December and February: Dressing room at last — anthropologie and Modcloth

A way, way, way overdue anthropologie post!

I can’t find this on the website anymore! It was in the sale room last week, still over $100. I adore the amazing 40s-ness of it all–the bodice, the bow, the print, etc. If it was $70ish, I’d probably have gone for it. But I can’t even remember what size I tried on, just that I had to size down.

Garden Glimmer Skirt with Lace Sleeve Pullover

The shirt should look familiar, since I bought it! My mom spotted it on a General Hospital character, and we loved it. The purple was sold out, but I love the black. I wore it to New York.

The skirt I only tried on to go with the top, but it really is a great skirt. I don’t need another one, so I passed it up, but it’s super cute.

Modcloth Can You Bow-Lieve It?

Ohhhhhhhh I wanted these to work so badly. SO BADLY. It’s the perfect heel I’ve been trying to find for over a year, the color is fabulous, they are perfect. Except they are also snug in the toe, slop on the heel and are like ice skating on anything not carpeting. One of those things I could fix. All three, they had to go back. SO SAD.

This I actually picked up on eBay! It’s a delightful 40s dress, much like the one above from anthropologie, and one I sort of had in mind to cosplay Agent Carter and/or a female 1940s Captain America. I never did exchange it, but it’s a bit big–I ignore the zipper and pull it over my head. But it doesn’t look bad, right? I still have a waist. It was only $15 or $20, so I could just buy the next size down and see how it works. Or just stick with this one. Dunno.

Dotty Trumpet Skirt

This skirt is from 2012, and was passed on to me by a coworker. Isn’t it adorable?? I am waiting for a bit more spring-like weather to wear it.

These are from anthropologie just last week:

Knit Field Jacket

HOW AMAZING IS THIS? I want it!!!! But I don’t need it at all!!! But I love it. Such gorgeous detailing and I love those buttons so hard.

Regatta Skirt, size 6

Wishlisted so hard. I don’t need another skirt, either, but this one is just a dream. I adore the bright, cheery color, the nautical accents and check the back:

Perfection, right? Love the Xs. Definitely needs to come home with me when it goes on sale.

Mission Grove Body Wash

This was the only thing I bought this time around–$3, go me! It is AMAZING. The clove is incredible and the clementine so refreshing. There’s very few left, but I highly recommend it!

4-8 February 2016: The Theater

I realized that I had an anthropologie dressing room post from DECEMBER still in drafts. Whoops! I added in some stuff from a visit on Saturday and will try to get that out in the next week or so.

Coldwater Creek dress, Old Navy sash, Mickey necklace, Doctor Who bracelet, leggings, Crown Vintage booties

I have too few dresses with long sleeves. I wish people sold dresses with long sleeves.

sweater, JCrew Jackie cardigan, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, Merona socks, Doctor Who bracelet, Black Widow necklace, Clarks

Another filming day! Not sure how many more nicely fitted tops I actually own, ha. There’s nothing like a shot of red in a grey winter day, though.

Anthropologie Noon and Night dress, Gap top, tights, vintage choker and brooch, bracelet, Clarks

I saw Beautiful, the Carole King musical, and it was amazing. The book had fantastic one liners and was so full of heart, the singing was infectious and well performed, and it was just a delightful thing. I had a huge grin on my face the whole time. And then I went to get the Official Cast Recording and it was so bad. So devoid of life and emotion. I was so disappointed.

Kohls Captain America Love top, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, JCrew Jackie cardigan, heart brooch, Bass saddle shoes

It was my day off, but I headed to one of our local retirement homes for an intergenerational craft program for seniors and preschoolers. It was amazing. And this is the only shirt I have with a Valentines theme, ha. I bonded with one of the seniors over how hard it is to break in saddle shoes!

The Beautiful stage:

Loved the great colors, and I had that piano in school all my childhood. So fun.

