Crop it to me Capin’

Top: ASOS Skirt: Ebay (American Apparel) Sandals: DV by Dolce Vita Bracelet: Nasty Gal

 
        I wore this outfit to the opening of my best friends first solo art show. If you’re in the twin cities you can check out the show until August 7th at the Uptown Smitten Kitten. If you want to check out her art but don’t live in Minnesota you can go to her blog (just an FYI some of her art is NSFW) and/or check out her facebook page.
          I’ve been wanting to try crop tops recently. I’m not gonna lie I was a little afraid of them at first, flashbacks to  middle school and the strong body image issues I had back then when crop tops/ tube tops grazed the midriffs of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera ran rampant in my mind. But after seeing so many bloggers of all sizes rocking them I decided to give them a try, and I have to say I kinda like them.  I got this one and a matching white one from ASOS for pretty cheap to wear with high waisted bottoms etc. Turns out they were just what I needed to re-invigorate my maxi skirts.

Fourth O’ July style

   

         
Top: target skirt: ASOS shoes: DV by dolce vita 
        This Fourth of July I was grateful for many things, but mostly that I didn’t feel like death. The day before I felt awful so it was soo nice to just be able to be out and about like a normal person. Anyway I worked for most of the fourth and didn’t really have concrete plans until after work at about 7pm.  My friend that I usually go see fireworks with was busy working so I went with a good friend from work. Luckily my friend lives really close to the (Mississippi) river, which is one of the places that has fireworks in/ around Minneapolis. So I parked at her house and we walked to the river. We watched fireworks from the stone arch bridge and then has some delicious food truck food. The weather was amazing  and it was a really fun night. 
        On to the outfit! I had a couple outfits in mind for this festive occasion but decided to go with this one after figuring out where I was going. Last year I went all red, white and blue and felt a little hokey. You can do patriotic really well and cool or you can do it badly and look like an elementary school teacher rocking a Fourth of July themed sweater vest. I had a tamed down outfit picked out that still had red, white, and blue but decided I just wasn’t in the mood for it. So I went with this asos skirt I recently purchased and a simple white scoop neck top. I like the outfit although in hindsight white wasn’t the best color for my food truck excursion. It could use a little more something but it was pretty hot out and it was a nice easy breezy outfit for the fourth.

A Sweet Escape

      So a couple weeks ago (Valentines Day week to be exact) I packed up and went to Florida for the week. My mom got a few weeks off and wanted to go somewhere and when I was able to get a week off so we decided we should go somewhere warm, so we went to Florida.  We kind of went all over Florida, we landed in Fort Lauderdale and drove to our hotel in Islamadora, Fl (one of the Florida Keys), then we spent the next day in Key West and drove (8hrs) to Orlando. In Orlando we did the usual, Disney World and Universal Studios for 3 days (which really isn’t a lot of time, people usually spend a week doing just that) and then we went to Tampa where we went on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings at Florida Southern University and a tour of (mostly) Mid Century modern houses in Sarasota, Fl. All in all it was an incredibly busy but fun vay-cay. Whenever I go back I’ll probably do less and spend more time on the beach, but it was a really nice trip and a nice break from winter.
        I did take pictures, but there are so many I think i’ll break them up into three posts. I also have a couple outfit posts from the trip so i’ll include those when appropriate. I don’t have as many outfit posts, as a lot of the Orlando time my outfits were more functional than fashion-y, it also was a tad cold (like 50/60 degrees but with rain) some of the days so a lot of the pictures of me during those days are of me in a hoodie, which isn’t real exciting.
         I figured I’d  get the outfit post out of the way first. I wore this the first full day we spent in Florida. I like it but i’m not in love with it, not really sure why.

The patio of our hotel room.

Top (actually a dress): Thirfted  Skirt: Asos  Belt: Target  Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita

 
Now onto the (many) Florida Keys Photos:

Palm trees

view from our room’s patio

the beach around our hotel

I guess Islamadora is known for it’s good fishing so our hotel had lots of docks for boats and fishing,

cool bird

These little cabins were also part of our hotel. Aren’t they cute?

