Ingesture

Work has been keeping me busy so I'll be back with a 30 for 30 update tomorrow! In the meantime, here is a peek at the Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition Ingesture at the Central Michigan University Art Gallery on November 20, 2010.
My friend, Margaret (Megan) Mcwhirter along with Taro Takizawa and Seth Sutton showcased their work and presented a little speech about their journey towards their degree. Unfortunately, I did not get any of Seth's work, but below is Megan's "Blue" which I got to help stick to the ground so no one would kick them over on accident. I was so nervous to touch them, especially if they would clink together when I set them down - Eep!

The prints below are done in woodblock by Taro Takizawa. The house highlighted on the left is his house; in his speech he told us he based it off a picture of his street back home in Japan. I'm in luuuurve!

And this, my friends, is Tenmoku. Megan and her boyfriend adopted the second cutest (Of course Adelaide is number one) kitten and the best part is - she has thumbs! Known as Ploy dactyl or my favorite, Hemingway, cats, they have an extra digit which makes it look like they are wearing mittens. She is a Michigander for sure!

She decided to help me pack and I decided that maybe I shouldn't pack her away in the suitcase. I might not have given it a second thought had I not been gushing over with pride after seeing Megan and all of her hard work at the gallery the day before.

Congratulations again, Megan!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday because I know I did! It was great to catch up with both my and H.M.'s families and get a whole 4 days to relax. Before we get back into the daily grind groove, here is a recap of my holiday weekend:

 On Wednesday night, H.M. and I hung out with old friends in their new apartment in Midtown instead of going to the bars. This also gave us the chance to get a sneak peek of the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade floats that we lined up along Woodward. I could hardly sleep with the anticipation of going to the parade in the morning!

This year, H.M. and I went with our friends Kenny, Amy and Eric. The parade was great and I got to watch the cow jump over the moon and a bunch of other beloved floats, bands, teams and balloons...and of course, Santa! While I didn't get a picture in front of Santa like last year, Amy and I did get blasted with streamers from the Detroit News' float!

 (Shhhhh I threw on whatever I could find to stay warm...I wore my 30 for 30 gear to dinner, no worries!)

Thank you, Kenny, for immortalizing our streamer fun!

Thank you to my sister, Holly, for taking this in her (and Jillian's) wacky watermelon room! I decided not to wear shoes that day because, hey, I'm at home! I was hardcore enough to at least wear my ballet flats in the car and into the house just for the sake of preserving my tights! According to some of my family, I looked like one sassy pilgrim...

Another big thank you to my other sister, Jillian, for taking this picture on my parents from porch. In her PJ's. What a trooper! This is also me without make-up or a hair dryer. I come from a family or curls and all I got was a kink! Oh well, I was too excited to head from Fowlerville with my family to Oscoda for H.M.'s family and Part II of Thanksgiving.

Of course, a BIG thank you to Nick, H.M.'s little (andisweartogodidentical) brother, for taking a picture with me near the train tracks. On the way back, he collected quite a few pieces of gypsum and rail ties...no worries, the ties were off to the side already!

Phew! Home again! Time to unpack and try to relax before Manic Monday! I missed my baby kitteh, Adelaide, and she has been talking up a storm since we got home (and as I type this). Looks like I'll call it a night!

Knock, knock!

Is anybody there?!

I am really glad I had the forethought to schedule some posts while I was in Mt. Pleasant last weekend because as you can tell, I got a little behind on the outfit posts. And so, without further ado:

There was so much to do last weekend, the picture above was taken in the gallery office after I arrived in Mt. Pleasant and got a sneak peek of the show...

And Megan's Mom got a great picture of us at the gallery together, but alas, I have yet to get my hands on it so I had Jordan re-enacted the outfit once I got home. Along with one of Megan's vases of course!

I was excited to see Adelaide when I arrived home on Sunday afternoon, especially after meeting Megan's adorable kitten, Tenmoku! I'll post more pictures of the actual event during the holiday weekend.

On Monday, I was in a bit of a panic as I hadn't had time to do any laundry so I decided to wear my mini skirt seen here and here as a shirt under my sweater. I was rather impressed with my last minute fix on the sweater once I noticed it was missing a button too - it made a perfect belt loop.  Even my Mother approved when I showed her at work!

