Adult Puppet Cabaret. Who knew?

Remember my PUPPET PARTY  when I found the puppet museum in the random town of Bad Krueznach in Germany? In an odd coincidence, Mr. C and I saw a flyer for an 'Adult Puppet Cabaret' in San Diego. 


I know what you're thinking. We're in San Diego and we're going to a puppet show? 


THE RATIONALIZATION: 
We like cabaret and also enjoy the Muppets - so this show sounded like a good time waiting to happen. 


So how was it you ask? Incredibly fun and NOT AT ALL what we were expecting. The puppets were a bit creepy, and the themes of the skits ranged from inspiring to sexy and sadistic. 

The odd but super fun night through a crap load of pictures:

We arrived & were shocked to see the line wrapped around the building. I guess we're not the only ones intriqued by this event. Or.....  is this a common event for larger cities and we've simply been out of the loop?

 

Through the window I started to see some interesting outfits. This was an artistic crowd, and the people watching was great! Suck I have on sandals and a giant sweater (we were freezing in San Diego).

Gingham prairie dress with a fur tail. Odd, come to find out she is one of the artists with 'Animal Cracker Conspiracy' and the tail is similar to an employee name tag. 

Leopard clothing bomb. The rule of one leopard item did not apply here. Shoes, hat, purse, top, skirt, jewelry...

Plenty of hats, solid black clothing and dreadlocks. I think I smell pot......

The camera guy who was actually filming as he walked and showed you the footage on the laptop as he was swinging around. 

Creepy scary puppets. One of many sets.

We sat on the floor like children and watched as different artists entertained us with their  props & stories.  

Alcohol in the form of locally brewed beers and wine was a big part of the evening and breaks were given every 30 minutes for those who needed a refill.  Everyone was really stoned, friendly and I realized that art venues are a PERFECT EXCUSE to wear unique and fun outfits. 

Art exhibits have traditionally not been very exciting to me, but now I have a new appreciation for the gatherings. We had so much fun at the adult puppet cabaret and will be scouting out new and interesting events at home. 

xoxo

Michelle

German Friends in Cali!

I returned late last night from San Diego  - and guess what? This trip turned out to be an unexpected reunion with several of my Air Force friends from Germany. Beaten Betty was there - and so was about 10 others. I couldn't get over that I was able to share a beer with friends in California that I lived & worked with in Germany. Small world, right? 


My scheduled posts didn't work out as planned because I ran out of time and never actually wrote them....

The recycled fashion segment will be coming up this week.  Remember in January when blog-reader Ms. Renie sent in photos of her thrift store finds and was seeking style advice from my readers? Great news - she sent me updated photos based on your input, and the changes are impressive. 

While in San Diego - I thought it would be fun to do something 'different'. Details of our crazy adventure coming up. The photo below is a HINT of what the night entailed. Yes - those are adults sitting on the floor as if they were in kindergarten. Any guesses????

xoxo,
Michelle

The Latest: San Diego, eBay, H&M

Do you remember last weeks posting when I was asking how to wear my vintage slips without actually wearing the slip as a dress? Lucky me - I discovered that H&M has gorgeous wrap dresses that are the perfect length to layer with the slips. The lace peeks through at the neckline, and you see just a 'smidge' of the lace underneath. This look is pretty, feminine and oh so sexy. Not to mention you can just throw it on and update your accessories for a variety of looks.The H&M dress is a bargain at $17.95 and available in a myriad of colors. Sorry - no online sales available. 

In case you're curious - my store on eBay is doing quite well. I'm still amazed at the items that sell and where I ship them too. This haul includes packages destined for Iceland, Singapore, Russia, Canada and Africa. Even though I've been gone for a week with military training- today's mail run is 14 packages! Not too shabby, right? Customers have been very considerate with the delayed shipping - and some even send well-wishes to show their support. 

Exciting news! Mr. C and I are bound for sunny San Diego for all expense paid trip with the Yellow Ribbon Program - courtesy of the US Government. This trip is for all military members that deploy in support of the war. Incredible, right? We were originally going to go to Santa Fe, New Mexico in January - but the timing was poor and we opted for San Diego instead.  


