"Moving On" at San Francisco Women Artists Gallery

Moving On

Super excited and honored to be part of San Francisco Women Artists' Annual Artists' Choice Exhibit! It's my very first exhibit! EVER!

This piece is on view at the gallery and available for purchase! WOO!

All This Useless Beauty

...hand-embroidered collage on paper by me...

The Orchard – by Mary Oliver

I have dreamed
of accomplishment.
I have fed

ambition.
I have traded
nights of sleep

for a length of work.
Lo, and I have discovered
how soft bloom

turns to green fruit,
which turns to sweet fruit.
Lo, and I have discovered

all winds blow cold
at last,
and the leaves,

so pretty, so many,
vanish
in the great, black

packet of time,
in the great, black
packet of ambition,

and the ripeness
of the apple
is its downfall.

North & Penn (For Freddie Gray) by Calida Garcia Rawles

CalidaGarciaRawles.com
On Instagram: @calidagarciarawles

BCGFMN #8ish – The Last Unicorn

To make up for the relative paucity of nonsense in my last Book-Centered Gift for My Niece, this week I went crazy-go-nuts. Everything in this one was purchased – whoops!Anywho, included in this package:

• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle – I was unfamiliar with this one, but the reviews were so good I picked up a copy for myself. It may be the best book I have ever read.
• a unicorn bookmark made of wood veneer
• a unicorn zippered pouch
• two different unicorn lapel pins
• a pair of unicorn hair pins
• three unicorn stickers
• a tin of unicorn adhesive bandages
• a set of three unicorn pocket notebooks
• a unicorn magnet
• a unicorn journal with Pablo Picasso quote
• a unicorn and mermaids Mad Libs book
• a "You Can Do It" unicorn greeting card – with a little message from me
• a matching flying unicorn sticker

I really hope my niece likes unicorns!

Book-Centered Gifts For My Niece — Package #7(ish)

My niece is a voracious reader who dreams of leaving that whole public library baloney behind in favor of her own personal library. Can you blame her?I had that same dream when I was her age, but have had thirty years to make good on it. I've amassed quite a collection, most of which (I donated many boxes of books to a local library a while back) is now quietly collecting dust on the bookshelves, side tables, and/or any available flat surfaces of my home -- up to and including the floor. And, though the threat of our home collapsing under the weight of said books concerns me deeply, I continue to purchase more. It's like a sickness. A sickness that makes you feel good and learn things and exercise your brain and whatever. Disgusting.Anywho, I got to thinking: This little girl wants books and I appear to possess more books than generally considered healthy for an individual person (if I were a library it would make more sense -- you might even be disappointed with the selection -- but fuck the library). And, I definitely want to cut back on the amount of just plain "stuff" I own. Perhaps I could send some of these books her way to get her personal library started!So, each weekend for the last six or so weeks (I haven't kept track), I've sent my niece back in Texas a little package containing an age-appropriate (she's ten) book from my collection and a little note wishing her well, etc.At least, that's how it started.After the first couple of books, I began thinking things like: "Oh, maybe she'd like a bookmark," or "Maybe she needs a journal to keep track of all the books she's read," or "Maybe she needs hella packs of cute Japanese stationery, pens and pencils, stickers, and those erasers that smell like food."So, I started purchasing and adding more things to the packages.After another couple of weeks, a problem arose. As it turns out, at a childless forty years old, I don't actually own that many books appropriate for a ten-year-old. I've begun running low on my own books to send her -- I have maybe half a dozen left.So, now I'm buying books specifically for my niece instead of purging my own collection.This has not turned out the way I'd planned.But, you know what? It's fun. I get all the satisfaction of shopping with none of the having-to-keep-stuff-around bit. Plus, I get the bonus satisfaction of knowing I'm making another person happy without having to actually physically, personally interact with them! If you ask me, that's money well spent!Somewhere along the line, though, I realized I hadn't been keeping track of the books I've sent nor the various knickknacks that accompanied each book. Hence this post and the photo above. From here on out I am going to keep a visual record of what goes into each package. Wish I'd thought of it six weeks ago, but here we are. Hope she doesn't end up with three different collections of the Lord of the Rings (cuz somehow I did).This week's package is pretty bare bones to compensate for the absolute madness of the last one (the one with the ultra cute Japanese everything). This package contains:

• An Edward Gorey book (mine)
• An Edward Gorey wall calendar (purchased)
• A great big bag of googly eyes (mine, obvs)

Much more to come!In the meantime, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for books appropriate for ten-year-olds. I am clueless. Tell me things!Hope you're well.

