sarah hates pants

blah blah blah, etc.

2011-08-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

ATTENTION:

Please note that below you will find a winding, self-indulgent, photo-less blog-entry. I can only warn you and then perhaps, entice you to know that several more blog-entries are scheduled which are far more pointed, interesting, and photo-centric... while probably not less self-indulgent. Bear with me for I have been reading lots of self-help books and watching many episodes of the worlds most soulful show, the X-Files. Proceed*

See, the thing about it is, I have no idea what's going on.

No, that's not entirely true. I know SOME things that are going on. I know it's apocalyptically hot in Austin, I know I am moving to a new house this very week, I know my daughter is in first grade (that means I can no longer spell out secrets), I know I have the world's kindest (and most patient) husband, and I know... wait, I just blanked. How bizarre is that? My level of certainty in this world today lasted four whole items in a row. It's unsettling if not sinister.

The situation as it stand is that I am in a transitional mode, so to speak, in all areas of my life. I am racing towards that oh-so pivotal 30 years on the planet mark (still waiting on the reason that is such an important number, I hope it involves being inducted into a secret supernatural society! that would be neat.) Whether my age has anything to do with all the other chaos, I know not! But on the same horizon there is a litany of decisions to be made and each one comes with it's own crooked, possibly hand-painted, cryptic crossroads sign. Like you see in old movies or allegorical storybooks... picture the two roads headed east and west respectively, one sign points towards "scary possible land of enchantment" and the other towards "dreamland of perhaps fulfilled desires." It's like choosing between cerulean and sea-foam in a crayon box. The only difference between them is what you feel like after your picture is colored.

The difficulty of decision making only filters down for me, the way my synapses fire (or to put it less kindly, the way I have debilitating anxiety). Thinking about whether or not to have another baby and effectively restart the long-haul to independence (by that I mean having a margarita at 6PM on a weekday cause I can and it's been SIX LONG YEARS) all over again somehow paralyzes my upper brain functions in such a way as to make other decisions (to shave my legs today or not? to buy a breakfast taco or make oatmeal at home?) nearly impossible. I see an infinite stream of possible events spider-veining out from the minutiae of my daily life. What if shaving makes me late and sets off a chain-reaction of hurrying and frazzlement which I will inevitably take out on my family later? What if that breakfast taco means I can't budget in an iced coffee later today? E-gad. The fact that I devote time and energy to WORRYING about such inanities makes me self-hatred spiral right out of decision making mode!!! So there I am thoroughly disgusted with myself, first thing in the morning, and I have neither been able to shower or eat breakfast. Sigh. It's not awesome or super-fun but it's who I am, today. And I am constantly pursuing and working for the skills it takes to overcome that kind of anxiety. Writing about it helps, meditation, pilates, the occasional whiskey drink. My friends. My husbands world-championship hugging skills. My daughters total disregard for whatever may be bothering me because she is 6 and when you're 6 your mom isn't even a person. There is such strange comfort in that! On my worst, most anxiety-filled days I just remind myself that I may have no idea who I am, but I know who Avery's mom is and I have identity eternal through her. See, now, that makes me want to have another baby! Go back to start.

All this pop-psychology is getting a little confusing and I do have a point. Blogging and keeping a personal journal are two steps on my (therapists) list of ways to occupy my brain and creative energy. Streamlined, you know... flowing smoothly and with purpose towards all of those chaos causing choices... The blogging publically is important because I am a "sharer." A person devoid of the ability to keep it in. Never a woman of mystery, my husband knew way too much about me after our first date (not like that, dirty bird), because try as I might (if I ever did try) I want people to know me. I fish for a connection, a flare up inside the eyes, sparks of recognition and relation to rain down on me. I want to know I am seen and felt and so I cast out my nets in the form of personal details, childhood stories, dramas, memories... and I wait for yessss me too moments. Nothing wrong with it, as far as I can tell. I'm not ashamed of those desires, like I have been in the past. I feel best when I put myself out there, whether what I attract back to myself is connection or criticism.

Soooooo after what I believe was subconsciously a "vacation from my life" this summer, in the form of being anywhere but here and doing anything but the things that usually make up my life for 6 weeks, I am back and clinging to the shiny, tiny gem of clarity I achieved. If I continue to work on myself, if I continue to be open, and if I continue to be self-aware, the paths to choose will reveal themselves. And when they don't, I will work harder. What to do about family? What to do about business? What to do about body, faith, money, interior design, breakfast, hair color, etc... Those aren't the questions to be answered because they are all answers themselves, to the question of who I am. It's so cliche, so painfully trite, you'd think I'd be more embarrassed to reveal that I just know figured that out. Funny enough, I am a lot of things but I am not easily embarrassed :)

*feel free to skip reading this because all it really says is that I am going to try blogging again.

old words. new day. no pictures.

2011-04-21T16:43:00.002-05:00

"I love a good hometown song. I love a good hometown. I think everyone should pack their bags and leave though. Separate yourself from what makes you, from your identity. Leave the posters on the walls and your half empty bottles of shampoo in the shower. Disregard your magazine subscriptions and drive east for as many miles as you can in two and a half days. Stop for abandoned industrial complexes and etched marigolds and estate sales. Pull over for graveyards, abandoned cars, and church bake sales. Listen to the local radio, whatever comes in, through the entire desert stretch. flat yellow and subversive. This is not a road trip this is a growing pain. A groan and a baptism, trial by fire, by sun, by dust, by grip and smoke and dehydration. Eat in your car at night. Be invisible for the time being, be the mystery diner in a wasted town. Guess the secrets of patrons and passers by. Imagine them in bed, with their eyes closed and mouths open, gaping and gritting. Don’t keep a journal, it ruins the myth and desecrates the memories. The memories will forever be that cryptic silent laugh the instant before the drag the slant of your eye to the side the shuffling foot, the perfect kink in a steady character."

magical creatures, insidious creatures!

