A few weeks ago, the kind folks from Design Sponge asked if I would do a home tour for their Sneak Peak column. At first I was like WHUUUUUT and then I was like YAAASSSSSS but then I was like STRESSSS BARFFFFF. I ran around like a maniac straightening photos, replacing dead plants, sucking up dust bunnies and rearranging my knick-knacks 900 times. All in all, I’m super excited with how it turned out. Everything in here makes me happy and I want to stare at it all day.

See the rest of the photos and interview here!

Beautiful photos by the talented Kate Sassak.

A few weeks ago, my interwebs pal Bethany Nixon (owner of Reware Vintage, founding member of Handmade Detroit, and all around cool gal) contacted me about an opportunity to curate a pop-up shop at Goodwill’s new boutique location inside Detroit’s Eastern Market. She recently signed on as one of their local stylists and suggested I participate as well. Of course I was game and immediately hopped on board. Thanks for thinking of me, Bethany!

So here’s the deal. Goodwill Detroit will have a pop-up shop at Eastern Market’s new Sunday Street Market, every other Sunday, from June 1st through September 28th. The shop will be located inside Shed 2 and will be open from 10am to 4pm. Each shop will be curated by a local Detroit stylist (there are seven, including me). Each of us are combing through the local Goodwill stores to find exceptional items that match our personal style. Each shop will feature at least 40-50 pieces of hand picked clothing and accessories, completely styled outfits, and unique vintage housewares. I will be curating two of the shops – the first on Sunday June 29th and the second on Sunday August 24th.

I’ve visited each of the local Goodwill locations in the past couple weeks, and I must say, I’ve been very impressed with their stores. I’ve shopped a LOT of second-hand stores over the years and I can say from experience that they are not all created equal. Nothing bums me out more than spending an hour or two sifting through a dirty/smelly second-hand store that straight up gives me the super-willies only to come out empty handed. The Goodwill stores, on the other hand, offer a more palatable and upscale retail experience. They have hardwood floors, pleasant overhead lighting, and their stores are very clean. The prices are great, new items are added daily, and the quality of the merchandise is really good. I’ve pulled fantastic pieces from Coach, Michael Kors, Dooney & Bourke, Banana Republic, Free People, Levi’s, and Gap. (Goodwill did not ask me to review the stores or say any of this stuff, by the way. I just had such a great experience and wanted to share it.)

Here’s a sneak peek at the types of items you can expect to find in my pop-up shop on June 29th and August 24th.

I’m only pulling items that are in great condition, are of good quality, and fit my own personal style. I won’t add a single thing to the shop that I wouldn’t wear myself or have in my own home. The clothing, shoes, and accessories I’ve selected are on trend and in like-new condition. I’m pulling all sizes, including plus sizes, so nobody will be left out. NOT ON MY WATCH. The housewares are primarily mid-century vintage and akin to what you would find at a nicely curated store, like Lost & Found Vintage or Vogue Vintage, but the prices are wayyyy more affordable. You have no idea how hard it’s been to not take all this dope-ass stuff home with me!

Someone please buy that Pretty in Pink poster, because she’s not going to appreciate herself. And if you want to get your fingers on a BADASS designer purse, get to my shop early. I pulled a few really good ones and they are priced to go! There will be soooo much good stuff, it’s stupid.

Come see me at Goodwill’s YB Blue shop on Sunday June 29th & Sunday August 24th and treat yo’self to some new duds. Bring cash, hugs, and all your fashionable cousins! Located inside Shed 2 at Eastern Market, 10am to 4pm.

Here is the schedule for all of the Goodwill pop-up shops this summer and links to all the stylists involved. I can’t wait to see what they found and shop their collections!

xoxo

If you know me, and I think you do, you are aware that I’m often popping in to estate sales, thrift stores, and fleamarkets, searching for treasures and a ruddy bargain or two. It’s my strange addiction.  Here’s what I nabbed over the past few months.

Sip N’Smoke ashtray from Oddfellows.

Oh how I miss the days when smoking wasn’t bad for you. You could drive around in your car with the windows rolled up, your kid strapped in the backseat (or not strapped, because seat belts weren’t really important back then), and smoke away without a care in the world. Sound familiar mom & dad? Just kidding! [cough cough]. Really though, why hasn’t someone invented a healthy cigarette yet? I’m not talking about that e-cigarette garbage, I’m talking about real cigarettes, but instead of  nicotine they’re full of ginseng or some shit? A smoke-able multi vitamin. Can someone please get on that? I could really go for a non-cancerous sip n’ smoke.

Speaking of cancer sticks…  I found this ash tray at Oddfellows as well, but gifted it to my friend Tiffany for her birthday. One can only have so many unusable, yet adorable ashtrays in their home.

Let’s talk about these crazy-sexy-cool poodles.

