What I Wore - Plaid & stripes

I love this sweater.

More photos from my Day of the Dead shoot

*****All photos and links to Windy City pin-up have been removed from
my blog as I can no longer recommend working with the photographer.*****


Ashlee of Windy City Pin-up posted some more photos on Facebook today of my Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) shoot that I had with them last October, so, of course I wanted to share. Ashlee did the photography, and Laura did the makeup.

If you live near Chicago, check them out. They have very reasonable rates, and amazingly inexpensive rates for their set-theme shoots. The themed shoot I did with them was one of the most fun experiences I've had in my life! Seriously, so much laughing was done between my serious faces.

You can view my other journal entries about the shoot to see behind the scenes photos, higher-quality (IE not off Facebook) photos, etc.

Note: I added the web-site addresses, so, don't blame the photographer!

[images removed]

Hair colors of moments past

A week ago I posted an entry called Rainbow Colored Hair where I mentioned that I missed the freedom that I had with my hair color before I entered the work force. In that post I also shared that I had lost all my old photos; well, to my delight I recently regained access to my old MySpace account where I found a couple hundred old photos. Below are just some of my previous hair colors.


Pink was probably my favorite.



I loved purple too.




Red which you saw a photo of in my Rainbow Colored Hair post.




And just for fun...

Blond-ish


A natural-red wig

Photo salutes flashback

"Back in the day" photo salutes were popular on-line. Photo salutes are essentially when someone takes a photo of themselves holding a piece of paper with either their screen name on it (to prove what they look like) or someone else's screen name (as a sort of digital gift, for lack of better explanation).

Today I discovered my collection of photo salutes that I have received; the photos prompted a trip down memory lane to a decade ago. Back then I was a member of quite a few on-line message boards where I met some wonderful people. Today I am fortunate enough to still be in contact with several of those people (more than those below that I received salutes from). I have only met two of the people pictured below in person, however, I hope that my path will cross with more of them in the future!

Gluten-free cookies are AMAZING

Tonight I made these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that I found on Pinterest. I choose gluten-free solely because I was craving a chocolatey baked good, and I didn't have much flour. My cookies weren't fully gluten-free because I used chopped up Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in mine (it was the only chocolate I could find in my cupboards).

Source: recipegirl.com via P on Pinterest

My cookies turned out kind of crispy and soft at the same time; I imagine it was because I didn't get the egg white ratio right (they weren't overcooked!), however, I actually kind of loved them that way. I think that would make them pair even better with ice cream; so, if you want a slightly crispy soft cookie, once you get the right constancy with the egg whites, add a little bit more egg white to make the batter a little runny.

Rainbow colored hair

A decade ago I regularly dyed my hair a different color of the rainbow. When I entered the work force, I stopped. I often long for those days when I could freely do whatever I wanted to with my hair without fear of limiting my job opportunities (or angering my current employer).

Last summer I lost all my photos that were on my computer, therefore, the only old photos I still have are ones that I had on-line; therefore, this is the only photo I could find of me with brightly colored hair. The funniest thing about this picture to me is my Limp Bizkit shirt; I was never a big fan, so, I'm not sure why I am wearing it. Also, my roots were pink when the rest of my hair was red, and not on purpose.




Today I discovered a Pinterest board called "a rainbow of hair" that really had me missing my bright hair. Below are some of my favorites from that board.

Source: flickr.com via P on Pinterest

Source: iwantyourhair.tumblr.com via P on Pinterest

Source: alternativehair-inspiration.tumblr.com via P on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via P on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via P on Pinterest

Source: alternativehair-inspiration.tumblr.com via P on Pinterest

Frederick's of Hollywood sale

Frederick's of Hollywood is currently having a sale of 50% off clearance through 10 PST Monday. I haven't had the best luck buying clothes on-line (from anywhere), but since Frederick's is also currently offering free shipping on orders over $25, I went for it. Here are some of my purhases...

Pleather and knit pants ($12.49)


Leopard bangle ($3.49)


Zippered knee-high socks ($8.49)


This shirt in black ($5.99)


Corset ($24.99)

Vaudezilla presents Junk in the Trunk

I am really looking forward to this because Timmy and I missed our first Vaudezilla show that we were planning on going to for our five year anniversary last November. I learned my lesson, and we secured the tickets in advance this time.