2011-04-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

Sitting outside in a muggy thunderstorm listening to the rain on the porch roof seems like the right time to embrace your inner mystic and believe in those creatures we fear and hunt and desire. Those creatures we don't even know we believe in until we hear something behind us in the dark, hear our name called but not with our ears, feel ourselves pulled in a direction without a path. xo Sarah

The Huldra or Skosgra of Scandinavian Folklore

Giovanny Estrella

Seen from the front she is a stunningly beautiful, naked female being with long hair; from behind she is hollow like an old tree trunk. In Norway she has a cow's tail, and in Sweden she may have that of a cow or a fox. In Norway she has often been described as a typical dairymaid, wearing the clothes of a regular farm-girl, although somewhat more dazzling than most girls.

allison scarpulla

tamara lichtenstein

The huldra lures men into the forest to have sex with her, rewarding those who satisfy her and often killing those who don't. She often steals human infants and replaces them with her own ugly huldrebarn (changeling Huldre children). She has long been associated with hunting; she might blow down the barrel of a huntsman's rifle, causing it never thereafter to miss a shot. Some are not so lucky, or perhaps skilled, and escape her only after surrendering their sanity.

allison scarpulla

Huldra would also sometimes try to marry human men, keeping their identity secret until marriage; only that blessing could rid them of their tails. If mistreated, a huldra would visit terrible vengeance upon her husband.

sophie o'neill

A boy in Tiveden went fishing, but he had no luck. Then he met a beautiful lady, and she was so stunning that he felt he had to catch his breath. But, then he realized who she was, because he could see a fox's tail sticking out below the skirt. As he knew that it was forbidden to comment on the tail to the lady of the forest, if it was not done in the most polite manner, he bowed deeply and said with his softest voice: Milady, I see that your petticoat shows below your skirt. The lady thanked him gracefully and hid her tail under her skirt, telling the boy to fish on the other side of the lake. That day, the boy had great luck with his fishing and he caught a fish every time he threw out the line. This was the Huldra's recognition of his politeness. (text source)

alison scarpulla

Karin Dreijer Andersson

sxsw was all about MFV. no, really.

2011-03-25T09:14:00.002-05:00

I have just now, Friday, found the strength to think about and thus address the Magnolia Family Vintage South By Southwest experience. 5 marathon days of boothing, drinking, dust, sun, not sleeping, live music and yelling as a result of all the live music left me stranded in a haze. I was a zombie for a few days. Luckily with a steady regimen of napping, kombucha, urban detox, and Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, I have come back to the light.

Last week was definitely an amazing, magical experience and we couldn't be more grateful to Cheer Up Charlies where we set up all week, or to our friends who set up with us. Check out We Are Tribe on ebay, our girls from Kansas City, and keep your eyes peeled for Stray Cat Vintage, coming soon, which is the brainchild of Mama Tara right here in Austin. As a group we worked our asses off and I can tell you with all the authenticity in my heart, we are Hustlaaaaas! I feel like we made a kajillion new friends and I was so moved by how many of our already friends showed up and gave us their support over the week. I am still compelled to just spew thank yous over and over. I can't stop. I am a gratitude monster. I will consume you with joyful appreciation. It's just how I feeeeeeeel guys!!

We opened it up and we shut it down. We were all things to all party goers. Not to diminish the roles of the people who, you know, actually WORKED at the venue or PERFORMED music... just saying, someone had to point to the stage and the bar when weary sxsw'ers crawled in needing sustenance! and if you got cold because you were dressed for noon and it somehow turned into night? WE HAD SWEATERS! Maybe you got dressed at 8AM and your skinny jeans were melting your crotch off? WE HAD CUTOFFS! Maybe you're that one girl who lost her shoes in the dead milkmen pit. WE HAD SHOOOOOOES! I never, ever like to be dramatic. But I think we saved lives. Or at least inappropriately dressed people.

I will show you pictures! Taken between Wednesday morning and Sunday night...

I hope you enjoy!

Seacrest OUT.

xo

who are you?

2011-02-26T09:10:00.000-06:00

I am on the internet a lot. I am on the internet a lot more than my sporadic blog posting would suggest. I am not ashamed by any means because it would be counterproductive and hey, you're here too. I think it's a beautiful thing, this constant, instant access to any and everything your little heart desires. However, it has its little funny bone hammers embedded in the most inconspicuous spots. The misspelled status update. The photo you didn't know was being taken. The inadvertent broadcast of your total and complete narcissism (*cough*).

The art of the truncated "about me" bio is one of the more absurd and hilarious nuggets to be birthed by the internet. Those tiny spaces on twitter and over there ---> where you get a squared inch and a half to appeal to the whole world. It was just a box to be typed full, in the beginning, I imagine. But now it's a science. An art form. An opus for the attention deficit generation (I ain't hatin 'cause I got diagnosed at 21 with Adult ADHD... which was a big fat Ohhhh reeeeeaaaallly?! and thanks for the newsflash moment.) I have, for no one's benefit, started taking mental notes on this phenomenon. I don't know why but I find it fascinating! And at some point I started to think I had it all figured out. See they boil down to a strategic formula based on what you want your presence to be. Who you want to portray yourself to be, as little as it may have to do with who you actually are... Follow with me if you will...

**please note I was tempted to use (mostly celebrity) real-life examples but decided against it lest it be interpreted as mean-spirited... 'cause it probably would be? So I made up all the examples. Spot on, if you ask me.***

The Categories (seem to be) as follows...

Adorable (the most popular)

*sub-categories include
-alliteration
-craftiness/fashion
-babies

most likely to appear: childlike enthusiasm for the mundane, believing animals never grow up (puppies, kitties, etc.), and a devotion to the past/things of old (vintage clothes, vinyl, mothballs, the elderly)

EXAMPLES?

"I'm Cindy-bean. I luv purple, peep-toes, purple peep-toes, and prosciutto ♥ ♥ ♥"

"friends call me Lanabear ♥ a mama-holic to 3 kittie-witties and one not kittie. I heart weaving and I upcycle bedpans into jewelry on etsy! www.etsy.com/peeplecharms!"

"just a grandma in a 16 year old's body! I love lace, the color lime, and liquor!"*

*bonus points if you slip something a little naughty into the adorable category.

Generalizations/Dislikes- blanket statements about what you do or do not enjoy in life. Meant to imply a free-spirit, couldn't care less, too-cool-for-school vibe. Effectiveness? 85%

*sub-categories include
-people
-places
-things

most likely to appear- anything, honestly. people be gettin creative. "mean people" and "conservatives" show up a lot... maybe that's just my blogroll?

EXAMPLES?

