Monday, November 30, 2009

11.27.09

I've had a crazy week visiting my family in Texas! Saturday, my dad and I took his boat out on Lake Texoma, which surprisingly enough is on the border of Texas and Oklahoma! Shocking, I know. There was some lovely scenery, I got to use my mom's telephoto lens, and I even saw a bald eagle.

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eagle

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Later that night, I crashed a wedding reception that my parents were attending, pounded a couple of free glasses of wine in abou 45 minutes, then went to the airport to pick up my sister who lives in Nicaragua. Her plane was late so I got to take lots of gratuitous and well lit photos of myself (and my new shoes) in the nearly empty terminal.

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shoes

More Texas fun is to come... especially the amazing antique dress form that I got at the Antique Mall!


Don't forget...

Today is the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend sale at Green Violet Vintage! Stop by today if you have your eye on something!


Sorry I've been MIA- I'm still on Thanksgiving break! An outfit post and some fun Texas vacation pictures are coming later today.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Winner!

The winner of my first ever giveaway is entry #10, Amy of Second Fiddle Crafts!
Contact me at TheGreenViolet@gmail.com with your mailing address and the purse and scarf will be on their way to a new home with you! I used random.org to select the winner, but I can't figure out how to post the image from their site, ugh!

Thanks to everyone who entered, its was so fun to learn a little bit about some of you and it was really helpful to hear about what stuff in my shop ya'll like! Speaking of, if you have your eye on anything, don't forget that everything will be 20% off all weekend long, from Friday to Monday!



Tuesday, November 24, 2009

11.23.09 and a SALE!

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Dress: Made by me
Slip: from Etsy
Scarf: gift from my sister from Ecuador
Leggings: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Boots: Groundhog shoes

It sure is hard to take photos now that it gets dark so early! Here is my attempt at a night-time-no-flash photo. Not so hot! I had totally forgotten about this dress that I made last summer, but its actually perfect for fall and works great with leggings. Actually, I'm finding that almost everything works great with leggings. They are my new favorite article of clothing!

Also, I'm having a SALE...

Its going to start on "Black Friday" and go through "Cyber Monday" since I couldn't decide which retail holiday to celebrate.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

11.18.09

Yay! I'm back. It feels so good to have a camera again (I just home the insurance money comes through like I'm hoping it will)!

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Dress: Old Navy
Belt: Thrifted
Leggings: New, Vera Wang for Kohls
Socks: K-mart
Boots: Groundhog Shoes
Bag: Vintage, estate sale

Yesterday I went on the Great Legging Search of '09. Seriously. It was as dramatic as it sounds. Everyone is wearing leggings, but NO ONE is selling them! At least, thats the way it was beginning to seem to me. Of course, I only like to go to thrift stores and I hate to drive all over town in search of something, so maybe my opinion was biased. Anyways, I had finally broken down and decided to try Walmart because I was getting desperate for some leggings- I mean, I have these awesome boots that keep my feet and calves warm, but leave my knees and thighs out shivering in the cold. Sometimes, tights just don't cut it. Obviously, no leggings was not an option! So yeah, after searching for what felt like days and days at every store in Asheville (in reality, only Target and K-mart which probably took an hour total) I pulled into the parking lot of Walmart and prepared to brace myself for entering that mad-house, which I typically avoid. And then I saw it. KOHL'S! It was so simple yet so genius. Kohl's always has cheap stuff and is much easier to navigate than Walmart, but I had totally forgotten that it even existed. Well, long story short, Kohl's was the answer to all my legging dream. Seriously, go there now and get yourself some Vera Wang for Kohl's leggings in black, brown, and gray in either long or capri length. I like to think that Vera always knows exactly what I want (my prom dress was Vera Wang many moons ago). They are 50% off so they only cost $10 each! I am so excited about how warm I'm going to be all winter now, I feel like my wardrobe is finally complete! Oh, and I tried out layering knee high socks over my leggings today and I loved the look. Thanks to Chelsea who inspired me with her OTK socks a few days ago.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

More Giveaway info...

Ok, forgive me, its my first giveaway!

Things I forgot to mention:
1. The giveaway is a week long- so it will be over next Tuesday at midnight EST
2. I'll select the winner randomly. I know a lot of people use random.org or whatever, but I going to think of something awesome-er that possibly involves my dog. He can pull a piece of paper out of a hat, right?

