So I leave for NYC today and I am just so very excited to see all of my friends. I can’t believe it has been a year since I left. The time really flies! As next week is my vacation, I may post sporadically, if at all. I am sure I won’t be able to stay away a whole week, but we’ll see. Hopefully I will capture some fun photos to share too!
I also received the best news yesterday, well in shopping terms, Tulle is have a huge sale. I pasted in the details from the site below because it feels to good to be true. 50% off and free shipping. There is so much I want and so many things that I could gift my beautiful sister. I am not posting my top picks, because as I was pulling the screen grabs I was filled with the crazy rage of sample sale shopping. Are you familiar with this? Sample sales bring out the crazy in everyone–a good deal can give ladies wild eyes and sharp, dagger like, finger nails. I hope you understand. (p.s. totally kidding. I am not posting photos because I was too lazy to pack for NYC last night and it is now 5:38 and I have been online shopping. Must pull myself together ASAP)
Yes, that is right my sisters…I am offering up to you the first of three lovely brides today. I mean it only seems appropriate that I post on the beautiful and stunning friends that I have, especially when they are rockin’ vintage-inspired bridal looks, right?
So with no furthur ado, I give you the ballad of Renee and Eric:
Couple: Eric Esper, artist and Renee Posdal, executive assistant/office manager
They met one fateful night at Gold Star Bar on Division Street in Chicago. Renee was with her friend from work, Eric was with some buddies from Michigan. She noticed his handlebar mustache, he noticed her bright red shoulder length bob (thanks to Manic Panic!). Although the union was short the first time around, a trans-Atlantic move to London for Renee, a few different relationships for each, the reunion led to a lasting relationship. They now live in Logan Square (Chicago) and share a pug named Monster.
Now I have spoken of my love for magazines in the past, but have I described the bizarre nature in which I go about reading them? I read magazines from back to front, the first time only looking at the photos, then I read a second time and read through and dog-ear the pieces that I like, then I usually put the magazine down for a week or two and pick it up later to find things that I may have missed. What? I like to get my money’s worth!
I think this is also a bizarre habit learned after years of being a publicist and looking for client mentions. There is nothing worse than telling a client that they didn’t make it into a pub that they were slated to be in, only to realize later that you missed the inclusion. So re-reading became pretty standard practice and now that magazines are no longer required reading, it has spilled over to my personal life.
So I was re-reading my recent Bust Magazine and looking at the stinkin’ cute Ellen Page(and Alia Shawkat) piece when I saw my cake stand! Now this is not really a big deal, I guess, but it made me happy. Ellen page, cupcakes and my super-cute cake stand (purchased by my friend Melissa for my Bridal Shower last year)….Awesome! This is one of my favorite gifts of all time because it is the cake stand I used for my wedding cake! (Now I promised that I would do a wedding post this month, so this should tide you over until I pull together the real deal. Also, I must confess I haven’t even looked at 1/4 of my wedding photos…it was too overwhelming, so I plan to take this on soon.)
*If you would like to purchase the cake stand for yourself, you can pick it up online at Fishs Eddy. It comes in 3 sizes too!
Or in my case sexy middle manager? (Doesn’t really have the same ring to it though.) Glasses are the one accessory that my husband has actually called out as being “hot.” I am not sure I 100% get that, but I assumed that it ties back to the sexy secretary archetype.
My sad little glasses were beaten and broken, but because of the cost of glasses I was trying to make them last. Then I was in a serious meeting at work recently and someone mentioned that my lense was about to fall out. ha! Not really the best way to call attention, huh? Then I was reading my friend’s fabulous site and saw her Ray-Ban post and new I had to act. The frames I liked were filed into my noggin and I was set on making an eye dr. apt. The thought had been looming for months after the embarrassing work scenario, but I really needed to act. The following day I was at Target doing my weekly shop and I was just about to leave the store without spending over $50 (very hard to do in Target!) and I saw the optical center…believe it or not, I went right in with all my shopping bags and got an impulse eye exam. I literally had to take my laundry soap into the eye exam room. Have you ever?
I wanted to get the really big geeky chic glasses, but the lovely sales woman was very adamant that I get a more petite version and it was her birthday, so I let her win. She said my face was to small for the bigger ones. Do I have a small face? Does that coincide with having a little head? I hope not…I think my head is proportional to my body.
These are the ones that I purchased and sans Rx they were pretty affordable, but after all the bells and whistles they seriously cut into my “extra” holiday shopping cash, but my husband thinks I look “hot” in them so I am pretty pleased.