"My name is Carla and I make stuff"

"I'm randi with an i! dislikes include: the smell of brown rice, carpel tunnel, and keratin based products"

"a vintage loving gal who gets her rocks off to good music, good people, good movies, and good food" (ooohhh reeeaaallllly???)

"mean people suck"*

*I know what you're thinking but this is still happening.

SHOCK!

*sub-categories include
-sex
-bad habits
-daddy issues

EXAMPLES?

"Laura spelled with an XXX. I like expletive filled f&*^$#g nonsense, porn porn porn, prescriptions drugs, and UNICORNS"

"I can't stop eating my fingernails, my neighbors are junkies, I'm writing a novel about homosexual firefighting dogs"

"survivor. erotic pianist. flame-throwing bitch. hope you dig it"

Cleverness/Reverse Pyschology (based on the age-old theory that telling people the exact opposite of the truth is more revealing than your choppy attempts at honesty could.ever.be.)

*sub-categories include
-sarcasm
-fantasy
-nonsense

most likely to appear- references to the "dayjob," imaginary titles in made-up lives, out of nowhere combinations

EXAMPLES?

" I'm a full-time P-R-I-N-C-E-S-S of PRADASTAN livin' the maraschino cherry GLAM SQUAD dream"

" looooovin life at me aaaaaawesome hipster cliche retail job for the man. lookin for the last train to Nashville. keepin on keepin on..."

"poet/puppeteer"

"I dig hives and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life in the go-cart factory"

It's rough out there. Our valid desires to express ourselves in the allotted space we're carving out here online might be a joke orchestrated by some über-wealthy, bored to tears, overstimulated team of power players... Zuckerberg? Bill Murray? Jack Donaghy? We may never know.

Did I miss any?

Seacrest Out
xo

as days go by

2011-02-21T09:37:00.000-06:00

I decided just to salvage a few photos from recent weeks (my trip to CA, my home, my family) and in no sense-making order, place them here, for your possible but not likely enjoyment... and mine ♥

Wanna play random picture post bingo? See if you can spot the following below...

my obsessions with thai food (stupid that I EVER have to eat other foods)
the worlds most adorable Daschund/Blue heeler mix
the best lunch ever consisting of three bottles of fluids and one curried chicken salad... maybe the culinary worlds best decision ever?
an awesome horsey print caftan handmade for me from a wall hanging by a dear friend
a man I love
Lula magazine up in my kitchen ya heard
crows feet. wah wah.
topanga canyon treasure trove
a pretty pretty princess
the only photo ever in which my legs look long and skinny (cherish this moment)

Ok? Go!

for and of the magnolia man.

2011-02-14T19:51:00.001-06:00

* warning: the following post gets mushy and may include TOO MUCH INFORMATION. Please feel free to skip it if you are related to me or naturally cynical *

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

It may be late in the oh so romantical day but a.) I have a window while my man goes to the grocery store (for the ingredients to make me turkey enchiladas and fetch me my diet coke no less!) b.) I was inspired by the lovey-doveyness I just peeped over at Austin Eavesdropper c.) I had some woodchuck granny smith apple hard cider so I am buzzed. Buzzed Sarah is a mushy, wordy Sarah and d.) even though I thought we were skipping gifts this year, I got a lovely little wind chime, a new rug, and a pretty bracelet for my romantic troubles today and ALAS (cause I thought we were SKIPPING GIFTS THIS YEAR) I had nothing to offer in return to my love. Sigh, what's a girl in this modern age to do? Write a blog obviously, and dedicate it to a thoughtful, generous, goofy, imperfect, and accepting of all my imperfection MAN.

I don't usually get to fired up about Valentine's Day because, honestly, my husband is weirdly sweet and romantic to me all other 364 days of the year. I only say "weirdly" because I cannot think of any reason I deserve to be treated so well and I am constantly trying to figure out what his "game" is. Me prodding him to find out what he is "up to" is not his favorite thing, as he insists it is because he finds me irresistible and he loves me deeply. As always the cautious and wary traveler through life, it hasn't been easy to buy... that he could just treat me this way because he WANTS TO, but who am I to say? I am going with it now and it's not always a smooth ride but it is always rewarding.

I love you for a lot of reasons, not the least of which are...

on our second date you told me you thought my toes were sexy
you surprised me while we were dating long-distance by growing a beard, because you know I think they're sessy

you love watching awful movies more than good ones, just like I do.
you promised to always be in charge of cleaning the tub drain, even though it is mostly my hair that clogs it

you tolerate hours of thrifting and treasure hunting, patiently and with enough enthusiasm to make me feel like you're NOT exhausted and bored
you know what hair product I use and can find it all by yourself in the shop

you're a patient and gratuitous with praise guitar teacher
you'll make me the same dish for dinner 5 nights in a row if I want it, even when you don't
you come home from work and prepare dinner! It's a fantasy I live in...

you never, ever stop encouraging me in my business/passion, even when it means you have to carry the financial burdens of our family by yourself sometimes (it won't always be this way and your faith in that is remarkable)

you think it's cute that I can't remember the lyrics to any songs... ever. And that I choose to sing them anyway
you never leave me alone. Washing dishes or in my "pirate pants" (haaaa) or un-showered for three days you always come after me, which never fails to make me feel like a sex bomb!

you proposed to me in an alley while I clutched a bottle of booze in a brown paper bag (New Year's Eve y'all!), and it was magical because you were the one asking
you know when I need a diet coke, a red bull, or a cocktail (or any combination of those three)

you are naturally a better parent than I will ever learn to be. you showed up on day one ready (or faking it remarkably) to be super-dad to my baby girl. your compassion, patience, enthusiasm, and natural love for her has proven your heart over and over again. you haven't let us down for one damn day baby.

my best and my favorite, for all that and more I am saying thank you and I love you on this commercially approved commemorative day. And all the other days from now until forever ♥

seacrest out
xo

On pants and why Sarah hates them*

2011-02-11T00:16:00.000-06:00

I don't know if you noticed or not but a few weeks ago I changed the url of this blog to www.sarahhatespants.com. It occurs to me now that you deserve an explanation. Or maybe you've known me for more than ten days and you're tired of hearing about it. In that case feel free to skip this post. I will now, today, list for you the reasons I hate pants.

