fangirling

Andy and I had a busy end-of-last week / weekend (weekends are such amorphous concepts when you work for your own selves)...and it was "busy" as in, we took some time off to have fun.  On Thursday, we went to see Skyfall, and I clashed my plaids, but did almost match my skirt to the brick wall at the theater.

I wore this adorable collar made for me by andreacreates on Etsy.  It has squirrels on it!  And it's reversible--the other side has a really pretty ecru lace print.  Andrea makes great collars and other accessories, and is wonderful to work with.

So here is the fangirling part.  We bought our tickets and I immediately began checking out the (ginormous) multiplex for Hobbit schwag.  There was a lot of it--mostly featuring Gandalf or Bilbo.  But if you all know me, you know I was looking for Hot Dwarf Thorin / a.k.a. Richard Armitage.  And I finally found him tucked way back in one of the furthest corners of the theater.  (Hey, Thorin, what are you doing with that stick there?)

I then proceeded to make Andy take about a thousand photos of me with cardboard Thorin.  Andy is fairly patient with my ridiculousness--one of the many reasons I love him.

I love this placement of the all-dwarves poster over the men's room.

By the time we entered the theater, Skyfall was already in progress.  Which meant, sadly, that my ridiculous photo session with cardboard Richard caused me to miss my first viewing of the Hobbit trailer on the big screen.  Irony!  But we enjoyed what we did see of Skyfall...though it seemed much shorter than expected.  Over a dinner of moules frites and Belgian beer at Brewery Vivant later, Andy I discussed some of the confusing plot points, and I wondered sadly why there was so little Q in the movie.

It turns out there was a good reason for our confusion.  We didn't miss 5 minutes of the film...we missed a full hour of it.  The ticket girl gave us tickets for the 3:45 showing, not the 4:45 showing--though we bought the tickets at 4 pm.  We didn't bother to check the time, assuming we'd get tickets for the next show, not the one already in progress.  Dumb us.  We called the theater after we figured this out and got free passes (and popcorn!) for another show, and went back on Saturday to finally see the first hour.  Good thing, too, because we missed a really exciting motorcycle/train chase.  There still wasn't enough Q, though.

Before going back to the theater, though, we ran a bunch of errands together in our neighborhood, buying coffee, olive oil, and cider.  And we spotted this intriguing looking, and not yet open, artisan distillery in downtown Rockford.  Hmmmm....

We also had a couple beers at the new Perrin Brewery.  Their Kona Brown ale is the best coffee beer ever.  I love Andy's vintage Dale of Norway sweater.  And the fact that I appear to have caught him mid-Cabbage Patch.

xo

k

minimal bling

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend...a long weekend for those of us in the US.  Andy and I started it out with pinball, cocktails, and dinner out on Friday.  I wore this cute, new-to-me thrifted 1950s dress. 

I love this old doorway I posed in front of. 

The only flaw on this dress?  One of the little rhinestones is missing.  I love how in the 1950s just a few rhinestones were bling enough.

No bling for Andy--just the cool novelty print on this shirt.  (He has a pretty great revolving collection of men's 1940s and 1950s shirts.  I say "revolving" because he keeps selling them.  But then he finds more.)

At first glance, I always think this print has an Irish theme.  It's the green, and those little floral bits that look a little like clover.

But if you look closely, you can see they're rickshaws.  And the shirt is silk, too--I guess that's kind of blingy.

xo

K

late autumn light

Those who celebrated: was your Thanksgiving good?  Mine was very nice.  This Thomas Keller leek bread pudding was my favorite part of the meal (along with leftover turkey/cranberry sandwiches).   

Our friend Stephani came to visit, and we checked out the very cool Warrington Colescott exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.  I love this wool cape Stephani is wearing...it didn't come from Small Earth Vintage, but her shoes did.  My outfit is all old stuff, but the vintage fur collar and gray wool jacket are newer acquisitions.  

I love how the light and shadows looked outside the museum on the afternoon we were there.

You'll see in the next photo why we look all squinty here.  The fur collar is (only partially) due to my Game of Thrones obsession.  We spent the holiday drinking Manhattans and watching GoT, which Stephani hadn't seen.  I was in nerd heaven.

Speaking of Game of Thrones and fashion (well, hipsters, anyway)...

Goodness, I love Hipster Jon Snow!

xo

K

minty keen

Minty Keen is a relatively new shop in downtown Grand Rapids.  Angie, the adorable owner, has lots of great vintage--mostly furniture and home decor items, but some great dresses, too!  (Love the one shown above.)

The storefront, with that awesome yellow tandem bike parked on the left.

The shop is open and airy, but chock-full of beautifully displayed items.  And it's not just vintage--there are items for sale from local artisans like the Beerhorst family and artgoodies.

This neat old window with a metal bird attached to it caught my eye.  If you're in Grand Rapids, you should definitely check the shop out!  (Minty Keen is located here.)  Angie also has a nice little Etsy shop.

