the Owl Eyes Blog

An ending is just the beginning of something new.

2011-11-09T23:26:00.004-05:00

Hello there! I know it's been a while - an awfully long time, in fact. If you're still reading, I just wanted to let you know that the Owl Eyes Blog is no more. Instead, you can find me over at The Joyful Fox.

Thanks for sticking with Esther and me throughout our little blog adventures!

All the best,

Laura

I'll try anything once

2011-05-13T18:47:00.005-04:00

The other day, I was feeling really down. Mostly, I was feeling incredibly discouraged because my job search had so far led to nothing. I had had an interview the week before, but I still hadn't heard back, so I figured the position had gone to someone else. I was kicking myself, thinking about how I really should have started my search before I graduated...

But, as it turns out, I needn't have worried. Yesterday, I found out that I got the job! I am so excited, I can't even begin to tell you. It's a small homeopathic medicine company, and I'll be doing mostly editing and proofreading for them, but also some writing. It's full-time, so I'll be pretty busy, but it's so worth it. I don't have much debt from college, but still, it'll be nice to have that off my shoulders! I can also finish paying off my trip to Romania, and maybe start saving to go back...I hope, I hope. But one of the things I'm most excited about is that now I can afford to buy Andrew Bird tickets! At least I have my priorities straight, eh? Ha.

In all seriousness, I still can't believe I've graduated and am now about to join the working world. When I got the phone call, I was just dumbstruck. I know it's silly, but I couldn't help but think that they made a mistake - that any minute they would realize "Wait a minute, we can't hire her - she's still a kid!" I don't feel like an adult, yet. Not entirely. And yet, here I am.

As I write this, I can hear the sound of the rain and the fading rumble of thunder. I know that tonight, I get to see my love. And I can't help but think, things couldn't be better.

dress: vintage, in the shop | belt: vintage | sunglasses: the Icing | shoes: from some shop in Bucharest I can't remember!

(p.s. - Blogger apparently thought that it would be a great idea to delete some of the comments on the last post. I think it was a terrible idea, but Blogger reigns supreme, unfortunately!)

So very young were we

2011-05-10T23:03:00.004-04:00

It has been far too long! But with the coming of spring and the ending of school, I'm finding myself newly motivated to start writing here again.

Yes, school has ended, and I am officially a college graduate. I would say something here about how radically different my life is now, but the truth is that it hasn't really sunk in yet. For now, it just feels like any other summer. I'm pretty sure it won't hit me until fall rolls around. But before then, I have to join the working world. It'll be nice to hopefully get a job and have some money to put away, but to tell you the truth, I'm quite nervous that I won't be able to find a job that I really love, and I'll be stuck. Oh well! It'll only be for a couple of years, at which point I want to go to grad school.

Anyway, I've been busy at work on the shop. I have updated some pictures and I've newly listed the dress I'm wearing in these pictures: a fantastic silver 1960's dress. I'll be sad to see it go...

We have baby robins in our backyard again! Here's hoping they make it, like last year's birds, and not like the poor rabbits...

So this is the new year

2011-01-07T22:04:00.002-05:00

vintage cape: coming soon to Owl Eyes Boutique

Hello, all you lovely readers! Long time, no see. I've been without a battery for my camera for ages, so I haven't had the opportunity to get new photos. But that sad situation has been remedied - I will be getting a new battery soon, and our dear exchange student from last year has just moved in with me and has said that she'll be happy to take pictures for the blog!

The new semester starts on Monday. I can't even believe it - my last semester of college! It hasn't really sunk in yet, and to be honest, I doubt it will for a long time. My class schedule is pretty relaxed, but on top of that, I'll be working on my senior project, working in the Writing Center on campus, directing a choir, as well as running this blog and my Etsy shop (which I've been working on, by the way - I've cleaned up the shop's appearance and added a bit of new merchandise, so check it out!)...

And that's not all, either! Some of you may remember me talking about Coat of Many Colors, a vintage shop close to where I live. Well, starting soon, I'm going to be working there and also selling some of the vintage merchandise online in our very own Owl Eyes Boutique! I am so incredibly excited for this opportunity. My dear friend Rose and I will be running the shop, and I can't wait to start. We'll get to add our own little personal touches around the shop...ooh, I'm getting all giddy just thinking about it. Once the shop is all ready to go, I plan to give you all a photo tour.

I hope you all have been well since I last wrote, and have had a wonderful new year so far!

Laura

A quick hello, and a quicker farewell.

2010-11-13T01:29:00.004-05:00

I am dead tired and due to leave for work in less than eight hours. Ugh.

However, let's not dwell on the sadder things in life, eh? Here are a couple samples from yesterday's shoot- props to Gavin for his lovely photography! We couldn't do it without you.

[Also, sincerest apologies, dear followers, for our lack of postage. We do love you. Promise.]

Kisses,

Esther

Tomorrow never knows

2010-10-10T01:21:00.005-04:00

Hello again! Remember me? I know, it's been ages since I did a proper post. Not to bore you with excuses, but for a while there, I was taking six classes. Whew! I've also been in my new house almost two months and we still don't have internet. Luckily, that's getting remedied this week. In the meantime, I've been utterly dependent on coffee shops and my school's wireless.

You may notice that things look a little different around here - I gave the blog a little facelift a few weeks ago, but never announced it officially. So if you're just seeing it for the first time, I hope you like it!

Some other changes are in the air. In January, the owner of Coat of Many Colors (the vintage shop a few minutes away from my house) is leaving for South Africa, where he will be for two months. While he's gone, my friend Rose and I will be running the shop! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. I'm going to work there on and off between now and then, and we're going to be getting the basement all cleaned up, which is a huge job. In the basement, we're going to set up a little photo studio so we can start selling things on Etsy. I'm not sure, but it will possibly be linked up with Owl Eyes Boutique. Exciting stuff! I'll be sure to keep you updated.

I'm also in the process of finding a solution to the problem of lack of photos on this poor old blog. My camera's battery is completely kaput, so I'm hopefully going to get a new one soon. I'm also looking to see if I can bring in some guest photographers to spice things up a little.

As if that weren't enough, this Thursday and Friday we're doing a charity bridal fashion show. Last week, we were on TV promoting it - my first time on live TV! A little nervewracking, but it was fun. Anyway, I'm hoping that the event will be well-documented with photos, because there are going to be some seriously incredible dresses.

And in the spirit of the bridal show, here are some of the photos from the vintage bridal photoshoot we did in Petoskey this summer for Somewhere in Time. A huge thank you goes to the Bay View Inn for hosting us - it was beyond lovely!

Sorry for the rushed nature of this post - I was just bursting to share. Have a wonderful weekend!

Bei mir bist du schoen.

2010-09-13T22:16:00.010-04:00

This photoshoot has been in the works for a couple months now; life was far too crowded to make any room for artistic flights of fancy, so it was repeatedly put off. However, at long last, we succeeded in doing our first photoshoot with Moxie salons! Hair was done by the marvelous Molly McLemore; we now permanently adore her for making us so nice-looking. Shock of shocks, our old friend (and Molly's brother) Andrew was home from the navy; conveniently in his uniform. We immediately put him to good use as a prop.

Kisses,

Essie

Owl Eyes Boutique sale!

2010-09-03T15:18:00.005-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know that every single item currently in the Owl Eyes Boutique is now on sale - most items are just $24.99 or less! I also hope to add several new items over the weekend, so be sure to check the store frequently.

New listings so far:
- Vintage 1960's/70's striped sailor dress/pattern
- Vintage 1950's Candy Shop pink dress
- Vintage 1950's Navy and White polka dot dress

I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Summer, a love story: part 2

2010-08-26T20:56:00.000-04:00

Continuing the theme of Tuesday's post, here are some photos from an early summer photo adventure with Rose.

