a liberty print romper.. bringing spring to winter.

Photos by Neil!

Liberty Print Romper, Ruffle Socks - Forever21

Denim Hair Bows, Black Lace Up Heels - H&M

Black Cardigan - Thrifted

A new romper for the spring and summer! The liberty print pattern is my favorite.. it has a vintage feel.

This weekend is off to a wonderful start. We had a Goodwill run yesterday morning with successful results. My friend Lauren and I hit up Frothy Monkey for coffee and the Local Honey sale for vintage last night and I found a great pair of striped denim overalls for spring. Afterwards, I watched Twelve Monkeys with some friends. This morning, Neil (who has today off!) and I slept in. Late.

And I had a surprise package in the mail last night.. remember this lace trimmed marching band dress? Well, I sent it out to a lovely girl in London last November, and it never reached her. Instead, for some odd reason, the post decided to send it back to me.. and I just got it. So, it's going back up in the shop! The girl who bought it before is in the middle of a move so she's unable to buy it again, which means I've got a dilemma.. do I keep it now that it's back in my possession, or do I list it in the shop? Oh man alive I'll probably just relist it.

Rhiannon and her boyfriend Drew are here today! In about ten minutes, we're going to meet them and my parents and head to the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's old home. And it is a ridiculously beautiful day out, so I'm excited to be outdoors.

And I just joined bloglovin, so feel free to follow my blog with bloglovin!

Happy weekend!

the blues are still blue. chambray bows and sailor shorts

Photos by Neil!

Men's Chambray Button Up - Urban Outfitters (..and stolen from Neil)
High Waist Navy Sailor Shorts - Forever21
Chambray Polka Dot Bow Band - Forever21
1940's Fringe Tan Heels - gift from Rhi

Have you been hearing a lot of talk about the color blue lately? Well, so have I. Here's my take.

I've been lusting after these shorts ever since I went to Forever21 and reserved a pair when they sold out about a month ago. The double breasted buttons and cuffed legs are absolutely lovely.. but I also fell in love with this great chambray bow headband when we were in the store today. White polka dots! And when you can purchase a headband at Forever21 for less than four dollars, there isn't much incentive to spend time making one with supplies that cost about the same.

That doesn't mean that my plans to make a black lace bow hair comb tomorrow are canceled. I've been dreaming up the perfect Valentine's Day dress, and if I don't find it during my friend Lauren and my weekly shopping trip on Saturday, I'm going to reconstruct it from something I have - an old slip or the like. And while I dream of it, I can make hair accessories that will match my perfect dress.

And while this Urban Outfitters dress isn't in line for what I'm imagining for Valentine's Day wear, it is something I want desperately. And this UO jumper. And this lovely button up skirt Anja is selling. Oh chambray. I might just have to post about you.

Hey, and a random thought for you all. What is your take on fashion design school? Have any of you attended? I'm wondering what programs are worth it and if the whole experience itself is worth it, or if teaching yourself has more reward. What do you think?

(AGH! I completely forgot to announce a Dailee Dose giveaway winner today! Because I wanted to give you all enough warning to get your entry in, I will extend the giveaway until Friday afternoon! So for all that haven't entered, here is the original post..)

my birthday wish list!

Clothes, from top: UO Rosebud Dress, Suede Bowling Oxfords at Marie's Vintage, Mod 60s Drop Waist Dress at Red Letter Days Vintage, UO Cable Knit Knee Highs, Velvet Bird's Bow Pendant Necklace, UO Cut Out Lace Up Wedges

Well, I turn 24 on September 16th, which is less than four weeks away.. and here is my wish list! Yay for birthdays.

1. Feminine everything, like Topshop's Chiffon Tutu Skirt. And this lovely Tie Top by Twelve by Twelve. Bows, lace, florals, layered tiers. Everything that bewitched me this summer will surely do the same in the fall.

2. Bright Colors.. they are growing on me.. especially that drop waist dress from Meaghan's shop, above!

3. The Sartorialist - the new paperback edition.

4. Wedges with a masculine feel. The UO ones above are perfect.

5. Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. I'm addicted.

6. PLAID. You should have seen all of the plaid skirts I bought at Goodwill the other day.. sadly, none of them were my size, which means to the shop they go.

7. David Bowie CDs.. and lots of them!

8. A cuckoo clock.

9. The Beatles Rock Band!

10. Knee high socks in pretty yet subtle patterns.

11. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. After reading A Moveable Feast by Hemingway and watching a Fitzgerald documentary, I am more than ready to dive into this book.

