Cool Copying: Why I Never Get Rid Of Stuff







On Rocking an Attitude and Tough Carrie Bradshaw

My two year old daughter is doing this new thing lately, where when you ask her to do something…anything really…and she tips her head to one side and says: “I can’t, mama.  I can’t.”  It’s freaking adorable and hilarious, but at the same time, it’s just so indicative of that little (and sometimes not so little) attitude that she has!  She is full of spice sometimes and has all the facial expressions and words to prove it.  I’m not surprised really, given that she is my daughter and I’ve been known to have attitude at one time or another!!!  I just don’t always express it to everyone because I tend to be sensitive to other people and will kind of swallow my ‘tude when I’m around people I don’t know super well.  But ask my husband, and he will tell you stories of my epic spiciness!

I’ve definitely, and thankfully, been allowed a lot of opportunities to tone down my attitude…I’ve been given the chance to change my attitude so that I can be hopefully more successful and graceful in my life.  Because the whole “I can’t…” thing is really only cute on a two year old, am I right?!?

When I was younger, I was given the chance to sing on the band at my church, the band I eventually ended up leading years later.  This was a HUGE opportunity for me, given that I was so young, had no experience singing in front of people whatsoever, and really had no confidence at all.  It was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.  I then learned to play guitar so that I could start leading if the need arose, even though I only really learned four chords.  I figured out how to play just enough so that I could play the bulk of the songs, but with a bunch of cheats, and if someone asked me to play a chord outside of my repertoire, I was screwed.  I managed to be just fine, until one day at practice, the leader decided that he was going to play bass, and I was going to play guitar instead of him.  Totally fine.  And then I saw the chord.  It was a Bm.  I was screwed.  I most definitely could NOT play that chord gracefully, let alone be the ONLY guitar playing it.  I left practice feeling frustrated and like “I can’t…” (done with all of my daughter’s drama).  I called the leader, who, by the way, was NOT a very GRACEful person.  I was super nice and explained to him in not so many words that “I can’t” play that chord.  Being the super sensitive person he was, he  ripped me a new one.  He told me that if I didn’t figure out how to do it, he’d just replace me basically.  Yikes.  It was pretty horrible.  I said okay, hung up the phone, and cried.  Honestly, I would never have done or said what he said to anyone in that manner, because the way he said it was pretty unhelpful and made me feel like I was worthless in a lot of ways.  However, WHAT he said was correct.  I COULD do it, I needed to stop making excuses, and FIGURE IT OUT.  I did, I played the stinking Bm just fine, and eventually ended up leading the band (knowing FIVE chords, so basically as a total pro. :))

There was another night that I was supposed to sing, but I had a terrible cough and cold and I had pretty much lost my voice almost all together.  I showed up, started to sing with the leader, and by the end of practice, told him that “I can’t…” and that I pretty much had no voice left.  He just looked at me, and said, “can you sing one note?”  And I explained nicely that one note was about all I had that night.  He just said, ” well, good.  Sing that one note, because it’s not about you.”  Double yikes.  Again, I’m just not gruff like these guys tend to be, but hey, it really rocked my world all over again.  Oh wait, you mean everything is not ALL ABOUT ME???  Dang.  I sang that one note humbly that night, and learned that sometimes I am actually sporting a giant attitude even when I’m not intending to.  I CAN, not “I can’t…” needs to be my attitude for most things in life.  I toughened up so much being under these guys who had no patience or grace for “I can’t”.  I became someone who could learn to play or sing any song pretty much with almost no notice and with all of my five chords, because I CAN.  I learned to do my best and make it work and that it’s not always about me.  It’s helped me to be much more creative in my life and to figure out how things work for me…instead of just giving up and behaving like my daughter.

This outfit is my more graceful way of rocking an attitude in the correct way!  I mean, I feel like Carrie Bradshaw with a motorcycle!

I got this amazing pink tulle floaty Free People slip skirt from Ruby Rose and put it over skinny jeans to make it kind of tough.  I added Jeffrey Campbell lace up boots and a Zara knit turtleneck, because, well, it’s COLD!  I thought the thrifted sunglasses and gold jewelry gave it a nice little edge as well. :)

Well, that’s quite enough attitude for a Monday.  And now, it’s back to the toddlers, who know A LOT about attitudes!!!


My Crazy Fun Fluffy Vintage Skirt

When I was in high school, I bought a baby blue vintage polyester suit…like jacket and pants straight from the 1970s.  To you reading this, after seeing my photos and knowing a little about me, that sounds very normal.  Let me explain.  In high school I wasn’t “cool”.  I wore weird stuff, but not in a good way.  I had bad hair and bad glasses, and I was fresh off the homeschool boat with absolutely zero clue who Michael Jackson or Kurt Cobain were, what was in style, or how exactly to use a blow drier.  Thankfully, I went to a super small rather dorky school where everyone was pretty nice…and I didn’t have to suffer for my lack of experience in the world.  Enough of the “cooler” girls thought I was nice and a few of the more “popular” boys thought I was decently pretty (by some miracle) so I made out quite nicely in my earlier high school years before getting some measure of a clue.  And now back to that jacket and pants.  I bought them at the thrift store because I loved them.  I had zero clue how to wear vintage at the time but I knew I needed them.  Unfortunately I really never figured out what to do with them, so they ended up back at the thrift store years later and now I want to cry when I think about how much I could use those pieces right now!!

After high school and after college, I figured out how to wear vintage.  I started wearing fluffy vintage dresses and nightgowns and loaned out some of them as Halloween costumes.  I was the girl wearing a red bandana around her head, cowboy boots, glittery eye shadow, and a giant tutu.  To work.  And no, I didn’t work as a clown or delivering singing telegrams.  I may have missed my calling…

Somewhere along the line I started losing myself and my individuality when I started trying to conform and win people’s approval.  One by one my fluffy skirts and vintage dresses ended up in a box buried in my closet.  It’s been a LONG time since I’ve boarded the flouncy train.  And then, a miracle happened.  I went into Ruby Rose and I saw this skirt.  Pale blue.  Fluffy.  Layers upon layers of tulle.  I was getting major Kacey Musgraves vibes from it.  And I wanted to buy it and wear it with cowboy boots and a tiara.  Okay, okay, I scratched the tiara.  For now.  But I wore it and I felt like ME.  Fluffy, crazy, borderline clownish…ME.  I felt like screaming I’M BACK as I flounced through the grocery store pushing my giant stroller.  It was super weird for everyone else buying groceries, but hey, who cares!!

So here, my friends, is how to wear a uber fluffy skirt without looking like a clown!


Pair it with some cowboy boots or just some regular boots and a graphic tee.  You could go in any direction…a floral tee and tall boots and some pearls would be a softer look.  A destroyed tee and some old Converse would be super retro fabulous.  Any tee will do, but it’s a nice addition to this fun skirt!  This tee is Bandit Brand…they’re such a great source for vintage inspired shirts!

You can go full western with a skirt like this and add a button down.  A plaid button down would be super cute too.

And here is how I wore it for the first time.  Fringe leather vest, off shoulder floral shirt, and vintage bolo.  My son asked me if I was a princess.  All the little girls at church ogled me and oohed and ahhed at my outfit.  A lady asked if she could take a photo of me to show her friend.  So there you have it.  If you want to know what it feels like to be famous, wear a crazy outfit!

Have fun with your clothes and be who you are!  Even if that means looking a little out of the ordinary!