1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
I viewed Jupiter and its moons through a telescope (twice!) and was sponsored by a major fashion brand.

February 2011

2. Did you keep your goals/resolutions for 2011?
Sadly, I’m pretty sure I didn’t. I can’t remember any of them in particular, but I’m fairly sure that I resolved to travel more this year, which absolutely didn’t happen. I did, however, post more on this blog, which I do believe was one of my goals, so I guess that’s something to be proud of.

3. What was your favorite moment of the year?
We opened it wonderfully at my good friend’s parent’s house drinking profusely and playing Super Mario Bros 3. Also, the day Bunny’s previous owners drove down from Oklahoma to drop her off also stands out as one of the happiest moments in this year.

Momo, my puppy who died last February. I still love you so much ♥

4. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Undoubtedly waking up from a nap and realizing Momo had died. It is a moment and feeling ingrained in my mind; I will forever be haunted by that scene. It’s hard to believe it was nearly a year ago; thinking about her still brings tears to my eyes. I miss Momo so much.

Another chilling moment that will be forever etched into my memory is reading about the Japanese earthquake moments after it happened, flipping on the news, and watching the incredibly large tsunami waves break the coast of Sendai.

March 2011

5. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 24th – the date of Momo’s death
March 25th – the day I got Bunny
August 27th – the day I broke it off with a dear friend of mine

April 2011

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
How dorky would it be if I answered that my Sailor Moon costume was my greatest achievement this year? Making a Sailor Senshi seifuku has been a lifelong goal of mine, and to even get as far as I did (it still requires some alterations) felt really good. Once a nerd, always a nerd, I guess. Furthermore, See Creatures also broke a daily average of 2,000 views!

May 2011, June 2011, and July 2011

7. What was the best new thing you got?
Very difficult to say, as I’m very grateful for everything I received this year. So far I’ve gotten the most use out of my French Connection coat and my J.Crew Edie bag, though!

8. What did you pine for, but never received?

• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, which is kind of my fault, because I could have purchased it at any time but have been putting it off in favor of other reading projects.
• A pair of Miu Miu Fall 2011 banana-heeled pumps
• A wide-banded gold wristwatch

9. What did you get really excited about?
Skyward Sword, the latest installment that marked the 25^th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, was one of the things that I anticipated the most this year. Also, the arrival of In-N-Out in Texas was, embarrassingly enough, something else that I was beyond excited about. It still trips me out to see In-N-Outs while driving to my parents’ house!

August 2011 and September 2011

10. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Traveling. This is the first year in my life that I’ve never left Texas, and it was incredibly stifling.

11. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Tumblr. I couldn’t count the hours I wasted on it, and I’m proud to say that I’ve hardly logged on since the new year started.

October 2011 and November 2011

12. Did you fall in love?
Only moreso with people I was already in love with!

13. What were your greatest musical discoveries?
Disney Pandora (Pandora in general, actually) and Twin Shadow

14. What were your favorite movies that you watched in 2011?
Tree of Life was my favorite movie that was released in 2011, but another really good older movie that I watched for the first time this year was Manufactured Landscapes, which completely broadened (an understatement) my perspective on global industrialization.

Reading my giant illustrated and annotated copy of Pride & Prejudice; see full post here

15. What were the best books you read?

• Lost Illusions by Honoré de Balzac
• Genealogy of Morals by Frederick Nietzsche
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Fall by Camus

16. What did you do on your birthday?
My twin sister and I threw a party at my apartment and served trashcan punch.

17. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
This year I was much more conservative, and invested in very neutral clothes – hardly any statement pieces, which is usually opposite of how I normally shop. I tried to tailor my personal fashion around pieces that I could envision myself wearing for many years, while still trying to remain youthful.

18. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned:
Grieving is a process that can be healed by time more than anything. Allow yourself the chance to mourn, but at the same time, be accepting of change.

19. What are your goals/plans for 2012?
My biggest resolution is to travel more this year; my goals are New York City and New Olreans, and if only one of those happens I would be happy. I also want to draw more, brush up on my French & Japanese, and save more money.

20. How did you celebrate the new year?
At one of my close friend’s apartments, eating great food and making great drinks. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate.

This See by Chloé lbd is perhaps the most versatile piece of clothing I own – very easy to work with, very easy to dress up or down. Since it’s so hot here in Texas, I wanted to wear it super short, so I hiked it up and cinched it with a black ribbon I found in my craft box. You can see a closeup of the detailing on the top here.

Wow, I cannot believe the response I got from my Mermaid Curls tutorial – over 20,000 unique visitors in two days! I’m hoping to put together more hair tutorials in the near future, but no promises as to when those will be released! Follow me through my RSS feed or Bloglovin’ to make sure that you see the posts when they come out!

Nails: Chanel Blue Satin

Recently I invested in a Wacom Bamboo, something I’ve needed for years. I scored it at a great price from Craigslist – only $50! My happiness, however, was shortly thereafter overshadowed by the terrible news that my puppy Momo had jumped off of my sister’s roof and hurt her paw! The story is much too long so I’ll just reassure you all that she’s doing alright, but it was incredibly scary. Crazy puppy!

Been listening to Karen Elson’s album, The Ghost Who Walks, which might actually be one of the only country albums I have ever liked – if it can be classified as such. “Pretty Babies” was the track that played during Tom Ford’s debut show for his new womenswear line.