I went to an estate sale put on by Vogue Vintage for a family who collected e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Ceramic garden bunnies? They had fifty. Wicker baskets? Probably a hundred. Christmas teddy bears? This is where they went to die. It was impressive and horrifying all at the same time. Not only did they have every shot glass and ceramic bell ever made, they also had a large collection of pink spaghetti poodles. I’ve often admired spaghetti poodles at antique stores, but they’re usually too expensive for me. Lucky for me, this one was priced to go. A few weeks ago, I came across the white Japanese poodle at Oddfellows, and having an inherent soft spot for weird poodle figurines, I couldn’t pass him up.  It has real fur, which ironically feels nothing like that of a poodle.

Back in July I bought these two tropical print serving trays for $2 at the annual Royal Oak Garage Sale. They were marked $5 for the set, but when I handed the seller my cash, she said “Oh, these should be $2″. And who was I to argue? They are perfect for outdoor parties.

Don’t they remind you of something Joyce from Edward Scissorhands would use for serving her ambrosia salad?

Ask anyone who interacts with me on the regular and they will attest that my sole mission for the past 5 years has been to find a small, mid-century, stacking record player console. My requirements are as follows – must work – must stack – must be small – must be mid-century – must not be a million dollars. And did you know? They’re about as easy to find as a tap dancing unicorn. Every now and again I’d find one on ebay, but it would be in Texas or Florida, or I’d find one around here that was in bad shape or a million dollars. I decided to pop into Vogue Vintage one day, and the owner mentioned that he rented out a small 1955 RCA Victor to the Rattlesnake Club for a mad-men themed party. He said it would be back in the store in a week. So a week went by, I popped in, and lo and behold, it was perfect! And small! And affordable! And…. broken. Womp, womp. He sent it off to his repairman, told me to call back in a week, I called back, it wasn’t fixed yet, he told me to call back in three days, I called back, it wasn’t fixed yet, yada yada. That went on for several weeks and was kind of excruciating. But due to the powers of blogging, BAM. Here she is, all shined up and in my living room.

Hello, record player of my dreams!

I found this 1960’s Saltillo blanket at Lost & Found Vintage in Royal Oak.

The colors are beautiful and it’s very soft, but I have no idea what to do with it. Hang it on the wall? Drape it across the back of a chair? Make an outfit for Celia?

I just showed her these pictures and she was unimpressed.

I picked up a stack of Good Housekeeping magazines from the 1930’s for two dollars a piece at the Royal Oak Garage Sale.

I found some AMAZING articles. And by amazing, I mean sexist and horrible.

In an article titled How to be a Swell Wife, I found this golden nugget of advice:

Nothing more thrilling than marriage, eh? And these tidings of encouragement:

Thank God I’ve been able to hold my job based on sentiment and sex and not had to rely on sheer efficiency. I mean, can you even?!

And this barf-a-thon:

Can someone explain to me what sanitary belts are? Wait, never mind.

Ladies! Prove you are wise by washing your face properly!

At least these chauvinistic texts look nice on my coffee table and provide for entertaining discourse at parties.

Oh, olden times. You so crazy.

xoxo

Last weekend I took a road trip with 17 (seventeen!) of my friends to a beach resort in Oscoda Michigan, about three hours north of Detroit. We rented cottages on Lake Huron and the weather was absolutely perfect.

We sunbathed, swam, played volleyball, canoed, drank cocktails, grilled food, and made a camp fire on the beach every night. It’s times like these that remind me how lucky I am to have an amazing group of funny, creative, smart, and supportive friends. We go on this trip every year and I hope we continue to do so forever!

I shot a bunch of footage with my iphone, and crammed it all into a little video. This song pretty accurately sums up how I feel about these people.

I shot a few photos with some very expired Polaroid sepia film…

We created a unique hashtag (#fauxtiki) for Instagram and Vine to document our photos and videos of the trip. Have you ever done that for a vacation or special event like a wedding or birthday? I’m into it.

The antique shopping in Oscoda was straight. up. fatal. I got all of this crap for like, I don’t know, $5? It was bonkers. This mid-century swag light fixture is so pretty, and although I have no idea where I’m going to put it, I’m totally in love. I want to do mommy & me yoga with it. And a Huey Lewis album for $1? Dude. Yes.

If I know a good time, and I think I do, this weekend was tops.

xoxo

For those of you just barely suffering through all these Euro blatherings, you will be happy to know we’re almost done!

And so! Shopping abroad. Suffice it to say, I am a fan.

I love to collect mementos that remind me of the places I’ve traveled to, but I have no interest in purchasing the standard-fare types of souvenirs that are sold in travel shops and by hawkers outside popular attractions. Those cheap little tchotzkes and trinkets are just overpriced crap, and if you’re buying a plastic key chain at the Eiffel Tower, then I’m pretty sure you’ve missed the point of shopping abroad.

My favorite things to buy when traveling:

1. Jewelry, preferably vintage or locally handmade.
2. Artwork – small prints, paintings, and drawings that can easily fit into a suitcase.
3. Home Decor – vintage, handmade, or something unique to the region I’m visiting.  Though I look for things that will easily fit into a suitcase, I’m not opposed to having a lamp, rug, or piece of furniture shipped home if it’s an amazing and affordable find. (This has never happened to me).

