Monday, April 30, 2012

Monday Design: Michigan Lake House

Oh boy, what a month guys. What a month. It's been crazy here for me in April. So much so that I am entirely glad the month is coming to a close. In between work being crazy and getting robbed I've also been studying for the GRE's non-stop. I'm finally taking the test this Saturday and I couldn't be more nervous. For those of you that may not know, the GRE is the standardized test most college graduate programs require you to take to get into grad school. Kind of like you have to take either the ACTs or SATs to get into college. It's totally stupid, but if I want to get into grad school I have to do it. Wish me luck!

Anyway, in all this craziness the roommate and I have also been planning a getaway to my parents' cabin in Wisconsin in August and I am starting to wish it was coming a lot sooner. I could definitely use a break, but I'm sure we all could right? Of course the cabin in Wisconsin looks nothing like this amazing getaway home in Michigan I found, but it's helping me daydream so who cares! I actually found this home on a Chicago design firm's site. Alan Design Studio has done a lot of work in and around Chicago, but this was one of my favorites. I love how the wood in the kitchen and livening room really brings in that rustic cabin feel, but it's still completely sleek and modern. Perfect for those of us that like the idea of getting away to the woods, but would rather not fight off spiders and mosquitoes all day.








I love this bedroom! Big bright windows, a cozy bed, and a fireplace? How perfect for a winter getaway. I hate snow and cold, but I think I could survive it if I were holed up here for the winter. Don't you agree?


I actually really love the design of the bedrooms. They're simple and easy. Perfect for a summer home because there's no clutter so you can make it your own for the summer. Like playing with a blank slate. 



I can't wait to take a small weekend vacation. I know Wisconsin and Michigan do not sound exciting, but it's where us Chicago folk go for weekend breaks. Anything to get out of the city for a bit, you know?

Where's your favorite weekend getaway?


Friday, April 27, 2012

Photo Friday: Archways and Hallways

Like most girls my age who share similar interests, I am what is commonly referred to as a Francophile. Yup, you heard it here first, I love all things French. But what's not to love? The historic buildings, gilded bridges, and winding streets of Paris drew me to France since before I even really knew where it was on the globe. In college I was lucky enough to study abroad for a semester in the south and have been plotting ways to get back there ever since. As you might suspect, I haven't had any luck so far. Anyway, all this probably played a huge role in my falling in love with photographer Franck Bohbot.

Born in the suburbs outside of Paris, Bohbot began documenting cities and urban spaces in 2008. I'm particularly fond of his architectural studies, especially since I have been to some of the places he depicts in his photographs. They make me feel nostalgic and happy. But I also love the composition of these photos. The angle and lack of people in each shot make the pictures seem like geometric works of art, not photographs of hallways. He has a fantastic eye for capturing the gorgeous details of architecture and their repetitions.                     










I am definitely a fan of wide open spaces and geometric shapes, so obviously I adore all of these photographs, but what about you? Too bland or just gorgeous?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

What I Wore Wednesday: The Open Back Edition

Chicago weather is weird. Extremely weird. One week it's 80, the next week it's in the 40s. SO annoying. I'm craving Spring, but I feel like I've gotten everything but. Trying to dress for spring when it still feels like winter is sometimes difficult so I've given up and I'm just dressing for spring no matter what the weather is actually like. Yes, this means that some days I'm really cold, but I refuse to give into you weather!

Today's outfit comes from the above attitude. It was not super warm that day, but I wanted to wear something pretty and spring-y so I popped on these awesome floral pants I picked up a while back. The pants are some sort of rayon/poly mix so they're pretty silky, but something about the shape is still a little structured and refined so I wanted a top that was more playful and fun - like the print. I found this pink open back top in the depths of my closet and tried to make it work. The funniest part about this outfit is that I had forgotten I owned both of these items and I bought them on the same day a while ago. Weird right? So anyway, just like my long floral skirt outfit already showed you guys, spring means pink and flowers to me. The pink floral pants were a perfect fit and they were a little warmer than just wearing a skirt. Not that I'd let the weather stop me from wearing what I wanted! Okay, maybe it wins sometimes. Either way, this outfit was perfect for a not-so-hot spring day. I definitely plan on wearing it again.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tuesday Trendspotting: Bird Watching

I think by now we've all seen the "Put a Bird on it" skit from Portlandia or at the very least heard enough about it to know what it's referring to so I won't bore you with too many corny joke references, but I have to admit it's the first thing I thought of when I started spotting bird prints across the world wide interwebs.

I mean it totally makes sense. It is springtime after all. Every spring you'll see florals, pastels, and nautical themes. I like to look out for what else gets thrown into the mix. These flashes of bird prints have been pretty refreshing.  I've been seeing the bird prints on bloggers and in almost every online shop I visit regularly so it's been so hard for be not to cave and buy something! I really like what I found on Dorthy Perkins. You can see the shirt I picked out below, but they have tons of bird print clothing and even the same print in several different styles which I love! Don't you hate finding an awesome print, but wishing it was a dress or shirt or whatever? I hate that, so I love when companies stick with a few different fabrics and turn them into a bunch of different styles. I know Tulle is really good at doing that too. Sorry, my 3 years of working in a small boutique is showing. 

