Merry Christmas! | Novelty Print Skirt and Faux Fur

Merry Christmas world! I hope you are finding your day full of love and support. I hope you have found peace from the chaos of the retail world. I hope you find grace and goodness in the warmth of you're loved ones. Also, I hope none of your presents bomb and your outfit is on point. 

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It's always good to have the grind of the Christmas season wind down. It feels amazing to be able to put on your favorite festive outfit, be it fuzzy leggings and novelty sweaters or fun and fancy pin up reproductions. That's your key to get a drink and kick back to enjoy the spoils of your labor. 

I splurged on this Hell Bunny skirt last Christmas and I can't even begin to count the times I have worn it since. It's the perfect novelty print to morph for any season and I'm loving the pin up vibes with my first attempt at bumper bangs. The bangs are just the perfect amount of pin up sass to add to the sweetness and the novelty of the Hell Bunny print as I can feel my style subtly changing to include darker, edgier elements. 

It's entirely possible I will be buried in this skirt because I adore it and it could probably be appropriate for a funeral too.

And let me just say, I truly hope your Christmas outfit includes some fur somewhere. I poached this faux fur collar off a printed wrap that just didn't thrill me anymore and I've been wearing it every day since. It's so easy and cozy just to throw on like a scarf. I know exactly how I'm going to surviving this winter; wrapped in dramatic furs and dosed in red lipstick because yum.

Shirt: (dress worn as a shirt) Kohls | Skirt: Modcloth | Shoes: Modcloth | Socks: Sock Dreams | Belt: Target | Fur Stole: Target | Scarf: Thrifted | Lips: Nyx's Liquid Suede Lip Cream in Kitten Heels

Buffalo Plaid and Stripes | Outfit + Body Positivity

This outfit is breaking so many "don't do that!" rules. Don't wear horizontal stripes! Don't wear over-sized clothing! Don't wear short dresses! Don't wear tight dresses! Don't show any evidence of a body that hasn't been given the stamp of approval by the media and the masses. Don't have curves in the wrong places. Don't let anyone know you have a body that has indulged and lounged, worked hard, slept very little, slept a lot, fought battles with strength and fragility, and lived only by it's own rules.

If you did any of those things you might be showing yourself as too lazy to care how the mechanics of your body affect others. You might be revealing yourself as too undisciplined to try to garner the amorous attention of every person you come into contact with. How are you ever going to be a pretty object for someone else's benefit if you don't start acting like one?

But even when it can leave me feeling exposed and vulnerable, to brashly defy the expectations that have creeped in and overtaken the minds of so many people, that is just not what I want to spread around. I don't want the standards that I pass on to my kids to be perfection or nothing. I don't won't to hide the honesty of myself.

Maybe. Just maybe I will be able to raise kids who see life as something to experience and not an experience to be worthy for. I also hope that I can prevent the hard edge of criticism from forming in their brains and retain the kindness that doesn't require people to check off a list of desirable attributes before they are granted respect, acknowledgement, or even eye contact.

Appearances, theirs or others, are not something that concerned them while they were running around picking pumpkins, getting dirty, acting goofy. They only followed a natural proclivity for joy. Wouldn't it be amazing to always see life that way? Joy has no standards. So, if it fills you with joy to run around a pumpkin patch in a short, tight dress with horizontal stripes, please, don't be afraid to be that bright spot of defiance - that agent of joy.

Dress: JCPenney's (similar, similar in straight sizes, similar, similar, similar in plus) | Shirt: Borrowed from my husband but originally from JCPenney (similar) | Socks: Sockdreams | Boots: Modcloth (similar)

Decorating for Halloween | Outfit

All holidays are a good time for me. I will take any reason to celebrate and be festive, but Halloween has a special place in my dark heart. There are a lot of sweet and innocent reasons to love fall. Crunchy golden leaves, brilliant blue skies, the slight chill that makes snuggling into a warm scarf heavenly. But, nothing compares to thrill of Halloween.

My tastes run towards the chilling and haunting. The question of shadows that appear firm until you turn to meet them. The creak of movement in an empty house. The crackle of energy that moves up your spine while sitting with your back to darkness. I could live in this state all year round, but in October the whole world unfurls into the same mood that wants to fills my head and I can sink deeply into my eerie and gothic delights.

In particular, I've always held a fascination with witches. I went as a witch for Halloween 5 years in a row when I was a kid. My favorite movies always seems to be about witches. Hocus Pocus, Rosemary's Baby, The Craft, and the newest addition to the list, The Witch. When I was a teenager we stumbled upon a Wiccan celebration while camping and I was completely spellbound (pun so intended). Basically, I like them a lot and they are always the source of my inspiration for Halloween.

Elegant, unearthly, and an easy, unshakable sense of power. Witches call to me.

Maybe it's because witches draw my love of granny chic and subtle sexuality into one stirring and unsettling image, but not only do I want to fill my house with this feeling, I only want to dress with a witchy woman in mind for eternity the next month. Autumnal, dark, and moody. I want to live deliciously.

What inspires you in fall? The feelings of harvest and plenty? The ghoulish breath of cold air on your skin? What brings you to life this time of year?

Cardigan: Target (similar in plus) | Shirt: Passive Juice Motel | Skirt: Target (similar in straight sizes, similar in plus) | Tights: Target (similar in plus) | Socks: Torrid (similar) | Boots: Modcloth (similar) | Lips: Colourpop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Tulle

Polka Dots and Fruit Print | Outfit

There are so few purely good things in life. Everything seems to come with conditions and agendas and side effects. But, when you come across one of these moments in life, a good friendship, a kind act, a compliment from a stranger, you need to use it to fill yourself up with it's good and simple energy. Breath it in. Radiate it out. Live it. 

Stop hanging on to the hardships and negativity because when you do, you become it. Being hurt makes you hard. Being hard makes you mean. Don't let that pain take ownership of you and instead take in and foster kindness like it's nutrients.

I experienced one of those really great moments recently. I'm not sure if the other person wants it broadcast to the world, so I will just say that it was exactly the kind of moment that will nurture the good bits of my spirit for a long time. I hope that someday soon I will be able to repay the kindness and fuel her spirit in the same way.

You know what else is always good no matter the season? Polka dots and fruit prints! Although my lemon print dress might not make it into fall and winter, this wonderful print with it's bright, saturated colors and monochromatic polka dots is a classic for all year. I had a blast wearing it to one of the final music festivals our town does weekly in the warmer months. Styled with black accessories and the hallmarks of fall (socks, tights, and boots) and a lip color that is in the same color family as the watermelon, but a darker, richer version for fall, the dress was perfect for the festivities and the gentle chill in the air. I was happy to bid Friday Night Live a farewell in this dress.

Dress: Gift (similar) | Tights: Sock Dreams | Socks: Torrid (similar) | Hat: Boohoo (similar) | Boots: Modcloth (similar) | Lips: Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Unicorn Blood.