Tonight we are visiting friends that moved into a new apartment near campus so I will post todays outfit later. Probably not going out to the bars this year, but we always manage to have fun! Tomorrow after we go to Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade, we are heading to my parent's near Lansing and on Friday we are off to Oscoda for the rest of the weekend to spend time with H.M.'s family.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you staying home or traveling?

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving to you and yours!

All Bundled Up

I am just full of bad puns this weekend!

On days when I do not have time to dry my hair, I have used this little 'do to help me get out the door and also to give me the option for a a style with a bit more texture on Day 2!

I got the idea from Jason Wu's Fall line but decided to add an asymmetrical part and then twist the front parts of my hair because I am still in the process of growing out my bangs. The next day, I have curls that transition into waves and however odd that may sound, I love it.

Want to give it a whirl? Click here.



Nutty for Nutella

Last weekend when H.M. and I went to Eastern Market, we decided to mix it up a bit. The fog was just starting to clear as our friend Kenny came over to join us on our weekly adventure. Just as the sun began to clear away the fog, he was able to grab a shot or two.

You can see more of his work here. He does amazing work! For Halloween I dressed up as his twin in what I consider to be his Standard Issue.

But I digress...

Before heading home, we stopped in Rocky's for some snacks. Kenny picked up some Baba Ganoush and sun-dried tomato Crostini while I decide to finally buy Nutella. If you have not yet had the pleasure of experiencing Nutella, it is beautiful spread that combines hazelnut and milk chocolate. Pricer than Jif, I think it is totally worth it, especially after what I whipped up on Wednesday!

I made Hazelnut Croissants in the morning before work with a cylinder of ready made croissant dough, Nutella and a couple spices I found in the cupboard. First, I preheated the oven to 325 as directed on the packaging. After popping open the cylinder (my favorite part!) and unrolling the croissants, I spread the Nutella over each triangle and sprinkled some Cardamom, Cinnamon and Cloves on top. Then I rolled them up and put those bad boys in the oven for 10 minutes. While I waited for them to cool, I decided to go dry my hair.

That was my mistake.

Next thing I know H.M. was not only awake, but had already eaten 3! Luckily, I was able to snag some in a baggie to eat with my coffee once I got to work. They still tasted like heaven the next day! I don't know how they would have tasted on Day 3 though because by then, they were all gone!

I think next time I will try them with crushed walnuts inside too! Do you have a favorite morning pastry? Do you make it yourself or pick it up?

The Balancing Act

I don't know about you, but I am entirely ready for Thanksgiving! I would venture to say that it is my favorite holiday of all. It combines a lot of my favorites: Fall, Food and Family!

Sorry. I am a total cheeseball!

As I write this, I am counting the days until I get to eat yummy Thanksgiving treats, visit both my and H.M.'s families and not have to worry about work or school for a few days. I would make a paper chain, but considering I will not be home this weekend it hardly seems worth it.

Side story: Before I left for India, H.M. made a paper chain to count down the days until I got home and when he picked me up from the airport, he gave me the last piece. I still have that piece.

 I will be the first person to admit to being awkward, but I am going to have to work on this pidgeon-toed stance I have going on! We'll see how long that lasts!

On Wednesday I dontated blood and in return, my work gave us Panera gift cards and a set of stemless wine glasses! I was going to donate any way, but I suppose it is rather nice of my work to provide incentives to help save lives for those who need a little extra coaxing (apparently not all people like to give blood?!).

And lastly, I leave you with a toast to the beginning of a great weekend! Here, I have the beginnings of a Whiskey Sour...Yum! And yes, I am cheating and using a mixer...it's been quite a week!

P.S. Believe it or not, I will have posts up this weekend while I am at my girlfriends exhibit in Mt. Pleasant. Hope it's a great one!

...And Then I Don't Feel so Bad!

Hello friends!

Tonight I am going to make it short and sweet as it is getting pretty late on this lovely, cloudy Sunday. But first, Day 7!

Thank you to everyone who has fallen in love with our record collection (and lovely blue wall) - we actually still listen to the 45's on the wall so it is a double bonus!

