Art Fair on the Square

 Dress: Zoe Dress in Canary by Cherry Velvet via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Sandals: Born

Necklace: A Luscious Thing

Earring: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me (iPhone)

I wore this adorable frock to admire art with Super Boo. I'm a Cherry Velvet groupie...I adore their dresses. I find them remarkably flattering on many different body types, including my large pear shape. They use excellent heavy cotton textiles which really hold up to wear & washings. Of course, they wrinkle a bit easier than synthetic material, but it is so refreshing to don a pretty dress in a breathable fabric in the summer. All their dresses have pockets, straps that actually stay on your shoulders, & run 1 size big. I was never a fan of put a bird on it, but this print is just so darling even I was won over. Several women complimented me on this outfit on the streets. 

Super Boo & I needed things to hang on our office walls, so we decided to peruse the Art Fair on the Square. I hadn't gone in a decade & this was S. Boo's first time. I had forgotten how many delightful things there were to look at...so many extraordinarily talented artists! It took us over an hour to go 1/2 a block, but then...I spied with my little eyes...

Loveliness that took my breath away! It was that painting on top that drew me in. The artist, Bruce Holwerda, told us that a woman came at 9am when the show opened, bought this amazing piece ($5500.) & told him she'd be back the next day to pick it up. Oh, to have an art budget that allowed that *swoon*. Luckily for us, he also had limited edition prints on offer. We giddily chose 6 prints, 2 each for Super Boo's office, my office, & our waiting room. I am in love with this artist's work. 

Those pictures on top are made of felt, so pretty. I was drawn to the booth full of all black art...upon closer inspection, I realized it was a collage of toys in an ornate frame, painted black. Super Boo bought us a cutting board from an artist that works in wood, it has been a joy to use. Below, the art of Mikel Robinson blew me away...each piece starts out as a photograph...

Notable fashion. I want that woman's leggings! And look at that flamingo skirt with Ric-Rac! I complimented her on it & she told me she made it herself. Fun! 

Clocks! Vince Pompei makes his clocks out of one of my favorite things...antique silverware. Gorgeous! I would have loved to have taken one home with me. 

Time for a break...lunch at The Old Fashioned. A salad for S. Boo & a Walleye sandwich with cheese curds & garlic dipping sauce for me. 

One winged, one legged bronze sculpture & great balls of stuff.

If I had unlimited money, after buying all of Bruce Holwerda's pieces, I would have taken home this peacock & mermaid by Laura Harris. They are so enchanting...I am tearing up writing this because their beauty overwhelms me....

Gorgeousness by Alla Tsank...

I need beauty in my life to make me feel alive. The art fair left me in a dreamy state that lasted for days & I've been able to bring back a bit of that feeling looking at these photos again. 

So much color! So much pink! I love it...who would have guessed?!

Cecilia, You're Breaking My Heart...

 Dress: Cecilia Dress in Mint Floral by Igigi via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)
Teggings: Re/Dress
Sandals: Born
Necklace: A Luscious Thing
Earring: Babil & Bijou
Photography: Super Boo & Me (iPhone)

I wore this pretty outfit to work & a surprise garage sale. I wanted to love this Igigi dress...I thought the colors were so lovely & an unusual combination. Sadly, Cecilia broke my heart. It was entirely too big on top & so tight on the bottom I was afraid to move. I got this in my usual size, 26/28. I had to wear teggings with this dress so I could pull it up a bit in order to sit down. It was that bad. 

Before work, I ran to the library to return some books just a few blocks away, & there were 2 fun garage sales next door to each other in my neighborhood. At one, I got a vintage suitcase ($5) & at the other I grabbed a large bag of handmade antique lace ($3), a 12"x15"-ish ornate gold/black picture frame ($1), & these shoes ($2 each). Both of them are brands I never heard of before. The green ones are by Groundhog & this pair retailed for $180 & have only been worn once. They are a bit big on me, but with thick fun socks...will be perfect for autumn. The other shoes are from Boden & retailed for $108 & have never been worn. I love stumbling across fabulous finds like these!

Igigi, circa 2007 or earlier...

 Dress: Igigi, old...at least 2007

Sandals: Born

Necklace: Antique

Earring: etXarte

Bracelet: Vinage gold charm bracelet, charms collected by me in the 90s

Photography: Super Boo & Me

I wore this extremely old Igigi dress to work a few weeks ago because I didn't have any Gwynnie Bee clothing at home. Sadness. I simply adore the color of this dress! The last time I wore it was in 2010 while in Europe with Kate. It was really too full of wrinkles to wear, but if I own an iron...I don't know where it is. I did try to get some of them out with my flat iron (for my hair)...but that didn't work as well as I envisioned it would. 