Greetings! This is the oft-talked about Rose. As I am lacking a blog (though a tumblr is finally set up, littlelionmiss.tumblr.com) I shall share with you my thoughts here! I had forgotten that these photos were taken with and, partly, by the ever-lovely Laura "Doll". Quite a few of my photos have been featured on this blog, and I hope they all please your dear, sweet eyes. I have been so very blessed to know both Laura and Esther. They have graced my life and lifted my spirits. I am eternally grateful. I could go on with the sappy, lovey-dovey comments that are dripping with sugar and spice, and, I probably should, because they deserve it more than anything.

I want to finish my tea now.

With Love &Co.

- Rose

Summer, a love story

2010-08-24T14:35:00.007-04:00

I still don't have internet at my new house, which makes updating difficult; however, it has given me ample time to go through old photos on my hard drive, which has been a lot of fun. In doing so, I came across these pictures of Rose and I from earlier this summer, so I thought I'd post them as sort of a tribute to summer. I'm very anxious for fall, but it's best to live in the moment, isn't it? So here's to hot days and cool treats!

Eyes full of rose, she tips on her toes.

2010-08-18T16:23:00.002-04:00

The summer is winding down, but I'm finding myself busier than ever! That always seems to happen around this time of year, but this year exceptionally so. My brother is getting married this weekend, my little niece and nephew have been staying with my family, and yesterday, I finally moved to my new house! It's in a lovely neighborhood in the artsy part of the city. My room is called the "Treehouse Room"; it's small, but it has lots of windows and looks out over the wild, overgrown backyard. I adore it.

1970's maxi dress - coming soon!

I don't yet have internet at my new house, but since I'm now within walking distance of my favorite coffee shop, it's not really much of a problem. It may be a little while before I can do new photos, since I currently have to rely on other people's cameras, but today I realized that I never shared the rest of the Owl Eyes pictures from our trip to Petoskey. Silly me. All of the dresses in these photos are either currently for sale in the Owl Eyes shop, or soon will be!

1970's halter mini dress

1980's mini dress - coming soon!

vintage polka dot dress & 1960's checkered dress - coming soon!

vintage 1950's candy shop dress - coming soon!

I hope you all are having a nice, relaxing end to your summer!

And in the half light, we run.

2010-08-11T23:32:00.004-04:00

dress(es): ModCloth | belt: vintage | socks: the Icing | shoes: thrifted

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting quite ready for cooler weather! I know, it's definitely a case of "the grass is always greener..." It doesn't seem that long ago that I was aching for summer. Unfortunately, this summer has been unusually hot and humid, making it kind of difficult to enjoy to the fullest. Plus, my swimsuit broke, and I'm still on the hunt for the perfect one...suggestions, anyone?

Shelby (flickr, tumblr) and I were finally able to get together for our first collaboration! Her camera started acting up towards the end, but in true Shelby fashion, she got some really lovely shots. These pictures were taken on the long bike trail near my house; it's been a favorite photo location of mine for years now. We got absolutely eaten alive by mosquitoes (over 40 bites apiece!) but had a wonderful time. Since it was close to sunset, the light through the trees was gorgeous - almost otherworldly in places, honestly - and there was a delightful soft breeze. We talked about life and silly things and future plans and it was just what I needed. We weren't without our battle scars, but really, it was a perfect summer evening.

I'll have a lot more items to add to the shop soon, and any summery items will soon be put on sale! I'll keep you posted. I hope your summer is winding down splendidly!

With a little help from my friends

2010-08-03T18:21:00.000-04:00

I've been excited to do this post for a long time! Ironically enough, instead of making me write faster, though, my excitement has just slowed me down. It was nearly impossible for me to pick out which photos to post. (They are all so lovely!)

Shelby is a dear friend of mine who I've known since high school. The girl is incredibly talented, both musically and artistically; she probably has more talent in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body. She has been looking to expand her photography portfolio, and I've been looking for someone to take pictures for this blog, so it works out perfectly! She and I will be collaborating whenever possible, through the rest of the summer and hopefully when we're both on breaks from school.

We have yet to do our first shoot, but until then, I present you with some of her photography, and a little interview. You can also follow her on Flickr and Tumblr. Enjoy!

How long have you been working on photography?
I started taking of adventures with my best friend in 7th grade. Then I got into the whole myspace thing and was like "I reaaaaaally need to have good pictures so no one will think I'm a noob and I will be accepted in high school aaaaaah!!" Then I actually grew to view it as an art form, a perspective. So to actually answer your question, six years.
What do you love about it?
Photos, writing, music- art allows me to show what I actually feel. I'm terrible when it comes to talking about emotions-- mine, at least. And one things I'm absolutely terrible at is drawing- expressing myself two-dimensionally. And photography in a way helps me do that. I also love photography because I have so many memories wrapped up in my photographs, as well as projections of where I want to go, what I want to do.

What inspires you most, and what do you seek to portray in your photos?
I am most inspired by history and nature. Things that catch my eye are things that look like they have stories. Like the Crazy Horse monument- that's a story worth telling. Like the notes my uncle leaves behind in books of poetry. Nature is the major subject of my photography simple because I love it. I love to be outside. I love its simplicity, the ecological and historical aspects of it, and how activity in nature can parallel our lives.

Your house is about to burn down and you can only take one camera with you. Which do you choose, and why? Is it film or digital?
I would take my Honeywell Pentax, no doubt. It's a film camera, produced between 1964 and 1972. Its lens is pristine, its focus phenomenal. And it was given to me by my friend Reilly, who drives me absolutely mad but is absolutely the most unique person I've ever met.

Why is photography important to you?
Photography is a perspective; it allows me to say things that I can't say. It says things broadly, with room for interpretation on the viewer's part. Photography is the merging of my perspective and your perspective, and I think that union is something we should try to achieve in every aspect of our lives. Not to surrender our viewpoint, but to accept others.

This is just a very small selection of her photos. Do check out her work - I think you'll be as enchanted as I am!

Une ballerine, voilá!

2010-07-21T18:44:00.010-04:00

The final result of my grandmama's spectacular sewing skills, a bit of taffeta & tulle, and a major headache.

Despite actually arming myself with a camera, I forgot to take any pictures at the wedding; Caleb & I seem to have an unconscious opposition to cute photos documenting our lives. So I grabbed dear sweet Rose and had her take some today.

It's been nothing but gorgeous weather over here; wherever you are, I hope the sun is shining.

Kisses,
Essie

Silver shoots & tender leaves.

2010-07-07T13:20:00.012-04:00

Silent film stars and the soft, feminine look of early 1920's postcards inspired this shoot; the day was perfect, warm and bright. In my humble opinion, Laura owns this look... between her flowy yellow dress and wild red hair, she is porcelain perfection.

And we all mutually lament that we don't live "back then".

I hope the day finds you beautiful.

Kisses,
Essie

Hope is a blindfold, hope is a solace

2010-07-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Well, in good news: I've been working a temp job for these past few days. It's the same job I was working about two weeks ago; they called this week and wanted us to come back for a week or two. It's good timing, because I really need the money. However, it also comes just as I'm sitting on over 500 pictures I need to sift through and edit from our trip to Petoskey. Yikes! So, things have been kind of slow on that front. Most of the pictures are for Somewhere in Time (for any new readers out there, that is the vintage bridal business my mom is trying to get started - check it out!) but I also have some pictures for Owl Eyes that I simply can't wait to share.

Anyway, I got to work today and was there for only half an hour before they sent us all home because they didn't have any work for us today. I could have used the money, but I'm not complaining! This gives me the chance to catch up a little...

dress & hat: vintage | shoes: ...I honestly don't remember, I've had them for ages!

So, since I have a little bit of time, I thought I'd share a few photos from our Petoskey trip. If you've never been, I highly recommend it! It's touristy, but not in that annoying way. It's picturesque, but again, not cheesily so. There were four of us on the trip - my mom, Esther, my sister Vera, and me. It was about a three hour drive from Grand Rapids, and the drive was ridiculously gorgeous. It rained for a little bit, but as we got further north, the sun broke through and reflected off the rain, and everything came alive. When we arrived, there was mist over the water - like something out of a dream. I feel like I'm doing it a disservice by this cheesy description, but trust me, it was so, so lovely. I'm fairly certain I kept babbling about how beautiful everything was for the entire evening!

