The Crane Wives/Chastity Brown

Dress: Climbing Floral Dress by City Chic (size XXL) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Sandals: Born

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: A Luscious Thing

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I bought this precious purse at a garage sale last year...I love the shape & the closure on top. I was horrified to learn it's a Vera Bradley (I'm not that old!)...but now I secretly want more...there are SO MANY fun patterns!!! 

I adore these tea length dresses by City Chic...I've donned this style in purple & bought it in red (yet to be worn). I like any dress that makes me feel like a 50s housewife. The fit & length on this dress was great...the full skirt & sweetheart neckline were extra feminine & sex bombilicious. 

Pretty flowers at Olbrich Gardens. 

At The Shitty Barn with the girlie..

Beef Burgundy from Enos Farms was alright, but soup on a hot day was not ideal. The best part of dinner were the strawberries Kate acquired from farmers' market that day...sweet & delicious. 

Kate's beer featured a cat riding on a unicorn. 

The Crane Wives.

Chastity Brown.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero, Kat von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper, NYX eyeshadow palette in Warm Neutrals, NYX lip cream palette in The Reds, F-Bomb lipstick by UD, & OPI nail polish in The Spy Who Loved Me. 

Good-Bye Violet, Hello Joan...

 Dress: Eyelet V-Neck Dress in Red by London Times (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Clarks

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Age Before Beauty

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I was excited to get this fit & flare as I loved wearing a similar dress last summer...paired with purple, as well as yellow. But I did not fall for it madly like I suspected I would...& I can't exactly pinpoint a reason. I liked the cap sleeves...despite having !shoulder pads! Hello, 1983. The eyelet fabric is charming, lovely shade of red, good length...but it was just an odd fit on my body. I enjoyed wearing it twice...then sending it back to GB. 

Booty...looking at it from this angle...there really wasn't enough shape to it...

Garage sale scores... 10 records! I looked through over 1,000 records in the garage...& there were more in the basement, but I didn't go down there because I was overwhelmed. Why didn't I go down there?! I just realized one is missing here...Ike Cole (brother of Nat King Cole)...I pulled it to bring to a wedding. The couple who were having this sale were in their 60s & so nice...she told me at one time her husband had over 10,000 records...but he lets more go each year. 

Car shopping...David had been looking for a car for me for a few months. We were seriously considering several cars from 1970 (the year I was born)...but I decided to be practical...& safer. We test drove this Volvo & Lexus...& after consulting Facebook & our trusty mechanics...decided on the Lexus. I would have preferred the Volvo...only because I don't think of myself as the type of woman who drives a Lexus...50s, upper middle class, gold & diamond tennis bracelet, frosted hair, bitchy. But it is SO comfortable & luxurious. David has named her Joan (from Mad Men). 

My poor Audi was beginning to have some exhaust issues that would have cost $4-5,000 to fix. My last 3 cars have been wagons, so I will definitely miss all that room to throw things in back...but, she had to go.

Bye, Violet...I'll miss you.

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Deep Purple; Urban Decay eyeshadow in Hoodoo, Freakshow, & Laced; Sugarpill eyeshadow in Love+; NXY lipstick in Russian Roulette; UD lipstick in F-Bomb; & Peel Me a Gobi Grape nail polish from OPI. 

17th Girlieversary

 Dress: Geometric Printed Faux Wrap Dress by Jete (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Dansko

Earring, Necklace, & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I adore unexpected color combinations & rather like these GB house brand faux wraps. I am not a fan of the asymetrical neckline...one side lays flat, while the other is drape-y...but these come in such a variety of fun patterns...I'm willing to overlook that one flaw. This is an otherwise fabulous style of dress that I can wear in either the 4 or 5x. I purchased it in this amazing fan print...& have also enjoyed wearing it in autumn leaves & retro floral. 

Farmers' Market. Jamie, our friendly mushroom pusher, took our photo in front of their booth. After market...girlie brunch at Heritage Tavern. I often keep my phone in my bra when walking around without a purse...on this occasion my camera lens acquired some boob sweat & all my photos during brunch had a dull haze over them...which I didn't figure out until I was taking some pictures at home later. So, our hazy food was a market veggie omelet & for me...Heritage Tavern Benedict (porchetta, spinach, 'nduja hollandaise, cherry tomatoes, fried poached egg). And the reason brunch was invented, cocktails...the girlie had a market champagne cocktail (with housemade pear syrup) & I happily sipped a Daybreak (Death's Door vodka, Galliano, dry orange curaçao, orange, dry resiling).