I have fresh posts lined up while we're traveling - tomorrow's feature is RECYCLED FASHION!
xoxo,
Michelle

Birthday Wishes

I used to be so much better at taking photos during nights out. Not that they were the best pictures - but there was photographic proof of your fun night. My camera decided to be blurry on Saturday night - so you'll be spared on my typical photo bombed postings. Plus  there are no photos because I looked exhausted with bags under my eyes and bug bites from my sick bug-infested dorm room. 

Mr. C went ALL OUT and ordered me a burlesque themed birthday cake (white with raspberry filling), and reserved a table for me any our dearest friends at a new Italian restaurant downtown. He set a VINTAGE THEME - so it was great to see my girlfriends decked out in 50's and 60's dresses. 


Afterwards we went to a fun retro themed cocktail lounge where we sipped on old style martinis and wrapped up the night with laughter and giggling over the website 'Damn You Auto Correct'. Have you seen this website? It features copies of text messages where auto-correct has changed the meaning of the intended message. The best are between kids and their parents. It is pure comic relief!


Speaking of comic relief - look at this funny birthday card I got from my friends Eric and John:

Hysterical right? Thanks to Mr. C and all of my friends for such an amazing birthday. I guess 41 isn't so bad after all. 


xoxo
Michelle

Your Valentines was Better Than Mine.

Pre facial bug bites & horrible sodium bloat.

Valentines - schmalentines.

2 years in a row I have been working out of town during my favorite week: Valentines & my birthday. The two days of the year that are supposed to be romantic and 'all-about-me' have somehow been replaced with an uncomfortable uniform, suffocating gas mask and exhausting 14 hour work shifts. Yay.........

But not that I'm complaining. I love the Reserves - it's just the timing of these events usually BLOWS.

Mr. C surprised me this morning with a urgent packaged delivered to my dorm room full of Rocky Mountain chocolates, a Nordstrom bag FULL (yes -full!) of MAC makeup, cinnamon jelly beans and the most romantic card ever. Awwwww - so sweet. 

However....between you and me I'm glad Mr. C can't see me right now. Why you ask? Because stupid BUGS have been biting me on my face while I sleep, and I have giant red scaly spots on my face. BONUS: I am puffy thanks to an exclusive diet of MRE's (meals ready to eat. Read: high sodium & fat). As you can imagine - I feel (and look) GUH-ROSS.

I'm hoping to bounce back to normal by Saturday so I can look great for my surprise-location birthday dinner. So excited - but will condsider canceling if I look like I have a case of the 'fat-face-chicken-pox'!

Two more days.........two more days.....

xoxo

Michelle

Vintage Sips - inspiration for Valentines & Spring 2012

I collect vintage slips like these and have been wearing them in the warmer months as nightgowns. Since the weather has been so cold, I've found myself drawn to them and am wondering how I could fit them into my daytime wardrobe.

The challenge is they tend to be a bit long for our modern styles, and too much slip showing at the bottom of your dress/skirt looks odd.
They look too much like a slip to be worn as a dress, so I'm a bit stuck on how to style these without have to get them hemmed. ANY IDEAS???

More popular in past decades, the slip was functional as it kept your look modest  - but it was also an important undergarment to keep bumps smooth and your dresses cleaner. 

For this Valentines day - why not slip on a slinky slip (sounds like a catch phrase) and give your boudoir routine a theme? You can usually pick up lacy full and fitted styles fro around $8. A total bargain.......Here are some more inspirational pieces:

See how long they run? I would love to hear any styling ideas....

xoxo
Michelle

The Short Platinum Hair Cycle - save me from myself.

Short platinum hair... I even bore myself talking about this topic since it seems to be a NEVER ending complaint. Here's my process: 

• Bleach
• Tone
• Cut
• Deep condition (constantly)
• Enjoy PERFECT hair for 1 week
• Literally overnight it becomes too long and dark roots appear
• Pay $150 at the 4 week mark (yes - I know, uber expensive).
• REPEAT.