One Red Dress, Seven Ways – Part Two!

Apologies for the long delay. I very very honestly intended to post this second part in the red dress series the week immediately following the first post, but... stuff. Lots of stuff. Sickness and stuff. Booooo! So, anywho, here's part two of making outfits out of a single red dress. How do you think I did?

Refresher!

First, the red dress in question:I purchased this dress on Amazon for under $30! It arrived in two days! It has pockets! It's machine washable! It's "Fun to Wear!" 

Refresher!

OUTFIT ONE: Never Again

This outfit reminds me of my ill-fated trip to Santa Fe. NEVER AGAIN.What I Added:

• Long bandana-print scarf –J.Crew
• dark denim military jacket – Lauren Ralph Lauren, Bloomingdales
• gold metallic booties – Tipe E Tacchi on Yoox

---

OUTFIT TWO: Stop Trying to Make Spring Happen

It has been unseasonably (unreasonably?) cold in San Francisco. Do you think if I wear enough floral patterns I can make Spring come early? Fuck this weather, for reals.What I Added:

• pink floral print top - Zara
• pink faux suede trench – Zara
• yellow leather braided wrap belt – Ada
• red leather sock boots with little stud thingies – Topshop

---

OUTFIT THREE: Once Again I Question Your Commitment to Sparkle Motion

I am fucking ecstatic about daytime sequins being a thing.What I Added:

• black and multicolor paillette dress – H&M
• black 3/4-sleeve blazer – Zara
• black suede booties – Taryn Rose on RueLaLa

---

OUTFIT FOUR: Holiday Spirit

This outfit made more sense when I put it together back in December. I was going for "xmas tree." I think I more or less pulled it off. Meh.What I Added:

• green plaid silk shirt – Equipment at Nordstrom
• dark denim shell with frayed edges – Gap
• green suede boots – I can't remember the brand, but from Yoox

---

OUTFIT FIVE: Leopard and Zippers and Mesh. Oh my!

This feels like a very uncharacteristic "tough" outfit for me. I think I'd have to get myself psyched up just to put it on. Maybe play the Peaky Blinders Spotify playlist. More specifically, The Baddest Man Alive from The Black Keys and RZA:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ8Gtx45FmcAlthough, now I think I should have put black motorcycle boots with this instead of those fairly tame grey suede ones. They are inadequately badass.What I Added:

• mesh dress – Universal Standard
• grey leopard vest – Jolt on Nordstrom Rack
• grey suede booties – Dolce Vita

---

OUTFIT SIX: I Guess I Like Grey

I have a fondness for grey. What does that say about my personality? Anything? It's just a versatile color. Don't judge me.What I Added:

• grey heather tissue turtleneck – JCrew
• grey crepe sleeveless trench – River Island
• embroidered wrap belt – Gap
• grey suede booties – Dolce Vita

---

OUTFIT SEVEN: Furry Fury

Not that kind of furry. The other one.What I Added:

• white thermal tee – Gap
• rabbit fur snood – Barneys
• brown faux leather jacket – Bagatelle on Nordstrom Rack
• leather swallow stick pin – Obey
• rabbit fur fingerless mittens – Adrienne Landau on Gilt
• brown combat boots – Dr. Martens

So, yeah. That's part two. Revisiting it now after a few months, I'm less sold on this set than I was the first. But, I think it wasn't half bad! Meh!I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. Fingers crossed.Hope you've been well. 

OOTD: Is It Spring Yet?

Because I would really like it to be Spring already.Here's what I wore out to brunch on this rainy San Francisco day.

Outfit Info

• pink floral dress with ruched sleeves (I should have taken a picture of the sleeves!) – ASOS
• faceted stud earrings – Adriana Orsini on Saks Off 5th
• blue leather wrap belt – ADA
• pink faux suede trench – Zara
• fuschia leather saddle bag – Coach (available on Amazon!)
• blue suede mary janes – Camper

Hope you're having a frank, productive, springlike day.... wherever you are.

OOTD: Redrum

Had a pretty shitty holiday in terms of my health. It turns out altitude sickness is extremely serious, potentially fatal, and fucking TERRIFYING.So, today, I kicked off the new year and my road to recovery with follow-up visits to the doctor and a brand new therapist for my brand new altitude-sickness-near-death-related anxiety! Hooray! This dress and scarf combo featuring the carpet pattern from The Shining just felt right for the occasion. You know?Anywho, pics and info behind the cut.