So, exciting news! Glen Deux (thats my new camera who is an exact replica of my old camera- Glen Sr.) just arrived! Off to set it up and photograph everything I can find! Not taking pictures for a week has been PURE TORTURE!! Of course, now I have lost my "I don't have a camera so I can't photograph myself" excuse for looking like a total bum.

Monday, November 16, 2009

My Very First Giveaway!

I love the giveaways that I see on other blogs so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Afterall, I'm constantly thrifting lots of fun things and I can't keep them all for myself!

Up for grabs is what I'm calling the "Camel-Colored-Combo" (say that three times fast). Its a vintage scarf and a little clutch, both in a lovely shade of camel, one of my favorite neutrals.

The clutch is 100% leather and has such a classic style, but the diagonal lines add a little bit of 80s style.

I LOVE this scarf. Isn't it so perfectly retro? It's 56" long, so it can be used as a belt by everyone from an XS to a 3X. It also makes a fantabulous head scarf and can even be used to spice up your home decor! Personally, I think this scarf is practically perfect.

So... here's the deal. There are three ways to enter the giveaway- and you can do all three! This giveaway is open to absolutely anyone.

1. Leave a comment below- you can say whatever you want, but I would love to hear a little bit about you!

2. Re-blog, re-tweet, or creatively pass on the word about the giveaway. Just be sure to post a second comment with a link.

3. Visit Green Violet Vintage (my Etsy shop) and let me know what your favorite item is by posting a comment about it. This would really help me out, I want to make sure I'm finding items that all you fashionable people are interested in!

Whew! Well, that's all the info! I hope to make giveaways a permanent part of the blog, so I hope this one goes well.

And, as my roomate would say, "Best wishes to you and yours"!

Lemons into Lemonade... or, what I learned from getting robbed

What to do after getting robbed:

1. Take a week off of blogging to spare everyone your whiny self pity about how both your cameras were stolen so you can't take any photos.

2. Think of other fun things you can do- like a giveaway (coming soon). Or maybe a tutorial, either about how I edit my outfit photos, or tips for thrifting vintage clothes, or how I made my T-shirt dress. Or maybe something else. What do ya'll think, anything you want to hear about?

3. Share some tips with your blog friends so that they can learn from your robbery mistakes.


Seriously though, I was super lucky in this robbery for a few reasons, and I want to share with you what I've learned:

1. Get renters insurance. DO IT NOW!! If you own your home, make sure your homeowners insurance covers things like this. I would be crying all day and night if I thought I had lost $2,500 worth of my most precious belongings and didn't at least have the hope of my insurance covering some of that. It adds up fast- 2 cameras, an ipod, and all the accessories, plus my favorite pearls.

2. To actually use said insurance you need proof that you owned the item. Save reciepts. If you don't have receipts, take pictures of it (apparently this is good enough proof for the insurance company). See- taking gratuitous photos of yourself in the mirror does pay off, as long as the camera is visible in the shot!

3. Lets say all your stolen stuff gets pawned- what else is your friendly neighborhood robber going to do with three cameras? All the pawn shops are supposed to send the serial number of every item they get to the police station, so if you know your serial numbers and can tell them to the cop, he can find your stuff. Moral of the story- write down your serial numbers and save them somewhere safe.

3. Backup your computer. Backup your computer. Back it up again. I hadn't done it in a LONG time, and fortunately I had my laptop with me on the afternoon on the tragic incident. I would have done more than cry all day and night if all my photos were gone, all my documents, all my book-keeping, any precious copy of photoshop.

4. So now you have your computer backup on an external hard drive and your serial numbers written down and maybe a few checkbooks that it wouldn't be ideal for a robber to get his hands on. If you are really smart, like my mom, you will get a safe deposit box and put it all in there. While you are at it, you might want to put the really nice pearls that you parents gave you for your high school graduation in there. Because, after all, they are irreplaceable.

Ok, I think I'm going to go follow my own advice, and I think that ya'll should too! And even if you think there is no chance in hell your house will get broken into (which, really, is what most of us think), this is good advice for fires or floods or any number of other disasters that could strike!

Oh, and thanks to everyone for your kind words after my last post! I have no clue who did it. I do live in a kind of marginal neighborhood- but my neighbors houses are literally ontopofmine and can see and hear everything we do. When the cops came they went all CSI on the place, but they didn't find anything useful. They said that unfortunately, with the economy the way it is, people are desperate for money and this type of thing is becoming more and more common. As long as I get all my insurance money to replace the things that I need daily (like my camera and my ipod), I'll be a happy camper.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Sad day...