 Key West.

When we finally got to Key West we had to find parking, it was really packed when we got there, and we went immediately to Ernest Hemingway’s house, one of our must see sites on the trip.

The Hemingway House

The house had some really cool light fixtures:

Hemingway was a cat person and was really fond of these extra-toed cats. Now the decendents of these cats occupy the house and grounds, it’s really cute.

just a cat on Hemingways bed, nbd.

the house had some amazing bathrooms

You know just hanging out on the display thing

I’m obsessed with this bathroom, isn’t it amazing? I want it!
Look at that funky tile. momma like.

view down from the veranda

I told you i liked that bathroom

The ground were really beautiful too, though the ground smelled a bit like cat pee…

Hemingway’s carridge house/ study. I love the way this room is decorated.

The cats really do run this house

Urinal turned cat watering hole. Hemingway took it from his favorite bar Sloppy Joe’s (see below) when they moved to a new location. His then wife added the water fixture and tile to pretty it up.

We found a cat that looked like my Olive man so I had to take a few pictures of it.
shortly after this the cat on the left pounced on the cat on the right, it was pretty cute.

Oliver? no, but still cute

All cats love boxes

Cat houses made to look like mini versions of the big house

cat cemetery

the house was right across the street from a light house

On the streets in Key West:

The Southernmost Point of the USA:

The marker that i didn’t take a picture in front of because there was literally a line for it. I wasn’t waiting in line for that.

Hemingway’s favorite bar

All Patterned up

Shirt: Macys  Skirt: Jason Wu for Target  Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita
           If you think this outfit looks a little familiar you’re right, I wore a very similar outfit here. I wore this outfit to my internship and though I like the look of the outfit I probably should have worn something else that day. I just wasn’t feeling that outfit for that day. That said I do like this outfit, the different patterns make it interesting while the pleats and ruffle detail make it ultra feminine. One of the trends for fall is winter florals, I’m not a huge floral girl but I’m excited to work this skirt into that trend and style it for a colder season.
        How was your labor day? I spent mine with a terrible head cold 🙁 I like fall but, apparently, fall doesn’t like me. I did though take advantage of a few labor day sales. Did you get anything good this labor day?

super casual maxi

Shirt: Target Skirt: ebay (originally AA) shoes: DV for Dolce Vita
            I wore this outfit last weekend to run some errands. I bought this skirt during my maxi skirt obsession earlier this year. I was really into American Apparel maxis but they’re a little expensive so I looked on ebay and found this one for $25. Although it has two layers of chiffon the skirt is still pretty sheer, but I don’t have a huge problem with that as I often wear shorts under my skirts anyway. When I first got the skirt I wasn’t sure how I wanted to style it. I had a black shirt I liked but not with the skirt. Finally I tried it on with this t-shirt and it clicked. I got the t-shirt a few years ago and am sad to say that it’s pretty much been relegated to lounge wear. It has holes in it and isn’t really right to wear outside unless it’s knotted like so. Anyway I’m still in love with Maxi’s and I think I may have to invest in a jersey maxi for fall. There’s just something about wearing a long skirt that makes you feel like a lady.

To the Max(i)

 Skirt: PLNDR Shirt: Thrifted Sandals: DV by Dolce Vita

             Sorry, again for the no-posting situation I have a few outfits lined up so posting should be back on track from now on. Since summer is slowly slipping away I’m trying to pack in all the  warm weather outfits  before the temperature drops. After being obsessed with Maxi skirts earlier this year I haven’t really worn mine much this summer. But I have to say they’re super fun.  You just feel super feminine in them and kinda fancy, I think it’s the long length.  Either way I’ll definitely be wearing more maxi’s from now on! I would have worn a statement necklace with this but I was going for casual and I just thought the necklace I had in mind seemed a little too dressy. That said I really like the simplicity of the outfit.

