my gypsy soul to take

Today was a day for mixed metals, messy hair and power colors. I'm so over spring.

note: this post is long winded, but definitely worth the read for my fellow fashion bloggers

Granted, this look may not seem like much sartorially speaking, but it's the story and the emotion behind it that make it powerful.

Red never seems to photograph well on my camera, so I will clarify that this top is definitely a bright, beautiful, vibrant red. Most mornings I agonize over what to wear, to the point where I'm running pretty late by the time I finally get it together and get dressed - but not today. Today, my hands went straight for this gorgeous red tunic and my most trusted black skinny jeans. I briefly considered a more Spring-like shoe to soften things up, but immediately dismissed the idea. I needed a black boot with a ridiculous heel. My one concession to the warm weather is the ankle height of the suede shaft, instead of the full knee boot of shiny black leather that I originally put my leg into.

I'm typically opposed to mixing metals when it comes to jewelry and hardware - for some reason it causes me great anxiety to see gold with silver, pewter with hemp, etc - but this morning's f**k it attitude devoured more than my wardrobe angst. I stacked friendship bracelets of all makes over two studded wrist wraps (one black leather with pewter hardware; the other purple with silver) on my arm, wrapped a black and bejeweled belt around my waist and topped it off with my favorite gold necklace from NastyGal. I've had to give up earrings as weekday wear (they're just not conducive to 9 hours of answering phones), but I was sorely tempted to add a pair of dangly silver chain and black bead chandeliers this morning. The more I think about it, the more I regret not doing so (earlobes be damned).

Do you have a specific color combo or certain outfit that you feel more powerful in? I've noticed that when I'm upset, angry or in an "all-business" mood, I tend to gravitate towards black and red - gray on days I'm more irritated or cranky than mad. Maybe because my wardrobe consisted of strictly those three colors through high school; maybe because of the strength they emanate for me; maybe because red has always been seen as a confident color, and black is just a good base for it. Whatever the reason, it's probably a good idea to watch yourself when I walk out the door in something like today's ensemble. Man, was I not friendly feeling this morning. It was definitely one of those don't tap the glass days.

I have gotten a few comments on my seemingly anti-spring attire over the last few days (Friday it was all black and purple, the weekend black and grey), and honestly, I take no offense. As I said, I'm so over spring; and besides (to quote a great) -

Frankly, my dear, I just don't give a damn.

For now, at least anyway. Moodiness has once again take hold, and I'm sure I'll be back to my bubbly other-self in a few days. Or I will give in to my gypsy soul and move somewhere out of Utah and away from my problem. I mentioned that a lot has happened over the last few weeks, and I think I just need to let things settle for a minute.

black kitty = Lily, my sister's cat; giant white blob = Ghost, my pseudo-dog

I adore my kitties... but I miss Annie. Ghost might think he's a big dog (the neighborhood chihuahuas are terrified of him), and I love the way he nuzzles my face and cuddles with me at night, but I couldn't take him to the park or camping or any of the fun stuff you can do with a really loyal pup. A few weeks ago, I got to see Annie for the first time in at least eight months, and it made me realize just how much I really do miss her. It also re-opened and dumped salt into some other old wounds, but that's a much longer story.

Maybe my gypsy soul is what's causing me such grief recently. My life right now is okay - I could probably get by as-is for most of it. And that's what bothers me about it. I've never been one to stay at rest for very long, and when I do, I tend to become accidentally self-destructive. Given recent events, I think it's time to consider a change. A big one. I want to move to New York or LA or Seattle and get seriously invested in the fashion scene. I've never been so vibrantly, intently passionate about anything as I am about this, and I refuse to be a small-time hobbyist with a day job for the rest of my life.

Anyone know of any fantastic job opportunities for an aspiring writer/stylist/fashion journalist in non-Utah?

pictured

red tunic top: maurice's

black skinny jeans: refuge (similar here)

black ankle boots: express (similar here)

black bejeweled belt: maurice's

black messenger bag: ebay (similar here, or try it in neon yellow or hot pink)

assorted friendship bracelets: maurice's

black studded wrist wrap: charlotte russe (similar here)

gold sunbeam necklace: nastygal (find it here)

a special treat for my fashion blogger friends

I know I can be a bit long-winded sometimes (okay, all the time), so for those of you who made it through the entire post, I have some fantastic news! A few months ago, I was accepted into RewardStyle, an affiliate network for the best of the best when it comes to fashion blogs. I tried out a few others before RewardStyle found me, and I have to say RewardStyle is definitely my favorite. They have all kinds of awesome tools for promoting items and business-fying your blog, and the account representatives are so easy to work with. If making money from your blog is something you're interested in, RewardStyle is the affiliate network to belong to.

RewardStyle is an invitation only monetization tool for fashion, lifestyle & beauty bloggers. They are looking to work with bloggers who are blogging on the professional level.

The best part of RewardStyle is CurrentlyObsessed.me - basically, you browse the RewardStyle site and add the items you love to your favorites, which is then transformed into a store for your readers to browse. It's a great way to share the things you love and to provide readers with tons of variations on your favorite outfits. You do have to make one sale from your blog to be eligible for CurrentlyObsessed.me, but trust me when I say that it's not a hard thing to do!

Check out Frayed Threads on CurrentlyObsessed.me

So here's the awesome sauce part - I have a few invites to pass out to my favorite blogger friends! If you're interested, leave your name, email address, blog link and a brief blurb about your blog and why you're a "top blogger" in a comment on this post and I'll see what I can do about getting you an invite. This is available for ten commenters only, and I can't guarantee that you'll be accepted - but I can guarantee that RewardStyle is an easy way to successfully monetize your blog, so I encourage you to give it a shot.

Still not convinced RewardStyle is right for you? Check out these helpful articles on IFB, featuring RewardStyle:

Business of Blogging: RewardStyle

(this one features some great info on what they're looking for)

50 Online Tools to Better Your Blog

(RewardStyle is #23; CurrentlyObsessed.me is #26)

If affiliate networking in general has you flummoxed, try IFB's Fashion Traffic School.

If you have a fashion, beauty or lifestyle blog, I really hope you submit your link. If nothing else, I would love to make some new friends out here in the fashion blogosphere, and you have so much to gain!

P.S. In the continuation of my blog overhaul, I've revamped my about me page, so hop on over to get the latest scoop, or check out my new completely unscientific experiment on style.




P.P.S. Be sure to check out IFB's Blogger of the Month contest on Facebook, and while you're there, put in a vote for Frayed Threads! Find this photo with the title "hold it together" and click the Vote button - easy peasy lemon squeezy!
What? You're entering your blog too? Leave me a comment with the title of your photo and I'll return the favor!