A Song for Sunday- Flaws.

It was my ingeniously wise friend who once again introduced me to the beautiful new group "Bastille." I swear, this girl should have her own blog or something because she just has that magic touch for discovering new music.

Once again, these guys are British. Must be a British invasion here.

The first song I heard of theirs was "Pompeii", which is now one of my favorite songs, and just recently, they released their new album "Bad Blood." Check it out, it's class.

I decided to share "Flaws" here with you today because personally, it's one of those self-confidence boosters. I think we as people often forget that the "flaws" we see in ourselves are the little things that other people love about us. I know I'm going to go all "Little Things" on here with you, but I speak the truth! What I see as a flaw in myself is what another person could fall in love with. Flaws are merely our perception of our insecurities, but truly, they are what make us unique from one person to the next.Instead of seeing that mole as a fault in oneself, see it as an unequaled and distinctive flair that makes one stand out.

Besides their singularly uplifting and round sound, Bastille has lyrics that truly speak the truth. Flaws, whether inherited or learned by experience are all part of making the imperfect being of oneself. There is no such thing as being perfect, but that's what makes us these beautiful and complex creatures that we are!

"All of your flaws and all of my flaws
They lie there hand in hand
Ones we've inherited, ones that we
learned
They pass from man to man."

I just love Bastille's music so much. And their music is truly quite unique. So whether one hides the flaws deep beneath the ground, or wears them upon the sleeve, own up and appreciate these little blemishes and know that they are what make you.. YOU.

Nippy Sunday.

It is seriously chilly here.

And I don't want to leave the confines of my warm house.

I would much prefer to stay cooped up in my blankie and hold my coffee close to my heart.

But I live in Alaska, I am an Alaskan girl, and therefore must make an appearance OUTSIDE IN THE COLD.

I woke to twelve degrees this morning and clear blue skies, which is the worst. When the skies are clear, there is no cloud cover for warmth and so temperatures drop and the air turns frosty and bitter. They are my least favorite winter days! I long for snowfall and temperatures not in the teens, or worse, not in the positive numbers. But that's what cashmere coats and heated gloves are for, yes?

So I went out and had some coffee at my favorite coffee dig, Coffee Roasters, which was altogether pleasant. I could feel the sun on my skin through the windows and wondered why that same sunlight couldn't make the temperatures outside a little bit more bearable. Oh well.

For the rest of my day, I will be working on some applications. Inside, of course. But I did bare skin and brave the cold for some photos outside. Oooo, and I have crispy cheesy grilled cheese just delivered by my side. It's gonna be a good day.

What I wore: beaded rhinestone collar (used), red SURVIVAL dress (from the lovely town of Homer), black LONG TALL SALLY leggings, and red houndstooth TOMS. 

Fog and the Forties.

I decided to go all back in time to the beautiful and classy 1940's. Think WWII, Christian Dior suits, and foggy train stations. I donned my red lipstick, went all cat-eye on my makeup (completely opposite from yesterday!), and wore this shirt with one of my all time favorite photos on it.

It's the famous kiss taken after the end of WWII that just makes my heart melt. And the thing about the shirt is, I was in the airport probably back in December and an older lady came up to me and told me how she remembered that day and went on to tell her story of WWII. It's instances like those that make me smile. To know that an article of clothing had such impact on an older woman and the fact that it brought up fond memories, that's a priceless encounter right there.And I love the forties anyway, and so to hear her reach back in time just made me smile, as well as her.

So I wore this favorite top of mine and when it came time to take photos this afternoon, I was quite surprised to see a heavy blanket of fog creeping its way through the trees and above the ground. It reminded me of those foggy train stations I mentioned earlier! And I love the fog for its creepy and misty ways.

Clothes have a way of telling stories, bringing back memories, making people smile. That's the power of style. 

What I wore: FOREVER 21 grey long-sleeved top (super sale), locomotive style AMERICAN APPAREL skinnies (from Paris!), and red houndstooth TOMS.

Throwback Thursday- Missing my Fellow Friends.

Passenger's "Let Her Go" is a constant on my iPod. Being home this year and thousands of miles away from the life I built down in Arizona is tough, yet when I was down there, I was struggling with missing home. That's why the entirety of the chorus is a mirror to what I'm going through. 

"Well you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you’re missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go.."

It's a lovely song, really, one that I truly cherish and appreciate. In fact, it's one of those songs that I like to cry/sing along to. Truly, it hits all these sensitive points of me and is one of those works of art that seems to have been made for me.