Seriously...when does it end? 

Out of curiosity - how much do you spend on vanity expenses? Between the nails, cosmetics, treatments, hair and whatever - being a woman is EXPENSIVE.

Instead of being platinum - I'm going for a more 'California' gold tone. Unfortunately my hair is so trashed stripped from bleach it will take a few attempts to get it to hold. 



Original hair inspiration - Sarah Harding/UK



At my brightest lightest in Germany. Touch of brassy yellow added thanks to a bad colorist and old rusty pipes.

The goal hair color - and the style is gorgeous too, but I don't know if I'm patient enough to grow it out. Hmmm, it is pretty cute though - what do you think? I be I could  have something close to this look by Fall. Cut or grow???

 xoxo
Michelle

Ma'am? Excuse you....I'm a Ms.

No uniform? Call me MISS

When not in uniform -nothing makes me cringe more than when I'm called MA'AM. I realize it is a term of respect - but it is also an age-related term. Tonight I enjoyed a solo meal of Thai food, only to be called Ma'am during every check-in. "Ok Ma'am, how's your meal ma'am, more water ma'am? Geez..give a girl a break.

So I have to ask, what happened to Miss? It's almost as if overnight I went from Ms./Sweetie/Hun/Dear to the dreaded 'Ma'am'. Bleh - where did my youth go?

UPDATE: I'm in Tacoma for a week +++ to do extensive military training. YAY and BOO all at the same time. Once again, I"m out of town for both Valentines day AND my birthday. Figures...but the good news is I'll be celebrating the day I get back home with dear-dear friends at some MYSTERY place (excitement thanks to Mr. C!).

Now that I'm away from home for awhile, I'm forced to blog about random things. There is something about being home that makes blogging......well, kind of boring. Does anyone really want to hear about my day-to-day crap? NO? I didn't think so. Once you slip out of town you're attention refocuses to odd and random things that otherwise go unnoticed, which always makes for great blogging material.

Guess where I went as soon as I got into town? If you guessed H&M, you are soooo right. Peeking through the men's clothes I was SHOCKED to see red skinny jeans. I remember highlighting those last summer in Europe - and now they are available to the mass public in America for Spring. Kind of odd to see, since it's hard to picture American men shoving their bloated beer-bellies in skinny tight red jeans.

Red jeans for men! Bright blue too = these would look great rolled up at the ankle.

There were also nautical themed shirts to pair with them which made me feel validated as it fit right into my self-proclaimed PREPPY YACHT themed Spring.



I'm so excited to see if American men really wear this stuff. There might be hope after all.......

xoxo
Michelle

HOME PROJECTS - Bar Facelift

HISTORY LESSON:

 

Where I lived in Iraq. 



I bought my home 6 years ago when I returned from my deployment to Iraq.

That experience left me feeling extremely claustrophobic - so I purchased the largest home I could afford.

What did I end up buying? A 1946 brick rancher -with 7 bedrooms and a smattering of closets, an entertainment room, green house, detached garaged, and giant yard (I detest yard work btw...). I know...that is a TON of space. Now can you see why the dorm room in Germany seemed to teeny-tiny?

Like vintage clothes, I love a home with a history. The house had great 'bones' - but the interior decor was a BAD MIX of 50's/70's and 80's. Over the last few years  I have done a complete gut-and-redo - so it only seems right that I'm ready to redo everything all over again.  Let's take a gander at my recent update:

This space was originally a dining room wall (older homes tend to have a ton of small rooms). I knocked the wall down 1/2 way and built a breakfast bar out of cedar planks.

See the beige wall under the bar? The light color has always bugged me - so I taped it off with blue painters tape and painted it a reddish/brown shade to blend in with the wood.



Remember when I bought these old cabinet doors a couple of months ago with my niece? I didn't know what to do with them at the time - but I finally thought of a brilliant idea.



I removed the hardware, filled in the holes and sanded down the finish. Applied my favorite stain to match the reset of the wood in the house.

 

I attached the newly stained/lacquered cabinet doors and added Germany flea market find of an old metal barrel-top in the middle for balance.

