Brand new start

dress: ModCloth | cardigan: Target | belt: vintage | jacket: Charlotte Russe | shoes: Target | tights: Walgreens (of all places...)

First of all, two things: 1) This is what happens when my bangs are dirty and I'm too lazy to wash them. I'm sure that I don't look too different to you, but to me, my forehead looks incredibly and uncomfortably exposed. However, instead of washing and styling my bangs just for this shoot - in the interest of full disclosure - I decided to leave them as is. 2) Please excuse any awkward posing; the temperature was in the single digits. I'm pretty sure we finished these photos in record time! And now, to your regularly scheduled post...

As I alluded to in my last outfit post, things have been going wonderfully lately. Then, I couldn't say why, but today, I can! Just under two weeks ago, Chris came across a job posting that sounded absolutely perfect for me. I spent every night that week putting together the most awesome pitch/resume I possibly could. Just hours after I sent it off, they contacted me for an interview, which I had on Wednesday...and on Thursday, I found out that I got the job! So, starting in two weeks, I will officially be the graphic designer for an incredible company in a gorgeous office downtown. This has all been such a whirlwind, but needless to say, I could hardly be happier!

You know, it's funny how life works. Before I started college, I had planned to study graphic design, but I decided against it because I'd heard that the market was flooded. So I ended up studying creative writing (and loved every minute of it). After I graduated, I found a writing job...but their graphic designer quit, so I took over design duties as well. And now I've come full circle and gotten my dream job. It would be hard to exaggerate how much I learned at my current job - and leaving will feel very strange - but it's time for me to grow and stretch my skills.

Thanks for going with me on this journey, readers. I can hardly wait to see what the future holds!

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Thursday Three: 1.24.13

1. Signeroo

Ladies and gentlemen (who am I kidding - it's mostly ladies), I have a serious style crush on Signe of Signeroo. I was lucky enough to stumble upon her blog on Chictopia the other day, and I'm absolutely hooked! She's only been blogging since October, but I can already tell she's one to watch. She wears oxblood/maroon/burgundy/whatever-you-want-to-call-that-trendy-dark-red-color like a champ, and her dark locks are giving me some serious hair envy. So, pop on over to her blog and say hello!

2. Super-skinny rings

I'm not typically a big jewelry person - I've been wearing the same necklace and earrings daily for years - but as soon as I saw that skinny gold heart ring on Ruche, I fell a little bit in love. Much to my sadness, it was already sold out when I found it. Don't you just hate it when that happens? 

Luckily, there are plenty of other options around the web. I'm particularly smitten with this handmade crescent moon ring by GramercyEight on Etsy. She has quite the incredible story: last year, she fell 30 feet, shattered three vertebra, and severed her spine in half. Miraculously, she's going to make a full recovery, but in the meantime, making jewelry is a big part of her healing process. Please check out her shop - she does beautiful work!

3. The Foxglove Dress by Isabel Knowles

This last item should come as a surprise to...absolutely no one. I mean, really: it's a turquoise and red fox-print dress custom-made in the UK with organic cotton. Does it get any better than that? No. No, it does not. I've been thinking for a while how wonderful it would be to get a dress tailor-made for my body, and I'm also trying to make an effort to shop with a more ethical mindset. What better way to do both than to invest in a dress like this? It would be one of the priciest items of clothing I've ever bought, but like I said, it would be an investment in a timeless, classic piece. As soon as I save up enough money, you can bet that this dress will find its way into my closet.

That's all for this week's Thursday Three! I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Guess who's on Instagram?

Okay, probably not the most difficult question I could possibly ask...but in case you didn't know, I got an Instagram account about a month ago! I finally decided to join the digital age and got myself an iPod. (I'm still too cheap for an iPhone.) So, if you feel so inclined, you can follow me @thejoyfulfox.

I'm following an absolutely pitiful number of people, so let me know your username and I'll give you a follow!

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Sounds like hallelujah

dress: Charlotte Russe | belt: vintage | shoes: Target

I've had these photos sitting in the queue for a week now; life, as it so often does, got in the way! Not that I mind. It's all been for good reasons - and in fact, life has been unusually wonderful lately. Though I can't say why, I'm feeling hopeful in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. Among other things, I've been having fun sharpening my graphic design skills both at work and at home, and feeling more and more that I'm just about at my happiest when I'm designing. I still have much to learn (I'm self taught), but even watching and reading tutorials makes me happy. Do any of you design-inclined folks have any favorite graphic design resources?

I know that it's somewhat of a blogger faux pas to talk about the weather, but when it's been this strange, I really can't help it: this winter has been absolutely bizarre. I have to keep reminding myself that my birthday was only weeks ago instead of months! We're having the family celebration of my birthday tomorrow, and while I'm excited, it just doesn't feel quite real. I'm not used to seeing so much grass in January. I hope the effects on the planet aren't too bad (though that seems less and less likely), but I admit that I've been enjoying the respite from the snow. Any day when I don't have to wake up 45 minutes early to scrape off my car and drive 30 miles an hour is a good day.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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Fox heart

"I wear lady ties now. Lady ties are cool."

top: Forever 21 | lady tie: Flapper Girl | fox sweater: Cooperative via Fawn on a Lawn | skirt: hand-me-down from my sister | boots: ModCloth

There's so much new going on in this photo - kind of perfect for one of my first posts of the new year, don't you think? First of all, there's this sweater, which I was lucky enough to snag from Rachel of Jag Lever. I'll be the first to admit that sequins aren't usually my thing, but how could I ever say no to this fox? I actually bought this sweater a couple months ago (and have worn it once a week ever since), but somehow it hadn't yet made its blog debut. It's hard to have a bad day when you've got a sparkly fox on your chest, I've found.

It's funny how much people associate me with foxes now, even if they don't know about this blog. A couple weeks ago, I even got to play a fox in a skit at the local Russian Christmas party. I was a bit under the weather, but they liked my performance so much that I am officially going to be the fox every year! I don't understand every word (the skits are mostly Russian; I spoke my lines in English), but it is really fun to get to take part in my sisters' culture.

Anyway, aside from my sweater, my lady tie is also new - and in a way, so is my hair. The former was a Christmas gift from Chris, and I've been wearing it pretty much every single day I can get away with it! The latter is a result of this no-heat hair curling technique, which is probably the best I've found so far. I really hate putting heat on my hair, so I was delighted to find this method - even more so when I discovered that it worked beautifully! Have you ever tried it out?

P.S. - The title of this post comes from the song "Fox Heart" by Photographers. You can listen to it here.

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