Also, this week was greatly important because it was Paczki Day! My department ordered a bunch and we all ate way too much, ha. I had quarter pieces of custard, strawberry, lemon and apricot. Yum.

20-22 January, 1-3 February 2016: Catching Up

I am so behind after my trip. I’m super scattered, things aren’t getting done and it’s so frustrating. Work wifi won’t let me upload photos at work, which tends to be my routine, so blurgh. But even as I’ve been feeling so out of sorts, the weather has been decent so I’ve at least been dressing well. Huzzah.

Collage lace shirt, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, Outlander necklace, Hawkeye bracelet, Merona socks, Clarks

My mom picked this top up for me at an indie store near her, and I love the colors. It’s such a cheery print, and the lace is lovely. It’s complemented by my Hamilton pin, obvs (I picked some up for all my coworkers, as we are all obsessed).

Junk Food Captain America tee, Old Navy Flirt skirt, JCrew Jackie cardi, Hawkeye pin, tights, Clarks

This was where I decided that I’ve missed skirts. I really, really have. Jeans are comfy and can be cute, but I feel so much more me in skirts and dresses. I’m going to try and find a better balance–as long as the weather stays above 20.

Gap top, Old Navy Flirt skirt, JCrew Jackie cardigan, Old Navy tights, Hawkeye bracelet, Outlander necklace, Clarks

One of my coworkers for the past 9 years has departed for a library in sunny Cali. I’ll miss him. But I’ll never really forget how he reacted the first time I wore this cardigan, complaining about being blinded and such. For several minutes on end. It was a fitting goodbye.

French Connection heart top, Insight pencil skirt, Hawkeye bracelet, tights, Bieviel t-strap heels

I didn’t mean to go so Valentiney, but I fell in love with how it looked. And how it felt! I’ve avoided this skirt because it’s so fitted, but it actually fit very comfortably all day. That was a delightful discovery. Ahhh, retro style. I love you so.

Gap sweater, Anne Klein skirt, Captain America bracelet, Tardis necklace, Nordstrom tights, Clarks

My coworker told me I looked like the Library Lady from All of a Kind Family, hee. I do adore this skirt, and don’t wear it nearly enough. It’s awesome retro and I love the flounce. A perfect outfit for watching Agent Carter, yes? This season has been such a delight–much lighter than last year, and I do miss New York, but seeing all these kickass women with varying shades of morality is just fantastic.

H&M polka dotted dress, H&M cardigan, Outlander necklace, tights, Clarks

Okay, this one might have been a misstep, with the tight/shoe combo. But I love this dress and it makes me smile.

Closeup on the new Outlander necklace–I subscribe to FanMail, the monthly subscription box for lady nerds, and this was in the February box. They’re replicas of Claire’s two wedding rings, from Frank and Jamie. The box isn’t always filled with things I like, but there’s usually at least one I gravitate towards, and this month had a few cool things. Next month has XFiles, Jessica Jones and more, so I am quite excited to see what we get!

21-25 January 2016: And It’s Beginning to Snow

So, how I said I was going off for a week and would be back with cool pics? I am back and the pictures are even cooler than I’d anticipated. I was in New York City for a Broadway Convention, and if you look at the dates in the subject line, you’ll notice that yes, I was there for the big blizzard, Jonas. Which totally shut down the city and, by extension, Broadway. It was CRAZY.

So, let’s talk NYC.

Modcloth dress, H&M cardigan, Victoria Secret Leggings, Captain America bracelet, Snowflake necklace, Clarks flats

Alas, there was no good way to take my pics inside my hotel room. But this is what I wore to fly out on Thursday. I chose it because it’s very 1940s, and I spent my first evening seeing George Takei’s show, Allegiance, which is set in the Japanese internment camps of WW2. It was a beautiful show, perfectly showing how love and humor can grow even in the worst of circumstances, without ever pulling punches on how horrible the situation was. I highly recommend it if it tours near you.

