Friday Favorites - Trip Shopping Addition

This may sound kind of dorky but I've already started a list of things I want to buy WHILE on my trip. I LOVE souvenirs and some of the items I got when I lived Europe in 2004 are still some of my favorite possessions.  I will be traveling with only a backpack again but I'm hoping to be a lot more savy this time around with what I buy.  Here are some things I've thought of so far. I'd love to know if you have any ideas too!

Wish 1: A beret from Paris. I've always wanted one but have yet to buy one. Since it's an item I already want and it's so typically French, it would be fun to get it there! I love how Carrie wears hers so if it doesn't look super lame on me, I'm going to pick one up in either navy or black!

Wish 2: Small items that remind of each place I've been. I have this "shelf" on my wall that was a Coke crate in it's previous life. Since it used to hold bottles, the holes are quite small.  I would love to fill this with the tiny items I bring home from this trip. The only things I can think of so far are stereotypical souvenirs but I'm keeping my eye for things that strike my fancy!

 

Wish 3: Street/Vintage Art: I love going to markets and street vendors and checking out their wares. One of my favorite items that I bought in Europe last time was a painting of a bull fighter that I gave my parents as a gift. I feel like street art or vintage posters would be a lightweight but lovely thing to have in my home!

Wish 4: Small gifts for loved ones at home. My parents will be watching Ace the entire time I'm gone so I'm going to be bringing home something great for them. I'm thinking some wine since we are planning to bike around some vineyards in Tuscany. My niece is turning 1 a couple weeks after I get back so I'm going to be on the lookout for something adorable to give her.

Wish 5: One super cool clothing item that I couldn't get at home. I'm thinking either a vintage dress/top or something from a store that we don't have in Minneapolis.  I would love to have something that I could wear that would remind me of my trip. Not sure what I will end up getting but I can't wait to start looking :)


Anyone have any ideas of things that I should be on the lookout for? I'd love to hear what you think! Your packing tips gave me some really good ideas.

Creating a Quilt

Hey all, I need some help!  I'm creating a (secret) quilt for my cousin and her little girl that's due in June. I went to my favorite fabric store last night and now I'm having a hard time deciding what to get! My plan is to make a pinwheel style quilt sort of like these.  So I'll need a couple of different fabrics.

   

For the color scheme, I'm going based on the picture of the rug in the baby's room that she sent me. Also she said they were going with golden yellow and a range of blues.

I need help narrowing it down! I like the one on the right above the best but I'll obviously make it smaller :) After the research into pinwheel quilts for this post (haha) I decided I want to do one light fabric and about 4 or 5 other fabrics in darker shades.  Should I do the yellow as the light color and do blues for the "darker" blocks? Or should I do a cream for the light color and vary the blues and yellows for the blocks? I took pictures at my favorite fabric store of a couple of fabrics that caught my eye. Let me know what you think! I need help!

  

  

If do the yellow as the lighter part of the block, I could go darker on the blues but would probably not do the yellow... so many choices!!

Trip Wishlist

Another Friday, another list of favorite things. However, these are things I'm thinking about getting for my trip! It is only a month and a half away so it's about time to start thinking of things to get before I go.  I have my practical things already like a backpack, money belt and a couple of other essentials. Now, I just need those additional fun extras!

Wish 1: A camera bag that doesn't look like a camera bag. I feel like you are a bigger target for thieves if you have a bag that screams there is an expensive camera in it. This one from Jo Totes would be perfect!

Wish 2: A practical yet stylish wardrobe. The pictures I take on my trip are going to be around for a long time and I don't want to look like a bum in all of them!

Sartoriography wrote 2 really great posts here and here about how to pack for travel. I'm definitely going to be looking in my own wardrobe for pieces like these. Who am I kidding, I'll probably go out and buy some new stuff that is much easier to mix and match than what I currently have. I don't want to buy too much though because I want to have room to purchase cool European fashion items :)

Wish 3: A great coat. I'm thinking of a nice trench coat in a khaki color. It will go with everything and if the weather gets cool or it rains, it will be great to have a lightweight coat. (this one is Burberry which I could never afford but I love the color and that it's double breasted. Inspiration!)

Wish 4: Some great accessories like scarves. These will be small enough to roll up in my backpack but will change up some of my basic pieces every day. I have a couple that I'll bring and maybe I'll pick up one or 2 over there :) (These are both from Forever 21). 

This is what I have so far. Anyone been on a long trip and have any suggestions of things you found useful?

Third Thursday Fashion

I totally forgot to tell you all about this great event I went to the other week. Every month the Minneapolis Institute of Arts has an event at night with a different theme called Third Thursday.  I went to a Shakesperan themed event a couple months ago that was amazing and this night was no different.  It was MN fashion week so the Third Thursday events had a fashion theme.  There was a photo booth with vintage accessories hosted by the lovely Megan and Nora of Two Birds, a band, and a fashion show! The fashion show was fantastic and featured looks styled by our local vintage and consignment stores: Mighty Swell Vintage, Blacklist Vintage, Scout Vintage, Via’s Vintage, b.resale, Rewind, Lost & Found, Buffalo Exchange, Tatters Vintage Clothing, Everyday People Clothing, B-Squad Vintage, Nu Look Consignment, and Second Debut.  I didn't get too many pictures of the fashion show itself so I took a couple from the Citypages coverage (See all of their photos here) and a couple of from the MIA Flickr page here.

  

  

My favorite looks of the night! Ali was even a model in the show!

Our fun times at the photo booth!

I met up with my friend Kate, Lori and Cambria and had a great time hanging out with them. It was my first time meeting Cambria in real life and I can't wait to hang out again! There were so many great outfits, it made me wish I had dressed up more! I also wished I had brought my blog cards because I was itching to take some photos of all the great fashion. I always feel even more awkward asking people when I don't have my cards.  I did manage to take a couple so I included them below.

The owner of Blacklist Vintage in a FAB outfit

One of the models wearing a look from Via's Vintage

Cambria with a dashing older couple

A purse that Lori loved

I hope I get to attend more fashion events like this in the future. It is so fun to see local fashion and meet others that enjoy it too. If you are interested in more information about Third Thursday or the MIA, check out their website here. Happy Thursday!

Spooky Woods

I have a couple of other photos from the shoot Liz and I did a couple weeks ago.  I wanted these to be a separate post because they have a sort of theme. The idea was that the woods were haunted and she was hiding and running from something she couldn't see. I only had a couple that I really liked from this part but I thought I would share them with you all. Let me know what you think!

Winter Photoshoot

A couple weeks ago, I asked my friend Liz to do a photoshoot in the snow. I had a couple of ideas and she was game to try. It was SO cold and windy this day but we managed to get a couple of good shots. I'm really happy with how they turned out so I thought I would share my favorites.

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Not Quite a Giveaway but Close

Hey all! I was recently contacted by Eshakti about offering an exciting discount for all of you!  I am working on a product review (stupid snow is putting a damper on my plans) but I thought I would give you the coupon code ahead of time! Use the code BBESNTHRFT to get 20 % off any item in the store until 3/20.  Below are a couple of my favorites!

 

Radio Silence

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I started a part time job to help me pay off some bills and get some money together for Europe. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. I leave my full time job at 4, drive the 30 mins home, change, take Ace out and then I need to leave to go to my second job. I'm working at least 3 days a week there so it hasn't left much time for blogging. I'm copying getting inspiration from Two Birds and putting together a little Friday Favorites for you all. I love finding new items and shops through the links that they post and I know a lot of other bloggers do this too. Hopefully, I can keep this up! Click the images for links!

Such great stuff! Makes me think I need to stay away from Etsy until I get back from my trip!