Art Fair on the Square

Dress: Stargazing Dress in Solvang by Effie's Heart (size L) via Gwynnie Bee

Sandals: Born

Earring: Wendy Baker

Necklace: bel monili

Bracelets: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Another cute as a button Effie's Heart dress covered in tulips. Great fit...my EH size is a medium, but the smallest GB got was a large. Usually I can wear a small or large in this brand without noticing much difference because of the stretch...but in this case large was the best choice as I think a medium in this style wouldn't have worked as well. 

I had to look up what Solvang meant & I only needed to read the first sentence to get it...it's a California city with Danish-style architecture. 

In my mind...all flowers go together...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner & eyeshadow in Mildew, Natasha Denona eyeshadow palette, Blissful lipliner from Becca, Head in the Clouds lipstick by MAC, & Colors by Llarowe nail polish in The Mighty Red Baron. 

I first wore this dress to visit our trainer, Annie Forest. She probably wonders why I can't just wear workout clothes like everyone else...I wear shorts under my dress. On this day we worked on my balance (it's terrible), stepping up onto a big platform, various exercises I can do with the sled at the gym, & the first steps to doing a chin-up (a goal I have). Afterwards...David & I went to Ahan for lunch. We began with Pork Dumplings (Enos Farm pork, ginger, cabbage, garlic, scallion, ponzu), Chèvre Wontons (cream cheese, chèvre, scallion, sweet & sour), & Summer Rolls (Vitruvian Farm micro greens, spring mix, radish, cucumber, carrot, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, scallion in a rice paper wrap. Nuoc Cham with crushed peanuts for dipping). All 3 were delicious...but I am a huge fan of those summer rolls...which tasted just like summer, stuffed with everything that's currently growing here in Wisconsin...so fresh. 

David ordered Kung Pao (sautéed shrimp, zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, onion, scallion, sweet soy sauce, ginger, jalapeños, peanuts, chili oil, pea shoots, lime, fried garlic, & jasmine rice)...& I had the thing I always order because it is the yummiest, Praram Long Song (fried chicken, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, carrots, local mushroom blend, onions, scallion, cilantro, peanuts, fried garlic, with a side of peanut sauce & jasmine rice). The food here is so good...& they share their space with Bur Oak, the music venue, so I can have tasty food whenever I see a show there. 

At Decon...we came home with that window security gate for outdoor decoration & a not pictured big rusty chain (David loves those). It's always fun to poke around there & see what treasures they've salvaged. Back at home...Chie Mihara shoes I found for cheap on eBay...these shoes are more expensive than Fluevogs new, but I can often get them for $20-50 used (barely or never worn). Picking up our very dirty, very inconvenient CSA (our fault, we picked them). 

Flowers from market alongside basil from our CSA. The final time I put on this dress was for an extremely enjoyable Saturday. First, I dashed into the market that was moved to Breese Stevens Field to buy ALL the fruit...strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, & Door County cherries. Then we drove to where the market usually is for Art Fair on the Square...our goal was to arrive at 9am when they opened & we got there 15 minutes early. Adorable bike...make this photo bigger so you can see it better...I squeed. 

It was a gorgeous day with only a small crowd for the first half. Some things that caught my eye...including these mini canvas paintings with gold leaf on the edges...I'm going to try that some time instead of getting a frame.

This art made out of the performers vinyl from Deadwax Art catches my eye every year...some day I'm going to get one, but so far I haven't found the piece that speaks to me. It would have to be just the right Billie Holiday or David Bowie I think.

Our first purchase of the day was this vintage milk jug with sunflower cutouts (there are lights inside). And right next door, Helen's Daughters...where this bag hanging in front of the gold frame called to me...isn't it fabulous?! And the artist was wearing a hat by the same local artist as I was, Hats o Fancy...I intended on getting another sunhat from her...but she didn't have any of the largest brimmed ones that I like...so she's going to specially craft me one before she retires. 

