So if you haven’t yet figured it out, I love any occasion that gives me a reason to dress up. Holidays, Theme parties, visual puns- I’ve got a costume for that. So it should come as no surprise that Halloween marks the start of my super bowl. Like every year before it, this year had to be even bigger. So to day Im partnering with Walmart and decided share a new interest of mine- festive home decor. Ah! The benefits of no longer living in a tiny shoe box.
I enlisted the help of my family to create ultimate spooky wonderland and even dressed up as the Queen of my crypt, aka apartment, to celebrate. Now I’m sharing some fun tips to turn your home and yourself into spooky season legends.
3 Tips for Setting the Perfect Spooky Scene
Pick a Theme, Color + Tone: Decorating for a holiday can be super overwhelming. If you’re like me, you want to put everything in the cart. Resist the urge, and instead think of a simple theme and color palette to work with. For this set up our theme was skeletons, our primary colors were purple, white and black and our tone was spooky. This helped us eliminate a variety of items because they just wouldn’t work.
Play with Lighting: Lighting can make a basic table scheme come to life in a new way. For example, we placed small electric candle lights in skulls to make them glow. We waterproofed another light to sit at the bottom of our cauldron, making our punch have a spooky blood red glow. We used pieces like this stacked skulls sculpture and the this candelabra to add dimension and height to the layout.
Have A Sense of Humor: I find the best halloween displays have a sense of humor to them. We added a touch of fun to our display by carving a pumpkin, filling him with sweets so it look liked he was throwing up candy. We also played with the skeleton, constantly changing what sweets he had in his hand or having him wear costumes. Now we can dress the skeleton all through the halloween season and keep the fun new and fresh.
Shop Items in My Spooky Skeleton Table Scape
Note: Some decor items are only available in-store. Also, there are tons of other exciting halloween stuff, so I I’d visit the general halloween decor page in case you need some inspiration.
Turning Myself into Queen of the Crypt
So to create this perfect companion spooky skeleton look, I employed one of my favorite halloween hacks- where whatever over the top look you want and declare it your costume. I got inspired initially by this spider skeleton ( yes I know spiders don’t have skeletons, but who cares).
For my eyes I worked with two colors of the over all table scheme- purple and black. I used Maybelline Tattoo shadow in Knockout to draw exaggerated eye shadow shape. Then I used a small amount of concealer over my eye lids to serve as a base for the darkest NYX Palette purple ( the same color I used for my contour.) I then used Tattoo Shadow in charcoal to darken the corners and the same purple highlight to brighten the inner corners of my eye. Then I blended. I blended a lot. I lined the entire eye in the knockout tattoo shadow and used my regular daily mascara. I had these amazing purple and black faux lashes I wanted to use, but my seasonal allergies were not playing along.
I added a bright purple lip using NYXs Glitter Goals in Amethyst Vibes topped with their glow on lipgloss in Violent Violet. I then drew spider webs around my eyes and down my neck using an eyeliner pen. Lastly I put on a black wig and a grand crown I made out of flowers and a my original inspiration- the spider skeleton. I am obsessed with the final look. OBSESSED.
Shop Items Used in My Queen of the Crypt Look
Note: I earn affiliate commissions on some of these links. This post was sponsored by Walmart.
I have one Valentine’s Day tradition, and to be honest it might be my favorite holiday tradition of all time. Yes, this is odd given I am not a 24 hours de amor mega fan, but bear with me. See every year the night before Valentine’s Day, I drink. I drink a lot. I also cake my face in make up, tease my hair and then proceed to writhe like an animal on my bed and wipe at my face with reckless abandon until I look like the queen of hot mess- and the ultimate example of a love gone wrong victim. I then proceed to photograph myself, usually while consuming more libations, and fake crying. Not, no crying. Wailing. Screeching. Moaning. All over my lack of love. The results are the best and saddest Valentine’s photos you’ll see this year.