I seem to alternate my favor between t-straps and mary janes. I love them both, but based on trends sometimes it is hard to find one or the other. I can tell you that I have been wearing my current t-straps since 8th grade and before that they were my grandmothers. I haven’t even had to re-sole them–now that is quality!
I am having a bit of an issue with heels lately–anything above a 1.5-2.0 inch is really pushing it. I am not even exaggerating when I say that I get pains in my back. Maybe I am defective or a wimp or quite possibly both, but I just don’t see the need to reel in pain to look cute. I would like to blame this on getting old, but frankly I know plenty of women in their 50’s that still rock heels everyday. I will stick with being defective and continue on my hunt for cute kitty heels.
I actually bought the shoes below in the black/burgundy combination a few weeks ago only to bring them home and realize I grabbed a 6 and not a 6.5 and I am always a 6.5 with Target shoes. Bugger! So I took them back and they were sold out. I should really buy them online, but have not made the concerted effort to do so. Now they only had the black/burgundy in stores, but the other two colors are pretty stinkin’ lovely as well.
*Target doesn’t allow me to link directly to the item, so I am offering up the t-strap search page.
So I must say it is a little bitter sweet to see the end of this Mad Men season. In the course of this season I have seen the popularity soar. The Etsy stores labeling Mad Men garb went from less than a hundred to a few thousand–it is absolutely insane!
I fluctuate between Joan and Peggy being my favorite characters. Both are smart, savvy and forward thinking. I decided to end with a Joan post though because for what she may lack in book smarts she compensates with street smarts. She is a fighter!
To complete the season 3 Joan look–this wiggle dress (I wish it were on a model) has great texture and color and would highlight curves beautifully. This is actually the length I like, not too short, not too long and the brocade is stunning. And as we visualize Joan taking it up a notch in her career I thought a retro typewriter would be the perfect accessory. This one is in beautiful condition and even has a decent ribbon. Both of these items are around $50, so you can get a little Joan for $100 to keep you going until the next season. Enjoy.
I just asked for the BabyCakes recipe book for my birthday, so I was doing a search on where it could be purchased online and I found this video of the author, Erin McKenna and her bakery staff ummm….frosting cupcakes? It is really hilarious. Make sure you have your speakers on to get the full effect. Happy Friday!
I woke up at 4:30 today and have already had a few cups of coffee, so I am having a very hard time getting my hands to keep up with the pace of my brain right now! I am just brewing (get it coffee/brewing?!?) with excitement for a new designer that I found, believe it or not, in the ads for Bust Magazine. This gal speaks to every little facet of my heart–she likes retro design, she interned for Nanette Lepore, her garments are fair trade, she uses natural fibers (curse you poly blends!) and she also donates 5% of her profits to Habitat for Humanity. I feel like we need a moment of silence to celebrate the lovely Katherine McConnell.
Here are a few of her dresses that could also be in the running for my celebration week. (Although you do realize that I am going to purchase said dress at the last minute and probably have to overnight it just so I can wear it!)
I didn’t want to squish all my new news into another post because that seems a little convoluted, so I decided to just give you a side bar post to get you up to speed. This has been an insanely busy fall and I am trying to catch up, but the top-line milestone are:
I have decided to try for the Zooey style (which may or may not require temporary extensions….that is TBD). My husband has never seen my hair long, so I will humor him this one time (kidding).
I finally got the sofa of my dreams (all is now right with the world!). I will be posting images once we get the new rug ordered and in place. It is so beautiful! (Mandy Hine Irwin–we need to have a design conversation before I order this rug!)
I have been offered an opportunity to be a Chicago contributor to a new site coming next month. This is huge news and I am really eager to have a new outlet. Details are still TBD, but you all will be the first to know.
In honor of my anniversary this month, I have decided to give you a special treat by highlighting my entire bridal getup and giving you the purchase details. My garb was 100% Budget Retro and worth sharing. I also thought this month would be a great time to highlight a few other Budget Retro weddings. I am a sucker for a cute bride and pretty dress.
I am joining a small stitching club in Chicago, so hopefully I will have new crafty inspirations to share in the coming weeks!
I am also headed to NYC (Nov 20-24) to celebrate my 30th birthday, so I hope to post on some of my favorite shops. It has been a year since I moved away from Brooklyn and I am so excited to see my friends and experience the city as a tourist. ha!
That sums up the major announcements, but I thought a few of you would like the news and an explanation for my slacker mentality.
