Sundowner

Last night, in lieu of going out on a date, I decided we should get some whiskey and hang out in the living room listening to good old time Jazz music with the lights dimmed and candles burning.  Mmm, upright bass and high quality spirits.  All that was missing was big fire roaring in a hearth and a fur rug to sit on in front of it.  I hope our next place has a fireplace. Granted, it's still a tad summery to be thinking such thoughts.  I should enjoy the last of summer's trappings before I have to pack up my summer thoughts and put them in storage for 9 months.  Maybe a fizzy, fruity beverage and a barbecue are in order.  This outfit is pretty summery.  I've been trying to wear all my sleeveless dresses while it's still warm enough to do so without the addition of a cardigan and tights.  

dress/dear creatures courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/courtesy of seychelles :: crown/DIY
I think August and September are my favorite times of year to take photos.  There's just something about the quality of the light that is so warm and beautiful.  It's like I can feel the summer heat emanating from the image.  Sometimes I wish it was perpetually August and September.   I would probably miss Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween though.  And I think my coats and jackets and other wintery things would get sad and lonely in my closet.  

Rhubarb Lemon Bars

I've been trying to avoid making the same recipes I've made before and branch out to make new things. It's been pretty fun!  I had a bunch of rhubarb and so instead of going for my usual rhubarb pie, I decided to make a strawberry-rhubarb crumble, and then this!  I found the recipe here, but I ended up doubling it because my 8x8 pan was being used, but I think it may have been a bad idea... because I had an 9x13 pan full of rhubarb lemon bars in my house for a week, which caused me to rationalize eating a rhubarb lemon bar for breakfast everyday.

I kind of love baking and cooking things.  Because for the most part I follow recipes (thanks pinterest!), except for the times when I play Emeril in my kitchen and, you know, *BAM*.  Which mostly involves throwing stuff together that seems like it'd work well together.  But anyway, cooking/baking with recipes is so great!  Because really, all you have to do is follow step by step directions.  There's no guesswork, if there's something you don't know how to do, there's like a thousand youtube tutorials on how to do that thing (like cutting in butter, or creaming butter & sugar).  It's pretty awesome.  I suppose back in the day one would learn that kind of stuff by watching a parent or grandparent in the kitchen, but I think most of us grew up in a culture that didn't necessarily have that.  But the internet is kind of like having everyone's grandma to learn from!  Thousands of recipes, how-to's and more, all at my fingertips on my laptop.  It's kind of amazing!

And maybe this is waxing a bit philosophical for a post about lemon bars, but I was thinking the other day about how empowering cooking and baking feels.  It seems like a lot of typical "domestic" stuff is often looked down on for being anti-feminist, or putting women "back in the kitchen" so to speak, when the feminist movement worked so hard to give women the right to equality in the workplace, etc.  Even the word "Domestic" is almost a dirty word today, something that you don't want to be if you're a modern woman.  Even I get a little perterbed if people describe me as domestic or say I'm domesticated for whatever reason, because I don't feel domestic, and I don't like being reduced down to one word.  Perhaps I enjoy things that are labeled as domestic, but I also love things that are the furthest from typical domesticity.  The word "domestic" brings up an image of a wild creature which has been tamed, and I feel the furthest thing from tame!  But anyway, I digress.

 I love knowing that I can cook a really amazing meal or dessert and feed my family and friends something that isn't from the freezer thrown in a microwave for 5 minutes.  Americans seem so obsessed with everything being fast and easy, and I think there's this misconception that cooking something from scratch is going to take too long or is too hard, or that cooking is something sort of mystical that we can't figure out.  I was watching TV the other day and it was kind of amazing how much every ad spoke to this idea of cooking being a bother, or too hard, and that we needed all these quick and easy products and processed food.  But, I'm learning that I really value supporting local farmers and businesses, which means buying "real" food and making stuff from scratch.  I don't know if this has a conclusion, just mostly thinking out loud.  

Marshalls $100 Gift Card Giveaway!