Merry Christmas/ Hanukkah/ Kwanza/ Festivus/ Winter Solstice/ Boxing DayHappy New Year Dear Friends, Family, People from the Internet, Social Media Fans and the Girl I Met at a Party Once
2016 sucked. I mean that in the nicest way possible, but seriously 2016 was one of those annoying years that nobody likes. The type of year where on the first day of school you think “Oh 2016 and I are going to be best friends! [insert a whimsical collection of friendship emojis]” However after only a few days of knowing her, 2016 and you are 100% absolutely never ever, ever going to be friends. Because in only a few short days she’s already managed to punch you in the face, steal your man, beat you in the science fair and spread a rumor that you have crabs. 2016 is the worst. We all started January with rosy cheeks and the sincerest hopes for a magical year of personal development, love, and change. Hahaha! We. Were. So. Naïve. However, as I face this new January I am protecting myself. I am eagerly researching dream insurance, mail order husbands, and modern designed climate controlled bunkers near Austin, Texas to ensure if 2017 tries to act a fool, I am fully prepared.
Because I refuse to end 2017, as I have ended this year tornado of a year: watching all three Bridget Jones movies by myself, crying over my evolution into a spinster who loves bingo and slot machines and drinking wine I was too lazy to pick up so I had it delivered to my house and pretended like it was for a party later that day. A party of one. Me. And my crumbles of a life left after it was ravished by that bitch, 2016.
But despite 2016 being a royal grossgusting poopy butt face, some amazing things still managed to happen. Let’s talk about those things, shall we?
January
This year, I found myself living in my sister’s apartment in January and desperately trying to avoid her complex’s office staff. See, looking for an apartment during the holiday season is not my jam. This left me to hide out until my new lease started in February, even though her complex was eager for me to put my name on the lease, give up my first born son, and tattoo a reminder to pay rent each month on my bicep. Hiding from the leasing staff is the closest I have ever felt to being a member of the mafia. Except I don’t own a gun or have a brother name Fredo. But I do love pasta, and would love to talk authoritatively with a white cloth napkin effortlessly tucked into the collar of my pressed velour leisure suit, while rocking vintage style aviators and the biggest gold watch you’ve ever seen. If crime was just about being comfortable and bossy, I pretty sure I would have Bonny minus the Clyde-ed my life away by now.
February
This month is the month of love, and I saw nothing short of love. Well, the unusual kind. A fan of my blog, Glitter and Lazers created an account solely dedicated to showcasing the drawings they had made of me. I was so loved- virtually. Back in the real world, I was still very single and attempted very unsuccessfully to create an affiliate network for dating- offering a cash bonus for dates that “converted” into something tangible. Aside from a sweet graph my friend Katie made to describe the process to potential “investors”, this didn’t take off. I was once again had only alcohol and punny attire to keep me warm on Valentine’s day.
March
March started off with a bang by meeting a Mya Rudolph look-a-like in a NYC night club, and joking with her while awkwardly dancing on her and screaming “I am dirty dancing with Mya, people. Mya Rudolph and I are going to star in the first lesbian dirty dancing sequel… let me show you our routine.” Come to find out, it was in fact Mya Rudolph and I am expecting a phone call any day about my brilliant film idea and our collaborative creative future. I didn’t do anything else of much consequence in March aside from wandering into Voodoo Donuts and offering them $20 to make the best designed donut they could for the sake of “science!” I never would have imagined I would receive and inappropriately shaped glazed donut delicately decorated with a unicorn doing yoga under a rainbow. And this stands as another testament that when you put your faith in people they will surprise you in the most amazing and delicious ways. Or maybe that’s just when you put your faith in donuts…
April
This month was a big ball of travel crazy. Early in the month I found myself again in India for work, this time visiting both Delhi and Bangalore. My hotel in India learned about my Instagram and I became “Miss Anna”. I was given the Royal treatment including a specially prepared meal of regional delicacies, regular check ins on how I was enjoying my stay and wine in my room each night. That stuff was lovely, but even better was the fact that the staff would gawk at my boss as if he should be carrying my bag, worshiping at my feet, and thanking me for allowing him to be in my presence. Luckily I have the best boss ever and he played along like a good sport, while I soaked up all the special attention.
April Part 2
A few short weeks later I took my first yoga/fitness vacation to Costa Rica with a girl who I knew for only about 2 weeks prior and I now consider a best friend. I learned I am absolutely fantastic at falling off a surf board, enjoy being woken up by howler monkeys and that I can be happy anywhere in the world as long as there is a juice bar nearby. I have always loved visiting Costa Rica and this trip was no exception, our accommodations, Bodhi Tree, situated literally in between the middle of nowhere and heart of the rainforest, offered the most tranquil recharge time I’ve ever experienced. Plus, it should not go unmentioned that the resort allowed me to change my name on the reservation to “sexy beast.” Forcing staff member to awkwardly yell out “sexy beast” anytime they needed to get in touch with me.
