Wore: What's Black and White with a Red Bottom?

The Answer:  ME!

And not in the naughty way, cheeky monkey.  I'm talking about my outfit and shoes. ;-)

It's actually been chilly here in Atlanta the past week or so, so I've been wearing one of my favorite scarves quite a bit.  Actually, strike that.  It's been cold.  It was 18°F / -8°C when we left for work this morning.  I am so glad I got a new winter coat!

I am so glad the hustle and bustle of the last 2 months is behind me.  I am still so tired, though!  It never occurred to me how much work it would be to put together a wedding, family reunion weekend and Christmas/Yule celebration all at the same time.  But we got it done and I was even able to still make a few of my holiday gifts this year.  The theme/project for this year was cross stitch.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures before I gave them away so all I have is the one I made for Andy.

It's his favorite quote from "The Departed" :)

I also made my Mom one that says "F*ck the dumb shit" but I'm not 100% convinced she liked it.

I am not one to make New year's resolutions but I've decided that instead of playing random games on my phone or tablet while we unwind in front of Netflix at night, I'm going to design and make some cross stitch pieces.  That way I'm at least being kind of productive when I should be doing chores. :D

Also in the works for this year: opening an Etsy shop to sell my Bearly Dreadfuls.  I don't have any left since they were all used as centerpieces for the wedding so I'll be working up a small inventory first.

Question for you: if you saw the Bearly Dreadfuls  online, what price would you think is reasonable?  I don't want to overprice them but I don't want to undersell, either.  Each one takes about 2-3 hours to complete.


Hope you have a fabulous 2018!  I know I plan to. :)

After they've been up for months, Sidia finally discovered the shelves I put up in the bathroom.
She spent a long time trying to figure out the screws that hold this into the wall.
Thank goodness she does not have opposable thumbs.  Or a screwdriver. 

Wore: Flowers in Her Hair...er, on Her Legs

I did it!  I did it!  I got another pair of printed leggings.  Yep, I'm going wild with this new found freedom.  LOL

Dress: Torrid
Leggings: Hot Topic
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs

I know... a whole three pairs now.  I'm livin' on the edge, wild child that I am. ;)

I will admit that these are not my favorites of the 3 but they are nice for a change from safe basic black.

Also with these, the bagginess around my ankles is a lot more noticeable.  I could down a size for them to fit my lower legs and my waist better but I'm scared that my hips and thighs won't fit if I do that.

You can't see the tops of the leggings.  They look like a wide screen version of the bottoms.  :)

I also dug out one of my favorite necklaces that doesn't get as much air time as the rest because it's dangerous.  LOL

 And it's reversible!

I can't remember where I got this because it was such a long time ago.  There are a lot of other versions of it online, though.

It's very light weight but the corners and edges are SHARP!  I even filed them down a bit when I first got it.

How does the saying go?  Beauty is pain?  Good thing I have masochistic tendencies.  Drinking super fizzy soda after eating Captain Crunch or really cold ice cream is my favorite. :D

I found out the hard way that wearing this for a night out with friends at a bar, either way, brings a lot of creepy unwanted attention.  My response is usually a blush-filled "I have to go over there now."  Sadly, I'm usually not the quickest when it comes to picking up double-entendres and innuendos except for the ones that a 12-year-old would giggle at.

Do you have any favorite accessories that you don't wear as often as you'd like?  What's your reason?

Wore: Streaky!

With a lot of my clothes looking pretty similar, it becomes an extra challenge to try styling them differently.  So I decided to see if wearing some of my sleeveless dresses over a shirt would work for me.  I think this one is pretty much a win.  At least a tie.  LOL

Dress & leggings: New Look
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Design
Shirt: Torrid

Unfortunately, this is the only usable shot I was able to get because the mirror had a HUGE streak going down it that I didn't see until it was too late.  You can see it coming down from between my chin(s) and the phone over my boobages.  Also, my tummy is quite bloated here because I said fuck it and had wheat the night before.  It makes me sick every time and I feel hungover the next day but sometimes it's just worth it!  (mmm... pizza...)  I'm just glad it's a sensitivity and not an allergy or Celiacs (as far as has been determined, anyway)..

