A pharmer's clothes: June 19, 2012

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, both for me any my blog! My actual birthday was pretty quiet. Jason was out of town at a conference, so I pretty much just went to work like any normal day. By far the most exciting thing was presents because my mom got me a DSLR!! I'm so stoked! I still have miles to go before I understand how to really use the thing, but it's been fun playing around with it. It was so fun taking these pictures, even if they didn't come out the greatest. I can't wait to keep experimenting and really figure out everything it can do.

(( dress: vintage / shoes: Target ))

I got this dress while I was in Denver at the most awesome vintage store ever. Crazy packed with vintage goodies and reasonably priced - can't help but love that, right? I couldn't resist this dress. It has a tiny hole in the side seam, and probably could stand to be taken in a smidgen, but I love it nonetheless. The longer length makes me feel so ladylike and pretty. What else could a girl hope for in a summer dress?

PS If you haven't yet, don't forget to enter my giveaway! Entries are open until this Friday, June 22  :)

One year blogoversary = presents for you guys

Today is a happy day. I have officially been blogging for one year. Crazy! I was so nervous about starting a blog, and I've definitely had some moments of "oh gosh this feels frivolous," but on the whole it has been a great year! In my first post, I explained my motivations/goals for starting a blog, and on the whole I think I've succeeded in realizing them. I've pushed myself to become more social and I've made some new friends, both virtual and in real life. I've started writing on a regular basis. While I can't say this definitely helped with my lab-related "writing anxiety", I can say that my scientific writing definitely improved in the past year - so the two are at least correlated. And I've found a hobby that I thoroughly enjoy. Blogging is fun! Taking outfit pictures is fun! Without the motivation to update the blog, I wouldn't have pushed my style boundaries, experimented with new recipes, or gotten into lomography.

More than anything, I would like to thank you guys for hanging out with me this past year. It's cliche, but true that this would not have been as fun without people to share it with. So to say thank you, I am doing my first ever giveaway!

Up for grabs are a few accessories I picked out from my favorite nerd-friendly company, thinkgeek:

(FYI - the 8-bit hair bow? Freaking adorable. Might have to get one for myself!)

I also wanted to give away a purse, but then I couldn't decide which one to give away. Target fixed my dilemma by offering a discount when you buy 2 or more purses. That means one purse for you, and one purse for me! Score! The winner will get to choose between the Chocolate New York Satchel or the Chocolate New York Block Clutch.

***Note: this giveaway is not in anyway sponsored by thinkgeek,Target, or Chocolate New York***

To enter, follow me on GFC, bloglovin', or whatever RSS reader you prefer. Then leave a comment on this post specifying which purse you would like (be sure to leave an email address or a way for me to contact you if you win). For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each one):
- Like she could be a pharmer in those clothes on facebook
- Follow me on instagram @hans_banans (and leave your instagram name so I can follow you back!)
- Follow me on twitter
- Follow me on tumblr

Entries are open until Friday, June 22nd. Open to readers from anywhere in the world! (But not from space, because aliens creep me out. Sorry.)

A pharmer's clothes: June 11, 2012

(( t-shirt: thinkgeek (DIY'd) / skirt: Madewell / shoes: Blowfish / sunnies: UO ))

Hello lovelies! I hope everyone had a good weekend. My weekend was busy and unproductive, in other words: awesome. On Friday night Jason and I went to our favorite local bar to celebrate my b-day, and then followed up with gelato and a marathon of True Blood. On Saturday night my boss had a huge pierogi party. He loves to cook, and always goes a bit overboard. For this party of around 50 people he and his wife made over 1,800 pierogis - all 100% from scratch! Even the dough! Crazy. Needless to say I was a bit of a glutton this weekend, but you only live once, right??

On Sunday night Jason and I planned on going to the local barcraft to check out the MLG spring championship. But we got there only to find the event had been canceled! Boo! Apparently there had been a mix up with the bar about which location we were going to be at. Total bummer. We made the best of it though, opting to have a quick dinner, some fro yo, and then watch the championships at home. We only got to see the last match, but it was pretty intense. I really feel like eSports are starting to come into their own. They still have a way to go, but it's getting much better and the tournaments really are fun to watch!






Since we were going to a Starcraft event, I wanted to dress the part. I've worn this shirt on the blog a few times before, but it is an XL and way too big for me. Then I saw this tutorial on Mini Penny on how to weave the back of a t-shirt. I'm not usually super into cut up t-shirts like this, but it was hot yesterday and I figured a cut up t-shirt is better than one that is a big as a tent, right? Of course, I ended up cutting the neck too big (every time!), so to try and salvage it I cinched the back together using a necklace. I actually really love how it came out, and kind of creative, right?

::pats self on back::

Vlog: beehive/ponytail tutorial!

Hi guys!!

Decided to make a quick how-to video for how I did my hair in my last post. Enjoy!

(PS The awesome Rookie mag "two-minute beehive" tutorial I speak of is here -> http://rookiemag.com/2012/04/how-to-do-a-beehive/)

A pharmer's clothes: June 5, 2012

I got this scarf at a vintage shop in Denver. Not to be a total Colorado fan girl, but Denver just has better vintage/thrifting than DC (actually, I think smaller cities tend to have better vintage since the stores aren't as picked over). I have a feeling I'll be sporting this scarf all summer - it's the perfect fit for a bad hair day (aka a "didn't want to wash my hair" day). I like to think I'm channeling my inner Parisian.  And what goes better with a head scarf than a beehive? I did this using the "two-minute" beehive via Rookie**. Seriously the easiest thing ever. Since I have loads of hair it makes one massive beehive.

**side note: should I be concerned that I 1) read a zine meant for teenage girls and that 2) I am taking fashion advice meant for high schoolers? I mean, high schoolers are just cooler these days, aren't they? Without a doubt I would have been much more hip as a youngster if there had been websites like Rookie. Kids these days, they've got it so easy!

(( shirt: UO / jeans: Paige denim / shoes: Steve Madden / sunnies: Nordstrom BP / scarf: vintage /  purse: Marc Jacobs ))

In other news, I had an appointment today with my tattoo artist to plan tattoo #4. I was ecstatic to learn that she will be able to get me in within a few weeks! By the end of the month I will have a lovely tat on my thigh! I felt a lot of anxiety about getting my last tattoo, but I'm feeling nothing but excitement for this next one. I'm sure when my appointment gets nearer some trepidation will set in, but for now I feel like a kid on Christmas eve. Can't wait!

Music Monday

In general, I'm not the type of person to wish I lived in a past decade. Right now is pretty cool. The internet. iPhones. Modern medicine. All good stuff. But the one thing that really gives me that "I was born in the wrong decade" feeling is riot grrrl music (and to be fair, yes, I was obviously alive in the early 90's. But I don't think seven-year-old me really appreciated music the way I do now). The whole riot grrrl genre really speaks to me: screechy, screaming female vocals with feminist undertones - yes please! It's the kind of music that's perfect for listening to in the summer, driving around with the windows down and volume blaring. Thus, in celebration of June (?!?) and summer, I give you a little riot grrrl playlist for your listening pleasure. While not all of the songs on this list are truly "riot grrrl," I feel like most of them still fit in that beloved genre. Give me an all-girl punk band and I'm happy.

PS the riot grrrl options on grooveshark kind of suck. Also listen to these:

 If you have any songs you would add to list I would love to know! I'm horrible at finding new music and always appreciate suggestions.