Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Now She's In Me, Always With Me.



Hi everyone!

So, as the dynamic duo, Jordan and I had to hit up thrift shops and secondhand stores, not only because we're broke college kids, but also because she was hunting for a flannel that was hopefully broken in and soft and extra cozy. I went in thinking I wouldn't buy anything because I'm very stingy and will not pay for anything unless I can find five ways to style the item with what I have at home.

And then I met this vintage seventies coat...

And I finally realized what it meant to fall in love.
Okay, that sounded very materialistic. But I was obsessed with the quality of the coat and how it has stood up to wear and tear that comes with age, and I have been looking for a statement piece that I can call my own and really make my own staple as I realize where I stand in style.

Putting the coat on, I became Penny Lane, and I had nothing to say. I smiled goofily, and I was even enticed to take a selfie- which if you know me, you'll know this never happens- and there's Jordan, watching me all amused as I take pictures of the glorious coat.










So, you're probably thinking, "Hmm, Sarah, did you buy this coat?"

Well, no. And it sucked. I had a moment of sensibility and put the coat on the hanger. But then I remembered that I've been trying to be more ethical when it comes to shopping since so many clothes are wasted every year and thrown out. Buying secondhand was cheaper, and here was the coat of my dreams (in my size, too. I'm slapping myself I feel so dumb), and it was a fraction of a denim jacket at the Gap. AND I PUT IT BACK ON THE HANGER AND LAUGHED IT OFF.

Bye, Penny Lane. Guess I won't meet the Band-Aids anytime soon.

Moral of the story: DON'T PUT BACK CHEAP STUFF THAT FITS YOU. Even less if its good quality, and comes from your favorite decade. Still slapping myself. 
Jordan offered to take me back and find my coat, since she saw how much it hurt me to leave the coat behind. See? I even referred to my coat as "MY" coat, haha. It's meant to be. Jordan, I know you're reading...Operation: Cool Off And Talk is still a thing. 
Anyway, since I was now walking lethargically due to the parting with my coat, we walked until we found an antique shop. We found a rather avant-garde shop, with items that are vintage but redone by local artists. The result was beyond awesome. I got so much inspiration by furniture and reupholstered love-seats that I'm now excited to get my own place in a few years and fix it up with secondhand stuff. 

Not sure what you could do with this large box, but I love that the inside of the box matches the red soles of Louboutin shoes. 

This has inspired my idea of what I want in my closet. The skirts are vintage too!

I still don't understand taxidermy, but this was another level of confusing.

vegan sandwich heaven at Empire Cafe.
Common Bond-ing. Ft. Jordan the Hipster.
Common Bond-Ing parte deux. She drank a latte, and I drank a chamomile tea.
We found the Biscuit Wall!
Outfit Details: Sweater: AE / Shorts: AF / Scarf: Gift / Oxfords:Steven by Steve Madden


Jordan and a really cool mural that we swear was not there last time. 


I liked this wall too much. It made me look vibrant. 


When you're a hipster but obvious to how hipster-y you look. 

There was my latest Montrose adventure! I hope you all learned to not give up what you want so easily for quickly ( ahem, my coat...*sniffles*). Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Friday, December 18, 2015

Put a Beanie on, Wear Black, and Suck it Up.

If I were to pinpoint my usual style, it would be something along the lines of "Pared down classic peppered with European touches," or "Serena Van der Woodsen's long lost sibling from Montmatre" or something equally pretentious. Or maybe even "Feminist/vegan who avoids wearing bras at all costs"...

Anyway, I like to think that my ideal outfits consist of hats, jackets that I layer with a bunch of stuff, and tight pants, and cool shoes that are comfortable but don't look like it. The hat is NEVER a beanie, though. I normally fear and avoid beanies like the plague. I've just seen too many fails at wearing beanies, and I didn't want to parade around thinking I looked like Cara Delevingne when I actually looked like a sock puppet. 