After a brief photoshoot of some Owl Eyes dresses and a few wedding dresses, we headed into town to grab a bite to eat (hungry models = not a good thing; we were starting to get grumpy, haha!). We had to drive around for a little while before we finally found the City Park Grill. From the name, I wasn't expecting much, but it was so gorgeous inside - honestly, it was my every decorating dream. Apparently, Ernest Hemingway used to eat there regularly, and was inspired to write his short story "Killers" there. Now, I've always been much more of a Fitzgerald girl, but that gave me chills.

Of course, it wasn't all literary seriousness:

All in all, a perfect evening. I'll have many more photos to share once I get them edited!

The wind may be beautiful

2010-06-27T12:36:00.005-04:00

dress: vintage | shoes: Target | belt: vintage | bow: Charlotte Russe

Once again, I'm sorry for the lack of updates - things have been a little bit crazy here at Owl Eyes HQ! (Okay, I guess we don't really have an HQ, but it lends an air of importance, no?) Between power outages, minor crises, and a lovely trip to Petoskey for a photoshoot, I haven't been able to update. But after being gone for so long, I have a ton of pictures to catch up on - daunting, on one hand, but lots of fun!

I'll write more about the photoshoot when I have all the pictures edited and ready to go, but seriously, it was the most wonderful mini-vacation. We got pictures of many more wedding dresses for Somewhere in Time and I was able to sneak in a few photos for an upcoming mini-lookbook for Owl Eyes Boutique, which is something I've been wanting to do for absolutely ages. I can't wait to share the photos with you all.

These photos are from last Monday. After getting together with Rose and Esther for coffee, Esther headed off to work, and Rose and I went on what we hoped would be an antiquing expedition. Alas, our plans were thwarted. Both of the stores we wanted to go to were closed on Mondays. How random is that?

But, of course, we made the best of it! Though the stores were closed, there were some great photo locations, which we took full advantage of. I'm definitely going to remember this spot for future shoots.

Much to my delight, someone had left a jumbo stick of chalk sitting on the ground. I couldn't help myself...

And that's how we salvaged a failed antiquing expedition!

Jigsaw falling into place

2010-06-19T23:40:00.004-04:00

dress: Charlotte Russe | cardigan: H&M | leggings and shoes: Target

Whew! Things got a little bit crazy this week. Among other things, I started babysitting for four (darling!) children , and I got a 3-day temp job. The temp job was kind of ridiculous, but in a good way. I was told it was data entry, which it sort of was - but it was so disorganized that we only ended up doing actual work for a small fraction of the time. Yesterday we played the game where you try to fit in as many song titles as possible in normal conversation. (I came in third, ha.) We weren't slacking - there was just nothing to do! Luckily, it was a fun group of people, so the time went quickly. Not a bad gig!

I've also been working hard at organizing and taking pictures of more things for the shop. I've got a ton of items to post. It's a little frustrating because I'd like for the shop to look consistent, but I can't really do that at the moment since I have to keep changing where I take pictures. Oh well. It's really just as well, because - exciting news - I found a place to live! I was really bummed when my previous housing plans fell through, but this new plan is going to work out really well, I think. My friend is buying a house, and I'll be living with her. I haven't seen the inside of the house in person yet, but the pictures look gorgeous, and it's right in the neighborhood I want to be in. So happy! If all goes well, I should be moving in near the end of July or beginning of August. This summer has been up and down, to say the least, so I'm really happy to see things finally working out. (So, until I have a place where I can set up for the shop, it's going to be a little eclectic.)

Oh, and speaking of the shop - I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that this will work out - I'm planning to go up north sometime this week to do a photoshoot for Somewhere in Time, and we're going to do some photos for Owl Eyes, too! My goal is to put together a lookbook. If this little trip works out, it should be fun - I've never been up north in Michigan, really, which is strange considering I've lived here 10 years.

I'll leave you with a few pictures (really, just a few - forgot my memory card at home!) from the chalk art contest held in my town this weekend. It's a new thing, and apparently it was really disorganized this year, but they're planning to make it an annual thing. It's really nice to see the community come together, even if our town isn't the most exciting. This event attracted all kinds of people - kids, adults, artists, and - as you'll see - one hopeful lover! A friend of my family's won first place - the man is ridiculously talented.

танцулька

2010-06-18T11:13:00.005-04:00

Caleb & I were invited to a friend's wedding on July 17th; it is semi-formal, so naturally I jumped at the chance to pretty up and went crazy designing a dress.

My original plan was to go my usual earthy Bohemian route; however, I couldn't find any fabric that was what I pictured in my mind. I only found one fabric I really adored and would have loved, but at $49 a yard, and being in need of three yards, my Dutch heart balked.

Inspiration came when I tried to adapt my dreams to my budget. I found some ivory illusion for $3 a yard, and fell in love. My twelve-year-old self returned full force, with all her wild ballerina obsession, and begged me to make a ballerina style dress. I gave in happily, found some soft storm-grey taffeta for the top and lining, and a beautiful pinkish ribbon for the waist.

Now all that remains is the making. I've been ballerina-obsessed all day, and thought I would share some inspiration with you dears.

This is my favorite ballet dance of all time; it is a piece called "The Dying Swan", first danced by Anna Pavlova (the ballerina in the first picture) but this is my favorite ballerina, Maya Plisetskaya. She was a Russian Jew during the Soviet Era; her father was executed and her mother sent to a Gulag with her seven-month-old brother. She had bright red hair and was apparently very defiant and stubborn, but had a lively charismatic personality. She sounds amazing, doesn't she?

Kisses,
Essie

Remember?

2010-06-09T20:47:00.003-04:00

When I go to antique stores, of course, I always head straight for the clothes. That is probably no surprise - after all, I collect vintage clothes. I am fascinated by them. I love to put them on. I love to touch them, to examine them, to get little clues as to who once owned and loved them.

But my second love - the spark that fuels my writer's imagination at least as much as the clothes - are the photos. When I discover a drawer full of photographs at an antique store, I am suddenly endowed with more patience than I've ever possessed in my life. I can take hours just sitting on the dusty floor, sifting through the piles and piles of photos and memories interspersed with each other.

It makes me sad that no one wanted these keepsakes anymore. They must have meant so much to someone once.

But as the saying goes, their loss is our gain. There is so much to wonder: how many different lives are represented by these photographs? What memories are attached to them?

It is for that reason that I so adore the photo I posted above. I was first drawn to it because, for some reason, the girls reminded me of Esther and myself. I then noticed and loved their dresses. I would have put it back in the pile, but then I saw that one word: "Remember?"

And I wanted to remember. I wanted to know what it was that they had done that day that was so memorable. Their smiles seem to be holding back a delightful secret, the contents of which I can only guess. I knew I had to buy the photo, and it was mine, for just a quarter. A cheap price for such a treasure.

On my most recent trip, I discovered this gentleman:

I couldn't believe no one else had snapped it up first. It's gorgeous, isn't it? I love his books, his postcards, his toy airplane. I love his mysterious, haughty expression. I feel so honored to be brought into his world, in this small way.

All this talk of photographs got me thinking. I plan to keep all of my parents' and grandparents' photographs; I'm lucky enough to have some very old photo albums, including the album from my grandparents' first few years of marriage. My mom has been talking about getting those photos scanned so we can save them. So I think I'm going to make this a regular feature - old photographs. In some cases, they will be strangers, like these three. In many other cases, though, they will be people very dear to me, many of whom I never got to know.

So, I hope you enjoyed this first installment. I am quite excited about this; the thought of being connected to the past thrills me.

Much love,
Laura

(p.s. - Don't forget that the Owl Eyes Boutique is now open!)

Announcing...

2010-06-08T18:39:00.005-04:00

The Owl Eyes Boutique is now OPEN! Click on the banner above to visit our shop!

