Even though it is officially summer, the weather in Colorado sure doesn’t want to believe it. Over the weekend it rained, rained, and rained some more. On Monday the sun finally came out, so I decided an afternoon adventure was a must.
So I headed downtown and walked by my favorite alleyway mural. I’ve admired this old piece of advertisement for years now, and whenever I come to Glenwood walking by it is a must. I’m not quite sure how old it is, but the colors and size of it sure give it charm.
Since it was still chilly outside I went opted to bundle up a bit. I recently received this moto jacket from my lovely sponsor Shop Kempt, and I have to say, I’m in love with it. The fabric is so soft, and I just love the “edgy” look it gives off. I paired it with my favorite biker boots, and a pretty smoky crystal necklace from The Blue Balloon. It was the perfect afternoon to walk around on a chilly day.
I also sported my new favorite ring, a purchase from an art festival I visited over the weekend.
On another note, we are down to 12 days until Scott and I are together again. I seriously can’t wait to pick him up from the airport and spend six whole days with him. I’m so excited for all of the adventures we will be going on. Last year we had such a great time traveling around together, visiting all of the fun tourist spots and some of my favorite restaurants. I’m not really sure of our “itinerary” yet this year (last year we just made it up as we went), but I have a feeling we may end back up here in Glenwood Springs! Last year we had a nice time walking around, holding hands, and swimming in their famous hot springs pool (although, we did like the one if Ouray better!).
Today I don’t have much planned. I would like to work on a few blog posts, take a walk by the nearby lake, hit up the post office and also the local coffee shop. I may even take a trip up to a small, nearby town with my mom to check out a pottery shop.
What are you up to today? Have you ever been to Colorado? If so, what is your favorite spots?
Today we have a lovely interview with Tieka of Selective Potential. Tieka is the sweetest lady, and her blog is one of the reasons I started personal style blogging. She is an inspiration to so many (including myself), and is one of my daily reads. Her style is effortless, and I’m always going to her posts for outfit inspiration.
Meet Tieka:
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
-My name is Tieka and I run the blog, Selective Potential! I’m a full-time graphic designer at a communications firm, I live in Michigan along with my husband, Brett, and our two black cats!
2. What got you interested in blogging, and how long have you been blogging for?
-I discovered fashion blogging after I had lost 35 pounds. I had a new body and wanted to discover new ways to dress and came across an article on fashion blogs and I’ve been addicted ever since. I started in September 2009, so I’m approaching my two years soon!
3. Can you tell us about your style?
-My style is definitely feminine and vintage inspired, with a grunge-twist. I love mixing floral prints with elements like leather lace-up boots.
4. I know that your outfits are affected by the seasons, and your surroundings. What do you love most about dressing for the occasion?
-I absolutely love dressing for the colors of the season. You can easily tell what season I’m in by the colors I’m wearing. My closet is sectioned off into season and the autumn portion is full of browns, burnt oranges and mustard yellows. Spring is very pink, blues, greens. It’s so fun to look out the window, get inspired and figure out an outfit from there!
5. What are your favorite trends for summer?
-This summer I’m currently looking forward to floral sunglasses, coral lips, wooden platforms, cut-off jean shorts, floral dresses, cut-out backs of dresses/tops and messy buns!
6. When you’re not busy blogging, what can you be found doing?
-I absolutely love going to the movies, traveling and taking adventures around our state, hanging out with friends, going to shows and playing in my band called Circle Maybe.
7. With regards to fashion, what do you draw inspiration from?
-Definitely other personal-style bloggers and magazines. I’m constantly browsing my Bloglovin’ for inspiration or picking up the latest issue of Lucky. I have a magnet board in my office with tons of print-outs and clippings from magazines.
8. If you had to pick one outfit to wear the rest of your life, what would it look like?
-I would definitely want to pick a sleeved-floral print dress. Paired along with some lace-up boots, maybe some black opaque tights, a chunky belt… I’d be all set!