Today, my hair just wasn't feeling it. It wouldn't let me tame it in a ponytail, and my attempts at cramming it into a bun failed miserably. Now, I have a weakness for berets, so I rummaged around for mine, annnd failed as well. And then I saw this gray beanie that I hadn't touched in almost two years. I was in a rush to leave the house, so this would have to do. I consoled myself in the car mentally, repeating the same thing over and over until it became a mantra: No one I know will see me like this No one I know will see me like this- I don't look like a sock puppet, I don't look like a sock puppet...

All jokes aside, I honestly hesitated before pulling the hat over my head, and it made me sad to think that I was letting fear let me from even putting the hat on before. I had never before gotten a good look at myself in a beanie, or even keeping one on for a long enough time to make sure I even put it on correctly. 

I was so excited, I asked my sister to take a picture of me. 



Lately I've been losing all interest in wearing color. Its just easier to wear dark colors- I don't have the mind to consider what matches and what doesn't!
Outfit Details:
Beanie: Gap/Moto: AE/Top:Kohls/Leggings:VS Pink/Booties: Aldo 


That blogger pose where you crouch and try to look cool even though you're crouching for no real reason. 



When you want to be a skinny blogger but you're too hungry to make it through the pictures. 


My mom took the last picture. Her justification was that people should see realistic images, like bloggers eating instead of posing unrealistically( ahem, notice my earlier crouching picture).

I'd also like to reassure everyone by saying those almonds are vegan, and no, I'm not sponsored.


'Til next time!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Return of the Dynamic Duo

Today I finally reunited with my best friend and partner in crime Jordan! You most likely remember her from my favorite post ever when we trekked about Houston.

We were very original and went to Starbucks and talked about everything. I'll spare everyone the details because we somehow found a way to go from our hair growth (or in my case, lack thereof) to our roommates to my veganism to her future goals in life.

Here we are for your enjoyment, in our sweaters. I admittedly take a selfie every time we hang out.

Call us sweater queens. 

I got a tea lemonade, because I wanted to feel actual cold. And she got a chai tea latte.


Clearly, you will see her again soon, since we plan on hanging out as much as we normally did in high school. I can't really say how happy I was to see her besides just clapping my hands and saying "EEEEEEP MEEEP EEEP MEEP." 


Also, if you care to know, my turtleneck is my one and only thrift find, also doubling as my halloween costume from a while back, when I was a Beatnik from Montmartre. 

See you all soon! 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

What the Semester Brought

Hey, What's Up, Hello (Imagine me extending the 'O' part)?

It has been an entire semester of college for me. If you are still here reading, then you know that I struggled a bit to post while I was bouncing between college and my house, where I took pictures. After a while, homework began to pile up, and I realized that I was standing at a fork in the road. On one hand, I could go all out and try to post all the time and just plan outfits to wear. But isn't that a bit, I don't know...fake? The reason I was inspired to blog when I was thirteen was because I saw that the bloggers I looked up to actually wore those outfits they captured in photographs. They woke up, and chose those flawless and chic outfits and ran errands. They didn't (hopefully didn't) take pictures and then fall back into sweatpants and lie around. In my imagination, my ideal blogger and style crush would go to someone who wore her pointy toed pumps with an obscene blanket scarf and bag and death grip skinny trousers and walked- YES, walked- to her destination, and sweat in her blazer and got blisters from her shoes but still did it anyway. She would walk to work and take the stairs and print papers and make phone calls and order coffee and maybe spill some, I don't know- the point is, I would hope she had a real life behind her awesome outfit. So her Rag and Bone jeans wouldn't be fresh out of a shipment box and worn once for five minutes for the sake of a picture, they would be those jeans that got sriracha stains on them that she had to secretly scrub for twenty minutes in her bathroom.

End rant.

