Outfit Fails & a New Love.

Ahh, yes.  So many outfit fails that will never reach the light of your laptop.  These are the 2 most recent ones. 

No, the outfits sadly did not translate to film, but I still found some cool pieces!

#1

New----->1970's Navy Daisy Shorts  - thrifted, $1

1970's Daisy Tooled Leather Belt -  thrifted,   $2

1990's Sandals -  thrifted,  $2

I FINALLY found some sandals- praise the shoe gods!  It only took me over a year, and countless (and I mean countless) hours in thrift stores, but I finally snagged a pair that I like, and most of all FIT.  -Sigh of relief-

Of course, the entire sole came off the first day I wore them, but they've been 'Shoe Gooed' and are as good as new :).  

#2

1970's Poly Bird Print Tank,  yard sale $2

Yeah, the awesome bird print definitely does not translate.  Too bad- it's a pretty cool print.  

It's strange how much a photo changes the way you look at your clothing.  Cher had it right, what with her computer/polaroid way of choosing her outfits.  

Anywaaaaaaay.  

I've fallen in love folks.  

with TY Segall.  

Oh man, I'm obsessed.  

Behold!

FUDGE....  So good.  

I haven't found I new singer/band I've liked this much in a while; and I certainly needed it.  

To my surprise, he is currently on tour, and is coming to Nashville in September!  Yeessssss.  I haven't had the option to see a band I love in a long while, so I'm super pumped to make the drive!!!

How to be VEGAN and still have Friends.

Vegans get a pretty bad rap don't they?  

I've found that even someone just finding out I'm vegan, even if I don't say one word about it, can elicit some pretty intense feelings, hateful or otherwise.  

Here is a helpful list of tips for navigating a Meat Eating world.

1.  Don't complain!  

I find that people really love to think that you aren't eating what you WANT to be eating.  They want to know that you are suffering without eating meat and cheese.  Avoid saying things like, "I can't eat that", and replace them with the positive opposite, "I don't eat that", or just "No thanks!".

2.  ALWAYS eat something before you go out to eat (restaurant or dinner party).

I never, ever go out to eat at a new restaurant without eating a little something first.  Even if it looks like there are vegan options, you just never know.  Don't ever put yourself in a situation where you are starving.  Starving = Unhappiness.  Never let them see you squirm!

As for dinner parties, eat something small before, and bring a dish to share- which brings me to my next ...

3.  Only bring your BEST dishes to a Dinner party.

You want everyone at your party to see that vegan food is normal food!  It's just not Dairy or Meat (which is only 2 food groups of many).  You want everyone to love your dish so much that they consider the fact that Vegan dishes can be just as good!  :) 

4.  Never expect anyone to Cater to your eating habits.

Are you going to bring a steak to dinner just because someone there eats meat?  No.  So why should they cater to your veggie love?  Don't expect anything- always be prepared!  

5.  Get your Facts straight.  

Some people love to fight with someone who stands for something.  Plain and simple.  For some people, you simply stating a preference = you telling them that they are terrible person, and you hate them.  No, this is not at all LOGICAL, but it's life.  SO, just keep a little bank of statements/counter arguments in the back of your mind that you can easily access.  Which brings me to my next point...

6.  Don't Freak Out!

The general public sees Vegans as being angry.  Even if they've never met one.  Don't let yourself be a statistic!  If you must enter an argument about food, try your very best to put forth your BEST self, and do not get flustered or angry.  This is what SOME people want.  They want to have another excuse to hate a whole sect of people. 

7.  You cannot CHANGE anyone.

When you make the decision to become vegan, it's usually because you do a ton of research and find out just how much ugliness lies beneath almost EVERYTHING in the food/fur/clothing industry.  So you make the decision to not contribute to that ugliness.  These new found facts burn a whole in your brain, and you think, "if everyone knew about this, they would surely stop too!"  Unfortunately, you will find that this is just not  true...  Your words will fall on deaf ears.  And the louder you try to scream them, the less people will HEAR you.  

