Orville Peck // SistaStrings

Dress: Blossom Maxi Dress by Anthropologie (size 2x) via Nuuly (use my link & we both get $10 off)

Sandals: Alegria, gift from Super Boo

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65

I felt like a princess in this feminine off the shoulder maxi. The fit was good with the exception of the sewn in boob spaces...they seemed a bit too small & I'm only a D cup. I had to play with the top a lot to keep my bra from showing. This dress would be best for someone who didn't need to wear a bra. The colors were gorgeous, but it was a bit heavy for a summer cotton dress...it would be more appropriate for spring or fall. It was a great maxi for the two concerts I attended while wearing it...definitely too low cut for work

I have quite a few tattoo plans...but haven't gotten as far as my back. I wonder what will eventually end up there...it has to be quite spectacular as it is my biggest canvas. I'd hate to be basic & go with wings...but I've always wanted wings. 

I bought this super bright orange/pink nail polish years ago & this is my first time wearing it. It would look great with a tan...something I'll never have. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline; Destroyer, Löve, & Analogue eyeshadow by Kat von D; Big Bang lipstick & lipliner by UD; UD lipstick in Crush, & Bow Chika Wow Wow nail polish from Colors by Llarowe. 
Mixed greens with shrimp, avocado, cilantro, & lime evoo dressing for lunch...delicious. DJ Baby Berlin spinning 90s alternative tunes. Shok interviewing Brian Viglione & playing Dresden Dolls videos. 

Another gorgeous pair of Fluevogs bought during their sale. Chilean sea bass for dinner with roasted zucchini rounds & a mayo/garlic/horseradish dipping sauce. This dress came to me from Nuuly with the tag still attached. About 1/2 the dresses I get from there, I am the first to wear it.

Before concert selfies...outside, then inside with a mask. A wall of cassette tapes...& some of the cowboy concert goers. This was my first time seeing a show at The Sylvee & they have a really nice ADA area with chairs that is fenced off from the crowd. I sat in my wheelchair & was happy with the view & people watching. 

The New Old Things opened (Appleton, WI)...& Kate reminded me that we'd seen them at The Shitty Barn. The crowd treated this band as if they'd come to see them...cheering at everything...I think we're all still excited to be able to go out & see live music. My favorite part of the entire night was when the lead singer had his 12 year old son come out to play harmonica for a song...the crowd went even more wild. At that moment...I liked people. Orville Peck was fabulous...great sound & he told some good stories about the covers he played. I wasn't aware that he covered Born This Way because Lady Gaga asked him to...how awesome is that?! Great Friday night. 

On Sunday afternoon I wore this dress again to see an outdoor concert with the girlie...SistaStrings, who we are seeing next month at the barn. 

Ladies DJ-ing on Twitch.

An Iliad // David Huckfelt

Dress: Tapestry Pleated Maxi Dress by ML Monique Lhuillier (size 20) via Nuuly (use my link & we both save $10)

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: former Etsy shop (gift from Kate)

Bracelet: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65 

I felt like a Goddess in this $600 dress...even though there was no way not to have my bra showing in the front through the slit. That was my only complaint...it was otherwise *perfect*. It was oversized, but that was by design (I also should have gotten an 18). The model was wearing it without the belt, but I felt I needed the belt to give some shape & draw up a bit of length. The small straps & the open back just felt sexy to me. There is something about shoulders & backs being exposed that feels so sultry. And of course I LOVED all the different patterns. 

Years & years ago...Kate & I were at the downtown Saturday market & I spied a girl wearing these shoes...it took a while, but I finally tracked them down & bought a pair of my own. Then promptly never wore them. They were ideal for this dress. 

Look at my pretty shoes! Also, my horrible legs from vasculitis & cellulitis & why I want them covered with tattoos. 

I first wore this dress to see a play with David at APT, An Iliad. Then weeks later, to see a show at The Shitty Barn. We took these photos at the barn before the play. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline; UD Naked Cherry palette, MAC lipliner in Burgundy, NYX Liquid Suede lipstick in Pure Society, & Forever Family nail polish by Essie. 

A picnic to go with our play...salmon with whole lemon dressing (an Alison Roman recipe) on a bed of butter lettuce, with garlic, evoo, fresh tarragon, thyme, oregano (all herbs grown ourselves), cucumber, radishes, & avocado. Champagne from Kate & raspberries from Fern.

The play was excellent...although apparently, we'd seen it before (according to Kate, which was then confirmed). The second time I wore the dress (because how could I not wear it again?!)...David & I met with the artist that is going to cover Veronika in flames (what you typically see on cars) & fire (like pictured below). He won't have time to do it until this winter, but he's going to get us a rendering before then. We all really liked each others ideas, so I think it's going to be spectacular...& he told me he could give me pops of glitter throughout! 

After our creative meeting...I drove off to Milwaukee to have a consultation to get an eyebrow replacement. I hope it works out, I'm ridiculously excited to have actual eyebrows. I made an appointment for the end of September. 

From Milwaukee...I drove to Spring Green to see David Huckfelt at the barn. 

Michael Rossetto opened (& was also in David's band)...he played banjo in an entirely un-banjo like way. His songs were inspired by trips to the small village in Italy where his parents were from. I was worried this wouldn't be a magical show because David's band, The Pines, are so amazing...but he's put together another wonderful combination of musicians, including Jeremy Ylvisaker, who plays guitar for Andrew Bird. These guys clearly really like each other & were thrilled to be playing in front of an audience. I love it when music moves me to tears. 