Anthropologie sweater, Forever 21 plaid skirt, Victoria Secret leggings, Allegiance lapel pin, boots

This is what I wore Friday night when I saw Hamilton. Which was excited and amazing, and also really sad because I was supposed to be in New York with a friend, who had the ticket. But she got sick, couldn’t kick it, and couldn’t make the trip. So she gave me her ticket, which was incredibly generous. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack since she introduced it to me last fall, and I highly recommend seeing it when it starts to tour in 2017! The choreography for The Room Where it Happens is mindblowing.

Anthropologie tee, JCrew Jackie cardigan, Old Navy Sweetheart skinnies, pink pashmina, snowflake necklace, snowflake tattoo, snowflake hairpin, boots

Saturday! I had a ticket for Saturday evening, Fun Home, but of course it was canceled in the snow. So I wore Sunday’s planned casual wandering outfit instead. The snow was glorious. Other pics will come after the outfits. I might have overloaded on the snowflake accessories, but come on. It was a BLIZZARD.

JCrew cashmere sweater, Forever 21 plaid skirt, Victoria Secret leggings, Hawkeye hoodie, Snowflake hairpin, Agent Carter necklace, Doctor Who bracelet, boots

I brought sweaters that would go with this skirt for ease of packing. This was meant for Fun Home, but instead on Sunday, I did a matinee at the New York City Ballet, which was amazing–a trio of performances, including Fancy Free and a bunch of Balanchine does Gershwin.  But it was cold, hence Hawkeye.

Now, city pics!

Central Park before the snow. I love Central Park so much, and had a blast wandering. This time, I hit the west side, including Imagine, on my way to the New York Historical Society for their Superheroes in Gotham exhibit. Sadly, they don’t allow pics, but it was a great deal of fun.

Allegiance! I was diagonally behind the seat reserved every show for DTrump, which means I am in SO MANY pictures people took, ha.

I started Friday with a Beatles themed massage at LushSpa–it was AMAZING. It’s choreographed to Beatles covers specifically written for Lush, and they give you warm striped pajamas to wear. Lots of deep pressure, thumping and passive stretching, including with a silk. After, I realized they’d put the hot water bottle from the pjs on top of my clothes to keep them warm!! It was by far my favorite massage ever, and then they topped it by giving settling me into the 50s English Country kitchen themed great room with a pot of tea and jammie dodgers. So incredibly relaxing.

My view at Hamilton. I literally spent the entire show hunched forward, elbows on knees, staring at the stage. Mesmerizing.

BLIZZARD! No cars on the street after 2:30, giving 6th avenue a very desolate, apocalyptic feel. A NYC friend joined me for two days, and we wandered Saturday evening. It was glorious. All told, about 28″ fell over about 24 hours–it had just started as I left Hamilton Friday night.

Central Park in the snow!! We saw the Poet’s Walk, which was glorious, but this pond by Alice in Wonderland was my favorite view. I loved how much fun everyone was having–people wrote their names in the snow and they went undisturbed, people would stop and let people take pictures before they walked in front of them, kids and adults were sledding and people crowded around to cheer them all on. I loved the grownups at Bethesda Fountain (did I pose where Clint and Nat stood at the end of Avengers? You bet your sweet bippy), but everyone had a ton of fun.

New York City Ballet. It’s GORGEOUS in there, all the diamond-like accents. My friend and I had planned to do the Lincoln Center tour on Friday, and I did it even without her. The Philharmonic was lovely, the Met dripping in opulence with all its red velvet, but the NYCB is where I swooned. We got to see some of the rehearsal for Justin Peck’s newest show, premiering in February and I was just blown away. So I finished the tour, hopped in line, and bought my seat for Sunday’s performance! I’d really wished I could see one of the Balanchine shows on Saturday, but I had a pretty good feeling that Saturday wouldn’t be a day for shows. And this one did include Balanchine, so I was very pleased. And the dancers were amazing.

