Are you all having a good holiday? I hope so. I am writing this before the break, but it will post on the holiday, so... There should be some pictures from the Thanksgiving break in the next post.  

Why do I look terrified in this picture? I have no idea. Maybe I realized that I would never wear ponte-knit pants to work again. I thought I looked pretty fierce, but seeing the pictures made me realize that maybe the pants were too much for work. I like it for the weekend, though - maybe for my upcoming 12-hour trip? Anyway...I have to layer a lot with these pants so they don't feel like leggings (they have working pockets! They aren't leggings!), plus this sweater has maybe shrunk - I have gained a little weight since buying it, but it fits much smaller than other shirts from the same time. Also, the moths that got into my closet ate a hole in the sleeve. Boo.              

Outfit Details:
Blazer, brooch, sweater, pants: Thrifted
Longest shirt: NY&Co
Tank top: Ol' Navy
Scarf: Gap
Boots: Target
Necklace: Gift from grandma

This necklace was part of a whole box of jewelry my grandma gave me with the intent that I could take the pieces apart and make new jewelry. This necklace had a tarnished dream catcher charm that I removed. I decided I liked the necklace as is, so I kept it. 

The scarf has quickly become one of my favorites - I need to make some more, it is just a large tube of knit material. I like that you can kind of see the light green pinstripe on this blazer. THe blazer is actually a really dark navy. This brooch was one of three that my husband gave me for Christmas a year or so ago. He gives really good presents, and I am really bad at gift giving. Go figure.


EOTD: I just did a pretty neutral eye with a thin eyeliner. Just a couple colors: a white shimmer from Victoria's Secret (their cheap eyeshadow) and a yellow loose shimmer from jANE, maybe? It is really old (I replace my mascara fairly often, but never the eyeshadow).

I mean business in this pose...

 A quickie post today; not a very exciting outfit. I love layering skirts and dresses (ala Butane Anvil) and I was at work by myself due to the upcoming very long break. I'm a state employee (no more hints about my job, though) so I get almost a week off for Thanksgiving! Woo! There may be a recipe post-type-thing in honor of my unique holiday feast. 

Okay, on to the clothes!

The underskirt is actually dark brown and is one of my most flattering skirts - it is a nice cotton lawn type fabric with a ribbon hem. This black linen dress is great for layering, but I purchased it back when I was quite a bit thinner, so I can't wear it on its own anymore (read: buttoned). I am working (sloooowly) to change some of that, but this is not a weight blog, so moving on! You can see the rainbow-stripe knee socks I am wearing to keep my legs from falling off in the cold, too. The skirt, tank (not seen), dress and brooch are all from thrift stores. The boots are my standard ones and the socks are from...??? I have no idea - they are so old the elastic isn't really working to keep them up over my calves. The scarf was $5 at the 'mart.

 

 Clean boots! I know! Can you tell the difference? I finally cleaned these boots, the right one is the 'after' shot, obviously. I just use petroleum jelly on my leather and pleather shoes - it helps waterproof them, clean them and the shine wears off after about a day. I used to use shoe polish and I would polish my and my husband's shoes every couple months, but it was messy and smelly and labor-intensive. I only do that now for nice dress shoes that need a bit of extra shine, or if a black shoe is losing its color. I will say that my Dansko shoes really look great after a polish, the PJ treatment is kind of just a 'make do' cleaning, but for shoes like these boots, with the buckles and straps and such (or for my non-black shoes) the PJ treatment works really well.

The EOTD for today is another Coastal Scents grouping, yellow-green and grass green from the Sydney Go Palette. I have started using a Revlon gel-liner, and so far I like it better than the other gel liners I've tried. I also use Rimmel mascara. The green liner on my bottom lashes was kind of a happy accident, but one I am glad I made.

I am NOT ready for the holidays, there are no Christmas/Yule presents finished, and I haven't even picked my side-dish recipe for Thanksgiving. Only 5 weeks left! Aaah!

Mid-Month Status Report

It's time for...my first CorpGoth Mid-Month Status Report!

So...cold weather tricks indoors - this is a perfect topic for today because my office is extra cold. I have both a chilly home and a chilly office, so I have developed several tricks for staying warm in chilly times. I live near the western border of Virginia, so although it isn't as cold as my home state of Idaho, it gets pretty darn cold inside my office!

Mori girl, being warm! Sorry for the grainy picture - my office has poor lighting!