9. Your blog is known for outfit photos in amazing locations. How do you find all of these neat places that you take photos in?
-I scour our amazing state for anything and everything! I’m constantly picking up travel magazines, following our state’s travel blog and driving around looking for neat places! I’ve really discovered some amazing places in our area for photos for my blog, plus it makes the whole “photoshoot” process so much more fun.
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring fashion bloggers? What about for someone interested in being a tourist in their own city/state?
-As for aspiring fashion bloggers, I would just tell them to “keep it up”! It’s honestly hard work, but it’s so worth it! Make friends in the blogging community, pour your heart into it, take whatever makes you unique and put that uniqueness into your blog. For someone interested in being a tourist in their own city/state, I’d say do what I do – pick up travel brochures, research online, find your state’s travel website/blog and see what’s new! Think about everything from corny hotspots to festivals… whatever! Have fun with it!
Thank you so much for doing this interview, Tieka! Don’t forget to check out Tieka’s blog for daily outfit inspiration and a peek into her darling life.
The past week I’ve been in Glenwood Springs (CO) taking in the sights and the overall loveliness of the town. One of my favorite places in GS is the Hotel Colorado. Built in the late 1800’s, the Hotel Colorado has been the stomping grounds for United States presidents (Hello, Teddy Roosevelt!), and also some of the West’s most famous inhabitants (Hello, the unsinkable Molly Brown).
The hotel itself has a gorgeous grounds, full of pretty flowers, historic buildings, and relics from the past. My favorite part of the hotel is definitely the flower garden in the front, I just love it’s breathtaking flowers, and trees.
On this particular afternoon it was pretty hot in Glenwood, so I opted to put my hair in a top knot. I usually like to keep my hair low (side buns), but thought it would be fun to follow along in this summer trend. I kind of like the way it turned out, so I think I will be going back to this hairstyle again. On a side note, my mom wore her hair this way the entire time I was growing up, and since I look so much like my mom, it’s safe to say that I really look like her circa 1993. Oh my!
I was positively smitten with these gorgeous flowers!
Last week I received the most amazing package from Moorea Seal. Inside was one of her gypsy crowns, as well as a pair of arrow earrings, and a sweet note and gift from the sweetest friend. I was overwhelmed at the kindness of Diana from Our City Lights who gave me one of Moorea’s beautiful mini book necklaces as a birthday/graduation present. I had been coveting over this gorgeous necklace for so long, so it was an absolute amazing surprise when I saw it placed nicely in the cutest box. So thank you, Diana, for my beautiful necklace (and for being one of the kindness, sweetest people I know). I promise I will cherish it forever.
These roses were just too beautiful! I’m not usually a rose person, but these were just stunning, and organic looking.
Today I will be spending one last day in Glenwood Springs. I’m hoping to go to the local cupcake and lingerie shop (not kidding, it’s all in one) and pick up a cupcake. I’m also hoping to snap a few outfit photos before I leave this beautiful place.
June has been an exciting month. I’ve spent a lot of time venturing around in Western Colorado, snapping outfit photos in breathtaking locations and checking out all of the local hot spots. I’ve enjoyed sharing all of these moments with you all so much, and can’t wait to share more of my adventures throughout the rest of the summer.
July is going to be a very exciting month. Scott is coming to visit me the first week and I already can’t wait for all of the adventures we will be going on! Promise to share updates on our travels! In July I will also be doing some more traveling, and will be continuing to snap photos of almost everything I see.
I would love to have you as a sponsor next month! It’s going to be a great one!
While driving to Denver last week I got to experience a little bit of winter all over again. The snow was deep, and covered the surroundings mountains. It was quite the sight to see.
Last winter my family and I stopped here to take photos. It was crazy to see how much hadn’t really changed since December. The snow was still packed high, and the temperature was still very cold (it was 45 degrees, but I’m sure during December it was much colder).
It was kind of fun to see all of that snow. I really enjoyed my time in the snow last winter, and being surrounded by it again gave me this winter state-of-mind (although it didn’t last long). I can’t even imagine living somewhere where snow could be a possibility all year round. I definitely need my sunshine and heat every once and awhile.