Outfit Info

• dress and Scarf – The Shining - Overlook Hotel Carpet pattern by goatboyjr on Redbubble
• trio scarf ring – Hermes
• green faux leather jacket – Bagatelle via Bloomingdales
• black suede wedge booties – Taryn Rose via RueLaLa

Hope you had better holidays than I did! HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

One Red Dress, Seven Ways – Part One!

Remember that time I challenged myself to style one blue dress in seven different ways? People really responded positively to that post, and, as an individual who craves external validation, I thought I'd take another stab at that formula. In fact, I thought I'd take two stabs.So, this time, I challenged myself to style a single red dress – same make and model as the blue one – in not just seven, but 14 different ways. To make it even more difficult, I prohibited myself from using any of the items – shoes, accessories, jackets, etc. – from the previous challenge.How'd I do? You tell me! Here's Part One!The red dress in question:Like the previous example, I purchased this dress on Amazon for under $30! It arrived in two days! It has pockets! It's machine washable! It's "Fun to Wear!" To the outfits!

OUTFIT ONE: Tan–Talizing (No, I'm not a dad, but thanks for asking!)

For this outfit, I channeled my inner college student. Well, maybe not my inner college student, but an idealized version of a college student – one you might see in Lifetime movie. Maybe she gets her heartbroken by her high school boyfriend but finds strength, independence, and sisterhood after she reluctantly joins a sorority.  You go, girl!What I Added:

• grey sleeveless sweater vest – Gap
• tan cropped jacket – J.Crew
• red crossbody leather bag – Furla
• tan 5050 boots – Stuart Weitzman

---

OUTFIT TWO: I'm Beginning to Question Your Commitment to Sparkle Motion

I LIKE SEQUINS. I just think they're neat. I especially enjoy these particular sequins that you can rub in different directions to change colors. It's like a sophisticated version of a hypercolor shirt. Sequins are terrific and we should all wear them all the time.What I Added:

• sequin top – River Island
• denim jacket – Gap
• red leather sock boots with little stud thingies – Topshop

---

OUTFIT THREE: Cruise Director

Maybe cruises get a bad rap. I mean, yeah, there's all the crashing and the food-borne illnesses, the waste and pollution and the mindless tourism, but there's also shuffleboard! This is a terrific outfit in which to play shuffleboard!What I Added:

• maxi-twilly scarf – Hermes
• gold mors scarf ring – Hermes
• white cotton poplin wrap blouse – Gap
• gold metallic booties – Tipe E Tacchi on Yoox

---

OUTFIT FOUR: Sport-o

You know what I don't do? Sports! But that doesn't mean I can't dress like I do. I can dress however the fuck I want. You don't know me.What I Added:

• black mesh mock-neck top – Forever 21
• blue cropped sweatshirt (I cut the neck off for reasons) – H&M
• "No Pants" enamel pin – PINTRILL
• "Valentine's Day" Insta-Pump Fury sneakers – Reebok

---

OUTFIT FIVE: I Am Your Filipino Aunt

When I put this outfit together, I said to myself: "This looks like someone's Asian aunt." And then I realized that I am an Asian aunt. So, I'm pretty sure I can get away with wearing this.What I Added:

• floral print mesh top – Forever 21
• cream turtleneck tunic – Gap
• pearl drop earrings – Majorca via LastCall
• blue "Royale" flats – Free People

---

OUTFIT SIX: I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Okay

Did you know I own a plaid shirt? Did you know I own Dr. Martens? These are unusual additions to my wardrobe and I'm pretty excited about them! I feel like I'm growing as a person!What I Added:

• plaid flannel shirt – Old Navy
• navy sleevless jacket – Halogen on Nordstrom
• hand-tooled leather clutch – vintage
• butterscotch "Leona" boots – Dr. Martens

---

OUTFIT SEVEN: Red Dead

Not a ton to say about this outfit other than I am SO EXCITED for the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2. JUST GIVE IT TO ME ALREADY.What I Added:

• red turtleneck sweater – Old Navy
• tan suede should bag – AllSaints
• tan 5050 boots – Stuart Weitzman

Soooooo... whaddaya think?! I really tried to create variety and push myself to make new combinations while still being true to my personal tastes. The real test, of course, will be wearing these outfits IRL. I'll let you know how that goes in future posts.In the meantime, stay tuned for PART TWO! A whole new set of seven outfits built around one red dress is yet to come!Hope you've been having a frank and productive holiday.  

