October in Instagrams

Happy post-Halloween, guys! I hope you didn't OD on candy. I can't believe it's November already! I've got my Christmas music curated and ready to go for every annoying T ride...how grumpy can you be while listening to Frosty the Snowman, am I right?

This has been a super fun month! Here are some highlights in Instagrams:

1//Some daisy-chained photos above my vanity! 2//Can you believe I kept these pretty mums alive for a month?! 3//The most beautiful sunset above Coolidge Corner. 4//A lovely day in Boston. 5//Halloween greetings from Jesse Pinkman and Walter White (not pictured: Craig had $10,000 and a pack of cards to become "New Hampshire Walt" LOL). 6//Happy tiny pumpkin! 7//My adorable coworkers and I dressed up for Halloween. 8//I met Wes Craven this month!! He signed my Freddy doll. I was geeking out :D.

Now onto Thanksgiving and holiday shopping...Happy November, everyone!

I'm Gonna Soak Up the Sun...

Hi, guys! I had the good fortune of being tagged with not one but two Sunshine Awards! I feel so loved :'). Since my darling Z (of Sometimes Z Takes Pictures) got to me first, I'll answer her questions - but thank you so much for thinking of me, Jess (of Bookworms in Dresses)!

The rules:

You have to post a picture of the Sunshine award in the blog post.

Post 11 random facts about yourself.

Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

Nominate 11 wonderful bloggers.

Write 11 questions for them to answer.

Also let the bloggers you nominated know you have nominated them.

11 facts ahoy!

1. I go out for ice cream after a long day like some people go to the bar. I would go out for ice cream in a blizzard. I think it's a Massachusetts thing?

2. I've been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old.

3. This might be evident from the pictures on the blog, but at least 50% of my wardrobe is polka-dotted, and at least 50% (but probably more) of my accessories are animal themed.

4. I once visited 4 countries in one day.

5. I used to compete nationally in public speaking.

6. I consider myself to be a very good gift-giver because my memory retains every small detail about everything that people like.

7. I'm a Writing and Publishing major, and my favorite thing to write is horror stories! This is often confusing to people in my workshops because I am prone to wearing things like dog-printed collared dresses (see fact 3).

8. My very first job was working for a NYC-based burrito restaurant in a centralized call center. It was as strange as it sounds.

9. I'm obsessed with fruit-flavored Mentos. I literally always have a roll in my purse.

10. My usual Starbucks order is a Venti Iced Soy Green Tea Latte - as delicious as it is pretentious-sounding.

11.  I start listening to Christmas music on November 1st.

11 answers!

1. How do you read blogs? Morning/afternoon/evening? All at once? Sporadically?

I binge-read sporadically - it's like how some people unwind with People magazine, I read a ton of blogs when I'm looking to chill for a bit.

2. What's one item from your childhood that you've held onto?

I still have a Mickey Mouse doll from a childhood trip to Disney World - now, he sits on my windowsill! :)

3. What are you going as for Halloween?

I'm Jesse Pinkman, and Craig is Walter White! Ignore the creepy implications of that and instead focus on me in a giant sweatshirt and beanie, because it's hilarious.

4. Are you a big accessory person? What's your favorite to wear?

I wear a lot of accessories! I always wear my Claddagh ring from Dublin, but my favorite is without a doubt my grandma's white elephant necklace.

5. If you could hop on a plane and go anywhere for a week, where would you go?

That's a tough question! I'd like to go back to Italy and maybe see Venice or Florence.

6. What wakes you up in the morning?

A very annoying alarm. I give it funny notes like "Ghoul-d morning" and put a lot of emojis in it so that I can smile a little bit when I turn it off, hah! Unless this question was supposed to be more metaphorical instead of literal...in which case, oops.

7. Socks, slippers, or bare feet?

SLIPPERS. Nothing is worse than cold wooden floors. My mother got me a great pair of Ugg slippers and they are so comfy.

8. Do you have any tattoos? Do you want any?

I don't have any, but I've toyed around with some small ideas - I want to make sure I'm totally sold before I make it permanent, though! :)

9. If you could have lunch with any famous person, alive or dead, who would you choose?

AHH this is such a loaded question. I'd really like to chat with F. Scott Fitzgerald - I think he'd make for very interesting dinner conversation!

