I didn’t buy a purse on Sunday.

This might not mean much, but to the people who know me, this is a rather big deal. I love purses.

I have a fair amount of purses. Purses are pretty darn awesome. I have a blue one, a yellow one, a red one, a velvet one, a few black ones, a brown one, one covered in spots, one covered in Newspaper print, one covered in clocks and one covered in patches.

I always have a purse. And have bought at least 3 purses in the last three months.

But this post isn’t about purses. This post is about Sunday. On Sunday I returned home after a long week, and made a fatal comment to my Mother:

“I kind of want to go shopping.”

I’m sure you know what that means. We went shopping. Too much money spent later, I am now the proud owner of several new pieces to my wardrobe, and also some new porcelain bowls to further organize my jewelry collection.

I wasn’t looking for a purse, but you know, you wander. You look. You end up in random sections of the store, perusing rugs and wondering if you need a new hallway runner to, I don’t know, liven up your living space.

And thus, I found myself in the dress section, when all of a sudden, I was assiailed by the shimmer of a thousand sparkling lights! My eyes blinked and I shook my head at the glimmer! What is this, this shiny and shocking sight?

Why, it’s a dress.
That’s my size.
That is $10.

Do I really need to explain what happened after that?

Like most of my purchases… I have no idea when I’ll wear it. My current plan is to wear it on Halloween, along with a flashing globe necklace, and an iPod/speaker hookup blaring “Funkytown” by Lipps, Inc. (I’ll be a DISCO BALL! So clever, I am.)

So… yeah. No purses this week, like I said.

I know, I know, summer is nearly over and with summer, the lovely summer vacation! But we still all have our adventures, so this post will always be relevant. Besides, Nona of Daddy Likey is heading to Chicago and lamented to me this week that she didn’t know what to pack!

There are things in life that I have trouble doing, and packing is not one of them. I will admit up front, that I tend to be an over-packer, a trait I inherit from my loving mother, but because of this I have a reputation of Always Being Prepared, which is a pretty durn good reputation to have. And so, I give you:

Lemon Love’s go-to packing tips!

1. Take your greatest hits.

You know, that tanktop that everyone always comments on? The dress that you feel like you can conquor the world in? Take that. Always have one outfit that you feel like you can seriously kick butt in, because who knows what kind of butt-kicking is going to be necessary in your upcoming adventures?

I generally have two or three outfits I gravitate to when I’m planning a vacation, and here is a quick summary of what I like to pack:

A pair of black pants or capris
A pair of jeans
A skirt (or two)

I always pick the pair of pants or skirt by cut, and how it overall makes me look. I’m not going to deny the fact that I hate sweats and pajama pants, and if you’re looking to look posh and lovely during your vacation, what do you need these unflattering bottoms for?!

I then pick out my favourite three shirts with each bottom, and then narrow them down by deciding which shirts will combine together best. For example, would I wear red shirt with skirt AND jeans? Yes? It gets packed. Would I wear Hot pink Roxy shirt with black capris or skirt? No? It stays at home.

Always bring at least one long-sleeved shirt. (Or short sleeved, if you’re traveling in the cold months) And the same goes for pants. Even if you’re going to Bermuda, chances are that if you pack all shorts you’ll get to experience the First Epic Snowstorm that Bermuda’s ever had.

I’m also going to say, bring the dress clothes, but don’t forget the outfit you can leave behind. When you sign up for that spur-of-the-moment Spin Art class and suddenly have no idea what to wear, you’ll thank me.

Having a choice of what to wear and being able to combine your outfits (same shirt, different skirt, same pants, different shirt) gives you a chance to be versatile without packing your entire wardrobe.

And here’s an extra tip for free: If it’s an outfit you don’t normally wear at home (your blue sparkly feather boa, that dress that doesn’t quite fit right but you love it or your brazilian knee-shorts that so-and-so gave you so you’d better take it ’cause you’re visiting them…) don’t bring it! You probably won’t even wear it if you’ve packed it, and if you do, chances are you’ll wish you’d packed your favourite pair of jeans instead.

2. Pack jewelry.

Granted, I am a bit of a jewelry addict, but it adds such a nice touch of pizazz to an outfit, and just changing your jewelry can affect the entire look! Seriously! I generally stick with a few beaded necklaces and a statement piece or two, and then bring a bajillion pairs of earrings so that I have a selection to choose from.

How do you pack jewelry? I like to stick all of my earrings in an old mint tin and zip my necklaces into a little pouch, or, barring that, just toss ‘em into my purse. Whatever works for you. I generally refuse to spend more than $15 on any piece of jewelry, which means that a) I have a lot of jewelry, but b) I have enough jewelry that breaking one piece isn’t the biggest tragedy in the universe, so I can afford to be a little careless.