Don't see an item I posted before that you were interested in? Don't fret! I still have many more listings to add, and I will be doing so this week. I know right now there aren't many listings, but I wanted to post at least some! I wanted to take more pictures today, but the weather was not kind.

Have a lovely evening!

Much love,
Laura

Oh my little star-sweeper; I'll sweep the stardust for you.

2010-06-07T23:54:00.004-04:00

Recipe for a Happy Evening & a Restful Sleep to Follow:

1 episode of I Love Lucy

1 cup of mini chocolate chips

3 handfuls of pretzels

1 glass of wine

1 very soft bamboo blanket

Begin playing episode while melting down cup of chocolate; prepare handfuls of pretzels. Pour wine, set aside. Finish melting chips and place on plate with pretzels. Curl up under blanket after situating wine, chocolate, and pretzels within easy reach. Dip pretzel into chocolate, sip wine, and laugh heartily.

Sleep well, dear ones. Tomorrow is another day, with no mistakes in it.

Kisses,
Essie

Hmm...

2010-06-07T23:35:00.002-04:00

Guess what's happening tomorrow?

Much love,
Laura

A simple thought to occupy my mind.

2010-06-01T23:39:00.015-04:00

A few days ago, I was walking down Diamond, a street that cuts through Eastown. I was returning, alone, from lunch with a good friend. I was conscious of the sketch nature of the neighborhood despite broad daylight, and felt quite vulnerable.

As I walked, two somewhat rough, unshaven men stepped out of a house, lit cigarettes in hand. My immediate instinct was, as it always has been, was to avoid eye contact and rush by like I had somewhere to be and someone to see.

I don't know what struck me, but instead of scurrying past, I kept a steady pace and as I passed, I smiled and said hello. For a moment they looked confused; I am sure they expected my pace to quicken and my eyes to focus dead ahead; however.

They smiled broadly, and replied with a "And how are you? Enjoying the day?"

I said yes; and you?

The rest of the day, I was filled with the silliest sense of joy and love for my fellow humans, though I had done little but defy my own nonsensical prejudices. But the simple thoughts danced through my mind.

I wonder, is the acknowledgment and acceptance of humanity the first step toward curing it? A familiar, non original thought, I am sure. :)

These pictures are from a late afternoon spent romping in a sunny field with Rose and my collie, Kodi. We reveled in loose skirts tied up as dresses, sunshine, and mosquito repellent.

Be blessed,
Essie

Time is all around (part 2)

2010-05-31T17:34:00.003-04:00

First of all, it seems that we have gained several new readers over the weekend, so I just wanted to say hello to you all! I'm delighted you've joined us. I hope you're having better Memorial Day weather than we have here - it's been gray and rainy all day, with the occasional thunderstorm to spice things up. Normally, I absolutely adore storms, but the abrupt change in weather has given me a terrific headache. What bad luck!

Our house-hunting plans have come to an abrupt halt, sadly - not all of the girls are able to afford it at the moment. I'm still hoping to move out, though. It may be a little bit crazy (I don't have a steady job at the moment) but I'm determined to do it. I have a job for the school year - I'll be a writing consultant at my university - so I just need to make it through the summer.

I can't believe I'll be entering my senior year of college. How did that happen? More and more lately, I've been getting the question, "What do you plan to do after graduation?" And I never know what to say. I've been kicking around a few ideas in my head, but I think I'll address that in a future post...

Speaking of posting, I think I'm going to try to get on a more regular blogging schedule. I want to have regular outfit posts, inspiration posts, and store updates...because I've been getting a lot done so that it'll be ready soon! I'm so excited. I may also do occasional features of little spots around the Grand Rapids area...what do you think?

I'll leave you with the second half of the photoshoot I posted on Friday. In case anyone was wondering about the clothes - most of them are Esther's, except for the dress I'm wearing, and I'm fairly certain that each and every item was thrifted. We started out with a slightly 1940's-ish inspiration, but we had to throw in some boho, of course.

Time is all around (part 1)

2010-05-28T20:28:00.005-04:00

Sorry things have been so quiet around here lately! It's been kind of a crazy week - job hunting, house hunting, and sadly, a goodbye. Yesterday morning (very early!) we had to say goodbye to Olga, our exchange student, who had lived with us for the whole school year. She was absolutely the sweetest girl, and we all miss her so much already. It feels so strange not having her in the house.

This is just a quick post to share some photos with you for the long weekend! These are actually old-ish - taken last fall - but they could pass for summer, and since I hadn't posted them yet, I thought I'd share. Pictured are Olga, Vera, Rose, and myself. Olga is the blonde, by the way, and Esther will appear in the second half. This is just the first half; I'll post the others at some later point this weekend.

If you like my dress, you'll be able to buy it in the shop soon!

Oh, two other little notes: 1) I have discovered the wonder that is Tumblr, so you can follow mine if you like. 2) If you want to see what I looked like when I was little, head over to the Clothes Horse for her fantastic "Flashback Friday" feature. (hooray for alliteration!) Here's the direct link to the post. Check out my stylin' Little Mermaid sweatshirt!

Without further ado, I'll stop my commentary and let the pictures do the talking. Have a great weekend!

Store preview!

2010-05-24T15:52:00.002-04:00

What? There's going to be a store?

Well, yes. It's been an embarrassingly long time since we announced it, but hopefully within the next month we'll have things listed on Etsy and ready to go. Until then, here's a little preview!

Don't think twice, it's all right

2010-05-21T21:22:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been an interesting week, that's for sure! Thank you all for your comments on the baby rabbits. I haven't seen the little survivor since last weekend, but I'm just going to take that as a sign that he is safe and far away.

Esther and I took these photos the other day in the park near my house. It was a perfectly lovely day - finally! So far May hadn't been very springlike at all here in Michigan, but the weather, it seems, has turned around. I rode 5 miles on my bike on the trail right by my house (it goes all the way to the zoo downtown - 16 miles, though I've never gone all the way!) and in the light spring breeze, it was glorious.

We were so excited to take these pictures because we had just finished taking the first round of photos of some of the merchandise for our Etsy store! Things had been so busy - she with her job, me with school - that we hadn't had the chance until now. Unfortunately, when I put the memory card into the computer, the photos disappeared. I downloaded a photo recovery program; still nothing. So unfortunately that time was a loss, but I was able to redo some of the pictures today. I'll have some to share as a sneak preview in a future post!

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut this post short - I've come down with an awful cold today and my body's telling me that I need to get some sleep. Who am I to argue? What an exciting life I lead - in bed before midnight on a Friday! Anyway, I'll have lots more to share soon - including the story of how I met Nigel Barker. I'll leave you with some more pictures. Have a great (and healthy!) weekend!

Chance encounter

2010-05-21T16:00:00.003-04:00

I will do a real post later - for once, I almost have more pictures than I know what to do with! - but until then, I just had to share this photo, taken today at my favorite restaurant downtown:

Yes, that is me, my sisters, and Nigel Barker. In Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was the most random chance encounter ever. Story later!

It's just that it's delicate.

2010-05-17T10:14:00.006-04:00

This marks the first post here at Owl Eyes that I've actually had a legitimately hard time writing. Granted, this is a young blog - but still, my heart actually aches a little.

Friday afternoon, I was in a terrible mood. It doesn't matter why; we'll just leave it at that. I was outside doing yard work, letting myself wallow, when all of a sudden I heard my mom and sister yelp that they had found something. I ran over, and it turned out to be a nest of baby bunnies. Most of them scattered, but one stayed: that sweet little guy you see above.

[To avoid the inevitable comments that we shouldn't have picked him up: we've had nests of baby bunnies before, and the mother always comes back. When I was younger, I was foolish and wanted to keep one, and I picked it up all the time (which I shouldn't have, I know) and the mother came back even then. Besides, my sister had already touched them accidentally when she discovered the nest, so we figured a few minutes for pictures wouldn't hurt!]

