Love, Lydia - Notes from a geeky, plus sized artist.: geeks & beauties
Showing posts with label geeks & beauties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label geeks & beauties. Show all posts

Saturday, July 9, 2016

News + My Nerd Origin Story

Hi Friends,


This week has been a crazy one, with lots of good and lots of bad to report.  Honestly it breaks my heart to think about it all too much.  However I'm going to try and write about some of it and we'll see what happens from there!


News

Giveaway


First off I'm pleased to announce a winner to my giveaway (found in this post).  Congratulations to Melissa K!  Her prize will be shipping soon, and if you missed this giveaway please stay tuned to my blog.  I'll be hosting another in the near future!


I'd also like to thank everyone who entered my giveaway.  I loved reading your ideas for what I should be writing about and noted many folks want to see more about plus size fashion and reviews.  I can't wait to bring you more of this!

Liebster Award



Last week I was nominated by my lovely colleague Sadie at Sadie By Design for a Liebster Award!  The Liebster is an way of giving bloggers a better platform to tell their story to the world.  I wanted to acknowledge it in this post even though I haven't had time to fully address all that goes with the nomination yet.  I'm thrilled and flattered to be featured this way and can't wait to write more about it.  Please watch for a more in depth post about this in the next few weeks!

#BlackLivesMatter


This is just exhausting to keep track of, and the more hate that builds as people start to see race as an issue to take sides on the more sick I feel.  I can't think about other people that way.  506 black lives have been lost so far this year, and now more are being added from the police force thanks to a few renegades who are taking things into their own hands.  One of the 506 was my cousin a few months back.

I keep thinking things will change for the better, and then there is only more violence and tragedy.  It leaves me an emotional mess, feeling guilty when good things are happening in my own life and others are experiencing so much loss.  Guilty for being white and having the privilege to go and do what I want without being anxious for my life.  I feel bad that the best I can do most days is simply have dialogue with you, my readers, or the other folks I know in person or online.  It just feels like nothing I do will be enough to help.  And for that I am sorry.

However I try to read and stay educated about what is going on.  I don't just block it out with my own moderately happy life.  If this strikes a chord with you and you'd like to learn more about concrete ways you can help find peace and ensure a better future for everyone in this country please check out this amazing article featuring a list of practical ways to become an ally.

Pokemon Go


This has been the happy thing of my week  I have been enjoying this app I have eagerly awaited the past 8 months.  I'll be writing more on this in the near future, including a full review!  For now I have my Bulbasaur, a gym next door to my house (First to claim!  Though it's already been taken over and....well, I'll come back to that later).

My Nerd Origin Story


My friend and fellow blogger Mickey came up with this writing prompt and opened it up as a bit of a group project within the Geeks & Beauties community I'm a part of.  I think it's a great topic to think about as we get introspective about life because it helps us look on the bright side of things and view our own life as a story that we get the power to write.  Just as some of our favorite superheroes lives were shaped by adversity so are our own at times.  And as with superheroes, sometimes we keep our nerdy identity a secret from the general public.  However, today I'm opening up about it to you all.

My own story starts when I was learning to read.  I was homeschooled and my mom had some curriculum to help that included a series of books with stepped difficulty and little racetrack to move along as you read each.  I remember after the first dozen or so I think I completed the rest in a day, and then started begging my mom to take me to the library.  From then on I loved reading and would get a dozen or more books each visit, multiple times a week.  When I was 10 years old my mom, brother and I spent some time living with my grandmother and great grandmother to help them out.  As soon as we realized we might be there long term the library visits started there too, and in some ways reading became my best friend when there was no one my age to play with.  While I love my brother, when you're cooped up in a house together you get sick of each other eventually.  Books became my escape from that, and later my comfort as I had to figure out how to make friends with kids again when I had left a kid and came back to my hometown a middle schooler.  Fantasy books were my favorite, from retellings of fairy tales to waiting for each new Harry Potter book.