Oh!  And I finally got my hair cut and recolored it.  I ended up seeing a new guy because the girl I was seeing left.  When I say new, I mean NEW.  He'd only been there for 5 months and this is his first haircutting gig.  He had mentioned that he was a soldier then a welder before this so I asked him why he made that career change.  He was very honest: "Women in yoga pants."  LOL  He's also a single dad with an 8 year old girl so he figured this would be a good way to learn "girlie shit" before she's old enough to start asking about hair and makeup.  He was crass, rude, and FUNNY!  He did a good job on my hair, too, so I'll probably see him next time. :)

Here are a few random pics of necklaces that I've worn over the past weeks.  The outfits were all posted previously.

I paired Frankie's Bride with a brain. :)
Bride of Frankie: Cats Like Us
Brain: Wish

Mermaid Skeleton: Wish
They came as a pair and I added one to a black cord.  I'm not sure what I am going to do with her mate, though.

Bacon necklace: gift from Andy

Wore: She Wore Black Velvet

When I was a little girl, I always wanted a red velvet dress with a big puffy white bottom to wear for the holidays.  Mom, of course, always nixed the idea because we had cats and dogs and the upkeep for velvet clothing was a bugger.

Source

There have been a number of times in my adult years where I have talked myself out velvety goodness because 1) they'd be too warm, 2) I have cats, 3) the exceeded a price my frugal nature was comfortable with.

Then, one day in my online window shopping travels, I came across a black velvet dress that was in my size, had short sleeves, AND was on super sale.  It took me a few months to get up the courage to wear it after I got it because I was scared of attracting lint plus I had no idea how warm it might actually be.

Oh, no!!! I lost an arm!!!
Dress: Hot Topic online
Leggings: New Look

It's not the most flattering cut on me and doesn't drape as well as other fabrics I wear but I still felt decadent.  :)  I was also worried that the back would be too revealing but it worked out okay.  I just had to make sure my bra straps were pushed down my shoulders slightly.

Oh, the scandal of bare back skin! ;-)

I didn't know when I ordered the dress, though, that it had a wonderful subtle design!

One of the reasons I decided to buck up and wear the dress is because I got a new pair of shoes from Hot Chocolate Design that also have a velvety finish.

You can really see the way my feet curve in this pic!

I really had to think hard about these shoes.  I love the overall design and the silhouette on the left shoe.  And bow makes my inner 3-year-old princess swoon.   But I was worried that the cross would be sacrilegious or offensive to Christians in some way, especially since I am not Christian myself.   I am still a little iffy on that so would love to hear feedback in that regard.  As a Pagan, I don't get offended by non-Pagans wearing pentagrams, etc. based on the design aesthetics so I'd like to think it's the same in the opposite direction?

Anyway, I also decided to dig out one of my retired necklaces to wear with this.  I can't get a good pic of it, unfortunately, because of how shiny it is.

Necklace: Cute and Creepy Inc
Unfortunately, she no longer makes necklaces :(

The image looks like a Victorian death photo that's been doctored to look like a vampire.  I don't wear it very often because the back leaves a big green square on my skin, even after sealing it with clear nail polish, but sometimes it's just worth it. :)

Shared: Sarrahs That Say "Knee!"

I have finally seen the orthopedist and it didn't go quite as I had thought it would.  He confirmed the torn meniscus and the torn ACL but said there's not much he can do about either.  The arthritis is so bad in my knee that it is tearing the mensicus away which, in his words, is not bad because it will eventually wear a groove.  If he fixed it, then it would just tear more.