Is there any snow still left where you live? If not, when did it all melt? Do you enjoy snow/winter?
Last weekend I stopped in at the Palisade Farmer’s Market. I had never been to this farmer’s market before, so I wasn’t really sure what expect, but when I got there I was totally impressed by how many booths and how many people were there. Here are a few peeks into what I saw there:
Hi!
Prettiest veggies.
Coffee shop ceiling. Pretty, pretty
Iced coffee from said coffee shop. The free refills were a major bonus.
Cute party pig outside of a local art gallery.
Food truck!
Cute, hometown newspaper.
Pretty bakery sign.
I spotted this bike in the back of an antique store and thought it was pretty (although it is not vintage). The store that it sat behind was quite interesting, well, the store’s owners actually. The male owner spotted my camera and told me he had a vintage camera book he wanted to show me. He proceeded to look for it in the messy shop for five minutes or more. Not too soon after his wife came in and told me that I could not go anywhere until they found the book (ahh creepy). Five or so minutes later, after waiting to be polite, I told them thanks for looking and slipped out. Most awkward ten minutes of my life.
A doggie in a stroller? Enough said.
Don’t mind the messy hair, please!
Breakfast=strawberry empanada from a local bakery that was selling at the farmer’s market.
I went home with an iced coffee, cinnamon bread, and a yummy empanada in my tummy. I had a lot of fun looking around at the market, and can’t wait to check out the Grand Junction farmer’s market in a few weeks! It’s my favorite!
Do you go to farmer’s markets? If so, do you go just to look, or do you pick up things while you’re there?
Sometimes I can’t get over how beautiful, and different it is here compared to Phoenix. I truly believe that nature is good for the soul, and lately I’ve been trying to take in as much soul soothing moments as I can.
I’ve also been spending a lot of time re-discovering old favorite albums. In high school I was obsessed with Brand New, Copeland, The Format, Ben Kweller, Stars, etc. just to name a few. Lately I’ve been loving my Stars and The Format music catalogues. Interventions and Lullabies and Set Yourself on Fire were two of my very favorite albums back then (and still are today). Sometimes it’s nice to listen that music and re-visit old memories and times in my life. It’s truly crazy to think that I graduated high school over five years ago. Time sure has zoomed by.
In addition to loving up on some of my old favorite albums, I have also been in search of some new, pretty music. Recently I added the new Death Cab and The Strokes albums to my collection (I bought the Death Cab album on vinyl and cd!), and have been in search of the new Eisley, and also a Jack Johnson album my cousin told me I just had to have. I know I could buy all of these in iTunes, but I really love going into a record store and purchasing my music there. Record shops are an experience in themselves, and I just love supporting local shops.
What music have you been into lately? What were some of your favorite albums in high school? And what about today?
Being away from the big city can be hard on this girl, so I’m very thankful that I often get to visit Grand Junction where I can feel somewhat normal in their downtown area (similar to downtown Mesa, and slightly like downtown Phoenix). I just love walking around, taking in the sights, picking up a coffee and a snack and people watching as I stroll by.
On another note, while looking at that top photo for a minute I realized that my legs look much longer than they actually are. When I met Danielle and Vanessa back in March they both told me that they thought I would be taller. However, I am in fact 5 foot 4 1/2 inches and my torso is much longer than my legs. My family on my mom’s side are all very short, and my family on my dad’s side are average height/tall. I consider myself to be somewhere in the middle.
The wind was something fierce this day in downtown. I wore my favorite To Write Love On Her Arms shirt while out on a iced coffee/afternoon walk. Back in February I wrote a blog post about how TWLOHA is very near, and dear to my heart. If you haven’t check it out yet, or are interested in learning about TWLOHA, I highly suggest checking it out. You can read it right here.
Today I’m hoping to go on a little adventure, read more of “One Day” (my current book of choice), write a few letters, and maybe watch a movie (I’m thinking Garden State or 500 Days of Summer).