I was the kid who while perhaps 13 walked to the mall on black Friday to buy myself a Game Boy when they were finally cheap enough to be affordable to my family, and then patiently wait to receive it on Christmas day along with a cartridge for Pokemon Blue (my brother got Red!).  We had an old Nintendo we shared and played the first few Super Mario games on, and I vividly remember playing all of the Legend of Zelda on a 6 inch black and white tv.  As he got further into his teens my brother took over most of the gaming systems in our house, deeming me unworthy to play them as a female.  But I was already hooked.

Growing up we had a closet full of board games, stocked by my mom that we used often.  Before she homeschooled my brother and I full time she had been a librarian at a university, and before that a high school biology teacher.  She loved learning and finding us new projects to work on that stimulated our curiosity.  Even when we watched tv with my parents they would often be watching Star Trek or other science fiction shows.  On Saturdays my dad would take us on walks to 7-11 to pick up some small item the family needed and buy me a Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake comic.  I didn't realize how nerdy this all was until much later in life.  I just took joy from reading about gardening and teaching myself to grow roses, or learning to identify birds, trees, and insects.  I never thought of myself as an outdoorsy kid, but I loved nature and the science and beauty of it.  To this day when I'm creating art or decorating my home themes from nature are constantly finding their way into my work.

Later in high school I wanted to run my own website for a church group I was in and learned to code some in HTML.  We didn't even have a computer at the time, just a WebTV unit that allowed us to do very basic web surfing and checking emails.  But I figured out how to make it work, and later when we did have a computer I was the one keeping that up and running for the 5-6 years we owned a desktop the family to shared.  And I almost ended up in the field of graphic design, except I fell in love with darkroom photography and preferred it to sitting in from of a computer for long periods of time.  And now my work involves a computer (or smartphone) all the time!

For most of my life I didn't think about myself as a nerd, I just did the things I loved, which happened to be geeky.  Nowadays when I'm looking for new friends or trying to find my tribe I often go straight for the nerdy girls first.  And most of the time that's exactly what works best.

If you'd like to hear some other great nerd origin stories please go read Mickey's here at the Nerdily blog, Sadie's at Sadie By Design, Andrea's at her YouTube channel Chibi Drea (coming soon), and Evelyn's at Princess Eevee.  I'll update these links to go straight to their stories, but for now you can check out their sites and get to know these lovely ladies.

What's your nerd origin story like?  Let me know more in the comments!  And as always, thanks for reading.  I really appreciate all my visitors.


Saturday, March 26, 2016

Geek Week Fashion Challenge

Hi Friends!


Sorry I've been on a bit of a break from writing.  I've been going crazy producing videos on my YouTube channel.  I'm going to create some posts here for them to make them all available for you all very soon though.  I have a ton of things I want to write about too, so I'm excited to get to it.  I'm just trying to find balance between writing and making videos.  This month videos won, but next month should be better.  I'm not going to go into it all too much though, or I'd be here all night.

What I'm really here to write about today is the Geek Week themed challenge I've been doing this week with the Geeks & Beauties Community!  Different people approached this from a bunch of perspectives, and I decided to go with a fashion one.  First because I love making geeky fashion choices and it's been a while since I touched on the subject despite that being the last thing I wrote about technically speaking.  So let's take a peek!


Geek Week Fashion Challenge

Look #1

This book and fairy tale themed look includes a short sleeved shirt from Threadless.com, undershirt from Walmart, jeans from Torrid, and socks from Hot Topic.

Look #2

Day two shows itself in this Ravenclaw inspired outfit featuring a locally made necklace (purchased at the 2014 Boylan Heights Art Walk in Raleigh, NC), Top from Old Navy, Skirt from Charlotte Russe, leggings by LuLaRoe, and flats from American Eagle by Payless.