Holding that sweet little creature - touching its new, soft fur with my fingertips, feeling the rhythm of its little breaths - I completely forgot why I was angry.

dress: Modcloth | headband: Forever 21 | tank top, cardigan, shoes: Target

And then, to further lighten my already ecstatic mood, I went over to our arbor, where we often get a robin's nest. It had been empty just a few short weeks before, but when I climbed up, I discovered:

Once I learned the baby birds were there, I was thrilled. I hadn't thought they were there, but now that I did know, I could keep an eye on them and make sure that this nasty neighborhood cat didn't come and kill them. I see this cat only in the springtime, only when it comes to kill our baby birds.

The next day, my mom and I went over to the rabbit's nest and found all four babies sleeping soundly. We checked on the baby birds - all still there.

I wish I could say the story ended there.

Unfortunately, yesterday morning, tragedy struck. My mom happened to be looking out the kitchen window in time to see - you guessed it - that awful orange cat, carrying away the baby bunnies, as the mother could only stand and watch. She called me over, and shooed away the cat, but it was too late. The baby birds, thankfully, were undisturbed. But the rabbit's nest was empty.

We had seen the cat run into the shed, so later that afternoon, we entered - cautiously - and found the bodies of two of the little bunnies, including the one we had held in the pictures. We buried them in a corner of our garden.

We were devastated. It's an indescribably heavy feeling to bury the new life you held just days before - no matter how small the life.

But thankfully, I don't have to end the story there either.

Yesterday in the evening, my dad discovered another robin's nest - this time, in a place where a cat couldn't get to - containing a single blue egg. So, if all goes well, we'll have at least one baby robin to watch grow up - and if I have anything to say about it, we'll have more than just the one. I know it's impossible to watch the nest 24/7, and there's only so much I can do anyway, but I want those babies to make it.

And as I stood in the kitchen doing the dishes last night, I watched as my brother-in-law went over to our wood and stick pile so he could get our bonfire started - only to see a tiny creature zoom out of the pile and run to the nearest bush to hide.

We have at least one survivor.

The cat is still out there, and I know there is so much that could go wrong, and it's the circle of life and all that...but I can't help but believe in that little guy.

My pinwheel heart spins round & round, making me dizzy with love for you.

2010-05-14T13:44:00.014-04:00

We have been very, very, very naughty bloggistas. Eeep!

These are some of the photos from my senior photoshoot two summers ago... short hair and somewhat 60's inspired style.

When life hands you busy and busy and busy, juggle.

the Netherlands, 1939

2010-04-30T10:13:00.008-04:00

(This windmill was built in the early 1900s, and brought over from the Netherlands. It was used as a lookout in WWII, and the fans still have bullet holes.)

Last Wednesday, I was called up by a friend, asking if I could come out to a film set the next morning- they were looking for a dark-haired girl. I was told I would be riding a bicycle through tulip fields in 1930's garb. So my answer was an immediate yes.

It was my second on-set experience, and I loved it. Everyone was wonderful and took great care of me, especially considering the freezing cold morning. My god-sister Rose came with and took photos; it was an incredibly idyllic setting- Windmill Island, Holland. Such a lovely place.

Thanks again, 10 West Studios!

Have a dreamy day, dears!

Kisses,
Esther

George & Priscilla

2010-04-26T01:44:00.007-04:00

These are photos from a very late night silliness. I am the charming gent you see pictured here, and the lovely Laura plays my pretty wife. I will perhaps someday share the film we made... wicked funny stuff. And impeccably ridiculous.

The story is centered around a once joyously married couple who fall to the doldrums of matrimony.

Vera played the Swedish maid, madly in love with George. And can you blame her? Those eyebrows, that MUSTACHE!

Boredom never successfully overtakes us. We always find a remedy.

The world spins madly on.

2010-04-22T13:31:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to apologize for the lack of regular posting lately! I've been insanely busy with finals coming up, scrambling to finish big projects - many of which were assigned at the last minute, of course.

But I've also been finding the time to fall even more in love with this city I live in. Well, I guess technically I don't live in it quite yet. But I've been house-hunting with Esther, Vera, Rose, and Emerald, and I'm getting really giddy about the prospect of moving out. We're thinking of buying a foreclosure house now. I can't wait to decorate! The only problem is, it's really distracting me from my schoolwork...oh well.

Anyway, since I'm short on time, I just thought I'd share the spring spirit with some photos from a photoshoot that Esther, Vera, and I did last spring...enjoy!

Be well,

Laura

Wonder this time where she's gone.

2010-04-13T11:17:00.010-04:00

This photoshoot started with Vera & I driving around the outskirts of Byron to find a nice place and ended with ice cream sundaes (strawberry sauce & hot fudge... yum.) A little later, we were joined by Laura and Rose. Our adventure to Eastown led us to the home of Matt Fowler (owner of the Coat of Many Colors) where we sat around an imaginary campfire and listened to the sweet tangs of a homemade ukulele... playing everything from Sound of Music to the Pokemon theme song. The highlight of the evening, however, was the epic grape battle that ensued; we emerged with grape innards all over us- and the unicorn picture in the kitchen.

Good day? Yes.

Dress, Forever21; cardigan, TJMax; tights, Aldo; boots, Steve Madden; glasses, thrift store; necklace, gift from Laura.

BEETEEDUBS. I'm absolutely in love with lace right now; anything soft and feminine makes me smile, especially when paired with something a little rough-around-the-edges. Balance, my dears, balance.

I am off to revel in the sunshine; I hope you may do the same.

Kisses,
Esther

Cold, cold water

2010-04-10T23:16:00.001-04:00

dress: vintage, gift | socks: the Icing | glasses: stolen from Esther | headband: Forever 21 | shoes: Charlotte Russe

As you can see, I've made a few changes to the layout! I was up far too late doing them (somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 am, actually) but I'm really pleased with how they turned out. The picture used in the new header is from an advertisement from 1917. Why aren't ads pretty like that anymore? I look at ads like that and some of the illustrations done by Alphonse Mucha (my favorite artist!), and then I open up the advertising section of the Sunday paper, and it just makes me sad.

My sister Vera took these pictures yesterday. It was very deceptive outside - the sun was shining and everything was gorgeous, but it was absolutely freezing! But we're getting towards the middle of April...even in Michigan, it can't be cold for too much longer. Our neighbors across the street have the most gorgeous magnolia tree, and it's just about to start exploding into bursts of pink blossoms. I can't wait!

Aren't those glasses great? I stole them from Esther. I couldn't resist.

Our water heater decided that today would be a good day to call it quits, so we were without hot water for a while. I was annoyed at first, I'll admit - but then I just had to laugh. We actually boiled a couple pots of water so that I could take a bath...which ended up being about one inch deep. I couldn't stop laughing. But really, it made me really appreciate having hot, running water whenever I feel like it.

I'm at the point in the semester where I should be going absolutely insane with all of the work I have to get done - but for some reason, I'm not too worried about it. This always happens. I feel like I should be freaking out (and I'm sure that will happen later, eventually) but I feel great! Life is too short to worry too much about things like that. Everything always gets done in the end, so I won't waste time panicking. This summer, I think, will be a great one. I still have lots of uncertainty - decisions to make and whatnot - but I'm okay with that!

Thanks for all your comments on my tights! They're from Modcloth (got them for $5 during one of their big sales!) and I absolutely love them. It's so funny whenever I wear them to watch people's eyes travel right down to my knees.

Yikes, sorry this post has been kind of all over the place. Have a lovely weekend!

Denver dreaming

2010-04-08T11:18:00.004-04:00

The odds are pretty good that I will look back on this collage and think it was a terrible idea...but part of me thinks it's kind of fun! Am I crazy? I really wanted to do an outfit post, but my camera is at home (and the battery is terrible anyway) and I'm going to be on campus all day. What to do? A collage of crappy webcam pictures, apparently. Kind of silly, but on the other hand, it's one way for me to do an outfit post without a working camera!

In many ways, this is the polar opposite of my last outfit, but that's because Michigan is throwing a tantrum. It's been rainy, which isn't a big deal, but it's also been in the 40's again. Oh well. Spring will just be all the more welcome when it comes back.