On this day, 17 years ago...I drove to Chicago to meet Kate for the first time. It was one of the best & bravest decisions of my life. What started out as a romance turned into the best friendship I've ever had. Kate is always there for me when I need her...for silly fun times & to listen to me when I'm sad or crazy...& everything in-between. My life is better with her in it & I look forward to many more years of memory making with my girlie. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero, Sephora eyeliner in Brown, NYX eyeshadow from the Warm Neutrals & Brights palette, Dubonnet Amplified lipstick by MAC, & OPI nail polish in The Spy Who Loved Me with Conga-Line Coral on top. 

Gargoyling

 Dress: Meredith Dress in Antique Floral by Igigi (size 22/24) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Sandals: Born, thrifted

Earring & Necklace: Babil & Bijou, no longer online

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This gorgeous dress from Igigi was a dream to wear to work & garage sale-ing. The bright ocean hued floral print was stunning & a great length. This dress runs large, so I sized down one from my typical Igigi size. The only thing I disliked about this dress were the elastic sleeves...they weren't too tight, I just don't personally love that look, so I was happy being able to push them up. 

All the pretty stuff on the UW Historical Society building was up too high to be in my photos...but David tried. Me doing my gargoyle impersonation...

 I wish this was the entrance to my house...

 Garage sale scores...

 & finds...pretty feather hats...

 Lovely shades of blue...

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Deep Blue; Urban Decay eyeshadow in Heroine, Freeze, & Blunt; MAC lipstick in Head in the Clouds, & The Spy Who Loved Me nail polish from OPI. 

Memorial Weekend

 Dress: Polka Dot Dress with Bell Sleeves by Julian Taylor (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Leggings: Torrid

Sandals: Array, thrifted

Necklace, Earring, & Bracelet: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I put on this dress & found it loathsome...but I wore it out of the house anyway because I wear everything I get from GB unless it just doesn't fit on my body. I did like the bell sleeves, which was the reason I closeted it in the first place. That's it...its only redeemable quality. I hated the way the fabric felt...heavy & rough, the mismatched seam right down the middle...yuck, & the hook at the top of the keyhole neck didn't want to stay latched. This was my first time wearing these watermelon leggings & they were fairly adorable & perfect for a weekend cookout. 

David & I farmers' marketed together & ran some errands...on our way home, he saved a darling family of geese who were trying to cross the beltline, but there were barriers on both sides...so David shepherded them to a grassy area by driving sllllloooowwwlly next to them...making no friends with any of the other drivers. But...fuzzy little goslings...I hope they found their way to a friendlier goose location. 
Birthday cookout for Angie's friend Tony. Angie made me a yummy cocktail. Did you know there were *yellow* peonies?!?

Angie & David deep in conversation just before the storm. Delicious food was enjoyed underneath the protection of tents.

Savers 50% off sale finds...not much this time around. Leopard leggings & an Old Navy dress to wear to bed & a pretty paisley top for me...some summery shirts for Super Boo. 

My (watermelon inspired) make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero, Sephora eyeliner in Brown, UD eyeshadow in Dragon & Alien, & Quince lipstick by Bite Beauty. 

The Legendary Shack Shakers @ The Shitty Barn

 Dress: Maxi Dress in Jade & Peacock by Kiyonna (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Sandals:

Earring: Babil & Bijou

Necklace: Vintage

Bracelet: Debby Anderson

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Another gorgeous goddess maxi dress...& my first ever maxi from Kiyonna. This dress stays put long enough to look stunning in photos...however, in real life...the top is a mess. The shoulders kept falling down, which wouldn't have been such a big deal...but the entire right side of my (orange) bra was exposed to the masses nearly every time. Otherwise, I love this dress...but the ill-fitting top makes this too high maintenance to wear. It would be worth fashion taping it to your body to wear once...but that didn't work for me outside on a hot day...but perhaps indoors it would. 

The plunge bra I wore allowed me to show maximum cleavage & back without showing any bra (if you don't count the dozen times the dress slide half off my body). Lane Bryant's plunge bras are the plungiest I've found & really work well for me. 

Picnic at The Barn...YUM! Angie, Toby, Kate, & I all brought delicious vegan food to share. 

I pull this face a lot...I'm not sure why...at least my mouth is closed. I held onto this dress for weeks waiting for a fancier occasion to occur...but since it never did...overdressed at The Barn. Kate inside the Shitty Dance Zone...which was most of the barn on this evening.

 J.D. Wilkes puts on the best show no matter what band he's touring with...we saw him earlier this year at The High Noon Saloon with his wife, Jessica Wilkes, opening...& 2 years ago at The Barn as J.D. Wilkes & The Dirt Daubers (similar line-up, but with his wife on standup bass).

Crowd surfing & jumping up on all the surfaces.

J.D. declared Kate's shake legendary...she shimmied the entire show. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Junkie; UD eyeshadow in Bondage, Alchemy, & Dust; NYX Pro Lip Cream Palette in The Plums; & OPI nail polish in What's the Hatter with You? 

I'm linking to Visible Monday on Not Dead Yet Style.