Oh, and on the other hand I neglected in the analogy earlier, there was the option I chose; I decided to rise to the occasion and act like a mature adult. Let me explain my thought process:


  • "My parents are paying for a large chunk of my college career. It goes without saying that they expect the best grades from me as a sign of my undying gratitude."
  • "Writing for my blog is great, yeah, its the best, BUT I don't actually get paid or get any college credit/recognition for it. So I can't show up at home with an amateur blog and expect them to give me a standing ovation."
  • "Ultimately, I want to be a professional with an office job, and to do that, I should probably get a degree in something..." *chuckles dryly*
  • "All jokes aside, I want to go to college and do well, and this blog is kind of in the way of that."
  • "Looks like I should postpone this until I have more time..." 

*Accidentally waits two months*


So here I am, saying sorry to you, bloggy friend. I've left you hanging. I'll pick this back up while I'm home, and try to figure out when I'll post at school. Because it really is a shame to refuse your hobby (mine is writing, if I had not made that clear before). After a while, the creativity dies if its not nurtured. And this is embarrassingly narcissistic of me to say, but I had some great outfit ideas that came to me during the past two months and I hate when bad ideas are not shared. Because when I'm on the run some other day, I might be out of outfit ideas because I forgot the cute idea I had before. 

So because of that, I'll use this time to throw some photos at you, because after reading this far, your eyes deserve a break from all this text filled monotony.

Let's catch up, since Texas did not get much colder. 

So on this nice day, I came to the conclusion that jumpsuits were the sugar to my tea. Once you experience choosing an outfit in 0.0004 seconds, you cannot possibly go back willingly. 
I deleted the one where I was smiling. This was a second later, when I was going to talk. Sorry about that strange face. 

In the case that I cannot wear a jumpsuit/romper, I love maxi dresses more than words can describe.
My hair has grown since then, you'll see it soon. *Serene smile* or *indigestion smile*
And then I went to the library with my brother, who I then blackmailed into taking a picture of my outfit. 

Wow, I feel terrible saying that. 

Canvas tote bags for the win. Who needs designer bags when you have a solid and reliable conversation starter? 

I found another more 'artsy' shot by my brother, who seems to be best at candids of me. Especially of me talking or grimacing while the sun blinds me. 

Oh trees. I had nothing else to say about this photo, as crazy as that seems. 

Now that I've given you a crazy amount of text and adequate visual aids, I think I'll sign off for today.
If you somehow found me, or have been here all along,

THANKS. Fifty points for Ravenclaw House for being loyal to their fellow Ravenclaw's blog!

If you don't hate me yet for such a cumbersome post and still want more visual aids and awkward rambling, you can check out my Instagram! 


XOXO- but I'm giving you an intense bear hug for reading, seriously.  Okay. See you soon!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Autumnal Musings.

When Houston is finally 'cold,' and you wear long sleeves. 



Every blogger does this view from above shot. Hey, my toenails match the grass! #itsthelittlethings



Sarah Times Three

Top: the Gap // Trousers: H&M // Heels: Call It Spring (Canada) // Sunglasses: random boutique


Hi everyone!
I'm testing out a new format (photos before text), so I hope it works out okay. Today I'm at home! Normally I get home about this time on Fridays, but I actually got to come home a day earlier this week because one of my professors was kind enough to cancel class this morning. So here I am, lying around at home, casually sipping water as I realize how ridiculously obsessed I am with autumn. (EDIT: I also noticed that my water was full of orange colored Mio...making it look like a pumpkin)

Ruminating the various things there are to love about this season of snuggling and giving thanks --too soon?-- I find that writing these down will help me remember them later. Note that I'm terrible at titles; I'm sure many of you know that by now from seeing my crap blog post titles. 

"Some Things I Would Like to Do, That Occur To Me When Sipping Orange Water"
  1. Make something pumpkin-y (fun fact: I'm head over heels in love with pumpkin foods)
  2. Go to a pumpkin patch and hunt down my next victim to bake into something
  3. Go to Starbucks and actually sit outside to enjoy the weather and people watch
  4. Thrift a Halloween costume
  5. Thrift a few fall/winter sweaters
  6. Dust off and polish my old fall/winter boots
  7. Write a few more short stories for Storytime Posts
And it's a list in progress.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to mention any of your bucket list items for fall.