*I begin with a disclaimer. A list of things I DO NOT HATE. Pay attention because it is important for you to know that although I do HATE some things, I am not a HATER. I do not partake of the haterade, as it were. I don't like the way it tastes*

I do NOT HATE...

PEOPLE WHO WEAR PANTS
PEOPLE WHO MANUFACTURE PANTS
PEOPLE WHO DESIGN PANTS
PEOPLE WHO SELL PANTS
PEOPLE WHO LOVE PANTS
PEOPLE WHO MILDLY DISAGREE
PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER READ THIS

got that? Ok good, let's begin.

I hate pants because...

They don't fit... me (and several others, honestly.) be it muffin top or saggy butt or kangaroo pouch I cannot find pants that I feel fit my body. Maybe the fashion gods are unaware that my body shape exists or maybe they are just pretending not to know because it grosses them out. Either way, I have spent way too many hours of my life TRYING in vain to find a pair of pants that acknowledges my butt, thigh, waist, height ratio and at a certain point I had to ask "WHY?" Why Sarah are you spending so much time looking for something that doesn't exist? Also, this is a painful, emotional, laborious process completely free of pleasure. So I stopped torturing my mother, husband, friends, and offspring with dressing room panic attacks and temper tantrums. Altogether.

They are not comfortable. I know because I do own A pair. They are black Levi's and when I sit down they cut me off in my tummy and it's dumb. You know why they squeeeeze me in half at the middle? I don't either because they manage to accomadate my rear end and thighs fine so what's the deal? No one knows. Again I can choose to believe that the pants making associations of the world are wrong OR my body is wrong. Guess which one I am going with?

"Hike, hike, tug tug" This is what I call the little dance that the pants wearers of this world do every time they stand up or raise up from bending over or get out of a car or... move. Hike hike up the pant, tug tug down the top. It's reminiscent of the "yank, yank" that women do every fifteen seconds while wearing a strapless dress. Cuuuuuute. I blame the low-rise fit of most popular denim... not you. I really think women are just the victims of a bizarre fetish perpetrated by a secret society of jiggle watchers. I mean think about it? All that tugging and yanking? Someone out there is into it. I'm not here to judge anyones sexual proclivitys but I do not wish to take part, thanks anyhoo.

Dresses/skirts are better/more comfortable/more flattering. This is just me. I looooove to wear a dress. I feel good in a dress. I look better in a skirt. My husband and my friends disagree and have kindly expressed that they like the way I look in pants, which is awesome (thanks guys!). But ultimately, what I wear is a big part of how I express myself (not my friends or my husband) and how I take care of myself ( again...) It's just my opinion and there is no reason for me to NOT roll with it. If I were wearing pants 2 days a week, I'd be spending 2 days a week not doing what makes me happy or what makes me feel good. In a world of bills and wars and self-doubt and stress why not just DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?! Do what you can, when you can, to make yourself feel good. It sounds self-indulgent but who better to indulge? Loving yourself is important and I figured out a small step to that ultimate goal.

...and for good measure here is a really old (2006? 07?) picture of me in pants. mostly because no one cares about a photo free blog post and partly because I want to prove that I gave it a shot.

ugh, not me. not me at'all.

Now let's move on with our regularly scheduled programming...

seacrest out
xo

* I hereby withhold the inclusion of sweatpants, track pants, and leggings. I have no beef with ye.

Ann He lends her shine to MFV ♥

2011-02-08T18:08:00.001-06:00

In case you missed these when we posted them on Facebook a little while back. We'd love to share these shots by Ann He for Magnolia Family Vintage with you ♥

models: the lovely (and giggly) Kathleen and Emily

we hope you liked it

♥ keep it in the family

they say you're back but I never knew you left

2011-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

if this is not the coolest girl you've seen today, I don't know what.

I got my first subscription to Seventeen magazine in the 4th grade. I believe the school year was 1990-91? (That's offhand because I boycott math and to count backwards from now, or the year I graduated high school for that matter, would be against my principles.) It may seem a little young to be devouring a teen magazine, especially since now I am pretty sure they cause brain damage. But this was the early 90's and teen-magazines were still semi-wholesome and more importantly my mom wasn't paying attention to the content. Ha! I was definitely an overly mature only child who fancied myself at home amidst an adults dinner party and as such I thought it was nothing BUT appropriate to be taking the "should we sleep together?" quiz at age 9. Seventeen thought we should wait by the way... which turned out to be true because Jason Priestley and I hadn't met yet... still haven't. Still waiting Jason!

To be honest I wasn't overly concerned with any of the school, dating, sex, friendship related contents because in 4th grade I was planning on becoming a fashion designer and I was only concerned with the FASHIONS (say this in zee accent of zee frrrranch photographair who shoots Kelly Taylor when she becomes zee model in Pareeeee) . I have VERY vivid memories of fashion spreads in Seventeen magazine (and Sassy and YM for that matter) and most of them, to my heart's discontent, are unavailable anywhere online. I have since lost my desire to design clothes but I still remember the way early 90's teen fashion made me feel...

It's no surprise to me that it is a full fledged revival of the 90's out there right now because it is still the fashion era that had the most influence on me. The mods! The floral! The plaid! The supermodels! The models-bodies-that-in-retrospect-look-bizarrely-healthy-and-fit! The mannish boots! The bustiers! I was in awe. I pushed it to the side for awhile, but I must admit, I still am.

gimme them bracelets

this picture makes me alternately happy and sad. what a gift to have a healthy, food-fed, natural body as an inspiration. what a curse that my daughter won't have the same.

teen fashion in the 90's was just fun. right? they look HAPPY.

the 90's gave us a lot to be thankful for in fashion. the combination of florals and stripes for example.

(editors note: we do not condone the popularization of the beanie. at all. ever again.)

...and big-ass hair. damn I still love big-ass hair. thanks Cindy. Thanks 90's.

(editors note: like I said. beanies gross me out)

maybe the most epic 90's style shot yet. They ain't playin.

seacrest out on Saturday night
xo

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gonna make it through this year (if it kills me)

2011-01-17T10:03:00.003-06:00

So I've been watching Lie to Me on Netflix streaming. I am learning a lot. This is like the bulimia after-school special of lying. As in, more of a how-to manual than the producers had in mind... maybe? I am learning a lot about lying! For example see this expression, my mouth turned up at the side ever so slightly? Yeah apparently that is contempt. I am not sure what I am contemptuous of in the moment of this picture but I really hope it's not my subconscious telling me my bright orange-red NARS matte lipstick is not working for me. I reeeeeaaally want it to.