It makes all the sense in the world to miss something when you have it so good and then when the process is reversed, it's the same type of mindset. I guess it's just human nature. 

That being said, I do keep in contact will all of these lovely souls who have changed my life in so many positive ways. Of course I would never change one thing about my time down there no matter how much I complain about missing it. I'm thankful for at least being given the opportunity of a lifetime. 

And instead of looking back at these memories with a sad heart that it is no more, I will smile and remember the memories that I shared with these incredibly unique individuals. And fear not, I will see them again! And it's journeys and adventures like these that make me cherish what I had and will forever hold dear in my heart. 

Au Natural.

It was the first time that I had to scrape my car this morning. Well besides the few exceptions in Arizona where I had to use my credit car as a scraper, I was prepared with a heavy duty scraper today. Oh how I anticipate these long months ahead *said me never.

A good thing about today was the beauty. I was on my way to yet another showing of "Thor" (I can't get enough of Loki's humor and Thor's bulging muscles!) and was a captivated by how naturally stunning it is here in Alaska. I often forget the beauty here. 

Today's outfit inspiration actually came to me from a photo I took because I was so in love with the color and lighting. And then that whole "natural" mood got me into putting on zero makeup. Now I love myself some old fashioned 50's styled eyeliner and the all powerful tool of red lips, but sometimes I forget that ones beauty comes without all the product and that sometimes, we need to go all commando style. On the face. Haha. And I'm gonna go all Macklemore on you and quote his song Thin Line: The greatest trick that the Devil ever pulled was convincing women that they looked better in their makeup." Love that. 

So thank you Alaskan beauty for fixing me such a stunning backyard view and for inspiring me and reminding me that natural beauty is the prettiest beauty. 

What I wore: vintage beaded pale blue sweater (used), brown BANANA REPUBLIC tank, green MAUVE skirt (used), white HUE tights, and brown MIA ankle booties (used).

Love and First Snow.

So our first snowfall has arrived! In case Facebook notifications didn't already let me know of this towns first winter powder, looking outside at the whiteness sure let me know. It actually happened the other day as my sister and I came out of the theatre from seeing the epic "Thor." Of course we were in her mini car not equipped for snowfall and so the drive home was full of below speed limit grandma driving. It was great.

Now commences the harsh realities of Alaskan winters: bundling up every layer of exposed skin, careful driving on slick roads, crispy ice cold air freezing the inside of the nose, starting cars twenty minutes early in the morning, and the list continues on. 

But you know what I've learned? I found that its much more satisfying to find little things about these seemingly terrible times and learn to live something out of them. So whilst I loathe -30 degree mornings, I love it when the snow falls lightly upon the ground and the feeling of giving and sharing is in the air. I love hot cups of coffee and tea, cuddling in my cashmere sweaters with a good read, and cozying up by our fireplace ( by wood which my sister and I have gathered). 

And speaking of love, it thrills me beyond compare that someday someone will love me as much as I love them. Thanks to Ed Sheeran, 1D, and other British singers that I admire, I now know that there are special people out there. There is such thing as old fashioned and romantic love. 

I feel it is the season of love. I feel that love should be all day, every day. Love and be loved. Find love in all the little things, for some day, those little things will matter and be the biggest things. 

What I wore: IDAISY red faux leather jacket (given to me by my kind sister), cashmere BURBERRY scarf (used), oatmeal THE CLAS-SIC tank (used), black CITIZENS OF HUMANITY jeans (used), and off-white WET SEAL booties.  

A Song for Sunday- Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend/Material Girls.

Today was quite a glamorous one for me. I had set aside this day for finishing up my FIDM project and so today was the day for photographing the various outfits for my "typical customer."

My mom and I had quite a ball parading around CCCB taking photos and posing here and there. I'll even share some of the photos with you!

The reason for choosing this mash-up (besides the awesomeness that it is thanks to Moulin Rouge and Glee) is because I felt very glamorous and very Monroe today. Of course Marilyn pulls it off simply perfectly in "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" with her contrasting hot pink next to the glamour of the diamond sparkle, but I got to feel just a little of that "ah" moment one feels.

Every time I listen to this song, I just want to parade around in my room and sing in that breathy tone whilst looking at plush displays of diamonds draping off every surface. It's a lovely feeling to escape into that glamour and richness.

And truly, diamonds are a girl's best friend. ;)