Look #3

This outfit was a fun one, I wore it for our Pokemon Tabletop RPG to channel trainers from the video game.  Items included are a vest from a boutique in Grandin Village, Roanoke, VA, tee from Hot Topic, wet look ponte pants from Lane Bryant, and flats by Reaction.

Look #4


We couldn't forget a Doctor Who outfit in the mix!  This one features a DIY key necklace, hair pin rose from Forever 21, 9th Doctor Dress by Her Universe◊(Affiliate to main site, dress no longer available), leggings from Modcloth◊(Affiliate), and flats by American Eagle by Payless. 

Look #5


Going with the Thor idea this outfit's a bit of medieval meets modern, Female Thor V Neck Tee by Her Universe◊(Affiliate), shorts by Torrid, Leggings by Bombsheller (This pair's no longer available, but there are hundreds more designs and you can get an affiliate discount with code GEEKMEUP), clutch by Deux Lux, and sneakers by Converse.

Thanks for sticking with me, let me know what you think and feel free to ask questions about sizing or anything else in the comments.  See you again soon.  Please check out my friend's work below if you've got the time!














Other Geeks & Beauties work for Geek Week


Sadie by Design -  http://www.sadiebydesign.com/2016/03/announcing-geek-week/

Lea Graham -  https://www.instagram.com/p/BDO-HuGBjXP/?taken-by=lovehellokittyandmakeup

ZombeeKittyMeow -  https://www.instagram.com/p/BDNS_iBClti/?taken-by=zombeekittymeow

Jasy - https://www.instagram.com/p/BDPjlxIA4IS/?taken-by=jasyuniquelyme
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRiTpXg4B7/?taken-by=jasyuniquelyme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwZ_pxTku_E

ZombiieeNinjjaBeauty - http://zombiieeninjjabeauty.weebly.com/blog/geek-week-cult-classic-wants 
https://instagram.com/p/BDPi1DyD5hQ/
http://zombiieeninjjabeauty.weebly.com/blog/my-zombie-obsession



Jennifer Roman - https://www.instagram.com/romanj00/

Dusty Sabot - https://instagram.com/p/BDUr9cRHAAu/

xxBeautifulAliciaxx -  https://www.instagram.com/xxbeautifulaliciaxx/

Lena7623 - https://youtu.be/-s3KbkzqzIk

Saturday, February 27, 2016

My Top 5 Spring Fashion Essentials

Hi Friends,

I'm back with another fashion post, and this one if part a spring collaboration with my friends from the Geeks and Beauties Community.  So for other great top 5 lists please scroll to the bottom of the post!



My Top 5 Spring Fashion Essentials

#1 - Pastels

A classic springtime favorite pastels can work for anyone.  If you're not a fan of the traditional Easter inspired hues you can always try grayed down versions like old rose, sage green, dusty blue, and mushroom.  Personally my favorites are mint and lavender, but I've also been playing the trends and adding touches of this year's Pantone colors - Serenity (pale blue) and Rose Quartz (soft pink).  Here's a peek at some of the pastels I'm using in my wardrobe:

Sweater - Torrid, Dress - ModCloth, Leggings - LuLaRoe

#2 - Great Jackets

A good jacket keeps you warm through the last hints of winter, a great can also be styled for spring just as beautifully as it might November.  My military style jacket pairs pinks with with olive for the right combination that works for both spring and fall looks.  A light denim jacket does this well too, though I don't own one yet.  And for colder days a soft white coat flatters most anything you pair it with, but keeps you from looking too drab with colorful skirt peeping out!  Additionally a soft flannel shirt can layer like a cardigan with a touch more interest thanks to the plaid print.

White Coat - Target, Military Jacket - Maurice's, Plaid Shirt - Old Navy


#3 - Ballet Flats

As the weather warms these become a staple for their versatility.  A more comfortable pair with insoles can get you through a whole day on your feet, the floral ones certainly did for me back when I was working at Anthropologie!