Yep, totally went ice skating at Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library. ❤ It’s free, unless you need skates ($15) or to store your tiny purse ($8). So I skated for 40 minutes to make sure I got my money’s worth, ha. And I did! It was so fun to skate to jazz standards and wave to people watching us.

New York Public Library. Obviously I had to visit! Hit the store, eavesdropped on a storytime, looked at the Gutenberg Bible and explored their exhibit on female printmakers, which had art from Queen Victoria and Madame du Pompadour, among others. It was very cool.

Radio City Music Hall! The other half of the Lincoln Center tour I was going to do with my friend. I tweaked my knee early in the trip, which I could mostly ignore until Sunday evening (at which point I’d been doing 6-7 miles a day) but by Monday, I was a painful mess. I hobbled and limped and winced a lot. I probably shouldn’t have skated, and this tour had a LOT of stairs. But it was worth it. I loved seeing all the original 1932 furniture, like this makeup room in the ladies lounge. The whole interior is meant to evoke a large ship, to feel like you were sailing away from the Depression, and it is incredibly gorgeous. We also got to meet a Rockette, which was fun.

But right after this, I hopped a cab to the airport, 4 hours before my flight. Which was very very good, because a 40 minute trip took about 75 because of gridlock. People were getting out of cabs and walking up the ramp, over the few blocks and into their airport. Which I couldn’t do because of my knee, so, ugh, expensive. The cabbie actually turned off the meter a few times to help out, because it was so crazy.

A visual summary of my trip:

As you can see, I met Telly Leung at the Con and got the Allegiance Playbill signed. I also hit Midtown Comics and got a free bathbomb from Lush after my massage, plus picked up some swag in the Con dealer room. (Which was pretty unimpressive overall, but I liked three of the booths. Unpictured are my new Agent Carter boyshorts, ha.) Oh, and I did roam the big 5th Ave Anthropologie, which has an entire sale FLOOR. Including a very cute pink coat from Nannette Lepore–I’d never seen anything from her in anthro before, so that was fun.

Basically, it was a really fantastic adventure, blizzard and all!

16, 18-19 January 2016: Quick Post

Cold! So cold! And I’m headed for a week off. I didn’t have time to post details n this post, I’m in the app and its not working well, but I will be back in about a week with some awesome pics!

New Elsa tee!

This is a sweater over cashmere, plus I had on my shawl and mitts all day and was still cold. I was quite the sight…

I got this from Modcloth in my last order and liked it, but now it’s fitting wonky. What is with the waist? But I like the style so I’ll keep trying. It was way too cold to wear this, but I wanted something vaguely 40s to celebrate the return of Agent Carter that evening. Such an amazing premiere!! Can’t wait for this season.

11-14, 16 January 2016: TOO COLD

The weather is seriously inhibiting my style. I have such great new things to wear, and it’s too cold to wear them. Today, my phone chimed at 10:30am to let me know it had finally gone above zero!

Anthropologie tee, Old Navy Sweetheart skinnies, Free People cardi, Tardis bracelet, Winter Solider necklace

I was wearing bootie, but was too lazy to put them on after my walk home in snow boots. It was super cold, like, 8 degrees, but there was this gorgeous sparkly light snow falling and I felt like I was heading home through Bedford Falls. So worth it.

cashmere turtleneck, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, Crown Vintage booties

I very very very rarely wear turtlenecks. I hate them, actually–all that tightness around my neck. No fun. But this one isn’t bad. And it’s warm, which was important. I think I’ll keep it.

Gap tunic, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, pointsettia socks, Captain America sweater clips, Clarks

Also warm. The shield are a little silly with this neckline, but I was trying to emulate a necklace. And also something to smile about on a stressy day.

anthropologie Emperor’s Kiss sweater, JCrew skirt, tights,  Natasha Hawkeye necklace, Bass Heritage boots

I just couldn’t bear jeans again!!! I needed a skirt day desperately, and I knew I’d be driving. happy sigh.

