Friday, August 31, 2012

Photo Friday: Hauntingly Macabre

I stumbled across Laura Makabresku's work a while back and I can't believe it slipped my mind until now. The first time I came across it I was immediately pulled into the images. There is this incredible sadness that envelopes each image. The photographs were eerie, definitely, yet I couldn't pull my eyes away. I had the same feeling when browsing through the photographs on her blog. Makabresku's photos are soft and minimal and incredibly personal. Each set of photographs in her blog posts tells a story, sometimes a very sad story, but you want to know it. Perhaps she's just fantastic at enticing the inner internet voyeur in all of us. Perhaps I just have an affinity for the macabre.


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

What I Wore: The Boot Edition

I love boots. Cowboy boots, ankle booties, motorcycle boots, any kind of boot. They are my favorite kind of shoe. Wearing boots again comfortably is what I'm always most excited about when the weather starts to get cooler. However, as much as I wish I could buy a new pair of boots whenever I want, financially it makes more sense for me to hold on to them until I absolutely need a new pair. Well the time has come. All my current boots are worn down at the heel to the point of being dangerous. You know what that means? I get to buy new boots and not feel bad about it it! Which is exactly what happened. 


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Tuesday Love: Gatsby Me

My general sentiment about this collection that I found at Dear Creatures is as follows: squeeeee! The dresses are adorable and they styled them for the shoot in such a winning 30s-40s fashion to make even these modern dresses have the perfect touch of vintage to them. I love the model's hairstyle so much and I want every dress in this collection. And as much as I hate the term "modern vintage" (what does that mean?!!? How can something be modern and vintage?), this would be the closest thing to me accepting something as modern vintage. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the style as a whole. You can easily take these dresses and make them more modern, but I love the vibe of the shoot. And the shoes are to die for, but you know, women love shoes and all that. The cute short dresses make me think of this Great Gatsby shoot I found a while back. Maybe I'm just loving 20s, 30s, 40s style right now since I've had a 50s and 60s overload. The housewife look is over done for my tastes.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Monday Design: Dreamy Tree Houses

Don't hate me for saying it, but summer is coming to an end. Yup, it's inevitable, especially here in the the great Midwest. I've already even caught hints of orange in the leaves around some of the trees here. I have mixed emotions about this because fall quickly brings winter and I hate winter with all my being.  However, fall brings with it cozy sweaters, hot chocolate, and cool evenings watching movies under warm blankets - all things that I am a fan of.

For now, I'm feeling a little nostalgic about summer. It seems to go by faster and faster every year. Don't you remember summer really feeling three months long in grade school? You were sure you'd forget everything you learned the year before by the time you got back to school. Thinking about it also got me thinking about all those fun summer activities as a kid - camping, swimming, climbing trees. Maybe it was more of a tomboy thing, but I always wanted my own treehouse. Did you too? I could never convince my dad to build one for me though and I thought it was mean of him not to at the time. Now I realize that we never really had a tree that could support the weight of my scrawny 10 year old self, let alone a whole tree house. So today, to satisfy my childhood dream, I've pulled some of the coolest looking tree houses around. Enjoy!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Photo Friday: Silent Yugoslavian Giants

How gorgeous. These monstrous monuments were photographed by Jan Kempenaers, a Antwerp based photographer. He trekked around the Balkans finding these monstrous monuments from the fallen state of Yugoslavia. They were commissioned by the ex-president of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, as standing reminders of WWII. They were built in spots of famous WWII battles and in the locations where concentration camps used to be. Photographed through Kempenaers' eye, these giant, menacing, almost alien-like monuments seem incredibly haunting. I love how they light seems absolutely perfect for the mood of these giants. via Feature Shoot

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What I Wore: High Waited Shorts Take 2

Does anyone remember these shorts from this outfit disaster? Well I'm trying it out again and I think I did a much better job this time around. Or at the very least, I was totally comfortable in this one. Even though there is a whole lot of blue going on. I'm going to go ahead and give myself a pat on the back for this one. It's easy, simple, and leggy. Win? 

