Missing Kitteh Came Home!!!

I had just fixed myself a fine bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats when I went back into my room and heard a scratching at the back door. Assuming that it was one of the other members of team cat, I opened the screen, sat back down at the computer...then all of the sudden...."MEEP, MEEP, MAAAAOOOOWWWW!!!!!"
Albany Kitty came home, after almost a month of being MIA! This is the very first time we've ever had a cat come back after being missing for so long. I had honestly given up hope after the first week.
Thank freaking god for random miracles.
She's currently sleeping right up against my hip as I sit here typing. Since I let her in the door, even a can of tuna couldn't keep her away from my side. And she's not even skinny! Albeh Kitteh, where the hell were you?
I'm so happy she's back:)

High-Point of the Week?

Have you ever seen my overcome with joy face? It's here...
I've gone done it. Married to the Mob.
Lovelovelovelovelovelove....

Jeans: By Noble, best skinny jeans ever for the price (found at Tj Maxx on clearance for $8 in the spring.) They actually have stirrups too, tucked in to work with...
Shoes: Forever 21
Belt: Hot Topic
Also, the red lipstick...can't see it quite well in these photos, but Target Red (only available at Target) by L'Oreal, it's the absolute truest red I have ever found.

It even has hidden suprises underneath the tag. This shirt makes up for atleast one week of not getting any.

No-Pants-Lazy

I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I've declared a lazy day. This consists of a handful of things: letter writing, sitting, eating Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt, smoking, renting a movie from iTunes, and not a whole lot else. Any movie reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.
I have taken the time to document some of my favorite things for the day also.

1: DIY Tobacco. We actually ran out of tubes today, so I had to figure out how to hand roll the real way. It's amazing what can be accomplished in times of desperation.

2: Authentic Japanese Incense: I bought this box last spring in Porter Square. Still have plenty left. It's such a gentle scent, and also claims to ward off insects as a bonus. Makes such little smoke, it's just all around good. Has a lovely little passage inside the box :)

3: Present from friend after sudden loss of JM zippo. I got this in the mail, came with certificate of authenticity and everything. Fancy stuff kids!

4: Goes without explaining. With one of my favorite scarves made into a bow. Sometimes god is good. This bag makes me excited to go out. If only to Target to buy frozen novelties, and immediately return home.

Favorite shirt, meet favorite skirt:

Tonight I went on the annual Plymouth Police Fund Raising Booze-Cruise with my boss! We know about 1/2 of the town police force, as they are regulars at our cafe. And some of the most pleasant, quirkiest people I've ever met, might I add. Providing the law with delicious food also has its perks. I drove around town with an expired inspection sticker for about ten months.

Anyway, Saturday night I had one of those terrible I-have-nothing-to-wear-episodes, and went out searching. Savers, JC Penney, Target, TJ Maxx, Salvation Army, Old Navy. First of all, this was ridiculous from the get-go, because I have plenty to wear, and was being irrational. If for nothing else, it gave me something to do for a few hours. But I came up with nothing. Couldn't even find a scarf worth buying. The shopping scene is honestly a barren wasteland right now. This is gods way of telling me, "save your fecking money..."
In the end, I was forced to be creative. There were two guidelines I had to go by for this event:
1- No flowy, poofy skirts. There are lots of windy situations on boats.
2-No pin-heels. Not on a boat, while drinking, in the wake of hurricaine bill. Save yourself the misery.
Creativity was kicked into gear, and I came up with this outfit. I took my favorite dressy piece and my favorite casual piece, and made them work together.
The telnyashka (I told you you'd see it again) is a bit loose, not quite feminine. So I tied off the staps with bows made of red craft ribbon I had stowed away. This is an invaluable trick to making any plain t-shirt or tank look cute. Changing the neckline changes everything. This could be done with buttons, or also for those of us who are into effort, stitches.
Paired with the best skirt I've ever bought. Found at JC Penney last summer with the first $10 off coupon I got (before the 17 cent dress). I think it cost me a total of $8 or so. This type of skirt is classic, modest, and yet extremely flattering and sexy. It even passes as professional. (See catering gig last month...) I have gotten a ton of mileage out of this skirt, and I will never ever get tired of it. It's by Michelle Bohbot for Bisou Bisou. The material is flexible yet incredibly sturdy and comfortable all the while. I could write poems about this skirt.