However, at the moment I'm really wishing I was in Denver. Not because of the weather (I have no idea what it's like there right now!) but because the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference is going on there right now. I have some friends who are attending, and then I found out that my cousin is there - and then, to top it all off, I found out that some of the ModCloth writers are going to be there and host a party! Man, I wish I had known about this. Maybe it's just spring fever, but I feel like I haven't traveled anywhere interesting lately.

Besides, the conference sounds amazing. I don't know if I've mentioned this here before, but I'm a creative writing major. I firmly believe that it's the best major in the world - I get to play around with words, and learn quite a bit about myself in the process. It helps that my school has an incredible writing program. From everything I've heard, there really aren't many schools out there that have the great setup and workshop atmosphere that we have, so I feel really lucky. I have some really awesome opportunities coming up, too - in the fall, a play that I'm helping to write will be up on our school's stage in the fall! It's been so fun being a part of the process and it will be great to see how it turns out.

Well, it's back to homework for me. I've tricked myself into thinking I don't have a lot left to do, but my end-of-the-semester to-do list is actually ridiculously long...we'll see how this goes!

Black & white

2010-04-03T00:43:00.005-04:00

dress: ModCloth | tights: Forever 21 | shoes & bow: Charlotte Russe

Just a quick post to introduce you to someone very dear to me! This is Lucy, my puppy. Well, I guess she's technically full-grown - she's 3 - but I think she'll always be a puppy to me. She's the funniest little creature. Like most small dogs, she has a complex, and thinks she's much bigger than she is. But she also snorts like a pig. She can seriously snore as loud as a full-grown man. It's pretty hilarious.

I had fun romping around with her for a few minutes this afternoon. The weather has been absolutely divine - in the mid-80's, in Michigan, in April. I can't believe it! I hope you all are having equally lovely weather. The week of Easter (which is actually called Pascha in my tradition) is my favorite week out of the whole year, so I'm pretty psyched that it's so gorgeous outside.

We've both had a case of spring fever, in case you couldn't tell!

Bloglovin'

2010-04-02T11:05:00.003-04:00

I had always heard people say how wonderful Bloglovin' is, but for some reason I never tried it out. Now that I have, I'm so glad I did - it's a miracle for people like me who follow way too many blogs. Ha! Anyway, this is just a short post to let everyone know that you can now follow Owl Eyes on Bloglovin!

I hope you all have a fantastic Easter/Pascha weekend!

- Laura

Here comes the sun!

2010-03-29T23:29:00.005-04:00

Oh dear. I vowed that I wouldn't update this week, but here I go. I know it's a silly thing to promise - shouldn't I be promising that I will update? - but everything is so hectic this week and I'm trying not to succumb to the distraction of blogging. Obviously, I've failed. I got a little something in the mail today that I just couldn't resist showing off!

I do promise that I will post pictures soon of clothes with actual people in them, not clothes that are just on a hanger. Ha.

As you can see, I was so giddy that I didn't even bother to take the time to take decent pictures. It's dark out and my tripod is broken, so I had to resort to crappy pictures with a point-and-shoot with the flash on...but I think this particular item speaks for itself:

I won this on Ebay last weekend and I couldn't be happier! Somebody pinch me...with my obsession with yellow and the 20's, it's seriously a dream come true. So gorgeous that I'm resorting to cliches. The only thing wrong with it at all is a few places where beads are missing but it's not very noticeable.

And now onto something a little more relevant - I've been stocking up for the grand opening of our Etsy store, so here's a little preview of coming attractions:

Vintage swimsuits!

I hope you all are having a lovely week - it's supposed to get up to 80 degrees this weekend and I can't wait! School and everything else are stressing me out quite a bit, but all I have to do is think of my sunny dress and the sunny weather and everything's all right. The Beatles really do know everything, don't they?

- Laura

Summer Wine

2010-03-26T13:40:00.006-04:00

The weather is back to the bitter chill of Michigan spring; those few blessed days of sunny warmth seem to be only a happy hallucination. So I did what any person dragged down to the depressing depths of despair would do: look through pictures of warmer, more joyous days.

These are pictures from Vera's senior photoshoot; they are summer incarnate.

Sartorial temptations...

2010-03-25T13:08:00.003-04:00

Vintage 1980's Laura Ashley sailor dress, via pineapplemint @ etsy

Today, I'm wearing my teal boots and a teal bow in my hair. Not ridiculously matchy-matchy by any means - just coordinated. It was only when I grabbed my blue and green umbrella and put on my teal sunglasses that I thought, Okay, maybe this is a little ridiculous.

I find that I'm always drawn to teal and mustard yellow above all else. (And emerald green, when I can find it - my three favorite colors!) Sometimes I have to fight the temptation to buy something just because it's in one of those colors. But I can't help it - I just think they're so lovely.

I also think that I'm going to have to be physically restrained from going too literal with my nautical inspiration. I have been so drawn to sailor-inspired dresses lately that I'm afraid when summer comes around, it's going to look like I'm in costume! Oh dear.

So when I found this dress on Etsy, it was just too perfect for words - it combined my love for sailor dresses and my adoration of the color teal. Score! I debated for a month or two about whether I should buy it - I've been trying to save money - but then I realized that I would probably never find another dress that was more "me" so I went ahead and bought it. It arrived only two days after I ordered it and I absolutely adore it! It definitely needs to be altered - for some reason, the long sleeves and the length of the skirt absolutely dwarf my incredibly statuesque five feet, three inches. I can't figure it out! Ha. So, once I can get near a sewing machine that works (Esther's is broken), I'm going to take off the sleeves and take the hem up. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

So what are your style temptations? Do you have too much of a certain color/style in your wardrobe? Well, maybe "too much" is the wrong phrase - if you love it, wear it, I say.

Be sure to check out the rest of what Pineapple Mint has to offer!

Opposite day

2010-03-20T14:35:00.003-04:00

Well, as Esther said, Spring has sprung. Unfortunately, today (the first day of spring, no less), Mother Nature is PMSing something fierce. I awoke to a little blanket of snow outside...and yesterday, I was running all around town in a little sleeveless dress! Weird.

top: part of the "500 Days" dress, via ModCloth | tank top, tights, & shorts: Target | boots: Shi | coat: vintage, gift

These pictures are actually over a week old. Oops. They were taken in the midst of all the bridal show madness, so I've only had time to post them now. I love the peacock feather top - ModCloth never disappoints - but I'm so upset at myself. It came as part of a dress, but I spilled mayonnaise on it the very first day I wore it! So stupid...I'm trying to figure out a way to salvage it, because the stain is being quite stubborn.

I'm torn about the weather. On one hand, it's probably best if it's gray and gloomy until the semester ends, because otherwise I won't get anything done...but on the other hand, I'll be glad when the snow melts (or, as my dad put it, "When the last sneezes of winter are over"). I've got spring fever something fierce, which was not helped by walking around gorgeous East Grand Rapids yesterday with Esther. We're planning to move to that area in a few months, so we're doing house hunting and all that delightful stuff! Makes me long for summer days when I can ride around Eastown on my bike at dusk, maybe stop in to the Sparrows for some iced chai...oh well. It'll come! Right now I'll just enjoy life as it is, because it's kind of beautiful. I've got a ton of stuff on my plate (and some exciting opportunities coming my way) and I have to believe it will all work out.

Anyway, here's a wonderful music video I thought I'd share. It's bound to usher in some spring spirit. Enjoy!

Spring is springing.

2010-03-18T22:44:00.004-04:00

Dress: Gift from Laura; Belt: Thrift store; Shoes: Target

I was very displeased to be working so much this week; I have barely been able to revel in the unusually gorgeous weather. It's been a miraculous few days of sunshine and warmth, and I've missed all of it.

The one chance I had was today, on my lunch break. I was sitting on the bench outside my work, soaking up the sunlight, when a creepy man came outside and lit his cigarette. He grinned at me in a sketchy way, and I pretended to be very interested in my lunch. He then proceeded to try and engage me in conversation about how he "never thought a bridal store would be named after me" and "I'll never marry anybody." If I were a bit more audacious, I would have mentioned the good a wife would do him- especially in lowering his level of creeperyness.