Yes/No?

what a super long intro to ask people if my lipstick is pretty yea?

moving on.

Do you remember the scene in High Fidelity when Charlie finally calls Rob back and she starts talking mad cliches about she is too young and single to have children, because kids are so "time-consuming" or something and he breaks the fourth wall to tell the audience IN SHOCK AND AWE that this is how she actually talks, as if "nobody ever had a conversation about having kids in the entire history of the world?" Do you remember that? That exact shock and awe is how I live, immersed, for the first half of every January while I listen to people talk about resolutions (what theirs are, why they're the worst idea ever, how quickly they were broken, how long theirs lasted last year, etc.) I am in shock because I can't believe I am the only person who tires of saying the same gotdamn things over and over (hearing 'em too.) I am in awe because there is something to respect when a person can get into the mindset that THIS YEAR IT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT... every single year... and truly believe! I certainly can't. I am the girl who went skiing once and had a bad time only to declare at that moment (and forever since) that I hate skiing. The nice way to put it is that I am not a dweller. I move on. (*cough*quitter*cough*)

So while yes, I do realize that 17 days into January I MYSELF AM TALKING ABOUT RESOLUTIONS (I blame you) the point is while they are neither good nor bad intrinsically, they don't often work, let's try something else! That is not to say I don't love, value, and respect the desire to change or improve. However, I do believe those ideals are hampered by the broadness, cliches, and time constraints of the "resolution" format. I want to better myself, do new things, and improve my life in all kinds of ways! My strategy to avoid the disappointing fate suffered by millions of resolvers each year is...

be specific.
avoid time limits based on the calendar year
reward myself HEAVILY for even the smallest steps taken ( heck I gave myself 2 cocktails for completing that last blog)

Wham AND bam, there you have it. My personalized method for diving into and conquering my 29th year. My GOALS (not the R word) are action based. Things I want to DO that I have never done. Things I want to try or learn because I will benefit from them in my heart, in my family, in my business, and in my mind. Its a pretty forthright, obvious concept. We all know it's a better idea to decide to train for a 5k than to just "lose weight." Let the outcome of your actions be the benefit you receive and let the challenge of your actions be the change.

My admittedly ambitious list of action goals for this year include...

Master 5 recipes- what can I say, the guilt I am carrying around from living the dream (aka my husband comes home from working all day and then makes me an awesome dinner while I get up to speed on the newest Netflix streaming options) means I will be a happier, emotionally liberated girl when I can throw something culinary down at least once or twice a week. PLUS, I need (like, neeeed) an excuse to buy and wear these adorable anthro aprons. I am hardly a domesticated kitchen-type wife but a little role play never hurt anyone and me putting on an apron + heels in the kitchen is almost the exact same thing as your unsuspecting suburban housewife putting on her leather chaps at night after the brood is asleep! Yeehaw! I have been poking around the internet trying to decide where to start ( the classics? asian fusion? no baking...) and I have to say I am leaning towards this insaaaane looking
Baked Penne Pasta with Roasted Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce

recipe at everday occasions
Healthy? not so much. No one ever had an erotic kitchen moment over grilled ahi.

DIY 5 things- no kidding I am doing a WHOLE new thing here. Don't be frightened. I am merely experimenting with my own pathos. Do I not do anything domestic because I really don't enjoy it? Or am I subconsciously frightened that I will suck at it? I have no idea. Granted option A is more likely because I rarely have any DESIRE to do these handy little crafts but recently with the exponential increase on the internet of DIY how-to's on projects that don't make me want to bite the head of a precious moments doll... there's no harm in trying! I have been scrolling through the crafters blogs of course, searching for the right beginners level projects to get started with. I have to be real, I would loooove to make/own one of these spiked vinyl hats I saw on Outsapop but realistically it is a little complicated for the inexperienced, ADD crafter. I think I may start with this little sock headband turban deal. What do you think? Suggestions? Good places to start? Should I just get a glue gun and start attaching paraphenalia that falls off my cheap jewelry to my shoes???

Take a road trip, alone- I have taken a lot of roadtrips with my family, with my friends... It is one of my greatest pleasures. The one thing I have never, ever done is a road trip all by myself. Not that I haven't ever driven myself anywhere, that would be ridiculous. But there is a difference between driving 14 hours as fast as you can to see family and actually being on the road. It's a different experience when you stop whenever you want, leave plans open ended, allow yourself to breathe, allow yourself to take a backroad or or the long route...My husband wants to do the same thing and we've agreed to accomodate each other. A beautiful part of a good relationship is when you can support each other in being alone for a bit. I am thinking of a weekend in Memphis or maybe Santa Fe! It will probably be spring before I decide to take off but I am so excited for this! I am a compulsive "from the front seat" photo taker so expect a whole lot of this action-

all photos courtesy of my summer road-tripping 2010

OH! OH! AND!

I want to redecorate/zen-out our bedroom. I have never been a big decorator but I think it's time to have a relaxing, serene, adult space. No more corkboard (yes, I am serious), beige sheets, and piles of shoes. I have already started by creating a little peace-nook on my bed side table, including lots of little items I love...

When I wake up these days and look beside me at my little joy collection it is calming and brings a little smile to my lips :)

The truth is I have at least 50 other things on the list for this year. Some of them will fall off the list as new, exciting things occur to me. But some of them will become a part of my life and build new parts of my identity. I want to continue learning the guitar, pursue other blog ideas that keep popping up inside my brain, listen to 100 new bands, take a vintage caravan on a festival circuit, read every word Erica Jong has ever written, and learn to take beautiful portraits of and for my friends/loves. And instead of approaching it like I must do X to be amazing/attractive /successful I am entering into a contract with myself to say I am amazing/attractive/successful so I will do X (and x and x and x), for who could resist it! ;)

thanks so much to anyone who read this ♥
if you please, find Magnolia Family Vintage and myself on

facebook
and
twitter

watch me while I congratulate myself

2011-01-13T10:00:00.002-06:00

post apocalyptic backyard much?

post Christmas party ubiquitous red cup? check
post summer wishful thinking tiki-torch? check.
giant hole dug by spaztatistical puppy dog? check.