HOLIDAY DRESSING, PART 4: BIRTHDAY

The most important celebration of the holiday season is easily my birthday, December 15th. Pretty sure it's a federal holiday. So, go ahead and skip out on work tomorrow.To help you celebrate, I've put together a little list of Redbubble dresses that are appropriately birthday-themed. Enjoy!Hope you enjoy my birthday! May there be many crazy shenanigans! 

An Unmeasured Approach: The NYTimes' Spinach Artichoke Dip

The NYTimes' has a great low-carb, keto-friendly recipe for spinach artichoke dip. Hooray!Unfortunately, in my hunger and excitement, I did not have the patience to measure out the ingredients. So, for this meal (Ben and I ate it for dinner – he with bread and potato chips, I with a lowcarb tortilla and strips of bacon), I kinda just eyeballed the amounts until I thought things looked (and tasted) good.Find the recipe here. A couple more pics of how mine turned out, plus a couple of notes after the cut.The NYT's recipe suggests you can eat the dip without baking, but baking makes it SO MUCH BETTER. For maximum surface area, I spread the dip into a large pie pan, sprinkled heavily with parmesan cheese, and popped it under the broiler for 10 minutes.Look how yummy! I took a video of this bubble gooey-ness, but it's pretty NSFW. I have it saved to my desktop in a folder named "Normal Stuff Not Porn." Why do people always wanna look in there? It's just normal stuff, not porn. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯It's easy to go overboard and just pour the whole damn pie pan of dip into your mouth, but I'm a goddamn lady, so I don't fuck with that shit. Instead, I made things ever the more complicated by making a little bowl out of a low-carb tortilla and filling it with dip. I wanna say it was about portion control, but really it was about claiming the majority for myself. Snooze lose, Ben!I wish I could have some right now, but we ate it all. I finally I understand that saying about having your cake and eating it too. They should change it to "spinach artichoke dip." More folks would get it.Anywho, hope you're swell!

OOTD: Little Red Hearts

Thought I'd counter all that blue with some straight-up red. Bigger pics and outfit details after the cut.

Outfit Details

• red v-neck dress (with pockets!) – Gap
• red blazer with ruched sleeves – H&M
• red beaded necklace – Kenneth Jay Lane on RueLaLa
• sand suede tote – AllSaints
• red and cream, heart-print, d'orsay pumps – Marc Jacobs purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue at least 10 years ago. They're holding up alright because I never wear them. :/

I sure like red, you guys.

Quickie Trick for Reheating Leftovers: Salami Cups

Not exactly a recipe, but here's a little something I made for breakfast the other day – leftovers reheated in little cups made of salami. Just pop the salami in a muffin tin, fill with whatever low-carb, keto-friendly leftover you have on hand, top with cheese, and pop in the a 350 degree oven for ten minutes until the cheese has melted and the leftovers are reheated. More pics after the cut.

What I used for filling: leftover cauliflower (no) mac and cheese. I made the cauliflower mac the night before with two types of cauliflower, heavy cream, and a cheese sauce of mozzarella, romano, and cheddar.

One Blue Dress, Seven Ways

I challenged myself to create seven days of outfits out of a single, super cheap blue dress I got on Amazon. How did I do?First, the dress in question:I purchased this dress on Amazon for about $25! It arrived in two days! It has pockets! It's machine washable! SO MANY EXCLAMATION POINTS. Bonus: As the product description so helpfully points out, it's "Fun to Wear!" And now... the outfits...

OUTFIT ONE: Go, Sailor!

(Pro-tip: It might help to listen to Go Sailor by Go Sailor while you look at this one.) This is what I would wear to commandeer a ship. Who would dare defy me in this getup? NO ONE.What I Added:

• navy boatneck sweater – J.Crew
• navy double-breasted jacket – Lauren Ralph Lauren at Bloomingdales
• handmade textile necklace – superlittlecute on Etsy
• white leather ballet flats – Avec Les Filles at Bloomingdales

---

OUTFIT TWO: Almost Minimalist

I would love to be one of those super sleek, minimalist ladies who always look timeless and chic, but, omg, I LOVE stuff. Spangly, shiny, sparkly stuff! So, I added these fancy earrings for a little extra "me."What I Added:

• charcoal turtleneck sleeveless tunic – Gap
• grey, faux suede trench coat – Zara
• charcoal OTK wedge boots – Stuart Weitzman
• sparkly earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane on Net-a-Porter

