What I Wore This Fall

Okay, so I didn’t plan on going months without writing a single blog post, but here we are. It’s been over six months since my last post. I had all the intention to start posting in May and then consistently every couple weeks, but spring and summer have come and gone. It’s nearly the end of fall now, which means winter’s almost here. Thanksgiving has passed, so now it’s *the holiday season*.

I always feel the need to pick apart my brain when I sit down to write. Like I need to explain how I’ve been and where my mental state is at. But in all honesty, my mental state fluctuates drastically from week to week, day to day, moment to moment, so there’s no way to sum up how I’ve been. Mostly I’ve been anxious but content, if that’s even possible. My life has definitely improved since the summer, but I still face challenges everyday. 

Time goes by literally so fast, and I feel like I’m trying to catch up with it again. Having two jobs leaves me minimal time and energy to focus on my passions, which is really upsetting. I’ve been trying to live more consciously, slowly and intentionally. Less time on social media scrolling, less time staring at screens. More time spent being creative. It’s very hard to stay consistent, but you can’t say I don’t try.

Which is why I’m here with some fall fashion content! We’re easing back into it with a simple fashion post of what I’ve been wearing this fall!

 

My views on fashion are always changing, but one thing that has remained is my love for fall fashion. Fall always feels like a big sigh of relief, a new beginning. The air feels breathable again. I’m not constantly sweating, which means I can wear more than just tank tops and shorts.  

This was my Thanksgiving look!

 

Layering is the best friend of someone like me, who gets really hot and really cold very quickly. I’ve actually obtained a good variety of light jackets recently, and I check the temperature every morning to know which one to wear that day. The brown teddy bear jacket is one of my faves because of how cozy it is.

While I still live for bright colors and tacky prints, I’ve been wearing a lot of earthy and neutral tones recently. Brown is definitely one of my favorite colors, and it goes well with my #1 favorite color, green.

I've been into more simple and practical looks lately. I love wearing pants, as long as they don't feel constricting, like jeans. I've also been feeling a little more androgynous and masc, so I'm not wearing as many dresses and skirts. I've only done makeup a handful of times since spring, as well.

It's cool to see my style evolve, and just let myself wear what makes me feel happy and comfortable!

Sketchbook Share #1

I’ve been keeping a sketchbook going since about the start of middle school. My first one was a thin, spiral-bound Crayola pad with slightly textured paper that made me feel like I had really taken a big step in my young art career. I had graduated from collecting my loose drawings in folders, to having an actual book to draw in.  

 

 

 

 

I’ve used many sketchbooks over the years, each containing a varying degree of skill, content and mediums. Have a peak in any of them, and you’ll find tons of unfinished drawings, weird doodles, and blank pages, alongside finished pieces. I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to my art. But my sketchbooks have always been a place where I can experiment with my drawing, as well as work on improving my skills. Any design ideas I have also go into whatever sketchbook I’m currently working in.

 

To me, a sketchbook is like an art diary. It isn’t going to judge you for what you choose to draw in it, or for how often you use it. It’s there for you when you have an awesome new idea to sketch out, or for when you want to doodle away your thoughts. It can be used as a tool to help improve your drawing skills, and can be a good way to document your progress. 

 

 

 

 

In this new series, I’m going to share some of my recent sketchbook drawings! Obviously, it’s not all of them; I picked a handful of pages that I really like. They’re not all great works of art, either. Aside from a few finished pieces, they are mostly just pencil sketches. But I wanted to share a variety of what I draw in my sketchbook, to show that perfection is unnecessary. Drawing should be fun, after all. Sometimes it’s less about the final outcome, and more about the process.

 

 

  

I have been really into Rainbow High lately, both the dolls and the show, so my few finished pieces are actually Rainbow High fan art. From the original series, there’s my Jade Hunter restyle, along with a portrait of Harper Dune, and my three fave characters from the new Shadow High line. Rainbow High has also really inspired me to start designing original characters again! 

 

 

As of finishing this post, I haven’t been drawing as much. The months seem to be coming and going so quickly that I can’t keep up with them. Despite my lack of drawing, I genuinely feel so much creative energy lately! I have lists of ideas going at all times, but now I’m really working at checking them off. My main art goal has always been to be able to make a living off of my art. So my current plan is to work on improving my skills, and start building up a solid body of work that I can be proud of.

