Wardrobe Remix for 11.11.10

orange polka dot blouse - Tucker for Target
grey jumper dress - YeYe Boutique on Etsy
tan crocheted tights - Marshall's
black leather flats - Target



My usual photo spot was blocked by all of my Vintage Heaven bins (I did very well, by the way!) but I still wanted to snap a pic...so I figured I'd give you a different view of my apartment! More photos to come soon, once I clean this VH stuff up, and I have a few neat shots on my phone, so I hope to give you a tour of my place!

Anyway, we've been having a bit of everything in Chicago so far this month, but most of this week was nice and warm. I had gotten this blouse the night before. I usually don't care for orange but I like the oranges in the Tucker collection for Target and I must admit that shade looks great with my hair and skin colour. I also really love this jumper I got from YeYe, it goes so well with my hair and looks oh-so-mod. This is already the second time I've worn it!

Wardrobe Remix for 05.19.10

grey peter pan collar sack dress - H&M
red belt - Knee Deep Vintage
Candy Maize II ring - courtesy of LuShae Jewelry
teal tights - We Love Colors
black leather flats - Target



I just realized this is the debut of my vintage eyeglasses! They are cat eye, from the 50s. I love them so much! And I got really really nice lenses for them so I want to wear them all the time. Please forgive my gross sleepy face, though. I'm still getting 5 hours of sleep a night. Too much to do!

I wanted to be comfy so I wore this grey sack dress. Since it's so billowy and short it begs for colourful accessories, as you can tell by how often I wear this thing. Little black dress? Pfft. Little GREY dress. I like the way the red goes with the tights from We Love Colors, I was worried I'd look too superhero or something. But I think just the little touch of red is just the thing, and the tights make the dress look really mod.







I also really love my new ring from LuShae Jewelry. I've been wearing this every day since I got it. I was worried the stones might get damaged from all the work I do with my hands but this thing looks like it just came out of the box! This is my favourite kind of ring; unique with a bit of bling but still nice and flat. They have a bunch of other things I really liked, too, and even my brother liked this ring!

In other news, my apartment is coming along. We started painting last night (don't worry, I changed out of my cute outfit first!). Here's a crappy cell phone pic of my new bedroom colour:



I'm accenting with red, dark blue, grey, and white. What do you think?

I leave for New York City tomorrow morning! I have a pretty full schedule at this point but feel free to toss some recommendations my way! I'll try to pre-write a Friday Links post for tomorrow but otherwise I might not update until I get back. Then I pack up and move next weekend. I can't wait for it to be June, jeez, maybe then I can get some sleep!

Art for Art's Sake

I just bought these two lovely pieces from Matou en Peluche and I am so excited to get them! I work at a frame shop, too, so when they come I'm framing them up real nice. I've been wanting them for months now so I know that they will make me happy every time I look at them.

As I mentioned previously, I'm moving into a new apartment at the end of the month. The fun part? Buying new stuff! If I get the apartment my roommate and I are aiming for I'll have a lot more room for cute decor. So, friends, tell me: What are your favourite artists on Etsy? I'm mostly leaning towards illustration, but photography, screenprints, collage and shadowboxes are welcome, too. Suggest away!

Pre-Spring Cleaning

Sorry, blogiverse, I've been really busy this weekend even though I haven't been at work! Yesterday I went to Ikea with my pappy and since then I have been working on building furniture, moving things around, organizing my closet and living space, etc. I'm still not done, but my room is at least functional. I might take better pictures later, but in my haste I just have two crappy cell phone pictures. Behold!



I have very little desk space, so to utilize it best I can I bought thick brackets at Ikea and blue-tacked my speakers to them. It's hard to see but I also got a spice rack that I mounted to my wall for all my odds and ends (mostly pill bottles). Now I will be able to spread out more when I make jewelry (or eat...).



I put my 4 vintage hats up on my wall, since I felt bad about them being tossed on the floor or hidden in my closet. I also put up my framed bookmark from Elsa Mora that I loooove. Again, so hard to see.

Better pictures to follow. I have some neat tips to write about, too, since my space is closet-tiny I have to be very organized. I hope everyone had a great weekend! What did you do?

Things I Love Thursday - 10.08.09

It's a day late, though I did write most of it last night before I passed out. But better late than never, right? And there's lots of pretty pictures.

• nude pink - As I was getting rid of a few shirts and sweaters in the spring, I noticed that pretty much everything I was discarding was pink. I thought, well, I'm just not a pink sort of girl and let it rest. But lately seeing pale, nude pinks popping about, and even really desaturated dusty pinks, makes me want to don the designated colour of my gender (though, true fact, blue was originally a girl colour and pink was a boy's!). All of the below is from Urban Outfitters:





• Halloween costumes - I'm so excited for Halloween every year. Once September ends I am starting to make plans, hoping someone I know is having a house party (so much more fun than a bar, and a lot fewer sexy Dorothys that way), and deciding on an outfit. I love having an idea I'm really excited about, searching for all the pieces to put it together, and doing all the crafty sewing/painting/altering/building for it. Having a store bought costume is no fun! Here are my costumes this year:



Little Pete (my brother is going as Artie) and Lamb Chop.

