I Voted // Thrifting

Dress: Balloon Sleeve Navy Fit & Flare Dress by Jessica Howard (size 8) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Fluevog, Super Fine: Honour 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I nearly sent this back to GB without wearing it...I mean...how conservative is this dress?! Things I liked about it: pretty blue, lace bubble sleeves (I like this bubble trend), & lace around the bottom. It wasn't the best cut, but I had fun styling it. 

A reason to wear Fluevogs...I think this made the outfit a bit more fun & not so stuffy. 

I love the gold pipping...& the buckles, which I didn't really get a close-up of. 

This was my first time wearing this necklace...I was thinking about getting rid of it...I really need to purge some jewelry. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Sabbath; Heroine, Last Sin, Alchemy, & Sonic eyeshadow by UD; MAC Burgundy lipliner; Majella lipstick from Nars; & OPI nail polish in I'm Not Really A Waitress. 

Erranding...switching between channels...2 completely different songs titled, 'Call Me' being played at the same time...the first one was terrible. At the post office...it doesn't seem that long ago that that black rectangle displaying the date was counting down to the year 2000...the reason they installed it. I'm old. Trying on clothes at the Vinny's in Sun Prairie.

I found a TON of things, but most were unsuccessful...

I was sad about this terra cotta burnout velvet maxi...it was my size, but didn't come close to zipping in back. The color was outstanding on me. A bunch of nopes...

I came home with 4 dresses, including an Effie's Heart...& this cute round rattan purse. And I made my Covid test appointment...which was my final thing I needed to do before heading to Mexico for round 2 of surgery. 

Later that day...I wore this conservative patriotic outfit to work & vote. I stuck my I Voted sticker above my breasts...I was obsessed with taking photos since I was about to get a lift. Dinner...Insalata di Finocchio (Shaved Raw Fennel with Olives) & Oven-Braises Beef with Harissa. 

 

Olive & Orange

Dress: Contrast Stitching Olive Dress by Hutch (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Isaac Mizrahi Live! (size 3x) via eBay

Tights: We Love Colors 

Shoes: Yoki via eBay 

Earring & Bracelet: Vintage

Necklace: Vintage Heidi Daus via eBay

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-70

I love olive...a lot...it's my favorite shade of green & the only reason I took a chance on this plain dress from GB. I was also unsure about all those pleats...I know they have a name? Inverted box pleats?? Because if the dress had been too tight on me, they would not have laid correctly...but it was perfect. Fantastic amount of twirl, pockets, & a great fit.

This was the windiest & coldest day I've experienced in a long time...it was brutal. But this orange & green color combo made me smile...these are my two favorite colors...why don't I wear them together more often?!

This was my first time wearing this cardigan, earring, & necklace...perhaps even the bracelet? 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew, Nars eyeshadow palette in Mediteranee, Pumpkin lipliner by NYX, Apricot lipstick from Bite Beauty, MAC Retro Matte liquid lipcolour in Coral Plated, & Red Hot Holiday nail polish by OPI. 

I love working in this room with all the windows...watching it snow. Roman blinds...I think I've figured them out. We are going to change the bottoms to the one pictured because the tassels we bought look better spaced out more...they are too crowded on our current design.

Dan Rodriguez playing from a beach house in Florida loaned to him by a friend. An online order picked up at Joann's...they have that down...so easy. I wanted a red tomato pin cushion though...there are no blue tomatoes! I've been getting us 5 pounds of spinach a week from farmers' market because overwintered spinach is delicious...but we (me) are getting tired of it the same few ways...so I suggested to David that he make us a spinach, shiitake, shallot, cheddar omelet...& it was delightful! He cooked the ingredients down to get all the water out & infused so much flavor...perfectly seasoned with Sunny Paris Seasoning from Penzeys...simple, but tasty. 

Wednesday was the highlight of last week for me...I started crying when Lady Gaga began singing The National Anthem...continuing for the next hour & on & off the rest of the day. So much emotion. I would have preferred a Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren presidency...but I'm putting a lot of hope into Joe & Kamala. I'm not sure I've ever watched an inauguration before...certainly not as much of it as I did this year...but I wanted to see our first female VP sworn in. 

The star of the day, Amanda Gorman & her poem, The Hill We Climb. 

The Resonant Rouges playing live on Facebook...banjo & accordion...while I enjoy a glass of wine. 

David traded in the jewelry he got me for our anniversary that I already had...for this lovely set in peach, pink, & green. Our pickup from the Co-op this week included...salmon & kale...I can't get enough crispy kale chips lately. And Seasaw playing in a blinged out basement...those girls are always so sparkly. 

 

President-Elect Joe Biden & Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris

Dress: Victory Dress in Reliquary Print by Effie's Heart (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Jessica London (size 22/24), thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Sam Edelman via eBay

Earring: Wendy Baker

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-70

I was totally smitten with this dress..I wish I could have kept it forever. However, I have way too many dresses & I'm the odd person who has been losing weight during the pandemic. Like all Effie's Heart dresses...this one fit perfectly...it also had pockets & a swirly twirly skirt. And that print really spoke to my former goth girl self...once a goth, always a goth? 

Even though Halloween had passed...everyday is Halloween, right?! I felt the urge to pair this dress with these amazing tights I'd gotten from Snag last year...which of course led to more orange accessories. 

And my first wearing of these adorable stripy shoes I found on eBay. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, Tattoo Liner in Trooper by Kat von D, Huda Beauty eyeshadow palette in Coral Obsessions, NYX Liquid Suede lip color in Orange County, OPI nail polish in A Woman's Prague-ative & Orange You Fantastic! 

