Midwest Mayhem

With Love in Her Eyes and Flowers in Her Hair…

2012-02-06T05:05:00.001-05:00

Yep, another bohemian look for a morning shift at the cafe. I seem to be starting a theme here. Actually, I have a few days off from the cafe this week so I'll only be working one job for most of the week! It's a blessing and a curse. On the one hand I'll be able to catch up on a ton of stuff (and maybe make a trip to the thrift store). On the other hand...I'll be making a lot less money this week. Jon agrees that I really need this break though. Working five days a week at both jobs is really difficult to keep up with.

I bought this dress as a joke for a video I made when I was in art school. It was a parody of ultra feminist video art. (Nothing against feminists, just against seeing the same thing over and over again in video art.) I've almost gotten rid of it numerous times. Yet somehow it always makes its way out of the donation pile and back into my closet. I'm glad I've kept it around though. It's a great dress for a warm, sunny day. (Okay, sorry midwesterners...I'm not trying to rub it in anymore...but it just is warm and sunny out...) I chose to keep my eye make-up simple and go for a bold red lip to contrast with the white.

Also I wore my new daisy wreath. Jon thought it was really stupid when I got it in the mail, but after I wore it he seemed to warm up to it a bit. (Although he still insisted that I looked like I was going to a garden wedding.) In the midwest I feel like I would get crazy looks for wearing a wreath of daisies out in public let alone to work...but here it just feels natural. I know northern California is more known for the hippie movement, but San Diego is so laid back that a bohemian outfit fits right in. I love that I can wear an outfit like this out and feel at home here.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Encounters, Vintage, Thrifted
Tights: Thrifted
Flats: Nine West, Sale

Accessories:
Daisy Wreath: Etsy
Necklace: Handmade by Jon Knitter
Floral Bracelet: Gift
Gold Bracelet: H&M

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The Salmon Cat

2012-02-03T13:13:00.001-05:00

Gah...so I just wrote out this entire post and when I went to update the whole thing was deleted! Stupid blogger!

Anyway...

I wore my 70s maxi dress and my 70s stripped cardigan to work on Monday. I don't know why but for some reason I like to dress a bit more "free spirited" for the morning shifts. It must be the sunshine.

I'm actually planning on hemming this dress and turning it into a mini once I get my sewing stuff from Michigan. I think the length along with the long sleeves make it appear a bit matronly. I still love it though and I am trying to get as much wear out of it as possible before I chop it up.

Working two jobs has pretty much taken over my life. It's extremely stressful and eats up all if my free time. Yesterday I finally had a day off after working both jobs every day since Sunday. I spent the whole day sleeping. It was amazing. The cafe is full of interesting and very eccentric regulars. There are fun event nights like operas and wine tastings. Overall though it can get so stressful that getting through the day seems like an impossible task. I guess the only way to handle it is to just take it one day at a time.

How have all of you been lately?

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Vintage
Cardigan: Vintage
Tights: Thrifted
Shoes: Nine West, Sale

Accessories:
Bracelet: Gift
Sunglasses: Meijers

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Seasonal Summer

2012-01-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

It's a golden afternoon as my grandmother lies on her lounge chair working on her tan. She is wearing a lightweight sun dress and soaking up every ounce of sunshine. A 15 year old version of my mother sits next to her in a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.

This is the first time I've ever laid eyes on this photograph, but the second I looked at it I knew it was taken in summer. Probably late summer - July or August by the color of the trees and the way the light is captured.

Just by looking at this photograph my heart jumped for joy a little bit - summer…that amazing season. My mind immediately races to picnics and the beach, camping and light houses, sun dresses and sandals…and most importantly - warmth and sunshine.

This ties in a bit with my last post of my transition from a midwesterner to a Californian. When you grow up in the midwest you learn to cherish each summer day and live it to the absolute fullest. From going to the pool early in the morning with your family to walking the dog in the middle of the day to running through sprinklers with friends at night…you are always outside.

Here in southern California it's always summer. The trees don't change, the light of the sun doesn't change, and the birds don't leave.

There's not much to suggest which season it is. Over the fall I started seeing people wearing blazers and scarves, but I felt it was more to fit in with the rest of the country than for any functional reason. Now that it's January there's an unending sea of sandals and maxi dresses around. I'm seeing plenty of springtime florals just as much as I'm seeing winter neutrals.

Don't get me wrong, I love that it's 80 degrees in January! After coming back from a weekend in Michigan it feels like paradise. However, there's just something special about the idea of summer as a season opposed to summer as a lifestyle. Perhaps being a Leo just makes this a touchy issue for me. :)

*Photos by Jon Knitter

The Breakdown:

Outfit:

Dress: Urban Outfitters, Clothing Swap
Jacket: Thrifted, Vintage
Cardigan: H&M
Sandals: Filene's Basement

Accessories:
Sunglasses: Meijers
Necklace: Forever 21

P.S. As you can see Jon and I finally made it to the beach! These photos were taken at Pacific Beach in La Jolla!

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California Style

2012-01-16T17:39:00.016-05:00

It still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm actually living in California. It definitely feels like some place new. However when I envision a map the thought that I'm wayyyy at the Southwestern most tip of the US just doesn't quite compute. Perhaps once I actually have a chance to go to the beach things will sink in a bit more. Or maybe once I become more knowledgeable of the politics here. Or maybe when I finally get my license changed?

Who knows how long it will take for it to start feeling like home. One thing that does constantly scream "California" to me here is the way that people are dressed....winter coat and knit hat in 60 degree weather...haha...just kidding... (but they really do bundle up here for the smallest temperature drop). It's the relaxed, laid back style that makes me think, "oh yeah...I live in California now".

Every day on my way to work I walk past the hustle and bustle of the trendy Hillcrest neighborhood. I've never seen so many people wearing circular lenses in my life! Both sunglasses and prescription - it seems to be the norm around these parts. Twenty somethings can be found in long maxi shirts adorned from head to toe in the chicest bohemian accessories. No matter how done up they are though their look is always so effortless. The women here just seem to ooze cool out of their pores.

The blue skies and sunshine make me want to also cut back on the layering and just enjoy the ease of simplicity. This black banana republic dress has been my perfect go to item as of late because I can wear it between both of my jobs with just a few minor alterations. Today I wore it with leopard tights and black flats. So simple, but I felt stylish all day long!

So maybe I won't have an epiphany one day where all of the sudden my status of becoming a Californian will become clear to me. Perhaps it's just a gradual shift, starting with a simpler way of dressing.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Black Dress: Banana Republic, Thrifted
Tights: DSW
Black Flats: Blowfish

Accessories:
Bracelet: Paper Boy

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85 in January!

2012-01-06T01:43:00.013-05:00

I know all of my midwest buddies are going to be hating me with this post, but these pictures were taken last Wednesday when we had a beautiful 85 degree day. I wish I could say I spent the day outside lounging in the sun. The truth however is that I was once again working two jobs in one day. I had a brief break in between which is when I was able to snap these photos.

Today I'm only working at one job and I don't have to be there until 8PM so it almost feels like a day off. My first real day off in a month will be on Thursday! Guess what I'll be doing on Thursday though? Going to a job interview, haha! I was selected for the interview process for a job teaching art twice a week to little kids. I have to bring in my art work and 2 lesson plans for the interview, so I'll be working on preparing for that all day long today. I wish I had thought to have letters of recommendation prepared. It's not required, but it's one of those extra things that tend to make a difference. Since the interview is Thursday it's a bit late to burden people with that now. Oh well, hopefully my work alone will speak for itself. I'm confident in my experience with teaching, the only thing I'm worried about is the fact that it's in Chula Vista, which is a suburb of San Diego. Once they find out that I don't have a car I may be automatically disqualified. :/

I really hope it works in my favor though. I'm so ready to start a job that will lead to a career!

P.S. - Don't you love the "Dr. Seuss" trees in the background? Yes, those crazy trees really exist!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Purple Cover-up Top: Thrifted
Salmon Top: Anthropologie
Green Skirt: Thrifted
Flats: Blowfish, Sale

Accessoires:
Sunglasses: Forever 21
Floral Bracelet: Gift
Gold Bracelet: H&M
Necklace: H&M
Brooch: Thrifted

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2011: The Year We Did It Ourselves

2012-01-03T15:35:00.010-05:00

2011 has been a crazy year full of many ups and downs and life changing events. On New Year's Eve last year Jon and I dubbed 2011 as "the year we did it ourselves". For the most part we were pretty successful.

In March we went to Chicago for Columbia College's Annual Alumni Screenwriting Award ceremony. Jon had won 2nd place in the contest a previous year, so we were excited to learn the outcome of this competition. He won first place, which sealed the deal of our decision to move to California.

Last April marked the 4 year anniversary of my car accident. I finally got my settlement money and was able to pay off all of my medical bills. It felt great.

In May our lives were put on halt when I found out my dad had stage 4 lung cancer. We stopped planning our move to California and started taking things one day at a time.

My dad was able to celebrate his birthday at the beginning of June, but took a turn for the worse shortly after. I spent a lot of time in the hospital with him leading up to his final stay where he passed away surrounded by family the day before father's day. In place of a funeral we had a small ceremony for him at my house where friends and family gathered to share stories and memories. The next few months I spent every day in disbelief of what had happened. If you had asked me on New Year's Eve I would have never thought I'd be losing my father that year.

In July we went up north to the Upper Peninsula to spread his ashes. It was his wish to be cremated and spread around all of the Great Lakes. As of December we have successfully spread his ashes in all of the lakes except for Lake Ontario.

In August Jon and I started to seriously start planning our move to California again. We did a lot of research and between moving to Los Angeles, San Francisco, or San Diego we chose San Diego. We could be close to Los Angeles but not have to live there and we'd be in the same city as my brother.

In September we started transferring our jobs to San Diego and started looking for apartments.

In October we said goodbye to our family and took off on the super long 37 hour, 3 day drive to San Diego.

At the beginning of November we started our new jobs and I spent the first few weeks applying for a second job. We stayed with my brother until our apartment was ready at the end of the month.

It wasn't until mid-December that I got a 2nd job, but it all worked in our favor because now we can breathe easy and start working on a savings account for our next big life step....a family of our own. While that probably won't come for a few more years it's the next big event we're starting to plan for. :)

I have no clue what to expect for 2012 other than to enjoy my time in California and really live life to the fullest in one of my last couple years of being in my twenties. My two goals for the year are to once again get that savings account going and to steer myself onto a career path. I've worked with Landmark Theatres for what will be 6 years now. I love the company, but I feel like I'm at a fork in the road where I'm asking myself if there is a future at the company in a professional role or if it's just a job and it's time to move on. Only time will tell right?

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I'll Be Home For Christmas...If Only In My Dreams...

2011-12-25T03:37:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had a great Christmas Eve and are waking up to an even better Christmas morning!

Jon & I celebrated Christmas on the 23rd since we're working both holidays. It was sad and very different to celebrate without family, but we still made the most out of our first Christmas on our own. (And yes for those of you who can remember back a few posts....Santa walked once more!! And was very loud.)

I just recently got a 2nd job as a barista/waitress at a neighborhood cafe. That's why it's been nothing but tumbleweed and crickets around here lately. I've been working at both jobs almost every day and haven't had a full day off in 2 weeks now. As stressful as it has been it's still a blessing because I really needed to get a 2nd job. This next week I'm going to be working non-stop once more so I'm taking a mini blog break until my schedule eases back into a normal routine.

