December 8, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

“…The Little Dog Laughed…”

I put this outfit on to go on a date with my husband this past weekend. I picked it out especially for him, because he usually likes short skirts and I thought he would like the cute dog pattern. It was a slight departure from my usual baggy style. I was excited to show him my outfit. But the moment he saw this, his face scrunched up and it took on the look of severe inner contemplation. I suddenly felt very self conscience.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like this?” I asked.

He didn’t answer at first, just kind of studied my outfit.

“It’s really short,” he finally mustered.

Okay. He is sounding kind of mean. He is actually the nicest guy in the world. In fact just the other day, I saw him smiling and asked him, “Why are you so happy?” And he said, “How could I not be happy? I’m married to you.” For real.

So, I need to tell the real story about his reaction. It was not his fault. The poor guy was in shock. You see, I am leaving out a kind of important part. The first time he actually saw this, I was sitting on the ottoman in the living room putting on my shoes.

He was behind me on the couch.

When I stood up, I did not bother to do so in a ladylike manner. So, I kind of, sort of… All right… I completely mooned him. On accident, of course.

And I definitely would be more careful in public.

Well, hopefully.

But the deed was done. I knew I would be pulling on the skirt all night in order to not have any sort of repeat of offenses. And I wanted to enjoy my night and not worry about a possible wardrobe malfunction.

So, I changed… After we went down the street and took pictures of this outfit, of course. It would have been a shame to not have any evidence of my crime.

After I changed, my husband looked confused. “I really liked that outfit. Why aren’t you wearing it?”

This made me giggle.

I will post what I actually ended up wearing later this week, but I still like this outfit. Have you ever changed because of an outfit malfunction? Do you like fun patterns as much as I do? I like the dogs or coyotes or wolves that parade across the shirt. I like how some of them are running away, while others appear to ~~not~~ be howling… At the moon.

I am sorry to say that everything I am wearing is sold out. The shirt is Anthropologie’s Ismay Buttondown (similar here), the skirt was from Anthropologie last year (similar here), the boots are Chie Miharas (similar here and here). I will talk more about agate necklaces tomorrow. Mine is by Leila Jewelry, the link is not (similar here).

*this post was edited using the VSCO Cam App C1 filter at level 3.

August 20, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Little Black Dress

Normally I would never buy a sleeveless dress. I hate my arms. But I am not willing to do anything about them, so I just stick to wearing sleeves. “The Lazy Girl’s Guidebook” told me this was okay. I should know. I wrote it. Well, not really. I was too lazy to jot it down, but if I had written it, this is what my advice would say:

“Cover it up.

This advice works for most things.

The End.”

See, book written. Productive day.

I really do like this dress (now sold out. Similar dress here. Similar plus size here). It is so easy and the material is really cool. It is a basket-weave and I love the flirty little ruffle at the bottom. I will layer with this dress in the wintertime, too. This was the outfit I wore on a day I ran some errands. Shhhh. Don’t tell my lazy self.

Maybe you have noticed my kind of rad backdrop?

That was a rug/tapestry purchased from the flea market a few weeks ago. Yes, that is a monkey sailing a sailboat. I have idea what this piece is. It is definitely handmade. We much prefer the backside in the previous picture to the bright front shown above. So, we plan on hanging it backwards.

I do not like to stand too close to it for fear of cooties. Or other substances. Or the fact that it might be able to move on its own via the germs littering its surface.

I really need to disinfect it. Or somethin’.

But alas, lazy and all that.

My husband was thrilled when he saw that I had haggled this piece down and was walking towards him with it. Held out at arm’s length, of course. Neither one of us really wanted to touch it to carry it to the car.

Thankfully, only one of us didn’t write a guidebook on how to be lazy.

I will be posting more detailed shots of the tapestry soon. Including it hopefully actually hanging up… And none of us covered in yellow tape and bugs. But for now, let’s move on.

Whew! Had to sit down. That standing was hard work.

I had asked my husband to get a close-up of my new necklace from H&M. Murphy was thrilled to be in these shots.

The necklace cost more than the dress (Anthropologie’s Melanie V-Neck). It was $19.99 and the dress was $19.95 (down from $138. Gosh, I love popbacks!)..

The kids’ task on this day was to clean this room. From the debris on the floor you can probably tell that they have read their mother’s handbook.

Don’t worry. As punishment, they had to hug that tapestry. And I think I saw it hug them back.