STATUS REPORT: Baking VEGAN pumpkin bread in the oven a few feet away. Maybe I will share it with you guys if it works out! Haha.  

Sunday, September 27, 2015

The Ideal Uniform.

Hi everyone! I actually wore this outfit yesterday, but I never got around to posting it, so here I am, blogging when I should be studying...

The sun was still out a few seconds before I got into the car, so I dragged Nick over to take a picture. When I say I dragged him, I mean I got him to hold onto the camera strap and I dragged him along, reminding him of all the I-O-Us that he has promised me in the past two weeks. 

Also, the weather is changing!!! It was actually cold- is it meteorologically correct to say cold? Or can I argue that cold is relative to everyone and that to me it was chilly...

Note to self: I need to stop using ellipses, I'm not making myself sound mysterious and alluring, I sound like I fear commitment with finite sentences. 

I digress. It was cold (to me!), so I finally busted out my denim jacket again. 



*Concentrates on flies near face* And what is up with my legs.


What's so great about jumpsuits is the fact that you can just pop it on and not have to care about matching a top with pants. Also, you wouldn't know this unless you had been there, but this jumpsuit was what I wore to my graduation a few months ago. That's also why I got this jumpsuit; if one of the many joys of fall fashion is layering, why not challenge myself to remix my summer and personal style staples (aka jumpsuits/rompers)?



The best way to appear taller in outfits: tilt the camera back, something I keep forgetting to ask my brother to do.

Jacket: Gap
Jumpsuit: AE
Sandals: Aldo
Bag: Fossil

I wasn't actually planning on wearing wedges, but I forgot to bring more shoes home, so I found these in my closet and figured it matched. I'm actually really pleased with how this look came out! I look most like myself.  If there were ever a piece of clothing that could represent me, it would be a jumpsuit. Maybe the seventies music I listen to just translated to jumpsuits-?

Thanks for reading! 

P.S. Wish me luck tomorrow on this test! *cringes*


Monday, September 21, 2015

Napa Flats! || Food Post

This weekend my parents visited me, so we once more set out to find lunch, as we were all hungry (we hadn't eaten since eight in the morning, and it was two around this time). A quick search online led me to Napa Flats, an Italian fusion type restaurant.

The faux candle really set the atmosphere, haha.




Lucky for me, the calamari had vegetables in it, perfect for me! I shared the zucchini with my mom and hogged the marinara sauce at the top left. 



I asked for a 'small side salad'. This could have been my meal, but since I was very hungry (borderline hangry), I actually ate all of it, except for the croutons. 
And then the food came, which is when the actual party started.


My dad got the 






My brother likes to make up for all the meat I don't eat, so he predictably chose the pizza called "Carnivore".



And I got the Veggie Delight Pizza without ricotta cheese on it, though they still put a thin layer of mozzarella on my pizza. I ate it anyway, and then felt bad(physically and emotionally), since this was the first time I've cheese in almost two months and a half now. 



Am I really the only person who likes crusts?



Anyway, it was a great time! And if you're in the College Station area, its a great place to avoid barbecue, which for a vegan (I swear I'm being good about it), is like going without food.

Thanks for reading!! xx

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Where Were You? | Storytime

Hi guys! Here is a short story that I wrote randomly, while spinning around in my chair at my desk, and staring into the ceiling, and listening to random indie music that I don't recognize. I would really, really, really appreciate any feedback. This was really hard to publish, especially because I like to see writers on tumblr who pour their hearts out eloquently and here I am, still spelling words like 'rhythm' wrong (I spell checked that a few times and still misplaced the stupid y). 

Maybe I'll post these here instead of keep them away in random notebooks. 



This was based loosely on memories I have. But no, this never happened. I just took memories and ran with them. 