12. Fur accessories. I bought an H&M fur-lined cardigan last spring, and I love the way I feel in it - so grown-up and a bit bohemian at the same time. Here's a great BB Dakota fur vest from Chick Downtown.

13. A piano! An old, inexpensive, weathered upright that I can paint and play and make my own.

14. At the top of my birthday list? Gift cards, honestly. It's not a personal gift, but it's the one I will appreciate the most. Neil and I have been living on a tight budget lately, so the liberating feeling of going shopping would be euphoric.

So, what do all of your fall wish lists look like?

On a random endnote, my sister Ash just showed me this incredible site filled with beautiful belts and collars and headbands that I am currently coveting. They showed up in September's Teen Vogue, and wow.. well.. you should all check them out. I don't recall the last time I had $200 to blow on a headband, probably because I never have had the money to do something so outlandish, but man alive. We can dream.

the velvet bird giveaway winner(!!) and my lace bow, lace dress

Photos by NEIL!

Cream Lace Dress - Forever21

60s Ivory Shoes - thrifted gift from Rhi

Floral Straw Bag - Local Honey

Seafoam Green Lace Bow - handmade

Well, my crafting progress has been better than usual. I've started six projects.. and finished one. But at least I'm in the process of a few!

The project I finished was a small one - the seafoam green lace bow above. I sewed it to a hair clip with the full intention of wearing it in my hair today, but lately I've seen so many beautiful girls with bowties and the like that I was inspired to attach the bow to my dress, instead. I think it works really well!

Today, Neil and I made a stop at Bongo Java, which is right next to Venus and Mars (of Karen Elson fame). Bongo Java was Nashville's first local coffeeshop, started by a man who didn't really like coffee, a man disgruntled by his current career path - journalism and political organizing. He started his cafe path in 1993 and has since expanded its operations to four different locations as well as a wholesale roasting company. 

Have I told you I'm inspired by unconventional living (that's a yes)? I'm inspired by unconventional living. And to me, one of the biggest signs of living your life unexpectedly, impulsively, and to its fullest, is switching career paths, despite familial or financial pressure, in order to begin a business that you love. I need to meet this man.

The Bongo Java we visited faces Belmont University's campus, so the whole block has an eclectic, dilettante air. Just like most coffeehouses, it's filled to the brim with college students talking about Nietzsche and Britney Spears. While college students (and we post grads as well, I can't discriminate) are known for pretentiousness, it's always fun to sit around places like that and people watch, wondering which ones who talk big will act big in the future, and which ones will just continue to talk big.

Alright, what you all have been waiting for.. the winner of the Velvet Bird giveaway! The winner is Genevieve.. aka.. the Bandit! Congrats, Genevieve - you picked the bow necklace, and now it's yours! Everyone else, better luck next giveaway.. but definitely check out Genevieve's fantastic and artsy blog here!

Thanks to all of you who participated, but a monumental thanks goes to Vanessa for her fantastic interview and for the giveaway. After getting to know her beautiful self and her crazy lifestyle, I can't wait to see her future store plans.

Only a few hours left for my shop's Back to School Sale!

summertime crafting and picnics personified

Photos by the pretty amazing Neil Edward Winter.

Mexican lace dress, 70s heels - thrifted

Ivory belt, stirrup leggings, earrings - Forever21

Floral hair pin - handmade

Neil had a day off today and we took it easy, going to Trader Joe's to buy some pizza ingredients for a movie night we're having with some cool friends tomorrow and watching Orson Welles films and documentaries. We've been on an Orson Welles kick lately - we watched Jane Eyre this past week, The Third Man yesterday, and Citizen Kane today.. and The Lady from Shanghai is on our queue! I can't wait to get some Rita Hayworth 40s fashion inspiration.

So while we watched movies, I crafted it up. I made two hair pins, one with yellow lace from that great Hohenwald fabric store and one with red felt and an old checkered tablecloth I found at an antique store. The red tablecloth hair pin was definitely influenced by Lulufinder's perfect Nashville Picnic Dress.

The dress I'm wearing in the pictures is a great handmade dress found at a Goodwill someplace.. It's very bohemian and perfect for this time of year (the lace and the floral detail on the skirt are fantastic). Everywhere I look, I see these lovely off the shoulder dresses with ruffles at the top, so wearing this is my version of paying homage to all of the feminine ruffles around.