How do you feel when someone tries to PUSH information on you?  You turn away.  This is no different.  Plus, everyone has to hear the right information at the right time for them to have that "aha" moment.  

Instead, if you want to talk about it, keep it casual.  And only talk about things that pertain to the conversation.  Just be generally respectful to the person you are conversing with, as you would in any other situation!

and finally...

8.  Have Confidence!

You reserve the right to eat whatever you want.  Having confidence in your morals and ideals takes practice, and will strengthen with time.  Just do what feels right for you, and stand behind those choices!  There is no negativity to that, unless you make it that way :).  

And remember to have fun with it!   Choosing peace for animals shouldn't mean taking on hate toward humans- hate is hate.  It's never conducive to a resolution.

ally.  

Lone Ranger.

 

Belated Birthday Pics!

My Mom came up for a day of thrifting and then to dinner at a restaurant called 'The Senate'.  I found this dress earlier that day, and I must say it is one of my favorite dresses I've ever gotten my hands on!  It was a maxi (unfortunately a very unflattering length), so I hemmed it right in time for dinner.  It seriously fits me like a glove :).  Plus, I have tons of fabric left over to make a little top and skirt.  Double score.

1970's Birthday Dress, Thrifted, $7

Nude Platform Sandals, Ebay, $14

1970's Pin dot Blouse, Thrifted, $1

1970's Tapestry Indian Belt, Yard Sale $2

1970's Lee Corduroy Bells, Borrowed from Jimmy, $0

1970's Moccasins, Thrifted, $7

Well, I finally figured out that if I use Safari instead of Firefox, I can use Blogger without wanting to throw my computer out of the window :).  I'm Mac retarded, sigh...  

Wow, this is one cheap outfit, eh?  I've been pretty lazy lately when it comes to outfits.  Mainly, it's been hot.  I'm blaming the weather.  No, but it's days like this that I don't take pictures- maybe it just feels too casual?  But then I realized that perhaps casual days deserve their place too..

Oh, I love this top.  It's super thin, and just sheer enough to feel super comfortable, but not that you have to wear a tank top underneath (which I absolutely always avoid).  It's really nothing special.  But for some reason the little pin dots get me.  I had to cut off the sleeves, which prompted Jimmy to make a crack about me being "too cool for school".  Ha!  Not a fashion choice; I'm a midget, with raptor like arms!  I must dress accordingly.

Yes.  Jimmy and are are basically the same size, but his plethora of pants never 'fit quite right', so it's not often that I can "borrow" (aka steal forever and ever) a pair.  I finally got some, bwahahaahahaaa.

So, I was perusing HelloGiggles this morning; catching up from the weekend, and landed on a short  article on women with mustaches.  I was a little saddened by the fact that the writer and every commenter was of the same opinion:  Wax/Burn/Chemically eradicate it or die of embarrassment.  I looked through the comments hoping for someone to mention that 99% of women have facial hair on their upper lip, and that 100% of humans (we are animals folks) have facial hair.  

When I was in high school, some awesome person made a comment about my upper lip situation, and I was mortified (as most adolescent girls would be).  I quickly went and bought that stupid chemical kit that dissolved the unwanted hair.  And guess what?  That blonde peach fuzz grew back darker.  Awesome.  So, then I decided I would be in for a lifetime of chemicals burning away at my lip.  

Insert time, a million lessons learned, and a love for my body.

To that idea, I say F U!  We all have hair on our faces.  And for the most part, noone ever notices but you.  And if they do, so what?  We aren't freaks of Nature, and I propose that we not feel that way about ourselves!  I stopped using that chemical crap years ago, and embraced my little shadow.  And honestly, I don't ever even think about it.  And if someone else does, they are suffering from far greater issues than I will ever have, so let em.  We should all have our own ideals, not some barbie aesthetic shoved down our throats.  

:)

Oh!  I've recently started doing Pilates, and am so in love!  I love how difficult it is- it makes me feel so strong.  Plus, after every class, I notice muscles in places I didn't know could be tightened, haha.  After another few classes, I'm going to start going to the 'Barre' classes as well; I'm pumped!  

Have an awesome day, Ally.

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!