Your filthy room, your drama blues

First of, thank you all so much for your kind and supportive comments on my last post! This outfit is something I wore to class a few days ago. The only upside about living in residence is that most of the building on campus are connected, so I can often forgo boots and a coat. This black and white floral dress was a thrift store gem. I thought it would be too small (I'm awful at judging sizes just by looking) but it fit me perfectly. Success!









thrifted dress & cardigan, Payless flats, gifted necklace

Most of my outfit posts will be taken inside from now on. Winter has nearly set in, and as the snow hits the ground I feel much less comfortable setting up my tripod in public. I wish I had someone who could take photos for me (or even a yard where I'd feel comfortable setting up my tripod), but even so it's blizzarding as I write this. I had a hard time getting proper full body shots inside, but I think I've found the right location. My room is tiny (about 8x10 feet) and it is the only space I have to myself. However, I doubt you read my blog for the excellent photography (ha!), and hope you'll stay with me over this winter spent indoors.

Self-reflection

I've been having a hard time lately, and this accumulated into today's self-reflection. The following post is pretty personal and discusses mental health.

As the days get shorter I find myself getting exhausted. Sure... I wake up, go to class, talk to friends and peers, go to meetings and appointments, and do my homework. But as soon as I've fulfilled my responsibilities and get home I just want to curl up in bed and sleep until the next day - it doesn't matter if it's 9pm or 3pm. And this is the cause for a lot of self-bullying. Why are you stressed out? I say to myself You're not the only person to take a full course load and sit on a board of directors. Other people do all that and more. You don't even have a job! ...I sure know how to hit myself where it hurts. The idea that we are our own worst critics is tossed around a lot, and I've certainly found it to be true.

I am way too hard on myself. It's okay to have your own personal standards, but I should know not to compare myself with others. Not all abilities are the same. I'm constantly plagued by the notion that my mental health issues will render me useless, and I create ridiculously high standards for myself to try to combat that. I'm not being fair to myself.


Me three years ago (at age 16)

Three years ago I literally could not get out of bed. The entire concept of "responsibilities" would have filled me with panic. I had quit going to school entirely and was making the decision of should I drop out, or should I let them kick me out? Days bled into weeks and my memories can only be described as a blur of utter despair.

When this realization came to me this afternoon, my feeling of self-deprecation quickly faded. I was pleasantly surprised to realize the positive changes I've made since then. In fact, I'm astounded by how far I've come in the past three years! My mental health issues are still a part of my life, but the longer I've had to deal with them the better I've got it.

This post has been spontaneous and sincere, so I'd hate to end with something trite. Let me just say that I will try harder to recognize my successes, and be (much) less hard on myself. And, as always, if you ever need to support with regards to mental health issues, feel free to email me.

Weekend Wear

Here's what I wore yesterday, and today. That's what weekends are for, right? ...right? I'm in love with this sweater (so cozy!) and blazer. Layered together they're casual-chic and perfect for the current weather. Thank goodness for thrift stores!





Yesterday I went to an exhibition opening at an art gallery, checked out a new-to-me antique store, and took myself out for sushi. I honestly hadn't been to an opening reception before, and I felt very sophisticated sipping wine while looking at the art. The artist was there, but he was surrounded by others and I was a bit nervous to approach him and possibly interrupt someone else. I still need to work on my assertiveness!

Today I went to one of those huge Christmas craft sales. You know the ones that take up an entire events centre and have 500+ vendors? I hadn't been to a craft sale of such a large scale, but it was pretty cool. I didn't do much Christmas shopping (I'm a bit broke right now and a lot of the items were out of my price range anyway) but it was a lot of fun to look around. I plan on hitting up a few smaller craft sales near the end of the month, and hopefully I'll find some gifts there. Speaking of gifts, I was thinking about writing up a little post about gift giving - would any of you be interested in that?



thrifted men's sweater
thrifted plaid blazer
Penningtons pull-on skinny jeans
Naturalizer boots


Overall I had a really great weekend, and I hope you did too! What did you do over the weekend?

Interview Attire

This is what I wore for a job interview last week at a shoe store. I felt I did a pretty good job with putting together an outfit that said "19, stylish, and professional." What do you think? I don't normally ask for constructive criticism, but when it comes to interview-appropriate clothes I could really use some advice!



I assure you the wind-blown hair and sultry glare weren't there for the interview, it was just really windy outside!





thrifted sheer button-up
Old Navy flared jeans
thrifted men's sweater
Payless heeled boots
thrifted bicycle pin
gifted watch
thrifted/refashioned gold bracelet

30 for 30: My 30 items

I meant to post this last week but the days just flew by! Here are the 30 items I'll be remixing for the challenge.















I don't want to impose a lot of rules on myself (it's supposed to be fun after all!) but there are a few:

- I'm not counting tights, leggings, winter coats, tank tops worn for modesty's sake, scarfs, belts, or any other accessories
- I hope to finish this challenge before Dec. 15 (when I fly home for Christmas) so I'll be posting more frequently than I have been the past few months
- that being said, I won't force myself to rush and finish the challenge if it happens to take longer
- I won't purchase any new clothing during the challenge (I might buy some second hand clothes, but mostly I'll be saving my money for Christmas)

I'm really excited about this challenge and will start posting the next 29 outfits soon!