The outfit I wore for my ortho appointment
Top: Torrid
Skirt: Jessica London
Necklace: Cameo I put together
Fancy lady purse: Unique Vintage

He also said that I will almost certainly need knee replacement surgery in about 10-20 years.

I asked what I can do in the mean time for the pain which has been leaving me in tears way more than I'd like.  He said to take Tylenol Arthritis and Aleve (which I've been doing since this started in July with no relief).  He also gave me a steroid shot in my knee which, unbeknownst to me, made my knee hurt WAAAAAAY worse.  I bawled the entire way home from the pain.  A couple days, later, fortunately, there was marked improvement to the pain and mobility and it's been slowly feeling better.  He also gave me an anti-inflammatory medication which seems to be helping as well.

Random outfit from a few days later
Dress: Torrid
Leggings: New Look
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Design

He gave me sheets with knee exercises that I can start doing now that my knee feels a little better but it was a very frustrating experience.  I'm not sure how long the steroid shot is supposed to last but if/when I start to have issues again, I am going to ask to see a different doctor, I think.

I'm just glad that it's at least improved even if it hasn't improved 100%.

And just because I feel weird only having two pics (I prefer odd numbers), here is a picture of my rings. :)

Wore: Bats in the Shadows

You've probably noticed this already but if you haven't, I'll point it out: I don't really like to wear prints.  I love prints on other people but I feel so completely out of my element when I wear them myself so the few print items I have are usually delegated to lounge clothes for home only.

I'm trying very hard to get over that.

This is one of my baby steps into the world of graphic prints in public:

Leggings: Hot Topic online
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs

This was also my test to see if the plus size leggings on HotTopic.com would actually fit me.  And they do!  Yay!

I know a lot of people aren't fans of Hot Topic and I completely get it.  I rarely step foot inside the store unless I have to go to the mall for some other reason (though I try to avoid that as much as I can).   Online, though, it's a good source for skully clothes in my size. :)

I've worn these a few times now with various dresses and they are starting to grow on me.

Dress: New Look

I also get compliments from strangers whenever I wear them so that helps!  I love getting compliments from Andy, friends, coworkers,etc. but when someone I don't know feels the need to to say something, it just makes my day even more.  

I think I will have to start paying attention to other prints now.  :)

I tried to get a pic of my necklace but no matter what I did, it was cast in a shadow.

Necklace: Wish

I adore Peter Pan collars and this necklace has that feel.  When I got it, there was just a single ring between the 2 halves so the black gemstone would flip up and down when I moved.  That was a bit annoying so I added 2 more rings and put the gem on the center.  Problem solved!  I also had to add a 3" extender to accommodate my larger neck. That's usually a given for me, though, no matter what weight I am.

Selfies always make my nose look bigger.  LOL

How do you feel about prints?  Love 'em?  Hate 'em?

Wore: On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink

"Mean Girls" is one of my guilty pleasure movies.  It's not a "good" movie by any means but it's entertaining.  It also makes me laugh at High School Me because of how hard I tried to fit in to stop from being teased so badly.  The "mean girls" in my school were nowhere to that level but I grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota.  My graduating class only had 74 kids so it was harder to get away that sort of behavior.  Unfortunately, it made it harder to hide to avoid the tamed down version of that sort of behavior, too.

My favorite line from that movie was "On Wednesdays, we wear pink" so imagine my glee when "American Horror Story: Coven" adapted it to "On Wednesdays, we wear black."  :)  

Source

With the exception of the black nylon knee socks, I'd wear any one of those outfits though I don't think I could pull off the on on the left.  I'm not that chic. 

I love hats.  I really should wear hats more often.  

Anyway, when I got dressed this morning, I realized I was doing a mash up of both.  And since it is Wednesday, I tried to pull off a "mean girl" face.  Nailed it?  LOL

This is one of MANY attempts:

Shrug: I've had it for so long, I don't remember
Dress: New Look
Leggings: Torrid
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs (I told you they were my favorites)

Being mean is just not in my nature.  Gleefully sadistic? Sure!  Happily macabre?  You got it!  Morbidly cute?  It's my state of being.  But mean?  No clue.   My phone was nice and made them all my attempts into an animation for me. :)

I forgot to take a "normal" pic, though.  Oops!  