Belt found at Salvation Army a while back. This belt is just entirely awesome. Made from elastic, with a slide adjuster. Fits low on hips with jeans at work, or at mid-waist with dresses.
Shoes from Charolette Russe, early spring last year. I'll say it again, red heels go with everything...

In the end, I'm delighted that I never found anything worth buying for this event. It was much more fun being creative with what I already had.

The Pinup Swimsuit

I haven't gotten a whole lot of beach time in this year, but after rifling through my bathingsuit drawer, I think I should make it a priority.
I found these suits last year on pinupgirlclothing.com
The one piece is one of the more flattering swimsuits I've owned. In retrospect I wish I had gone for one of the polka dotted ones (I'm a bit tired of cherries) but I love the uniqueness of this. You can't just go to a store and find something similar.
The bikini is just bad ass. It has a pucker bottom to boot. I'm thinking about altering the top a little bit.
Warning!: The one piece runs extremely small, and the bikini runs pretty large. I had to shorten the straps when I got it.
Also, the pinupgirl.com site is a bit shoddy, unfortunately. Especially as of late, they have tons of out-of-stock items still up that have been up for months. But the things they do have up, I give an A+ to. Also, with your first order you receive a discount coupon for the next purchase. I think it was about 15%...
I've noticed that the quality of photos my camera is kicking out is deteriorating at a rapid pace. And trying on swimwear is the best way to confirm a case of birthing hips. Elliptical time!

If you know why I am so excited about this, you probably know too much...

The other night while I was in a pre-sleep pointless google hunt, I came across this business. Nothing was ever more meant to be.
Married to the Mob...why has it taken me this long to find you?
The clothes are ghetto-glam, something I usually never incorporate into my wardrobe, but god damn, I think it's about time.
And to boot, the girls behind this label keep an absolutely fantastic blog. It's feminist, modern, witty and extremely addictive. (MOB Living, Most Official Blog). One of the more recent entries is about the shitty American practice of advertising prescription drugs from everything to twitching leg syndrome, to eyelash enhancing pills...for those suffering with inadequate lashes. If I could high-five this blog, I would do so. Highly recommended.
I've been searching to the ends of the internet for some of the past-season collections, but can't find any for the life of me. At karmaloop.com, they have a decent collection, and if you sign up for their news letter you get a coupon code for $10 off any order, which I think is incredibly generous for the lack of work involved. I'm entirely sick of those "$10 off with order of $150 or more!" or "free shipping with purchase of $300 and over!" Bitch, please. If I could afford to order $300 worth of clothes off the internet, you'd best believe free shipping is not a financial dealbreaker...
Married to the Mob, I am in Love with you.

On Shopping in the Children's Department...

In my shopping adventures, I've found that one of the cardinal rules to finding neat-o stuff for dirt cheap is to look in every section. It's pretty much always true that no matter what store you go to aside from boutiques, womens clothing is always considerably more expensive than mens. This is because they know that in general women are willing to pay more, materials and cuts are more elaborate, trend turnover is rapid, etc. So, let's take a walk away from the juniors/womens department...
Nothing is cheaper than clothes for kids. Which brings me to this dress, found last summer in the Target childrens department. Granted I can not fit into most clothes intended for kids, but this dress was the biggest size they had for girls, and fortunately for me the biggest children in America are well...rather big. As was I when I was a youngster (yes, I was always a hefty kid growing up...as in 5th-12th grade...)

Also, I've found some of the best basic pieces in the mens/boys department at Salvation Army: My favorite vintage denim jacket, a braided leather belt like those I've seen a billion times on French fashion blogs, a sweet vintage red sweatshirt that I altered into a boatneck...the list goes on.
The best fitting plain white t-shirts I've ever found were in the boys section at Target...on clearance, about $6 for a pack of 3 or 4. Awesome for screen printing.
The point is, you need to search EVERYWHERE. You'll be surprised at what you find.

Dress: Target summer '08, kid's dept.

Necklace: A gift from Gwen last year, from Albany. I'd also like to have one that says "NON!"

Belt: Salvation Army, found sometime in early 2008. I shortened it so that it would fit tight around the smallest part of my waist. I now realize that I did a better job with the seam than the original one on the side I didn't cut. This is one of my favorite pieces. It goes with everything, makes otherwise baggy and blah shirts fitting and stylish.

Shoes: Charlotte Russe, last April or so. Red heels work with everything.