I've been eyeing this Heidi Daus bat necklace on eBay for a while & I finally got a good price on one...will I ever wear it?? Someday. And from the same seller...an acorn & oak leaf necklace I adored...even though it's tiny...for me. A yellow purse...because I don't have a large yellow purse. And more jewelry from Etsy. 

Glittery lipsticks, a polka dot bracelet in the appliance colors of my youth, & 2 floral necklaces. I cannot stop buying things online. I don't even really feel that badly about it. 

Last Saturday, while it was still in the 70s outside...I traveled over to Kate's side of town...just hours after it was announced that Biden would be our new president. Everywhere I went there were people waving flags & signs & honking in celebration. It made me tear up on the way there & outright cry on my way home. I love Madison. Kate opened up a bottle of sparkling wine from Michigan...Vote...& we drank it outside among the fallen leaves. 

Every once in a while, then sun would find me in the shade & I soaked in the vitamin D & enjoyed the last of the warm days of the year. On my way home, I saw one of the recently uncovered ghost signs on the Great Dane. 

Later that night...our Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris & President-elect, Joe Biden...spoke to us...spoke to our country with compassion...something I haven't heard from our leader in nearly 4 years. It gave me hope. Neither of these candidates were in my top 5 choices (Elizabeth Warren! Bernie Sanders!), but I think they can heal our country & make it a better place to live. Again, it gives me hope when not much else has lately. I'll take it. 

 

Vote

Dress: Cobalt Floral Smocked Detail Midi Dress by Taylor Dresses (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Jones New York (size 3x), thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors in Red

Shoes: Clarks, thrifted

Earring: Sobral via eBay

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-70

I just happened to have this blue & white dress from GB on Election Day...so I added some red. The fit was spot on because of the smocking around the waist (& arms). The lining behaved nicely & I'm a fan of midi dresses...this one had a lot of fabric in the skirt which made the ruffle midway down the skirt cute instead of a weird cutoff point it can turn into with a tighter bottom. Most definitely a warm weather dress...but as we had temps in the 70s all last week, it worked. 

I had it all planned out...David had an appointment just down the street from this mural...which had been patriotic for at least a month. They decided to start painting a new mural on Election Day...why?! So I've got a bit of the red, white, & blue peeking out behind the new stripes of color. 

I tried to wear *2* earrings on this day, but one immediately fell out as soon as we started taking pictures...matching earrings is just not meant to be for me. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in LSD, Mon Ennui Cosmetics eyeshadow in Year of the Dragon & Lumiere, Russian Red lipstick by MAC, UD lipliner in 714, & A Kiss on the Chic nail polish from OPI. 

The Rainbow Girls are one of the marvelous new groups I've discovered during the pandemic...I don't even remember how. And now, because of them...I found another online gem, UnderCovered...this particular week they were covering Rainbow Girls 2017 album, American Dream. Various artists covered the songs...& I LOVE me a good cover. 

The Dresden Dolls opening up Rocky Horror, my failed trip to the beauty supply, & more progress on the mural. So, first my patriotic mural was being painted over, then my other reason for driving David to his appointment, picking up conditioner at Salon Centric, also was a bust...I forgot many places were closed for Election Day...as it should be. 

Watching election results with Angie via Zoom & drinking wine. Such a stressful week last week. A little UW talk on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 

I decided I needed more Eminence skincare...because why not slather your face in ALL THE EXPENSIVE THINGS?! A new Heidi Daus autumn necklace from eBay. And several conditioners from the beauty supply to try to correct the damage Olaplex did to my hair. 

 

Rock Lobster

Dress: Sonnet Dress in Lobster Print by Effie's Heart (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee

Sandals: 

All Jewelry: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

This dress was the perfect orangey red color...& the print was cute, but how often do I really want to wear a lobster dress? I would have totally bought it if I lived in Maine. I've only had this style of dress one other time, & oh! I wish I had bought that one. While most Effie's Heart dresses have pockets, this one does not...despite having an extra full skirt. The fit & length on this were great. 

I look best in warm colors, although since joining GB I wear a lot of cool tones. 

The color & ridges in this necklace & earring set were just right for the lobsters on the dress...don't you agree? I found this set while searching for red necklaces on Etsy...there are SO many different shades of red & I had a need for more. The first necklace like this I found was $500 for the necklace only...but I managed to find this Oscar de la Renta set by patiently waiting until another came along that was only $100...& included earrings.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Roach, UD eyeshadow in Half Baked, Asylum eyeshadow by Sugarpill Cosmetics, UD lipstick in No-Tell Motel, New York Apple lipstick from MAC, & OPI nail polish in Friar, Friar, Pants on Fire! 

There is an artist from my hometown, Marquette, that posts his paintings on a Marquette Facebook group I am on...I always find them lovely to look at, but none of them spoke to me until I saw this one. Lake Superior painted on top of a vintage map...this is home. 

My friend Enid posted this fabulous sticker she got for voting & I was full of envy...so she sent it to me...it's so much cooler than the boring "I Voted" sticker that came with my ballot. Leaving farmers' market, BLT wrap made with market ingredients, & Buffalo Gospel playing live at Blue Ox in Eau Claire. 

More Blue Ox bands...Lindsay Lou & Yonder Mountain String Band. 

There are so many wonderful bands that go live online during the weekends...the weekly concert by Glenn Crytzer & members of his orchestra...& Carsie Blanton doing her monthly rent party for the boys in her band. 

Music from a mountain top in the U.P....Michael Waite is joined by Kerry Yost...& a brand new to me band, Heart & Pine, playing at Midland Theatre in Ohio.