I'll probably be back in a week or two. I can't stay away for that long!

I wish you all happiness and peace in the new year!

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Vintage Wednesday #49 - A Changing Style

2011-12-14T23:22:00.009-05:00

This week for Vintage Wednesday I'm examining my own style and how it has progressed over the years. I've always loved everything from the 60s. It is by far my favorite era from clothing to movies to music - there was just so much going on at the time. Over the past ten years my love of this era has shot up from just being interested to being completely obsessed, haha.

I remember first discovering scooter dresses on ebay and thinking they were the greatest thing ever. I wanted every outfit I wore to be mod and resemble Twiggy's style. Looking back my looks then were a bit costume-y. If I was wearing vintage it had to be with cat eye make up and white boots. I would switch it up every now and then, but I didn't feel "right" unless I had the whole thing perfect.

As the years went on and I started acquiring vintage from other decades into my wardrobe I began to play a little more and started mixing old and new together. It could just be a sign of the times as vintage has become increasingly popular, but I love incorporating new trends with my vintage treasures.

It took awhile but through all of my jumpers, scooter, and tent dresses I realized that a curvy lady like myself doesn't pull off dresses made for androgynous, flat-chested women very well. This isn't to say I haven't kept trying. Sometimes you have to wear what you love. :)

For the most part though I've begun to notice a shift in my 60s wardrobe. The mod movement was about rebellion and youth. As I'm getting older I find myself identifying more with a french 60s influence a la Catherine Denueve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and less with the British mod movement. The irony? While the british mod look represented the teenage population the more sophisticated French look I'm currently loving actually resembles more of a well-dressed young child. Haha.

So maybe it's because I'm getting older or because through experience I've learned what looks best on me, but I've been more attracted to clothing that shows my waist and also a (slightly) longer hemline. I still love a good classic twiggy-esque mod look, but I feel like I'm slowing moving towards a new direction.

I still dress incredibly twee compared to most women my age, but it's who I am and I love it. I'm curious to look back in another 10 years and see once again how my style has evolved. When I was in high school I always pictured myself as being the punk rock grandma with crazy colored hair, haha. There's still time to make that happen!

Twiggy:

Catherine Denueve in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg:

(all images found through a google search)

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Vintage Wednesday! Check back next week for more vintage fun!

It's My 2 Year Blogiversary!

2011-12-13T05:05:00.001-05:00

Wow, 2 years! I still feel like a new blogger most of the time, but I guess I've been doing this picture taking thing for awhile now, eh? What a wonderful 2 years it has been in the world of my blog!

This past year I was lucky enough to get a copy of photoshop! This really changed how I viewed taking my photos. With the endless possibilities photoshop allowed me I made a goal for myself to start taking pictures that tell a story rather than just a straight-on pose. Of course, there are days when I'm working quickly and on those days I'll usually just stand still and smile at the camera. However, overall my aim has been to take photos that are more captivating, which I think I'm starting to accomplish. Every photo shoot is practice and gets me slightly closer to my goal.

I attended three very awesome Michigan Blogger Meet-ups this year. One at the beginning of the year in Grand Rapids. We all went to a fashion show, then went out for drinks and dancing afterwards. The second one was just a small gathering for brunch and thrift shopping. The third one was just a few months ago in Ann Arbor where there was a clothing swap, games, and delicious Michigan goodies like Faygo. Michigan isn't really known as being very fashion forward, but you would be amazed at the magnitude of super adorable fashion bloggers who live there! Seriously, who knew we were such a fashionable crowd?

This past year I also started adding pages to my blog! (Located below my header.) No, they aren't fancy - but hey, it's a start toward a better design!

Usually I like to switch my header with every season, but I fell in love with my current one and haven't changed it all year! I think I'm going to keep it around awhile longer.

Then there's the obvious change of location that I've recently gone through. For anyone who is a first time reader (welcome) I just moved from Michigan to California a month ago (has it already been a month, really?) So instead of the usual snow that graces my pictures this time of year you'll be seeing plenty of sunshine and palm trees.

I want to thank all of my readers for stopping by and leaving comments! After two years it still makes my day! My readership has doubled over the past year, so thank you so much for your support! I know this is just a tiny little blog compared to some of the other ones out there, so it really means a lot when you stop by!

Jon was my photographer for these 2 year photos. We headed to Balboa Park right at the golden hour...which turned out to be about a golden 20 minutes (we left a bit late). I love the way these turned out though and of course I'm always thrilled to wear this golden vintage dress! This dress just makes me so happy! It makes me feel like I'm made of sunshine. :)

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Vintage, Handmade
Top: Heart Moon Star, Thrifted
Heels: Ferragamo, Vintage

Accessories:
Belt: Gift
Bow Brooch: Thrifted
Watch: Heirloom

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Best of 2011

2011-12-12T05:00:00.013-05:00

Guess what? Tomorrow is my 2 year blogiversary! Whoo! I have a fun outfit post planned. So make sure to check back tomorrow! In the meantime I thought I'd post my 15 favorite outfits/photos over the past blog year (which conveniently equals the past calendar year too!)

Through the pictures you can see when I acquired photoshop and started experimenting a bit more, haha.

Happy Monday! I'm headed to a job interview today, wish me luck!

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Artists in the Park

2011-12-09T07:07:00.008-05:00

The other day I took another stroll around Balboa Park. I found out there's a little section of the park that is home to 37 art studios and over 200 artists so I had to go check it out on my day off. It was really inspiring to walk around and see so many creative people hard at work. I want someone to pay me to create art all day long! Wouldn't that be awesome? I'm sure you probably need a fellowship or something to have a studio there. Note to self: Look into San Diego art fellowships.

It's hard to believe but it has actually been a little chillier here lately. During the day it's in the 60s, but at night it has been in the 30s-40s. I really want it to snow too! I never thought I'd hear myself say that, but if it's going to be in the 30s it should at least snow, right? I guess it would only melt the next day though. December just seems so strange without snow! I find myself craving the x-mas spirit everywhere I go! I found a station that plays Christmas music the other day, but it's not non-stop. It will be 1 Christmas song followed by a few spanish songs followed by 1 oldies song and then they'll play another Christmas song! It's so weird!

I just got a shipment of my clothes in the mail from Michigan! I'm looking forward to going through everything and having a few more options of things to wear! I'm getting so bored without having many options for mixing and matching...

What's a blogger to do?

Plus, most of my vintage is still in Michigan. :(

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Skirt: Vintage/Thrifted
Sweater: H&M
Tights: Thrifted
Coat: H&M
Boots: Gift

Accessories:
Necklace: Gift
Sunglasses: Forever 21
Hat: Thrifted

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Vintage Wednesday #48 - Flashbacks

2011-12-07T22:59:00.009-05:00

(photo credit: http://www.flashbackintime.com/why-vintage-labels.html)

Yep, I'm finally bringing Vintage Wednesday back! Whoo!

For the most part I've been avoiding going into any stores because Jon and I want to succeed so badly here in California that I'm not spending any money on clothes right now. Not even thrift shopping! However, this funky little vintage store is conveniently located right on my way to work, so I couldn't help but pop in to check it out. It's appropriately named "Flashbacks" and it's right in the heart of trendy downtown Hillcrest.

It's actually a mix of vintage and new clothing. They also buy and trade clothing, which is always nice. I found myself in love with a lot of their vintage options, but mostly everything is from the 60's-80's, so if you're looking for anything earlier than that you're pretty much out of luck.

The store is nicely organized though and has its own quirky presentation for everything. The accessories are just loaded up all over the store, which I love. There are a pair of psychedelic floral tights similar to the paisley ones that I have that I'm eyeing (and still drooling over...wishing I had more money...gah...must be responsible...).

I snapped these photos on my way home from work one night, so I apologize for the flash and poor quality, but I really love their current holiday displays!

There's no way I will be able to outdo last year's Christmas outfits, but if I could I'd probably buy this dress:

Oh and here's a video I found on their website:

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Vintage Wednesday! Check back next week for more vintage fun!

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San Diego Neighborhoods: Gaslamp Quarter

2011-11-30T14:17:00.010-05:00

Today Jon and I were finally going to go to the beach, but it ended up being a little bit too chilly. (It was 60 degrees...I know everyone dealing with temperatures in the 30s probably hates me right now!) If it had been sunnier out we probably would have gone, but with the clouds and wind we decided to postpone our beach trip.

We decided to make a day of thrifting instead, so we headed downtown. I thought it would be fun to go over all of the neighborhoods here in downtown San Diego so while we were downtown we took some photos in Gaslamp.

Gaslamp is a historical neighborhood right in downtown San Diego. It's the main attraction for night life here with tons of fancy bars and restaurants. The land was bought by Alonzo Horton in 1876 and was then known as "New Town" in contrast to "Old Town" which was the original Spanish colonial settlement. It eventually got the name Gaslamp because of all of the gas lamps that were popular at the time. The neighborhood contains an abundance of historic Victorian buildings. It's a really cool place to walk around, but Jon and I haven't really had time to explore the nightlife yet, so for us the Gaslamp Quarter is known as the place we go to buy our groceries.

Doesn't Jon look awesome in his Zelda shirt?

I wanted to add something fun to my dress today so I wore this adorable dinosaur pin that I got at my going away party in Michigan. Watch out for meteors!

Of course for a day of walking around it's important to wear good shoes, so I chose to wear my comfy Blowfish boots.

Jon and I went to 4 different thrift stores today looking for furniture for our apartment. We didn't find any furniture, but we did get a few Christmas decorations. All of our regular decorations are in storage in Michigan right now. So it's not much, but it's nice to have a little Christmas cheer around the place.

Jon was so happy to find this Santa at one of the stores. He said it's the exact same one that his grandparents had when he was a kid and it was very special because the Santa was only turned on Christmas Eve! So we're going to get some batteries for him and on Christmas Eve we're going to see if he works!

After thrifting Jon and I watched The Descendants at my theatre, it was great! It was by the same director that did Sideways (also a great movie). Like Sideways, it was a very understated yet perfect movie. I highly recommend it. The character development is fantastic and a lot of it is done through gestures and camera angles, so it's not all dialogue that builds the characters.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Scrapbook
Blazer: Vintage
Tights: Thrifted
Boots: Blowfish

Accessories:
Sunglasses: Forever 21
Necklace: Thrifted
Pin: Gift
Purse: Target

P.S. For those of you missing Vintage Wednesday I'm hoping to start it back up next week! Whoo!

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Working Creatively

2011-11-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

My uniform for work is a little different than the one I wore to my job back in Detroit. At my new theatre instead of wearing a bowling or "midnight movie" shirt the uniform is a white button up and tie. At first I was super excited about this change. It was a whole new opportunity for creativity at work. However, I'm finding this theatre to be much more strict in what they consider to be "proper dress code". The dress that I originally bought for this new uniform was ultimately vetoed as the collar was too low. I'm trying my best to bend the rules without being written up for it, but since I'm the new kid on the block I have to play it safe - at least for awhile. In Chicago instead of ties the girls were allowed to wear scarves. I haven't tried this yet as I don't want to push too many buttons too soon. When I'm no longer a newbie I may have to test the waters to see if a pretty scarf will fly or not.

For now I've been experimenting with different types of collars and different textures to my blouses. The other day Jon told me I look like I attend Hogwarts, so that pretty much made my day and made me look at my uniform with a new appreciation.

