done got tagged

I have been tagged by fellow Michigander and vintage lover, Jessica, who sells great vintage in her Etsy shop, LolaVintage. You should check out Jessica's shop, as well as her blog--she is adorable and bubbly, and has been posting some really fun novelty print dresses and skirts!

I'm supposed to share ten interesting things about me. Hm. Well...

1. I have no musical talent, but it's not from lack of trying on my parents' part. They signed me up for marching band when I was in first grade. I played the cymbals. Later in life I took piano lessons and really enjoyed them, but slacked off and never continued after I went away to college.

2. I have had a perfume problem. Let's just say I have more than a few bottles. I now avoid sampling new scents because I really do not need any more perfume, but it doesn't help when I read intriguing things, like the recent review of Serge Lutens' pine-y new Filles en Aiguilles at Marina's Perfume-Smellin' Things blog.

3. I know the very best people in the New York greater metropolitan area. I first became acquainted with them at college, and they are the most fun, the cutest, the crazy-dancingest, funniest, dearest people, and I miss them every single day!

4. I was a children's book editor in New York for several years before I moved to Michigan. It was a really great job--I still (literally) dream about it!--and I got to do cool things like talk to Judy Blume on the phone, edit Encyclopedia Brown books, travel to George Lucas' ranch, and meet people like Robert Cormier, the Duchess of York, and Patrick Ewing.

5. I grew up in Colorado, a mile from the mountains. I lived there for 11 years and never went skiing once...until after I left. And then, only cross country skiing, because...

6. ...though daring in some respects, in others, I am a big chicken! I do not like downhill skiing or rollercoasters or anything that involves fast speeds down steep inclines. My mother would tell you I have been cautious like this since I was a child.

7. These beautiful creatures rule my world.

8. I am a punk rock kid. Here I am with my ridiculous hair and Murphy's Law t-shirt, in high school.

9. I became passionate--some might say "ranty"--about politics after I moved to Michigan. That's probably the last you'll ever hear from me on that. Unless something makes me REALLY mad.

10. I want to live in the Tunnel of Trees!

I am supposed to tag 10 other bloggers, but I'm going to be an ornery slacker and just tag these six:

The Homey Economic
Bruises Easily
Brown Bag Vintage
Rust Belt Threads
13bees
Zwzzy!

Thanks for the tag, Jessica!

xo
k

the teaches of peaches

Before:

After:

Regular and "donut" peaches from the orchard down the road. Peach Crisp recipe from 101Cookbooks.

xo
k

surviving summer

Yes, it's mid-August, but it just so happens, summer--in all its icky-sticky humid glory--only just now arrived in Michigan. (Okay, well, right now it's actually pleasantly dry and lovely, but I'm sure it will soon be icky-sticky again.)

I adore autumn. I am the only person in the state of Michigan who does not complain about the long gray winter--I love it! Spring is delightful, but always makes me a bit edgy because I know my nemesis, Summer, is right around the corner. And in my case, it truly isn't the heat. It's the humidity. And the mosquitoes.

How do I survive summer? Sometimes it's so sticky and hot that even getting out onto the lake for a dip is too strenuous. These are the times for a tepid soak in the bathtub with a LUSH Big Blue bath bomb. Its gentle lavender and lemon scent somehow evokes the ocean--or maybe it's the blue water and bits of seaweed.



On the most humid days I require L'Occitane Verbena Soothing Body Ice Gel. Smells lovely--citrusy with just a slight touch of spiciness--sinks right in, and actually does have a slightly cooling sensation. I also wear the matching perfume all summer long; it's the best citrus scent I've ever smelled (and I've smelled a lot of perfume).



My other go-to summer fragrance is Hermes Hermessence Rose Ikebana. It's rhubarb and rose, with a touch of grapefruit (which, come to think of it, sounds like a lovely cocktail). Only available at Hermes boutiques or via decanters like the fine folks at The Perfumed Court.




I'm not a shorts girl--at least, not in public. I think skirts are much prettier, and also, cooler (temperature and fashion-wise). I love the kitschy cool fairy tale/alpine-inspired skirts in madewithlovebyhannah's Etsy shop, like this Red Riding Hood skirt! (I am pretty sure I need one of her velveteen Winter Woods skirts for fall.)



Skirts and pretty, full-skirted dresses, like this one from VintageRoseClothing on Etsy, are my summer wardrobe staples. This pretty pink dress is perfect for a hot summer day, and VintageRose has a great selection of other dresses in her shop.



Of course, an icy cocktail, like a gin and tonic with frozen blueberries, a drink my friend Roberta introduced me to, always helps. Booze and antioxidants, all in one delicious dose!



And sometimes, only a viewing of a snowy film like Doctor Zhivago will do.



I hope you're all keeping cool this summer! Got any heat-beating tips for this summer-hating grouch?

xo
k

a new look

Hey, check it out! Been blogging three whole weeks and the blog already has a new look! Well, it's fitting, because Andy painted me a pretty new backdrop, so my photos will have a new look now, too. As much as I loved having our well-weathered deck and the beautiful maple as a background, I think the plainer backdrop shows off the clothes better. What do you think?

Here is part two of this week's Etsy shop preview. The first photo was taken "old style", for reference.

Mod black-and-white dress in a waffle weave.



1960s batik print roll collar wiggle dress.



1940s chevron stripe and lace blouse.



1940s print shirtwaist dress.



Teal cotton sateen party dress.



Cherry red blouse with pintuck front and embroidered collar.



1940s navy day dress.



1960s paisley day dress.



1950s purple blouse with interesting button placket.



Abstract print tiered skirt party dress.



Golden brown plaid wiggle dress.



1960s harvest print blouse.