Anyway, birds! They're hot! Get on it! Or something. Besides, they're just a pretty print to have in your collection that will be good for every spring. Some prints are just evergreen.













You know what I want to know:

Hot or not?

Monday, April 23, 2012

Monday Design: Recycling Architecture

There is very little I can say about this home because I'm in such awe of it. The architecture is entirely uncommon and modern, yet it's piggybacking on the structure of an already existing building. This give it a quality that is almost warm and inviting. As much as I enjoy looking at modern home architecture, there is something about about a lot of the buildings I've seen that feel very museum-like. The Villa Rotterdam has a bit of this museum quality too, but at the same time I can see myself living within it's walls. The melding of the old home and the modern design is really gorgeous, I guess you could call it a form of architecture recycling.

I think my love of this house has a lot to do with how well it incorporates nature into the design. Those giant triangular windows let in some much light and green from the trees outside. Living in the city your entire life and make you forget what it's like to wake up and look at the birds in tree branches. I suppose the pigeons on the roof next door carry their own sort of charm. The design within the house also fits my tastes when it comes to furniture so maybe the truth is that whoever lives in this house just has similar tastes to mine. Either way, I adore the use of very Victorian looking furniture details against the modern cement and glass geometric shapes. The roommate would call this cluttered, I call it eclectic. Obviously, we have different sensibilities when it comes to design. Thankfully, he lets me run wild with our apartment. Anyway, enough out of me, judge for yourself:










What do you think of modern home architecture? Bring it home or leave it in the museum?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Sunday Moment of Zen: Spring and Summer Fashion

Does anyone else stress shop or is that just me? It's such a catch22 when I'm stressed over money, but have the urge to buy pretty new things to keep myself distracted! Oh the torture! Well, not really but it does kind of such. So while I'm waiting to win the lottery, I guess I'll just do some online window shopping.

This is a video of the spring and summer collection from Ayres and I totally love it. It's a little bit menswear and military cut, which seems perfect for a summer in the desert. I love the neutrals paired with bright pops of neon colors instead of doing the whole neon explosion thing that's been so hot for this spring. I'm definitely still in the market for a small structured neon cross body bag, but I think I've had a neon overload. I have to try some of the looks from this video though. Oh yea, I'm ready for summer to get started.


Friday, April 20, 2012

Photo Friday: Blurry Carousels and Fuzzy Trees

So, it's been kind of a rough week. Crazy, sad, busy, emotional, and just straight stressful. I found myself daydreaming a lot this week. Good things and bad things. My head has pretty much just been a whirlwind among other things. So I have to honestly tell you that when I found Pep Ventosa it was like a visual representation of what had been going on in my head and in my life over the past week. Pep Ventosa is a very talented photographer that deconstructs a single moment by combining several images of it to recreate something entirely new and unique. The pictures are fractured and broken yet you can still clearly make out the complete images. It's a really clever way to create artistic photographs that look almost like paintings at a quick glance. All images.

It was hard choosing just a fraction of his collection of art photos to share with you guys so you'll really have to check out the whole thing when you get a chance, but I picked out my favorites for you to see. The carousel photos were the ones that caught my eyes first because they were busy and spinning and a blur, but you can clearly make out that they are carousels. I am also a fan of the lamps and trees even though many of them resemble abstract paintings, not photographs. However, I'm pretty positive they drew me in because I like taking pictures of street lamps and trees. Don't ask me why, I won't have an answer for you.










I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I did and I'd love to hear which ones were your favorite!

Have a great weekend,
Maggie

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What I Wore Wednesday: The Little White Squares Edition

If you read yesterday's post you know that I lost my computer over the weekend and with it all of my photos. This is how I am justifying being a obsessive hoarder. Luckily, I never delete photos off of my camera until I know that I have backed them up onto an external hard drive. Even then I keep the photos I really love on my camera forever. I'm a nut bag, I know, but it happened to help me out this time because I still have my outfit photos! So let's just straight to What I Wore Wednesday!

This is one of my favorite vintage shirts from my Etsy store stash because it has these cute tiny white squares printed all over it. The print looks like polka dots from farther away but when you get closer you realize they're squares! Other than that it's just a simple cut vintage button down shirt. It has a little bit of a poof to the sleeve around the wrist, but I wanted to wear it with the sleeve rolled up. I got beef with long sleeve shirts so I usually wear my sleeves rolled up.

I wanted to do a sort of modern vintage look so I paired the button down with some thrifted black high waisted shorts that I wore all the time last summer. Actually, looking at the outfit now I realize that almost everything was thrifted. Apparently I really like the thrift store ey? Anyway, this is basically my go-to vintage look if I'm not wearing a full skirt. High waisted shorts just always seem so....this:


And I love it! I mean come on, be honest with yourself, you've always wanted to be a pin-up girl right? Okay maybe just me, but let's be real, I'll never be able to hold my legs up that straight. ;) So for now I'll stick with tights, saddle shoes, and high waisted shorts.

Black High Waisted Shorts - Thrifted
Cream Tassel Bag - Thrifted
Saddle Shoes - Urban Outfitters







So you all know my favorite vintage pieces (high waisted shorts and full skirts), what are yours?
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