Alas, it was also the day we learned that Alan Rickman had died, so I pulled out my Harry Potter pin in memoriam. I don’t actually think Snape was anything resembling a good guy, but he was played beautifully in the films.

We had a great icy snow this weekend, too:

 

I always love when snow lines tree branches, but ice lined in the sun is pretty spectacular.

My mom and I also went for pedicures and I ended up with a super pretty pink!! OPI’s Cozu-melted in the Sun.

I had last Friday off, and while I intended to be productive, I actually spent a lot of the day watching Agent Carter before the second season premieres and drinking tea, while curled under my Tardis blanket. I gotta say, it was awesome.

 

2, 4-7 January 2016: New Year

I’ve had this in drafts for a week now, oops. I’ve been crashing and sleeping early. I am hoping to step up my outfit game, but it’s so much harder when it’s cold! Last week wasn’t too bad, but we’re on day three of negative windchills. Brrrrr.

A new part of my job this year is filming videos. See if you can guess which days I planned to film. You’ll be noticing many of these days every month!

Limited striped tee, Old Navy Flirt skirt, Limited bolero cardi, Old Navy tights, Converse

I swear, I didn’t think anyone would show for my Jan 2 storytime, but they did and it was amazing and I looked cute. And yes, this was a filming day.

Charlotte Russe bow back tee, Old Navy Sweetheart skinny jeans, JCrew cardi, Winter Soldier necklace, Captain America bracelet, Crown Vintage boories

I love a good stripe with red. Makes me happy. And yep, another proposed filming day.

Coventry cashmere sweater, Old Navy sweetheart jeans, Agent Carter necklace, Captain America bracelet, Crown Vintage booties

I’ve had this sweater since high school, I think. Maybe early college. We’re talking at least 13-17 years. And I swear, I don’t think I’ve worn is 13-17 times. I like how it looked with the jeans, I think. I should do it more.

Not a filming day, though I did seem to still take the time for makeup. Go me!

Modcloth plaid dress, Gap tee, Agent Carter necklace, Captain America bracelet, fleece lined tights, Clarks shoes

I really liked how this turned out. I was sort of aiming Clara Oswald from Doctor Who, but heard a lot of 60s schoolgirl. Which I guess is Clara’s aesthetic, so I probably hit it.

High low top, Old Navy sweetheart skinnies, Winter Soldier necklace, Hawkeye bracelets, Clarks shoes

It was a chilly day, and a filming day. You can see the makeup and fitted clothes that made up my week of filming. Did I film any of these days? Only the purple. Get used to seeing these tops. 😛

Speaking of work, someone posed the Eleventh Doctor:

He looks right over into my desk, ha.

Also, yes, I have a very eclectic collection of things on my desk.

My new coworker went ice skating with me! It was her first time ever, and I was afraid I pushed her into it, but she had a ton of fun and it’s going to be a regular thing now. Yay!

Check out my awesome Christmas present from my friend KC:

I need to find the perfect vintage/retro outfit to wear them with!!!

2016 Reading Challenges!

All right, heaven help me, I’m going in again! 2015 was a success, so lets hope I can build on that! I doubt I’ll be reading 260 books again this year, but 40 of whatever I do read are going to be targeted towards these challenges.

Nonfiction Challenge: Explorer Level (6-10 titles, choose any)

1. Santa Claus Man (done, 1/18)
2. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire (done, 2/16)
3. Packing for Mars (done, 2/16)
4. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States (done, 3/30)
5. How to Be a Victorian (done, 4/23)
6. Hamilton: The Revolution (done, 4/24)

Same challenge as last year, but down a level. I might level up if I seem to be on a roll, but I wanted to make it an even number of books. Because that’s how my brain goes.