10. What's your favorite season? Why?

I'm a very seasonal person - I find things to love about each time the temperatures change. I guess that fall would probably be my favorite, though!

11. What's your current obsession?

So many things! I'm getting into Mad Men now, so there's that - but I also just started reading David Sedaris, so...this is a struggle.

Tag, you're it!

1. Mollie of Molliepop

2. Laura of Girls Fighting Evil

3. Ayley of American Sunday

4. Kristian of Never Fully Dressed Without a Style

5. Churrts of the Astronista

6. Isabella of Sincerely, Isabella

7. Jennie of Jennie & Husband

8. Rachel of Daydream Frenzy

9. Jess of Jessthetics

10. Bel of Rags of Love

11. You! Please do link up and share in the sunshine! :)

Questions for you lovely ladies:

1. What was your best childhood Halloween costume?

2. If you could move anywhere for a year, where would you go?

3. What is your dream job?

4. What's your favorite Thanksgiving food?

5. What was the last book you read?

6. What's your must-have wardrobe staple for fall this year?

7. What are you looking forward to most about winter?

8. What was your favorite subject in grade school?

9. What was your first job?

10. What was the last movie you saw in theaters? Was it any good?

11. If you were on Supermarket Sweep, what would you stock up on?

Thanks for tagging me, Z and Jess! This was fun :).

Fright Nights: Last-Minute Costume Ideas

Hey everyone - happy almost Halloween! I thought I'd cap off this (very) mini series with a few tips on making last minute costumes, if you happened to get invited to a Halloween party you weren't quite ready to get dressed up for. As I mentioned before, I work at a Halloween store, so I've seen a lot of people blow through with some pretty creative ideas! These are some of my favorites:

"What Does the Fox Say?"

This is a Leg Avenue fox kit we sell in my store. You can find it online, too. Literally all you have to do is put on a cute/comfortable outfit, pop on the ears and tail, and wear a sign that says "What Does the Fox Say?" Or, you know, only respond to people by saying "WA PA PA PA POW" when they try to talk to you. Or communicate by mo-o-o-o-orse. Whatever floats your boat.

Effort: minimum. Pop culture impact rating: 9.

"Rosie the Riveter"

Do you have a chambray shirt and jeans? Do you also have a bandana and a curling iron? Boom, Rosie'd.

Bonus: you can spend the whole night flexing and making fierce faces at people. And you never have to think about your pose in group pictures!

Effort: almost none. Pop culture impact rating: 3.

"Minnie Mouse"

The old standby. If you have a lot of bows and red and white polka dotted things at your disposal (Lord knows I do), then you can definitely do this. All you need is some mouse ears, which many people already have from a trip to Disneyland. If you don't, they're pretty cheap at Halloween supply stores. This costume is very cute, and really fun to accessorize - you can definitely make it your own.

Effort: minimum. Pop culture impact rating: 4.

"Grumpy Cat" >:(

My friend told me she was going as "Hipster Grumpy Cat" this Halloween, and I was so delighted. Every costume store has tons of cat ears, tails, and whiskers for sale, and if you're good at makeup, you can take this costume from "vague reference" to "OMG your costume is the coolest." Any tan-hued outfit will do.

Bonus: you can make this face at everyone all night. And that is awesome.

Effort: minimum to medium. Pop culture impact rating: 8

"Walter White"/"Heisenberg"

This one will probably require a trip to the thrift store, unless you have a penchant for dressing like a chemistry teacher who also likes fedoras, and sunglasses. All you need to get is a black jacket, a plaid shirt, a black fedora, a bald cap, shades, and a fake goatee, if you can't grow one yourself. Dipping sticks are optional. A serious 'tude is mandatory.

Bonus: get your friend/significant other to dress like Jesse. Buying the components for Jesse is both cheaper and way more fun (really obnoxious oversized sweatshirts and graphic tees). I may or may not know this from experience. Okay, Craig and I are going to be Walter and Jesse for Halloween.

Effort: moderate/high (my store is out of fedoras already). Pop culture impact rating: 10.

But seriously, what are you guys planning on being for Halloween? Spill the beans. I LOVE hearing about peoples' costumes.