Veruca Salt.

                                           1960's Mod Navy & White Dress (Thrifted, $2.50)

                                              Matching Daisy (came with Dress)

                                              1960's Mule Slingbacks (Yard Sale, $1)

Sheer.

90's does 30's Sheer Floral Bias Dress ($4.99)

1970's Black Maxi Slip ($1)

Black Velvet Flats

After years of searching, I finally found my sheer floral dress!  I gave up trying to find a real 30's dress fitting this description when the prices soared to a minimum of $200.  I just can't spend that much on a piece of clothing. 

 The split sleeves really add to the 'vintage' look; the only thing I could wish for would be a "dust" ruffle at the bottom (but I realize that is asking a little much for a thrift store find, haha).  So, I searched for weeks for a nude maxi slip dress to no avail, when I decided to throw my black one underneath "just to see".  And, it totally works!  Plus, the slip is an inch or two longer than the dress, which adds a little something extra when I'm walking/sitting that I really dig.  Ahh, so excited to wear this all Summer long. 



Blogger is driving me INSANE!!  What's going on with it?  It won't let me insert space between pictures or add writing..  Bah!

A couple nights ago, yes, after some drinks (i.e. courage), I decided to make a video of myself singing my newest song.  Which I then posted to youtube.  !!!!  What an absolutely strange process.  Although, it is weirdly exciting to know that a random person could hear your song and actually enjoy it.  Anyway, I've never had owned video recorder, or worked with any kind of film software, so it was a little slow going, but I enjoyed the process!  I actually cropped it, woohoo!  Overall, I'm glad I did it- but man, it's definitely strange. 

I'm reading a couple of books right now: 

The Man who quit Money - by Mark Sundeen

&

Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout - Philip Connors

"The Man who quit Money" was a little slow going (the author is a little too opinionated in the first chapter for me) at first, but I'm really enjoying it.  It's about Daniel Suelo, who lives off the land and shuns bartering/the money system all together.  The author does a good job of skipping around to different points of Suelo's life- speaking of religion, his fall from religion, love, personal relationships, as well as the technical aspects of living outside with no money.  He quit money in 2000, and is still going strong :). 

The 2nd book, is by a 'Fire Lookout'.  He explains how he got into the position, and has some WONDERFUL insights on the necessities of Fire, and some beautiful stories about nature/animals/man.  I love this guy.  

Have a great day, and see ya soon!

Health.

Why hello!

I've been outfit-lazy lately; but all the while hording awesome new finds to unleash when I'm feeling particularly inspired :).  

No, today, I'm going talk a little bit about my journey to health(iness).  I'm going to keep it short!

Growing up, I was overweight.  I'm 5 feet tall, so weight was always a challenge, and a puzzle I could never quite solve.  I just really didn't understand the connection between food/weight/overall mental & physical health.  The only thing the world told me was: you're fat.  They didn't tell me why, or how to fix it.  

Well, up until a 3 years ago (this July!), I was terribly confused, unhappy, and not connected to my body what-so-ever.  One day, fed up, I decided to CHANGE.  

I read one book about Nutrition, and was instantly hooked!  Over the next year and a half, I devoured every Health/Nutrition/Alternative Diet book I could find.  I fell head over heels in love with the subject, and found that I knew VERY little about real food and the human body. 

I also set out to try each alternative diet I was feverishly studying:  Macrobiotics, Raw Foods, 80/10/10, etc.  I really wanted to experience the way my body felt while on each one, so that I could find exactly what made my body feel the best.  

Overnight, I became Vegan (previously being a vegetarian for around 12 years), started eating healthy, and taught myself to cook.  It was a whole new world!  

Over the course of a year, I lost 45 pounds.  Insane right?  I can't believe it myself!!!  

Yes, I did start exercising more, but the bulk of it came off with healthy eating.  

I radically changed my diet.  

The other day, a friend asked me what I did to lose weight, and here is the full list:

I stopped eating Sugar.  

(I read one book about sugar, and immediately got rid of any and all foods containing it.  If I eat something with sugar in it these days, my body feels TERRIBLE).

