Easy Updo

I don't know about you, but I love holiday parties. I love finger foods, family and friends and festive dresses. But I always struggle with how to do my hair. I want it to look fancier than usual, but it can't take hours(dates flee at the thought of 3 hours worth of getting ready). I also like my hair, which is on the fine side and tends to fall victim to the dreaded static, to be off of my face and depending on the dress off my neck.
Both of these styles look both chic and(I know I've tried) are pretty easy to achieve. All you need for the first is some second day hair and baby poweder, a big culring iron and some bobby pins. The second is a just a charmingly mess chignon. Either would look just delightful with a cute as a button party dress(maybe like this one).

Or here's some inspiration I cooked up for whether you're the glam goddess, the social butterfly or the rock star.

Christmas Party by acelovesvintage featuring American Eagle Outfitters

Items in this set:
American Eagle Outfitters dress, $45
Modcloth.com dress, $53
Shop.hm.com dress
Miu Miu shoes, $396
French Connection boots, 130 GBP

Heading Home

Holiday Travel by acelovesvintage featuring American Eagle Outfitters

I don't know about you, but when I'm driving, I have a very strategically planned ensemble. It is planned for comfort, warmth, and to disguise the coffee I will inevitably spill on myself. I am just returning from a week at my parents place in upstate NY and that means putting together all my road trip essentials. Namely, an oversized sweater, comfy dark leggings, my awesome moccasin boots, a cute coat, a hat to keep my ears toasty and my staticy hair hidden and a big purse to throw all my crap into. I met my mom half way to see New Moon, yeh, I went with my mom. So I also brought along the new moon soundtrack and some sweet face shimmer(not this brand but this made me giggle). A road trip also wouldn't be complete without some Devendra and Avett Brothers and my fav chocolate covered pretzels. What are your road trip essentials?

Penny Saver: Coffee Time!!

I haven't done a Penny Saver in awhile. But with the holidays coming up I know we're all looking for ways to pinch our pennys(and I don't just mean at the Black Friday Sales). Now I know you all know I'm a coffee feind so let me introduce you to my little Penny Saver, Goya brand espresso. Some of you may scoff at the simple Goya brand, but I swear by it. I love their black beans for soups and beans and rice and their Sazon Goya is the perfect seasoning for just about everything and now I've discovered their coffee and lemme tell you I'm sold. At just $4 a can this is a bargain and its rich, delicious flavor is nothing to scoff at.

Got Penny Savers of your own???? I'd love to hear them and if you don't mind, share them.

Fall Outfit Inspiration

I love the combos of gray and white and mint in this with black accents. The gorgeous long rocking horse charm is also just amazing. I'm currently coveting a circle scarf like that, I'm hoping to grab one(maybe on sale?) from American Eagle, they have some very charming crocheted ones.
This is just too sweet. I love the summery dress with the cutsey knit hat and the ivy league professor style grandpa cardi and briefcase. The background is super sweet too. The loose, simple hair is the perfect touch.

So The Secret's Out

Paranoia. Fear. When did I become this frightened person, this needy person? When did I start needing constant reassurance. I used to be so self assured. I used to be so confident. Now I find myself worrying. I worry about the new one, I worry about the old one, I worry about worrying at all. Why should I care? I shouldn't, so why do I?

Why do I question myself, why do I question? I worry I'm annoying, I'm so tired of feeling annoying, more worried about feeling unwanted. I feel unwanted. I never used to. I worry he doesn't want me, that now that I've crossed that threshold of wanting him that those feelings won't be returned. I've spent a year feeling unwanted, I've spent 6 months feeling unloved, I've spent three months feeling hated, worthless. My self esteem is shot. I find myself reading too deeply, looking for a clear sign.

My ex knows, about the new one, he says one of my readers told him. If that's the case, I'm hurt and I admit to feeling a bit betrayed. Which is odd given I don't actually know any of my readers. But I am not afraid, I will not hold back. The truth is he hurt me, he broke me down and made me doubt myself and everything I knew. I am just barely putting myself back together and I deserve to feel good, I deserve to feel wanted, and I deserve to want and care and feel ok with that.

So my dear reader, if you do in fact exist, thank you, for letting him know that I refuse to be trapped in a cycle of addiction, emotional abuse and pain. Regardless of any other person, people, what have you, I do know that I should be(even if it's hard) moving on from this. And I have to hope that in time my self assuredness will return and I can feel safe in caring about someone and being cared about.

Ink Love: My Ink

As promised, this, my friends, is my tattoo. It was my second and I got it about 3 years ago when I moved to Boston. I got it the day before Christmas eve with my then boyfriend. It says "Fortune Favors the Bold" which is one of the english translations of the latin "Fortes fortuna adiuvat". It was originally written by Terence in the second century BC but is most often associated with Vigil's Aeneid and it is believed to invoke the goddess of luck. To me it was to signify my choice to leave the path I was on, my major, english, my new home, North Carolina, and pursue a new path, music in Boston. It was to remind myself to be bold in my choices and to not hold back when it comes to the things I want. Living in North Carolina, away from my family and my boyfriend, and losing my best friend was a really difficult experience and I felt in a lot of ways I could have just given up or felt sorry for myself, but I refused to allow the things that had been difficult in my life define me and the tattoo was my way of constantly reminding myself to chase my dreams, no matter how tough it was. Do you have tattoos? What do they mean to you? Or do they mean anything? I would love to know, even if it's just tattoos you've thought about or are thinking about getting.

No More Midterms Please!!!!!

After an awesome, but exhausting weekend recording I must now go take a second midterm for my awful music history class. How dreadful! Wish me luck, cause to be honest, with all of the music making, not a lot of studying was done. It's ironic that making music is taking a toll on my music major.