I don't think I've ever dressed as girly as I have lately. I love big skirts, flowers, lots of lace.. wasn't it me who wrote about finding an edge and a fine line between masculine and feminine in your wardrobe? Well, I need to practice what I preach. I fell in love with the new Dead Weather album this past week. I think I'll post this weekend about how gorgeously mannish rocker girls like Alison Mosshart can be.

It was such a beautiful day today.. I have gone through the past couple of months blindly, not too aware of the season, the overwhelming green, the heat. I know I have awhile to still enjoy it, but just to make absolutely sure we live this summer to its fullest, Neil and I are going out tonight and getting some ice cream.

Enjoy the beginning of your weekend, whatever the weather might be like!

300 mph finger breaking, no answers making, battered dirty hands, bee stung and busted up, empty cup torrential outpour blues

Photos by Rhi!

Red, white and blue dress - gift from Rhi, thrift

White 80s flats - thrift

Bow headband, floral ring - Forever21

Well, Neil and I are officially Nashville residents! We moved in on Monday, and as soon as we were there I called an internet provider. As it turns out, they aren't free for an appointment until a week from today. Nine days without internet. I've been hurting without this life-giving connection in front of me. Thank the Lord for coffee shops.

It has been a hectic beginning. We jumped into work and after full 8 hour days, we haven't made a lot of progress with unpacking. It has been fun, and crazy, and fun. Our Darth Vader bust is sitting quietly in our new living room next to a nice 70s burlap lamp I found at an Illinois antique store. And the bathroom and kitchen are put together. That is about it. It will be a wonderful day when every item is put in its proper position and I have a good one hour to take pictures of it all. You will definitely be seeing the finished product.. just give us three weeks and 200 gallons of coffee. Each.

These pictures were taken at my grandparent's house during the rainstorm.. the one that flooded my grandma's garden, the one Rhi, Drew and I narrowly missed during the drive. Even though the light was patchy, Rhiannon managed to take some lovely photos, and I had to show them off here. Thank you, awesome sister!

the beginning!

First blog entry!!

My name is Lauren, I'm 23, and I'm in a transition phase. I graduated from school a bit over a year ago and have decided that I don't want much to do with my degree. I have a degree in Public Relations, and as versatile as that may be, it's not the focus that I want to take with my future career. Too much "perfume when all you need is a good bath", or so my old Communication classes say. I guess I'm with everyone else in saying that the future is one huge question mark, and for the first time since graduating college, I feel ok with that. I'd rather be a bohemian than compromise at a job I hate. (I watched Revolutionary Road recently. As if I didn't hate cubicles and office jobs already. They had fantastic furniture in that movie, but apparently cool furniture doesn't save you from gloom and suburban despair.)

Lately, I've pursued different paths that interest me, trying to find a fit. One of those paths has been fashion. What gets me into fashion is self expression, as corny as it sounds. No two people are exactly alike, so why should they dress alike? I love thrift stores for that reason.  To make old new again - refab a skirt out of a tablecloth or just hem an old dress - is a fun, creative process.

Fashion icons - my beautiful sisters Rhi and Ash, Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (she's much braver than I am! that just makes me love her more), Lauren Bacall, Brat Pack movies, Aubrey Beardsley's drawings. Jackie Onassis over Michelle Obama any day. 80s movies (and 80s hair bands) have slowly been finding their way into my closet - who knew This Is Spinal Tap could be funny and fashionable? Maybe more funny than fashionable.

But right now, I'm mostly into feminine pastels and light summer dresses. I'm happy to see early 90s florals show up again, because I can tell people I'm watching Full House for fashion inspiration and not just for cheesy comedy. Seafoam green is the color of our KitchenAid mixer at home and it's the color I look for at thrift stores. I've been buying a lot of 50s and 60s housecoats and nightgowns and turning them into things, just because I love the colors so much. I've been wearing my hair in braids a lot, and I'm seeking acid wash denim with a vengeance.

And I love this crazy new world I'm getting into - the blogging world. Keep an eye out for my blog and expect cool new changes to come - including an Etsy store, interviews with local Nashville vintage stores, and more! Thanks for reading!

 

Photos by Neil!

Dress -- Thrifted, gift from Rhi

Shoes - 1940s thrift

Headband, belt - Forever21