I bought this necklace & bracelet at the same antique jewelry shop back in 1994. I had been searching for the perfect gold charm bracelet for a while & when I mentioned it to a vender at a vintage jewelry show, she told me to visit her shop. I fell in love with this bracelet & for the next several years I collected charms for it on ebay & as gifts...then I lost interest because most of the charms didn't mean anything to me. I am hoping some day I will travel the world & collect charms from all the places I visit. Some day...

Farmers' Market x 2

 Dress: Whimsy Wrap Dress in Magenta by Kiyonna via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Sandals: Dansko

Necklace: Babil & Bijou

Earring: ebay

Lipstick: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Aria

Nail Polish: Green-Wich Village by OPI

Photography: Super Boo & Me (iPhone)

I wore this flirty flouncy fun frock to 2 farmers' markets...the downtown market on Saturday & the Monona market on Sunday. I've lost count of how many colors I have worn this dress in. Red is still my favorite, but this one is close. I love how these Kiyonna wrap dresses fit & I just think the ruffles are so adorable! I always feel cute in these dresses. 

Boo Bradley...I love them. They are "a hot blues stompin', jelly roll jumpin', rag jazz infusin', acoustic jug attack..." They are often out playing on the edge of our downtown Saturday Farmers' Market. 

I loved adding pops of green to this magenta dress. Also, I could not believe I had a lipstick that so closely matched this dress. It's not a color I wear a lot. 

Shoe close-up, plus tattoos...& one swollen ankle. I love the designs on these sandals...

Hey Baby, It's the 4th of July!

 Dress: Bubbly Fit & Flare Dress by Lucie Lu via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Sandals: Dansko

Necklace: Amy Hanna

Earring: Babil & Bijou

Photography: Kate, Jason, & Me (iPhone)

This is the dress I wore on the 4th of July. I bought this dress from GB because it's cute & they were having a big sale that made it only $15, brand new! Bubbly red polka dots = adorable. I felt this dress was flattering on me & comfy...all that I want in a dress. It's lined, but still light enough for summer. As with all Lucie Lu dresses, I had to size up. 

Look at how holiday appropriate Kate & I are together...we didn't even plan that! 

Kate, Jason, & I went to see the Monona fireworks. Kate & I usually go every year, but for the last few years we've watched from a beach closer to where we live because the traffic at the park is horrible. But we braved the park this year so Jason could photograph the display up close. After we settled in, we picnicked on curried deviled eggs, seaweed edamame salad, hummus & chips, & strawberries. 

Oooooooooo! Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!! Fireworks are so much prettier when they are exploding right above you!

Goth Girl Garage Sale & Other OOTD's

I'm sticking these 4 outfits in 1 post because I wore them all in a row & none of them worked for me...so they don't deserve their own posts, & this allows me to catch up to pretty things I wore this month. 

 Skirt: Twirling in Tulle Skirt in Purple by Kiyonna via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Lace Edged Tank: Lane Bryant

Earring: Vintage 80s

Photography: Super Boo

I wore this twirly skirt to our garage sale. I didn't find it flattering enough to actually wear out, but it was the perfect fun costume-y thing to wear to sell our treasures to bargain hunters. I felt it fit true to size as I'm wearing this in a 4x, but it added too much bulk for me to feel like a princess. 

Years ago I was in a group called The Gothic Ladies Quilting Circle & Badass Society. We were a crafty group that met once a week at various members houses & we had an annual garage sale called, The Goth Girls Garage Sale. The group disbanded years ago & I'd venture to say non of us would call ourselves goth any longer...so it had been a while since we had a garage sale. I was always in it for the sangria. I make fabulous sangria (in Kate's hand in first photo)! 

 Dress: Mini Floral Printed Dress by Spruce & Sage via GB

I wore this dress to run errands with Super Boo & hunt down deals at Saver's during their 50% off sale...we have found some amazing deals on clothes for Super Boo there. This dress from one of GB's house brands was hideous on me. Check out those enormous armholes! Both of my arms would fit in one. And the waist was in some strange in-between space between my actual waist & under my bust. Cute pattern. 

Dress: Brenda Dress in Green by Igigi via GB

I wore this dress to tai chi & work. It was incredibly heavy & too much material (& lining) for summer. All that ruching was not flattering on me & the way it clung to my stomach...not attractive. Beautiful color. 

Dress: Aileen Dress in Fuego via GB

I wore this dress to work. Oh, this dress was so not me. It may have looked better with a black belt. I don't own any belts. Awful. Honestly, Igigi makes some of the cutest clothes, but GB no longer carries anything nice by them. Sadness. 