Yesterday, my house was broken into. It was so sad and scary! Both of my lovely cameras were taken, my most favorite fancy hiking backpack, my ipod, and worst of all: the pearls that my parents gave me when I graduated high school. I'm so sad right now.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

11.7.09

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Cardigan: Ann Taylor Outlet
Dress: Thrifted
Scarf: Gift from my sister from Ecuador
Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Groundhog Shoes Beth Boot
Bangle: Gift from my mom

Well, I'm clearly still obsessed with my boots and clearly still planning my outfits around them. Which is fine with me because they are awesome! There wasn't even any break in time necessary, they were basically perfect out of the box. Anyways, this is basically the same thing I wore the other day- just with slightly different pieces and a belt added. The most exciting thing about Saturday night wasn't my outfit, it was the indie documentary I went to see; One Crazy Ride. Go check out the trailer!

According to the website, One Crazy Ride is about
"A motorcycle expedition on uncharted roads across the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, situated in North-east India. But more than an expedition, it's a film on friendship, camaraderie and the "never say die" attitude of five motorcyclists in the face of unforgiving terrain. Shot ... with no back-up vehicle or film crew, in parts of India hardly seen, filmed or explored, the documentary captures the interactions and experiences of the riders who are trying to chart a route, which according to everyone does not exist."

I don't think the summary quite does it justice, the film was very fascinating, the imagery was breath-taking, the characters were very funny and real, and the tribal groups and way of life that they encountered along their trip was so interesting. The guy who shot the film and one of his traveling companions were there, they are on a tour of the US right now. I don't think they are getting much press, which is really a shame. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the film, it really rekindled my desire to travel and have unusual adventures in other parts of the world. You should certainly check it out if they are coming to a town near you!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Fall 2009 Nature Photography Collection

Is that was you call a group of photography? A collection? Obviously I'm new to this, but here is a little collection of faux TTV photos that I have been working on, all taken this fall. I'm working on making a group from every season. Feel free to download them for personal use if you would like, sort as a thanks for putting up with my little photography obsession/digression!

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Pokeweed Berries
Carrier Park, Asheville, NC
Fall 2009 Nature TTV

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Maple Leaves
Blue Ridge Parkway, Bent Creek, NC
Fall 2009 Nature TTV

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Queen Anne's Lace
Upper Nantahala River, Wesser, NC
Fall 2009 Nature TTV

Thursday, November 5, 2009

More photoshopping

So, this morning, I finally decided to try to conquer actions. I was a bit intimidated by them, as I am by most new things in photoshop. However, it was actually super easy. I downloaded the Pioneer Woman's action set #2 (I couldn't get #1 to work for some reason), then just double clicked and they popped up in photoshop. I started with a photo that I took in the Nantahala Gorge on Monday that I really, really wanted to be awesome, but in reality turned out kind of lame. I was hoping that some Actions action could save it! It was so easy, all I had to do was click the play button and it ran the action on the photo. I fiddled with a few of the settings and presto chango, here they are:

Straight out of the Camera:
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How I edited it (boost saturation, warm up the tones a little bit):
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Pioneer Woman's Seventies Action:
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Pioneer Woman's Colorized Action:
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Pioneer Woman's Sunshine Action:
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Pioneer Woman's Heartland Action:
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Pioneer Woman's Dim the Lights Action:
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It was a super fun experiment and I really like how they all turned out. In fact, I think they are so awesome that I don't know which one I like the most! I'm leaning towards the Dim the Lights action, it made the photo sooo dramatic. The actions certainly saved this lame photo. Do any of ya'll use actions on your photos? Which are your favorite? I'd love it if you would share them with me, I can't wait to try some more!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

11.4.09

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boots

Cardigan: Free from a swap (J.Crew)
Dress: ?? Some sort of mallish store
Dyed Vintage Slip: Etsy seller
Leggings: also ???
Boots: Groundhog Shoes

Is it seriously already November? I'm not sure if I should be excited or depressed about that! Well, here I am showing my true fall colors. I am becoming totally obsessed with my boots, and for good reason: they are awesome! They are totally comfortable, haven't done so much as give me a blister yet, and allow me to wearing leggings without feeling like a 13 year old. What more could a girl want?

Sorry for the unexpected blogging break; my aunt passed away last week and so I made a trip to Georgia. It was a bit of a rough time. I figured I would ease back into the blogosphere with an outfit post; but full halloween, fall scenery, and Barbara Kingsolver (!!!) updates are coming soon.