What are you up to today? Do you prefer living in a small or big town?
“I’m just a penny on the train track waiting for my judgement day.” Has anyone ever heard that Ben Kweller song? The whole time I was taking these photos I kept singing it to myself. Mr. Kweller is actually one of my favorite musicians, and I adore everything he has done. The self-titled album that penny on the train track was included on came out during the fall of 2006, right around when Scott and I started dating. I was obsessed with the album around that time, mostly with the track titled Thirteen, so today the album still holds special memories of a wonderful, exciting time.
Ever year when I come to Colorado I’m always surprise how many trains I see going by every day. At home I’m so used to the nearby train tracks that I hardly hear them anymore, and only really notice them when they stop the traffic that I’m in. I do enjoy seeing them more often though. I’ve seen a lot of passenger trains lately, and every time I wonder where they came from and where they are going. I’ll probably never know, but that’s the beauty of it.
Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day exploring Glenwood Springs. The town itself is beautiful, and full of charm. I enjoyed a yummy iced coffee (free refills!!), browsed a few boutiques, and snapped away on my camera. Promise to share some photos of this pretty town soon!
On another note, although I am a true jeans lover at heart, I have seen my every day wardrobe definitely make a swing into the skirt and dress pool. I would be lying if I said I disliked that fact, because I’m really enjoying feeling more girly on an every day occasion. Plus, it’s summer and I’ve heard summer is for bare legs, dresses, and sandals. I usually seem to have a hard time taking this into account though, because no matter what I’m a fall girl at heart.
What are you up to today? Do you every listen to Ben Kweller?
Today we have a lovely interview with Vanessa of The Velvet Bird. Vanessa lives in rural Georgia with her husband and two goats, and spends a good portion of the year touring around the country with her husband’s band. She sews the prettiest dresses, and reconstructs vintage pieces to fit her own style. She also has a love for cooking, and has a soft spot for good coffee (a girl after my own heart).
Meet Vanessa:
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
-Hmm…where to start… Well my name is Vanessa and I run my little corner of the internet called The Velvet Bird, which consists of a blog and Etsy shop. I got married and moved all the way from Washington state to Georgia a few years ago, which was quite the change. My husband is in a full time-usually-touring-band so that always keeps us on our toes. I am animal OBSESSED and have two tiny goats, so more of my day than I’d like to admit is spent talking/singing to goats. I have maybe also started to get animal tattoos, like a raccoon in a suit. I dabble in different crafty things, I take pictures (more recently wedding & engagement ones), sell some vintage, and most recently started selling handmade dresses. Needless to say, life is amazing and I love it. And needless to say, our heavily tattooed, goat talking, band playing, dress sewing selves stand out in rural Georgia sometimes. So life is never dull!
2. What got you interested in blogging, and how long have you been blogging for?
-Somehow I got into reading blogs, mostly of the fashion/vintage variety and one day thought…hey I could do that! I was also newly living in the woods in Georgia (still do actually) and didn’t know very many people or have much to do, so starting a blog sounded like it would at the very least give me something to work on. Surprisingly enough I start my blog almost two whole years ago, but I’ve gone through phases where I will hardly spend any time on it at all, whoopsies. But I enjoy it a whole lot and so far haven’t come across any negativity in the blog world at all (really, not at all!!) and have met so many amazing friends… I love it!!
3. Can you tell us about your style?
-(just so you all know I start every answer with hmmmmm…)
Funny enough, I have never felt stylish before! In fact, a few years ago I was mostly wearing jeans/tshirts, and my most risque stylish outfits involved leggings, some sort of top to cover my booty, and boots. I maaaaybe went through a short blue hair/novelty-random preschool tshirt/plaid pants phase in junior high. I have, however, always been into thrifting! That combined with getting into the vintage inspired fashion blogs led me to find my own personal style. I’ve learned that I feel the most myself in 60’s-esque dresses possibly more suited for five year old girls, always with tights, and oxfords or some old timey feeling t strap heels. I am also so short that I still haven’t gotten over the idea that I need dresses to be short (with tights of course!), I feel funny in longer skirts and dresses. I’ve recently come across the discussion of dressing age appropriate, but honestly I’m almost 26 and I dress like a five year old girl quite proudly, and probably always will!