Firstly, I wear blazers, often over cardigans (an aside--I rarely wear this grey cardi, but I've worn it twice on the blog...it was the only one that really went with the mori girl vibe I was going for) especially wool blazers - they are naturally warming and need laundering less often than other fabrics. Scarf and mitts are essential - I have over 30 different scarves and the thicker pashminas or knit scarves and cowls are worn all autumn and winter. These mitts are from the pattern that I ended up making for Yule gifts last year - these were the 'test' pair, so I get to keep them (at least that's how it works in my head). They are made with superwash wool - meaning that they can be thrown in the washing machine with my other clothes - no special treatment required! BEST THING EVER (for fiber enthusiasts)! I wear them all day long. I have to have my fingers free at work for typing, but these help to keep my joints from getting achy.

 

Another trick I use is layering. Today I'm wearing a fully-lined overskirt, a cotton underskirt and a polyester slip. Each layer traps warm air - one of the tricks I learned from growing up in North Idaho. I'm also wearing a cardingan, elbow-sleeve jersey shirt and cotton tank top. Underneath all of that are leggings and SmartWool socks. Wool-blend socks can be spendy (I got these from SierraTradingPost.com for about $10) but they are totally worth it. You can get some that aren't so 'hiking sock' and there are a lot of thinner styles that are still warm. I have to wear thicker socks with these boots, but I also own angora-blend socks that are as thin as regular cotton socks. Wool breathes, so your feet stay warm but don't really get sweaty - plus wool will keep you warm even if it gets wet! I have tested this out - I always wear socks when going cool-weather kayaking and my feet stay toasty even though I walk through cold water to launch the kayaks. 

Finally, my secret weapon: a heating pad! (I haven't made a new cover for it, but that is in the works). This makes a HUGE difference in my comfort level at work. Not only does it keep the legs and buns toasty, but sometimes I'll put it in my lap to keep my hands warm, too. I am planning on investing in a small heater soon, too (if I get the promotion I'm waiting on!) . 

Outfit details:
Blazer - Thrifted, vintage
Cardigan - NY&Co
Shirt - Twenty-One, thrifted
Tank - ON

Overskirt - Maurices, hand-me-down from my mom :)
Underskirt - Target
Slip - Thrifted, altered (was the lining for a skirt that fit poorly)
Leggings - NY&Co
Boots - Target
Socks - SmartWool, via Sierra Trading Post
Necklace - Handmade
Mitts - Handmade

PS - I had to throw in a picture of my necklace. It is one of my own designs that I decided to keep. Real copper is my favorite metal, and I love the organic feel of this necklace. Too bad it was covered up by a scarf all day!

I'm excited to see what everyone's tips and tricks are for staying warm!

Through a sylvan doorway...

 Finally! A good hair day for the blog! You also get a peek of the room outside my office...

This is one of my "formulaic" looks = dress and blazer and chunky necklace (or scarf). It helps with the cold (I promise I'll stop harping on about this!). Today's outfit was intended for a meeting - but I had the wrong day :( So I was pretty much alone in the office looking awesome for no reason. That's what blogs are for, right? That, and cats.
 
I hate it when the only people who see me looking snazzy are my coworkers - they don't really comment on clothes, even though some of them are clothes fiends. I don't know if it is the slightly different industry, but going from customer service to office administration means that I really never get a comment or compliment. When I was in sales I got a comment every day, but at my current position...zilch. It definitely made me think about how vain I am and how dependent I am on other people's appreciation for my self image. Hmmm...again, taking pictures for this blog helps me realize that I look good without receiving public validation! Okay, personal revelation over!

Outfit details:

Blazer - thrift store

Dress - Loft (?), thrifted

Shoes - hand-me-downs from my sister

Necklace - handmade by me

Brooch - vintage, thrifted

I love the detailing on this dress. The empire waist is flattering and the embroidery has a boho vibe to it. It was a lucky thrift store find from my fruitless Halloween costume search (I wore it as a not-quite-a-vampire)
 
This necklace is one of my favorites; I made it this summer and the pendant is real copper that I strung on a beaded chain. I've started getting a little more artistic with my jewelry design, so expect to see more designs on the blog. I don't have an active website anymore, though, because I made far more sales in person and the website was taking up a lot of time for little reward. Enough about that, though, on to the EOTD!
 
Today's EOTD is another from the Coastal Scents palette (Paris). I used eyeshadow as a liner and just did a purple/dusky orange-rose smokey eye. I am going to keep experimenting with photographing my eyes, too, so next time should be better!




Title from song by Spiral Dance

You walk like a zombie...

Hello all!

Today's bloggity blog features leprechaun pants, a cat and too many pictures! Plus, my first eye of the day (EOTD)! So exciting!

Okay, so maybe it was a long, lonely, boring day at work and I'm taking pleasure in the little things. 