So it's freezing. Not so much freezing in that way that things are frozen, or there is ice involved, or even so much as to say that the temperature has reached the freezing point. It is freezing in the way that I spent 90% of my life in Southern California and haven't yet developed the emotional resources needed to carry me cheerfully through a dismal Texas winter. It's not a powdery, sparkly fluff kind of winter here. It can only be described as devoid (on the bad days). Devoid of light, sky, and leaves. It's not my cup of tea. But I am trying to power through and keep warm with robust doses of florals, plaids, boots, and fancy gloves as you can see. Nothing cheers me up like a little pattern mixing, some big-ass jewelry, and a hands-free hand-bag (er, backpack.)

DKNY wool blazer- thrifted, $1.25
Floral mid-length skirt- thrifted, > $5.00
Turtleneck- F21, yeeeaaars ago
Rings- F21 last week y'all! cheap?
Fingerless gloves- Christmas gift ♥ my Mama
Hairdid- Dawn at Joie de Vie
booty like whoah- model's own ;)

I think we can officially call it 2011. I may be a few days behind here but I like a sure thing. I needed to make sure that I had time to get my head around everything that went down in 2010 before I committed (new house! new dog! baby starts kindergarten! bizniz partnership! ohmy!). More importantly I needed to deal with the head-spinningly fantastic entree of my 29th year! Truth be told I really never feel the New Year until January 10th because that is when MY new era begins... January 10th was my birthday, in case you didn't pick up on that in the previous sentences.

This birthday was not taking any prisoners. In the brief downtime between Christmas and my day of birth I was steamrolled by the implications of my 20's, or "the 20's that were" as I am calling them now. I was noticing more eye-wrinkles, hearing the word ma'am like a gut-punch, and stressing over my nightly need to retire before 11PM (like... hours before.) The willies of another year passing quickly subsided in the face of the best gotdamn birthday I can remember. Declaring the whole weekend as titled "29 problems but a bitch ain't one" caused this photo to happen-

courtesy of Tealy. well played.

In all honesty I can say I don't remember feeling as special or as valued as I did this year when my friends and husband got together to put together a fantastic birthday celebration for me. Dinner at The Good Knight (oh not enough seats to accommadate all my loving amigos?? #tooflatteringformyowngood #egofantastico) ...

to my left...

to my right...

Oh, where I passed the camera around the table and scored these gems...

Har! Har!

Dinner was followed by rump-shaking all about town, where I managed to score these whopping DOS photos before my camera battery died...

get it gurls

and the night was topped off (nee! CROWNED) by the presentation of a Best Buy gift card that a whole gaggle of my friends got together on so I could go get a new SCHMANCY camera I want so hard. In all honesty they were trying to shut me up because I won't stop whining about my crappy point and shoot but who says a good gift can't be beneficial to SEVERAL?! Not I. The night ended with a torrential downpour that soaked through my leather jacket and saw several of us wandering the streets like soggy stray dogs... in Jeffrey Campbell platforms. By the time we got a taxi (came equipped with the worlds lousiest, rudest taxi-driver) and then walked (er, stumbled?) several blocks to our car (did I mention the lousy cab driver?) I was a ready to fall into my bed and sleep tight in my own self-made puddle. I spent the following day recovering by watching Party Down on Netflix and whining about my sore dancing legs while my man listened and sympathized attentively. Happy.as.a.clam. :)

Leaping into my 29th year, the last of my twenties obviously, made me think a lot about what I have to show for it. It's the standard reaction and I didn't dive in too hard because it was easy. I came through the first half of my twenties like a bruiser, knocking down your average moving to a strange city alone, token damaging relationship with a guy who can only be explained as guaranteed to break my parents heart, accidental pregnancy turned unprepared mommyhood, long-distance whirlwind romance turned matrimony, and the total rejection of, how do you say, "employment" for the uphill battle of my own passion-following small business. Despite the perhaps trainwreck-esque expectations I inspired in people, I clawed my way through the last half to this very day, where I find myself with a beautiful daughter, a wonderful husband, a home I love in a city that has shown it loves me, and a circle of friends that are INSPRING most importantly and never less than unconditionally supportive*.

*See this is the part that relates to the title of this post. I am indulging in a big ol wank fest of self-congratulations. It's almost as horrific to watch as a bunch of "country-rock" dudes with their arms around each other on stage, swaying and singing Wild Horses (personal anecdote, pay no mind.) It's way better than my innate tendency to downtalk and negate my own achievements internally, trust me. Self-aggrandizing > self-pity any day in my humble opinion... haha, see what happened there? With the humble but I said I was self-aggrand- oh, nevermind.

The point is, I started this year with a good bit of contentment and a pinch of pride, no doubt. I have big plans for 2011 because I want to barrel into 30, into next year, with more than a pinch yeah? xo

light and leather

2010-11-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

We're so, so excited this week to be getting ready for a photo shoot with 15 year old, Dallas based photographer Ann He. Her age is surprising but obviously unimportant because her photgraphy shows a maturity and understanding of light (especially) that is so impressive...

website for Ann He

The most challenging thing about working on a photo shoot/lookbook (for myself) is remaining true to your own aesthetic and style. There is so much style, photography, and fashion inspiration coming at us now on the millions of blogs, flickr, street style sites, etc that it can be hard to remain honest. And so much of what inspires me is right here in my town, on the streets, exploding out of my close friends... sometimes your vision gets cloudy and you forget yourself, confuse your brand... It is possible to lose yourself to what you believe is "happening." I am completely committed to making choices that are authentic to what I love about vintage and style in my heart! It's inspiration not imitation, k? I am lucky to be surrounded always by people pushing me in the direction of myself, my own voice, my eye, my choices, and that is amazing. I can only hope to be as positive an influence and challenge my friends the way they do for me!

Anyhow, wish us luck on our next creative venture and please go check out more of Ann's work on her web site. I am really glad to be working with such a talent at such a young age. The possibilities for this girl are obviously endless and something tells me I will be following her work and admiring it for a long time to come...

do right and kill everything.

2010-11-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

***Prepare for unnecessary bragging***
***Prepare for painful facial expressions***

(see what I mean about the facial expressions? sheeesh)

Do you want to know something awesome? Guess how much this outfit cost? I dare you to guess. You know me, you know my game. I am a professional spendthrift, so to speak, so you're going to try to low ball on your answer but I still think you'll be amazed...