So the high waisted thing is kind of running it's course. You don't really see as many pants or shorts that are high-waisted. I think a lot of women got scared that they were getting the whole mom-pant thing going when wearing them, but I still love them and you can't make me stop! For my body type, they are perfect because I have stumpy legs and a long torso so sometimes dresses and shirts end up way too short. They are the perfect solution so I don't think I'm willing to give up the high-waisted thing any time soon. Besides, I love the vintage vibe that shorts like this and high waisted capris give any look. I mean, be honest with yourself, can you really put on a high-waisted pencil skirt and not feel like a pin-up girl? 

Monday, August 20, 2012

Monday Design: A Midwestern Dream

I grew up a construction worker's daughter in Chicago so I've seen the insides of a lot of gorgeous home in the city and the surrounding suburbs. A LOT. When I saw this Highland Park home I realized it is a Midwesterners dream! It's right on the lake, has an indoor pool, and lots and lots of light. Now from my experience with nice family homes in this area, this is pretty classic as far a layout and design details go. However, I was surprised to learn that it used to be an Army base on Lake Michigan and was converted by the owners. It's such a gorgeous facade now, but I bet that they didn't have to do much work on the outside. via WSJ

Friday, August 17, 2012

Photo Friday: Tiny Crafts

I have no idea why this is true, but it is: Ever since I was little I've loved miniatures. Regular sized things made tiny have just always fascinated me and I can't, to this day, figure out why. I've always loved all that tiny doll house furniture and when I was in France I made sure to stop by the miniatures museum in Lyon. Now THAT was some talent. Whole rooms were created in excruciating detail all in miniature form. I loved it!

At this age I think the fascination is the sheer mind blowing realization that making this tiny thing, whatever it may be, took tons of time, effort, and patience (that I don't nor will ever have). I saw this collection by Anastassia Elias a while ago, but I realized that I had yet to share it with you all. These are all amazing little worlds created on the inside of toilet paper rolls. She cuts these tiny layered scenes from paper that's the same color as the toilet paper roll and then carefully arranges them inside the tubes. The hope is to create and effect like the tiny world is coming up out of the roll and she does it masterfully.


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

What I Wore: The Scooter Edition

First thing first: no, this is not my scooter. I really wish it was. How cool would that be? It belongs to my friend and it just happened to make a fun backdrop. Moving on to the outfit. Sleeveless dresses, let's chat about them a bit shall we? I used to hate wearing anything sleeveless like this because I've always been really self-conscious about my arms, so anything that showcased just arm and no shoulder made me feel weirdly exposed and naked. I know, it doesn't actually make any sense, but that was the deal. The older I get the less self-conscious I am about things like that so I've recently re-discovered and embraced the sleeveless dress (like for my Birthday outfit)!  

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Inspiration Tuesday: Jewel Tones

Jewel tones are my favorite year round, but fall is when they really start hitting the stores and I couldn't be more excited to go shopping this season. I'm pretty pale and usually dark haired so those rich greens, purples, and blues suit me very well. At least I like to think so. Anyway, my closet is full of it and it never feel more appropriate than in that time in late fall, just before the Christmas season starts rolling in (you know, somewhere around early October now). So I pulled together three outfits using some of my favorite shades for some outfit inspiration. The first one is a little edgy and punk rock for a night out at the bar. The second one is a complete work ensemble if I worked somewhere that prohibited the wearing of jeans. And finally a date night outfit! Er, that is, if I had any dates to go on. Whomp, whomp. At least I'm prepared! Now if only Polyvore magically transported all the items you pulled into a collection into your closet, that would be perfect.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Monday Design: No Straight Lines Here

First things first, who else got the new Ikea catalogue over the weekend? Although I'm sometimes skeptical of Ikea furniture, I do love browsing it for inspiration because they are fantastic at organizing tiny spaces like mine. Oh, and inspiration I found. My next big splurge is going to be a trip to Ikea so I'm going to start saving my pennies. Besides, I think a little re-design after the roommate moved out is just what this place needs to get me back on my feet and feeling comfortable again.

Anyway, daydreaming about re-decorating sent my imagination flying and I was in kind of a silly mood today when real estate stalking, so what better to satisfy a silly mood than a silly house?