Don’t forget to give yourself a little variety!

3. Don’t forget your makeup!

I would generally say that when packing makeup for a trip, to stick with the basics. Take your foundation, coverup, mascara (“everyday” items, as well as a good basic eyeshadow that you can use for every occaision.)

My brushes are this amazing set I found at Target for less than $10 on clearance a few months ago. At the time it was an incredibly foolish purchase (I should have bought food instead), but I have used it so many times in lieu of getting my good brushes smushed in my makeup bag that I don’t regret it at all!

Once you’ve got the standards packed, pick one statement look. The blue eyeshadow compact, the raspberry pink eyeliner, you get what I mean. If you’re only going on a 4-5 day trip and haven’t decided if you’ll spend the entire time lounging at the pool or having dinners with local government officials, it’s a good call to have something comfortable and a little flash-flash.

4. Take more than one pair of shoes.

Your blisters will thank you for it. I generally opt for a pair of flip flops (or “flippy floppies” , as I like to call them now), a pair of cute shoes I can walk around all day in, as well as a super comfy pair of dress shoes, and maybe a second pair of comfies.

I’m house sitting this week and this is what I’ve got packed for my use:

These are certainly not my fanciest of shoes, but they’re the shoes I trust. The shoes I know I could hike down the Great Wall of China in. The shoes I can kick some serious butt in. And those are the shoes you need to pack!

So there you go! Lemon Love’s packing tips! What do you like to take along when you’re packing for your next adventure?

The subject of this post is “jingle jangle jingle” because for the last three days, and for the next seven days, I’m housesitting for dachsunds. Their tags jingle and click and one of them is always (ALWAYS) spinning around in circles, so the jingling never stops. Not even at night.

I said dachsunds. I didn’t say how many! There are six of them! Shirley Bird, Joey, Brody, Lester, Rosie and Daisy. It sounds like it would be impossible to keep track of them, but it is actually quite easy. The number one problem with keeping track of them is that they’re so small.

I also didn’t say the most important thing about them. The owners (who I work with) are very sweet, generous people who both own and foster disabled dachsunds, which I will label as the photos go.

6 dachsunds is a lot of work. A lot more work than I thought it would be, but so far it is totally awesome.

Daisy & Rosie are sisters and they like to snuggle. They are both deaf and blind. Daisy can hear a little, we know this because she runs around faster when you say her name.

Lester is the sweetest old man dog ever. He only wants to nap on his pillow, and snuggle with you at night. Lester can see just fine, but can’t hear at all. He also needs a lot of encouragement to go upstairs.

Don’t be fooled by this. Joey is the PUPPY and the INSTIGATOR and if you want him to sleep at night you have to HOLD HIM DOWN until he falls asleep. He is half-deaf and half-blind. Most of the dogs at this house are rescues from bad breeders.

A better picture of Joey, and more accurate. He’s actually the biggest of the group, it’s amazing to watch him attack everyone else who is about 3/4 his size.

This is Brody. He likes to chill out when you are doing things like putting on makeup, or sitting at the computer. He also tells fortunes in his spare time. Brody is blind and deaf.

Savannah (who I visited in Sisters, and visited who came to town this weekend) and I took Shirley Bird for a walk today and it was EPIC. I ended up carrying her part of the way home, but it was still super fun. Shirley can see, hear, dance and hold whole conversations. She is paralyzed from the waist down but scoots around the house like a maniac and is a complete tyrant. It’s totally hilarious.

The thing that totally sucks about these six dogs is that they’re not all completely housetrained. WHEE, FUN. Don’t blame the owner, two of them are fostering, and I can’t imagine it’d be easy to house-train a completely blind and deaf dog, let alone three! And then there’s the really old guy, the puppy who is stupid (in an endearing way) and the paralyzed one, so…. you take what you can get. It’s a pain, and kind of gross, but you deal. Or at least, I am.

I must admit though, being fabulous is not my top priority this week–rather, suriving without getting pooped on is.

So if there’s a bit of radio silence on my end for the next while, that’s where I am. I’m sure I’ll be posting photos to my flickr as it goes!

This summer I cannot get enough of frozen yogurt.

Mmmmm I am crazy crazy over raspberries and chocolate.

Technically this is Nona’s froyo, but still! Strawberry+fruity pebbles… why didn’t I think of that?!

I confess, I am the type of person who finds something they love… and sticks with it. It is SO GOOD, though!

