fashion

After getting my men out the door this morning I immediately made a run for the television in order to immerse myself in all things Bravo and its Bravolebrities. In particular my fav stylist Rachel Zoe. After an hour of watching my girl in her long pants, fur jackets, giant accessories, and very high shoes, I was prompted to write about a subject barely touched on in my literary adventure. Running to my closet to recycle my tired old wardrobe, I ran my fingers over my own collection of wide legged pants,vintage fur jackets, high shoes and opted for a fun yet very un-Zoe like ensemble. Seeing the plethora of clothing that runs throughout the Zoe empire I am inspired to look at my old wardrobe in a new light. Old jackets become new again with some hot pink skinny cords. Vintage metal flower pins find a sunny perch on my collars and my "funeral" shoes now look fresh with the hot pink skinnies. Okay men, I'm sure at this point you have lost interest and clicked back to your manly cyber browse, but hey, I'm a girl and sometimes what you get is girly stuff. As a teen my wanderlust would never quite go away, hating the "burgh" as much as I did. This led to my big dreams of running off to Paris and New York City in order to conquer the fashion world. Well, I did get to Paris, as a tourist and upon sitting on the steps of my coveted Chanel (after hours) I managed to set off the screeching burglar alarm. My traveling partner and I quickly made a mad dash down the rue St. Honore and that was the end of my Parisian fashion career. Upon entering Kent State University's esteemed fashion program, I quickly realized by the end of my second year that maybe there were other plans for me. Sitting at that awful industrial sewing machine that I swear moved faster than light speed ended with me in tears. My roommate and college bestie would sit at her machine and pump out garment after garment while I struggled to thread the damn needle. Fashion illustration was also another bump in my stylish career. I've always been somewhat adept in the drawing and painting department, but fashion illustration I could never quite master. My models always looked deathly with giant lobster claws for hands. Of course the bestie never had a problem with this either. Her sketches were beautiful and fluid with all perfect hands. Ugh. Discouragement at its finest. Maybe a different path WAS inevitable. After trying to channel my creative energies into majors that were just, well, dry, I gave up alltogether. Soooo many years later I have found my niche. I have learned to redirect that manic creative energy into my other pop culture passion, vintage home decor. Surrounding myself with color and texture, size, shape and scale and of course little bits of history has renewed my sense of self. Finding my true path has been one of my greatest rewards and hey, I still get to shop for a living. Goodnight world. 

happy spring!

So here we are, spring! Yeah right. Last week's post left you with a recount of my beautiful day with 70 degree weather. Today's post, polar opposite I'm afraid. We were warned. The weather channel has talked about nothing else except snow, winter storm, falling temps, blah, blah, blah. Ok, so we have snow, so it's cold, so what. We live in the midwest. We should be used to this craziness by now. Move to Florida if you don't like it. There you have hurricanes and giant bugs. Forced to disconnect from all social media today due to the incessant weather complaints by the masses, I turned to last year's blog posts to assess the seasonal situation. Last year was quite a different story. Last year my pond was open, lilacs blooming, perennials green, you know real spring. The winter that passed was actually quite temperate considering our place on the map. So temperate in fact the general complaint was global warming. Well here we are, a year later and it's snowing. Global warming? Maybe, but really a normal late spring winter storm. I can remember one Easter toting my in-laws around in 5 heavy wet inches of snow that disappeared the very next day. This too shall pass. By the end of the week, this wet blanket of white stuff should be gone, my stunted crocii will be back to blooming and we will be one week closer to opening the pond, the windows, storing away the winter clothes, boots, blankets, and of course the snow shovels. Weather is fleeting and here in the midwest it is cold one day and searing hot the next. For today though, I am indulging in the laziness the weather allows me. Eventually I will take off my ugly robe, put on the boots and take one last walk in the snow with my child. Upon returning home I will make fresh coffee and since it seems appropriate, some warm pumpkin bread. I can indulge my senses in the last fading aromas of winter. For as I look out my window I can see the birds are back despite the snow, the trees are still budding and all too soon we will be complaining about the heat and wondering where we stashed that air conditioner. I believe you might find it next to the snow shovels. Good afternoon world.

sunny day

Time change, tiny blooming crocus, buds on my lilacs, not to mention the flocks of fowl sited in the park. All signs of spring! Yay, we're almost there! After waking to the sun yesterday morning and stepping outside to a much warmer temp than previous days I felt March had come in like a lamb. One can even smell spring as the ground and lake begin to thaw. Rushing to the babysitters than on to my estate score to haul my new vintage finds back to the store had the windows down and Lana Del Ray blasting from my car speakers. My husband following close behind most likely had his reggae of choice blasting from his car speakers. What a beautiful day only to be made brighter by my boxes of vintage Christmas, Easter, toys, coolers, bowling pins, glassware, etc. The colorful 1950's vinyl chairs and 1960's tiki rattan only added to the cheery day. By the time we arrived back at the shop the sun was out in full force and the temperature had climbed to almost 70. Lured by pictures of my haul, a girlfriend popped in and spent the next hour chatting outside in the sun while we lounged on the old rattan set. All we needed were umbrella drinks to make the moment even more perfect. After she left, with one of my chairs, I was bombarded for the next few hours with customers. Apparently the lions had been let out of the cage because my little city was hoppin'. People were everywhere! In this gray and gloomy city here in the "rust belt" we take what we can get. On its darkest day Cleveland is gritty and industrial, but when the sun shines it becomes an urban beach town. The lake positively sparkles and as the ice mounds break away and separate, the lake is as blue as the sky. Who couldn't find beauty in this midwest "mistake on the lake". I hate even using that old moniker so outdated that it is. Live here a few years and than tell me you don't take notice of all that is offered, but that is for another post. Today was just a beautiful sunny day and this city's residents were reveling in it. Hard work on a nice day makes me thirsty and after a text from my wild girlfriend, an impromptu evening al fresco had been arranged. Margaritas, burgers, and boys. Oh so many boys. Husband, boyfriend, and our 3 boys chasing chickens, grilling said burgers, lighting fires, and my favorite part of the evening, sending fiery Chinese paper lanterns into the dark night sky. Magical. Warm weather evenings with friends and children just make you feel good inside. It doesn't matter that my son had brownies for dinner or had chicken poo on his pants or had to be carried to the car crying because he was so tired he could barely stand. It was just a sunny day spent working hard with the wonderful reward of family, friends, and yes, a margarita or two at the end of it all. Goodnight world.