February, thus far, has been a pretty craptastic month.  My husband got his hours cut at work, our car broke down (which resulted in us renting the stinkiest rental known to man!) and my hormones are making me cry at anything.  I have had 3 food related meltdowns in the past week–I cried on Saturday night because I didn’t know what to eat and when I say cried, I mean like hysterical swollen face cry. (it’s pretty funny in hindsight, but my poor husband just looked scared!)

The future is looking brighter already; I have a long weekend ahead of me, one of my bestie’s and her husband and are going to be in town and we are one day closer to spring!  Can you feel it?

I decided to just post a cute outfit that Iwould like to be wearing today.  (I have wanted the shoes for months, but because my lovely friend and co-worker Renee already owns them–I refuse to be a copy-cat.)

I have a story that is just too good not to tell.  I mean most of you already know that I am prone to ridiculous circumstances, right?  I mean it is like bizarro scenarios just follow me around and wait for me to walk right into them.  So I was back home in Ohio this last weekend visiting with the fam and my step-son, Milo.  I begged my sister to go shopping with me because she has an eagle eye for deals and things that will fit me perfectly.  We did some second-hand shopping and some maternity shopping looking for things to fit my in-between body. ( I found maternity tights for $8!!)

We sauntered over to the shoes because this particular store always has good vintage dead stock and quality stuff.  As we were walking down the isle, I began telling my sister how the last pair of shoes that I got there had actually started to disintegrate while I was at work–it was summer and kind of hot and I had these BEAUTIFUL navy blue and white spectator heels on.  I was just minding my own business sitting on a conference call when I uncrossed my leg to find half the shoe was stuck to my calf. ha!  Totally gross.  It was right about this time that I found a “brand new” pair of black, wedge spectators.  They were in perfect condition and ready to be mine!  So I swooped those little suckers up.

Let’s progress to Tuesday–The morning started with me battling my dress slacks and literally bending the metal clasps to make them fit.  Then snow, so I wore my mountain boots to work.  Finally I got to put on the new shoes and a new blouse and look mildly presentable.  It wasn’t until about noon that thte shoes started to feel a little uncomfortable.  I ignored it because I have a weird (oddly shaped) foot and shoes hurt a lot.  Then I noticed that I kicked my file cabinet shut and it left huge scuffs on the door.  hmmmm….  That’s weird.  I invetigated and sure enough the leather felt uneven and kind of rippled from kicking (it was more like lightly pushing the cabinet shut).  Next I am sitting in a meeting and look down to notice that my heel fell off the one shoe–mind you this is a wedge–how does that happen?  The final straw came an hour later when I looked down under my desk to realize half the sole of the other shoe had completely fallen off.  I looked around and realized there was shoe debris all over my entire cube area.  How embarrassing!

I had actually thrown the shoes in the garbage when my friend Jess mentioned that I should do a post about it.  Sadly I have no before pictures because I didn’t honestly think this would happen to me once let alone twice!!  My sister said I jinxed myself by mentioning it while we were shopping–I think that particular shop may just store mass products in hot storage allowing lovely vintage to dry rot while maintaining it’s adorable exterior.  Any theories?

The pics are from my iPhone, but should give a pretty good indication of  the damage.  I actually cleaned up the floor before this photo, so the remains are just a fraction of the destruction.

Lately I have been feeling the urge to accessorize again.  As a young lass I took accessories a little overboard, i.e. I wore like 5 rings at all times, had 4-5 earrings in one ear and one perfectly placed little nose ring–this on top of necklaces and who knows what else.  I started collecting vintage jewelery when I was probably about 11 and I have a pretty decent collection of stuff.  It had all been stored away, safe and sound and just the past couple of weeks (as I have been trying make myself feel prettier) I have wanted to retrieve a few gems.  One of the gems I am speaking off is my beautiful pendant watch given to me by my g-ma.  It’s just nickel silver with a plain chain, but the face of the watch is so gorgeous–it has so much character and the quality would kick the butt of most modern day accessories.

That brings me to Swell Vintage and their amazing re-designed and re-purposed vintage jewelry. The proprietor of this lovely shop, Frankie, is absolutely adorable as well.  I follow her on twitter (@swellvintage) and she is quite the treat.  Below are two versions of her pocket watch necklaces that are a slightly larger version than mine, but just what I have been in the mood to accessorize with.

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.

Married October 3, 2009 in Sturgeon Bay, WI.

Dress: BCBG Max Azria

Veil: Something Bold with fascinator from Claire’s Boutique

Bracelet and Earrings: Nanda on etsy

Boutonniere: Ardesign on etsy

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 am dedicating this post to my oldest and dearest friend, Melissa.  Melissa recently had a little baby boy named James.  He is too freakin’ adorable.  Because of the distance between us, she is in Cleveland I am in Chicago, I have not met the little dude yet.  About 2 months ago I bought him a little present and started to stitch him an additional momento.  I planned on sending it that week–but my ridiculous carpal tunnel started acting up so I laid off the needle for a few days (embroidery needle that is….) and that turned into weeks!!!  My thoughtful and sometimes irksome husband pointed out last night “you know babies grow really fast, right? Do you think that outfit is even going to fit him by the time you finish that stitching?”  And to him I must reply: touche!

Where does the time go and how have 2 months passed?  I feel sick.  This weekend it is getting done or else one of you has to come to my house or my cube (office friends) and literally punch me in the face. 