May
I cut my hair short. I liked it, but let’s be real here. No matter how cute a short hair cut is, it will never be as good as being able to put your hair into ponytail. Ponytail power is a very real thing and in May my hair was powerless and at the will of the tortuous elements due to its punchy new length. Most of this month was spent with white blonde hair caked to my forehead and a birds constructing a new home in the wisps surrounding the crown of my head.
June- July
In June I got the extreme opportunity to model for Torrid’s fall denim campaign with several other amazing curvy ladies and Adrienne Moore from Orange is the New Black. This photo shoot was ver ver fanc and led me to seriously consider hiring a man with a mini leaf blower to follow me everywhere I go. That way I could have that perfect “wind in my hair” look no matter who was snapping the picture. Sure it might be weird to have a man stooped below me at all times, but I’m a very adaptable person. I could make it work for the sake of glamor. I was super grateful to meet the amazing team at Torrid and got to see my photo up in over 400 stores nationwide in late July.
August
I found myself attending my first plus size fashion focused conference in August. It helped me realize what an impact I had in many girls’ lives, and what an opportunity I had to continue to shape a drive perception of what women are capable of. During my trip to Atlanta I also shot a feature for FabuPlus Magazine showing plus women how to rock it out on every day gym equipment. The goal of the article was to help curb the fear a curvy girl might have working out in a traditional gym setting for the first time. As fitness is such an important part of my life, I loved being able to help other ladies find the courage and confidence to start their fitness journey.
September
I found myself once again behind the camera in, this time shooting for Eloquii’s new pear-shaped fit, called Viola. I had tons of fun modeling several looks for the brand and helping drive awareness of the need in the market place for cuts that fit big booty [edited] perfectly. It was booty booty rocking everywhere with a touch of glam.
October
This month I achieved two of my all-time life goals- to be an integral part of a charity event and the be featured in Forbes. As the MC of the Health Empowered Beauty Fashion Show, I was able to raise awareness and critical funding for Susan’s Place shelter. In an unusual twist of fashion week norms, this show featured only models who were also residents of Susan’s Place shelter in the Bronx. The make overs they received gave these women new confidence and added self-worth before moving onto to their first home. I was grateful for this opportunity that allowed me to apply my love for fashion and style to a worthy cause. The Forbes story, is less impressive. Ironically a rant video I made on YouTube, was referenced as an analyst took a skeptical look at the Lula Roe business model. But hey, I’ll take what I can get. Achievements unlocked.
November
I call this the month of internet friends turned real ones. I finally got to meet Mellie, an internet best friend, in real life in November in NYC. We basically painted the town red wearing ridiculous fur coats, drinking all of the drinks, and sashaying our way onto the dance floor like we owned it. It’s crazy as weird as the internet has made us, you can still meet kindred spirits online. I also found myself becoming closer with several girls I’d met online through the Austin blogging scene. They’ve become my makeshift friend family here in Austin and couldn’t be happier.
December
The last month of the year has been tough for me. I tried a lot of new things- including using my shaky hands to try and decorate cookies. I have learned I am much better and purchasing than making festive things. People like me exist so that others can turn a profit from their craft. The month seemed like it was going to be a jewel. However, during my vacation to Jamaica, things turned dangerous and ended up with me being in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnessing something pretty traumatic. As a result, I’ve put most of my social media on hold as I work through reframing my life and healing. I swore I was going to miss the worst of 2016’s wrath, but dangit the year got me in the end.
Well, that’s how 2016 went down in the land of sparkles, unicorns, empty wine bottles and adorable pups who convince you they do need that piece of sausage you’re eating to survive.
Happy new year and I can’t wait to see you all in 2017 where we’ll all pretend for a few months…. weeks…. days that we’ve cut out the booze, are only eating organic, and plan to always take the stairs. Call me when you need a friend to drink wine on an elevator while eating Cheetos. I’m your girl.