The cabinet fronts now match the bar wood  and make the area look more German inviting. You had no idea I was so crafty, huh?

   


I think the space looks so much better now. The added benefit is people sitting there won't leave marks on the wall from their shoes. It's amazing what a little bit of paint and creativity can do.

xoxo,
Michelle

60's Nautical - errr..... STEWARDESS. Bonus: annoying friends

My two new fun looks at the moment are WESTERN ROMANTIC (WR) and PREPPY YACHT (PY). You saw my cowboy boots the other day - so lets take a peek at what's happening with 'PY'.

Preppy Yacht is essential a hodgepodge of Navy Blue - Red - White - Stripes and then accented with anything brown. Sort of an odd blend of FRENCH MADAME mixed with SAILOR SALLY.  

TODAY'S OUTFIT CHECKLIST:

Navy blue vintage dress  - check

White accents - check

Brown accents - check

Red something - check

So far so good.....

The dress is actually two separate pieces and both are uber comfortable. A total steal at $1.50.  (yes people - $1.50!) I had the skirt hemmed above my knee - so the total cost was $12. Pretty good for an indestructible fabric and a forgiving cut.

MORE VIEWS.....

 

Convenient 2 pieces so I can mix and match. The back-zip top will look great with white or red skinny's in the spring - and the navy skirt will go with everything.

    

I added a belt - but decided it didn't do much for the outfit. Actually I thought it made the outfit look too 'costumey'. I chose to IGNORE the giant belt loops around my waist. Maybe people will think they are decorative pieces.  

I ran errands downtown and received a TON of compliments from the sales girls and also from random strangers. It's funny how women will go nuts over vintage pieces. I think unique pieces like this catch people off guard - especially in my little conservative city.

ANNOYING DIALOGUE:

At the end of the day I stopped by my girlfriend's clothing shop, and as soon as she sees me she says, "HA - YOU LOOK LIKE A STEWARDESS. YOU'RE SO FUNNY!"

Ugh. You're supposed to say, 'wow, I love your outfit' OK......I know it's kind of stewardess-y outfit- but no one wants to hear they look like they're wearing a costume.

I played along (of course), but at that moment I wished I was Helga . She would have busted-out some clever stewardess routine and left everyone in the room wanting to look like a stewardess too. 

Good thing I didnt' have the belt on  too- it would have been MAYHEM trying to shop with all of the soda and peanut requests.

xoxo

Michelle

Green Thumb Winter Goddess - DIY

January and February in Washington is such a drab and gray time. Talk about depressing! To brighten up the house I've been on a plant and moss kick. I can usually handle 1 or 2 plants without killing them, so my new style of plants is perfect. Have you ever worked with sheet moss before? It's dried, and you can buy it at any craft store (IE; Michael's, Jo-Ann's Fabrics) for about $7 a bag. 


Succulent plants topped with dried sheet moss and river rocks in a terra cotta pot. I found out the hard way that dried moss STINKS when you first get it wet. It's fun though to watch it perk up instantly and turn bright green.  

 

Mr. C & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary, so he surprised me with the twiggy plant/orchid in water and river rocks. Besides bamboo, I've never had a plant that survived without dirt. I'll keep you posted on how long this plant lives.  




Another plant I have I topped with more DRIED MOSS and RIVER ROCKS. Catching the theme? Rocks and moss will  make any plant look better.




Shrubbery poked into green foam and then covered the foam with banana leaves. Instant bright green - and very long lasting with water added daily. I've had this arrangement for a month now and it's still doing great. You could do the same thing with any shrubbery or greenery.




Instant Terranium! Vintage fish bowl with 2 small plants and more MOSS and RIVER ROCKS. 




Here's a closer shot. Including the bowl - this cost a mere $8 to assemble. I saw a flower store downtown selling something similar (not nearly as cool) - for $79!!!  So how much moss will you need? One bag of moss has been enough for all of the above plants. 

These plant ideas make great gifts - and can add a touch of green to any room with minimal effort (and cost!).  

xoxo
Michelle