As far as an outfit post for today, I needed to work on my car a bit today in preparation for my trip to Mt. Pleasant at the end of this week so I decided that I would "skip" today. I only use parentheses because technically I got a little overzealous and started remixing on Saturday so I have been a day ahead of everyone. And that was driving me a little crazy. So this is what I wore today and a quick overview of my favorite things that just so happen to make an appearance!

a. Bruce the Moose: However silly, this stuffed animal has always been the perfect pillow or just flat out snuggle buddy. He never complains about being little spoon or if I am hogging all of the covers!

b. Steamer trunk: My favorite thrift store find! I discovered this when I was in Fowlerville visiting family and used it as a coffee table in my first apartment and now a bedside table. I think it adds character and is great for hiding extra blankets for impromptu sleepovers.

c. The Clash Tee: This is actually H.M.'s shirt. He was the one that really got my into The Clash and Joe Strummer (who I adore) so I took it upon myself to make it my own and incorporate it it my wardrobe...although I did decide to leave it out of my remix this time...

d. Adelaide: I rescued her from an animal rescue group who were participating in an event at the Detroit Zoo for "Meet Your New Best Friend Day". H.M. and I originally went with a friend who was looking for a dog to adopt and we had to come back the next day because I just couldn't leave without her!

e. Elephant Comforter: I bought this at Dilli Haat when I was working in India. I loved going to the marketplace and bargaining with the different stall owners. Elephants are one of my favorite animals and it reminds me of all the good times and good friends I had while in India.

Ok. Well that turned out longer than I expected (Surprise!). I hope you all have a great week!

I'm in Your Dreams, Stealing Your Ideas

Last night we went to go see Inception at The Magic Bag in Ferndale. Personally, I know that I am more of a NetFlix girl and I hardly ever get out to see the movies when they first get out which surely doesn't help remind me what AMAZING movies I am missing out on! I thought that the movie was great and I do love Marion Cotillard. What a beautiful woman! I loved her spread in July's issue of Vogue...I adore the romantic, vintage feel. Having Mario Testino as the photographer is the cherry on top!

But enough about her...time for a little shameless "Me Time"!

 

For Day 5, I decided to go with what I consider Standard Issue - you can usually find me in my jeans with a t-shirt and a cardigan 90% of the time. Also, my pants hardly even cover my ankles. Because it floods a lot here on Michigan (not). I considered not including my jeans and cardigans, but 'tis the season where Jack Frost will be nipping at my nose any day now, so I wasn't about to make myself suffer through 30 days of that nonsense!

Today I awoke to another foggy monochromatic morning and decided to go with an Audrey Hepburn meets Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief as his sidekick cat burglar look. But this time, instead of jewels, I am ready to swipe your secrets and ideas right out of your sweet little dreams, MWA-HA-HA!

Sorry. I really enjoyed watching Inception if you haven't noticed.

 Unfortunately for Adelaide, she just so happen to be in the vicinity when we were taking pictures and talking about cat burglars. She, uh, graciously obliged our request for a photo op.

For dinner I made garbage soup - I found a can of cream of chicken soup, a can of kidney beans, a handful of cheddar cheese along with a few remaining potatoes and broccoli florets. I also added some sauteed garlic and onions. Topped it with a dollop of sour cream and a couple shakes of black pepper. Oh! And how could I forget, a Manhattan to wash it all down...

Any fun weekend plans? Tomorrow we are meeting up with our friend (and most talented photographer) Kenny and going on our weekly adventure to the Eastern Market, probably followed by goodness knows what!



What a Wreck!

Good news is, the remixing is going rather smoothly, no major meltdowns. Saturday I said I'd give you outfits 1-3 and now you shall have them. Plus one. Not so good news is, I almost had a heart attack finding my camera cable after forgetting to put my memory card in and work has just been hectic with the training I've been doing. Also, I may or may not have fallen asleep almost immediately after eating dinner last night due to sheer exhaustion. So for you, I guess there really is no bad news...besides the blubbering...

Moving on to the outfits!

 Not only is this a test of my creativity when it come to making outfits, but also how much I am able to conceal my inner goofball, as is apparent in Day 2's photos.

Today's outfit had a bit of a nautical theme - my favorite - as today is the 35th Anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Not only a catchy song, but a tragedy in Michigan history, as 29 lives were lost. According to 9&10 News,

It took less than ten seconds for the ship to sink more than 500 feet. It happened off Whitefish Point in the upper peninsula. A violent storm blew over the lake with waves reported as high as 30 feet. The ship's captain radioed in saying it was the worst he had ever seen.