This may seem silly or frivolous, but for me looking good at work is key to being confident and more importantly being taken seriously by patrons. Especially if you're working in a customer service field like I do if you're wearing an oversized shirt with a huge logo no one is going to take you seriously and you will be treated like a flaky teenager. However, if you dress well and act confident you'll be treated like the intelligent adult that you are. This seems shallow, and I know a teenage me would be scathing at this remark, but after working for 10 years in customer service I hate to say that this is true.

Of course on the other hand going back to the creative part of wearing a work uniform - it's just more fun to get dressed up every day! I feel much better being able to plan out my outfits and play a little bit with what I'm going to wear. If I'm going to be spending 8+ hours of my day in one thing I want it to look nice and represent me.

Does anyone else have to wear a uniform to work or adhere to a dress code? What are your tips for getting around a dull look? Do you prefer to look nice for work or do you want to focus more on how you look after work? Thoughts? Comments?

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In Our New Apartment!

2011-11-23T19:38:00.009-05:00

We are finally in our new apartment! Our teeny little corner of the world! It's actually a nice size for a studio. I'll post photos once we're a little more moved in and there are less boxes everywhere.

We don't have an internet connection yet (I'm on another signal right now) so I'm going to do my best to post every few days, but until we actually have internet access it may still be a little slow around here. Also, we live right underneath a flight path, so every time a plane flies by we lose what little signal we have, grrr.

It feels SO GOOD to finally be able to browse my clothes again for something to wear (although half of my clothes are still in Michigan waiting to be shipped). Still, it's nice to have more selection than 3 outfits!

I can't belive we've been in San Diego for three weeks now! It feels like we just moved here! This past Sunday Jon and I went to a free organ concert in Balboa Park. We got to sit up front on the stage while the organist played and then afterwards we were able to tour the building and see all of the hundreds, maybe thousands of pieces of the organ. It was great!

What is everyone doing for Thanksgiving? Jon and I are both working and then having dinner with my brother. I'm doing all of my cooking tonight so everything is ready for tomorrow. Luckily my brother lives in the same building, so we just have to walk downstairs to get to his place! No traveling involved!

Regardless of your plans tomorrow, I hope everyone has a great day celebrating with family and friends!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Gift
Top: Thrifted
Tights: H&M
Shoes: Target, Gift

Accessories:
Necklace: H&M
Bracelet: H&M
Sunglasses: Meijer

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Polyvore: What I Want to Wear in San Diego

2011-11-19T04:33:00.005-05:00

San Diego weather has been a little nutty so far and I'm still getting used to it. Fall feels a lot like Michigan spring here. It can be 75 degrees and then a few hours later it's 50 degrees. Not only that but it has also been raining a lot here. I've been told that rain is San Diego's version of "snow". So far I've learned to always bring a light jacket or blazer with me everywhere I go. Also, it doesn't hurt to carry an umbrella.

Since I can't spend any money right now I'm stuck making wish lists of beautiful things I'd love to buy. So, here's what I'm wishing for right now...

Pretty dresses...

Dresses by catbirdknitter featuring glamorous dresses

Pretty tops...

Tops by catbirdknitter featuring low tops

Pretty outerwear...

outerwear by catbirdknitter featuring a mod coat

Pretty stuff for our new apartment...

apartment by catbirdknitter on polyvore.com

and of course AMAZING shoes...

shoes by catbirdknitter featuring vintage boots

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The Times That I Live In Are Not Made For a Railroad Man

2011-11-17T10:33:00.000-05:00

I recently found out that the art house theatre company that I work for plans to go digital by 2013. I did some research and found that it's going to be an industry standard that all theatres in the US are going digital by 2013 and about half of the theatres worldwide will follow suit. The title of my post (a quote from an Eels song) had me thinking about how I was truly born in the wrong era.

The vintage clothes...the camera collection...the love of antique stores...old movies...it all points in one direction...

Being a full time union projectionist would be a dream job for me. I've worked projection at three other theatres in the past, not to mention I have a degree in film. Each film booth that I've worked in has its own quirks and charms. I LOVE working in the booth. It's much more than something I like or think is cool...I live and breath film. It's the smell of age old machinery....the sound of the whirring platters...the feel of warm oil dripping on your fingers as you thread...the dreamlike quality of watching the picture from the booth window...

Looking at this from an audience's point of view the experience of going to the movies will have lost its touch. The aspect ratios of film and video are very different and even the biggest budget film shot with the best camera and shown on the most expensive digital projector can't compare with film. Every year they get better and closer to film, but they can't match it. In my opinion I feel that a film can't feel real, meaning you can't 'lose yourself' in a film if you're aware of the fact that you're a viewer. We've all experienced the feeling of forgetting we're in a theatre and becoming completely immersed in the story line. This is because the atmosphere created by the film has enough distance from reality that we're able to follow along as welcomed voyeurs the way we would in a dream. Video as a medium is very flat as the depth of field is incredibly short. As a result when viewing something shot on video it ends up looking like you're on set watching a take. There's no cognitive distance between yourself and what you're watching because it's just as real as the theatre you're sitting in. Of course movies that are shot on film, then transfered to video and projected digitally are better (this is what most companies do these days, although with RedCam and other superior digital devices this too is starting to fade). However, the digital projection also falls flat in comparison to film. For one, you don't get the whirring noise of the projector. This may not be a big deal for most people, but for me it helps to transition from real life to movie life. The human quality of marks, scratches, and cue spots are gone and replaced with glitchy pixels and a product that is prone to skipping. Finally coming from a point of view that most people will understand more - you're paying top dollar to watch a dvd or sometimes just a digital download! I mean, doesn't that get your blood boiling?

Everyone keeps telling me to be happy that I know how to use film because I'm among the last few people who were properly taught. I keep waiting for an opportunity to show itself, but the future of film keeps looking dimmer and dimmer.

"Railroad Man by The Eels"

Feel like an old railroad man
Ridin' out on the bluemont line
Hummin' along old dominion blues
Not much to see and not much left to lose
And i know i can walk along the tracks
It may take a little longer but i'll know
How to find my way back

I feel like an old railroad man
Who's really tried the best that he can
To make his life add up to something good
But this engine no longer burns on wood
And i guess i may never understand
The times that i live in
Are not made for a railroad man

I feel like an old railroad man
Getting on board at the end of an age
The station's empty and the whistle blows
Things are faster now
And this train is just too slow
And i know i can walk along the tracks
It may take a little longer but i'll know
How to find my way back

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San Diego Sunsets

2011-11-14T21:13:00.004-05:00

Oh no, my computer has run out of memory! I'm still working on the rest of the Balboa Park pictures, but I'll have to wait until I find my external hard drive to finish them. In the meantime here's a snap shot that Jon took in the early evening as we were walking around last week. The sunsets here last fooooooreeeevvverrr. It takes just over an hour for the sun to fully set, it's incredible! I know I already mentioned this in my last post, but I just love the way that it just lazily lingers.

I started my new job yesterday. Well, new new job actually. I was able to transfer to a closer location. The location I originally transferred to seemed awesome, but when you added all of the walking and busing together it was a 2 hour trip to get out there! So now I'm only a 20 minute walk from my apartment. (My apartment that exists in theory somewhere on the 3rd floor...we still haven't been given a move-in date...). I was kind of bummed because my co-workers didn't seem to like me very much. I wouldn't say they were mean per se...just indifferent. When I transfered from Chicago to The Main Art in Detroit I was welcomed with open arms and everyone was so nice and friendly. I'm hoping things will change once they get to know me a little better.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Coat: H&M
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Thrifted
Boots: Blowfish

Balboa Park Part 1

2011-11-12T01:27:00.002-05:00

Yes! Finally an outfit post and update! Last Saturday I went to Balboa Park with Jon and my brother. We were there for a few hours and only saw about 1/4 of the park - it's huge! To give you an idea of how big it is think about how it houses a zoo, about 10 museums, a golf course, a cactus garden...and the list goes on. This Sunday we're going to try to catch one of the the free outdoor organ concerts.

I went a little camera crazy while I was there, so I'm breaking this into 2 posts. This first one is for outfit pictures and the 2nd one will be of all the amazing vegetation and architecture that we came across. In these pictures I'm wearing my vintage Gunne Sax skirt and a short sleeved sweater from h&m. To be honest I've never really understood short sleeved sweaters. I like this one, but I don't wear it often because when I'm cold I want my arms covered and when I'm hot I don't want to wear a sweater. It just doesn't make any sense.

One of the places in the park is a puppet theatre! I asked about employment opportunities and unfortunately it's all run by volunteers. However, you can become a member of the puppet guild and work on actually building the puppets. Membership is $20 for the year. I think once I get my first pay check I may have to get involved. How awesome would that be? Of course getting a paid job is my number one priority right now so we'll see how that goes once I start finding out my hours.

I did transfer to another art house theatre and my first day of work is tomorrow. I'm super excited! Unfortunately as I've learned over the past five years - art house theatres don't pay the bills very well. So the majority of my time since I've gotten here has been mega job searching. It's all I do from morning till night. I have a few interviews next week, so wish me luck!

You can expect that I'll be taking a lot of outfit pictures in the park (so get used to it!). There are just so many great places where the sun hits just right. Also sunsets last forever here! I'm so used to a 10 minute sunset and then pure darkness. Here the sunsets seem to last as long as a summer afternoon - lazy, warm, and beautiful.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Bow Sweater: H&M
Skirt: Gunne Sax, Vintage
Flats: Filene's Basement

Accessories:
Sunglasses: Meijer
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelet: Gift

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No I Have Not Been Sold Into The Mexican Sex Trade

2011-11-10T19:59:00.008-05:00

Fear not, I'm still here! I was hoping to have an update by now, but I just haven't had the time! Every day from morning to night all we've been doing is applying for jobs. Also, we may be able to move into our apartment by Monday which means next week will be hectic as well. I'm starting my job at the art house theatre over here on Sunday. There's just so much going on! I'm loving it here though! I've been taking outfit pictures almost daily, so once I have more time I'll have a lot of updates to make! Until that free time makes its way into my schedule though things may be a little slow around here. Hopefully I'll have time to share everything with you soon!

Out West Day 3: Blood Thirsty Arizona & Spooky San Diego

2011-11-07T07:35:00.004-05:00

Day 3...the final day of our trip. What a horribly stressful and spooky halloween we had. Jon and I woke up early Halloween morning and put on our "on-the-road" halloween costumes. He wore a rainbow clown wig and I wore a halloween tee along with black and green striped tights. Probably our lamest costumes ever, but hey at least we tried, right?

Here's an inside shot of all of Jon's hard work:

Everything had its place, even all of the cats.

Leaving New Mexico wasn't so bad as most of roads in the mountains were straight - no big deal. I loved all of the turquoise details along the roads, it was so pretty and calming. This is where the landscape really started getting interesting as we saw giant plateaus and little mountain side houses.

Arizona is where everything took a turn for the worse. Instead of going straight the mountains became curved and twisted. We found ourselves zooming around sharp turns at 75 miles an hour (and still being passed up by huge trucks). The roads were not very reassuring either with names like (and I'm completely serious here) "Blood Basin Road" and "Deadman Street". There were even run off roads to drive onto if you lost control of your car. It was really stressful and it was still day light!