I love looking at beautiful things...going into each of the booths is like entering another world...like getting lost in a good book. My veggie tattoo got a lot of attention, as usual. It always makes me happy that other people appreciate it...my favorite on this day was a woman who excitedly told her daughter...that dress she's wearing is like the woman I was telling you about from market this morning with the fabulous tattoo...then she looked up & spotted my tattoo...& she was overjoyed & told her daughter to take a photo. 

We keep buying quirky cutting boards. Heather Renaux was there...I have her circus art covering the walls of my make-up/jewelry room. 

Mohop! I was after a crossbody purse in ruby (top left) to add to my collection...but I think I made the wrong decision...they had a special edition textured copper purse, but I had it in my mind that ruby was the one I was getting...I have a difficult time with change...they will *always* have the ruby & now I will most likely never have a copper purse...which I would use a TON. 

Rusty things always lure me in...

And doors & staircases...

More handmade purses...& this woman's clothing was stunning.

Best outfit I saw all day. After strolling around the square for several hours...we ended up at Lucille...

We sat outside & enjoyed our usual...cocktails, 3 lb. pork shoulder nachos, & steel pan pizza. 

I discovered a large screw in our nachos & our waitress was appalled...she said our entire bill was on the house & told us the manager would come talk to us. I replied that we didn't eat it & were not traumatized...so it was all fine & she looked like she wanted to cry. Are people that horrible?! We are guessing it fell out of their wood fire oven? On our walk back to the truck...we saw that Bartell was having an open house & I'd been meaning to get tickets to Pirates of Penzance...so we wandered in & got a tour & talked to someone from each of the 4 theatre groups that perform there. We love that place. It was a lovely way to spend a gorgeous Saturday.

I got 3 new purses...

And that same day...we got 2 Fluevog boxes in the post. I was confused as I hadn't ordered anything. David got me this glorious green purse (it had been on my wishlist a while, which he didn't know...he just knows what I like) & some purple suede shoes for himself. Perfect day. 

 

Albert Cummings

Dress: Abstract Butterfly Purple Zoe Dress by Leota (size 2x) via Gwynnie Bee 

Shoes: ?, thrifted 

All Jewelry: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 45-42-59

I loved the pretty burgundy-ish purple of this butterfly dress. The fit was good, but this dress runs a bit bigger than Leota typically does.  The flutter sleeves, length, & banded waist on this dress are nice & this style makes for a great cold weather outfit that can be layered. 

This dress was just long enough to cover my terrible legs. I will be so happy when all my scars are covered by tattoos. 

Both of these shoe colors are actually in the dress, but the pink doesn't come across as well in photos. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline; Pat McGrath eyeshadow in Electron, Gold Standard, Venomous Void, & Fuchsia Shock; Burgundy lipliner from MAC; Pure Society lipstick by NYX; & OPI nail polish in Outback Aphrodisiac. 

I wore this dress to go to The Stoughton Opera House with David to see the first show of the season, Albert Cummings. 

They did such a lovely job restoring this gorgeous venue. 

I've never sat in the balcony before...great seats! This was the day after I found out I had gout & had just started taking meds for it. Because of that...it would have been too painful to walk down to our seats, so the nice ushers let me sit in a comfy chair at the top of the balcony.

Such a great Blues musician...I had never even heard of him before checking him out simply because he was on the schedule at this fabulous place. I love discovering new music this way. 

The next day we popped in to Deconstruction Inc where we found treasures, as usual. We got this sink for the backyard kitchen area, some floral metal bits (never sure what to call these?), a corn elevator for planting flowers in (different than the ones we picked up at Elkhorn), & a bunch of rusty metal pulleys to hang stuff off the pergola on. And check out this gorgeous art nouveau heating cover *swoon* Mark, the owner, took us in back to show us these beauties. The manufacturer is still in business & they've never seen this pattern before...so it was likely specially made for the house it was taken from here in Madison. Who gets rid of something like this?! 

GB sent me this Effie's Heart dress, but sadly, it was pilled & I just ended up wearing it to PT & to do errands. My Nuuly arrived! Sneak peek into what I'll be wearing. Boxy Charm...if I never get another highlighter, I would be so happy. 