To this day, no one has been able to figure out why the Fitzgerald sank, and we probably will never know...

To commemorate the anniversary, I decided to incorporate the bracelet I made this summer. It was quite the coincidence that upon waking up this morning, I awoke a thick blanket of fog that prevented me from seeing across Lafayette Park. It actually wasn' t until I was checking the weather online that I realized it was the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I just find it amazing that with advances in technology today, they are still unable to identify the cause! Memorial services are beign held at Whitefish Point Shipwreck Museum and also at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle.

And on that eriee historical note, I am off to bed! I will post details on what exactly I wore tomorrow...and hopefully be able to check out and comment on my other Remixer's blogs!

November Fools!

30 for 30 doesn't start until Monday, November 8, 2010! So I am in the clear! Sorry ;o)

30 for 30 Remix...Teaser

Today is the first day of the 30 for 30 Remix where I mix and match 30 different outfits over 30 days with only 30 pieces of clothing/shoes. Today is also the day that I found my actual camera (all pictures so far have been taken with my cell phone) and also the day that I had H.M. take pictures of Outfit 1/30 with said newly found camera. Only the media card was not in the camera and the cord I need is at work. What a stinkybummer for you!

So here is a sneak peek of what I laundered after a chilly morning at Eastern Market and then perusing the mall for a new winter coat for H.M.Speaking of malls, I am so proud of myself for not buying anything! I just tried to stay focused on finding him a winter coat...and oh, hey! A shoe sale for 50%...No! WINTER COOOOATS!

Again, so proud.

Even though I now have my media card in my camera, I am going to save outfit posts 1-3 of 30 for Monday evening. If anything exciting happens on Sunday though, you can expect to hear from me!

Friday Night Frenzy

Sorry for the recent radio silence - this week has been chock full of homework, work and not enough sleep! Which lucky for me, I realized we had a few forgotten bell peppers in the fridge along with a container of leftover rice and decided to make Spanish Rice Stuffed Peppers! They are one of my easy grab-whatever-is-left-in-the-fridge meals and even though it is not the same every time (hence the lack of a recipe) it is virtually foolproof!

After cleaning out the peppers, I put them in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes while I threw together some shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese, the remainders of El Paso salsa, the rice and a handful of diced up onions. I pulled the peppers out of the oven, filled them with the "Spanish rice" and threw (or lightly slid) them back into the oven for another 10 minutes. I ended up putting another pinch of cheese (yum!) on the top for an additional minute and then presented it with a side of blue corn chips from our local grocery store, La Colmena. Ta-da!

With dinner made, I had the rest of the evening to catch up on some of my favorite blogs, which led me to Kendi's from Kendi Everday post on the 30 for 30 Remix Challenge...which in a moment of weakness, I signed myself (and the blog) up for! Luckily for me, H.M. had done about 3 weeks worth of laundry before I came home so I had quite the selection to choose from.

The idea is that you get to pick 30 articles (or less) comprised of both clothing and shoes that over the course of 30 days you must mix and match into 30 different outfits. Because I can admit that with my work environment being pretty flexible with my wardrobe and wanting to be comfy while enduring the last few hours of the day in class, I often times fall back on my jeans, t-shirt and hoodie. I am not going to part with my jeans, but this will make me reconsider the different ways I can wear my clothes. Hopefully it will also cut down on the time it takes me to get ready and the number of outfits I try one before I get out the door. And save some monies too! Did I mention no clothes or accessories buying?! All the more monies for holiday gift giving, I suppose!

And here is what I will be working with:

Tan brogues

Pink ballet flats

Suede knee-high boots

Skinny jeans

High-waisted black cropped pants

White tank top

Blue and white striped 3/4 length shirt

White with black striped dolman sleeved shirt

Black turtle neck

Grey V-Neck tee

Teal flowered V-Neck T

Black bat wing sweater

Forest green cardigan

Beige boyfriend sweater

Flower-print mini

A-line jean skirt

Black dress

Strapless cotton dress

Polka dot dress

Blue and white button-down

Phew! I feel like I am all packed up and ready to go...on an amazing 30 day adventure! This is the perfect way to get me into the groove of finding new ways for my [old] clothes :o)