I got my pink nerd robot necklace at the gift shop at the base of the Incline Railway at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN a while back when my ex and I used to go on road trips.  He doesn't get worn as much as he used to (since I discovered Wish and have a lot of jewelry to choose from now) but he's still one of my favorites. 

I am really looking forward to the 7th season of American Horror Story.  We don't have cable, though, just internet so we'll either need to wait until the whole season comes out or find another way to watch it.  I may even open up my coin purse and pay for it if I get desperate enough.  :)

Wore: It's ME!

My knee is getting worse, to the point where driving almost brings me to tears and it wakes me up at night.  Unfortunately, I can't get in to see an orthopedist for over 3 weeks.  But because I am not sleeping well, I am drinking a lot more caffeine during the day.

Caffeine (and sugar) affect me the way it would a 5-year-old.  When I pick Andy up from work, he can tell when I've had more than usual (or if someone had cake or donuts at work that day).  I think this pic sort of illustrates this:

Dress: SWAK Design
Leggings: New Look
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs
Necklaces: gifts from Andy

This was the only picture I took where I wasn't blurry.  LOL

Here's a close up of my beloved Nightmare Before Christmas necklaces that Andy got me for Yule:

The bottom one is actually 2 halves that are meant to be BFF necklaces but I put them together on one long chain instead.  I almost always wear the 2 necklaces together.  I've read that some people think Nightmare Before Christmas is overrated and overdone but I don't care.  It's still one of my favorite movies. :)

Because of the knee pain being overwhelming, we've been using a free trial of Fresh Cart on Amazon Prime to have groceries delivered to us which has been SO NICE!  They don't have everything we need so Andy still has to run in to get a few of his essentials but it's better than putting the whole grocery trip on him while I sit out in the minivan.

We also got really behind on laundry since we don't have a washer/dryer in our apartment.  We decided that we could afford to use a laundry service to get caught up so I found a good one that also had free pick up.  And it really was free.  Most other places I looked at charged more per pound to cover their "free" service.  Pfft.  I can math!

It felt weird sending my clothes out with some stranger.  Especially because it was such a large chunk of my wardrobe.  What if they ruined it?  What if they stole it?  What if it ended up on the black market??  Andy told me to calm my imagination down.  :)  

We had them pick up the clothes on Thursday afternoon (Andy's day off) and drop them back off Saturday when we were home.  All the clothes came back and they were folded so nicely.  Even my bras and underwear.  I never fold my undergarments.

Sidia wasted no time and jumped on everything as soon as we laid it on the bed.  Every time I open a drawer, I am still amazed at how neatly everything is folded.  All the things that are different sizes are folded to be the same size and quite compact without folds or wrinkles.  I'm really not sure how they did that!  It just showed me how much I am lacking when it comes to domestic skills. :)

Just so he doesn't get jealous, here's a picture of Rustle in a rare moment of stillness.  (That's why his name is a verb and not a noun.)

Lastly, Andy bought me a Baby Groot doll who has quickly become best friends with Claude van Dumm.  They are pretty much inseparable at this point.  Their conversations crack me up, though!  They basically go like this:

(*singing*) "My name is Claude van Dumm Dumm Dumm!"

"I am Groot!"

"My name is Claude"

"I am Groot?"

(*singing*)  "van Dumm Dumm Dumm!"

"I am Groot."

"And my name is Claude."

"I am... Groot."

"Your name is Groot?"

"I am Groot!"

(*singing*) "My name is Claude van Dumm Dumm Dumm!"

"I am Groot."

(*singing*) "Van Groot Groot Groot!"