TBR Pile Club: A Firm Hug (11-20 titles, choose any published before 2015)

The challenge I used last year closed, so I found this one instead. I like that I’m not locked into titles, but can choose anything from my TBR list as the mood suits. I prefer freedom and really hate being told what to do, even by myself, ha. I also liked that it wasn’t limited to books I own, since I do so much of my reading plans from library books. Subgoal: half will be ones I own, half will be titles from my GR shelf.

1.  The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, the Californian and the Night the Titanic Was Lost (2009) (done, 1/31)
2.  Twilight at the World of Tomorrow : Genius, Madness, Murder, and the 1939 World’s Fair on the Brink of War (2010) (done, 3/30)
3.  GI Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love (2014) (done, 4/23) 

Panels Read Harder comics challenge : I think this one will be the biggest challenge, as it doesn’t lend itself well to things I have an interest in. But then again, I did 10 of these last year, so I am sure that I will find ways to finish it this year!

1. Read a self-published comic.
2. Read a feminist comic: A-Force (done, 1/30)
3. Read a comic featuring one or more teenage protagonists: Gotham Academy Vol 2 (done, 3/15)
4. Read a superhero comic whose race or gender has been swapped from the original or traditional hero: All-New Captain America (done, 2/16)
5. Read a complete run of a comic: Invincible Iron Man, 12 trades (done, March)
6. Read a comic based on a book and the book it’s based on.
7. Read a graphic biography: Amazing Fantastic Incredible, A Marvelous Memoir (done, 2/9)
8. Read a comic that was originally published in a language different from your own.
9. Read a comic set in space.
10. Read a collected webcomic: Adventures of Superhero Girl (done, 4/15)
11. Read a comic with at least one creator of color: Silk (done, 1/15)
12. Read a comic set in Asia by an Asian creator.
13. Read a superhero comic NOT by one of the Big Two: Adventures of Superhero Girl (done, 4/15)
14. Read a slice-of-life comic not set in the U.S.
15. Read a comic that has been adapted from a T.V. show or movie (not vice versa).
16. Read a comic about a real-life historical event.
17. Read a black-and-white comic.
18. Read a watercolor comic.

Any recommendations for any of these? I know what I tend towards, and it’d be great to try new things again this year.

2015 Reading Challenges Final Update

Well, I did it!  I completed 3 of the 3 challenges I set for this year. Here’s a little known (or widely known, whatevs) fact about me: I am ridiculously competitive. I will turn anything into a competition. Which is why I raced to finish that third challenge in the final 4 days of 2015. It was niggling at me! I had to finish!

I also read 250+ books this year, because who would have guessed that I’d stumbled into a brand new genre and fall head over heels in love with graphic novels? That was a brand new direction for me, one that opened up a lot of genres and new experiences, so I guess I didn’t need the challenges after all. But they were fun to do, and I think I’m going to try them again. Even the To Be Read one, which wasn’t half as fun, ha. I think I need to do a better job picking those titles; it skewed heavily nonfiction and I think I’ll make sure to add in YA and other genres I like, too. I’m going to try for Panel’s Read Harder comics challenge, too. Stay tuned for the 2016 challenge post early next week!

My favorite books of 2015:

Ms Marvel, vol 4:  The whole run is fantastic, and clearly you can’t start with vol 4! But this was the best of an amazing four books, and I am so impressed with the absolutely perfect way they wrapped up the series. I can’t wait for the next one.

The Martian: The movie is better (the book excelled in space, less so on Earth), but the book is still a crazy awesome adventure. I could not put it down — I found myself carrying it from room to room as I walked and did other tasks.  There are a few extra character scenes I wish had made it into the movie (Beck and Johanssen, for example), but I love both madly.

Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye (vol 1, 2, 3, 4): This is the run that made me fall in love with comics. It finished up its 3 year run in July, and it was pitch perfect. The art is amazing, with some of the most gorgeous colorwork out there, and the story shines. I love Clint Barton, but Kate Bishop is my Hawkeye forever. I love how they get equal billing and equal importance in the narrative.