            Finally the always lovely Beth from The Fashionable Adventures of Bethie the Boo gave me a Liebster award forever ago but due to my impromptu  I never did it. The Liebster award  “is given to upcoming bloggers who have 200 followers or less.  The meaning of Liebster in German is sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome”. 

The rules for the award:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves
2. Answer the question the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs.

 1. I’m not real crafty. I like to do art stuff but I don’t really do it much. I’m really into papier mache and if the craft is easy enough i’d be down to do it, but generally I’m not very crafty. I sort of realized this while looking through DIY/ Craft-ish blogs and looking at the stuff people do and thinking ” meh looks like too much work.” Maybe I should just say I’m a lazy crafter.

2. I suck at makeup. Though ocassionally I do attempt to wear makeup it’s not an everyday thing for me, mostly because I’ve never taken the time to actually be good at it. In middle and highschool my friends never were into makeup so I just never forced myself to learn. Now i’m just lazy, though I always say sometime I’ll actually learn. maybe.

3.  I love to dance. I took dance lessons, ballet for a little while but mostly Tap and Jazz, from 3rd to 12th grade. This also means there are far too many embarrassing pictures of me in dance costumes and this is part of the reason I had (until recently) an aversion to sequins (too many scratchy dance costumes).

4. If I was any animal I’d probably be a cat. I was actually asked “if you were any animal what would you be and why?” in an interview once and immediately thought cat. I think I just have more of a cat personality, I like to socialize and be friendly but sometimes I just want to be left alone. Plus who doesn’t want to get take naps whenever they feel like it?

5. I’m a crier. Yes I’ll admit it, ever since high school my hormones make me cry at the most ridiculous sentimental moments. If there’s a touching moment during a tv show, movie etc I’ll probably shed a tear, or at least try to blink one away. I don’t like it, mainly because while my body is crying i’m thinking “seriously? I’m crying at this?”, but it still happens.  Anyway I’ve begrudgingly accepted it. I’ve heard after giving birth some women get even more emotional, which means if I ever give birth I’ll be a total mess afterward.

6. I was never an athlete (I took dance that’s about as athletic as it got) but I love to watch figure skating and gymnastics, even when it’s not the Olympics. I think that’s probably why i like the Olympics, all the sports I’m actually into get the spotlight.

7.  I still love cartoons. I have a weekly DVR time for both Adventure Time and Regular show, I love Scooby Doo and am a sucker for 90’s cartoons. Somethings from childhood just seem to stick, I guess. Plus who doesn’t like Adventure Time, it’s mathmatical!

8. My favorite book, so far, is Beloved by Toni Morrison, she’s also my favorite author. She even spoke at my freshman commencement in college, It was super cool.

9. One day I want to take a road trip down route 66 and see all the cool kitchy sites and stay in the kitchy old hotels.

10. I’m not a gleek. I tried so hard to like Glee. I watched most of the second season etc. I just can’t get into it. On paper it’s perfect, but something about it just doesn’t get me. Maybe it’s because I was friends with real theater nerds in high school, maybe it’s just way too self aware for me. Whatever it is I just can’t get into it.

11. My biggest pet peeve is smacking/talking with your mouth full. I don’t know why it bothers me but I just find it gross. I can sometimes ignore it if i’m in a really good mood but most of the time it kills me.

Beth’s Questions:

