The Pines // Merchant // The Tattooing Begins

 Dress: Floral Border Hi Lo Dress by INC (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: ?, thrifted

Leggings: Torrid (size 4x)

Shoes: Born, thrifted

Earring, Necklace, & Bracelet: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This pretty floral nylon summer dress was autumned right up with the addition of this breezy cardigan & leggings. The fit & length of this dress was just right for me...& for once, I enjoyed the hi-lo hem because this sheer fabric looks the same on both sides. The banded waist hit me just below the boobs, which is where I prefer...empire waist. The flow of the skirt & the colors of the flowers were just lovely. 

We managed to find some hearty flowers that were still in bloom at Olbrich Gardens. 

I had this dress at home forever before returning it...but somehow I still forgot to take pictures of the make-up I wore. I will confess...I normally don't care what's in fashion, but I read an article online about how all shades of green nail polish are hot right now...so I wore this OPI Greenwich Green polish instead of the pink I was considering. I am extremely suggestible. 

I wore this dress to see The Pines with Angie at The Shitty Barn (under a coat). It was a Saturday & their normal food vendor, Enos Farms, had an event to cater...so Pizza Brutta took their place...it was a welcome change of chow as Enos just does tacos now...in the past they switched it up. The Pines were delightful, as always...& this turned out to be my last Shitty show of the season. Angie, Kate, & I were supposed to see The Zach Pietrini band a week ago Saturday...but Angie went & had a baby & it was cold, rainy, sleety, & snowy that particular day...so Kate & I decided to skip it. 

I wore this dress again on a day when the temperature was in the 80s...to have cocktails & nibbles with the girlie at Merchant. We were certain they'd have their fall drink menu available since it was already the first week of October...but not until the 17th. However, all their cocktails are fabulous...& their new chef has made the cheese curds even tastier. 

 Everything was delicious, with the exception of Kate's sea bass...it was terribly overcooked & rubbery. I'm not sure why neither of us spoke up about it. The surprise of the evening was the tuna crudo in a watermelon soup...it sounded weird, but why not try it??? It was incredible & lovely to look at as well...although my photo is blurry. 

Last round of drinks...I got an old standby that I haven't had for ages...Corpse Reviver...

I'm not actually sure I was wearing this dress, but I think so? Kate & I went to farmers' market...where I got these jack-o-lantern "flowers"? to add to my sunflowers, & the girlie gifted me a pumpkin bag I wanted from Target...sooo thoughtful. The next day she came over to do laundry & brought us wine to enjoy...she is petting Rye here, but the picture is too dark to really see his snoot (do not google pig snoot). 

Finally, I wore this dress to begin my farmers' market tattoo with Maggie. I've wanted this tattoo for decades...& I am so pleased I waited because she is the perfect person to do this tattoo. She drew on my arm to envision how the final placement might go...& we began a three hour session...she just looked at the photos we had taken of the veggies all year...& made them come to life on my arm! This was my first time getting tattooed without Kate's hand to dig my nails into (& this is a gift from her), but Maggie is super full & I wanted to leave evening & weekend slots for those that need them since I am available during the work days. I was so scared...but! It hardly hurt...totally bearable pain. Like, I could breathe & talk...it was bizarre! Apparently, chicks are the way to go for tattoo artists...she was so gentle. If I had known tattoos could be so easy...I would be completely covered by now! The photos are how they looked the next morning. The ginger is my favorite. 

Frank Catalano

 Dress: Sleeveless Scuba Fit & Flare Dress by Gabby Skye (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: Lane Bryant (size 22/24), thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors in Spruce Green

Shoes: xhilaration, thrifted 

Earring: former Etsy seller

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

A lovely scuba fit & flare dress from Gabby Skye. That green tapestry wallpaper print with the ombré effect was delightful. The length was spot on, but the arm holes & back were slightly too big...but that is fixed by throwing a cardigan on top. Also, there are pockets. Gabby Skye tends to run big, so this 24 fit me just right. 