Once we finally got through all of the mountains we passed "Carefree Highway" and my personal favorite, "Exit 11 - Surprise!". Arizona definitely wins the award for most creative road names.

Unfortunately I only got these two photos of Arizona before we lost the digital camera in the car. We didn't locate it until we were unpacking the van the next day. The rest of the drive through Arizona was still mountain-y, but not awful.

After another really long driving day we were so happy to finally pass through the California border. After 40 some hours of driving we had made it! What we weren't expecting was to be stopped at border patrol 3 times before making it to San Diego! The first two, although unexpected made sense because we were so close to Mexico at that point. They asked us where we were headed and confiscated our Michigan apples. The carrots were okay...but the apples...nope, couldn't bring them into California. After those unexpected interactions we found ourselves once more deep into the mountains and it seemed like we were heading up forever...up and up and up....and a third border patrol inspection! This one really threw both of us off as we were so exhausted by that point. The guy asking questions had a thick german accent and asked us what country we were in. Our exhaustion and his thick accent caused us both to hesitate and becuase of this we were asked to pull over so they could inspect our van. My worst fear had come true - they were about to make us unpack our entire van that took Jon 12 hours to pack! The car next to us was being searched by dogs. It wasn't looking good. We answered the basic questions of where we're from, why we're in California, what we had in our van. Then the guy went to inspect the van and of course things are falling out from him opening the door. I think when he looked inside he realized how long it would take them to go through our stuff, so he closed the door and let us carry on. Phew! I was sooo glad we didn't have to tak everything out. That would have been a nightmare. Well, finally we started our decent down the mountain and into civilization.

It took about another hour for us to hit San Diego. As soon as we hit the city limit we were met with a deep fog as thick as jelly brains! No, thicker! (Nightmare Before Christmas reference anyone?) Seriously, we couldn't see an inch ahead of us in any direction. We couldn't see traffic lights or car lights. It was insane. Thanks San Diego for deciding to be spooky for Halloween. By some miracle we navigated through the fog safely and made it to my brother's place by about 1 AM. We were so happy to be there and out of the car and to be able to let the kitties out!

It was a crazy car ride, but I'm glad we went by car. The drive made me feel more connected to the trip and had me appreciating the distance and how vast the land is in the south.

The past few days we've been getting things settled with our job transfers, trying to figure out how to put together our crappy ikea sofa bed, and exploring Balboa Park. So far I LOVE it here! Next post I'll tell you guys all about how amazing it is here and share some proper outfit photos!!

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Out West Day 2: Quirky in Albuquerque

2011-11-06T01:45:00.006-04:00

Onto day 2 of our trip! On Sunday of last week we drove through the rest of Oklahoma and on to New Mexico where we stopped in Albuquerque for the night. It was the shortest leg of the trip and ended up being about 10-11 hours. States traveled during this part were Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.

When we reached the bottom part of Oklahoma we started seeing these super cute old time-y signs all over the road:

When we reached Texas the scenery really started to change as the desert started taking over in place of the green and gold landscapes. There were these bundles of hay at the gas station, which was different. Also, it felt strange being the minority with our midwestern twangs. Everyone in Texas spoke with a deep southern accent and it was obvious we were out of place, haha.

Of course I also had to take a picture of these Texas sunflowers:

We also saw these cool windmills in Texas:

By the time we reached Albuquerque it was dark, so we couldn't really see much, but coming into the city we could tell we were in the mountains. This was the first part of our stressful mountain driving experience...

Check back soon for day 3 - Albuquerque to San Diego!

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Out West Day 1: Salsa in Tulsa

2011-11-04T19:04:00.005-04:00

Yay! I'm back! Jon and I made it safely to California (by way of a miracle) and are starting our new lives in San Diego. I'm really excited to tell you guys all about San Diego, but first I'm going to break down our three day whirlwind trip. Last Saturday Jon and I (well, mostly me because Jon slept the whole way) drove all the way from Detroit, Mi to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was the longest distance of the trip and with gas stops, lunch breaks, and traffic turned out to be a 17 hour drive.

Jon spent about 12 hours packing up the mini van. I helped for the latter 5 hours of packing. Since I was the first driver I was able to get some sleep while Jon was working on making our on-the-road home nice and cozy for all (including the cats). After a few goodbyes we were on the road around noon. States from Detroit to Tulsa: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Here's the last picture of us by our house:

Oh yeah - Jon got new glasses! Doesn't he look super handsome and professional?

Driving through St. Louis at night:

St. Louis was alive, loud, bright, and partying late into the night. Actually I think it's the only city we drove through that had so much character.

Of course driving through the midwest at night you're trained to watch out for deer. When we finally hit Oklahoma though it was insane how many deer carcasses we saw...15 in the little stretch from the Oklahoma border to Tulsa! That's not counting the other 5 states. A lot of them had only happened a few minutes before we reached them too. The worst one was not being able to see a thing and then all of the sudden driving through blood, guts, and body parts as brilliantly red as a shiny christmas ornament. It was so disturbing that Jon and I sat in silence without any music on for the remainder of the drive. I still feel sick to my stomach thinking about it. With the amount of roadside mayhem we witnessed that night it is a pure miracle that we got through Oklahoma without hitting a single deer.

When we woke up the next day and started driving we found that Oklahoma looked much different by day. Instead of the nightmare that we had witnessed the night before we were met with clean air and rolling hills for miles:

Stay tuned for day 2: Oklahoma to New Mexico, hopefully I'll have it up by tomorrow!

*We didn't take many pictures because we were video taping most of the time. So what these posts lack in photos I'll make up for in video later on!

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Guest post: Miss Vinyl Ahoy

2011-11-02T10:12:00.002-04:00

Hi guys! Suze here from Miss Vinyl Ahoy, filling in for Cat while she moves away from the great mitten state! Cat asked what my favorite thing about Michigan is, and I was stumped. I've never lived anywhere else, so I don't really have any way to compare this area to anywhere else. I love where I grew up (Ann Arbor, Go Blue!), I adore the four season, like Tieka, but I specifically adore the trees here.

Yes, trees. In the fall, the trees change from green to glorious shades of orange, yellow, pinks and reds. Last year, there were a few wonderful days of these striking colors before the frost and snow moved in.

Nice and sunny one day, frost the next.

Michigan's weather can be a cruel mistress through. As soon as these leaves begin to appear, the snow moves in. I live on the east side of the state (think Detroit), so when we get snow, it stays with us the entire winter. I've had to call in to work that I'm snowed into my apartment and can't get my car out. Not such a great excuse when you're busy!

Any way, I hope you've liked the look at some of the fall colors around where I live, and hopefully you'll make it up to Michigan next fall before the snow sets in.
I know we'll all miss Cat, but she's bringing that midwest flavor to California.

Guest Post: Selective Potential

2011-11-01T11:45:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm Tieka from the blog, Selective Potential! I'm so excited to be posting for Cat while she's moving to San Diego. Of course, the midwest will miss a fabulous blogger but I'm excited to hear about her new adventures! When Cat asked us to blog about our "favorite thing in Michigan" - that was so tough for me. I always boast about how much I love our state on my blog constantly… and to narrow it down was tough! I love the tourist traps, the people, the lakes and beaches, the lighthouses, so much. But, I'd have to say my favorite thing is our four very distinct seasons. Our seasons are each so beautiful and I truly enjoy every single one. Here are four outfits of mine in each of our different seasons!

Guest Post: She is Sara, Mitten-State Love!

2011-10-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

Hello Midwest Mayhem readers! This is Sara from the blog She is Sara and Cat asked me to do a guest post for her on my favorite place in Michigan. I have lived in Michigan all of my life and I just bought a house in Oak Park, so it looks like I will be here for awhile but I cannot complain, I love it here. Michigan is an amazing state, everything from the big city of Detroit, to the suburbs to the beautiful north. So, I have decided to include here a bunch of photos from all over the place.

The above ones were all taken in Detroit. I work in Detroit and I love being in the city. My friends and I head downtown to Tigers games in the summer, the Winter Blast festival in the winter, bar hop from Jacoby's to Grand Trunk to The Bronx bar. We ice skate at campus martius and eat pizza at Nikki's in Greektown, and spend hours on end at the Detroit institute of Arts. Detroit is an amazing city and I love spending time there.

Living in Oak Park, I am in walking distance of the Detroit zoo, trendy down-town Royal Oak, and granola-ish Ferndale, where I grew up. The 'burbs of Michigan are peppered with parks, and there are a ton of nature walks close-by. Which is great for long walks with my dog Louie, outfit photos for my blog, and even for blogger meet-ups!

My favorite part of Michigan has to be all of the northern areas. I love Michigan's UP, Taquamenon falls, Pictured Rocks, Paradise, Calumet. I love Mackinaw and have been going there ever since I was a little kid. There are beautiful cities below the bridge too, Charlevoix, Traverse City and anywhere along Lake Michigan. As you can see, Michigan has so many things to offer, and I couldn't imagine living in any other place than the Mitten-State.

Thanks for reading my post and thanks to Cat for letting me be a guest blogger on her lovely blog!

Guest Post: Back Home Again in Indiana

2011-10-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! My name is Catherine, and I write the blog Small Town, Big Wardrobe. I'm so thankful to Cat for graciously asking me to write a guest post about why I love the Midwest while she's traveling to California.

I had dinner with an old friend Lindsay last weekend (old as in I've known her forever!). She lives out in the country - really, in a town of just over 2000 people - and told me she couldn't stand coming into the town where I live and she works because she can't stand all the stoplights.

I had to laugh, because in my town - of just around 33,000 people - bad traffic is considered more than five cars backed up a stoplight.

I live in a town in southern Indiana. Besides five years at Indiana University in Bloomington and one year in Indy, I've been here my whole life. Of the people my age here, there are two kinds - those born here who will never leave and those who cannot wait to escape. It is that sort of polarizing place, small town Midwest - you either love it or you are just wishing you could get away.

Does it help that fall is probably the most beautiful in Indiana? Perhaps a little.

I was in New York a year ago, and I shocked myself with how homesick I was. There were too many people in not enough space. I needed my tiny town and my green yard and my quiet evenings.

This is my backyard. It's not that big. But my dogs love it, and it's fenced so I just open the back door every morning and let them out. After living in an apartment

What is it about the small towns in the Midwest that I love? It's that corner shop where the clerk recognizes you. It's seeing an old friend downtown at your favorite tiny Italian restaurant. It's the warm Saturday mornings at the farmer's market getting your favorite blueberry scones. It's the comforting smile and "how are ya" as you walk past a stranger on the sidewalk. It's the endless fields of corn down the highway.

It's my favorite, favorite song about my state. Can you guess what it is? Hint: it's the title of this post.

Yeah, ok, the shopping sucks. But the good news is the best mall is only an hour away. And I probably didn't need to spend all that money anyway, right? Right?

Thanks again Cat for asking me to guest blog! You can follow my blog on Twitter and Facebook - I hope you stop by and say hi!

Guest Post - Heart Full of Daisies

2011-10-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

Hi there! My name is Kate from Heart Full of Daisies, and I’m filling in for Cat as she and Jon make their way to sunny San Diego! They will be missed in Michigan, but I can't wait to hear how life on the west coast treats them!