First up, the outfit details--starting with my outerwear! This is a 4 year old trench coat I got for Christmas. It is starting to get a bit worn and frayed, but it is wool and goes well with black and colors and doesn't look awful. So it stays for now. Cat bonus! Here is Frank--he's a sort-of stray who adopted us, but has to live outside 90% of the time--if he is left indoors he panics and tries to dig his way out of the windows, even injuring himself. He is allowed in as much as he wants, but he usually wants to be outdoors as much as possible. He also hates being held, so it was pretty special that he held still in this pic. He is a very sweet cat, though, and even anti-cat people seem to like him.

The scarf is one of my favorites--it looks much more expensive than it was ($5) and makes casual outfits feel a little more glam. The mitts are from last year when I was testing crochet patterns for Yule gifts--these didn't make the cut so I kept them (I went with a better pattern--maybe I'll share here?). They are wool, though, and keep my hands warm in my chilly office!



Outfit Details:
Coat: Target
Scarf: Wally world
Drapey cardigan: NY&Co (altered, shortened)
Cowl tank: NY&Co
Grey tank: Old Navy
Prepster chinos: Gap
Black flats: TJ Maxx
Brooch: Vintage, going away present from a friend in Idaho.

I did promise some EOTD action, and here are my lovely blurry pics...I didn't realize they were blurry until processing them after I'd already removed my makeup. The black and green are from my Coastal Scents palettes, and the white is a no-name from Walmart. I've been having a lot of fun with brightly colored eye shadows lately; with glasses it sort of 'muffles' the color, making it easier to wear at work. This is also a way for people with darker clothing to bring some color into the look (if they want it).


Title from "Walk Like a Zombie" by the Horrorpops.

Layers to beat the cold

My first official post! This was a fairly standard Sero outfit: skirt, leggings, cardi and scarf. My office is freezing (I sit on a heating pad to stay warm!) so layers are a must. I did get a picture of the gorgeous necklace I was wearing, though.

As I said in my intro, I'm not officially 'goth' (I don't have the secret handshake down yet), and so my style does not necessarily represent anything but my personal tastes. I don't dye my hair, or have tattoos (yet! After student loans come tattoos...), but I admire the culture, fashion and music, and the bloggers who are part of the goth community. Okay, enough sucking up. Ha!

Outfit deets:

Cardigan--Maurices (hand-me-down from my ma)
Top--thriftstore
Skirt--thriftstore
Leggings--NY&Co
Shoes--Dansko
Scarf--Gift
Necklace (unseen)--Gift




First, these shoes...kind of boring, chunky maryjanes. My sister gave me these Danskos after she stopped working at restaurants and became a nurse, and they are some of the most comfy shoes I own! They are a good alternative to heels, since I can't wear them anymore (knee injury). I tend to wear a lot of ballet flats, too, or my motorcycle boots (best purchase ever--for a later date)

Here is the accessories shot. I love this scarf, it is green on one side and pale yellow on the other. The necklace is a leafy design in green and silver rhinestones and gunmetal settings.

No makeup shot today; I took my pictures too late in the day and it didn't look great :) I hope to add makeup shots to the blog eventually.

Introduction and welcome to my new blog!

Hello all!

I'm trying this blog thing again. I plan on posting outfit posts once a week, and maybe more if I can keep up with it. I may also post recipes, craft projects, book reviews and cat photos (surprise) if I think they are worth sharing.

A bit about me and my style...I love goth fashion (always have) but have only recently begun dressing more on the darker side of life. I have been berated by friends and family alike to "wear more color!" for as long as I can remember. I admired the fashion and hijinks of the goth crowd in high school, but never had the confidence to join in. Now that I'm in my late twenties and making up for lost time. I intend this blog to be an addition to the 'wearing black at work' blogs (which include some of my favorites, the excellent CorpGoth being my first taste of goth blogs) as well as a way to show off my quirky, layered style. I also love mori girl style and take a lot of inspiration from blogs like Ephemera and Butane Anvil.

I also wear a lot of vintage and vintage-inspired clothes, and I design and make some of my own clothing and jewelry. 

I like most styles of music and have a very eclectic Pandora list! I am also a very avid reader, mostly favoring fantasy and YA novels. I like cheesy monster movies (Van Helsing, anyone?), Doctor Who, vampire shows (though I prefer the True Blood novels to the actual show) and murder mysteries. I also love almost all things British: shows, books, scenery...

I'm also a cat lover with three adopted 'kids,' Hank, Checkers and Frank (yeah, and Hank and Frank even look alike. Not intentional!). They will show up on the blog eventually, because what would a blog be without cats? 

Edited to add:  although I played with the saturation and vibrance of my portrait, those are my real eye and hair colors. I usually wear glasses, and so people do not notice the eye color difference very often, but without glasses it even throws me off, haha!