After stopping by Minty Keen on Saturday (we were dropping off a few dresses for Angie to sell for us), we headed out for our now-regular pinball date. Grand Rapids (in this respect alone reminding me very much of NYC) tends to empty out on summer weekends as everyone heads up to their cottages.  So we mostly had the Pyramid Scheme--and our favorite game, Bride of Pinbot--to ourselves.  I wore this 1950s cotton floral print day dress.

You can see the print a little better here, as well as the cute little fabric loops which decorate the neckline and the pockets.  I'm also wearing a heart locket that I've had since I was a child.

Funny story:  there's an ivy-covered wall across the street from the Pyramid Scheme that is pretty much the perfect spot for photos.  We've taken more than a couple there.  Last time we played pinball I saw a group of three young hipsters take some shots there.  And on Saturday, well...a dude with a camera and a gal in hot pants, halter top, and high heels got out of their car and proceeded to take some shots.  I didn't get to see the whole shoot (I was playing pinball) but at one point, I saw the woman putting her top back on.  I don't know if she was merely changing into a new outfit or taking photos au naturel, but it was pretty funny.  They hopped back in their car and took off rather quickly after that.  I guess all kinds of people see the beauty in an ivy-covered brick wall.

xo

K

his and hers

A pair of outfits from last week and the weekend, courtesy Andy and me. I thought he looked particularly cute when we went thrifting last Thursday: vintage 1970s black flag Levi's, 1950s black oxford shirt, retro Eddie Bauer sneakers, and a reversible olive drab plaid 1960s windbreaker. And a pint of Founder's Pale Ale.

The colors in my Saturday outfit were loosely inspired by the image below from the Street Style Aesthetic blog. My outfit: 1950s dress, Target cardigan and tights, 1950s woven straw and leather handbag, Old Navy shoes.

I love this woman's look. Well, perhaps the ankle socks are not for me (though cute on her), but I love the skirt with the big bow in front, and especially the cyan blue sweater with the oversize mustard clutch. I went with a turquoise dress and chartreuse shoes, but probably wouldn't have thought of those shoes if I hadn't seen this photo.

xo

K

calico, yo

So...calico and rickrack. Makes me feel a bit country gal. I do love the pockets.

I'm not really that into floral prints, though I have lots of them. They're hard to avoid if you wear vintage. I like that this one is a darker print.

Work progresses on The Pyramid Scheme, where I'll be seeing Guided by Voices later this month. Loving Jeff VandenBerg's artwork on the sign.

This is a reminder to myself that Auchentoshan scotch is delicious. When you don't have a smartphone, you take a picture. I'm guessing the number of scotch whiskey drinkers reading this blog is low, but anyway: the Auchentoshan was delicious--mild, sweet, and reminded me of old, polished wood furniture (a theme running through my favorite drinks lately).

xo

K

faux franch

You may ask yourself: "Why 'faux Franch'?" Well, I am wearing a beret, obviously. Also, everyone knows that when you want to sound French and obnoxious you pronounce "French" as "Franch."

I wore this on last Thursday's Date Night. I was looking forward to finally wearing the beret, an antique mall find, since I am so bad with hats.

This first photo was taken in front of the cool artwork in the window at Vertigo Music, our local indie record shop. We started out there so I could trade in credit I had for some of my old vinyl (don't worry--I kept most of it), and obtain some new music. But Herm was so busy buying other folks' collections (start of the month--rent due) that I just window-shopped. (For those who care here's my current music wishlist: Caitlin Rose "Own Side Now," Grinderman 2, Anna Calvi, Gruff Rhys "Hotel Shampoo." And I'm really excited for the release of King Creosote & Jon Hopkins "Diamond Mine" at the end of this month. Okay. Done nerding out on music.)

Outfit details:

*Beret: antique mall

*Silk skirt: thrifted

*Sweater: vintage, probably estate sale

*Jacket and tights: Target

*Pin on jacket: antique, from my grandma

*T-strap wedges: Aerosoles

*Purse: antique mall

Andy wanted me to post this photo, too, since he captured the skirt in full wind gust mode.

xo

K

the chinook

Upon seeing these photos I asked Andy, "Why did you say I looked cute in this?" (It is--I think--common knowledge that we look different in photos than we do in the mirror. This has always been my experience anyway. And which is closer to reality: the photo or the mirror?) Andy said, "Well, you can't see the bow in the photo." (There's a little scarf tie at the neck of this sweater, which, yeah, you can't really see in the photo.)

Bow = cute.

I posted these photos (from Friday) anyway because it's the first time I've worn shoes (and not boots) outside the house in a few months. Friday was crazy windy. It was so windy, my first thought was of the Chinook winds in Colorado, which I always think of as the wind that brings spring. Though it wasn't that warm, most of the snow had melted, and I thought I could smell or sense spring in the wind. So I decided to wear these cute shoes with triangular cutouts for the first time.

We went to a movie and then stopped by a local bar with friends for a pint. The bar's power was out due to the high winds, but they had the place all candlelit, the taps were working, and we had cash. It was lovely--quiet and intimate. When the lights came back on and the jukebox started blaring, I was a bit sad.