4. I know you travel around with your husband and his band occasionally. How do you think touring around the country has affected your blog?
-One of the major ways it has affected my blog is I have gotten to meet so many out of this world amazing girls in the blogging community. I love it!! Some are instantly like old friends, swinging by last minute to pick me up from whatever stinky venue and whisking me away to coffee/food/dessert/thrifting/who knows what else, and its awesome and I will be forever grateful for that aspect of touring. Honestly, touring can be extremely difficult at times. You are tired, in a van for insane amounts of time, hungry, no time for exercising. We aren’t flying around or in glamorous tour buses! Sometimes you find yourself cranky and eating old granola bars found under your seat. So I always go into tour with grand blog plans and sometimes (okay, a lot of times) fall short…but tomorrow is always a new day!
5. What are your favorite trends for summer?
-Pretty dresses! That sounds like such a wussy answer, ha ha. But when its so hot outside you can’t really layer/accessorize, so if you have a cute/fun dress you don’t really need to add anything. Spend five minutes in the south in the summer and you will understand… just the idea of having to put on underwear sounds like too much to bear!
6. When you’re not busy blogging, what can you be found doing?
-Well, as I previously mentioned, a lot of talking to the goats happens on a daily basis. I love cooking and baking! So I try and work on that as much as I can. My husband and I spend a really big chunk of our free time watching tv show box sets (which we get from the library, I know those ladies think I’m sort of dummy only ever checking out tv shows and hardly ever real books {I already have real books at home!}). We are finishing up Ally Mcbeal right now, it’s awesome! And of course the obvious blog related things, like thrifting, sewing, etc. Oh! And we have just starting going to the gym… I am in love with group workout classes, which is out of character for me.
7. With regards to fashion, what do you draw inspiration from?
-Of course blogs/other internet sources…there are just too many amazing girls out there! I really love watching old movies and tv shows, whether they are actually old or just set in different decades. And books, even ones you wouldn’t think of as being fashionable…like as silly as the Chronicles of Narnia, I just like to think what I’d like to wear if I were running around with talking animals in the woods.
8. If you had to pick one outfit to wear the rest of your life, what would it look like?
-Some sort of short, solid colored, loose fitting empire waist /or babydoll style dress with tights and oxfords, oh and of course throw in some red lipstick please.
9. I’ve noticed that you love to re-work clothes and make them more fitting to your size and style. What do you like most about doing this, and how do you find all your amazing vintage scores?
-I love most the idea of having something to wear that is uniquely yours and recycled, you can’t beat that combination. I also really wish I had some great and wise tips for finding vintage things. It really all comes down to not giving up! I will go to the same thrift store all the time and never find anything good, but then one day some treasure will be hiding in the racks. So don’t get discouraged when you are striking out over and over, just keep looking!
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring fashion bloggers? What about for someone interested in learning how to sew/re-work vintage clothing, but feels a bit overwhelmed at the thought of it?
-Start a blog and just go for it!! Don’t worry about any rules or do’s and dont’s ….because really there are none (well, besides being nice and encouraging…that should be the number one rule!). Just be yourself and write about things you love. As far as sewing and reworking vintage… just go for it again! Don’t be afraid to just go into a project blindly even. Now, if you find some absolutely amazing, one of a kind piece you probably shouldn’t just start cutting it up. But if you find a dress with a pattern/any kind of detail you like for $2….go for it! I learn the best through trial and error. You could even start simple, like changing buttons or cutting off a dress to be a top.
Thank you SO much Vanessa for doing this interview with me! Be sure and check out Vanessa’s blog for cute photos of her sewing projects, goats, and DIY’s.