I stopped eating all Chemicals.

No Canned foods.

( I do occasionally use a can of tomatoes now-a-days)

I started eating all Organic produce, Grains, and Beans.

I started eating a Green Smoothie every morning, and generally added tons of greens to my daily diet.  (Green smoothies made the most immediate change in the way I felt.)

I went Vegan.  

(I love animals -alot-, but the health outcome feels great too!)

I stopped drinking soft drinks.

I stopped eating processed foods.

I started eating only Whole Foods.

Before I went Vegan, I was eating mass amounts of CHEESE (which I thought I would die without), Pasta, and bread.  Yes, I had cheese cravings now and then, but my body felt SO much better immediately.  Honestly, I don't crave cheese at all.  Also, pasta was one of my favorite foods ever, and now I rarely, if ever, want it.  Once I started forcing myself to eat healthy, I eventually just naturally stopped wanting crap, and craved good food.  

From my experience and research, the most important thing about weight loss is DIGESTION.  You want to eat things that are going to move through you the quickest, and that are going to fill you up nutrionally, mentally & pshyically.  Fruit!, Veggies, Grains, and Beans.  You can eat as much as you want!  My body was doing cartwheels after a few weeks of healthy eating.  When I look back, I can't believe the way I ate.  All canned veggies, mostly canned fruit, soda every day, etc.  :(

One thing to remember, is that you are retraining your brain!  It's not going to be easy!  But like they say, nothing worth having comes easy.  I feel like a totally different person now than I did 3 years ago.  

So after all of my researching/diet trials, I found that, for me, my ideal daily eating is:

Raw Breakfast & Lunch, and a Cooked Dinner.

My typical (and ideal) day is:

Raw Green Smoothie (Greens, Fruit, a little Water)

Big Salad (Veggies, Greens, Avo & Lemon/Ume/Orange for dressing)

Cooked Dinner (Grains/Beans, or a Meal out)

I've also armed myself with several quick raw dessert recipes to quench my sweet tooth. 

Again, this is just what I have found works for me!  Everyone is different, so just seek out your weak spots and find a healthy alternative! :)

I really wanted to share a little of my experience to answer my friends question, but also to give you my weight success story ( I love to read other peoples!).  If you have one, please share!

Have an awesome day <3  ally.

 

Jamaica, Mon.

Hi!

We just got back from Jamaica Tuesday night.  I had an excellent time, but am so glad to be home!  Once I start missing washing the dishes, I know I'm ready to get back to reality :). 

To be honest, I went into this vacation with one agenda:  to relieve my mind.  I have to say friends, I succeeded.  Every morning, I went to the beach alone, armed with my trusty "Become Who You Are" book and ready to make some mental headway.  I find that working on yourself gets so stagnant when you run out of ways to put it to practice.  I stared into the sky, listened to beach singers, and pondered my life, but most of all I practiced just relishing in the moment.  I found that I could easily clear the cobwebs on old, negative, dusty thoughts and let the sunshine burn them away.  I was also reminded that I really do thrive in tropical weather.  Something about my make up really does feel 100 times more clear and happy in the heat.  I just feel so much more healthy- mentally & physically. 

With that being said, I left the island feeling renewed.  I feel more confident in who I am, the path that I'm on, my love for my Jimmy, my Mother & friends (old and new), and just generally thankful for having life. 

On a lighter note :), check out my new bathing suit up there!  I got the high waisted bottoms from Urban Outfitters (which I LOVE), and the top from a local store. 

One night, we all went to a cliffside restaurant for dinner.  We were able to walk down to a rock formation surrounded by ocean; and yes, MANY photos followed :).  The flowers in my hair (and holding), were on all the outdoor tables- they were so pretty.

Haha, oh my, my attempt at a photo op!  Ahhh, oh well. 

Below are 2 pictures from our first night, in which we discovered a beautiful old tree (perfect for some etheral looking pictures).  Jimmy's brother has a cooler one of me higher up on the tree and looking even more floaty.  The other is of Lisa (in a dress she got from our shop), which I have already edited.  It looks so cool!

