Mighty Swell, Mighty Good Weekend

I thought this was a pretty stylin' photo to start out this post! This weekend the boyfriend & I dropped by Mighty Swell for their His Sale. Mighty Swell is a pop-up vintage store located in Minneapolis on 42nd street, which is conveniently close to me. The store offers sporadic sales of vintage goods, and this weekend they had their first ever all men's shop! I brought the boy along because he likes clothes and I like buying them for him. This is one of the sweaters he found, which seems to be semi-inspired by the French flag.


There was a great selection of flannels and plaids (this is Minnesota, after all) but I particularly liked this southwestern print shirt. Of course, all the wacky print shirts I come across are way to big for my boy. I think he finds it rather fortunate. All the prices at the sale were decent and there was a lot of cute decor, vinyl, and bags also on sale.



I found this wonderful Italian flag suitcase for myself! Perfect for my collection. I love collecting vintage suitcases and stacking them on top of each other. Good for storage and also acts as a table top. My boyfriend likes to use the surface to keep his dirty clothes on.



After the sale, we went down a few blocks and checked out the Angry Catfish which is on 42nd & 28th. It had been recommended to me by a co-worker, and when we were in the Mighty Swell shop, one of the owners suggested the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Mocha. I am a dark chocolate addict, so of course this was an absolute must! The coffee shop is also a bicycle repair shop, so it feels really fun inside. Wood floors, cement walls, falling apart couches, and bicycles hanging from the walls and ceilings. We'll definitely have to revisit!








We finished the day with a party hosted by a super cool friend of mine. This is him.

Video FAQ: Curly Hair

I made a video to answer my most frequently asked question: How do I do my hair? Sorry for all the awkwardness & stumbling on my words. Also, my lisp is picked up stronger in video recordings, so it may be difficult to understand some of what I say, when my "s" gets too slushy. Anyways, I'll quit apologising over it & let everyone watch or not watch or however you wish to make of it.

I could get on stilts and walk under a daschund

Map Photo Frame DIY

This is a quick tutorial on decoupaging photo frames! In this case, I used some maps of European coountries. You can use any type of paper you'd like!


Start with your photo frame. Wipe it clean and take it apart. In this example, I bought a cheap frame from the dollar store. Don't do this! The glass did not come out, which made the process slightly more messy, but since all the glues were water-based, they were easy to clean off the glass.


I used tacky glue and painted it onto the frame, laying the paper down as I went along. I left torn edges on purpose, but you can always cut the edges straight if you'd prefer.


I did, however, cut one straight edge and align it with the glass of the frame. Even if you didn't go cheap and bought an actual frame from a reputable source (aka not the dollar store), I would still align a straight edge. Too much bulk folded over the edge might mean that the glass won't fit back into the frame.




I covered the whole entire frame with map pieces, now comes the decoupage!


I was using Mod Podge for this. I haven't tried any other brands of decoupage, but this is really great. You can also use puzzle glue or any type of glue which will dry clear. Even tacky glue is fine, but decoupage glue will probably yield best results.


Paint the decoupage on in an even layer, smoothing down any pieces of the paper that might've come up. Let it dry and do another layer. After all is dry, clean the glass and pop everything back into place!


Here was my finished piece, which I gave as a present to my best friend! I'll definitely be decoupaging more frames, but I do not recommend skimping and buying dollar store frames.

My Valentino

My little goldfish Valentino (pictured on the lefthand side) died today. This post is in commemoration to him, since he was very dear to me and Ted (pictured on the right) as well. May you rest in peace in little fishy heaven.


The weather was absolutely fantastic and I have the day off. I haven't done much with it yet (finding Valentino floating in the tank was quite a shock and I'm still recovering - I spent the morning crafting him a casket) but I do plan on taking a walk later and then snuggling down to watch Andy Griffith with the boyfriend! Both of those things can usually cheer me up quite a bit! Now, speaking of the boyfriend....



He took all the photos for my blog today! He's such a sweet, I'm lucky to have him.

On Sunday, the boy and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to catch the Edo Pop exhibit that was closing. On the way out, we ran over to Blacklist Vintage, which is an absolutely lovely little store located just a few blocks from the museum. If you live in the area, check it out! Their prices are reasonable and they have a nice selection of clothing, accessories, and even some home decor. I found this lovely skirt there, which the boyfriend fell in love with even more than me. He's a sucker for a girl in a skirt and I suppose this one completes all of his school teacher fantasies. Either way, it's super lovely, great for winter, and the best part is that I don't have to hem it! When it comes to vintage (or, well, anything) I usually end up hemming several inches. This one needs no hemming and is beautifully hand constructed!


I also bought this too cute parrot pin! I had been eyeing it the last time I was at Blacklist and luckily for me, it was still there! I love this little guy, I named him Loulou after the parrot in "Un Coeur Simple" by Flaubert, which I read last semester in the French Lit class where I met my boyfriend. We collaborated for a speech over the chapter where Loulou flies away.


Oh! I almost forgot - this jacket! I found this yesterday (booo, I do too much shopping on my days off!) at a consignment shop in Highland Village. It was slightly overpriced, but my size, faux fur, and ridiculously soft and Teddy Bear-like. I bought it and decided to give it a try...I always have 7 days to return it. What do you guys think? Should I keep it?



I do quite like it for its vintage appeal, without it being real fur. Real fur is too much for me, even if it's vintage! I think it reflects the 1950's-winter look that I was going for, even if the weather isn't quite in style with the look...