 

Victorian Wallpaper

Dress: Ruched Waist Green Midi Dress by Jessica Howard (size 20) via Gwynnie Bee

Teggings: Re/Dress, RIP

Sandals: Born

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: former Etsy shop

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65

A green dress always makes me happy...it was my favorite color for a long time...before orange took over. The design in navy & white was just gorgeous & reminded me of vintage wallpaper. Can't you see this in a Victorian dining room? The fit, the length...all spot on. It was a perfect work dress & would also be great with a cardigan in cooler months. I wore this dress to work a few times & not anywhere else. A bit too conservative to take out to play. 

In my warmly lit office/make-up room at home...the navy parts of this dress read as black. But when I walked into my bright closet to grab black teggings...I saw it was instead, navy...so I am wearing navy teggings with black shoes. I don't have a rule against it. 

Because green was my favorite color for so long, I have a LOT of green jewelry...more than any other color. It's always nice to have the opportunity to wear it. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mars; Sting, Drip, Honey, & Flyby eyeshadow by UD; NYX lipliner in Nectar; Bite Beauty lipliner in 72; Nectar lipstick from Sugarpill Cosmetics; & OPI nail polish in My Gecko Does Tricks. 

DJs on Twitch. Whole red snapper for dinner. 

Pan fried salmon with dill, garlic, & lemon...& sautéed broccoli...with blackberries for dessert. I figured food pictures are slightly more interesting than photos of me lifting weights...which really, are the two things I do most often. MTVs 40th anniversary show by DJ/VJ Ant...B-52s. 

 

Esoteric Whites // Tattoo Consultation

Dress: Gabriela Ruffled Maxi Dress by Maeve for Anthropologie (size 2x) via Nuuly (use my link & we both get $10 off)

Sandals: Born

All Jewelry: Colleen Toland

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65

I felt beautiful in this dress...is there really anything else to say? The fit & length were perfect. I only wish this dress had come to me from Nuuly a bit less faded. 

Exposed shoulders & back = sexy. 

The colors in this dress were lovely...& here I am with the perfect jewelry thanks to my wonderful husband.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew; Mildew, Stranded, & Still Shot eyeshadow by UD; Bite Beauty lipliner in 72; Trinket lipstick by Sugarpill Cosmetics; & OPI nail polish in Greenwich Green. 

I first wore this dress to our wine tasting group, Wasted. The theme was Esoteric Whites. Hi, Kate & Jason! Also, we discovered at this event that Heidi & I are both May Day babies. I hardly ever meet anyone with the same birthday as me. Patrick pouring the pre-game bottle. 

Hi, there...

Awwwwww...

Some dining to go with our wine-ing.

A lovely day for an outdoor gathering. I'm still ridiculously happy to GO anywhere, but this was a particularly delightful evening. Lindsay was super laid back & didn't even take any notes...Patrick did. 

I think this might have been my favorite wine of the night...but it was 2 weeks ago & I have a terrible memory. We had a record 6 hour tasting...& I'm not sure when it would have broken up if Maureen didn't tell her husband they were going. 

I wore this dress again just last Friday for a tattoo consultation with Mar. OMG! I submitted 4 tattoo ideas to them & I thought they were just saying yes to one of them...but they are going to do ALL 4!!! It's better than Christmas. We could have started in just 2 weeks, but I have my knee surgery, so we won't begin until October. This is just a freehand sketch they did on my foot...& I am already in love. I have a lot of scarring on my feet & legs & it is my greatest desire to just fill them with gorgeous tattoos. 

 

Raine Stern // Buffalo Nichols

Dress: Banana Print Dress by eShakti (size 20) via Gwynnie Bee

Teggings: Re/Dress, RIP

Sandals: Born

All Jewelry: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65

A banana dress?! Fun! I love any fruit or veggie on a dress...give them all to me. I got this in a size too big & David had to pin the straps in back for me because the top was too big...but other than that...great fitting dress & super CUTE. And for the first time ever, I took advantage of the bra holders on the straps of the dress to secure my bra in place so I wasn't constantly needing to yank either my bra or dress straps up. Handy. 

Sometimes you get a perfectly matching wall...

This is my first time wearing this yellow/orange/green vintage parure...I found the bracelet & earrings at Elkhorn & the necklace on Etsy (it is nearly an exact match).

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mars; Grass, Lime Crime, & Candles eyeshadow by Lime Crime; NYX lipliner in Orange County; Dozen Carnations lipstick from MAC; & My Gecko Does Tricks nail polish by OPI. 

Trying on 2 dresses to text Kate...which dress for the barn & which for wine tasting? She & David both picked bananas for the barn. DJ-ing on Twitch. 

The girlie & I at The Shitty Barn for a show!!! It's only been 22 months since the last show here...no big deal. I missed this place SO much!

We made a picnic of fresh deliciousness. 

Our first show back...Buffalo Nichols (formerly of Nickel & Rose), followed by Raine Stern. Alan introducing the bands. 

Both acts were really good...we came for Buffalo Nichols & I love his sound. Raine Stern isn't someone I'd seek out, but she was so full of energy & I really enjoyed her choice of covers (especially Stevie Nicks & Daft Punk). Kate took this photo through the window as she was waiting to be picked up by Jason. She was nervous about possible storms. Freddie, Sadie, & Me.

Angie & Toby were on vacation...so we got to have dinner with the whole family. We had a feast...pork Angie smoked in their charcoal grill (OMG!), mustard sauce, zoodles with peanut basil sauce, roasted cauliflower, garlic broccoli, string beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, & fried onions. Also, a delicious dry Riesling was the perfect accompaniment to this meal. 

Carsie playing a birthday show with her band. DJs DJ-ing.