When Cat told me the theme for this guest post week was, “Favorite Thing About Michigan,” I immediately thought of a million things that I love out this mitten state! Originally haling from central Illinois, Michigan is a totally different world. I grew up surrounded by corn and bean fields for miles on end, where trees weren’t everywhere you turned, and the closest thing to a big lake would be little rivers and ponds! Besides the beautiful people I’ve met here in Michigan, I’d have to say my favorite element about this state is the gorgeous Lake Michigan. I know that sounds like a typical answer from most people who live on the west side of the state, but for me, there are so many meanings and memories tied to this blue body of water.

The first time I visited Michigan was back in my high school days. I paid a visit to a friend who was currently attending Hope College in Holland, Michigan and I was instantly swept away by the friendliness of the town, the quaint downtown, and of course, the shores of Lake Michigan. Even though it was nearing winter, the waves crashing onto the pier that day were so beautiful and made me want to stay for summer. After another visit the following year, I decided I wanted to come here for college. The funny thing was, I didn’t apply to any other places, I knew I wanted to be in Holland, MI...I like to think that the Lake chose me.

Holland, MI

After three years of college, I met Zachary. I had just came out of a bad breakup and wasn't looking for another serious boyfriend, but Zach won me over. I will never forget the first time he told me he loved me... we drove out to a special spot on the Saugatuck Dunes, overlooking Lake Michigan. He had brought sandwiches, a bottle of wine, and sour patch kids (my favorite candy). As we sat watching the waves roll in, he told me he had a present for me. Speaking such sweet words as he put a necklace around my neck, telling me how much he cared for me and how I meant the world to him, I knew I wouldn't let this guy go.

Saugatuck Dunes

Fast forward another three years as Zach and I both stand before the shores of Lake Michigan again, this time as husband and wife. From the moment we started talking about where to get married, the conversation always lead back to the Lake.

Our Wedding - Photography by Bryan & Mae

There has been so many amazing memories on the shores of Lake Michigan, I can only imagine how many more will fill our lives and hearts.

Feel free to stop by my blog or find me on Twitter, I love meeting new folks!

Thanks Cat for letting me guest post about my favorite part of Michigan!

-Kate

Waiving Goodbye to the Mitten

2011-10-26T07:12:00.008-04:00

Well, this is it guys, my last post from Michigan! Jon and I moved here from Chicago a year and a half ago. We had a good run while we were here, but it's time to move on and pursue our careers. While we're looking forward to our new adventure together, we're both really going to miss our friends and family. I'm so glad we came back when we did though so that I was able to spend time with my dad during his last few months. It's been great being with family, having a job I love, and making new friends. I have a lot of great memories to take with me.

Our 37 hour journey starts on Saturday! I've always wanted to drive across the US so I'm super pumped about it. Of course, with the cats we won't be able to do any sightseeing. So that's kind of a bummer, but I think just the drive alone is exciting! My best friend and I used to plan these elaborate US summer road trips when we were in high school. Of course, we weren't old enough to rent a car and on $20 a week allowance we certainly wouldn't have gotten very far, haha.

Our first day will be the longest drive, which is 14 hours to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sunday will be Tulsa to Albuquerque, New Mexico (where of course, knowing Jon & I we'll be "breaking bad"), and then on Halloween we'll be in San Diego! We'll be driving through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and obviously California.

For now I've decided to keep my blog name as "Midwest Mayhem." At least until I get a better idea of how long we'll be in California and what the future looks like. It's not only about the physical location either. I've lived my whole 28 years in the midwest -it's all I know! So I look at it as bringing a midwest mentality to the west coast! My biggest fear when I get out there is culture shock. Jon isn't too worried, and he has a good point that we'll be meeting people from all over out there, not just people from the west coast. When I moved to Chicago I lived in a co-op with people from all over the world, so I was immersed in a huge melting pot from the get-go, which I loved. At the same time though just being out and about most people I'd run into on a daily basis (fellow students, customers at work, people on the bus...) were from Michigan so as much as my life was diversified it also felt very much the same. What this all comes down to is that I don't want to be around fake people or as Holden Caulfield would say, "phonies". I feel that Southern California is stereotypically the land of phonies. But hey, if you want to be in the film industry there's really no way around it. Either way it's a new adventure and a new chapter in my life and even a bunch of brainless phonies can't take that excitement away from me. :)

Haha, okay I'm done with my rant now. I'm sure we'll be fine out there and meet cool people and all will be well.

Starting Friday I have an awesome group of guest bloggers lined up to keep things going around here while I'm on the road, so make sure to check back for their posts!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
The Kids Are Alright Tee: American Apparel/Work Shirt
Skirt: The Gap, Gift
Tights: Thrifted
Flats: Target

Accessories:
Sunglasses: Meijer
Necklace: Forever 21
Hat: Thrifted

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Last Day of Work

2011-10-23T19:20:00.004-04:00

Today was my last day of work at the theatre! This is what I wore:

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Brown & Gold

2011-10-21T07:51:00.006-04:00

Just popping in for a minute here. This is an outfit I wore the other day to go out to lunch with Jon's uncle and cousin. For the most part I've been living in sweatpants and hoodies (super glamorous, I know). So it was nice to wear normal clothes for a day. (Even when they are covered in lint from packing...) The house is pretty much completely packed! My last day of work is Sunday and then next week our focus will be on scrubbing the house clean and patching holes and all of that good stuff. We've been excellent at staying on schedule so far. I think we've been so good about it because we both know how exhausting the move day is, so we know by now to have everything completely finished before we get the van. We'll be picking up our van next Friday and then we leave on Saturday (1 week and 1 day)! Eek!

The Speedy Girl contest is over, however you can read an interview I did for them here!

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Pairing Down

2011-10-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

Packing is very difficult especially when it comes to getting rid of stuff. Yesterday I went through my shoes and got rid of almost half of them. Some of them were overdo for being donated or the garbage can, but others still had a good run in them. Yes, yes I know that they are just shoes and only a material possession, but some of them have a history. For example I am throwing out the best pair of black flats I've ever owned (complete with bowed toes) because the holes in them have gotten to be out of control (even as work shoes). They were the shoes I bought for my big first dating anniversary with Jon. We had the best fondue dinner I've ever had in my life, went to a chinese circus, and watched fireworks on a boat on the Chicago river. Those little black shoes walked all over Chicago that night in their patent leather glory. Now they are in the trash...

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Built for Two

2011-10-16T23:25:00.016-04:00

This is our last big Michigan photo shoot! I wanted to embrace the autumn spirit with bike rides, leaves, and sweaters. I even got Jon to wear a scarf! (He hates scarves, thinks they are unnecessary.) The tandem bike is an old childhood favorite. I used to ride around with my parents and of course everyone in the neighborhood loved it. I hope we're able to keep it, I would like to take my future children for bike rides on it! I think the plan was to sell it. That would be a shame though because it's an awesome bike.

Jon came up with the idea that we should do a little sequence for the photos; of which I've broken down into two parts:

Sequence #1

Sequence #2

Don't forget that there's still time to vote for me for the Speedy Girl Contest! You can even vote once a day if you wish! To vote just go to Speedy Girl's facebook page and find me under the "blogger contest" tab on the left! Thanks!!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Jacket: Gift
Short Sleeve Sweater: Thrifted
Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Thrifted
Socks: H&M
Shoes: Nine West, Sale

Accessories:
Hat: Thrifted
Bracelet: Gift
Necklace: H&M

Seeing as almost everything I'm wearing is thrifted, a gift, or from a sale this entire outfit cost me about....$15!

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(Cat)urday! will be back in November...

2011-10-15T12:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry guys, (Cat)urday will be temporarily suspended until all of this moving stuff is done!

Jon and I are having our families over today for a goodbye get-together. It's the last day that we'll be able to get everyone over at once, so that's why we're having the goodbye party so early. We'll probably see everyone individually at least one more time before we leave, but it's still sad!

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Rainy Leopard

2011-10-14T12:01:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to schedule a joint outfit shoot with Jon, but the past two days have been rainy. I have a cute idea that I want to do before we move. Today we ran some errands early in the morning, which is when I snapped this outfit photo. I just threw on a simple dress and my leopard print coat to try to look a little more put together, but I'm sure my sleepy face gave me away. The house is well on its way to being packed. We're still organizing a bit, but we've gotten quite a bit done. Now it's time to call apartments...

Oh and look at these delicious lentil burgers I made yesterday! I was on a cooking roll...lentil burgers...vegetable soup...and pumpkin pie!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:

Coat: H&M
Dress: Thrifted
Tights: Target
Flats: Target, Sale

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Vintage Wednesday - On Vacation

2011-10-12T19:48:00.005-04:00

Sorry guys, but Vintage Wednesday will be taking a temporary leave of absence until all of this packing and moving stuff is done in November. I spent 3 hours cleaning and packing all of my purses yesterday. Tonight I'm going to start packing any clothes that I'm not using at the moment. I'm going to have a very limited wardrobe for the next few weeks. Yikes!

Jon and I didn't get the apartment that we really wanted. It was rented out while they were going through our application. Bummer. So it's back to square one. My brother has said we can stay with him if we're unable to find anything before we move. The past couple of places we've called have said they won't rent a place unless you come and see it first. So maybe we'll have more luck once we're out there. It just makes me so nervous moving without an apartment! But then, it also makes me nervous moving into an apartment we haven't seen. So either way there's pros and cons I suppose.

Anyway, so yeah once I've moved and am blogging on a regular basis again I'll start Vintage Wednesday back up.

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Country Wedding

2011-10-11T10:19:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Jon & I went to a wedding in a small little country town. It was a lovely ceremony and the reception was held at a charming converted old movie house. This is what I wore:

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Forever 21
Tights: Target
Heels: Ferragamo, Vintage

Accessories:
Bow: H&M
Necklace: Forever 21

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Corn Maize

2011-10-10T14:55:00.019-04:00

In case you didn't know this, in the midwest we walk around in the cornfields for fun. Haha, which is exactly what I did on Friday with Jon & my mom! We went out to the country to go to a corn maze near Armada, Michigan. We had to solve a "clue-like" mystery in the maze by finding different checkpoints with different pictures that were clues as to "who done it". It turned out it was the chicken with the wrench in the outhouse! You just can't trust those chickens!

We also enjoyed some fresh cider and donuts. Oh, I'm so glad I'm still in Michigan right now for cider and donuts! This is absolutely my favorite time of the year, especially when it's 70+ degrees out! When I lived in Chicago I missed doing all of these fun autumn activities. Of course, they would have some stuff set up outside of Daley Plaza, but it's not the same as driving out an hour and taking in the golden surroundings, sipping fresh cider, roaming through the pumpkin patches....ah, I just love it so much!

We got to walk through their haunted house. It was neat to do this during the day when it's not running because we got to see all of the props and artwork that went into it.

Oh, and there was an 11 day old baby goat! Adorable!!!

(photos by Jon Knitter)

Also, remember my Speedy Girl dress from this post? Well, the information is up for you guys to vote for me! If my picture wins I'll get a $200 gift card! But it's not all for me, just by voting you have a chance to win a $50 gift card! Cool, huh?

To vote just go to Speedy Girl's facebook page and find me under the "blogger contest" tab on the left! Thanks!!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Top: Free People, clothing swap
Jeans: BDG, Urban Outfitters
Boots: Victoria's Secret

Accessories:
Beret: Gift
Beaded Necklace: Thrifted
Floral Necklace: Forever 21

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Links a la Mode

2011-10-10T00:30:00.003-04:00

Yay! I made last week's links a la mode with my VW sweater girl post, how exciting! Be sure to check out all of the links, there's some great stuff here!