Anywhoodle, dear children, I hope you are enjoying the weather- wherever you may be.

Kisses,
Essie

Jeepers creepers, where'd you get them peepers?

2010-03-10T20:19:00.009-05:00

A homage to my little brother's newest pets- and our soon to be organic egg producers!

Clyde, the ridiculous and adorable.

My favorite, Ogaleesh Lootah (Sioux for "Red and wears a red coat.")

The trio of the golden chicks- Clyde, Mary, and Hildegarde Mabel (affectionately known as May.)

Clyde says goodnight and good luck.

A Midsummer Night

2010-03-10T00:09:00.008-05:00

I've been sifting through old pictures; and unfortunately "old pictures" equals "summertime pictures". Throughly depressing stuff, I can tell you.

This is a memory lane trip; last July, we threw a midsummer night's style bash in my backyard to celebrate Vera (Laura's sister) & my birthdays. Our largest tree endured nails, twinkle lights, and curtains for the sake of the beauteous decor. My cousin played his guitar and lullabied us all night; we ate delicious food until the mosquitoes decided we were delicious, upon which we promptly went indoors. Among the happy festivities was an impromptu Bar Mitzvahs style circle dance around the birthday cake. In short, best birthday ever.

...Handmade swing...

We laid blankets over the ground and set pillows against the tree.

My main lesson from this post:

Children, reuse, reuse, reuse. We bought nothing for this party except wire for head wreaths. All decor was either begged, borrowed or stolen- a variety of vintage items we had, including clocks, mirrors, and curtains. Don't let the lack of monetary funds prevent you from throwing a gorgeous party. Be creative, and play with what you have on hand.

Kisses,
Esther

Summertime and the livin' is easy.

2010-03-08T23:50:00.010-05:00

I hope you saw Laura's earlier post of vintage bathing-suit inspiration... because this suit was created based on some of those images! Many thanks to my amazing grandmama, whose help was needed for the technical difficulty encountered with this.

The Process:
1.) Collect images/do a bit of style research.
2.) Assemble pattern (based of a pants shape for the bottom, top was mostly guesswork!)
3.) Use vintage curtains (always, always, always reuse and recycle.)
4.) Cut it out, piece it together.
5.) Play with the fit/ruching/etc.
6.) Voilá vintage!

Laura & I hope to soon make many of these and make the vintage style suit more widely available to fabulous ladies like yourselves. Thoughts?

(My favorite thing about this suit: because of the cotton fabric, it makes a perfectly adorable top when paired with a high waist skirt.)

Kisses,
Esther

Happiness is _______________.

2010-03-08T22:51:00.009-05:00

I've been a wickedly unfaithful blogette; I do apologize profusely. I shall make a serious effort to be better.

I recently bid my wisdom teeth ADIEU and was thus crowned the chipmunk queen.

Que bonita. No.

However, the remarkably beauteous weather we have had lately has more than made up for it. This morning I drove with the windows down, ate lunch on the sunny deck, and went for a barefoot walk. Summer, I can hear your song.

Recently I watched "Shall We Dance", an Astaire/Rogers film, and immediately fell in love with that dashing pair all over again. Ginger Rogers, you are a thing of beauty. Women of the world, aspire.

Kisses,
Esther

So very young, so very young were we

2010-03-05T17:59:00.004-05:00

dress: vintage, via Coat of Many Colors | cardigan: Target | jazz shoes: Charlotte Russe

I do believe this is the first outfit post I've done without an item from ModCloth! Kind of funny, since the ModCloth section of my wardrobe is actually quite small. This is a dress I bought at the Coat way back in September, the first time I ever went there. It's hard to believe I've known that store such a short time - I've worked there (well, in the basement) for almost as long as I've shopped there.

I wasn't a bit cold while taking these photos - hooray! I know I live in Michigan, so it probably won't last, but spring is definitely making a case for itself. This whole week was one gorgeous day after another.

Anyway, these last few days have been extremely productive! Let's hope it carries over into this next week...I'll be on Spring Break, which really won't be a break at all because I have so much homework and so much to do to get ready for the bridal show, which is officially in less than a week. Eep! The website is really coming together, though; after an intense productive session at the Sparrows (my favorite coffee shop/second home), almost all of the galleries are up. Check it out and let me know what you think!

I did a photoshoot on Tuesday with Matt, the owner of Coat of Many Colors, and Alex, who is a fellow basement-dweller at the Coat. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of those pictures soon. It was so much fun; it may or may not have involved breaking into an abandoned house - I'll never tell! One of our last stops was at one of the Catholic churches in Grand Rapids, and as we were taking pictures on the front steps, a man walked by and said "Congratulations!" to Alex and me. Of course, we didn't bother to correct him. It was kind of hilarious - there we were, "getting married" on a Tuesday afternoon, me in a short-sleeved dress in the 30-degree weather - but it was sweet of him, anyway, and the three of us all got a good laugh out of it!

The title of this post comes from the Andrew Bird song "Souverian." I've been listening to him almost nonstop, along with Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, and the Soil and the Sun (Alex's band - check them out!). Bon Iver is really fall/winter music for me, but mixing it with these other bands really makes it feel like spring is coming!

Presenting:

2010-02-28T16:56:00.004-05:00

Wow, I've really been an awful blogger lately. But I have a pretty good excuse, I think - I've been working like crazy trying to get my mom's website up and running for her vintage bridal boutique! And at long last, it's finally up, though it is far from finished! You can visit it here.

I still have to add a lot more dresses, and information and photos for all of them. We're hoping, though, that it will be basically finished in time for the bridal show at DeVos, which is in less than two weeks. Yikes! I can forget about getting much sleep from now until then...sometime this week I'm doing a wedding photoshoot with Matt from Coat of Many Colors, one of my favorite places to be and definitely my favorite vintage store in Grand Rapids!

No outfit posts or anything. But just so that this isn't a completely boring post, here are a few pictures from last week's photoshoot. Unfortunately not pictured is a dress that came in the mail the day after the photoshoot. It's from the 1920's, and is hands down the most beautiful dress I've ever seen in my life - it's covered in beads and the fabric is like gossamer. So beautiful. I have decided that if I get married someday, that's going to be my wedding dress. Someday! Anyway, enjoy!

1920's "Daisy" wedding dress & headpiece - modeled by me

1910's "Rose" wedding dress - modeled by Esther

1930's "Ella" wedding dress - modeled by Esther

And now, some behind-the-scenes pictures! Much less glamorous, I assure you...

Ha! Seldom have I ever looked so attractive. But this gives you an idea of what we're working with.

Showing some scandalous ankle, which quickly dissolved into...

...this.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Coming soon!

2010-02-19T22:32:00.008-05:00

1920's "Daisy" wedding dress - modeled by Laura

1960's wedding dress - modeled by Esther

Today we had a photoshoot for my mom's vintage wedding dress business, Somewhere in Time Bridal! We're going to be showing at the bridal show in Grand Rapids in three weeks, so I'm going to be working like crazy to get the website up and running.

This is just a short little post - I wanted to offer a teaser of things to come. We got some lovely photos. It was so much fun, but I'm exhausted now! I'm watching the Olympics; I wish I could say it was to relax, but I'm convinced the ice dance competition will be the death of me. I don't care about sports - really - but I love figure skating (though I'm a lot less into it than I used to be) and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are so near and dear to my heart. I used to run a website about them, and they've always been nothing but wonderful and gracious to me. It would mean the world to me if they could win the gold. So send some positive thoughts their way!

Have a great weekend!

Be well,
Laura

Sick day, and Wednesday inspiration

2010-02-17T11:27:00.005-05:00

Great Gatsby dress: ModCloth | pants: Target | sunglasses: Charlotte Russe | boots: Shi

I'm trying so hard to be a good little blogger and update more regularly! These outfit photos are from Monday. I loved this outfit, but then I started feeling really sick, so the outfit had to go to waste. However, I was determined to have something to post, so I braved the elements for a few minutes to get these pictures.