Wore: Feeling like a lunatic

Every have one of those days where you wake up and nothing feels right?  That's what I was going through the day I wore this:

Dress: New Look
Leggings: New Look
Shrug: Torrid
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Design
Necklace: Black Box subscription box (now defunct)
Bracelet: t-shirt hem from a DIY

I mean, you can even see it in my face which is unusual.  I am one of those people who usually has a grin even in resting face mode.  I woke up with an extremely unhappy stomach only to realize that I had had wheat the night before plus Dexter** was going to be making an appearance so between those 2 things, my stomach was extremely bloated and distended.  I didn't realize I needed gas that morning so that made us run late which always makes me frazzled and people at work were just being dumb.  Everything just seemed sucky.  (I could go on about the little things that made this day crappy but I think you get the idea.)

If I had had the sick time, I would have called in sick.  Actually, I wouldn't have because I have too guilty a conscience to call in for a mental health day but I would have thought about it really hard.

I figured my full moon necklace was a good accessory for this day.  It glows in the dark but I don't get to experience that much during the day.  Stupid day star and fluorescent lighting. ;)

On a positive note for this post, I am really digging some of the clothes at New Look.  They are a UK based online store (8 day shipping to the US!) and you have to kind of dig for gothy-type wear but they are good for basics like dresses and leggings.  Their legging are some of my favorites because they are so lightweight!  In fact, I have 6-8 pairs from them now.  I also love the fact that the arm holes on their plus size dresses aren't gapingly huge like the arms of US-based plus size clothing I have.  This dress is sleeveless and I could wear it without the shrug outside of work if I wanted to without the sides of my bra showing through the arm holes.  For this particular dress, the fabric is a touch itchy for my overly-sensitive skin but I love the look of the texture.

I'm not being paid to sing their praises.  I just really like them. :)

Anyway, after having a meh day, we decided to order tacos for dinner and I made Andy sit through British murder mysteries ("Midsomer Mysteries" on Netflix this time) and I cuddled with Claude van Dumm, my mostest favoritest Bearly Dreadful that I've ever made.

What do you do to cheer yourself up?



** Dexter is the code name for my period because he's a serial killing blood spatter analyst. :)

Wore: Black Cats

Someday, when I grow up to be big and strong, I want to be a crazy lady.  If I didn't let practicality get in the way, I would have way more than the 2 I have currently.  I'm not to the point where I want everything I own to be covered with cat prints but I can't see a cat anywhere without declaring "You're a kitty!" and trying to pet it.

I do, however, own a few cat-related pieces of jewelry which I know will make an appearance here over time.  Like these cat collar pins that I got from a defunct subscription box service (that also took money from me and never shipped boxes).

It was the first subscription box ever joined and I was really excited.  For $23 a month, they would send about 6 gothy-type things.  I paid in October and got my November box halfway through December.  I paid in November and my December box never arrived.  They said they were waiting for something that was back ordered.  I paid in December and got my January box at the end of February after I complained.  Meanwhile, the auto payment had already paid in February for March.  After the March payment hit with no sign of a February box (or December box yet), I canceled my subscription.  I wrote to them about 3 boxes that I had paid for but never received but the site was more or less down.  It's just $69 total so I can't see wasting time and more money to go after them.  It's really very disappointing.

I can't help but make faces in the mirror!
Dress: Hot Topic online
Leggings: New Look
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs
Bracelet: a bit of cut up t-shirt hem from a DIY over the weekend

I did get a couple of cool things out of the 2 boxes I did receive, though, like the pins which I think look good on my black dress with the white collar.  The pin backs are too centered, however, so the top heavy kitty heads have a tendency to spin.  I always forget about fixing that until I am wearing the dress again.

On this particular day, I also opted to wear a headband.  I don't usually wear hair accessories because I have a headset at work but this one seemed to complete the look:

Headband: Wish

Sorry for the complete lack of make up!  With it being so hot out right now, I tend to go completely without because my face melts off.  The make up thing is actually a little funny because I did end up joining another subscription service: Ipsy.  I know A LOT of people who belong to this and I love, love, love it... especially the make up bags themselves. :)

Do you belong to any fun subscription services?

