New in the shop.

these bits are new in the shop this week. 

thanks for looking, 

m

Nude and Black

i wore this out for a lovely night of eating sushi and shopping at Donna's Dress Shop. i made a couple of pretty incredible purchases which i will share later this week. i unearthed this blouse from a tub in my studio. its really interesting when i put something away to sell and then when i find it again, my tastes have changed and i have to keep it. the lace work is really stunning. 

blouse: vintage

skirt: thrifted

belt: from sassy sister vintage

platforms: target

bag: librislunaria 

thanks for reading,
m

snap shot

a snap shot in my studio.

I Heart Silent Sundays

there is a new place to shop online, ladies. And i, for one, am very excited about it.

I have always loved the blog Liebmarlene Vintage so when i discovered here that  Rhiannon and her business partner and friend Jamie Hopper began their very own online shop, I was ecstatic.

Its no surprise that the mood and styling of their lookbook is perfectly dreamy.

Silent Sundays is a mix of both designer pieces and hand selected vintage finds.

thanks for reading, 

m

how i learned exercise is unlame. part 2

lauren, of deargolden, asked how this "slim in 6" thing is different from other plans.
honestly, i don't know if it is super different. but this is why i like it:

-becuase the cover of the dvd has amazing graphics! hahahhhahhaah er..um. ahem.

-it combines several different things: aerobics, weight training, a bit of pilates and some yoga-stretching. but i like it because i am really working up a sweat!

-it is in several different segments and there is a clock counting these down. this helps me a lot, especially on the ab part, because i look and think, "ok! only one minute and 40 seconds left, i can do this!"

-debbie, the instructor, is not super annoying. and gives good reminders like, breathe like this, and bend your knees and keep your abs in to protect your back (these are things i always forget)

-i like that all of the moves are not super difficult in themselves, but they all combine to make a good workout. so even when you start the video, you don't feel like, "ugh i can't even do this move!"

-i like that its for slimming and toning, instead of trying to turn you into a beast. i don't want to get huge muscles or be insanely sculpted. i just want to have a slimmed, toned, yet womanly body. i feel like this is what the video is aiming for.

-you don't need a lot of weird "gear" just a workout cord/band and a mat. (these are usually inexpensive and easy to find at tj maxx or marshalls

-i also like it because i had a friend show it to me, so i feel like she's there doing it with me, even when she's not (total emotional reason).

if you look it up on beachbody.com, it totally looks like a "plan" but i'm just not doing it exactly like that. i just bought the used dvd off of amazon, and my cord from tj maxx (but if you have weights you can also use those). and i'm not following their nutritional book, i'm following my own nutrional plan. so that helps me feel like i have freedom and i'm not being institutionalized by this video.

commercial over. i promise i am not being reimbursed by them :)

i'm sure slim in 6 is not magical in itself, its just what i found that is working for my personality :)

thanks for asking, lauren.
i almost answered in an email but then i thought someone else might be wondering as well.

thanks for reading,
m

How i learned exercise can be unlame.

i have always hated exercise for the sake of exercise.
i grew up on an acreage where our family heated with two wood stoves. i was constantly hauling firewood, cutting firewood, mowing (with a non-propelled push mower), and doing other odd active jobs. i LOVEd that kind of exercise because it had a purpose.
i don't have as many outlets for purposeful-getting-things-done exercise here. i do bits of yard work but we don't have a huge yard. kansas city is quite spread out so I can't walk to do my errands very well.

sometime after i started adelaide's, i got to a place where i HATED my body. i was mostly in front of  a computer all day, and i also thought it was appropriate to eat a butterfinger every time i went to walgreens to buy shipping envelopes.
I tried a lot of things to try to get back in shape: running, going to the gym (blech) hula hooping, yoga, pilates, i even bought a dancing with the stars video (seriously). But i always felt frustrated when i was working out and all i could think about was stopping, so i usually did.

At the encouragement of my new friend becky, i started this "slim in 6" series. the goal is to do it 6 times a week, but becky told me to start at 4 to five times a week.
at day 3, i called steve and said,
"i think i must have the flu, i feel awful, every muscle in my body hurts, even muscles i didn't know i had. i can't move."
he said, "no love, i think you've just learned how to exercise."
he talked about training for football in high school. how the first week of practice, you really thought you might die. that you could barely walk to class the next day.
i had never in my LIFE pushed my body like this. but i've kept going and i've gotten better at it.
after the flu day, i came to really like this video. and i'm REALLY doing it. hard core. like an hour a day almost every day. if you knew me in real life, you would say "WHAT????!, NO WAY!, you maria?" yes way, dudes. i'm exercising.

i do NOT say all this to brag. at all.  on the contrary, i want to say that if you hate exercise too, i promise it can change for you and you can find something you like. if i can do it, i KNOW you can. and then you'll feel like you can conquer the world.

my dad died from heart problems (let me clarify that he had a heart disease, not a weak heart from lack of exercise). but here i have been making my heart weak, just from sheer laziness. EVERY year when i get my check up at the doctor it goes like this,
"so, have you been exercising?"
"no, not really"
"maria! you have to exercise, your heart is a muscle, you've got to take care of it."
"i know, i've been trying, but blah blah blah excuse excuse."
 its so important. of all the things we can't control in life, eating healthy and exercise is one thing we CAN control and make time for. and don't worry about the SCALE. my mom was very obsessed with weight and from her i learned that i should focus on a certain number. but i haven't lost any weight since i've started exercising regularly, but my body is still changing in little ways here and there. toning up. and i know i'm eating healthy and exercising, so the scale can go jump off a cliff.

i'm showing these pics from 3 weeks ago, because i took them after a crazy workout where i pushed myself to the max (you know, where your heart is pumping so hard in your ears). then i felt so empowered (i'm telling you these exercise endorphins are pretty rockin!). i slicked back my hair, put my most graphic shirt on and my most bad ass grey suede boots and my most dark skinny jeans and i felt like an 80's rock star for some reaon (which seemed like a good thing on this particular day, though its not a look i often strive for). And i went and scaled the tallest building in Kansas City....or i went out for some really yummy salad with my hubby.
        either way, i. felt. awesome. and not because i thought i looked awesome. i realize my body is still a million miles from being perfectly toned. no, i felt awesome because i was doing good things to take care of this body that God has given me. And that also means that ill be able to play with my future kids without getting tired after five seconds, which is a really lovely thought to me.









will you keep your heart healthy with me? please, its super serious.
thanks for reading,

m

Sarah and Box's Hobo Wedding: The Long Peek

Do you guys remember this dress? it sat around in my shop for what seemed like forever. and i could 

never understand why...But now i know, Sarah's mom was supposed to wear it for this day.

Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen? I cannot express the joy of seeing her in this dress. its perfect on her! i don't get to see my clothes in action in person very often, its such and honor! 

This is what i wore, a dress from thirteeneightyfive  i know its 1930's and not 1920's but i didn't end up finding a 20's one in time.

My handsome hobo with a twist of lumberjack :) 

i love the look between sarah and her mum.

Sarah's Cute family.

The sweetest maid of honor toast.

thanks for reading, 

m