THIRTY, NERDY & STRIVING

 

Hi there! So…it’s been a minute. And by a minute I mean about a year and a half. 😅

In that time, I’ve made dozens of attempts to write a new post, with my anxiety always stopping me. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a rough time for me, mentally, since the pandemic started. 2021 was a particularly hard year.  However, over the past few months, I’ve slowly started to feel like myself again. After being in a really dark headspace for so long, it has taken a while for me to gain my confidence back. I lost myself for a little while, forgot my worth. But setting boundaries, standing up for myself, and facing things head-on has made me stronger.

Despite the low I had to endure, things are clearer to me now. I know who I am, and what I stand for. It’s difficult to keep my mental illness brain in check, but I’ve gotten a lot better at it. I’m really proud of myself for the progress I’ve made. Going forward, I feel so much more prepared to be able to deal with my ever-changing mental state.

That being said, welcome to my new era!! MY BAD BITCH, NO BULLSHIT ERA!! 😋

My birthday was on the 16th, and it was a fucking big one.

I’m 30, bitches!! Whoa!!

It’s absolutely wild to me that I’ve been alive for three decades. Considering I genuinely never saw myself making it to this age, I’m kind of stoked. I mean, my usual birthday/aging anxiety is still there, I won’t deny it. I could easily focus on all the “negative” things. But I’m mostly content with myself, even with all my silly flaws and faults. I remind myself often that I’m just a soul living the human experience, in a human body, in this fucked up little world, just like everyone else. I am worthy and deserving simply because I exist.

 

This year, I will be 30, Nerdy & Striving! If you know the reference, you’re cool. I modified the phrase to fit me, of course. I’m not flirty AT all, and I’m still working on the “thriving” part. Instead, I’ll continue to be my nerdy, weird self, and keep striving toward my goals.

Now, let’s chat a bit about they/them/wear !!

This blog, I’ve realized, needs to be for ME before anyone else. I have to love what I create. Trying to focus on being super professional, and catering my posts to what people statistically like isn’t sustainable for me. I still want to grow my blog to bigger audiences and share my art with the world, but while being authentically myself the whole time.

I’ve updated my ABOUT page, so please give it a little read if you’re new here, or would like to get to know me and this blog a bit better. Fashion and lifestyle will continue to be a big focus on here, as well as art and DIY crafts. My views on the fashion world (and fashion blogging, for that matter) have changed since I last wrote here. Creativity, self-expression and DIY will always take precedence over trends, celebrities, and mainstream fashion.

I also want to talk about my mental health more. Mental illness is still such a stigmatized thing. So many people don’t understand it, despite so many people experiencing it. To bring even a little bit of awareness to it, or help someone feel less alone, is enough for me to want to talk about it. Same goes with talking about gender, and specifically, identifying outside of the gender binary.

As I work on myself irl, I’ll be sharing my various hobbies, interests and opinions on here. I’m getting back into reading, and back into doll collecting. I hope to get more consistently into spirituality, as well. I’ve also been drawing and doing an occasional makeup look. Getting back into writing is the toughest for me right now.  I’m far from the creative writer I used to be, but  I’m finally warming back up to writing, even if it’s just these blog posts. Although my creative juices are a bit like jelly at the moment, I’m sure once I get back into the habit of creating, my ideas and inspirations will flow again.

Writing this initial comeback post has felt overwhelming for the past year and a half. I debated whether I even had anything worth saying. However, pushing past my anxiety, and writing without harshly judging myself has allowed me to finally finish writing this post.

New content will be coming soon! I’m working at giving myself a realistic schedule so that I can stay consistent, even if it’s less often than I would like.

Thank you for reading and/or following! I’m a bit late, but I wish you all a wonderful new year!

Take care,
Emerson 💖

Aqua & Orange End-of-Summer Fit // What I Wore

 

I feel like I have been waiting all summer to wear this floral shirt, and I finally found the perfect outfit for it. It also helps that the weather is becoming more pleasant as the days pass. I’ve had my windows open for two days straight now, which feels nice, letting in the cool breeze. The heat definitely limits what I’m comfortable wearing, so it was nice to finally wear some of my cutest pieces.