International Intrigue

Edited by Taylor Davies
This weeks selections for Links a la Mode take us all around the globe and back again. From vintage shopping in Paris and Istanbul to picking the best from fashion weeks abroad, our community is buzzing with news and thoughts from overseas.

Of course we couldn't leave out some more local stories entirely, so we've sprinkled in a selection of fall inspirations from som American bloggers; from menswear to DIY projects to some ethical debates in advertising and journalism.

THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: OCTOBER 6TH

Alex Drake Vintage: Autumn 2011

Aqui: DIY Fabric Necklace

Being Zhenya: Thrifting for Treasure

Beyond Fabric: On Head wear

Cadence & Clementine: Contradicting Collaborations

Can Ya Heel Me?: Ethics in Blogging: A Philadelphia Fashion Week Controversy

Cosmolawlitan: Reebok’s Toning Shoes Do Not Tone As Advertised

Dress Code: High Fashion: Louis Vuitton Exhibition at La Trienalle, Milano

Little Miss Make-up: Best Mascara 2011

Midwest Mayhem: Sweater Girls

Miss Viki: 25 Hours Hotel: Vienna is a Circus

My Fashion Lust List: Budapest Design Week

Naked Glory: Guide to Vintage Shopping in Paris

Oranges & Apples: How to Pack for a Long Trip in a Hot Country

Overseeing Fashion: Shopping in Istanbul

Pretty Innovative: ASOS Ramps Up Global Fashion Marketing

Simply Frabulous: Milano Fashion Week: Time For Elegance

Susu Paris Chic: Lady Shapes

Tomorrow At Dawn: Schoolgirl Style

The Red Dot: Paris Fashion Week Street Style Part 1

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE

If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

SPONSOR
New Boots at Shopbop: Jill Sander, Sam Edelman, Jeffrey Campbell, KORS, Ash,Costume National, Hunter Boots, Sorels, Frye, Kelsi Dagger, Juicy Couture, Minnetonka, NDC, Coclico, Vera Wang, & Joie.

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Illustration Series October

2011-10-07T01:27:00.005-04:00

Here's a new round of fashion illustrations for fall!

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Vintage Wednesday #47

2011-10-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

Vintage Isabel Garreton dress, 100% acrylic. I wore this outfit today to run errands, sell/donate clothing, and to watch Project Nim at the theatre. What a great documentary, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is an animal lover! This dress is perfect for a warm fall day. The material is too heavy for summer and since it's short sleeved it doesn't work that well in winter either. So fall it is!

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Happy Birthday to the Husband!

2011-10-03T20:23:00.008-04:00

Yeserday was Jon's 29th birthday! What an old man he is getting to be. Haha. We went to his parent's house out in the country to celebrate. The leaves looked amazing out there!

I took advantage of the nice, crisp weather with some layering. Also, I brought out the first wool skirt of the season. The skirt is brown plaid with metallic stripes running through it. A perfect look for autumn!

Jon wore his new Zelda shirt that was my birthday present to him. He even asked for a closer shot of the t-shirt, haha. He's starting to get used to the way this whole blogging thing works.

We've made huge progress on our move to San Diego! We went to AAA today and planned our route/booked our hotels! We were there for 2.5 hours!

Our move date (assuming all goes as planned) will be October 29th. Since we're leaving in less than 4 weeks we have a ton of packing and organzing to do. With that being said I probably won't be blogging as much this month. I will try my best to keep up, but I'll probably start just posting 1 picture of each outfit when I'm able to. Also, I will do my best to keep up with your lovely blogs, but if you haven't heard from me in a while don't worry - I'll be back with plenty of love in November!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Cardigan: H&M
T-Shirt: Urban Outfitters
Blouse: Banana Republic, Thrifted
Wool Skirt: Thrifted
Tights: Target
Boots: Gift

Accessories:
Necklace: Forever 21
Brooch: Thrifted
Watch: Gift

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It's (Cat)urday!

2011-10-01T10:28:00.008-04:00

It's that time again! Here are this week's (cat)urday bests:

NES kept jumping on my shoulder while I was trying to edit photos on Wednesday:

Bath time!

Izzy gives Jon this look just about every day:

The kitties are going to miss their kitty runway when we move!

I found NES sleeping like this. No, he was not licking himself...he was sound asleep!

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Speedy Girl Kitty Dress

2011-09-29T07:24:00.018-04:00

As mentioned in an earlier post this week I received a dress at the Michigan Blogger Meet-up to style for a contest on Speedy Girl (www.shopspeedygirl.com). If you like my look, then check out their facebook page and vote for me by liking my photo (it may be a few days before it's up)! I browsed through their website and if I wasn't in the process of trying to downsize my closet my wallet would be in trouble! They have super cute dresses, skirts, tops, etc, and everything is really cheap! The only catch? You have 24 hours to snatch up your item before it's gone!

We had quite a selection of items to go through, so it was nice having different choices. Of course I had to go with the cat dress! Jon agreed that it was purrrrfect for me. Haha, okay...I'm done being lame now. Promise.

Unfortunately the dress was slightly big on top. So I remedied the problem by throwing a little sweater over it. I wanted to stick with a muted color palette and for fun I added a vintage lace collar. I actually planned on going to downtown Ferndale to take outfit pictures. I'm starting to get bored of taking pictures in my backyard. However, the clouds were threatening rain so I decided it was best to take the outfit pictures in my yard after all. Just as predicted as soon as I was done it started pouring! Well, I then went to load up my car for some errand running and movie watching at my theatre...only to realize that my mom still has my car keys...and Jon still has the spare key...and he was already at work. So...long story short...I was obviously not going anywhere. At least I'm getting a lot of blogging done tonight!

And I think I'm going to start organizing the back room for packing. I really didn't want to start packing until we had an apartment (I'm kind of superstitious like that). However, if we end up signing a lease for 2 weeks from now we're never going to get done in time! So...I figure I should start now. I just hope we sign for an apartment soon! So far none have been available late October yet, but it seems like that is starting to change. Wish us luck!

Hahaha, okay I left this one in just for Jon...I'm flying away! ;)

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Speedy Girl
Sweater: Thrifted
Tights: Thrifted
Heels: Classified

Accessories:
Lace Collar: Vintage
Earrings: Gift
Belt: Thrifted
Bow: Michael's

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Vintage Wednesday #46 - Sweater Girls

2011-09-28T08:00:00.023-04:00

When the leaves start turning a golden amber and there's the most heavenly crunch with every step you know you're full swing into autumn. This is why I thought it would be appropriate to cover vintage sweaters seeing as it's finally sweater weather (the best time of the year, by the way).

Of course when you think of vintage sweaters the idea of the "sweater girl" first comes to mind. The sweater girl look was stylish in the 40's and 50's. Its popularity increased due to the support of hollywood actresses such as Lana Turner and Jane Russell. The look emphasized a young woman's bust and waist with the help of small sweaters and conical/bullet bras.

With the exception of the rockabilly look and the early 90's Madonna craze, a young lady would have looked very out of place with this type of style in recent years. (It's really the bra that makes the look.) However, with the recent explosion of vintage and vintage inspired looks the bullet bra is slowly creeping its way back to popularity in a stealth like manner. I suppose we can attribute its success to the recent Mad Men craze, but as young women start looking to authentic vintage pieces they're finding they need the correct undergarments to pull them off. Are the young ladies of today about to become a new generation of sweater girls? I doubt it, but I do think the look will have a small amount of admirers for a little while; at least until the main stream is done with the vintage look. ;)

(photo source: http://www.knitting-bee.com)

(photo source: http://fromhollyjanetryan.blogspot.com)

(photo source: http://blog.pennlive.com)

(photo source: http://retroways.blogspot.com/)

(photo source: http://www.xpresszo.com)

(photo source: http://filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com)

(photo source: http://www.glamoursplash.com)

Here are some photos from Vogue's 2010 sweater girl campaign:

(photo source: http://www.vintagehair.com)

(photo source: http://www.vintagehair.com)

(photo source: http://bessgeorgette.com)

(photo source: http://bijoux-esque.blogspot.com)

(photo source: http://pinterest.com/pin/29690869/)

(photo source: http://www.vintagehair.com)

Regardless of how you wear your vintage sweaters, aren't they just great for rolling around in piles of leaves and sipping cider? I'm so happy that Jon and I get to experience at least a little bit of autumn before we move out west and are spoiled with sunshine every day! It's so hard to believe that in 3-4 weeks we are going to be on the road (cats and all)! We need to start packing!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Vintage Wednesday. Check back next week for more vintage fun!

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The Nightmare Before Christmas

2011-09-27T20:18:00.004-04:00

Just popping in for a minute to share some more pictures from the weekend. We played an original 35mm print of The Nightmare Before Christmas this weekend at the theatre. I dressed as Sally and a co-worker dressed up as Jack! We had a lot of fun with it.

Jon and I will probably either be on the road or busy unpacking for halloween this year, so I'm counting this as my halloween outfit! I wish the stitches came out better on my face, but that's what I get for using the crappy halloween store stuff, right?

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Ann Arbor Michigan Blogger Meet-up

2011-09-25T23:40:00.028-04:00

(Photo credit: Sara, She is Sara)

This past Saturday I went with Sara, Brittany, and Tiffany to the Ann Arbor Michigan Blogger Meet-up! I can't believe how many amazing fashionable ladies there are in this state! It's just incredible.

The event was set up by Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy and she did such a great job planning everything out and also making it an official Michigan event by going to Meijer and buying us Faygo and Better Made chips, haha.

To break the ice we played a very fashionable game of bingo where we had to go around and find items from the bingo sheets that the other girls were wearing. I got a bingo and ended of winning this cool bracelet:

We were also each given a ring and mine ended up matching my outfit perfectly!

(Photo credit: Sara, She is Sara)

Once we got to know each other a little better we started the clothing swap. I got some awesome new stuff:

On top of the swap we were all each able to pick an item of clothing from Speedy Girl (www.shopspeedygirl.com) that we get to style up to enter our looks in an online contest. I chose this awesome cat dress:

I'm going to wear it tomorrow for a trip to Canada.

It turned out that unbeknownst to us we were actually crashing a wedding. A guy came to start setting up and was confused as to why were were in the "guest reception" area, haha. A few more people from the wedding came and started setting up which was our cue to move out from the area. So we walked around the park a bit and of course took some outfit photos!

I'm totally making a "meh" face in this photo, but just look at all of those pretty flowers in the background!

(Above meet-up photos: Sara, She is Sara)

The dress that I wore is quickly becoming my new favorite fall item. I got it a couple of weeks ago at the thrift store along with the blouse I'm wearing. I wore it two weeks ago for my mom's birthday party. Here's a peek at how I styled it then:

(We were playing mini gulf that day. Also...please take note of the chipmunk in the background grabbing his/her chest...)

Here's a list of the bloggers who attended the meet-up, be sure to stop by and visit their blogs!

Alicia - (Doesn't have a blog, but came for the fun!)

Brittany - Woodstock Hearts Fashion

Jaclyn - Stay in the Lines

Katie - Fashion Frugality

Liz - 26 and Counting

Sara - She is Sara

Suze - Miss Vinyl Ahoy

Tiffany - Nynga and the Bear

The Breakdown:

Outfit:

Dress: Thrifted (label no loner visable)
Blouse: Vintage, Thrifted (no label)
Tights: Hue
Embellished Flats: Nine West, Sale

Accessories:
Belt: Thrifted
Necklace: Forever 21
Purse: Thrifted
Ring: meet-up giveaway

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It's (Cat)urday!