Blue Shoes - Payless, Floral Shoes - Payless, Mint Shoes - Forever 21


#4 - Soft Florals

Speaking of florals what spring closet is complete without a bit?  Light or dark they can set a cheerful tone, or make a solid colored outfit perk up fast!  Florals paired with text can set a nice modern tone as well.  Floral shoes can soften a more somber outfit.  Or you can wear the floral with pastel for an ultra feminine look.

Skirt - Torrid, Sandals - ModCloth, Tee - Switchfoot

#5 - Pops of Bright Accent Colors

Finally, sometimes between all the gentle colors I want to add something bold to the mix!  Bright purple nails with lavender or mint work great.  Or let a bright floral print paired with all pale or dark colors shine.  Jewelry, bags and shoes can all let bold colors in to keep a more approachable feel at work too.  (See the cobalt blue flats pictured above!)  Dark floral prints often have a more edgy feeling as it is, and the brighter the colors paired with the dark color the more they'll pop.  Bright solids can also work wonders with pale or dark shades in the same color family for a monochrome style.

Nail Polish - Julep in Sherri, Leggings - LuLaRoe, Top - Torrid

I hope you've enjoyed my spring looks, and if you have more fun ideas for how I could work with these items let me know in the comments below!  Thanks for reading.










My Friend's Top 5 Spring Essentials



Starting off with a bit more about clothes there's Sadie By Design's Top 5 Spring Cosplay Essentials.




Next up is this fun video by Dusty Sabot!








Zainey Laney bridges the gender gap with essentials for men and women in this video.








Zombiieeninjja Beauty gives us a look at her hair essentials in the above video.




Jessica Forbes shows us some of her beauty favorites in this video as well.


A few more friends will be added too, so be on the lookout as I add their work to this post as the week goes on!

If you're a blogger or vlogger and would like to learn more about the great support offered through the Geeks and Beauties Community please click here for more information.  We create collaborations monthly and we'd love to have you join us!  Thanks for reading.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Valentine's Day Celebrations, Beauty Swap, and Card Exchange

Hi Folks,


Update

I've been busy this past week and fighting off a cold.  This winter is just a tough one for my body apparently.  But there are lots of good things to appreciate as well.  I've been filming a bunch of videos, mostly unboxings of fun beauty and lifestyle boxes.  I also have that darn winter capsule wardrobe post nearly ready to post.  I know I keep saying it's coming, but I keep running into snags while putting it together.  It'll be here soon, promise!  (Maybe today!?)

MuteMath

Friday I headed out with my brother in law Michael to see MuteMath at The Cat's Cradle.  The last time I saw them live was back in 2006...the last time they were at the venue with Switchfoot actually.  While I don't think they allowed SLR cameras at the show I did take some reasonable phone shots and a little video I thought I'd share.  The show was just amazing, MuteMath is one of my favorite live bands hands down!



02-12-2016 Mute Math


Hopefully you can get a feel for their energy!  I think I was dancing almost the whole time!

Valentine's Day Celebrations

Next up is the real reason for this post - I wanted to share a pair of videos I made for Valentine's Day!   I did a card exchange with some fellow bloggers and YouTubers from the Geeks & Beauties Community.  And I also participated in a beauty swap challenge where Zainey Laney and I bought each other the makeup for a Valentine's Day date look for under $10!  These were both loads of fun and if you hop over to the videos on YouTube you can see links to other folks from the group joined in as well.  Part 1 has the cards and me opening the items for the beauty look.  Part 2 is putting on the makeup and chatting about life!