Wore: Hip Bone's Connected To My Neck Bone

Obviously *MY* hips are not bony.  Although, if you press hard enough through my Pillsbury Dough Boy exterior hard enough, you might feel my bones. :)  I'm squishy! :D

Necklace: Wish

The chain on this is a skosh longer than I would like but I don't know yet if I want to shorten it at all... even after all the times I've worn it.  I do love that this cameo does more than just the rib cage and includes the pelvis, though.  It's a nice break from a "traditional" rib cage cameo.

Does anyone else have a "Grease" flashback when they hear the word "pelvis"?

Elvis!  Elvis!  Can it be?  Keep that pelvis faaaar from me!
Elvis Shrine in the entrance of Chuy's in Atlanta

I wore my hip bones with a new dress that I got from Torrid recently.  I love the fabric and I love the way it enhances my boobages but I'm not sure if I like the way it fits me below that.  I feel like it clings to my stomach too much but that could also just be the way that blasted overhead light in the restroom is hitting my body.

Dress: Torrid
Leggings: Torrid
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs

I felt cute when I left the apartment this morning but hair went super wonky on me (hence my headlessness), my eyeliner attempt makes me look like Hatchet Face and the dress feels awkward.  I kinda wish I could go home and change, to be frank.

What do you think?  Is this awkward or am I just feeling uneasy in my skin today?  Does that ever happen to you?

Wore: You can see my bones!

It's not unusual for my friends to say "I saw <insert something skull related here> and thought of you!"  I do love skulls.  A lot!  So much so that I was mentioned on Skull-A-Day way back in the before time!  I no longer maintain the website mentioned in the blurb but I still own it, just in case. :)

I am not just a skull lover, though.  I also love other bony parts (giggity?) and all things anatomical (giggity giggity goo?).  As an example, anatomical hearts and rib cages are a more recent obsession for me.  Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 heart necklaces, 3 rib cage necklaces, and 2 rib cage shirts that I own.

This is one that I wore recently:

Necklace: Wish

It bothers the nerd in me that the heart is on the outside of the rib cage but I get over it pretty easily. :)

On the day I took this picture, I wore it with the other 1 of my 2 basic looks: short black dress with black leggings.  And when I say short, I mean short for me.  Even with leggings, I still don't go much above the knee.  :)  I do not like having my legs exposed at all because of how misshapen and discolored they are.  When I discovered how comfortable leggings are, it pretty much changed my fashion sense because LBDs were now a possibility!

(*holds up one hand and places other hand over heart*)  I, Sarrah Settarra, promise to never wear leggings as pants.  Amen.

Dress: Torrid
Leggings: Torrid
Shoes: Hot Chocolate Designs

The lighting in the restroom at work casts a weird shadow over my face but it's the only place I can stand to get a full body shot.  I feel like I should be telling ghost stories to kids at camp!

These shoes are my mostest absolute favoritest!  I got them over on Amazon and they are a bit spendy indeed but they were worth it for my cloven hooves.  I was born missing a phalange in each foot so they curve weird, making my feet wide but with narrow heels.  That makes it really difficult for me to buy shoes but these are soft and curve with my feet.  I just had to add heel grips to the back and they were perfect!

Hot Chocolate Designs on Amazon

When I got these in the mail, I couldn't wait to try them on but I was trying very hard to not get my hopes up.  When I was able to buckle them and walk without them hurting, I cried.  I've not been able to wear cute shoes for most of my adult life.  It's so weird to get complimented on my shoes now, too.  That's never happened to me before because my shoes were... well... utilitarian up until now.

I do already have another pair from this shop that you'll see soon and will be ordering a pair for with my wedding dress.  If I could afford it, I wold order way more pairs than I really need. :)