Don’t you just love a good frozen treat on a hot day? I’m looking forward to more sunshine and cold, sweet treats!

So, readers. Can I say readers? I know I have a few, a number I like to describe as “more than three, but less than a bajillion”, and I love all of you dearly. Really! Trust me when I say that every day I spend not posting on here is a day I spend alone, weeping in my room, bemoaning my lack of inspiration and ability to focus while beating myself with knobbly sticks and wearing a sackcloth made of bees.

…or else I spend it eating a solid pound of homemade guacamole, but you know how these things go.

BUT ANYWAY. Dear readers, when the Plaid Trend started appearing in my store last fall, I am not going to lie to you–I scoffed. I laughed. I rolled my eyes and wondered whether looking like a Lumberjack was back in.

So when the plaid started coming in waves of neon yellow and bright orange, I snickered. When the designers started adding random ruffles to said neon yellow and bright orange plaid dresses, I sniggered.

And then, one night, after watching the Ugliest Fashion Emergency I’d ever seen grow for six months, I sat bolt upright in bed and held my hands to my heart in shock because I realized that I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

And I wanted it.

Thus began my determined quest to find a cute plaid dress to, I don’t know, prance around like a billygoat in. My desired colours were jungle green or bright blue, but alas, no matter where I went, the other super cool, ugly fashion loving ladies had always beaten me to what I wanted.

And then, one morning at Ross, while I was struggling to decide between the leggings that said “PEACE” on the butt and the heavy-knit giraffe printed kaftan, I saw it.

A red plaid dress.
With ruffles.
In my size.

I would like to state right now that I am apparently The Blessed One when it comes to shopping, because this is the third shopping experience like this that I’ve had in the last 3 months, and it is amazing. Hopefully though, this doesn’t mean that I have to Save The Fashion World or Take It By Storm or something because being a hero is hard and also I have a blister on the back of my heel, do you have a band-aid in your purse I can borrow?

Anyhoo. I snagged that $10 dress up in an instant and decided to try it at work last week.

Pictured: me, in The Matrix. Not pictured: prancing around like a billy goat.

I paired it (ha!) with a pair of black leggings (because otherwise, HELLO CHOCHA) and my wide black belt. I also wore my red-heel-flipflops which I should probably get rid of but I love too much to do so.

For the first ten minutes I wore it, I felt like I was wearing my Grandma’s nightgown. You know the kind, right?

And then, for the next ten minutes, I felt like I should maybe have an axe or eat some pancakes.

But after the twenty minutes (which I like to call the “Time Of Doubt”) I felt like a rockstar. A night-gown wearing, maple syrup craving, axe-wielding rockstar.

So, the plaid trend? What do you think about it? Like I said, I both love and hate and don’t know what to do with it, but it’s fun and snazzy. I’m honestly just hoping that houndstooth, gold detailing and big shoulderpads come back in soon so that all of my recent goodwill finds will not go to waste.

This is a post I should have made a few months ago, but it’s only more appropriate now that it’s sunny and gorgeous outside.

I walk and take the bus everywhere as much as possible. This is partly because I enjoy walking and partly because I cannot afford car insurance, and also partly becuase of a very long convoluted story involving a lot of tears and a totalled 2004 ford Mustang. (Candy apple red. 40th Anniversary edition. Custom wheels. Custom decals. Personalized license plate. Like I said: A lot of tears.)

So… Walking! Taking the bus and train! On a lot of days it totally sucks but during the school year it’s nice because it gives me time to study, de-stress, and read fun books I otherwise wouldn’t have time to read.

Because of my schedule last term I would always miss the bus home, and have the option of sitting for 45 minutes, or walking two miles (which takes me about 40 minutes). Every single day I walked home I would pass by this lovely car.

And I do mean lovely. It was vintage, it had rounded headlights and it was lemon yellow with matching hubcaps.

It was also a Mercedes Benz, and it was for sale.

I called my father after walking by it for about three weeks. “Dad! You HAVE to buy me this car! I mean, I know I don’t drive or anything, but… but… I need it. Really. Please? Birthday present?”

I even had my license plate all planned out for it:

A few weeks later, my Dad drove it into our driveway.

Eee! Isn’t it so cute?! And yeah, that’s my Mom in the car.

Since I don’t drive, it’s Mom’s car, which is just as fun. I feel super glamourous driving around in our lovely little vintage Benz.

I’d like to think of this as not only the Ultimate Find, but the Ultimate Accessory! Just think of the outfits we can coordinate to match the car now!

Daddy Likey’s blog post mentioning a super hot feathered headdress inspired me to cave into yet another accessory trend.

Hair accessories.