While in Paris, we spent an entire morning at the Antiquite Brocante (antiques fair) in Bastille. Nearly 500 stalls of antique furniture, art, glassware, and various bric-a-brac straddle both sides of the Seine River at the Place de la Bastille twice a year. It’s what dreams are made of, people. Flea markets are always my jam, but I find them especially interesting in other countries. You talk to people from other walks of life, you discover what types of items are ubiquitous in other cultures, what items hold value over others, what locals are most interested in buying, etc. It’s a level of access to local culture that you wouldn’t find in a museum (not that I don’t love museums too).

Most of the vintage jewelry was waaaayy out of my price range, but I came across this gorgeous art deco ball pendant necklace for only €30. And hey! Now I know how to type that little euro symbol.

This large book of sheet music cost only €10 and it says FLIRTING TIME! I mean, come on. No choice.

One of the vendors at the antiques fair had boxes and boxes of these quirky old post cards, priced at ten for €10. When I saw the ones with the babies, I was all “These are the weirdest, creepiest, most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!”

The V&A Museum in London had an entire shop accompanying the David Bowie exhibit. I really wanted this Aladdin Sane Contact Sheet, but alas, at €3,999 it was a leeeetle bit out of my price range. Instead, I bought this paper doll set. If I now own two sets of paper dolls, does this make me a paper doll enthusiast? Or just a weirdo?

This handmade ring came from a tiny clothing & jewelry boutique near our apartment in Le Marais, Paris.

One day I dragged Mike D all over Montmartre into stores that the internet told me were “vintage shops”, but were mostly filled with piles of dirty old women’s clothes. He liked it, or so I told him. At this one particular shop, the owner was VERY friendly and VERY energetic and insisted on playing How Soon is Now by The Smiths over and over (and over). He pulled out things that he thought we would like, including this tin, which he eventually convinced me to buy. I don’t know, it looks cute in my kitchen and I can put crap in it? I’m totally rocking your world right now.

I stumbled into this shop in Montmartre that had the most colorful collection of tea towels, pot holders, aprons, glassware, and other home decor.

I fell in love with the entire Bloomingville collection, and felt like I couldn’t leave the store without buying something, so I grabbed a tea towel to hang above our stove. I love the little neon hook! I also grabbed this Abbey Road street sign at a flea market in London.

We didn’t come across many vintage stores in London, but I did find this sequined beanie at a shop in Covent Garden. I can say with 100% certainty and experience that wearing a sequined beanie to a casual pub serving fish & chips will gain you many a side-eye.

The real winner of the trip was this cardboard cat hanger from a quirky little shop called Rose Bunker in Montmartre. Me.OW.

By the way, if you don’t love sequins you’re wrong.

We also brought home some lovely gifts for our friends and family that watched over our house and took care of our pets, but I didn’t take any pictures of those things because I’m a terrible blogger. Instead, here are some instax minis!

If you’re still here, then hooray for you! You’ve made it to the end.

xoxo

I caught the sick over the holidays. Bronchitis, to be exact. The sore throat, no voice, coughing every 5 seconds, laid up on the sofa, too tired to even walk over to my computer, kind of sick.

For days.

Luckily, I had myself a Mike D who responded to my dramatic text messages by keeping me supplied with a steady stream of food, meds, and fresh brewed tea. And a little fur-beast by the name of Celia who never tires of cuddling. Cuddling helps the healing, I swear.

Over the last week or so, while languishing in my unhealth, I found my thoughts turning sappy. Maybe it was the fever induced delirium, or the fact that I watched Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, A Muppet’s Christmas Carol, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Edward Scissorhands, ALL ON CHRISTMAS DAY.  Or maybe the holidays just do that to you, I don’t know.

I thought back to the years when my Grandma Jean was still around and how much I miss her during the holidays. She was an incredibly kind and loving grandmother, but also funny, artistic, and quite the spitfire. Some of my fondest memories are of her narrating stories made up off the top of her head and sketching out illustrations before me as the stories unfolded. She was hilarious, and we laughed a ton.

Feeling nostalgic, I began pouring over old photographs that once belonged to my grandmother. I thought I’d share these charming old photographs my grandmother Jean sent to my grandfather Fred while he was away in the Korean war. He left for war only a few months after they were married. They’re quite flirty. She was known for captioning the back of her photographs, so I’ve included those after each photograph as well.

Prepare yourself for straight up adorableness.

Seriously, wasn’t she the cutest?

Shorty before she passed away, she handed down these photographs to me. I have a ton of other old photos from her as well, dating all the way back to when my great grandmother was a baby in the early 1900’s. They are AMAZING and I’ll always treasure them.

Thanks for looking and (putting up with my mush-fest).

Excuse me now, while I go lay down.  *cough, cough*