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Blackberry . When I was abroad my host family had kind of a sweet tooth and we occasionally went out for ice cream. Most of the ice cream there is more like sorbet then like the ice cream here in the states, which was fine with me since I love sorbet. Anyway they had a lot of cool flavors some of the best being chocolate and coconut, but blackberry was definitely my favorite.
2. If money was no object, where would you like to travel most?
Everywhere, If I had unlimited funds. But if I had to choose one place it would probably be Cuba. I wanted to study abroad there but there’s only one program in the US that goes there and you have to go to that college to be eligible. I just find Cuba kind of fascinating, It’s culture and history all intrigue me, and I would love to go and visit. Hopefully someday soon the US will end the stupid embargo and I can go legally from the US and not have to stop in Canada or Mexico first. But even if the embargo is never repealed I’m totally going, someday. 
3. Describe to me your perfect day off.
My perfect day off would probably include a road trip to some town/place I’ve never been to, exploring the local flavor and, of course, a little antiquing/thrifting.
4. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
Reality TV. I love it a lot. I watch so much bad TV it’s almost embarrassing, almost. I’ve probably seen every episode of every housewife franchise ever, yea I’m serious. I should really be more ashamed of that then I am but what can I say? I like bad TV, it’s my thing. 
5. What is your favorite season?
Spring. When I was a kid I used to love watching as the snow melted and made little streams in the ground. I also like it because it’s (usually) perfect weather, not too hot not too cold, and it leads to summer!
6. (Stealing Amanda’s) Top 5 Favorite Movies. Go.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, The Royal Tenenbaums,  Clueless, Grizzly man (yes it’s sad but it’s still a really good movie), Shrek, Traffic. I’m super deep,ya’ll. I’m also more of a TV person.
7. What is your least favorite household chore?
Dishes. They. Never. End!
8. Coffee or tea or neither?
I like both it just depends on what i’m in the mood for/ if I need caffeine.  
9. Last book you read?  Do you recommend it?
The last book I read was Catching Fire, the 2nd Hunger Games book. The book was ok. I liked the first book a lot more. I’m not a huge fan of Peeta which makes the 2nd book a little irritating (trying not to give away anything). I’d recommend it if you read the first book and liked it, but I’d definitely not as good. Hopefully the 3rd book will be better, when i finally get it from the library.  I just watched Battle Royale and realized how much it’s similar to hunger games, except no one in hunger games kills themselves. Battle Royale (the movie) was gory but not very scary, a lot of the fight scenes looked choreographed which kinda took you out of the movie and the writing was pretty bad. But it was an interesting movie. I’d recommend it too, you can watch it on netflix.
10. What was your favorite childhood toy?
Barbie anything, I was really into barbie. My favorite Christmas present was a barbie dream house, I still have it. 
11. Do you have any bad habits?
probably just not exercising as much as I should.

My Questions:
1. What are your top 5 favorite books?
2. If you were an animal what animal would you be?
3  How would you describe your style in a word or phrase.
4. what’s your favorite sport?
5. what’s your favorite childhood memory?
6.what are the first 10 songs that come on when you put your ipod/ itunes on shuffle?
7.(stealing from Beth’s list) what are your top 5 movies?
8. do you have any fears/phobias? what are they and why?
9. what’s something about you that would surprise us?
10.  what’s your biggest pet peeve?
11. (stealing from Beth’s list again) if you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

I’m not going to tag anyone but if you want to join in please do so and let me know! I’d love to see your answers!

Taliesin Outfit #2 :Pattern Mixing like a fiend

Oliver likes to jump on me when I seem to be randomly standing around.
Top: Trifted Skirt: Jason Wu for Target Shoes: DV by Dolce Vita
        The thirfted striped shirt strikes again! I wore this the last day of our trip. I love the pattern mixing in this outfit. I read awhile ago that stripes and floral prints work well together, so I figured i’d give it a go with this outfit. I really like how it turned out and I think it helps that both patterns are also in the same color family. I wanted something easy and comfortable to wear on the last day of our trip and this worked perfectly. I didn’t feel like doing my hair so I pulled it up into a top knot. I’m not 100% sure about the top knot though, I think if it were back a little more I’d like it more. Anyway I really like this outfit and have another shirt that is also blue and white that I’ll probably pair with this skirt in a future post. Anyway that’s all for now!

