My friends, we're ending the year on an unexpected success: I made a dress. A for real, wearable dress.

I've had "learning to sew" on my to-do list for years, due to a generous gift from a former coworker, but having no idea how to turn on, let alone thread a sewing machine, is a big hurdle. Especially because I know me - the show and tell of someone showing me how to use the machine was always going to be far superior than reading instructions or watching a video.

So, fast forward and I manage to convince my friend to venture into DC. And after a few false starts and learning to wind a bobbin and such, I decided to do that thing you never do: jump into a project way too advanced for you (god forbid I just like, make a pillow case or something). For years I'd been watching Annika Victoria on YouTube, and the way she explains things is just so damn logical. It makes almost every project seem manageable. So I took my theory from this video on copying a dress, and decided to make a version of an Urban Outfitters dress I bought over the summer. Because while I knew that the skirt layers might be moderately difficult, the bodice shape was simple and easily transferred to paper.

And then, impressing even myself, I was SUCH AN ADULT, and made the pattern, a full mock up, and then pre-washed AND IRONED the final fabric. That I so graciously received from my sorority sister when she was in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And nearing the finish line I also decided last minute to put in a side zipper (slightly shoddily by hand, we won't discuss the work I need to do on my back stitch). I'm too impatient to wait for the season it's intended for, so please excuse the slightly formal styling. My final plan is to wear this with sandals in a super casual way, but hey, at least it admirably performs double duty?

Also, no, before you ask there aren't any pockets in this dress but let's not ask for the moon and stars ok? Double layers of gathered skirt that I cut into to insert a zipper was as much as my heart could take. The original didn't have pockets either LMAO.

I'm not tying to be a party pooper here, but WOW do I feel like I have nothing to say here. You know those social media "experts" that lecture you to find what makes you unique and showcase that? I've felt for a while, years really, that I have no idea what that is when it comes to me and this blog, but right now when the world is literally and figuratively on fire, I find it extra hard to remember why I do this.

I don't feel like writing paragraphs on Instagram and maybe that does make me appear aloof or mysterious, but it's more that I just prefer to keep my inner angst and battles private, and let those with stronger and more relevant voices speak more.

So instead here are the second set of sunflower photos from last month, that involved me getting half naked in a field in Maryland while my friend Tanya kept an eye out for other photographers hahaha. Oh and these pants from Zara? I'm actually super sad I bought them near the end of the season, cause even though they were on sale I love them and wish I could have grabbed the other color. I'm officially at that point in life where avoiding swamp ass is more important than "flattering"....

Yes I am that b*tch, the one who went to see the sunflowers at the height of the season and I have NO REGRETS.

(Except for the heat, humidity, flat hair, BUGS, weird allergic reaction, etc.) 

Honestly I'm just glad to have friends who put up with my shenanigans, because this was not a woman one job. But with their help I'm able to share one of the most ridiculous purchases I've made in recent memory, aka a linen romper with a super deep v-neckline.

Do I wear rompers? No. Do I wear super low plunge necklines with a lot of leg? No. Did Free People force my hand and find the one piece to make me break those rules? YES. Will I wear this enough to be worth the sale price + alterations final cost? Questionable....

To be honest my first instinct here was to wear a dress, but 1) I wasn't sure what the terrain was going to be like, and 2) I have worn a *lot* of dresses on the blog lately so I felt like mixing it up.

I haven't gotten a chance to share this linen top yet, but it's one of my better buys this season, another random win from Talbots, and I love wearing it with super high-waisted items at work, or with an inch or so of skin showing like I did here. It's a new look for me, and one I'm still getting comfortable with, but when it's almost 100 degrees combined with enough humidity to make me feel like I'm breathing underwater, it works perfectly. Especially since the dark color doesn't show sweat easily.

It appears that I've bought myself another yellow dress. I would say oops but that's would be a lie because I stalked it, loved it in theory, and then nabbed it on sale when it proved to be as wonderful as I wanted it to be.

I also found out via these pictures that my skimpiest bikini is apparently not all that skimpy, lol.

Before this past weekend I had never been to Meridian Hill, never seen Malcolm X Park, and I can't explain to you how that sentence makes any more sense than the non-sense that it's making now. I'm an idiot.

Luckily my friend is more informed than me and is willing to get sucked into my hobby, and suggested this locale. You'll definitely be seeing it again - I can't wait until the fountains are turned on! - but until then we can all enjoy the incredible greenary.