Now, keep in mind that the last time I had long hair, the only kind of hair accessory I would tolerate was a rainbow scrunchie, and that when I graduated from high school I cut my hair so short all I needed to know was what number the razor was. Needless to say there wasn’t much going on in the way of hair accessories, besides what colour I had dyed it that week.

So, I hopped on the train into the Big City, and went to the two stores I knew could guarantee me some fabulous new hair accessories on the cheap.

Claire’s and Forever 21.

I’m completely ashamed to admit that I got suckered into spending $30 at Claire’s. First off there was this cool necklace that I liked, and then I found 2 pairs of earrings, and you know, since they always have this deal where you get like, 1/2 price off the third pair, or free, or whatever, I had to get a third pair and that was almost $24 before I even found the hair accessories in the back of the store.

Tricky bastards.

Also, I fully admit that I was rude to the shopgirl. As someone who works in customer service, I understand the fact that you’re just doing your job, but I also am a customer service worker who respects people’s space. I let you tell me about the sale as soon as I walked in the door. I declined the use of a bag. What more do you want from me? She seriously followed me around for 15 minutes repeating the same four lines over and over again, until I informed her that she was being rude. I could have done so nicer, but by the end of those 15 minutes I was a wee bit irritated.

So, I’m sorry, Claire’s shopgirl. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, but please, please, please remember that I’m not just a Customer, but a Human Being who can get irritated and yes, I heard you the first time when you said that all hot neon pink things were on sale WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP NOW.

(inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale)

Regardless. I found quite a few cute things there, at this place swamped with day-glo encrusted 13 year old girls, including but not limited to this black rose headband:

$5.50, but if you buy one you get another one for half off, OMFGGGGG

I love it! The camera doesn’t do it justice–it is, in fact, completely sparkly. Kids, if you don’t know anything about me, know this: I love sparkles. Everything needs more sparkles. The WORLD needs more sparkles. Sparkles are fun! Sparkles are cute! Ilovesparkles.

When I had my aforementioned short hair and I had dyed it black I had 2 bottles of sparkle hairspray (rainbow sparkle and silver sparkle) that I would wear every single day. Some days, it would just look like I had rainbow-coloured dandruff, or that I was prematurely graying, but it was worth it to know that my head was encrusted in sparkles.

Anyway, it’s sparkly, and I love it. After draining my bank account at Claire’s, I doggedly hiked over to Forever 21 and promptly found this lovely bow/feathered headband:

$6. It makes me feel like a flapper. I love it.

Isn’t it lovely?! As much as I love the sparkly rose headband, this one is much better for me because of my dark hair. I have a feeling that the rose headband will get stolen by my blonde older sister and she’ll rock it so hard I’ll have no choice but to give it to her on a permanent loan. This happens quite often, and is one of the reasons why I often tell people that I’m adopted and that my real family is coming to claim me from Germany soon.

If you’re wanting a totally awesome hair accessory, but would rather order one from my favourite website (also known as etsy.com), there are so many options out there for you!

The Pretty In Pink Hackle Feather Headband: $16 ; Addy Lady Amherst Feather Hairpiece: $30 .

Vanessa Red Guinea Feather headband: $10 ; Turqouise flower on a double headband: $10 .

Yellow Prarie Rose hair clip: $18 ; Cream Hydrangea with black and white guinea feathers: $15 .

…and many more! I’m so on this hair flower boat, while I was at Forever 21, I picked up a rose clip or two.
What do you think?!

I haven’t really decided yet if you’re supposed to wear them all together or not.

This post is incredibly image & video heavy! Sorry, kids with slow connections!

After some hiccups and terrible machine burps, my Dad has restored life to my desktop computer. (It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!!!… ahem, whoops.)

So… I posted 1/2 of the photos from my Central Oregon trip about a week ago. The rest of the trip was highlighted with miniature donkeys and happy dogs at a waterfall. Super fun, no?

Aren’t miniature donkeys the cutest stinking thing you’ve ever seen?! I certainly think so.

This is Sahalie Falls, AKA the coolest falls ever, in my opinion.

Aaand this is Loki, who was delighted to swim in the resevoir at the end of the hike.

I did find a few cool things on my trip! I got this sweet Morroccan belt at an antique store for $10. I don’t know if it would really be classified as an “antique”, but it’s certainly unique and makes a statement!

This purchase will probably go along with my thigh-high snakeskin boot purchase in the realms of “BEST PURCHASE EVER”. “When will I wear it?!” I asked, and my best friend responded, “Uh, EVERYWHERE!” It works!

It’s my new favourite outfit, I’m not going to lie.

