Too Much Pink

 

I'm not really been a pink person. I probably will never be much of a pink person. I used to actually loathe pink with quite an intense determination. But. Here I am wearing a lot more pink than I ever thought I would. I was never a pink girl growing up, although I do remember a little pink dress I loved when I was about 5 because of the way it spinned when I twirled. But as I grew older and more aggressively tomboyish, I started to look down on pink as the epitome of ultra-femininity, the antithesis of everything I stood for. And so, the bias against that frou-frou color grew, and I avoided it as much as I could. I did end up having two pale pink shirts that were gifts from my mother, and I liked the fit and lightness of them, but anything darker than a pale hue was too "girly" for my taste. It has only been in the last few years that my perception of pink and of colors in general have shifted and changed. A lot of that is due to my ventures into style and experimenting with lots of unusual clothes. I started to question my color biases and wondered why I let my dislike of a perception of meaning stop me from trying out a certain shade I'd be attracted too. And so, I started to incorporate more pinks into my wardrobe. Not all pinks are created equal, and I still have a distaste for extremely bright hot pinks, but only a few years ago, this outfit would have had far too much pink in it for me. So here's to new color adventures and cheers to all you brave souls. 

 

  

Dress, sweater, shoes - thrifted

Tights - Target

Earrings - World Market

<3 The Magpie

Staring At The Sun

As I've been experimenting with this blog, and the photographs therein, I've been keenly aware of how amateur my efforts are. I know what a good layout looks like and what good photography consists of, and mine has definitely neither. I've tried to research it a bit, but didn't find much in depth or didn't understand what I was reading. I AM an amateur though, and this blog has been just a fun hobby. This next year I would like to do a lot more, but for now, amateur is the voice of the day. Keeping in mind that I am a beginner, I really liked how this series of photos turned out. Just me, my tripod, the sun and the wind.

The gingham black and white crop-top I am wearing is one of my favorite tops (and thriftstore finds) of all times. I love wearing it with higher waisted skirts or pants, and I love how it's neatly fitted to a smaller waist. The skirt I found at a flea market for $12, which isn't terrible. It's long, and can look dramatic if I pair it with the right things. It's like an elegant hippie skirt. I wore my favorite cross-strap black flats, and ran along a cornfield while the sun dipped closer to the edge of the land. I only got stared out once, as a car drove along the mostly-dead side road I had pulled off on. They didn't seem to mind though.

I love the contrast of the blue and bright red. I have started to wear red so often, that I've made myself space out the days between red outfits because it is such a striking color, and I don't want to make them all appear the same.

Shirt - thrifted

Skirt - flea market

Shoes - DSW

Earrings - World Market

<3 The Magpie

Dual Tone

My grandfather died over the summer. I've avoided making this post because I wanted to write so much, yet so little. I knew he was dying, and yet the knowledge of his death shocked me to the core. He had a brave, full life and was well-taken care of at his end. I got to see him, one last time before he passed. I wish I had seen him more. Regrets are those things in life that can never be experienced again, no matter what you do. I was overwhelmed by eternity and the existence-less of a life that had once burned so brightly. How do you name or contain grief? It shivers in your bones and seeps through the cracks in little slivers of tears in the most ordinary of moments. Driving my car, walking down a grocery aisle, talking to a customer at work; during all these small mundane tasks, I suddenly would be swept away by the knowledge that somebody I loved was dead. I will not forget you! my mind cried, I will never let your memory be vanquished!

And yet. Here I was putting on pretty dresses and wearing pretty things, continuing on with my own little chores and work and school, as if nothing had changed. And maybe that's the crux of the matter; you think the world will change, that life itself will change, but maybe only you really change. Maybe it's only inwardly that your soul cries out in anguish, but the sun still rises and sets, and the earth still turns, and the people still walk by. I am not an expert on death, and I certainly hope not to be. Neither do I think death is a part of life, but rather a loss, a void of previous existence. But I can still enjoy the sweetness and brightness of the world and do my best not to languish in despair. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comeths in the morning" Psalm 30:5b. This summer was a long night of weeping, but joy has returned, and tomorrow is a new morning.

Dress - thrifted

Earrings - World Market

<3 The Magpie

Haptic

Today I shrunk to the size of a mouse. Flowers grew, giant bells nodding gently in the dappled sun. I plucked a bloom, a pink sweet thing, perfuming the air with the smell of honey and rose. I walked along the hollow walls, trailing petals in my wake. The grass opened up before me and every shadow called my name. I was la petite belle, I was Thumbalina escaped from her room. The world was large and strange before me, and I tiptoed through its rapturous glory. Pearls of water glistened on leaves the length of my body, and the ground sprang beneath my tiny feet. I jumped, I scurried, I flung myself out into the great beyond, and finally, fluttered to a stop beneath a twisted tree, as shapeless and infinite as a universe beyond my sight. Stay with me awhile, and I'll tell you all about it; the sight, the smells, the sounds, the rich tapestry of magic and living, and we'll both grow old together underneath a starlit sky.

Shirt, skirt - thrifted

Cardigan - Banana Republic

Sandals - DSW

Jewellery - World Market 

Flower - Hobby Lobby

<3 The Magpie