What I Wore - Tall friends

I bought these bell-bottoms (or "flares" since Timmy insists I not call them bell-bottoms) months and months ago, but put off wearing them because of the length. Even with heels on, the jeans touch the ground. I know that is what the length is supposed to be, however, I am wayyy klutzy, so, I had been scheming about how I could exchange these without a receipt and past the return period for the "short" length (even though I'm 5'8"). I managed to not fall on my face wearing these, so, I call it a success.

Threaded commenting

Soooo excited that Blogger now (finally!) has threaded commenting!!

What he wore - Pattern mixing

I'm one lucky girl. I've got a fantabulous (fan-tab-u-lous) boyfriend who I love for a million different reasons. One of those million reasons is that he puts more effort into his wardrobe than the average guy (IE not just a t-shirt/polo and jeans). He is also not afraid to take "risks" like mixing patterns, or wearing the dress shirt seen below that EVERYONE asks if he is wearing inside out (because the pattern is printed on the INSIDE of the shirt).

Taking photos in public

I really loved my outfit today, so, I wanted Timmy (my boyfriend) to take some photos of it. The problem is, we don't really have any good places in our apartment to take full length photos. So, I decided taking some photos on the train before anyone got on would be perfect; much warmer than taking photos outside in 30 degree weather.

It was a very amusing experience, because I am way too self-conscious to take photos in public. This is the kind of photo that results when I feel someone watching me, aahaha (that's me in the green after someone got on the train):


This is the kind of photo my boyfriend takes when a train full of people are watching him (he's awesome like that):

New Years Eve speakeasy party photos

Just a few photos from the Speakeasy NYE party. The first photo I snagged from the bar's Facebook page. The rest of the photos were taken with a cellphone (hence the low quality).

More ways to read flyingpurplehippos.com

I created a Facebook page for my web-site a few weeks ago. I post all my journal entries to the Facebook page for those who prefer to be notified of my new journal entries that way. If you are on Facebook, I would appreciate your "Like" to my Facebook page.

I also just created a Pinterest board for my journal. The board will be a more visual way for people to browse my journal; every journal entry I post that has a photo will get a pin. Currently I've only pinned my journal entries up through November, however, I will be pinning the rest over the next couple days. If you are a member of Pinterest, I would love for you to "Follow" my Pinterest board.

Friday Favorites going on hiatus

For anyone wondering, I am going to take a break on Friday Favorites. I believe in writing for your own enjoyment, not for comments/page views, however, the joy I get from Friday Favorites is from being able to share some amazingly talented people with others; therefore, I think it makes more sense to put my Friday Favorites on hold until I get more blog readers so that I am actually send traffic to the wonderful people I feature, or at least help raise awareness about them.

If you have enjoyed the few Friday Favorites features that I have done so far, please show these artists some love (by faving them on sites they belong to, leaving them comments, or sharing their work with friends). In the meantime, I'll be stockpiling some more amazing people to share with you when I decide to bring Friday Favorites back :).

My New Year's Eve outfit

My boyfriend and I went to a speakeasy-themed NYE party. For some reason the fact that it was themed escaped me until just a few hours before the party, so my outfit isn't as themed as I would have liked it to be. I have a dress that would have been perfect but I didn't have black tights or hose to wear with it; I decided I am not the type of person to brave 30 degree weather with bare legs for the sake of fashion or a theme (hence the pants even though woman really didn't start wearing pants until after prohibition).

I got my hat on clearance for $12 at Target the night before without the party in mind. The shoes I got for the super clearance price of $3!! Lucky for me someone bought the on-line only shoes in my size and returned them to a store.




This picture was taken after the party (hence the faded makeup and drooping hair). I didn't have time to take an outfit photo before the party because for some reason after over an hour in the dryer, my shirt was still wet and wrinkly.


The brooch belonged to my grandmother.


My jeans only look high-water because I was bending over to take photos of my own shoes, hah.