I also found this little ashtray for $6. With the use of some goo-gone it’s insanely adorable, and the perfect place to keep my pearl and rhinestone earrings seperate from the rest of my collection!

It’s so cute! I don’t care that it’s an ash tray, I love it! Leetle birdies!

I am so very glad to be home, and in my own creative space again, after a week of vacation and a week of dog-sitting. It is so very frustrating to wake up on July 20th and realize that your summer has been more stressful and hectic than your average week of school!

Hopefully now we can start getting into the “Fun Swing” of summer! How has yours been, so far?

So people really liked my “shopping tips” post! I’m glad that you guys did. The last few weeks of awful summer shopping, though, I have been composing another, slightly more serious post.

We’re going to talk about shopping etiquette.

I’m going to do my best to not turn this into a rant about All of the Jerky People that come into my store, because I don’t need to rant about them, but I will tell you that most of this comes from my own experiences.

Here are things to keep in mind while shopping at a Store That Sells Things.

1. Make an effort to put things back where you found them.

Now, I totally understand why you would hurriedly toss an item that you don’t want as you run out the door onto the closest clothes rack. I do. I promise. I am the type of shopper that carries an item through the entire store, only to decide at the cash register that, Hey, maybe I don’t need to spend money on this. and I leave it somewhere close by.

I do this all the time.

Because of this, as an employee, I’m incredibly zen about this concept. “Eh. I’ll put it back.” It’s my job. If everybody put everything back where it was during the day, I wouldn’t have a job, because the store wouldn’t need someone to put stuff away!

However.

Every single person I have ever shopped with takes me to task for putting items in random places in the store. I’ve had my wrists slapped, and also been glared at by many a friend (and stranger!). Remember this kids, nobody wants to clean up after you. Clean up after yourself!

You can bet your boots (haha) that I put this back where it belonged. Right next to all of the other amazingly bright coloured boots at goodwill!

Along the same lines of “pick up after yourself,”…
2. Hang up your clothes in the dressing room.

Many a day I work in the dressing room, only to have a customer hand me a GIANT PILE OF CLOTHING and apologize, “Oh, I’m so sorry! So sorry!” for handing me a giant pile of clothing and hangers.

Apologies mean nothing if you can fix it. If your baby is screaming and throwing a tantrum and you’re walking out the door? Apologize. If you tripped and fell and knocked a display over? Apologize. If you don’t attempt at all to fix the problem? Don’t apologize. It’s not a band-aid that solves everything.

Hang up your clothes as you try them on! You have the extra 2 minutes it takes to toss them on the hanger! It doesn’t take that long, really! They don’t even have to be straight, or completely buttoned up. Just take a minute, and remember that someone always has to clean stuff up after you.

3. If shopping with friends, be aware of your surroundings.

Trust me on this one. I love shopping with friends. The best trips involve lots of giggling and photographing silly things.

Darn straight we’re hugging a stuffed unicorn!

The problem with shopping with your friends is that it’s easy to forget that you’re not still in the basement where nobody’s around to be irritated by you. It’s easy to walk slowly, be in the way, and just generally too loud.

Try and be aware of your surroundings, even when you’re having fun in the mall, because there are still Nice Old ladies shopping around, and new mothers with sleeping babies, who don’t necessarily need to hear about Your Latest Sexcapade or the Sexy Lingerie You’re Going To Wear Tonight. Have fun, but try not to be too disruptive.

Basically this post comes down to, remember that people work in the store. People who deserve common courtesy.

Tune in next week when we discuss when it’s appropriate to use a potato spork during a first date.

This week I am house-sitting for some of my customers and also dogsitting a very lovely spaniel-lab mix named Max who likes to snuggle in the middle of the night and has a habit of sneezing in my face.

He’s pretty sweet, and I’m having a lot of fun, but it’s a little strange to blog from someone else’s home. But I can’t neglect you guys, and also, The Mighty Ducks isn’t as entertaining as it was when I was 13. (Though Emilio Estevez is totally still as cute as he was, I remembered that part right!)

While on my vacation with my best friend. She took me to this place called Beacham’s clocks.

Beacham’s clocks is my new favourite place.

This is one of my favourite clock faces, I’ve taken photos of more than four clocks with it, but have yet not been able to find it to buy. Aren’t the numbers cool?

I ended up with this clock face. It now lives on my wall. I’m rather fond of it! I also bought a few paper faces too!

This clock is pretty appropriate for my movie today. Quack quack!

This whole week I’ve been home I’ve spent looking online for more clocks and clock faces. Am I the only person who gets semi-obsessive about things like this? Once you find one… you just want to find more!