Ps. I will be coming back online eventually, but I’m still processing. Little by little I’ll be opening back up my world to you; please be patient with me!
If you told me that in my early 30s and wearing a confusing and non-standard sizing of any where from 18-22 on top to 20-26 on bottom that I would be a model, I would have laughed at you right in the face. But here I am. A super pear model for Eloquii’s Viola Fit. The viola fit is built for women with hips 1-2 sizes larger than their waist. Basically clothing designed for us big booty cuties- destroying pant gaps and social norms at the same time. Our stylist, Tiffani Moore was absolutely lovely and made sure we were in things we felt comfortable in and loved. Which is evidenced by my now personal romantic relationship with this white dress. Also, it should be noted that Tiffani has some sweet sweet jams. This girl has a knack for fancy model dress up playtime mix tapes. Wait it’s 2016- playlists. I never thought I would be a crazy cat lady (I’m more of a dog woman), but this look nearly converted me. I love the clash of cream and white in one happy combination that just makes me swoon. Also bows, bows all types of bows….. While wearing this pink dress I kept announcing myself as the plus size Elle Woods and trying to steal one of the office dogs to pose with. As cute as I was, I suppose a large women lumbering at you with greedy eyes is not the way to get a small dog to nuzzle you affectionately in front of a camera. I should have brought chicken. They would have loved me for chicken. Overall I had some much fun at the shoot and I am so proud to be part of something that is so needed in the plus size fashion world. I’ve often sat an wondered if I would ever find a brand that cuts clothing for my body type or whether I would be forced forever to make it work with a wardrobe made of separates, belts and other camouflaging techniques. I feel like I finally have a brand that understands me and the millions of other pear shaped plus sized girls’ struggle. And their doing something about it in a major way. Blouses? Bodycons? Pants? When has a brand offered more than a few pair of pants in a pear cut? Never before today. Super pears of the world rejoice.
Look, I am not one for conferences. I’m the sort that would rather be goofing off in the sun or exploring, than sitting in a room talking about stuff. So I was super surprised how much I enjoyed The Curvy Fashionista Expo. First off, I got to meet two women I truly have loved from a far for awhile- Jess Baker and Alysse from Ready to Stare. Second, the jams were on point. I found myself dancing around pretty much all day, as might feet reminded me with a heavy sigh when the day was through.
The event went above and beyond to get a healthy mix of well known plus brands and lesser know indie designers. For some, it was there first show. Opportunities like this are important if we want to continue to increase the options available for curvy ladies. Opportunities however have a negative affect on my wallet- but I suppose that was the point of the day!
My only complaint on the whole day is that there were these half naked men (yessssss), carrying cupcake trays (double yasss) but then tried to charge me $4 for said cupcake. I’m sorry, boo, you ain’t that cute. If I am going to pay $4 for a stale cupcake it better be hand delivered by drake, shirtless, bare back on a horse singing over over and over ” I like my girls bbw…”
I made a short video of my experience- including said half naked men- that you can check out below on the tube of you.
One of my favorite hobbies is traveling. By the age of 30, I had gone to over 35 countries, nearly every continent, and had to have pages added to my passport- twice. While I am hardly a travel blogger, my frequent adventures have taught me a few things about to see the world fearlessly and loving myself more.
1. Know your limits, and push them. What I learned about traveling early on is the best adventures are hard. They involve a little struggle. Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable. Do something that terrifies you. Sure, you might fail. You also might succeed. Push your boundaries, just a little bit, and you’ll open yourself to a whole new world of possibilities.
2. Focus on enjoying life more, and how your body looks less. It’s amazing how many opportunities I missed early in life because I was afraid of how people would perceive my body. Traveling has taught me that beauty is completely malleable. There is no universal standard. So I accepted that some people would always find me beautiful, some would always find me ugly and all that mattered if how I saw myself.
3. The best adventures are off the beaten path. We are taught from youth to follow the path, to do the ordinary, to behave. Travel has taught me that the most exciting adventures, stories and learning doesn’t come from the average day to day. So be weird, do things differently, get off the path. You’ll never know what your missing as a result of habit.