Gosh, I love a happy ending.

And it could be worse. I could have made them pose with a necklace.

Or myself.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

May 21, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Would You Rather? And A Silly Little Spontaneous Giveaway: NOW CLOSED!

First: I apologize for not posting on Monday and Tuesday. I plan to be on schedule, posting daily from here on out unless another emergency pops up.

I blame the gnomes. I think they are letting in some nonsense.

I am sorry. I imagine dangling them by their wee little toes over Ollie might be a fair punishment.

Now, I could use some fun. How ’bout you?:

If there ever was a game to describe America, it wouldn’t be football. It wouldn’t be Scrabble. It wouldn’t be Blackjack.

No.

It would be “would you rather?”.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED. YOU TRULY MADE MY DAY!

The winner is Sally Steele Corbett! Congratulations! Please contact me so I can mail you your prize! : )

My family and I play this game far too often. And even though I have many other posts that could go up today, I thought it would be more fun to play a game. I could really, really use a laugh and a smile. Winner gets their very own Predict-A-Pen and a $10 gift card to Target. ‘Cause I love me some silly fun.

You only need to answer three out of the eight questions to enter for a chance to win!

Ready?

Get set.

Go!:

Would you rather sleep in the rain with no covers while Pee Wee Herman sang to you all night long or take a drink from a rain puddle on a New York City street after the rain has fallen?

Would you rather have the super power of flying or invisibility?

Would you rather live one hundred years of a boring life or forty years of a fun one?

Would you rather chew a piece of used gum you found on the ground from Ryan Gosling’s mouth or drink a glass of two week old milk in Ryan Gosling’s bed?

Would you rather be in the real life scenario of the movie “Jaws” (on the water) or be in the movie “Jurassic Park” (on the island)?

Would you rather live in a world with magic, dragons and fairies or own Apple?

Would you rather win one million dollars or have one completely perfect day once a year for the rest of your life (and, no, you cannot win one million dollars on your perfect day)?

Would you rather be a prince/princess or a merman/mermaid?

I’ll update with my own answers after the giveaway ends in my comments here. I’ll respond as Gnome Lover. I can’t wait to see your replies! Please feel free to elaborate why you chose your answer. That’s what makes it fun. I will be picking one winner at random. This contest is open for today only (5/21/2014) from 12:00 a.m. PST to 11:59 p.m. PST for you sweet folks who happened to click over to visit on this very random Wednesday. I will announce the winner tomorrow around noon PST on this post.

Good luck! Have fun!

*Negative comments will be deleted at the discretion of the owner of this blog and the entry will be forfeit.

April 3, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

It’s The Little Things: A Gnome Gift

To understand me (well, as much as anyone can. I still don’t quite get me, myself), you need to know a bit about my background. I have a best friend. Her name is Lizzie. Liz. Elizabeth. One, unfortunate day when we were around ten (unfortunate for her, because I have no idea where this came from), I decided to call her “The Liz.” This stuck and it is what I call her when we are joking. Usually I just call her Lizzie or Liz. Although, my father insists on calling her The Liz. He was there during the creation of the name. In fact. Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I am going to admit this, but it is on video tape. As is the time I got chicken pox and streaked naked. Our video collection is extensive here. It is called, “growing up in the country.”

Yes, we have many stories to share.

Or not.

I cannot remember a moment when The Liz has not been in my life. We have been best friends since we were three years old. We are different. And yet, we are the same. I have not seen her in many years. She lives on the other side of the country. We can go months and months without speaking, but I think of her everyday and I know she does the same. She is just there. A part of me. And I love her. Always have. Always will. It is a constant in my life. A friendship that does not need watering, because it is a garden in my soul.

I received a package from The Liz this week and I had to share it. It made me smile.

It is a little thing and so it fits this post. Although our friendship does not.

It is a gnome kit.

A naughty gnome kit. I told you. She knows me better than myself.

Isn’t this the coolest gift ever? I cannot wait to make all of the gnomes in this kit. I have leftover felt everywhere in my house, and thread, so this will be a fun project to do using items I all ready had in my house by following the instructions in the book.

Thank you Liz for your gift. And I am not speaking of the gnome book. I love you, girl.

It’s The Little Things: The thoughtfulness of a friend. I know I need to do more little things like this. It is a good reminder to my soul.

Do you have a friend that makes you smile? Have you given a fun gift to a friend recently?