$3.75

Duh duh duuuuuhhhhh!!!

100% silk "pea pod" dress $1.25
printed blazer $1.25

southwestern rainbow conch belt $1.25

boots FREE (K, I traded for em but still, no cash traded hands)

oh AND

Anyhoo, just because I have been an absent blogger doesn't mean I have lost the knack. Noooo siiirreee. As a matter of fact I am ready to start blogging again for a couple of reasons. One large one being the support and kick in the pants from my brand-spanking new BIZNIZ partner, Mama Teal!!

In a stroke of genius I decided to end the constant fret-fest and waaaah party I was having about being a 100% solitary operation here at MFV and so I asked the one woman I spend all my time with anyway to join forces with me. Not only did she already know everything I was struggling with business-wise (because of all the waaaahhh I mentioned earlier) but she is gifted in all the ways I am not. All that organizational, financial, common sensical talent I lack, she actually possesses to spare so we make a pretty sweet team. She already has things under control. Things like receipts for tax time, budgets, timely communication with interested parties, and making sure there are tasty adult beverage at bizniz* meetings. Do you want to know the best thing about Teal-y? She is a convert. When we met she told me she didn't own a single item of vintage clothing and thrifting creeped her out. I know, you're shocked we're even friends. Luckily I can smell the gift inside people before they even know it's there. Take the girl to a couple treasure spots on the road and BAM! Now she's texting me photos of goods she finds out in the backwoods of Texas, wearing all the vintage ish we can supply, and spending her weekends with me slinging the finds on South Congress. WOOT. Did I mention she has DOS adorable six year old girls who happen to be all BFF with my adorable six year old girl?!

come ooooooooon! If you're not impressed by how set we are to take over the world with THAT little trio up there, you're meds are workin too well for your own good mang. Be afraid.

Another good reason to start blogging is just the fact that the bizniz and the web site are up and running nicely, thank you. You can find the sweet vintage we are slinging online obviously, at the web site AND on the street. We'll be selling on South Congress here in Austin as regularly as we possibly can, in the lot between Vespaio and Austin Art Glass. If you're skeptical let me assure you we always bring the good stuff and so do the other vendors in the lot. Honestly, the fact that I make it out with any of the cash left is a miracle. Christmas is right around the corner and of course you'll be on SoCo Christmas shopping (or pointing out things you want for Christmas to loved ones) anyway, so come say hi!! Really, we are suckers for some love so flash us a smile and a compliment, you'll probably walk away with a steeeeaaaal ;) We will absolutely be there this coming Saturday, November 20th and for First Thursday, December 2nd.

Did I mention we'll be bringing these bad boys?!

clearance y'all. dig for it.

Oh! And! Would you like to come shop some vintage while simultaneously meeting all of your favorite Austin bloggers, ice skating, drinking, and eating tasty delights from local vendors?! If the answer is no, please go away cause what is wrong with you?! If the answer is YES, come see us at this year's winter-time BLEET-UP! The effervescent Tolley of Austin Eavesdropper, Austin's favorite girl on the town, on the blog, on the job, is hosting this bad boy again, this time ON TOP OF WHOLE FOODS! December 3rd you can come see us at one of the seasons very best parties. Honestly, I cannot wait. Check the link for the details, hook up with the event on their Facebook page, get your skates shined, save your pocket money, and make a wishlist. We sincerely hope to see you there!!

There is no "official" poster yet so here is a picture of a puppy someone brought to the last Bleet-Up to tide you over...

:)

Hmmm...other things you should know?

1. I finally had my hair did after a painfully long hiatus from maintenance.

before

after

still thrifting, still totally conceited about my hair... all is right with the world.

2. We just updated the web site! My favorite items in the shop right now?

vintage Harley Davidson tee

vintage 90's floral babydoll dress

insane! vintage jeweled mini-dress

purple guatemalan poncho

3. Our good friends over at Laced With Romance Vintage are not only just about ready to launch their promises-to-be-mindblowing web site but they now have a storefront at 1601 S. 1st St!!

the mistress of the shop herself

These people are gems in their own right but the STORE! My God the STORE! So much amazing treasure to be hunted here. Pleasestop by if you have not already. But DO NOT under any circumstances buy the studded, fringed, black suede vest... That's mine. Seriously, hands off.

Seacrest OUT
xo

native, son. (this is not a tumblr)

2010-08-09T14:28:00.001-05:00

So before I say anything else on this here blog, I feel compelled to let you know, if'n you don't already, that you can now get your shop on over at

http://www.magnoliafamilyvintage.com!!

Exciting right? Go ahead and bookmark that for future reference would you? I promise lots of good vintage, reasonable prices, and weekly updates. A promise is a promise. My word is my bond.

If you take a look at the sight I would loooove to hear what you think about it. I am happy to accept suggestions as well as compliments. We are starting small and simple on our first web boutique but we put a lot of passion, love, and hard work into getting this started. I absolutely couldn't have done any of it without the entire "Magnolia Family" and they know who they are. What a gift it is to see how much love you have in your life as they come out of the woodwork to offer support, help, a listening ear... I hope all of you who helped make this goal happen know how much I adore you, and that I won't forget it in the future whenever I can be of service.

And for now, I want to offer anyone who is reading this a %15 discount on MFV goods for the month of August! That's right, your discount code is THRIFTY. So get your measuring tape out and get some vintage! ♥

Oh! Oh! And! There are some new hand-selected by moi, vintage goodies over at BUYDEFINITION.com right now! Not only did we choose some stellar pieces for them but you might see a familiar magnolia over there! Yes, MFV's very own model Kathleen is wearing all them righteous finds which (in my opinion) makes it that much better. My favorite finds are pretty easy to spot if you know me...

click to shop it.

click to shop

click to shop

So obviously there is a Native American theme going on in my picks, in fashion right now, in irony, in life. It dawned on me recently that the last one hundred pictures or so in my weheartit.com account are tribal or native or western in essence. Also, there are quite a few such finds on magnoliafamilyvintage.com right now, like THIS, THIS, or perhaps THIS?? Maybe it's because my mother studied Native American History while I grew up (frequently dragging me to powwows, cave dwellings, and tiny desert museums of which there are many out west), maybe it's because I just spent the better part of three weeks in Montana/Wyoming where they haven't exactly let go of their wild west past (or the legends, or the outfits for that matter), or maybe I am just highly susceptible to trends like a sartorial weakling (doubt it, ha!) but I have happily indulged in the fringe/feathers/bones motif of the moment. Even so much as to be considering a dreamcatcher tattoo for my next permanent marking! I am in love with the coolors and femininity of this design I found online,

whaddya think friends?

xo

the day's not over yet

2010-06-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

happy summer solstice inspiration...

jacquelyn jablonski for vogue germany

let's get laced.