There were soooo many beautiful flowers! 

Jungle kitty!

This is a view of the resort we stayed in, Grand Lido in Negril. 

So, this vacation was the first time that Jimmy and I found some activities that we were interested in.  First off, we went parasailing!!  What an experience!!  From the beach, it looks pretty freaking high- when your in the sky, I assure you, it's even higher!!!  I can't lie, for the first minute, it was pretty intense, but once you let go, it feels so amazing!  I literally was either laughing or smiling the enitre time.  What a rush!  While we were up there, we saw a giant sea turtle swimming all by his lonesome, flew beside a seagull, and saw a huge spotted stringray. 

Later on, we took out a 2 person Kayak-looking thingy for a couple hours.  We saw baby starfish, and sand dollars <3.  I realized that I had never seen a sand dollar actually living in the ocean (despite growing up in Florida), so that was so cool to see!

Haha, the baby crabs were hatching all around the resort, so there were thousands of tiny red/clear crabs everywhere.  I was constantly dodging them; they were the size of large ants.  Hmm, what else? 

Oh yes; Jimmy got to preform with 2 Jamaican bands- once at the resort talent show, and then at 'Bourbon Beach', which is a big Jamaican outdoor music venue. 

Of course we had to pick the same night to wear our long paisley dresses, lol.

He is so funny :). 

One more thing.  The world is full of so many negative people.  It takes practice not to get sucked in; but man, once you find ways to keep yourself happy, you feel like you can do anything!!! 

A Jamaican Jimmy and I met said, "If you are ever lost, walk torward the sun.  Physically, and mentally."  Great, huh?  It was perfect because I just finished a song before coming with the lyric "always walk torward the sun"; funny how the universe always supports your outlook isn't it?  Expect bad, and that's what you'll get. 

I love you all, and I hope you had a fantastic week! 

Radical.

'Radical' Tank, U.O.-  Gift

1980's Acid Wash Skirt-  Thrifted, $4.99

Hot Pink Lipstick

Black Velvet Flats

Sorry about the blurry-ish pics today, my camera is being a weirdo! 

Yesterday, I went thrifting at a new spot and found some awesome stuff for myself, which hasn't happened in a while.  This skirt being one of them :).  I would never, ever go out looking for an acid wash skirt (in a million years), but man, I tried it on, and I have to say, I love it!  It looks even cuter in real life. 

The other finds:

1970's dark Denim Knee length Pencil skirt (so coool)

1970's poly Blouse -plaid with little Daisies

1930's style Sheer Floral Bias dress (FINALLY!!!!)

1970's Faded black LEE Jeans (again, FINALLY!)

a pair of 1990's faded Black Jean shorts

1970's Blue floral Sun Dress (have to alter)

& a couple brown Western belts

This new place was a little pricey :(, so I had to put back a couple things.  The place was huge!  I was shopping for a little over 2 hours (it felt like days, haha).  I really needed a good thrift day- haven't had this much success in one store since last summer!

I love this shirt..  Jimmy bought it for me for Valentine's Day <3.  It reminds me of everything I loved in Elementary school; my true being, if you will.  Lol. 

So Jamaica is less than a week away, and I my bathing suit search is finally over!  Praise the bathing suit gods!

After searching high and low for some high waisted bottoms, I finally settled on the 'mix & match' pair from Urban Outfitters.  I originally wanted the plain black pair, but since they are selling out faster than they can keep them in, I opted for the black & striped pair.  While waiting for them to come, I went everywhere (literally) in search of a bright, maybe even neon, solid color bikini top to go with them.  I had absolutely no luck until I went to Dillards.  Dear god, bathing suits are SO expensive these days!  Maybe it's because I haven't shopped in a department store in ages, but holy crap.  The tops were ranging in price from $40-over $100.  For just the top!  Anyway, of course I found the perfect top, but with a price tag that was less than ideal...  I put it on hold, and then ran home to see if there was one cheaper on Ebay.  No luck there :(.  But after the council of my Mom, and Jimmy's Mom - yes, I am that cheap - I decided to give it a go. 