Thanks so much for reading! xx

Friday, September 18, 2015

Coming Soon...

Hi guys! I'm going to introduce a new segment on the blog, which I would like to call "Storytime".
It is very straightforward; I believe some context is required here. Let's go a long way back, when I was in elementary school. My best friend Jordan and I were talking, and though the conversation itself is fuzzy now (I feel old, haha), I do remember that I mentioned writing a short story, and she jumped on board and volunteered to read it. The story itself was my first solo writing venture, the first time I wrote something without a specific prompt from a teacher, and even though the story itself lacked skill and interest (maybe I'll talk about it one day, if someone reminds me, haha), I kept on writing short pieces and passing them on to her to read. Even now, I still write things, and if they are grammatically correct, I'll pass them on to her. Yesterday, she requested that I write again, and that I post it here, and also on Wattpad, a website for aspiring writers. While I try to find where I put my password to log into Wattpad, I'll start sharing some stories with you guys, if that's okay.

But don't fear guys! The fashion content is still here. That's been a part of me since I was six, so that will never change;). 

The stories/writing paraphernalia will be labeled like this post, and tagged as 'Storytime'.
GET READY.

They'll be better than this. Promise.


Thanks, guys! xx




Corner Bakery Chit Chat || Food Post

On a Friday a few weeks ago, my dad invited us to lunch- and by us, I mean my mom and my brother and moi. We had planned on going to the new Corner Bakery near us, and we excited pulled into the parking lot when I had a face-palm moment.

I didn't check the menu to see if it had anything I could order vegan style. 

With this in mind, I stalled a while during our wait in line trying to figure out what I could order. And then I dropped the menu and saw the salads. Salads are a safe bet for me most of the time, so I took that route and ordered the hummus and veggies, southwestern avocado salad, and tabbouleh *insert flashback of me doing a victory dance at the restaurant* . 

My family always notices that I tend to take a lot of pictures of food- still not ashamed! :D - and they pushed their plates at me too, finally jumping on the foodie bandwagon. 



I ate this massive salad sampler as mentioned above. As a vegan who struggles to eat out, this was the jackpot. And it was a lot of food. And I like food. The tabbouleh is next to the cucumber, and the avocado is the southwestern salad, and the hummus is pretty obvious, and some greens with olive oil. 



My brother Nick thinks that by ordering a salad he is healthier, so he ordered the Chicken Carbonara with a side of Caesar. Yeah, that chunk on the plate of pasta is bread.



My mom, ever the health nut, chose the D.C chicken salad, switching the cheese for mozzarella.



And my dad followed through with his consistent and foolproof order; a sandwich and a soup. He chose a bowl of chili and half of a chicken pomodori sandwich.

We ate a lot. More importantly, they have vegan options! And I didn't have to explain that I need a vegan friendly mean to the lady at the register! So it was really a win-win-win-win situation. As always, thanks for reading! 

xoxo

Sunday, September 13, 2015

C'est La Vie

I was at home this weekend, and I had a lot of homework to catch up on, so I wore a pretty basic outfit. You can tell I was doing homework by my bun/ponytail hybrid. Here's to hoping these shorts can come out again before autumn starts! Up until now, I have avoided wearing anything remotely 'cute' while at college- I'm an incredibly messy eater, so I have labeled all of my white bottoms 'off-limits' until I feel like I will be able to control the weather, food, and drinks in a ten foot radius around me.

On another note, since this blog is primarily for me to remember certain things that happen to me that I feel

  1. are important
  2. were funny and will probably make me laugh forever
  3. are inspiring
  4. are surprising
...And so, I feel the need to share a story so you all can find some solace in someone else's sad/funny sorry.