This is my first time wearing these fantastic mustard shoes that I thrifted from the dearly departed Savers. 

There are bits of mustard in the dress too. And a smattering of sequins on the cardigan. I often fold under crewneck cardigans to make a v if I want more of the dress to show. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Loaded; UD eyeshadow in Wildheart, Edge, Radio, & Stranded; UD lipstick in Firebird & Big Bang; & Forever Family nail polish from Essie. 

I wore this dress to go out to dinner at Alchemy with David, Angie, & Toby...there was a 45 minute wait & since we didn't have that much time...we opted to sit outside. It was 53º...David wrapped himself in our APT blanket. That woman's coat!!!

I showed Angie the two wallpapers we'd picked out for our hallway..she prefers things quite a bit more subtle than we do, but she approved of this pairing. 

Our first time at Arts + Literature Laboratory. We wandered around looking at the art...then sat down in the third row...the front row was completely open when we walked in, but it was so close to the drums...which I am never a fan of. Angie & I had seen Frank Catalano twice at The Shitty Barn...both times with Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)...but this was a first with upright bass & piano/keyboard...both of those guys were spectacular. And Frank Catalano was dazzling. 

Henry Rollins & the Final Elkhorn Flea of the Season

 Dress: Fit & Flare Dress in Burgundy Ground Floral Print by Alexia Admor (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: ?, thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors in Rubine 

Shoes: Gap, thrifted

Earring: Kerala Rose

Necklace & Bracelet: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

The colors in this dress...so promising...however, the fit was off for me. This 3x ran more like a 4-5x, so definitely large. The heavy scuba fabric was great for a crisp fall day, but felt cheap. Good length & flare. 

We took these photos on Gallery Night. I had read that Garver was participating & I was curious to see how the reconstruction was coming along...& use it as a backdrop for pictures. Sadly, they had an artist inside...but the building was still fenced off because of construction. So, we used the railroad track in front of it to capture images as we lost the light...so they are a bit blurry/grainy. 

Pretty colors...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline; UD eyeshadow in Bondage; Dreamer, Celestial, & Drama eyeshadow from Anastasia; NYX lip palette in The Plums; & OPI nail polish in Yes My Condor Can-do!

I first wore this dress to see Henry Rollins with David. We LOVE Henry, however...this was his travel slide show...& it was like seeing your Uncle Henry's trip photos. His travel stories during his spoken word shows always capture me...but he was trying to convey to us a feeling of place & travel that words were not adequate for...the message being...travel is amazing, get out there! Which is an awesome message, but a boring several hours. We nearly left...but I'm so grateful we stayed because his last two photos were worth it. The first was a photo of a teenage Henry skateboarding, taken by his bestie, Ian MacKaye. And the final photo was of him trying out for Black Flag, which he had not been aware existed until recently.

I wore this dress again a few days later to go to the last Elkhorn Antique Flea Market of the season. David & I happened to wake up extra early, around 4 am...& thought...why not just get ready & drive? The gates open at 7, & we were parked by 6:30...it was dark & raining...so we decided to stay in the car rather than get in line. 

It was a bit of a slow start as most of the outside dealers had their treasures covered up to protect them from the rain...so we spent the first bit inside...not finding anything. But then! The rain stopped & we found fabulous iron outdoor tables...good thing we brought the truck. While David was loading up those...I came across these lovely lamps...the matching pair came home with us & will have a place on our fireplace mantel. 

My heart stopped when I laid eyes on these...then we asked the price. As we were walking away...the dealer gave David his card & informed us that there was a matching couch. But...all for the price of a really nice used car. Imagine these covered in burgundy velvet *swoon*. 

David was trying to talk me into this tricycle...& it did feel quite stable to ride...but would I ever ride it? He later saw a very happy hipster librarian riding it after she bought it. Then, the final purchase of the day...this grape metal arbor. Lunch at Los Tres Hermanos before heading back to Madison. 