And boy, am I glad I did!  I'm so in love with it, and I'm actually excited to wear it!  I can't remember the last time I was excited to wear a bathing suit (maybe never?), so in the end, I'm glad I splurged. 

I have a one piece 1950's bathing suit, but I really wanted something I could lay out in.  Also, to be honest, I get pretty sick of ordering vintage suits off of the internet which end up not fitting correctly every year...  So it was nice to actually be able to try them on.

To end this very long story, the bottoms arrived yesterday, and they fit great!  When I'm on the beach, I'll try to muster the courage to take a picture to show you :).

Yesterday I finished the book, 'A Paper Life', an autobiography by Tatum Oneal.  Holy moly.  Poor, poor woman..  She had a horrendous childhood, and still to this day has to deal her terrible father, Ryan Oneal.  On the up side, she grew up in Hollywood, so reading this book also gives you insight on the likes of Anjelica Houston, Cher, Madonna, & Melanie Griffith, to name a few.  It's hard to put down- I read in feverishly for 2 days.  It's a great read, even if you aren't into her specifically. 

I've been writing songs like crazy lately.  I've been sewing too, but the urge to play guitar seems to take over my free time most of the time.  My structures are changing, and I tell tell that my abilities are broadening, which is exciting :).  We are currently recording a Good Night Noises demo (with the new folks), so I'll post it at soon as it gets finished. 

Have a great day!  ally. 

girls.

After our show a few weeks ago, we enlisted a couple friends to take some new 'Good Night Noises' pics for us.  After trying an actual photo shoot setting out last week, I've come to the conclusion that we definitely need a little help from good ol' alcohol to rid ones nerves :).  These are from the first shoot, and I think they turned out great!

Have you 'Girls' on HBO??  Well, it's awesome!!  I randomly came across the movie 'Tiny Furniture' on Netflix, and it immediately became one of my favorite movies of the year.  After doing some research, I found that Lena Dunham, who is the main character, also wrote and directed the film. 

I am in absolutely in love with her writing/directing/acting style.  She has a raw, real woman outlook that she is able to project onto the screen & viewer in such a fantastic way.  She captures what it REALLY means to be a woman, something I don't feel that I have EVER seen in a movie, let alone tv.  As an actress, she doesn't think about which angle will make her arm look skinnier, and she isn't wearing the most flattering outfits or vying to be the most attractive woman in every room she enters.  She is the mirror of daily life, and I find it sooooo refreshing.

Shortly after falling in love with her movie, I found out that she would be starring/writing/directing a tv show on HBO called 'Girls'.  Ugh, the build up was frightfully difficult, but I made it, and the show is everything I could have asked for!  Three of the characters were in her film as well; which is fun to see. 

Lena is 25 years old- can you believe it?  When was the last time a woman of that age was able to have an opportunity like this (i.e a show written, directed and fronted by a woman)?  I believe never...  I know it sounds silly, but I am so proud of her!  I'm so proud that such a well spoken, intelligent and down to earth woman is out there representing us in the cruel world of Hollywood.  I think this breakthrough will affect how the industry views women; and hopefully society will eventually follow.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard a man say, "Women aren't funny.  Name me 10 women that are funny".  PSSHHHH.  Please.  And you know, I last heard this comment/insulting question about a month ago.  From an adult man. 

The older I get, the more I am aware of the subtleties of the male hold over women.  Before I continue, I obviously do not mean all men, I am speaking only of the non-evolved men that find women intimidating and act out either quietly or loudly. 

I notice small things- women not being themselves, women not laughing, not speaking their opinions, not telling jokes- when they are around men.  I think as women, these things have been beaten into our souls by society.  Once again, either consciously or subconsciously. 