Friday, August 10, 2012

Photo Friday: Sexy Photography

When I first stumbled on Carlos Nunez's work here I have to say, I kind of hated it. The vintage filter photographs weren't really anything I hadn't seen before and most of them depicted half naked women, which honestly is a little borring at this point. Once I clicked through to Nunez's website, I realized that it wasn't Nunez's work that wasn't grabbing me, it was the collection of photo's chosen in the editorial. Nunez's work itself is entirely grabbing. This man knows sexy. When looking through the body of work it's obvious that Nunez is a master at portraits. He captures dreamy, gritty, sexy, and high fashion with equal clarity and sharpness of vision.


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Vintage Love: 40s Style Dresses

I don't know what it was, maybe the Depression, maybe wartime, maybe coming off of the roaring 20s, but dresses from the late 30s into the early 40s were these pretty, structured, dainty pieces that flattered every figure. They almost always had collars and pretty little sleeves that were often three quarter length. They weren't quite the full skirt, ornate piece of the 50s, they were simpler than that, but just as pretty and perfect for the every day girl. It was the 40s that coined the shirt dress - a look that drags me to it like flies to honey.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

What I Wore: The Tourist Edition

A couple weeks ago I took a little staycation here in my lovely city of Chicago and it was a blast! Well I guess any kind of vacation usually is, huh? I wish I could still be on vacation, but at least I took a little time to recoup. Anyway, today's outfit post is from a little trip I took with my friend to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and I got the chance to feel like a tourist! It's a really fun museum with lots of crazy art that I will never understand and lots of crazy art that just makes me admire the incredibly talented people in this world. It involved a trip downtown and lots of walking so I had to put on my best and most comfortable tourist gear and jaunt around Chicago a bit.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tuesday Trendspotting: House of Harlow and Winter Kate Fall 2012

Ok, that's it. It's August, the summer shorts and tank tops are being put on sale. You can now buy your bathing suits for next year for less than half the price. It's time to talk fall. I'm working on developing an idea of what I want my wardrobe to look like this year. I work in an office, a regular nine-to-five, but it's a really relaxed atmosphere so I don't really need lots of tailored tweed, but I do still need to look profesional. Somehow, magically, House of Harlow and Winter Kate have managed to put together a collection of fall looks that are fun, playful, and classy. I think I found my ideal wardrobe. via Fabsugar


Monday, August 6, 2012

Monday Design: 8 Living Rooms Designs

So I bought a new lamp over the weekend to replace a hobbled one that was way past its prime and it got me thinking about rearranging my living room. Which of course got me thinking about redesigning my living room entirely. And when inspiration hits, what do we do? We hit Pinterest! As well as my secret stash of other design sites. And then spend hours on the internet dreaming of living rooms that I will never have and getting nothing done in the way of reorganizing. Gotta love technology right?

On the plus side, I did pull together some fun living room design inspiration to mull over.


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Craft Supplies and Giveaways

So I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a chronic craft supply hoarder. Do I make a lot? No. Does that matter? No. I'll still buy it. That's why when I discovered this site called The Plaid Barn I was in love. It's like a Groupon for craft supplies. They have a new deal everyday on really cute craft supplies. So I totally signed up and have been checking out their daily deals for a while now.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

What I Wore: The Summer Lovin' Edition

Hey all, time for another narcissistic post all about me! I guess this whole blog is kind of like that thought isn't it? In all honesty, outfit posts make me feel a little silly, but I just love sharing outfit ideas and especially when I find out about new store of sales so I'm going to keep doing it. Hope you don't mind ;)

Anyway, on to the good stuff: maxi dresses! I think I heard a groan or two from the audience. Okay, so I know they're not as popular as they were a few summers ago, but I can't seem to give them up. It's probably a tall girl thing, but I'm curious to know if you shorter ladies out there love rocking the maxi dresses too. I feel like I'm partial to maxi dresses and maxi skirts because I'm 5'9" so everything that's not a maxi is usually too (and sometimes TOO) short on me. Maxi dresses just make me feel comfortable, covered, and surprisingly very lady-like. There's some sort of classic, elegant feel to maxi dresses and even though I am by no means classic or elegant (or a lady) it's nice to pretend sometimes, knowwhatImsayin?


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