Obvious Child

 Dress: Coral Cowl Ruched Dress by Flor via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Shoes: Born

Necklace, Bracelet, & Earring:

Photography: Super Boo & Me (iPhone)

I wore this dress to get a haircut & see a free movie at Sundance. Again, as with most of these GB house brand dresses...the fabric is atrocious...left over 70s bedspread material. The colors & floral pattern are so very pretty that I could forgive that...but the cowl neck has never been a look I get...& check out my red bra peeking through the enormous armhole. Poor design. But, what flattering colors!

Super Boo & I had tickets to see 24 (I think?) movies back in April during our local film fest...so of course we skipped a few because...So. Many. Movies. Obvious Child was one of the movies that was sacrificed for our sanity. So when free tickets became available for a pre-release screening of the film at Sundance, we went. It was a good, not great, romantic comedy about abortion. If that sounds weird...well, it was...but it was also brave, funny, & a bit too shallow. Every seat in the theatre was taken & I only saw one person leave. 

Adorable Olive!

Re-Art Swap

 Skirt: Avenue

Top: Lane Bryant

Shoes: Born

Earring: some shop in Chicago circa 1989

Photography: Super Boo & Me (iPhone)

I wore this outfit to Re-Art Swap on Sunday & again on Monday to go to Tai Chi. Gwynnie Bee had been slow to send me things leading up to & during their move...so out come some of my old boring clothes. I have this skirt in red & lime green...obviously I really liked it. All those yellow dots toward the bottom under the 2 yellow stripes? Each one of those had a sequin sewn to it & every time I wear these skirts, I leave behind bits of shininess. 

The Re-Art Swap! This event happens each year in the backyard of Absolutely Art, but after 9 years, the store closed at the end of last month. The owner, Megan, has promised she will still hold this event. I hope so! How it works is...you bring all your unwanted crafty supplies to AbArt & you take whatever you'd like. How fabulous is that?! I only took photos of a bit of it, there was stuff everywhere! 

This is what I came home with (some stuff not pictured): 5 wallpaper sample books, knitting needles, 3 wheels of slides, 2 huge bags of fabric (most of it cut into squares or strips), a planter, seashells, & a big bag of pretty vintage broken dishes (for mosaic). 

I've made this lunch for Super Boo & I several times the past few weeks. All farmers' market ingredients: spelt wraps, mayo, sungold tomatoes, red spring onions, bacon, & mixed greens. It is delicious! 

I bought this earring in 1989, shortly after moving to Madison, on a trip to Chicago to visit my friend Michelle who was a nanny at the time. I'm not sure why any of that is important...I just remember I couldn't get long enough earrings at the time & when I saw these I just squee-ed. They were $50. That seemed like a lot of money at the time...but look, I still have them all these years later & I still think they are quite fabulous. 

Nymphomaniac

 Dress: Knot Front Dress in Blue Polka Dot by Lucie Lu via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Sandals: Dansko

Necklace: Age Before Beauty

Earring: etXarte

Bracelet: Kate

Photography: Kate & Me (iPhone)

I wore this dress to farmer's market, wine tasting, & a movie. I loved this Lucie Lu dress & it was another one I kept for only $15 when GB was having a sale. It is light, even though it's lined & is so easy & comfortable to wear. Also, polka dots! And look! I own a *blue* dress! I adore the vintage vibe of polka dots & the sweetheart neckline. I thought it was fun with red accents. Lucie Lu runs small on me, so I always go up one size. 

I get sick of my same poses, so I told Kate...I need a different pose...she told me to lift up my dress...so I did...

Kate is also wearing Lucie Lu polka dots...

This particular Saturday was Make Music Madison day, Kate listened to this fun group while she was waiting for me (she opted to walk). There were over 400 musical performances throughout the city...on sidewalks, bars, restaurants, businesses, homes...anyone could sign up to play or host. I think it would be fun to host next year while doing a garage sale. We had planned on seeing The Sills in the afternoon, but it was drizzling at the time we planned on leaving & we didn't want to sit outside in the rain.

It was also naked bike ride day...

Wine tasting, including !2! rosés that I actually liked!

Farmers' Market bounty...oh, strawberries...why is your season so short?

At night we went to see Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac, which was quite good & not what I was expecting. It was divided into 2 parts for American release...& this is about all I got to see of the second half as they could not get the sound to work. Kate & Jason went back the following Saturday once they got Vol. II working, but as it had a horrible ending...I was content with Kate's 10 minute synopsis. So many good movies are ruined by terrible endings. 

Kate made me this typewriter key bracelet over a decade ago. I wore it on the first trip Super Boo & I took to San Francisco & lost the P there...I lost my P in San Francisco. I wore it hoping it would remind me to put a new P on it.