Please note: this will be one of the very few times you will ever see me wear pants. I don't like wearing pants. Not in the fun, nudist sort of way, but in the "I-prefer-dresses" sort of way.

You will, however, see me wear these sunglasses and these boots a lot. As you'll discover, I have a long-standing obsession with teal.

I'm definitely ready for warmer weather. This winter hasn't been too bad (especially for Michigan!), but lately I find myself longing for the little hints of springtime and summer. So, to add a little warmth to your Wednesday, here's some warm weather inspiration: vintage bathing suits!

(Image-heavy post ahead, because I am far too indecisive to pick favorites)

Clara Bow - how incredible is her outfit?! All of the above pictures are from this flickr page.

Above images from this fabulous flickr photostream.

Well, I don't know about you, but these photos effectively cured my winter blahs! So bright and cheerful. Esther and I hope to make swimsuits similar to these to sell in the store. I couldn't be more excited.

And yes, the store will be set up soon. I'm just waiting for my dress form to come in the mail, and then I'll be able to take pictures of the merchandise!

I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday!

Be well,
Laura

One of these things is not like the other

2010-02-12T16:14:00.007-05:00

This is just a quick little post to show off the treasures I discovered at the antique mall last Saturday!

1940's dress - modeled by Esther

Doesn't Esther look lovely? I fell in love with this dress the first time I saw it at the antique mall a month ago. I couldn't get it out of my head, so I decided to go back and buy it! It's going to be part of my mom's vintage wedding dress business, which is slowly but surely coming together. We just got a spot at the bridal show at DeVos next month, so I'm going to be crazy busy getting everything together for that.

The clutch is going to be going up in our store as soon as we get it set up!

cardigan: H&M | dress: ModCloth | boots: vintage, 1960's

Believe it or not, I wasn't cold at all! Granted, I didn't keep this outfit on for long - just for pictures - but really, I didn't even shiver.

I thought the array of things I bought was kind of hilarious. Vintage beaded dress, 1960's go-go boots - but then, the little beaded purse kind of pulls it all together, in a weird way.

Look for the boots in our store as soon as we get it set up! My goal is to have it up and running within the next month or so.

Be well,

Laura & Esther

Strings that tie to you.

2010-02-03T13:55:00.004-05:00

This pair of shoes has a story. This pair of shoes is a woman.

A wedding dress hung on the back of a door - once beautiful, now ripped and stained with age. I assumed that this had been the dress she wore on the day of her wedding, so many years ago. But my mother corrected me. This pair of shoes is a woman who lived her whole life alone. No husband, no children. Alone. This pair of shoes is a woman who collected compulsively - JFK memorabilia, a far number of hats and shoes - but mostly, jewelry. She had rooms of earrings and bracelets and big, gaudy brooches that she never wore herself, but bought because she loved to go shopping and make friends with the store clerks.

When she died, there were few left that remembered her.

But she has a story. I can only guess at the finer details; I don't even know her name. I could only gaze around in awe at the enormous array of things that were left in her house, neatly organized and priced. I bought this pair of shoes from her estate sale. They fueled my imagination - did she buy these new? Are they from when she was a young woman in the 1940's? Did she buy them used, compulsively, after striking up a conversation with an employee at the local Goodwill?

I'll never know the answer to those questions - she remains, to me, personified in a pair of shoes. But I can imagine my own answers.

And that is why I love vintage. Every piece has a story; every piece connects me, in a tangible way, to the past. Even if it's just through a pair of shoes.

Esther's Introduction to Society

2010-01-30T00:02:00.000-05:00

One thing you should know up front: this is not a love story. This is a story about love.

I'm Esther.

WARNING: Tendencies to ramble on about all things vintage and Bohemian.

I won't say too much about myself right now... I'll let you become acquainted with me through various bloggaging. But I want to say HELLO MY NAME IS Esther, and I am very pleased to meetchya.

Let's start at the very beginning.

2010-01-29T22:22:00.001-05:00

Why hello there!

It's about time Esther and I introduced ourselves, isn't it?

tank top & cardigan: Target | boots: Shi | skirt: BB Dakota via ModCloth | belt: Charlotte Russe | necklace & headband: gift

I don't believe I've yet had the pleasure of making your acquaintance properly. I'm Laura, and sometimes I throw a "q" in my name for fun.

You'll be getting to know me quite well as our humble little blog gets off the ground, but you should probably know right off the bat that I am quite enamored of pretty much anything vintage. I really love the 1920's, Art Deco and Art Nouveau, Shakespeare, hippies, and Arrested Development, and I adore the Beatles almost to the point that it annoys those around me. Almost.

I'm going to cut this short before it starts to sound like a personals ad. I will simply say that I'm glad you've stopped by. Esther and I hope to be getting things together for our little store soon, so if you like vintage or vintage-inspired clothes and accessories, stick around. It's our goal to incorporate something recycled into each and every one of our little designs. We bought tons of fabric and goodies today - we are beyond excited and can't wait to share with you!

Be well,

Laura

So this is the new year.

2010-01-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

[wedding dress, circa 1963 - modeled by Esther]

Hello once again, blogging world! I do apologize that Esther and I haven't properly introduced ourselves - the holiday season has been a little crazier than usual - but I do promise that we will be doing a proper introduction post soon, full of pictures and random facts and more than you ever wanted to know about us.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some pictures. These are from a preliminary photoshoot for the vintage wedding dress rental business my mom hopes to start. We're trying to test the waters, see if this is a viable business idea, and we wanted to see what the dresses would look like on actual people. So we headed over to St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids (my former church, before my dad started a mission parish), armed with two cars full of dresses, and went picture crazy! In some ways, I guess I never grew up - playing dress-up is one of my absolute favorite things to do. My sister Vera took the pictures; Esther, my brother's fiancee Darcy, and I were the models. I haven't included any pictures of Darcy because when she gets married, she's going to wear one of the dresses she modeled. Can't have my brother seeing that!

These pictures were originally supposed to be just for us, for reference, but they turned out so nicely I couldn't resist sharing. (Picture-heavy post ahead!) Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

[ wedding dress, circa late 1800's/early 1900's, I forget! Modeled by me ]

[ Circa 1930's, modeled by me ]

[ I forget when this one is from, oops! Beautiful draping, no? Modeled by Esther ]

[ Circa 1880's - isn't it incredible?! Modeled by me ]

[ This is the same one from earlier - the pictures got all out of order, sorry! ]

[ Circa 1930's - technically not a wedding dress, but it could certainly be used as one! Modeled by Esther ]

[ Art Deco wedding dress, circa 1920's or 30's, modeled by me ]
I'm in love with this dress!

[ Circa 1930's, modeled by Esther ]
Doesn't she look positively regal?

xoxo, Laura

A Christmas Present for Mama

2009-11-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a mere month away; and as soon as Santa drops off our gifts from his big black bag, we toss down our own big black bags to dear old Nature.

Poor old Earth just doesn't enjoy the holiday season. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, we generate an extra 25 million tons of trash from Thanksgiving to New Year's. That is a disgusting- and really unnecessary- amount.

This holiday season, refuse to use paper products such as paper plates or cups. You can often find precious vintage dishware at thrift stores for dirt cheap, saving money and adding a unique touch to your holiday party.

If every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
Save money and the planet by wrapping gifts in scrap pieces of fabric tied with ribbon or string. You can find cute vintage fabrics anywhere, especially places like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. And what better way to spend holiday money than at charities?

Be kind to Mama Earth; she's the only nurturing planet out there.

Kisses under the mistletoe,
Esther

(Stats gathered from http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/14/eco_decorate/)

Our Very Firstest Post

2009-11-18T23:37:00.000-05:00

Hello world of blogage!

See, Laura & I, we're new in this neighborhood; but so far we like the looks of it... bear with us as we get our bearings.

Kisses,
Esther