It's time for a giveaway!  Just to run down everything that was styled this past week, here's a list of everything I styled up during the challenge and what everything cost:
Clothes: Cardigan: $19.99 Dress: $14.99 Striped Sweater: $14.99 Orange Top: $16.99 Jeans: $19.99 Total: $86.95
Accessories: Bag: $9.99 Sunglasses: $14.99 Total: $24.98
So my complete total for everything came to just over $100 at $111.93!  And the lucky winner of this giveaway gets a $100 gift card, and could potentially go snag up any of the pieces I styled up (assuming it's in stock at their store, of course)!  Ready to enter? You've got three chances to win! Here are the deets:
To Enter: Leave a comment on this post with your email address and your favorite fall style that you're looking forward to wearing this year!  You must do this to be entered.
for additional bonus entries:
1. Like Delightfully Tacky on Facebook + come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know you've "liked."  If you already like Delightfully Tacky on Facebook, no need to unlike and then like again, just let me know you are a like-r!
2. Follow Delightfully Tacky on Twitter + come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know you followed.  Again, if you already follow Delightfully Tacky on Twitter, no need to unfollow and then follow again, just let me know you are a follower!
The giveaway will be open until Sunday, September 16th at 9pm PST.  Open to international entries.

Fall Fashion with Marshall's // Outfit Number Five

Aaaand, here's the final outfit in this little challenge!  I've never really done a mega-remixing challenge like this before and it was pretty fun, and definitely challenging!  Usually when I remix pieces it's over many months and my whole closet to chose from.  When Kendi started the 30 for 30 challenge, I liked the idea of challenging yourself to remix what you already have, but I think I prefer to have my whole closet to work with.  Though, I'm sure 30 pieces is probably way easier to be creative with than just five pieces!  It's a fun project to push yourself to be more creative and resourceful with styling.  I'm kinda glad this mini challenge is over though, there are so many other outfits I have in my brain that I've been wanting to wear... maybe doing this challenge spurred on my creativity!  Have you guys ever done a styling challenge?  Did it change how you looked at your closet?

dress + top + bag/courtesy of marshalls :: total- $42.00 tights/target :: boots/courtesy of modcloth
Whenever I shop, I try to find things that lend themselves well to remixing.  This top, for instance, is great for remixing.  I find that button down tops are often pretty great for remixing.  This one had the added bonus of having sleeves that can roll down or up and be secured with a little button, plus the tie, which could be worn full length or tied up a bit higher at the natural waist, like in this outfit.   And collared shirts are fun to wear underneath dresses with the collar popping out.
Well, stay tuned!  The $100 gift card giveaway is later today!

Fall Fashion with Marshall's // Outfit Number Four

On Sunday we met up with my Dad and Uncle at the Wood Boat Festival in Port Townsend.  My Dad goes pretty much every year, and last year Dan & I went and hung out with my parents and it was a blast.  This year we went with another goal in mind:  harvest the apples from the trees at my parents' house!  Mission accomplished.  There are now three garbage bags full of apples in my car, plus we went on a walk yesterday afternoon and made off with a bucket full of blackberries!  So now, not only do we have the blackberries we harvested in Tacoma, but even more!  I need to start looking up blackberry recipes stat.  Dan & I aren't huge jam/jelly people, so we're trying to think of other things to do with large quantities of berries.

dress + sweater/courtesy of Marshalls :: total- $30.00 shoes/minnetonka :: necklace/handmade
I realized that I didn't really have many sweaters, which is really something I should have, since winters in western Washington are perfect sweater weather.  This little sweater caught my eye with its stripes and cute button detail on the sleeve.  Interestingly, it kind of has a bit of a nautical feel, which worked nicely for going to a boat festival.
Last night as I was leaving a friend's house, I felt it.  The nip of fall in the air.  The forecast for the week still says it'll be in or near the 70's during the day, but the nights are starting to become quite chilly.  All in all, I think we got a pretty great summer, and while I do wish that PNW summers lasted all year, I like the sense of renewal and rejuvenation that comes along with a new season.  I often find that new seasons often bring about little goal lists, especially autumn, since it's the first reminder that the year is nearly over, so you'd better finish up those goals you set in January!  I haven't really sat down to make any goals, but I think there are a few milling about in the back of my mind waiting for me to pen them.  Do you guys have any goals to complete before the end of the year?