Storytime! 
It was a hot and humid Thursday afternoon. There were, admittedly, some clouds in the sky, and the weather in the area had been for the most part rainy and stormy. Nevertheless, stubborn Sarah wanted to do some exercise that day. So off she went to eat lunch, and then to class. When she left her classroom, she noted the increase in clouds, so she ducked into another building, figuring that she would stay dry inside while the storm subsided. After almost an hour, she decided that the rain was much slower than she had expected, and so she supposed she would simply bike back to her apartment faster and get (at most) a few drops on her. Fast forward to halfway home. The clouds parted, and buckets of water decided to fall. Realizing that she was going to get wet no matter what, Sarah tried to bike faster. She saw one corner stood between her and the straight road that would lead her straight home. Upon turning the corner, the bike slid in a puddle. Attempting to brake, Sarah leaned slightly over onto her left side, and she felt her stomach drop. She was very well aware of what was about to happen. She stuck her leg out and bent it and squatted unevenly and dug her hip into the concrete. She was on her side, her bike jammed into her right shin, and her flip flop a few feet away, the stupid slippery thing. Angrily, Sarah got back on her bike, and started pedaling again, reminding herself that no one saw, she was fine. She was drenched now, and sore in a few places, but she was fine. Somewhere behind her, tires squeaked and there was the noise of water splashing about. Oh NO. NO NO NO NO NO. Sarah turned ever so slightly. Right behind her, in the same lane as her, the bus going back to her apartment stood, full to the brim with fellow students. Now furious and embarrassed and getting cold from the water in her clothes, Sarah pedaled harder- and within a matter of minutes, she was angrily locking her bike in its spot,and then squishing her way, step by step up the flight of stairs into her apartment, where she sat shivering for hours, her teeth chattering with anger over her unfortunate bike ride home, and her lack of sound decision making. 

If you guys ever have a bad or embarrassing moment, just know its okay, and that tomorrow will be better.   




That blogger pose where you crouch and look away because you're self concious of your under-eye bags. 



"I wasn't ready yet, I was trying to stretch."



"Wait, I can't see with the light in my eyes-"



If you cared to see what I was wearing without the shadows...


Top: Gap//Shorts: Lauren Conrad//Sandals: Ivanka Trump//Jewelry: bought in Colombia

Thanks for reading!! xx


Monday, September 7, 2015

Grabbing Grub with the Family || Food Post

As you guys know, I was back at home over the weekend, skipping. 
I was, admittedly, a little sad on Sunday morning, because I knew that I would soon be without my parents, and my little brother *cough cough* slash 'brotographer' (that's brother + photographer for all you newbies:), so my parents invited me to eat lunch with them instead of eat alone in my dorm. And as a broke college kid who was homesick and starving, I wasn't about to refuse. 

So a quick browse on Yelp jogged my memory of a new-ish place in City Centre Houston called 'Grub,' that specializes in burgers. Keeping in mind that my brother is obsessed with burgers, I pointed it out to everyone. Lucky are we that this place is pretty new in College Station! 

This Hibiscus tea is really growing on me, but I recommend splashing some Mango tea in there too.  Just sayin'. Also, the drinks were on the house, so I took full advantage of that. 

Just an artsy picture of the dessert/shake menu.  Grub, you should make them dairy free for me. 

While we waited for our food, we all bonded over our joint dislike of ninety plus degree weather. 


My dad got the 'Texas Luau' burger, with a bowl of chili, because he loves chili with an ardent passion.


My mom, true to her health nut ways, ordered the 'Napa' salad, and then swiftly moved some of the cheese over to make sure the lettuce was there. 


Nick didn't even hesitate to get the 'Lockhart Legend' (bacon,  Dr Pepper barbecue sauce...the works), and thats why this picture is strangely off center- he pushed me off so he could stuff it into his face.



And there's my 'Hippie Chickpea' burger! It had an eggplant/chickpea burger, and I scooped the goat cheese off. I got a side of Tabbouleh as well, which was awesome with the bread that fell out of my hands, because I'm a messy eater. 

Its so nice to eat huge burgers messily in public. And I didn't have to eat a salad! Woohoo! 
Thanks for reading! xx