Antique Score!

The town where E and T live is really small; a post office, a hunt and tackle shop, a grocery store, a gas station, an amazing antique store (that we discovered last year), and now, a thrift shop! (The thrift shop might have been there for a while, but it's new to us.) Pretty good for a small town. Last year I came home from Bramblefest with a good haul of "antiques" and this year was no different. Check out my amazing finds.



A Tadashi dress from the thrift store. According to the internets, this brand usually runs over $100. Mine was $13. Booya!





Reversible apron.



Four small Fiestaware plates that my mom bought me, one of which matches the bowls she bought me last year. I plan to collect this stuff randomly as I come across it until I've replaced all of my current dinnerware with Fiestaware. Nerd alert!



And here's my favorite find, a cardigan clip. My excitement is possibly due to my borderline obsession with Mad Men (the only reason I would consider getting cable).





So cute!

Valentimes Day Recap

This year I received three amazing valentines from my friends; Chloe made a lovely washcloth, Katie wrote a note that was incredibly heartfelt, and Nicole made me an e.e. cummings valentine!



yes is a pleasant country:
if's wintry
(my lovely)
let's open the year

both is the very weather
(not either)
my treasure,
when violets appear

love is a deeper season
than reason;
my sweet one
(and april's where we're)

- e.e. cummings


M and I went to see the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center to celebrate the day and I spied the VERY BEST Valentine's Day outfit I have EVER seen.



And that hat.



I love VDay. I don't care what anyone says.

Alterna-Mummers!

(this photo is from their myspace profile)

Check out the Flickr group for the newest Mummers club, the Vaudvillains! They are a group from an art collective ("creative community") in Philly called Space 1026 and they organized their first comic brigade in this year's Mummers parade, making their own costumes and props and doing their own makeup. I am thoroughly inspired (and maybe want to join them next year). Here's a link to a video of their parade dance.

Happy New Year, Mummers Style

Quaker City String Band: "Back in the Hay"

Here in Philly we ring in the new year with the Mummer's Parade. It's a little hard to explain, but basically the Mummers are the members of various social clubs (Mummers clubs) around the city who spend months preparing elaborate themed costumes and movable scenery to compete in the parade in a series of categories: Comics, String bands, Fancies, and Fancy brigades. It's absolutely ridiculous and made more so because the people in these clubs are mostly large, macho white men. And one day of the year they can be found marching around the city dancing and wearing makeup, sequins, glitter, feathers, tights, and neon colors. I love you Philadelphia.


Polish American String Band: " Out of this World"


Woodland String Band: "Egypt"


Polish American String Band: "Out of this World"


Uptown String Band: "A Whale of a Tale!"

Shoes, Glorious Shoes

I finally designed and ordered those custom-made Pumas I was talking about before.



I absolutely adore how tacky they are, I can't even handle it.



They're horrible, I know this. But I made them, and I love them.

"Got my [Pumas] on but they look like sneakers"

My birthday is coming up, and here is my number one request right now: Custom-designed Puma sneakers! On the Puma website (you have to search for "Mongolian Shoe BBQ") you can choose the color and texture of 20 different elements on their sneakers to design a one-of-a-kind shoe. The website requires a fast computer, and it's actually kind of irritating to use, but I've already designed one pair (they are dark brown, pink, and yellow and I think I'm going to try again before I actually order them). It's super fun, and I can't wait to get mine in the mail!! Eeeeeeeeee!!

Here's an example of someone's design, not mine, but very cool nonetheless.

New dress, new hair

I finished my sundress! I wanted to get it done before coming to NJ because I knew things would be too hectic when I got back to CA and it would most likely never get finished. So I bugged my friend incessantly until she made time to help me finish it. The zipper was hard and it's a bit sloppy, but I'm happy with it. Here are some pictures of the dress, and my new hair. I got it done before coming home (a treat that only happens once every three or four months). It's shorter than I've ever had it before, and I totally love it. I look like Billy Idol. These pictures were taken the day I got it cut, so it's styled in a way that I can't duplicate, of course. It generally tends to stick straight up in the air, rather than sweep across like that, but I like it that way.








I've been home for less than a week, but most of that time has been spent with friends. My best friend is starting law school this week so I arrived home and immediately drove to her house to spend a few days with her before she starts. She lives down the shore, and her house is literally on the water. It's on a small bay off the ocean, and it's gorgeous. Pictures to come.