Artsy Hearts

Ever since I stopped skiing on Valentine's Day and started doing more traditional holiday activities (you know, wining and dining, that sort of thing), I've had increasingly high standards for my Valentine's Day outfit. Pinks and reds are no longer enough—now I always incorporate a romantic theme! Last year it was heart shoes, heart purse, and heart sweater.

This year, it's a heart skirt and earrings. Full disclosure—I'm not a huge fan of the skirt. The finger-painted-looking hearts are a little too sloppy for my taste, but when I saw it on Swap.com [Referral link] for a mere 3 dollars, I bought it anyway, because a Valentine's Day skirt with ugly hearts is still better than no Valentine's Day skirt at all.

However, if I'd known how difficult it would be to wear in real life, I might have simply given it a miss. I discovered to my annoyance when trying it on, that this skirt is more staticky than a broken radio! I seriously had to wear a slip, spray it with water three times, rub hand lotion all over the inside twice, and then spray it with hairspray just to stop it from clinging to my thighs. Now, clinginess between a skirt and a pair of tights is somewhat expected, but a skirt that clings to bare skin is on a whole different level!

In short, I don't expect to be wearing this skirt for a second Valentine's Day, but while I've got it, I might as well make the most out of it!

And what better way to make the most out of a decorative skirt than to wear some matching earrings? Oddly enough, up until last week, I didn't have any heart-shaped statement earrings. What I did have, however, was a brand new 3-D pen that was just begging for a chance to be used. If you've never seen the results of a 3-D pen, let me be the first to tell you that they usually look imperfect. Rather sloppy. Rather like the finger-painted-looking hearts on my skirt! I decided that the ideal project for my new 3-D pen would be to make 3-D earrings to go with my skirt!

Here they are! Just as expected, they look a little imperfect. OK, a lot imperfect! 3-D sketching is hard! But in any case, they have the same kindergartener-made-it look that the skirt does, so I like to think they work.

From earrings and skirt, I had to assemble an entire outfit, and I tried every possibility! I was this close to settling for a very navy blue look when I decided that I would be remiss if I didn't somehow work in my furry red boots, which I've only worn once since I got them, for a Christmas party. I also decided the red T-shirt was a better choice than a navy sweater, so in the end, I got both my romantic theme and my V-Day colors.