured in a post eventually. :-)

Wearing a knitted sweater hand-me-up, skinny jeans from American Eagle and my new booties

My boyfriend took the picture above when we were at Gasworks park the other day. We were driving around and I mentioned I had never been there before. He immediately switched lanes, took a right and drove me straight there! If you haven't been, GO. It has one of the most incredible views of the city.

One of the most beautiful cities ever. I love Seattle

The sweater is comfy and with the half-sleeves it isn't too warm for the beginning of fall

Sunset reflecting on skyscrapers

What other parks should I check out in Seattle? I swung by Alki once but would love to go back and spend some time there. Do you have any favorites?

The story of the pink boots

....and how after 20 years they are finally mine

From left to right: Sarah, Melia and me

This is the only photo I could find where you can see them. Right there, at the bottom of the picture, you can see the top of one dark pink lace-up boot. They were faux-suede, rose to just above the ankle, and belonged to my older sister Sarah. I loved those boots. I was obsessed with those boots. I couldn't wait until she outgrew them and they would be mine.

Sarah and I had a normal sibling relationship. We were best friends. We were worst enemies. We were partners in crime. No, that's a lie. She was the good child and I was the mischievous one. 

Anyway, she wasn't liking the idea of me having those boots and to be honest, I can't blame her. Around the same time she had the boots there was a sterling silver ring with a green gemstone in the center of a flower that we found at a swimming pool in Spokane. For a while we "shared" the ring but one day when she had it on I convinced her I felt sick without it so she gave it back to me and I never took it off again.

When she outgrew the boots she hid them in the garage. By the time I found them, my feet were too big. I was upset at the time but over the years it has been an ongoing joke between us.

While shopping at Nordstrom in downtown Seattle, I found these:

Kalen boot from DV by Dolce Vita

I picked them up and looked at them. Cute, but not on sale. I have my rules about buying things at full price: I don't. They went back on the display. I walked away and wandered around the women's shoe department (which is HUGE btw). Soon enough I was back at the boots. The came to just above the ankle, were suede, a deep wine-red color (DV by Dolce Vita calls it "bordeaux"), had this super cute quilt pattern and zipper on the side, and a hidden wedge inside that makes me taller (remember sneaker wedges?).

A sales woman spotted me. Shoot. I was trapped. I had to try them on! They fit great. Even better when I tried them on with a pair of Superfeet. Sold.

The first thing I did when I got home was take a picture and text it to my sister. I finally got my pink suede boots. :-)

Back to brown

No more battling the brass!

Never in my life have I seen a hair salon so busy on a Thursday night. Last week, at Olive Beauty Lounge in Ballard, the place was poppin'! There were men getting trims, women in foils, and a little girl who has been getting her hair cut there her whole life (which I think has probably been a whole 7 years).

No bueno.

I was there to end my days of being an unintentional redhead and go back to brown. Hilary, my stylist, is a friend from my hometown. This was the first time she worked on my hair and we had a great time together! She listened as I described how my hair went from brown to brassy over the summer and asked questions about what color I really want. Without even bringing out the binders of swatches so many stylists overwhelm me with, Hilary picked out the perfect shade of brown.

I enjoyed a glass of wine while waiting for my color to process and we also watched "What Does the Fox Say" on YouTube. It helped pass the time! :-)

Yay!

While this cell phone photo is fuzzy and washed out, you can definitely tell the red is gone! It's the perfect shade for fall and goes great with a Merlot shade of lipstick. Thanks Hilary!

Oh, I also wanted to post an updated picture collage of my super cool vintage wire shelf. Remember this post, where I didn't know what to put on it? My mom helped me out and gave me a few things including a tea cup and postcard of The Beatles.