 

I was blessed to acquire these jeans. They are vintage St. John’s Bay, originally a size 16, but now about a 10/12. They came from a friend of my grandma’s, and were skillfully taken in about a half an inch and somehow fit me almost perfectly. Along with these, I have a pink pair, which you’ll definitely see in a future look.

Together, the jeans and shirt are a fantastic match, as the orange jeans coordinate with the orange flowers in the shirt. I also LOVE this combo of sherbet orange and aqua blue. The flower print is so precious As the kids say these days, “It’s the flower print for me.” Five big fabric buttons go down the front. It is by the brand Talbots and is also vintage, but this one I picked up at the thrift store within the last year.

For today’s look, I left the shirt open because it was still pretty warm in the sun. The baby pink tank top I’m wearing is actually a thin slip dress that came with another dress. I tucked it into my pants, and I now had the “little shirt, big pants” trend going on, which is super cute. With the faux tank, I was able to take off the blue shirt if I got too hot.

I know these shoes were in my previous outfit post,  but come on, they are too cute. Unfortunately, part of the straps seem to be breaking, so I’ll have to find some way to fix them because these are my favorite summer shoe for when I want to dress a look up a bit. They also match my new little dumping bag! 

 

 

I’m so excited about this piece that I picked up at Kohl’s last week. I’ve been admiring dumpling bags for a little while. To me, they look so lush and soft and stylish.  Whether or not this bag qualifies as one, it definitely has a similar style. This one is by the brand Elizabeth & James. I love the acrylic tortoise shell handles, which contrast the caramel-colored vegan leather body of the bag. It also comes with a removable, adjustable strap. I’m a big fan of this small bag, and I love how it can keep up with such a colorful outfit.

I really love this look because it is brightly colored and includes some of my favorite vintage pieces. The look feels a bit more like the beginning of summer than it does the end of it, but I’m trying to wear at least a few of my summery short-sleeved tops before summer officially ends.

If you like the floral, gardener-esque vibe of this look, keep an eye out for my next post, which is going to be all about cottagecore fashion!

Sunny Gingham Dress // What I Wore

Since the start of summer, I have mostly been wearing tank tops, shorts, and dresses. I’m not gonna lie, the shorts and tanks I wear around the house are not cute. Evidence of this can be seen in my latest YouTube video. Most of the time, I don’t care how I look because no one has to see me. However, when I am wanting to look cute, I usually opt for a dress (or a nicer tank and shorts). Dresses are super easy to wear, and look more polished, without having to put the effort in.

This gingham print dress brings me right back to Cape Cod, where I first wore it last summer. As much as I have been missing those seaside towns, my experience with wearing this dress has been so much better than last year. Not only did I somehow manage to stain the back of the dress the first time I wore it, but I remember it being pretty uncomfortable, and struggling with the straps. I've been enjoying it more this season, but it's not without flaws.

Despite how it looks, this dress is THICK. It consists of a woven rayon shell and a knit polyester lining. Neither are particularly heavy, but together it is too much. To be honest, this dress doesn’t need the lining. The gingham fabric is barely see-through, and the lining just adds bulk to the dress.

The shirred bodice is also really dense, but I don't mind that. It stays snug to the body without completely flattening my chest. Because of this, the tie straps are unnecessary, as the bodice does the job of keeping the dress up. The straps are a bit of a hassle to tie correctly, but they do add a cute look to the dress. They’re definitely worth having, even if only for aesthetic reasons.

Overall, this dress is super cute for summer, but it does have some issues. I probably wouldn't buy it again, as I have been trying not to buy anymore fast fashion. But I do love the gingham print and the shirred bodice. It's very "my vibe".

All together, this outfit is simple, yet chic. The high ponytail, tied up with a handmade denim scrunchie, really polishes the look off. With some coordinating hair clips, I pinned back my bangs. It's unfortunate that these photos were taken after a long, hot day because sweating made my hair separate a bit. The heat was what also kept me from adding any jewelry. I honestly put these star and moon earrings on just before these photos were taken. Finally, I opted for my go-to platform sandals.  They're super easy to walk in, and give me a bit of height, which is always appreciated.

Aside from the problems I had with the dress, I loved this look. A delicate gold necklace would look nice when I wear it again. Hopefully next time, it will be in Cape Cod.