---

OUTFIT THREE: Outdoorsy

I don't care for camping, but I do enjoy a nice walk in the woods. Trees. Creeks. Maybe a nice squirrel to settle near me and share meaningful glances with. That sounds alright. Here is an outfit I would wear for such an occasion.What I Added:

• olive green button-down shirt – J.Crew
• woven belt – Gap
• cream faux-suede vest – Philosophy on NordstromRack
• cream strappy booties – Dolce Vita

---

OUTFIT FOUR: Casual Day

Hey, look! Sneakers! They make me so sneaky. Sneaking here and there and everywhere. I put on these shoes and get up to nefarious doings.What I Added:

• blue scarf (BIG KITTIES!) – Hermes
• black belted sweatshirt – H&M
• embellished leather sneakers – Jeffrey Campbell

---

OUTFIT FIVE: Sporty

I am dabbling in bold color combos lately, but find myself always bringing in a neutral because I am a coward. Womp womp.What I Added:

• fuschia turtleneck tee – J.Crew
• white silk organza jacket – Tahari on Ruelala
• white leather ballet flats – Avec Les Filles at Bloomingdales

---

OUTFIT SIX: A L'il Bit Country

I am from Texas. I enjoy denim jackets and neckerchiefs. Don't judge me.What I Added:

• light pink scarf (a xmas gift from Ben!) – Hermes
• paladium scarf ring (a birthday gift from Ben!) – Hermes
• light pink denim jacket – H&M
• navy suede maryjanes – Camper

---

OUTFIT SEVEN: Color & Texture

And, finally, I found that I had a jacket that was almost the same color as the dress. So, yeah... that. Plus, this awesome handmade scarf/necklace hybrid that is super convenient for someone like me, who is allergic to most metals. :(What I Added:

• handmade long layered necklace/scarf – birdienumnumshop on Etsy
• leather and tweed jacket – Bagatelle at Neiman Marcus
• those embellished leather sneakers again! – Jeffrey Campbell

---

And just in case you're a glutton for punishment, here are all the individual images for these outfits:

Sooo... what do you think? How did I do?I must say, this was a great exercise to go through – fun and challenging and effective at making me reconsider my go-to outfit scenarios. Still, there's definitely room for improvement/innovation/experimentation. I'll keep working on it. ;) 

OOTD: In a Gif

I made a gif! Yes, I pronounce it "jif." Here is my reasoning:

1. The creator of the format has said the pronunciation is "jif." He should get a say in the matter.
2. For those who insist it must be a hard g as in "graphics"... How do you pronounce the word "scuba"? Do you say "skuh-ba" for "self-contained UNderwater breathing apparatus?" Or do you say "skoo-ba" like a normal person? Do you call a sim card a "sigh-m card" for “subscriber identification module”? Acronyms are often pronounced differently from the words upon which they're based.
3. Donald Trump says "gif."

Now let's never speak of it again!Still images and outfit info behind the cut.

Outfit Details

• yellow/grey/brown silk dress – Josie Natori via Saks
• grey leather vest – Bagatelle via Neiman Marcus
• grey faux suede trench coat – Zara
• silver slipper mules – Dolce Vita, available on Amazon

Hope you're well! 

Holiday Dressing, Part 3: Festivus

Another round of Redbubble dresses perfect for dancing around the Festivus pole or performing feats of strength! If you need more holiday dressing ideas or just wanna look at some dresses because dresses are awesome and pants are the devil, check out the previous two posts in this series: Hanukkah and Christmas.

OOTD: Just Say No to Pants

I've said it before and I'll say it again: pants are for jerks. Don't let cold weather sway you from an anti-pants stance. Stay strong! Individual pics and outfit info behind the cut...

Outfit Info

• purple sweater dress – ASOS
• checked wool belted blazer – H&M
• charcoal wedge over-the-knee boots – Stuart Weitzman
• yellow leather clutch – Baggu
• "No Pants" pin – PINTRILL

Have a frank and productive day, friends.Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Ancient World Was Tacky AF

Scenes from the Gods in Color exhibit at the San Francisco Legion of Honor.

OOTD: Yarns

Wore another Redbubble dress and scarf combo out to lunch today. More pics and details behind the cut.

Outfit Details

• "Space" a-line dress and scarf by embroiderrred – Redbubble
• black, long-sleeved mesh t-shirt – H&M
• black denim moto jacket – Gap
• yellow leather saddle bag by Coach – available on Amazon (now 40% off!)
• black, suede, weatherproof boots by Teva – available on Amazon

Hope you're swell!