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Come See Me at Style Maniac
Today I’m guest posting on vintage fashion over at Style Maniac— a blog by the fabulous Doreen Creede about decorating, dressing, reading, eating, and entertaining in style. Hmmm, all of my favorite things… it’s no wonder I read it religiously. I love how the internet makes it possible to collaborate on projects with creative people everywhere, whether they’ve been to your home or just your home page. So, as Style Maniac would say, kick off your leopard print flats, pour yourself a glass of wine (or a cup of coffee, depending on when you’re reading this) and check out my guest post.
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Rock Star-Worthy Looks
Stars put on a great show on Friday night at the Barrymore, complete with multicolored lights, bubbles, and a keyboard kazoo. And guitarist and vocalist Amy Millan wore sequins, just like the last time I saw her. If I were a rock star, I would wear sequins every night. Seeing all of the beautiful young things in the audience in their carefully-selected concert clothes got me thinking about (what else?) fashion. Here are some rock star-worthy looks from three of my favorite style bloggers. I’d be happy to wear any of the following ensembles to a show. What the three looks have in common is that they all involve at…
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Starry Starry Night
Tonight I’m going to see Stars in concert… for the third time. If you’re a frequent reader of this blog, you know I love me some Canadian indie bands. Besides the music, one of the things I love about concerts is checking out the fashion onstage and in the audience. Last time I saw Stars at the Barrymore, their adorable vocalist, Amy Millan (left), wore a short, vintage-looking sequined dress. So what will I wear? A blue lace skirt with pockets from Kimchi & Blue, a cheap black tank top with lots of layered necklaces over it, a la Givenchy 2008 (similar to the ones below by LoveMaegan), and over-the-knee,…
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Guest Blogging on Green Living
Today and every Thursday for the next 10 weeks I’m guest blogging over at Wisconsin Public Television’s Engage Wisconsin site. The focus of my recurring column will be “green living” for the urban dweller. Today’s post is on the growing trend of front-yard vegetable gardening. Along with other Engage Wisconsin bloggers, I hope to raise awareness of what Wisconsin residents are doing to live more sustainably in ways that don’t involve granola or hugging trees.
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Tee Time
My husband prides himself on his collection of bizarre t-shirts. His standards are strict. They have to be soft and they have to fit well. They can’t be from Urban Outfitters. Oh, and did I mention he doesn’t like to shop? So unless I want to see him wearing the same t-shirt every weekend–the one from his kickball team 10 years ago that says “Kick Me in the Junk”–I have to try, from time to time, to point him in the direction of sources for new t-shirt purchases. Thank God for Etsy. In a recent search for not-too-scratchy, not-too-big, sufficiently unique t-shirts, I came upon a local Madison Etsy seller,…
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Yarn Bombing
Check out this extra-cozy bus shelter on State Street that some UW-Madison design students created with local knitters, to coincide with Gallery Night. Have you ever seen a more cheerful place to catch the bus? Happy Friday, everyone. Have a cozy weekend.
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Celebrating Banned Books
In celebration of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, I offer you the following list of my favorite banned books, and the reasons they were challenged or banned. What are your favorite banned books? The Bell Jar‘s discussions of suicide, mental illness, sexuality, and “questionable” life philosophy landed it a solid place on banned book lists worldwide from its publication in 1963. Blume’s Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret? (1970) was banned because of its discussion of menstruation, puberty, masturbation, and treatment of religion. Salinger’s classic (1951) was banned for language, sexual references, and descriptions of drunkenness and mental illness. Ginsberg’s 1956 poems were banned for obscenity. The…
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The Fall Colors of the Farmers’ Market
When some people think of fall colors, they envision a coach bus full of tourists snapping photos at changing foliage. When I hear the words “fall colors,” I think about the many hues of the farmers’ market at this time of year. Pinks, greens, and striated reds peeking out from a bag full of apples. Carnival squash with its emerald and orange-dappled skin. The defiant gold of a sunflower, determined to make me smile even as the cold weather comes.
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Willy St. Fair: Be Anything but Ordinary
The motto of the Williamson-Marquette neighborhood on Madison’s east side is “A Place for All People.” Nothing proves that motto better than our annual free-for-all, the Willy Street Fair. We’ve got robots for peace. We’ve got the Wacky Wheeler (see photo). We’ve got a cadillac that shoots giant bubbles from a tuba. We’ve got stiltwalkers and unicyclists galore. Come one, come all, and bring your kids and your dog. Just don’t be ordinary. Because being ordinary is the only way you won’t fit in. Photos courtesy of Connor Sabatino.
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Don’t Hate Them Because They’re Ugly
If you ever see someone crawling on the sidewalk underneath the tables at the farmers’ market, that person would be me. In late summer and early fall, I will be close to the ground, digging through the boxes of ugly tomatoes that aren’t perfect enough to put on display. You know the tomatoes I’m talking about–the squishy, cracked, bruised, or misshapen ones. Farmers usually sell them for about 50 cents a pound at this time of year. Most people will take one glance at these ugly tomatoes and walk on by. I ask you to reserve judgment, because ugly tomatoes are perfect for one of my favorite tomato recipes: Bruschetta…
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