I decided a little extra inspiration wouldn’t hurt, so I started snooping online and found The Baby Gardner’s Baby Bloggie.  The whole blog is focused around vintage baby things.  Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I just found this site!  Now I promise I will not start inundating you with baby posts, but I am entering my 30’s in 6 weeks and the baby phase has only just begun for my girlfriends.  I now have a destination for unique/vintage gift ideas.  I have added a little embroidery pattern to give you a smile and me a kick in the butt!

Oh Hello again, Monday–It has been too long.

So next month is chocked full of big milestones for me; it is my 30th birthday and my 1st wedding anniversary and both fall on the same week as Thanksgiving!  (My favorite holiday.  I think because it always meant presents for me and not everyone else. ha!)  With all these big events coming up…the question is whatever will I wear to commemorate such events?  I mean the death of my 20’s does not happen everyday and celebrating the passing of one year of marriage (Matt and I are lucky to come out alive.)  It is time to get our party faces on!

In order to get inspiration I obviously decided to look into my Mad Men vault.  I mean fancy dinners and big celebrations call for a little retro decadence, right?  I really want something unique so my usual go-to’s of Forever, Target and the Maxx just won’t do.  I want something where a girdle is required and I need a team to strap me in.  I remembered some lovely patterns on @ampersandwich’s Etsy store.  Ahh, perfect!  Now if you have read my bio, you know this level of sewing, especially with a vintage pattern (they are not meant for doh doh’s like me), would not be an easy task, but hmmm…an occasion such as this could warrant sourcing fabric and taking it to a seamstress, no?  I think so.

I can’t decide if I want a little Betty style, all frilly and poufy and pretty or a little Joan (remember I will have a girdle on) all tight and sexy?  I think my favorite, Peggy, will need to stay home—even though she is upping her game now.  Below are a couple of initial picks.  I am thinking bright royal blue fabric and red lips. Thoughts?

Oh wow, these Monday’s creep up so fast!  Last week was a bit of a whirlwind–I was in LA for work and I didn’t stop moving the entire time I was there.  I was told that I could still blog from my new little iPhone, but to be honest, I don’t think I am ready for that yet.  You understand, right?

So this week for Mad Men Monday, I am relying on the trusty Mod Cloth to help me out.  All the clothes I like are usually very Joan-ish.  Next week, I will try to find some Betty goods.

We have a day and night version of the same dress and then the navy number is a little of both.  It has a nice professional collar, but the short length is all about the par-tay!

Sadly it is Monday, (again?!) but happily it is also Mad Men Monday!  I will continue to post Mad Men inspired posts from both vintage and new shops for the rest of the season.  Last week I highlighted that cute little pink tweed number and this week I have an amazing vintage vendor to highlight.  When it comes to sourcing clothing for posts, I have found twitter to be such an amazing tool. For example I found the lovely @nodtomodvintage via another twitter peeps #Follow Friday and this brown dress won me over.

The blue dress might be pulling a little more mid-sixties, but it’s so stinkin’ cute I couldn’t not include it.  Please let me know if you have an inclusions for upcoming Mad Men Mondays.  I am really enjoying these.  Oh and last week I rocked a very Peggy dress to work to celebrate the first Budget Retro Mad Men Monday.  I will post it next week and take a vote on if you think it is work appropriate or if I look like a 10 year old. ha!

I love the shear top and the beautiful pleating and this is the perfect length to avoid weird looking calves.  My only thought is that this beautiful model is actually too thin to show the true lines of this wiggle dress, so if you have some curves show them off with this dress.

The collar and cuffs drew me in on this one and this color blue is my favorite color.  I love deep royal blue on brunette’s, it’s very complementary. Both dresses are from NodtoModvintage on Etsy.  Click the images to check out the store.

Oh my goodness, it is finally Friday!  I thought the day would never come.  July is always such a crazy month with traveling and guests, cookouts and the beach–it has all ended up being a bit of a blur.  Well what better to make things clearer than some super cool lamps?  (I love dorky transitions) My sister is the queen of cool lamps–she can sniff them out  and envision something a different color with a larger shade.  I personally prefer to get one that already looks ready to go.  We don’t have a lot of surface space in our apt, so as of right now I think we are only rocking bedside lamps.  I think an adjustable arm floor lamp would also be nice.  I did some exciting Etsy digging and found the following lovelies.

I did my search for $5-$100 to keep it within Budget Retro standards.  Let me know what you think.

The first lamp would probably just look rather ordinary if you saw it a garage sale or in a cluttered shop, but the staging and great lighting and photography really feature this guy as a star!  The dark wood looks lustrous and the shape is beautiful.  Only $65!

The 50’s desk lamp–how can you not love it?  I think my favorite shade of these is avocado green, but this one is in pristine conditions and it’s just so adorable.  I am envisioning this one sitting next to my typewriter with a glass full of freshly sharpened pencils. $22 is a steal, for real.

This large lamp draws attention from it’s massive size, but the texture is really amazing.  It kind of reminds me of fruit. Is that weird?  The two-tier shade is also a nice added element for depth.  This style of shade also look pretty when it’s illuminated.

Now I obviously saved the best lamp for last.  This is the lamp that transcends all lamps!  If I actually owned a home or had a lounge or bar or really any “additional” space to entertain I would find pure entertainment out of having this large lamp fill the room.  Not only would it be a great conversational piece–but ummm…who wouldn’t want a woman’s fishnet clad leg to admire on a daily basis?  They have entire websites dedicated to buying souvenir items from the movie.  They even have the red bar of soap that Ralphie had to put in his mouth.  Hilarious!  And it’s…drumroll, please….only $99.  I am sure not everyone is in agreement with me on this one, but I like kitschy stuff in moderation.