What I wore to a sweltering Art-A-Whirl

Skirt: Thrifted Top: Forever 21 Sandals: DV by Dolce Vita
  I wore this outfit Friday to go to the library, do a little thrifting and attend a few Art-A-Whirl shows. We went to my best friend’s close friend Rudy Fig’s solo gallery show at the Rogue Buddha Gallery. She has a cool whimsical style best described as “a cosmic world of candy coated vixens, magical garden tea parties, and psychological purging.” If you didn’t get out to art-a-whirl last week or didn’t see Rudy’s show (and you’re in the Minneapolis area) you can catch it at Rogue Buddha Gallery until June 16th. We also visited Tarnish and Gold’s Buy Art show that my best friend was showing in along with lots of other great artists. The Buy Art show runs until the end of June so go and see it if you’re in the north east Minneapolis area. We ended the night at the Future Presence 5 show at Future Presence Gallery. It was our first time at art-a-whirl and it was a pretty fun night despite the hot and humid weather.  
       You may or may not remember this skirt from this post a couple weeks ago. When I got the skirt I knew how I wanted to style it for the colder months but was at a bit of a loss with what to wear with it in the summer. So, I went through my wardrobe and came up with different tops to pair with it for Summer. I came up with more than a few that I’ll definitely be posting later this summer. Although it may not look like it I’m actually mixing patterns. The top is a thinner striped top and the skirt has a cute little skeleton key print. I think they work well together, although the colors of the skirt and the top aren’t exact matches they complement each other well. The sandals may have been better if they were a neutral color, but I love these sandals soo much I just couldn’t help but wear them. I was lusting hard for these sandals last year when I saw them on karmaloop in turquoise. I loved them but I didn’t have the money to buy them. So, when I finally got a job I knew I had to have them. The only problem was they were out of season and unavailable at most stores. There were some on PLNDR and eBay but they weren’t in my size. Miraculously I found a pair on a random website and bought them, in February. So when it was finally hot enough to rock sandals I was super excited. In other words, expect to see these a lot in the coming weeks/months.

Summer Wishlist

Summer Wishlist

Summer Wishlist by cleopatrajonez featuring a lace dress


With warmer weather, green grass and buds on trees I find myself pining for the long warm days of summer. Of course this also means dreaming up outfits for those warm summer days and nights. The list above is a collection of things I’m currently looking for in thrift stores, possibly DIY projects and some items I’m contemplating buying retail. This set is maxi free because I’ve recently acquired two maxi skirts, so they’re no longer on the top of my look-for list. 

1. Lace dress. I haven’t been sure whether or not to get a lace dress for awhile. Now I’m kind of sold on the idea and am on the look out for a cute lace dress.

2. A Cute pair of wedges. Though I have a pair of cute thrifted wedges I’m still on the lookout for a nice pair of strappy wedges. I’m also looking for some more flats since most of mine have seen better days.

3.  Retro inspired Glasses. Though I still love my current glasses I’ve been pining for a new pair for a while. I’m pretty into the retro inspired styles that are trendy at the moment. I figure since my current glasses are pretty classic I can go for a trendier look. At first I wanted a wayfarer but now I’m leaning towards the half-rim wayfarer-esque ones above. 

4. A cute and easy summer dress. I have a bunch of dresses but I’m always on the lookout for a fun flirty summer dress . Basically a dress that’s light and breezy and works well from day to night. 

5. Black and white striped T. I’ve been looking for a while for a chunkier black and white striped T-shirt. I plan to pair it with my new maxi skirts for a cute and casual look. So far I’ve had no luck at the thrift store and am tempted to buy the one above from Zara. 

6. Collar. Collars have been trendy or awhile but for one reason or another I haven’t acquired any clothes with collars or any detachable ones. I’m currently looking for a detachable one that tickles my fancy. I’d love to find a really cool vintage one or a cheap one. I’ve also seen some really cool peter pan collar DIY’s that I might try as well.

7. Chambray button down. I’ve been looking for a chambray button down for the last month or so. This is another thing I plan to pair with my new maxi’s. I’ve found some in thrift stores but none were perfect, so the search goes on. The one above is from Old Navy and I’m slightly tempted to buy it, but I still have that voice in the back of my head that knows I can find one for cheap at the thrift store. 

8. Colored Pants. I didn’t jump on this trend when it emerged this fall but I’m now ready to embrace the look. I got some cobalt pants from Target that I love and now colored pants have made it onto my list of things to look for at the thrift store.