2011-09-24T10:03:00.001-04:00

Yay! It's (Cat)urday and that means it's time for cute kitties!

The ladies:

Penelope:

Playtime:

Have a great weekend! I'm so excited to be attending the Michigan Blogger Meet-up today! I can't wait to tell you guys all about it and share pictures!

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Vintage Wednesday #45

2011-09-21T14:36:00.001-04:00

Well, hello again! Three days in a row, look at these updates! This week for Vintage Wednesday I'm actually sharing two items, my "Wednesday Adams Dress" and a lovely plum blazer with gold piping (yes the same one I wore in my last post...)!

I bought this dress way back in February during a Michigan Blogger Meet-up. I set it aside to be dry cleaned before wearing it and by the time I got it cleaned the weather was starting to get warmer and it was too late! So now it is debuting 7 months later, haha. The dress is actually just a bit too short on me, so I actually have to wear it as a long top. That's why I paired it with my H&M tulle skirt. The dress is made out of velvet, but there isn't a label. So it could be handmade, probably for a child. The shape and collar are perfect for a Wednesday Adams look! If I took the skirt off you would see that the dress is a straight mini. Of course, if I did that you'd also see my bum peeking out! So, for the sake of modesty I've worn the dress as a top for these photos.

The blazer was a hand-me-down from a friend and has become a full time fall favorite of mine. I love the deep plum color. The label on the blazer says, MJ and it's also velvet.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of vintage wednesday! I had a lot of fun taking this week's pictures. Check back next week for more vintage fun!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Vintage (no label)
Blazer: MJ, Vintage
Tights: Thrifted
Flats: Nine West, Sale

Accessories:

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Michigan Renaissance Festival

2011-09-20T17:10:00.012-04:00

On Sunday Jon and I went to the Michigan Renaissance Festival with my family. I've been going once a year since I was about 12 with the exception of a few of the years that I was living in Chicago. So many people go all out and have such amazing outfits, but unfortunately I am not one of them. I think it's too expensive to buy stuff there unless you're completely dedicated to it. Although I did try to stick to a renaissance theme with what I had to work with in my current wardrobe. Of course it was the perfect day to bring out the chicken bag!

Jon ended up getting a bad migraine right before we went in, so I had to wait outside the gates with him for about an hour until it went away. So with Jon not feeling well and the fact that I was with family I didn't have much time to play with my outfit shots, but I did manage to sneak a few in.

Jon also used his wardrobe resources to pull together a good outfit as you can see by his Zelda shirt:

Elvie went with us and she had her own little costume, how adorable!

I tried to change things up a bit and work with a cooler color palette in the editing this time around. I love photos with the perfect pale tones. However for my photos specifically I think I actually prefer the warmer, more romantic tones that I usually use. I think it looks better with my hair and complexion. Thoughts?

Is anyone else super excited about the premiere of The New Girl tonight? I just happen to have the day off!

Ciao! (I'm teaching myself Italian, so you guys may have to put up with me slipping in Italian phases here and there for awhile.) :)

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Vintage
Blazer: Vintage, Thrifted Gift
Slip: Vintage
Tights: Thrifted
Socks: Target
Platform Sandals: Steve Madden, Thrifted

Accessories:
Chicken Purse: Leon & Lulu
Sunglasses: Meijer
Bunny Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelet: Gift
Watch: Gift

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Be Excellent to Each Other

2011-09-20T01:20:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a busy weekend! I hardly slept at all, as we were just going non-stop. I didn't even have time for (cat)urday! (I'll have to make it up to you guys this weekend with some extra cute pictures!)

On Saturday we had a super crazy event at work. It was a private screening to sell a kids tv show. There was a full marching band in the theatre! That is something I certainly never thought I'd see! They left all of their balloons behind, so I grabbed some and took them home for this photo shoot! I have to admit I'm a little bored of photos of bloggers with balloons (not that individually they aren't interesting, but I think the idea has been exhausted.) However, since these were readily available I decided to jump on the balloon bandwagon. Since usually you'll see balloons with pretty, romantic outfits I wanted to do a different take on it and wear something more casual. So I chose my vintage skirt/skort with a button down and my denim jacket. I chose the orange button down to keep the color theme autumnal. I think this may be my favorite attempt at pattern mixing yet!

Later on Saturday night Jon, a friend, and myself all went to see Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure at the theatre. Haha, what a classic! I love all of the cheesey 80's graphics! It was a perfect way to spend the night. Of course Jon and I had to help my step-mom deliver papers afterwards, so the night was still young when the movie was over. We got done around 4:30AM which wasn't too bad seeing as we got a late start.

This upcoming weekend we're having The Nightmare Before Christmas as our midnight movie and I couldn't be more excited! I'm definitely going to dress up! Also this weekend is the Ann Arbor Michigan blogger meet-up! How exciting!

We only got a few hours of sleep after the routes Saturday/Sunday morning because we were leaving early for the Michigan Renaissance Festival that day. Jon and I had a fun time and I should have pictures up by tomorrow.

I have quite a few posts lined up for the week, so make sure to check back! Hope you all have a great day!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Skirt: Vintage
Blouse: American Eagle Outfitters
Denim Jacket: Guess
Tights: Thrifted
Shoes: Quick

Accessories:
Belt: Thrifted
Sunglasses: Forever 21
Chicken Purse: Leon & Lulu
Necklace: H&M

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A Trip to the Zoo

2011-09-16T14:01:00.019-04:00

Two weeks ago I gave you a sneak peek of our Labor Day weekend and now I'm finally getting around to posting the pictures! It seems like I was just in disbelief about how it's already September and now it's already mid-September! Crazy!

For Labor Day weekend Jon and I took a mini trip to west Michigan to visit with family. We went with Jon's sister and our niece, Stella to a petting zoo in the country. It was a lot of fun and they had a lot of animals that you don't usually see at petting zoos!

A little alligator trying to be tough and scary:

The iguana jumped on the turtle's back and went for a ride!

Big turtle:

Little turtle:

This emu was making "come hither eyes" at Jon:

A baby zebra! She was so soft!

We went into a little pen with tons of birds flying everywhere:

Crazy chicken face chicken:

Eeeeeevvvvilllll goats!

A fennec fox! I want one!

A little wallaby! LIke Rocko! Remember Rocko?

Aren't bird feathers amazing?

I had planned on wearing a pink sundress for the day, but I forgot to pack my white legging shorts! The dress was a little too short to wear on a windy day without anything unserneath. Luckily I packed a back-up outfit, which is what I'm wearing in these photos. The outfit would have looked better with a belt, but I was in a hurry to pack and forgot to bring one. I love this Dr. Suess shirt! It's so soft and the muted colors make it easy to pair with almost any outfit!

(Photos of me taken by Mr. Jon Knitter)

I love photographing my niece! She's such a doll!

That's all for today. Time to get ready for work. I hope you all have a great weekend!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dr. Seuss Tee: Urban Outfitters
Floral Skirt: Thrifted

Accessories:
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelet: Filene's Basement
Watch: Gift

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Vintage Wednesday #44

2011-09-14T06:13:00.002-04:00

This week for Vintage Wednesday I'm sharing a 1960s scooter dress that I wore to work last weekend when Quadrophenia was our midnight movie. We get to dress up on the weekends for the midnight movies so I was super excited to get a chance to don my best mod outfit. Of course, I had to keep in mind I was wearing this to work, so I needed a dress with a modest hem length. I chose this polka dot scooter dress which I've had for probably 8 or 9 years now. It was one of my original vintage purchases. I did have a few items before this one, but I bought this when I started having a clear view of my style aesthetic. (It took awhile to perfect, but it gave me a direction.) The dress label reads, "Kimberly" and it is 100% polyester.

While the dress is cute enough on its own I wanted to add another element of playfulness so I paired it with the polka dot button down. At the same time I didn't want to over do it, so I kept the bottom half of the outfit simple with white tights and navy heels. For my hair I teased it up into a small bouffant then twisted the ends into a rope shape and pinned them at the top.

Jon and I watched Miranda July's new film, "The Future" the same night we watched Quadrophenia. It was great! I felt so bad for it because it opened during arts, beats, and eats weekend when the theatre was completely dead, so the distributers thought it didn't do well and it was gone within a week! Jon and I both gave it 4 stars bordering on 5. It's been about a week since we've watched it and it's still on my mind - a telltale sign of a great film. Put it on your Netflix queue now!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's edition of Vintage Wednesday! Check back next week for more vintage fun!

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Scooter Dress: Kimberly, Vintage
Polka Dot Blouse: Objex, Thrifted
White Tights: Filene's Basement
Heels: Vintage, Thrifted

Accessories:
Earrings: ? (can't recall)
Purse: Capezio, Thrifted
Black Bow: H&M
Bracelet: Gift/Heirloom

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I Can Only See My Love Grow'n...I Like the Way This is Goin'...

2011-09-12T08:00:00.031-04:00

Jon and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary last Tuesday. We spent the afternoon/early evening in downtown Detroit and had a great time! I can't believe it has already been three years. Wow, time sure flies. It seems like we just got married. Of course we are officially no longer newly weds. Now we're just plain married, haha. Oh, but I love it! My husband is the greatest and I'm looking forward to celebrating our 5th anniverasry...our 10th...25th...50th....100th (cause, you know we'll all be living longer by then...)! We get each other so well and I love that we have the same sense of humor (except when it comes to ordering new checks...I mean, c'mon, cat angels bathing each other? Hilarious!). I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful, caring person to spend my days with. :)

First off on our anniversary date we stopped at the Heidelberg Project. Jon had never seen it and it's one of my favorite Detroit attractions. The Heidelburg Project is an outside art installation by local artist Tyree Guyton that spans a few blocks of Detroit's east side neighborhoods. The sense of a healing community is a very strong message that jumps out at you with every step along the dotted street. Although the work is very bright and bold there is something so profoundly sad about it. If you're ever in Detroit I highly recommend stopping by and walking around. Unfortunately, a lot of the houses have been torn down by the city, but there's still a lot to explore!

The dress that I'm wearing is the dress that I bought to be worn when Jon proposed to me. However, since I was taken completely by surprise by his proposal (you can read the story here) I was not prepared and was not actually wearing said dress when I was proposed to. I did wear it to the celebration dinner that night though!

I wanted to have an autumnal theme to my outfit, so I paired the dress with my burnt sienna turtleneck top and gold (newly thrifted) tights. I wore my 60s vintage Ferragamo heels to complete the look. I think it's a combination of the cut of the dress and the metallic sheen, but I always feel so glamorous wearing it. Since the dress makes such a bold statement I only take it out of my closet for special occasions. I've got to keep its mystique alive. Jon wore his metallic striped shirt and vintage "fight club" jacket. Haha, it was unintentional, but we kind of ended up matching!

After the Heidelberg project we headed to Belle Isle (a huge park on a small island in Detroit) for some anniversary pictures. We wanted to go to the conservatory and walk around the gardens, but it was closed! Instead we just stayed along the river and got a few pictures.

Isn't this pond just breathtaking? It was so peaceful and perfect.

