Going to my friend’s CD release show	Bunny getting a bath
Perfect boxy tee by Wilfred (from Aritzia)	Zoya’s “Pippa” creamy yellow nailpolish
Zoya’s “Goldie” nailpolish, Madewell sparkly sweater	My mom looking beautiful in an old photograph

You can follow me on Instagram @seecreatures for more. Also, thank you everyone for your responses to my last entry!

Also, shout out to the lovely lady at Jimmy John’s who reads my blog! I didn’t get your name, but you made my day! ♥

I love the internet. I’ve been browsing it daily since I was ten years old, when I began building websites and keeping a blog. Over the years, I’ve made so many friends here from places in the world to which I couldn’t even point on a map at the time, and I’ve even been fortunate enough to meet some of them in real life. My high school years would have driven me insane with loneliness had I not had a place to pour my obnoxious adolescent rants, without sympathetic shoulders to metaphorically cry on.

But sometimes it can just be a vile place. I’m starting to really and truly understand how thick of a skin it requires to put yourself out there, especially when people actually start paying attention. Luckily I’ve never been subjected to cyber-bullying like some of my friends (like on /cgl), so I really don’t have room to complain. All that I know is I have some incredibly strong friends.

Sadly this is the price we pay for the anonymity and openness of the internet. It is both wonderfully and dangerously free. I know negativity will always be an issue, but all I’m saying is, next time you think about sending someone a hateful anonymous message, or leaving them a critical comment about their appearance, seriously consider picking up a good book or watching a good movie instead. I promise you your time will be better spent.

Weeks ago I drafted a post on Veda’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, and for a reason unknown to even me, I never got around to publishing it. As soon as I saw their latest Spring/Summer 2012 campaign, I couldn’t resist sharing it. With fringed jackets and leather skirts in various colors, the latest collection really exhibits the designer’s Southern sensibilities.

Dying over this turquoise dress paired with the peach jacket.

More photos and a list of stockists are available at the VEDA homepage.

With wool herringbone on the oustide and satin lining on the inside, these huge wide-leg pants are one of the most comfortable things I own. I’ve fallen asleep a few times in them, in fact. Worn here with my J.Crew edie purse and a modal Calvin Klein tank top.

Sorry for the absence – my sister’s camera (the one that I use) is actually dirty, as you can probably tell, so it makes photography a hassle. Instead, I’ve been whittling away the last hours of my winter vacation on Hulu Plus, watching as many movies as possible. Some recent ones I’ve seen are Je Tu Il Elle, Europa, Cul de Sac, and In the Realm of the Senses. As a fan of Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, Cul de Sac was easily my favorite, but Europa was incredible as well (dear Lars von Trier: SEE? It IS possible to make a good movie without subjecting women to physical and mental trauma!) Have you seen any good movies lately?

(And a photo of Bunny… just because!)

Would you believe that this picture was taken in January (and in the Northern hemisphere)? If I didn’t know better, I would guess September, or early October at the latest! Even for Texas, this warm weather has been completely ridiculous and disorienting. It’s so hard to believe that at almost this exact time last year, my town was blanketed in snow. Embarrassingly enough I haven’t shaved in forever, as you can probably tell from the ever-revealing backlighting; since it’s supposed to be winter, though, I thought I’d be able to scrape by with tights and pants.

Orla Kiely dress, French Connection belt, Edie bag by J.Crew,, Chloé shoes, and lipstick is Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet in “La Furtive”

Note to self: get shoes resoled.

Last night my boyfriend and I watched Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which was so incredibly moving. Although I spent nearly the entire duration of the movie in tears, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing every now and then at Marjane’s witty commentary. Some of you already know how much I adore animation, and if any of you out there are like-minded and haven’t seen this movie yet, you MUST.

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.

I can’t believe Christmas has already passed and New Year’s Eve is tomorrow. It doesn’t even feel right calling it December right now, given how warm it is here in Texas – it was over 70° yesterday! I didn’t do any boxing day shopping, but I did pick up this sparkly sweater from Madewell a couple of days ago. I’ve been on a strange wool crew-neck sweater kick this winter, so when I see one on sale I can hardly resist.

This is my last post for the year, so I hope you all have a fun and safe New Year’s! See you in 2012~

To be honest, I didn’t think I was getting anything for Christmas this year. I didn’t ask for anything, not to mention that I much prefer shopping for others than myself. But I tagged along with my mom to pick up some last-minute gifts for our family, and we both fell in love with the J.Crew Edie bag in red. The leather is so smooth, the style is so classic, and the build is very structured. Originally I had wanted the black or the leopard, but all of the local Dallas stores were sold out of both of those colors, and seeing the red in person made me reconsider – and I’m glad I went with something more adventurous! Thanks so much to my parents, grandmother, and great-grandmother, for a beautiful gift that will last me for years. ♥

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Christmas. I personally had a wonderful weekend spending time with my family eating good food, watching Midnight in Paris, and playing Zedla: Skyward Sword. I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably saw me gushing over the arrival of my Rob & Sioux hairbows. Perfectly sized, proportioned, and pleated, these are the sweetest hair clips around. And nothing suits the holidays more than bows! Although Christmas is maybe a bit too clutch at this point to order one, a patent leather or a leopard-print bow would look so good with a lace mini dress or black sequined skirt for New Year’s parties.

Bow by Rob & Sioux, dress by D&G Dolce and Gabbana (also seen here)

In addition to the lovely off-white cotton bow, I also got a beautiful leather one. I love how the texture of this bow really grounds it; it’s cute, but not at all saccharine. Here I’m wearing it with my J.Crew boys’ sweater:

I’ll be posting a few different ways to style these bows over the next few days!
(Also, much thanks to my boyfriend who took the pictures. He adjusted the settings all by himself, this time!)

Wit & Whistle has an easy-to-follow DIY Chalkboard Mug tutorial up at their site. What a cute idea – I’m sure these would make inexpensive yet amazing gifts.

Ruby Slipper Journeys visited the Salvador Dalí museum in Figueras, Spain, and photographed some of the beautiful (and surely invaluable) jewelry that he designed.

It’s not often that I post about Tumblr blogs on here, but Anca Gray is one of the most beautifully-curated blogs I’ve encountered on the web. Anca Gray features photos from fashion, art, landscapes, interior design, nature, and more – and combines them to create a visual collage of purely neutral colors for a stunning effect.

Travel-astro-photographer Anton Jankovoy took a series of breathtaking photographs of the Milky Way over a mountain-enshrined village in Nepal.

You guys already know I’m a lingerie addict, so when I discovered Fortnight Lingerie via Miss Moss, I swooned. Beautiful, lacy, Canadian-crafted, and available in sizes ranging from 30-38, A-E – there isn’t much more one could ask for. Their pop-up shop is open right now, so hurry and order! (I’m pining after the Lola set pictured above.)

What are some links you’re loving at the moment?