This isn't Colorado, and there aren't any mountains and thus, no Chinook. It is Monday now and there is a good foot of fresh snow on the ground. Back to the boots.

xo

K

office party

Every holiday season Andy and I jokingly have a Small Earth Vintage office party. We dress up a bit and visit a museum or something and go out for a nice dinner.

On last weekend's thrift trip I found myself a lovely Christmas gift--yet another coat! I love the closures, the fur collar, and the gray color on this worsted wool beauty. I was so happy it fit.

I also wore my new festive holiday skirt, an airy little chiffon full skirt with flocked feathers, glitter, and a velvet waistband. Chilly temperatures and the promise of much walking around the museum meant I wore my good old boots, rather than prettier but less sensible shoes. (Oh, hello there, Lucy!)

Andy was dapper, as usual, in a vintage plaid print sweater and Harris Tweed jacket. I think the vintage Stetson cap will end up for sale in the Etsy shop.

Before the museum, we visited Grand Rapids' newest brew pub, a Belgian farmhouse-esque place called Brewery Vivant, that is housed in a former funeral chapel. The beer was tasty, and though it wasn't served yet, the menu sounds like it will be really good. The place looks very cool, inside and out.

So our museum visit was the Bodies Revealed exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. I think the 12-year-old me who had a rather gruesome fascination with the Time Life book series about disease and disfigurement would have probably been really into it. But the 41-year-old me--not so much. It was interesting, and Andy enjoyed it. (Bodies Revealed gives a tour of the human body via preserved human remains that have been sliced open and whatnot to show how the body works. They don't allow photos, but you can see examples at the website.)

Here's a nice view of the Grand River from the upper floor of the museum.

WARNING: Possibly disturbing images of cute animals eating other cute animals ahead!

So, the exhibit had a warning (a la the above) previous to the section on fetal development, which was roped off from the rest of the exhibit. I did not personally find the fetuses disturbing. Well, except for the fact that they had been injected with a red dye, and so looked like tiny, horrifying Alien-style monsters.

I did find it kind of funny that the main part of the museum doesn't have similar signs for the many examples on display of cute taxidermied furry animals eating other cute taxidermied furry animals (like this wolverine devouring poor Rikki Tikki Tavi).

Or this badger that's about to eat a cute, limp little chipmunk for dinner! Let's face it, nature is disturbing in all its forms--human, animal, fetus in a jar, taxidermied, and sliced open. Yikes.

So as to not end this on a completely horrifying note, here are some cute little fellows. I love how the guy on the left has his paw lifted as though he's telling someone off.

xo

K

before, during, after

Andy and I went out to dinner last night to take advantage of Grand Rapids' first-ever Restaurant Week. We ended up going to Bistro Bella Vita, an old favorite, because we were too slow to make reservations at super-fancy 1913 Room.

I wore a newly-acquired vintage fur collar. I was going to sell it in the shop, but decided to keep it. I attached a pretty moss green satin ribbon to it to fancify it up a little.

Something I didn't realize about fur collars: they are really, REALLY warm. The last time I wore fur (vintage, naturally) was in Montreal in March, several years back. Last night was an unseasonably warm evening, and I was quite toasty, bare arms and all. I'm showing the cape I wore here, as proof that I do wear it, since it was an item I'd previously shown on the blog in a shop preview and then--very rudely and selfishly--kept. Bad Karen!

Anyway, despite our delicious meal at Bistro, it was a depressing Restaurant Week, as with it came news that two of my local favorites, Bloom and Corez, are closing. This is very sad news, as both places served amazing, innovative food using local ingredients (and amazing cocktails at both places I should add), and restaurants that do that are very scarce indeed in Grand Rapids.

On another note, here's a little Before (well, During, really) and After peek at what we did to our bedroom!

xo

K

dandy

I watched Coco avant Chanel the other night and was inspired by the dandyish menswear Audrey Tatou wore in the movie--so it was time to break out the bow tie. I wore this on a little thrift trip we took on Saturday, when autumn suddenly hit us with cool temps and lots of blustery wind. Thus it was also time to wear my newly-thrifted vintage LL Bean sweater vest. I wish I could remember whose blog post it was that originally spawned my "Ah! I need a vest!" moment, but I do know that seeing this lovely blog post by Maria of Adelaide Homesewn wearing a vest over a wonderful dress with an ascot neck helped seal the deal.

The arrival of autumnal weather made it particularly necessary that Andy and I share a sausage plate and some delicious German beers at this nifty little rathskeller.

Speaking of sausages, on this trip I had to dig through the most nightmarishly tightly-packed racks in a dirty Salvation Army store ever. Andy always tells me that "Clothes in thrift stores are clean--people do not donate dirty clothes!" My response: that may be true, but I believe the employees of the Sal then go and pour cups of coffees on the racks, because inevitably everything there is stained and dirty. Nonetheless, I found a real bevy of cute dresses on this trip, so it all turned out well.

A couple of local sights.

Hope your weekend was beautiful and full of fun!

xo

K