I'm just in love with the architecture of the Belle Isle Aquarium:

By this point of our date we were both starting to get incredibly hungry so we headed over to Nikki's Pizzeria in Greek town. I chose this restaurant for two reasons: 1) I used to go here all of the time after shows when I was a teenager. I fell in love with their pizza and Jon had never had it before, so I needed him to try it before we moved away from Michigan! 2) We went to Greece for our honeymoon, so having dinner in Greek Town just seemed appropriate!

Saganaki, greek salad, delicious pizza....does it get any better?

After filling our bellies we headed over to the Greektown Casino to try our luck with the slot machines. I know how to play poker and Jon knows how to play blackjack, but neither one of us were confident enough in our skills to approach a table, haha. We didn't win any money, but we had a fun time trying!

Finally we ended the day with some delicious ice cream and made our way home. The rest of the evening we cuddled and watched DVDs, which is what we do best!

We lit our unity candle for the evening. We decided to keep up a tradition of lighting it once a year on our anniversary.

All in all it was an amazing evening. That husband...I tell ya...I sure do fancy him. ;)

(Photo credit: Jon Knitter)

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Metallic Dress: H&M
Turtleneck Top: Thrifted
Gold Tights: Thrifted
Heels: Vintage, Ferragamo

Accessories:
Bow: H&M
Black Clutch: Gift
Belt: Thrifted
Locket Necklace: Wedding Day Gift
Charm Necklace: Forever 21
Earrings: H&M
Watch: Gift
Glasses: Ray Ban

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What I Want This Fall

2011-09-11T18:07:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone! Currently I'm working on editing my anniversary photos. Hopefully I'll be done and able to share them with you guys by tomorrow! In the meantime I'd like to share a few items I'm coveting this fall!

1) Rockin' fall wedges ready to wear with a pair of amazing tights:

Fall Wedges by catbirdknitter featuring wedge shoes

2) Said tights and pretty socks for layering:

Fall Tights by catbirdknitter featuring knee socks

3) A-line skirts in bold colors and prints:

skirts fall by catbirdknitter featuring print skirts

Little sweaters to show off a small waist in an a-line skirt:

fall sweaters by catbirdknitter featuring a button front cardigan

4) Just chilly enough outerwear:

Fall jackets by catbirdknitter featuring a ruffle coat

If only I had an unlimited supply of money then I would be all set! In the meantime I'll be scrounging the thrift stores searching for unique look-a-likes.

I'm so glad Jon and I are going to be able to enjoy fall before we move. It's my favorite season both aesthetically and fashion wise.

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It's (Cat)urday!

2011-09-10T16:54:00.006-04:00

Nelly has been helping me with my artwork:

The bros:

Izzy was being super cute this week, so she gets two pictures. She did a lot of sleeping in the laundry basket:

And a lot of cuddling in the blankets:

Sorry for my absence this week! I have tons of pictures to post next week, so there will be a Midwest Mayhem over load! :)

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Vintage Wednesday #43

2011-09-07T10:18:00.001-04:00

Oh what a busy week it's been! I'm hanging my artwork for my art show, "A Representation of (Mis)conception" today. Which means I didn't have time to do a full Vintage Wednesday post. To make up for it, I would like to share some lovely vintage pin-ups....hopefully these ladies will hold your interest until next week!

I have a small obsession with vintage pin-up art!

(All images found through a google search.)

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Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary

2011-09-06T06:09:00.001-04:00

Today Jon and I are off celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary! Pictures to come!

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A Sneak Peek

2011-09-05T05:05:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your Labor Day! I'm spending mine at work, haha. I just wanted to pop in for a minute to give you a sneak peek of my (sort of) spontaneous trip to Caledonia this weekend!

These next few days are going to be super busy for me. Tonight is really the last day I have to work on the artwork for my art show, I'll be celebrating my 3rd wedding anniversary with Jon tomorrow, and then Wednesday I'm hanging my artwork! Geez oh petes, right?

Hopefully I can get everything done in time! I'll have a plethora of photos and posts lined up once this week is over, but for now the next few days are probably going to be a little quiet.

It's (Cat)urday!

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the 2nd edition of (Cat)urdays! I'm off in Caledonia (near Grand Rapids) visiting with family. More about that next week. For now here are some cute kitties to entertain you on this stormy Saturday!

Izzy with a painting of Jon's childhood cat:

Everyone else wanted to do glamour shots this week:

I think NES was a little confused with my direction:

Panthro playing the part of the bad boy:

P.S. I'd like to welcome others to join me with (Cat)urdays or posting pictures of any of your furry/feathery/scaly friends! Send me a link to your post by 11PM Friday night and I'll link to it on my Saturday post! You can email me at: catsmidwestmayhem@gmail.com

It's gonna be a thing!

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Illustration Series September

2011-09-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

It's been so long since I've done an illustration feature! With my dad passing away, traveling, and working on my upcoming art show they just kind of got tossed aside. Now that things are slowing down I'm able to pick this back up again. Seeing as all of the clothing is for summer you can tell I started them awhile ago! Next time I'll have some fall inspiration. (Although I guess the middle drawing could count as a fall outfit!)

This one I wish I had used marker on. I'm not a fan of the way the texture looks. My prismacolor markers are all running out though! Grrr!

I'll have a few more to share next time. I'm just happy to get back in the groove of drawing these!

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Vintage Wednesday #42 - Pink Striped Dress

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

This week for Vintage Wednesday I'm wearing this beautiful striped pink dress. The label reads Allison Paige and it is 100% cotton. The dress has a lovely 50s silhouette, but based on the tag and modern sizing I think it's actually from the 80s. I've researched Allison Paige, but I can't find any information!

I paired the dress with a light weight jacket, poofy skirt (worn as a petticoat), and my all time favorite heels. I took the jacket off for the majority of the pictures because I wanted to show off the dress.

The jacket does have a super cute peter pan collar though:

I usually try to avoid wearing pure white as it makes my face look even more pink than it already is, which is something I really don't need! This jacket is great as a quick cover up though, so I decided to hang on to it for now.

Shhhhhh...secret kitty...

A look at my accessories:

Aren't these heels just amazing? I got them when I was in Switzerland. I love the classic shape, the bows, and the little mary jane-esque openings by the toes.

Sometimes when I'm wearing a light outfit like this I get frustrated with my camera because there's no white balance, which results in a lot of over exposure.

However, other times my camera really surprises me by taking beautiful photographs for a little point and shoot. Case in point, look at how awesome my marigolds look:

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Dress: Vintage, Thrifted
Heels: Vera Pelle

Accessories:
Necklace: Designed by Jon
Belt: Thrifted
Watch: Heirloom

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Fixin' Up Mah Bike

2011-08-30T11:40:00.001-04:00

Whoo, look at me in a super casual outfit! The other day Jon and I worked on fixing up our bikes! It's a very sad tale as our Chicago bikes were ruined in the last apartment we lived in. Jon's was special to him because it was the first bike that he bought with his own money. He used to ride it around for 30-40 miles at a time with his friend. My bike was special to me because it was a birthday present and my first bike as an adult. I used to ride it all around Chicago (while carting around film equipment)! (Oh, and my bike was purple. Awesome, right?)

When we moved into our last apartment we stored our bikes in what the building manager told us was the bike room (and it was at the time). They had it temperature controlled and everything and everyone had their bikes in the room. We didn't use our bikes while we lived at that apartment because I couldn't ride with still recovering from my car accident. So we checked on them occasionally to make sure they were still there (and they were). So, the day we went to move we were very surprised when we went to unlock the bike room to find that our keys no longer fit the lock! The building manager never informed us that they changed the room from bike storage into a maintenance room. It was no longer temperature controlled and the locks were changed. We were so lucky that the maintenance man happened to be there that day! He had a key to the new lock and let us in to get our bikes and we were so happy that we weren't going to have to leave them behind and then we saw the horror!!! The rough Chicago winter had gotten to them and they were all rusted and cracked! Oh it was so awful! We brought them home with us anyway with the hope of being able to restore them, but they are just too far gone. :(

Luckily my aunt had two bikes that she was no longer using so she gave them to us. These are the ones we've been working on. The one that's mine is a beige color. For right now her name is Patty; at least until she has been painted. My back tire needed a new tube, so we popped the tire and replaced it. However the new one isn't taking the air from the air pump. I got it to work at the gas station, but I didn't fill it all of the way because I needed to get the outer tire around the rim still. Soo.......now the tire is back in place but it doesn't have enough air and it's still not taking air from the hand pumps we have. Therefore, it's back to the gas station I go. This is my first time repairing a bike, so any tips on changing a flat tire would be much appreciated!

Aw yeah, look at those sexy digits:

Yep. I have a pink tool kit.

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Shirt: From work
Shorts: Thrifted
Shoes: Payless

Accessories:
Necklace: Thrifted

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The Suburban Mural

2011-08-28T21:28:00.015-04:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent mine working on fixing up my bike and working on illustrations for my art show (and of course working). In between a trip to the hardware store for our bikes and a trip to the grocery store for our tummies Jon and I managed to snap a few outfit pictures in front of this awesome mural in Roseville.

Haha, yes I was totally that girl at the grocery store - all done up with no place to go! I really wanted to get pictures by the mural so I planned an outfit that I thought would reflect the colors and theme. So I went for a little pattern mixing with my floral shirt and pink, triangle patterned skirt. The heels are one of my favorite pairs, they made up of a light copper glitter. They make me feel quite glamourous, but they just kill to walk in. The beaded purse is vintage from the 20s and belonged to my grandma.

The mural was done by the Roseville artist Edward "Gonzo" Stross. It's actually a sad/irksome story. The original mural was painted in 1997 to commemorate the death of Princess Diana (who you can still see up in the top right corner). The angels were originally holding the letters, "L, O,V, E". The lower half of the mural was a replica of Michelangelo's "Creation of Man" which showed a naked breast. The artist was sued by the city for both the breast and the word "love". The breast, I can understand (although I don't agree with the city's decision). However, filing a lawsuit over the word "love"? There must be some really bored city officials in Roseville that have nothing better to do than pick on local artists! It was the use of signage on a building that was the technical problem, but still! The artist owned the building! As for the naked breast - it was a replica of a great work of art and wasn't even the main focal point of the mural. in my opinion it's just such a ridiculous thing to spend city funds disputing.

Anyway, so that's the history. The artist agreed to paint over the letters and breast and painted this new Monet style mural in its place. With such a beautiful and peaceful looking work of art you would never believe there was such a muddy background to it!

This little girl angel is painted on the back of the building. I like her eeriness.

Here's a photo of the mural that caused all the trouble:

(photo: http://www.aclumich.org)

The Breakdown:

Outfit:
Floral Top: Target
Skirt: H&M, Gift
Heels: Nordstrom's

Accessories:
Belt: Thrifted
Pearl Collar: Vintage
Earrings: Target
Bracelet: Gift/Heirloom
Purse: Vintage/Heirloom

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New Feature! (Cat)urdays!

2011-08-27T12:00:00.006-04:00

It tends to get a little quiet here on Midwest Mayhem during the weekends. So, I've decided to start a new feature to help fill the gap between Friday and Monday - (Cat)urdays! Jon and I probably take about 10 pictures of our cats per day. Most of them never have the privilege of being shared because there are just so many! So from now on every Saturday I'll pick the best of the bunch to share with you guys!

Here's NES making a stupid face:

And Panthro melting into the background:

Yay! Cute kitties!

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