And it just wouldn't be an update without Jonathan Logan! Blue/green floral print Jonathan Logan party dress.



Please let me know what you think of the new photos.

xo
k

mad men is back!

Yay! But so is the humidity. Boo. I want Fall, and I want it NOW.

I swam through the humidity to take some photos for next week.

1960s Dior turban hat. Somehow I can see Ms. Holloway rocking it.




Gold-embellished blue roses shift. Peggy, I think.




Lemon lime Vera Neumann cotton tunic. This would be worn by that beatnik chick Don used to bang. (Did I just use the term "bang"? Huh.) Or by Betty, in a "bohemian" moment.




1940s day dress. Wrong era, so...Peggy's mom?




Sepia plaid ruffle bottom dress. I'm thinking Peggy, but I might be influenced by the plaid she was wearing tonight.




1960s Gabar swimsuit. Betty or Peggy.




Black vinyl 1960s suitcase. Don! Or little Sally.




Jonathan Logan floral sundress and matching cropped jacket. Joan!

I'll post the rest tomorrow. Tomorrow's photos will have a new backdrop that Andy painted for me. I think it shows off the items better, but you'll have to let me know what you think.

xo
k

Vallmovild's Flickr photostream

, originally uploaded by vallmovild.

I am obsessed with certain photostreams on Flickr. Vallmovild's is one of the newest. Just look at this photo. Don't you want to be there? She has wonderful fashion sense and takes the most beautiful photos--sort of Little House on Prairie meets Ingmar Bergman. I find her photos very inspiring, quiet, and calming, which is nice, especially now in the humid dog days of summer. Go have a look!

xo
k

a night out! OR trouble at the museum...

Andy and I decided to take a much-needed and well-deserved night off, and go out on a date. We used to do this all the time, but that was before Etsy and pedicabbing and the garage filled with garbage bags. (I digress.)

This June was the 40th anniversary of the dedication of Alexander Calder's La Grande Vitesse stabile in downtown Grand Rapids. It was controversial at the time it was commissioned. Apparently many in Grand Rapids didn't understand why money should be spent on something like art. Especially abstract art. But I love La Grande Vitesse. It's one of my favorite things about Grand Rapids. Here's a photo I took of it (not from the best angle) last year when we attended the Obama rally on Calder Plaza.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum has a Calder exhibit now (his jewelry is going to be on exhibit early next year--I can't wait to see that!), as well as an exhibit about Eliel and Eero Saarinen I wanted to see, so we went to the GRAM to check them out. I knew ahead of time that, sadly, budget constraints had caused the GRAM to cut back on the Saarinen exhibit...but it was still disappointing. It was just a few items (mostly from the permanent exhibit, that I'd already seen) and a running documentary. I'd toured the Saarinen home at Detroit's Cranbrook Academy with my friend Stephani last year, and it was amazing. If you are ever in Detroit, it's a must see--as is the whole Cranbrook campus--a beautiful arts and crafts home, and a fascinating tour inside the lives (and cocktail hours!) of the Saarinen family. (Eero Saarinen was the architect of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, of particular interest to me since my parents were wed in the chapel beneath it. If you ever get a chance to see the PBS documentary about it, The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America, make sure you watch--it's completely fascinating.)

So the lack of Saarinen stuff was disappoining, but the selection of Calder paintings on display made up for it. The Calder mobile and animobile (which I think are on permanent display) are some of my favorite things in the GRAM, and I decided to have Andy get my picture by them. We weren't sure if we were allowed to, but the only signs up said not to TOUCH the art, and since we weren't going to use the flash...we went for it! Well. The guards must be trained to hear the whizzing of a digital camera being turned on, because the dude came running from the other side of the galleries. He was very nice about it, and Andy did manage to snap two photos, including this cool, shadowy, noir-ish one:

I do have a history of trouble with authority. Particularly museum authorities. See, I was almost thrown out of the Vatican Museum by Swiss Guards in college when I tried to take a photo. I don't mean to be a troublemaker; I guess I just get carried away by art.

The GRAM is quite lovely, by the way. They recently rebuilt it, and it's the first LEED Gold certified museum in the world (which basically means it's really green). Here's a photo I took from the side.

After the museum we had tapas at longtime favorite, San Chez. We always try to have something new when we go there, so we ordered some crazy calimari and bacon concoction, goat cheese with piquillo peppers, and albondigas (meatballs!). Here's Andy's beer and my caipirinha.

After dinner we decided to walk back toward the museum, where the last night of the summer's Blues on the Mall series was going on. I'd never been before. Well, the place was jam-packed with bikers. Wall to wall. For blocks. It was insane. The music, for some reason, sounded like Lite Jazz, so we left.

On our way out we ran into our friend, Mark, driving a couple of customers around in his pedicab!

Andy drives a pedicab for Mark on weekends. Sometime maybe Andy will do a guest blog post on a Pedicab Confessions theme. He has some pretty amazing tales of drunken girls. If you're ever in Grand Rapids and need a fun ride from one end of downtown to the other, call Green Machine Pedicabs. (It's Mark's birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday, Mark!)

We ended our evening at my favorite bar in Grand Rapids, the Meanwhile. Great jukebox, lots of local beers on tap (they always have my favorite, Bells Two-Hearted), Star Trek and Star Wars pinball games, and a backyard beer garden of perfection.

Hee hee!

The Meanwhile is owned by the fabulous brother/sister team, Jeff and Tami VandenBerg. Jeff is a music promoter/record label owner, as well as an artist, as you can see from the excellent murals in the beer garden, which I absolutely love.

Um, waiter? There's a fly in my beer.

It was a lovely evening, and I now feel recharged and ready to take on more laundering, mending, ironing, photographing and listing! I think.

xo
k