The cold I've had also made me have to take off the makeup almost immediately after putting it on....my eyes were just so itchy.  It made me sad.  And things stayed that way for our actual Valentine's Day date as well.  So I went with some extra bright lipstick and a couple doses of medication to help me make it to our double date with Bryan's parents.  We decided to see The Force Awakens again, and went out to lunch once we realized we'd have to catch a slightly later show than planned because the show we wanted was sold out.  It gave us a chance to go eat at Chili's together, and do a bit of shopping before the movie as well.  We oogled some board games at Game Theory, a great local gaming shop.  There may need to be some board game review posts here in the future!  We also discovered once we arrived at the theater that it was newly renovated and had super nice reclining seats.  We had a wonderful time watching Star Wars a second time and came up with more fan theories (you can hear some of my initial ones in this post) and discussed what we'd observed since we listened to the Hello Internet podcast on The Force Awakens this past week as well.  Here's a parting shot of us!



Thanks for reading, I'll see you all again soon.

www.lydiadickson.com

Monday, January 25, 2016

Find Your Perfect Valentine's Day - Quiz!

Hi folks,

This post is going to be fun and you know it, because it's a quiz.  I made it because I'm part of a great group called the Geeks & Beauties Community.  Some of us are going a collaboration this month where we all write a post with a Valentine's Day theme, and link to each others posts.  So if you'd like to check them out please scroll to the bottom of this post!  I'll be adding each post as they go up this week.

So I've been wanting to make a quiz for a while and this was the perfect excuse.  Are you wondering what to do for Valentine's Day?  Maybe you just don't want to think about it.  That's ok, take this quick quiz and maybe it'll decide for you.



Geeky Valentine's Day Date Planner

The day is coming, and no I'm not talking about the zombie apocalypse - Valentine's Day. No mater whether you're single or with a significant other you need a plan. Maybe it will even involve prepping some weapons to train for surviving in a dystopian future. Let's take a look deep into your soul and find your perfect fate in 7 easy questions.

  1. What's your immediate thought when someone mentions that Valentine's Day is coming up?

  2. Ugh, what an excuse for spending money!
    I guess I should do something so I'm not alone.
    I just want someone nice to spend the day with this year.
    I can't wait to plan something fun.
    Flowers, chocolate, and fancy dinners, this will be the best year ever!

  3. Pick your poison...

  4. The dark antihero story.
    I like all kinds of stories!
    A lighthearted comedy.
    Anything with David Tennant, or {insert other geek crush here}.
    A romantic story.

  5. What's you favorite kind of Con

  6. Conning someone into paying for a free dinner...that person on Tinder has no idea.
    I'm happy going to the one my significant other wants to go to.
    I'm up for an Anime or Comic convention every once in a while.
    Can I please go to all the ones near me?
    I'm not really into cons, too many people for me!

  7. What's you favorite holiday

  8. Valentine's Day
    Christmas
    New Years Eve
    Halloween
    Thanksgiving

  9. You have Saturday free so you:

  10. Take a trip to the farmer's market and cook up something tasty with a friend.
    Have to finish reading this fantastic book or binge watching another season of that awesome show.
    Get some shopping done and head out on the town all evening.
    Want to try that great new ethnic restaurant your co-workers told you about.
    Have a game night at your place with friends; grab your dice/controllers!

  11. How much planning do you want to put into this?

  12. A bit I suppose.
    Meh, I'll think of something...
    Why bother, it's just another day!
    I'm down for planning as long as it's worth it.
    I'll take care of everything!

  13. When all things are said and done you'd really like spend the day:

  14. Having a romantic day with that special someone.
    Keeping myself occupied to take my mind off the depressing stuff.
    Having fun geeking out with a person I love.
    Doing whatever I want!
    Going on a unique adventure.

A score of 7-15 = This just isn't your kind of day, put on some headphones, dive into something you love, hit ignore and do your own thing.

A score of 15-29 = Maybe you're single, maybe you're just not into big shows of affection, either way you should get together with a good friend or two and do something fun without any pressure.

A score of 30-50 = You like to keep things light and don't want something fussy. Whatever you do keep it simple so you can enjoy it without worrying about plans too much. Dinner and a movie is a classic that works well for you.

A score of 51-69 = Whether you're geeky or not you want to do something special and you're willing to put some effort in to make it memorable. Head out to a late night cult classic after hitting a foodie hotspot, or surprise your favorite person with tickets to that con or event they've been eying during your dinner date!