(Noticeably, none of these were challenge titles, ha. I enjoyed most of those, but didn’t love them.)

GoodReads came up with my year in review with some fun stats, too. And now we move on to 2016 plans and challenges — I already have 20 checked out, heaven help me.

24-30 December 2015: End of the Year Fun

My outfits this week have not been so pretty. Mostly jeans and Disney, to be honest–held two Frozen singalongs on Monday, then am celebrating the scheduling of my next trip (11.5 months!!!) with a castle shirt today. So let’s talk about other pretty things today.  Like Christmas. And a proper snow that fell on the 6th day of Christmas instead of the 1st.

But we can do two outfits.

HerUniverse Black Widow jacket, Old Navy Sweetheart skinnies, Converse

OMG LOOK AT THIS JACKET. I love it so hard–it’s totally stealth fandom. If you don’t know Widow’s symbol, it just looks like an awesome jacket. The back has the same princess-style seaming to give it great shape. Of course once I got it, the temps dipped from the 50s to the 20s and 30s. I find myself hoping for a mild January so I can wear it soon!

Target Ugly Christmas Sweater

Okay, yeah, so the second outfit is Bingo’s. But look how cute he is!!! My mom and I were taking dozens of photos of him and then I went out on the porch with him (60* temps), and used a treat to get him to look the directions I wanted, and voila. He cooperated beautifully. Isn’t he the best??

I had a very fandomy Christmas, actually, and it was a delight. Above are my brand new Besame Cosmetics perfume and lipstick samples. I love 1930 best so far, but 1940 is great. 1950 disappeared a little too quickly. Still haven’t tried the others. I wear Red Velvet (1946) a lot so I know I love it, but American Beauty (1945) goes way more pink than red on me, boo. It’s supposed to be a berry red, but if I want pink, I want to go Portrait Pink (1963) or Dusty Rose (1969).  I’m hoping those two end up in matchsticks so I can try them. I’m also intrigued by Carmine (1930) and Chocolate Kiss (1970).  Anyway, I also got a Hawkeye hoodie for my jogging (sleeves zip off), and Doctor Who blanket, pillow and Monopoly game, so I’m super excited by all of that!

Oh, AND I got a new ice skating rink for my Christmas village! The skaters skate on their own. ❤

Also did some fancy pants nails:

China Glaze Heart of Africa, topped with some OPI gold shimmer. Super pretty, and the China Glaze was opaque in one coat! It was amazing.

I sewed my mom some placemats for Christmas, and she liked them, yay! I’m glad, because I thought the fabrics were both really cute.

I also had a lot of fun making cards for friends this year. I always make a handful, but I doubled my number this year because several of them shared in my Avengers comics and movie spiral and I wanted to commemorate that:

I was really pleased with my stroke of inspiration in Santa-hatting Hawkeye’s symbol, but I think Cap’s shield is my favorite. Once I saw the white snowflake, I knew what to do. (And for those who don’t read comics, one has two Hawkeyes because there are two Hawkeyes, Clint and Kate.) (Kate’s the other, better Hawkeye.)(I love them both madly, but KATE.)

The SHIELD logo made me despair a bit, but then I figured out how to make it seasonally appropriate, too:

Hee!

It was a brown Christmas because of the 50 and 60* temps the week before, but the lights and luminaria were pretty:

And then the snow came on the 6th day of Christmas and it was glorious:

Way better than the 4th day of Christmas’s ice storm. That was a painful walk.

So that’s been my week. Tonight I just plan to hang out and watch some movies and wind down the year restfully. Keep an eye out for my 2015 reading challenge wrap up–I have one book left, so I’m going to stay in and read instead of seeing Star Wars after all, ha.

Hope you all have a super fun NYE and a marvelous start to 2016!