Garver behind gates...there is a small lit area where a graffiti artist is making art...but you had to stand behind the fence to see him. I love this building. After photos, we went to Salvatore's & had a Caesar salad with anchovies & Farmer John's smoked gouda pie. So delicious. 

Heartbreak House

 Dress: Confetti Print Surplice Midi Dress by Modcloth (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: Ashley Stewart (size 22/24), thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors in Royal

Shoes: Hobbs London, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

Unfortunately, this dress came to me pilled, faded, & in the wrong season...but I decided to wear it anyway because it was cute. The fabric was thin & summery...it would have been the ideal 4th of July outfit. The fit was good, but the surplice neckline needed to be pinned or else quite a bit of my bra showed. This would have been a great rental back when GB first got it, but never something I would want to own due to the red, white, & blue patriotic theme. 

My shoes have polka dots on them...

I haven't seen a side slit like this since the 90s...I hope they aren't making a comeback. 

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Deep Blue, Love+ eyeshadow by Sugarpill, NYX Ultimate Palette in Warm Neutrals, Urban Decay lipstick in 714, & O'Hare & Nails Look Great nail polish from OPI. 

A store in town, Retro-Revolution, posted a photo of 2 marvelous matching vintage light fixtures taken out of an old church...so I ran over there to see them in person & find out how much they were. It turns out...they were even better in person & they were a steal. Also, they were perched on a shelf next to these amazing MCM pear floor lights...not my thing, but WOW! awesome. 

A picnic at APT with Kate's dad & stepmom who were in town visiting. Delicious food & wine...

Heartbreak House, I think this has been my favorite play of the season (we still have one more).

I wore this outfit on another day to Wednesday market...where I bought delightful dahlias...& added them to a few of my sunflowers from the week before.

Recruiting Officer

 Dress: Bell Sleeve Floral Fit & Flare Dress by London Times (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Tights: We Love Colors in Rust

Shoes: Clarks, thrifted

All Jewelry: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This dress was soooo pretty in person...I just loved the colors. It was the perfect seasonal transition dress as some of the flowers reminded me of summer & others, autumn. Also, as a former goth girl...I have a total crush on bell sleeves. Everything about this dress was ideal...except for the mismatched seam right down the middle...why do they do that to dresses?! It's so jarring. Still...if this dress came along for $20 or less...I'd buy it. 

I was ecstatic when I saw these brand new never been worn adorable Clarks at Savers for dirt cheap earlier this year. Before they closed here. Sob. This was my first time wearing them. 

As many times as we've been to Spring Green this summer for APT & Shitty Barn...this will be my only photo shoot here. David rarely goes to the barn & the sunlight has not cooperated with us during our APT shows. This door though! Best chippy paint ever. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline & Mildew, UD eyeshadow in Stranded & Baja, Huda Beauty Coral Obsessions palette, Electric Warrior eyeshadow by Kat von D, Ready? lipstick from UD, & OPI nail polish in Como se Llama?

Indian buffet for lunch meant no need for a picnic at APT later in the day. Sephora Play! I look forward to getting this box every month, plus it's only $10...but I rarely use any of it. I need to make more of an effort. Sunflowers from market! Also, this is what we use for mosquito repellent & it's the BEST thing ever...one is to put on you & the other is to spray on your clothing (when it's not on you). They don't smell awful or melt your glasses.

Wine & mixed nuts before we see Recruiting Officer. I'm not sure where this suede muppet coat came from...but now that I have a huge closet...I have a place for everything. I think this was hiding in the basement of our other house. So, first time wearing it. 

 Cute metal piggy! in the gift shop. The stage, & us...

I wore this outfit again the next day (without makeup) to farmers' market with Kate...& to set up our new iPhones. 

I got a new bottle of Ginger Essence by Origins during their $20 off sale...it's the fragrance I like to wear in the colder months & it is delicious.