We believe that these things will make us seem unattractive to men; or on the flip side, that other women will dismiss us as a 'guys girl', and judge appropriately,

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Women, we need to be our own best friends first.  We need to stop judging each other, ignoring one another, being jealous of one another.  Once we are at peace with being a woman, and other woman, we can do anything!  Because at the stem of jealousy, is an unhappy person.  A person who does not love themselves, and wishes they could be ANYONE else besides themselves.

With that being said, everyone has felt that way.  Everyone has lacked confidence at one point or another (I know I have!).  The brain is hard to rewire, but think of it as you would a habit.  The thoughts that pop into your head have patterns.  You created that pattern, that 'habit', and you can just as easily change that pattern or habit.  With practice. 

When you feel jealous (or have a negative thought), don't hate yourself!  Stand apart from your thought, and view it as if you were someone else.  Laugh at it.  Say to yourself, "Oh brain".  Move on, brush it off.  Acknowledge the crazy thought, accept it, and put something positive in it's place.  The more you feed into these thoughts, the more they will flourish.  Even if your trying to NOT think about something, you are still putting thought into it, thus giving it life. 

This works for all negative thoughts.  Eventually, they will become fewer and further between.  Obviously, we will always have negative thoughts pop into our minds- it's human nature.  But we don't have to listen to them!  :)

We are always a work in progress!

Lena <3

so long, Picnik.

1970's Gray, White & Pink Silk Scarf  (Thrifted, $1)

1970's White Eyelet European Dress (Ebay, $16)

1970's Bass Sandals (Thrifted, $6)

Well, the day has finally come; Picnik.com D-Day.  I guess the company was bought out by Google?  Either way, I checked out google plus editing, and I'm not really feeling it...  Luckily, a friend suggested a website to me, so we shall see how that works out.  But for now, you will find me editing All.Day.Long. 

I've been waiting weeks for it to be warm enough to wear this dress!  It's such a beauty :).  The flounce at the top really gives this dress personality.  And, I can't lie, this dress definitely changes my mood the second I put it on.  I love it, but it's a corset, so it is SO tight!  Sitting is going to be mighty interesting today :).  It's been so long since I've worn a dress with boning; it certainly takes some getting used to. 

Did anyone ever watch 'Pete & Pete'?  Do you remember the episode about the kid that sat behind young Pete and chewed those pink dental pill/candy things?  Check out my teeth in the top pic- hahahaaa, it's all I can think about, lol.  I loved that episode; that kid was so awesomely gross!

Just so you know, I come up with all kinds of *important* things to talk about throughout the day to share with you, but then I get on and just word vomit my stream of consciousness all over the place. :)

On an outfit note- I really do dig the idea of my blog; the 'what do I wear to work everyday, blah blah'; but I do come up with my best outfits when I'm going out at night (who doesn't really?). 

Plus, I really, really don't like putting on makeup during the day (which is why I usually just do lipstick so that I look somewhat awake and photogenic).

So, I've been trying to find interesting places to photograph, but it just isn't panning out.  Here is my question to you:  do you want to see pictures from outside of the store?  Perhaps some pictures of my well dressed friends thrown in? 

Now that I've typed the question, I've decided that the answer is yes.  So, look forward to some new scenery :).

 

My Jamaica trip is coming up!!  Woohoo! 

I can't wait. 

I've been sewing some beachy-summery looks from the 40's and 50's, but I think I'll wait to photograph them until I'm on the beach :). 

Ahh, sunshine, fruit & relaxation..

Oh yes.  I've been meaning to mention this for ages. 

::::Men, avert your eyes::::

Have you ever heard of 'Party in my Pants' cloth pads?  I know, the name is a little silly (and it's PIMP abbreviated), but they ROCK.  I tried out several different kinds, with not so great results, until I landed on these.  I've been using them for years, and I will never, ever go back  to anything else.  Not only are you saving tons of resources every year, but you are saving tons of money as well.  Plus, you don't have those nasty chemicals in or against your body. 

Oh yeah, and they come in all kinds of cool patterns/fabrics, which does more for a pick me up during those days than you'd think :). 

http://www.partypantspads.com/

Well, that's all for me today folks.  Have a great day, Ally.