It also makes me feel sort of superior and movie-star-like... So what do you guys all think about the jacket? To keep, or not to keep? Input, please!



I have another DIY project coming up soon (I'm the next Martha Stewart, or so I'd like to think). School starts next week, and the textbooks slowly trickling onto my front step is a constant reminder. I also now need to decide whether to return the 20 gallon tank that I bought for the fish (Ted doesn't need that much to himself!) or if I should buy a Valentino II? Hmmm big decisions are ahead, for 2012!

My New Year's Resolution: 2012 Edition, Part One

2011 started off great. I was feeling confident and happy. I had just gotten out of a relationship that had gone sour and the whole world was mine. It was an exciting time (I secretly love being single!) but it was also marked with 40 hour work weeks, full time schooling, 5:30am wake ups, and mono. I found myself a wonderful new companion, went on a trip to New Mexico, graduated high school, and backpacked across Europe. When I came home from Europe, I was 10 pounds heavier than when I left. But I felt great! I was healthy. My hips had gotten wider, my thighs more muscular, but I cheerfully donated all of my now too-small jeans.

Since all of this happened, I started yet another semester at college, and most certainly my most unhappy semester. It was plagued with loneliness, sadness, extreme tiredness, and stress. My weight has been up and down and I've often been feeling fat, unhealthy, and out of shape. This is, of course, ridiculous. I'm less than 100 pounds (keep in mind that I'm only 5 feet tall, but this is still very light!) and I should absolutely not be feeling this way. I've never been stick skinny, I've always had chubby legs and babyface. But I'm upset with myself for letting it ever get so far as putting myself down for how I look.

So here is my New Year's Resolution, Part One. I will try to surround myself with photos of "real" women. No more starving, stick thin models, but rather people who eat and are merry, not giving too much consideration as to how many calories they're consuming. So here I am to start off 2012 with a collection of photos to demonstrate the type of women who will represent my 2012!

NO MORE girls who look like this, with chicken legs, skeleton hands, and a great deal of Photoshop!


Clara Bow is a wonderful example of a woman with a beautiful body. Her weight went up & down her entire life (as well as her mentality), but she never let it take away from her sex appeal.


Raquel Torres: no collar bones sticking out and her thighs touch...but she's not letting it stop her!


Dorothy Dickinson showing off the hips of a real woman.


Marilyn Monroe, one of my favourite icons, who was blessed with a fantastic body.


Alice White, looking cute as ever, but not worrying about sucking in her stomach or making herself look overly "sexy."

This is only part one of my resolution to feel 100% better about my body image. There's much more to come, but I won't bore everyone with what I have to say. More will come soon, and in the meantime, I'd love to hear your guys' own resolutions, or how you keep your self esteem soaring!

A Night at the Ordway + Glitter Shoes DIY

Hello folks, and happy New Year! I've decided to start 2012 off right and do a two-in-one: an outfit I wore AND a DIY post!


On Wednesday night, my boyfriend brought me to see "Cinderella" at the Ordway in downtown St. Paul. It was absolutely lovely! Going to the theater is one of my favourites. Dressing up is such fun, and being in the swim with all the other fish...what excitement! I had only a day to decide what to wear for the show, so I threw this look together at the last minute. I had been wearing my hair up and my boyfriend told me that I looked like Audrey Hepburn. So bam, I decided to do a Holly Golightly look. The finishing touch, and maybe the "Chloe" aspect of the look, are the shoes....which I "made" by myself. Here's how:


I started with a pair of black pumps that I bought at Payless some time ago. Just cheapie shoes that I don't care for. In addition to the shoes, you also need: masking tape, a bowl, a paintbrush, craft glue (I'm using tacky glue), and craft glitter. Make sure that you cover your entire work area with newspaper. You will regret it otherwise!


Clean off the shoes and then mark the areas that you don't want to get glittery with masking tape.


Paint glue over the area where you want glitter. Make sure it's painted on very evenly, or else the glitter will be noticeably uneven.


Hold the shoe over the bowl and sprinkle glitter over it. Wiggle the shoe around to spread the glitter. Gently pat it in place and then shake off all excess.


Continue with the rest of the shoe. After I used the baby pink glitter, I taped around the inside of the shoe and then continued to glitter the rest of the shoe.


After I was done with black, and the pink had fully dried, I went ahead and did two more layers of pink glitter. It is very important that you let the glue dry entirely!


And here is my finished product!



They turned out pretty well, except the glitter does make an awful mess! I've always wanted glitter-y shoes but I'm not in the financial state to buy new ones, and since these were lying around anyways, I thought I'd try out a fun craft. I love DIY!


In addition to the shoes, I wore this dress that I found a few years ago in the Macy's sale section for $6. My boyfriend at the time said that he really loved the dress, so I bought it and then never wore it for him! "Cinderella" was the first time! I'm also wearing gloves from Jessica Mclintock, a black wait belt, and jewelry that was my grandmothers (the double strand and also stud diamond earrings, though they're probably not apparent...). I've been getting quite into jewelry as of late and I'd like to continue experimenting with it more.


So, with the start of the New Year comes such great new events and resolutions. Expect to see more very soon, as well as a complete list of my resolutions. 2011 was such a great year, I didn't possibly want to see it end. But it has, and we'll just have to try to make 2012 just as great!