A package from Wendy! It's been far too long. I am in love with these fabulous flowers...& she surprised me with matching earrings. 

 

A Reuben A Day

 Dress: Pleated Navy Fit & Flare Dress by Melissa Masse (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee

Shirt: Notations, thrifted

Leggings: LuLaRoe (size TC2) via eBay 

Shoes: Mossimo, thrifted 

Earring: etXarte

Elephant Necklace & Bracelets: Vintage

Other Necklaces: Babil & Bijou, former Etsy shop

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

The crinkled pleated skirt on this dress was lovely...I wish the whole dress had been made of that fabric...the top was just a plain jersey knit. The fit & length were spot on for me. This dress was comfortable & could be dressed up or down with endless color combinations. I tried to dress it up like a circus tent here. 

These LuLaRoe leggings have quickly become my favorite...while it is true, they are buttery soft...what I truly adore is how tightly they fit to the leg...the Torrid leggings are too baggy at the ankles for me.

When in doubt...throw all of your circus-y necklaces on at once...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in LSD; Violet Voss eyeshadow in Buttercup, Seaform, Royal, & Indigo; UD eyeshadow in Intergalactic; NYX lip palette in The Plums; & I Sea You Wear OPI nail polish by OPI. 

I wore this dress to work with David on 2 different days & both of those days...I had a reuben for lunch. We also stopped in to Deconstruction Inc to look at driveway material possibilities. For several minutes...we contemplated using this old mausoleum granite for our driveway & walkway. I think it might have been neat if we liked black & white...but we want more color. I am smitten with this sunflower table & chair. 

The reuben at The Old Fashioned was delightful...& their cheese curds are one of the top 3 in Madison.

Halloween Easter Ensemble

 Dress: Textured Black Fit & Flare Dress by Eva Rose (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Ashley Stewart, thrifted

Leggings: LuLaRoe via eBay (size TC2)

Sandals: Nurture, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Age Before Beauty 

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This Eva Rose dress was terrible. The fit was fine, but the material...it looked & felt like fabric my gym teacher wore back in the 70s. The laser cut dot pattern that I thought would add a bit of texture & interest looked designed to make athletic wear breathable. So, I threw some color at it & made it my Halloween Easter outfit. Zombie Jesus Brunch. 

The orange stripey cardigan & Nosferatu leggings represent Halloween & my cross necklace, cross/religious medal earring, & purple holographic nail polish are my nod to Easter. Makes sense, right?

It was in the 70s on Easter, so I painted my toenails & wore sandals...& that was the last time it has been that nice out. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Voodoo; Hoodoo, Freak Show, & Disco eyeshadow from UD; Tangerine eyeshadow by Make Up For Ever; MAC lipstick in "O"; & Voodoo nail polish by Colors by Llarowe. 

I wore this outfit to go to Deconstruction Inc with David to purchase more tin ceiling...we would have come home with this sign if it hadn't already been sold. Why?! I'm not sure what we were thinking we would do with it. In addition to tin ceiling...we brought home that amazing butterfly bench (I will, of course, paint it bright happy colors) & that rusty triangle waste basket. Spray paint sale...for the tin ceiling. I also went to PT for my arthritic knees. First ramps of the season!

Accidental Easter brunch. We couldn't find a mutually free day during the week, so Easter brunch it was...brunch is the best meal. Dogs playing! Delicious breakfast...we brought some pastries from Batch & Angie made smoked salmon eggs benedict, rösti potatoes, sausage...& what makes brunch the best...mimosas. 

 Freddie...still cute...getting cuter. 

Things on other days I was wearing this dress...Sephora Play! box, many colored dots bracelets...vintage, from eBay. Picking out the colors for our ceiling tin...we're going to paint each pattern a different color & arrange them on the ceiling in a patchwork quilt kind of style...does that make sense? I've never seen it done before, but hopefully it looks as fabulous as I envision it to be. 

My first time buying new make-up all year...at Ulta's 20% off sale...