I like the way you walk

After a string of unsuccessful dates and an empty bank account, I'm finally burnt out and looking for excuses to stay in. Add onto that, the heat index is about 100°F and I have no qualms about not going out. I'm actually looking forward to staying in tonight. I plan to sew and watch Andy Griffith. I think that the news of his passing was some of the saddest to reach my ears all summer. I grew up with tremendous respect for Andy Griffith and I've always taken great comfort in knowing that he was still alive. It's tough news to hear that one of your childhood idols has passed on.  I had planned to wear this outfit to the zoo, but after taking these photos I had sweated so madly that I decided it wasn't worth the pit stains and changed into something sleeveless. I'll save this for cooler weather. I was most just excited to share one of my Crafty Projects...these sunglasses!  I've been in love with the floral sunnies at Dolce & Gabbana as well as with some of the other designer spin offs that have followed. Almost immediately after seeing them in one of my fashion magazines, I vowed to make my own by the end of the summer. I used polymer clay to make little flowers and then glued them to some cheap-y sunglasses using E-6000 glue. I'll post a tutorial soon and am already buying more inexpensive sunglasses to decorate with odds & ends. I'm kind of addicted...  I spent today running errands around town, being successful in 2 out of 3. I leave for Guatemala in 5 days and seem to have so much to get done before then! I'm absolutely excited to be down there for 8 days, building roads and helping in reforestation efforts. I won't be bringing any fancy sunglasses down there, but I'm looking forward to the experience and hoping that it will change me for the better. My 5 weeks backpacking Europe had such a huge effect on my outlook on life and especially on materialism...I'm hoping that going to Guatemala will influence that even more. I think that when most people stumble upon the blog, their only impression of me is that I'm some dumb teenage girl who only cares about clothes and make up and how she looks...which is so untrue. Yeah, I like to look decent and I think clothing and make up are really fun creative outlets, but there's so much more to me than that. I was recently having a discussion with a co-worker about why I only have a couple of girl friends. The reason is this: the number one question I get from girls is, "Where do you shop for clothes?" That is usually followed with, "Can we go shopping together?" To be quite frank, I hate talking about clothes and shopping (to an extent). It's so mundane (also, to an extent). Most boys couldn't care less about what I wear, where I bought it, etc. and thus I have real, actual stimulating discussions with them. Girls start and end with clothes and shopping, which really isn't me at all. I was reading the new Teen Vogue and in the article with Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield there was a very poignant ending note. It kind of went something like this: Emma Stone: But people do always ask that. They ask who is my style icon, what's the one thing that I can't leave my house without. I'm always like, "My clothes!" I can pretty much leave without anything. It's fine as long as I'm not naked.
Andrew Garfield: I don't get asked that—
Emma Stone: You get asked interesting, poignant questions because you are a boy.
Teen Vogue: It's sexism.
Emma Stone: It is sexism.

And so, I'm really looking forward to going to Guatemala as an escape from all that. From sexism. It's just gonna be a group of girls who don't know me and don't know that I have a fashion blog. And we can build roads and wander around San Lucas and not care what we look like or where we shop, and not care that sexism even exists, because we're there for a reason even larger than sexism.  Okay, that's over with. I've found myself lost deep in thought lately because there's been so much going on in my life. It's been very bumpy, which is largely why I cannot wait to hang out with a bunch of girls or why I cannot wait to spend the night by myself watching The Andy Griffith Show and sewing. In addition to the DIY sunnies, I am wearing floral shorts that I bought at Target last year. They're super lightweight and swing-y, making them ideal for the heatwave that's passing through Minnesota. I don't know if I've ever featured them on the blog before, but I brought them to Europe with me last year, only to find out that much of Europe is chilly during the summer and thus the shorts were not really weather appropriate. Thank goodness they're cute with stockings!  Anyways, that is all for now! I have so much to get done this weekend (agh!), but I'll be sure to update and have some posts scheduled for over my trip! Keep cool in the heat, kids xx