4. Talk to strangers. Actually talk to everyone. One of my favorite memories is how I met these amazing men in Mykonos, Greece. I literally jumped on a bar at gay club and shamed the crowd for not dancing to Madonna. I then proceeded to show them how it was done. As a result I ended up with 3 amazing travel buddies for the rest of my trip, and no one shamed Madonna again.
5. Friends are important. Taking the leap to do something can be scary, you don’t have to do it alone. Having someone their to support you through the scary and shitty times, matters. This was a hard, but very important lesson for me, an ” I can do anything on my own” girl, to learn.
6. It ok to be basic. Somethings are just fun. Don’t shy away from something because everyone else has done it. For example, I went on a Guinness tour in Dublin, Ireland like every other tourist. Did the fact that tons of people had done it before make it any less fun. Nope. It was still great and ended the way I like most things to end- with free beer.
7. Support your local community. Sight seeing is fun, but my best memories are when I have wandered into a local neighborhood and explored how the people actually lived. For example, playing fetch with this dog in a London park. What makes people who they are isn’t their museums or their monuments, but rather culture and perspective in life. As a global citizen it’s important we take an active role in the community that surrounds us and change it for the better. If we don’t get involved, we cannot be angry when perceptions refuse to evolve.
8. Be yourself. Its amazing how many new people you meet and adventures you have when you don’t try to change who you are. I will always be loud and sassy and, dare I say it, a bit weird. I wore this Mexican wrestling mask all around Miami, creating some awesome experiences while being my weird goofy self. People think you need to be someone else to impress the world, nope. The people we admire most, usually got their by being true to who they are and refusing to let anyone steal their shine.
9. Approach everything with a smile. The more you greet new experiences with a positive attitude, the more fun those experiences are going to be. Even if they don’t work out as planned. Pushing yourself to try new things with a positive attitude pays off. Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, nobody. Plus smiles have a magical power to melt perceptions. I have personally experienced several times in my life where I have been able to change someone’s view of plus size people by being a positive force in their lives.
10. It’s ok to be a tourist. Sometimes in life you just want to try something new and not feel like you have to commit to it for life. Just as you are a tourist on vacation, you can be a tourist in life. You don’t have to commit to a change before you are ready and know its a fit for your life. It’s 100% ok to try something out for awhile, knowing full well you might abandon it later.
I have one Valentine’s Day tradition, and to be honest it might be my favorite holiday tradition of all time. Yes, this is odd given I am not a 24 hours de amor mega fan, but bear with me. See every year the night before Valentine’s Day, I drink. I drink a lot. I also cake my face in make up, tease my hair and then proceed to writhe like an animal on my bed and wipe at my face with reckless abandon until I look like the queen of hot mess- and the ultimate example of a love gone wrong victim. I then proceed to photograph myself, usually while consuming more libations, and fake crying. Not, no crying. Wailing. Screeching. Moaning. All over my lack of love. The results are the best and saddest Valentine’s photos you’ll see this year.
(here’s an example of 
If you told me that in my early 30s and wearing a confusing and non-standard sizing of any where from 18-22 on top to 20-26 on bottom that I would be a model, I would have laughed at you right in the face. But here I am. A super pear model for 
Our stylist, Tiffani Moore was absolutely lovely and made sure we were in things we felt comfortable in and loved. Which is evidenced by my now personal romantic relationship with 
I never thought I would be a crazy cat lady (I’m more of a dog woman), but this look nearly converted me. I love the clash of cream and white in one happy combination that just makes me swoon. Also bows, bows all types of bows…..
While wearing this pink dress I kept announcing myself as the plus size Elle Woods and trying to steal one of the office dogs to pose with. As cute as I was, I suppose a large women lumbering at you with greedy eyes is not the way to get a small dog to nuzzle you affectionately in front of a camera. I should have brought chicken. They would have loved me for chicken.
Overall I had some much fun at the shoot and I am so proud to be part of something that is so needed in the plus size fashion world. I’ve often sat an wondered if I would ever find a brand that cuts clothing for my body type or whether I would be forced forever to make it work with a wardrobe made of separates, belts and other camouflaging techniques. I feel like I finally have a brand that understands me and the millions of other pear shaped plus sized girls’ struggle. And their doing something about it in a major way. Blouses? Bodycons? Pants? When has a brand offered more than a few pair of pants in a pear cut? Never before today. Super pears of the world rejoice.