A score of 70-84 = Do you even need to read this? You know you want the most romantic day ever! Maybe that means it'll be a little sappy, but that's ok, the person you're spending the day with loves you. Just don't get too obsessed with planning that you can't enjoy each moment of the fun you have planned.


After hitting the button above if you follow the "Give Me More" link you can enter my giveaway for an Enchanted Beauty Box, or just go here to enter and hear more about this new Disney themed beauty box!

Thanks for reading, and be sure to tell me if you liked this quiz in the comments below.


Other Valentine's Day Posts From My Friends


From ZombiieeNinjjaBeauty we have this post on what shouldn't be on your gift list this year.



A great makeup look and giveaway with Realby Lamona.



From Bethany Summer we have a Valentine's Day date look the goes from head to toe!


Zainey Laney has another installment in her amazing Makeup & A Movie Series.



And finally Southeast by Midwest is here to share a great makeup tutorial.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

My First Vlog, The Force Awakens, and A Dressember Update.

Hey friends,


I'm pleased to announce the winner of my giveaway is Angelica S.  Congratulations on winning the lovely Tigerwood necklace seen in my Holiday Gift Guide.

This week I'm trying something new!

So without further ado here's my first vlog:



Please note the volume starts out a bit louder and gets softer after the first couple minutes as I test equipment.

My Dressember Outfits

If you want to find out more about my Dressember participation check out my donation page here and go here to read stories about the lives changed through International Justice Mission.  Affiliate links are marked with a ◊ symbol, so if you happen to follow a link and buy something you help support my site.

Day 1, Dress - LuLaRoe, Leggings - Victoria's Secret, Ballet Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 2, Sweater Dress - Style & Co for Macy's, Leggings - Target, Boots - Trendsetter for Hushpuppies

Day 3, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Modcloth◊, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 4, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - ASOS, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 5, Flannel Shirt - Faded Glory, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Target, Flats American Eagle by Payless

Day 6, Jacket - Maurice's, Dress - ModCloth◊, Leggings - ASOS, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 7, Dress - Style & Co by Macy's, Bracelet - Old Navy, Leggings - Target, Socks - Gold Toe


Day 8, Shirt - Switchfoot, Dress - City Chic, Watch - Pick Your Plum, Leggings - ASOS, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 9, a dress...not sure which, and Leggings by Bombsheller (get a discount with my affiliate code GEEKMEUP)

Day 11 (Day 10 was a pajama day, because I dyed my hair finally), Flannel Shirt - Faded Glory, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - LuLaRoe, Flats - American Eagle for Payless

Day 12, Bag - Red Bubble, Necklace - Marsha Elliott Designs, Dress - Torrid, Leggings - Victoria's Secret, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 13, Locket - Forever 21, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - Target, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 14, Dress - LuLaRoe, Leggings - Target, Flats - American Eagle by Payless

Day 15,  Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - LuLaRoe, Flats - American Eagle for Payless

Day 16, Dress - Style & Co by Macy's, Leggings - Target, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 17, Cardigan - Anthropologie, Dress - ModCloth◊, Leggings - ModCloth◊, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 18, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - Bombsheller, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 19, Cardigan - Anthropologie, Dress - Cherry Velvet, Leggings - ASOS, Boots - Trendsetter by Hushpuppies

Day 20, Cardigan - LuLaRoe, Dress - Her Universe◊, Leggings - ModCloth◊, Boots - Trendsetter for Hushpuppies
If my wardrobe choices look limited it's because I've been using a 24 piece capsule wardrobe for the month of December.  One of the pairs of shoes (new ones I ordered in a Cyber Monday sale) didn't fit right, so I'm just wearing 2 pairs of shoes!

Thanks for stopping by and if you liked the new multimedia format let me know in the comments and subscribe on YouTube!

Love,
Lydia