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

• Single Stone Studios on etsy - This list might as well be "stuff I've favourited on etsy this week." I mean, the place is becoming my security blanket. Anywho, these guys have AMAZING vinyl wall decals, mostly but not limited to trees of various sizes and species, birds, chandeliers, and abstract shapes such as swirls and argyle. I have always wanted tree wallpaper, but I think that when I finally have my own place I'm going to get different vinyl trees for each room. Check out how dreamy the winter birches look:



• Faux Pas to Fabulous - This blog feature on ModCloth is such a great idea. It's one thing to cringe at some very ugly outfits celebrities decide to don, but it's way more awesome to find the core of why they made that outfit decision and show where they took a wrong turn. Fashion psychology anyone? Read it here.

• wool capes - Maybe it's the fall weather making a bit witchy, or the Victorian novel I'm reading, but I have been scouring racks for a perfect wool cape. It's not functional for everyday wear, so it would need to fall in the price range of "novelty item" in my budget, but it would be so warm and classy over a cocktail dress with a clutch in my hand as I'm going out in the evening. I can't decide whether I like the classic look of a vintage cape or the stylistic shaping of a modern cape:



Vintage nurse's cape from ebay, Cape of Good Hope from ModCloth.

Which would you choose?

Wardrobe Remix for 09.05.09

maroon merino shrug - knit myself
grey t-shirt - can't remember...Kohl's I think
tassel necklace - made myself, charm from Chicago Antique Market
black skinny jeans - Old Navy
tan leather flats - thrifted

I'm trying to invest in really good pieces, as these jeans are a bit stretched out since a. I have lost weight and b. they were cheap. I like wearing basics to work and sprucing it up with little details, such as the shrug and necklace.

Etsy post later today, I only have a few more items to list. But the store is here if you want to take a premature sneak peek. Let me know how the layout/pictures look to you, will you?

Things I Love Thursday - 09.03.09

• western heels - What looks stylish, gives you a lift, yet makes the boots extra comfortable? Western heels. Whether it's on a pair of stylish new ankle boots or tried and true cowboy boots, male or female, I love them. These leather booties are from Blowfish, so they are very comfortable with not only the heels but the padded inside. I just bought these and am so excited to wear them. I have seen other shoes from this line with a similar heel as well, including pumps.

• Real Simple - This magazine has everything- home decor, organization, money saving tips, recipes, health, fashion, beauty, etc. The images are gorgeous, filled with natural light. Not classist or ageist, it has something for every woman (and man, too, come to think of it). Browse some articles online at realsimple.com

• clock hand jewelry - There are tons of these on etsy, both ready made and supplies. I bought some hands myself and made some extra long earrings:



• designer jeans - Lately I've been obsessed in purchasing things that are worth the extra money, like a really really good pair of jeans. I've been checking out Gap's 1969 Premium Jeans, has anyone worn them?

• solid black tights - Can't go wrong with these babies. I have a drawer full of tights every color and pattern, but I always pull out my opaque black stockings. They're just so perfect.

Things I Love Thursday

Sorry blogiverse, I know it has been a while (a week is eons on these Intertubes). I was in Lawrence visiting my gent until Tuesday night (so the only thing I was hating Tuesday was leaving...and my wicked caffeine headache, but I digress). In general, though, I have a bunch of ideas for articles for this thing, and I'm going to try to be more diligent about writing them up. I often think of these things while in my hair/makeup zone-out time or riding the train/walking around zone-out time and then once I get to a computer it's all gone.



• EZ Combs - I saw a woman on the train wearing one of these about a month ago and thought: Oh my god, how neat! It's like a comb and a snood combined! I debated asking her where she got it but didn't; luckily it turned up on a google search for "double combs" (which is also the name of a similar product. Basically you put one comb in your hair and stretch the other side around your loose/bunned/twisted hair, and ta-da. I have a glamourous hairdo in seconds, and thank god for these because my hair looks like shit down lately cos I need a haircut!

• summer drinks - On the alcoholic side I have my constant companion- Vodka tonic, the sweet Tom Collins, and the delightful $3.99 Trader Joe's Vinho Verde Espiral. It's a Portuguese green wine- a white wine with immature ("green") grapes that give it a light yet dry taste, but sweeter than other dry whites. Normally I'm a sweet Reisling fan, but I am liking the taste of this with and without food. And at that price, why not? As for non-alcoholic, if you can get thineself to a Sonic, please drink a Cherry Limeade for me.

• my shows, my precious shows - Now that I am finally all caught up with Weeds, and it seems it should be ending its 5th season in a few weeks, I am running out of things to watch...and just in time! August 16 is the premiere of Mad Men's third season, the 20th is the premiere of Project Runway's sixth season, and a hop, skip and a jump away on September 17th is the premiere of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's fifth season. Good thing I renewed my Rapidshare account!

• assembling furniture - While in Lawrence I talked my guy into getting a desk, and then I promptly (well over the course of two days, but not my fault) put the entire thing together. And, as far as I know, it has not collapsed so I think I did a pretty good job IIMSSM. Also, since I am in a tiny tiny bedroom I have wall shelves all over, and I put them all up myself- and again, no collapsing, whoopie. I recently bought myself an electric drill/screwdriver and am itching for more things to put together. Know anyone in need of a handybird? By the way if you share my love, or at least a passing fancy, in furniture construction you must read one of my fave blogs, ikea hacker, hours of entertainment and good ideas.

• free stuff - Who doesn't love free stuff? I've been haunting Allure because of their month of free giveaways, and just poked the head in at Bionic Beauty for the first time today and got some coupons for freebies. Also my Seattle's Best Coffee coupon for a free cookie is burning a hole in my bag. Man, I'm hungry.