2010-06-17T16:59:00.003-05:00

So the thing is I know a lot of really, painfully stylish ladies. And not ladies who lunch... I mean thrift store hoarding, vintage obsessed, get it on the real and on the cheap ladies like myself. I consider myself supah DUPAH lucky in this regard because not only do I always feel supported (and un-embarassed if I happen to smell of mothballs occasionally, ahem) but constantly inspired! It's great to be inspired by blogs, magazines, celebrities and the like... but nothing is better than being inspired to your face, at the bar, in the street. It's helpful that you know it didn't require a glamsquad... well, it's helpful to me. I live in a happy-fun times dream world* where beauty and style can come from the creative soul and not from a titanic bank account!

That brings me to the new (hopefully) weekly blog feature I am going to call "Real Girl. Real Vintage. Real Style." Catchy, eh?

I think interviewing these kind of inspiring ladies is going to be a great addition to the blog! I am going to try and keep it diverse, but, at least to begin with, I'll be talking to my friends and there is just nothing you can do about it!! This is mostly for my benefit anyway. I spend a lot of time thinking "ohmygod how do you always look that awesome?" and this is a pseudo-legitimate and less awkward way of asking that question? Without further ado,

Real Girl. Real Vintage. Real Style.

So to kick this series off, I chose Austin's own Stephanie Fellebaum the proprietress of one of my favorite vintage shops EVER,

Laced With Romance.

herself ♥

photo credit Briana Purser

In the unlikely event you haven't already, please click on that above link and get ready to inhale sharply. Pure vintage style love! Stephanie's aesthetic take on vintage always calls to mind a dreamy fairytale, embedded in the dark and light of nature. Take a look at Laced with Romance styling...

photo credit Briana Purser for bleachonline.com

photo credit Briana Purser for Bleachonline.com

Ooooooh, in store now! My birthday is coming up you know... in January.

xo.

Stephanie always has an amazing selection of gorgeous, on-trend, vintage, handmade, and hand-dyed pieces. She is always, herself, impeccably styled, and she just got hitched!! We were lucky enough to drive out to Marathon, TX, 6 hours west of Austin, and attend the intimate, spiritual, and touching wedding ceremony for Stephanie and her man. Stephanie's individuality and sparkling personality were all over the wedding weekend. A real sense of self AND community went in to their big day and it was magic!

the setting.

photo credit Felicia Graham

the bride.

photo credit Briana Purser

the love.

photo credit Felicia Graham

A few days after the wedding weekend had ended, and my west Texas high wore off a bit, I asked Stephanie to answer some questions about her style and her wedding. Peek behind the veil, so to speak...

1. You are a bargain-loving, vintage-hunting, thrift-store lover like myself! How often do you shop for yourself and what's your best "finding treasure" tip for beginners?
---I am always shopping, sometimes for myself and sometimes for the store, but primary both at the same time. Most people are surprised to find out that i really only keep less then 1% of what i find shopping. One of the reasons i first started Laced With Romance was to support my junkie-like thrift store shopping habits. Not kidding! I love the thrill of the hunt more then anything!!! I suggest if you are starting and don't want to spend alot of dough for your goods. Find your local thrift stores, pay attention to when they are putting out the fresh goods and go two or three times a week. Most thrift stores don't put fresh clothing out on the weekends, so its not the best time to find vintage tresures. Garage sales are prefect for finding vintage on the weekends. You can find amazing treasures for next to nothing. It's really fun and i have met some truly interesting folks going to GS. Golden Rule: Only buy what you can use at the moment. Meaning, if you come across that cool 70's polyester shirt and it's July and 110 degrees you probably don't need it and it will just end up taking up good space for something better that you can actually use.

2. What is your all-time, favorite, mind-blowing thrift store find?
My 1970s champagne silk chiffon, embroidered, mirrored floor length robe from India for $6.99 or my 1970s Ossie Clark gown from the Austin City Wide Garage Sale for $8.00.

3. Where do you find inspiration for your style and are there people/places/resources you always look to to find it?
---My inspiration is somewhat difficult to nail down, because it tend to be quite schizophrenic. One moment, i am inspired by the outrageously brave nature of drag queens and the next by the primitive nature of tribes people. Then i will try to figure out how to combine both of these ideas to create one story. My one rule of thumb is to never back myself into a corner. I want to keep myself open to constantly evolve and change. Never holding too tight to one concept or idea of who i am or what i want to create.
Online inspiration:
http://www.bleachblack.com/
http://comespywithme.blogspot.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

4. You can only wear one outfit all summer long because of some apocalyptic, fashion destroying event! What do you have on?
---Its an apocalyptic event, so i want to be comfortable, but still stylish! My favorite throw on and go ensemble: vintage 1980s Harley Davidson slouchy tee(which is on its last leg and very apocalyptic), my thrashes out Levi's cutoffs(also very apocalyptic), and my vintage 1970s brown/black western boots(which was a gift from my kindred spirit and which i will buried in one day)!!!

5. For your wedding, how did you go about putting together your bridal look? Describe for us how you managed to look so elegant, timeless, and romantic all at once?!
---Awwhhh Sarah! You just made me blush. I just let it sort of come together organically. I didn't really start shopping for the dress until 3 months prior to the wedding. I spent most of the time before that thinking about exactly what i wanted and did not want my dress to represent. I knew i wanted something simple, airy, bell sleeves, ethereal, silk, lace, vintage, 20s or older, romantic, and not too much like a costume. I wanted it to reflect a time of innocence and pure spirit...without looking like i was playing a part in a renaissance play. I wanted to feel natural and not forced. I didn't want it to overpower my sweet husband(which i see so often in in wedding dresses). In the end...i had chosen 5 dresses, but the combination of the early 1900s off white empire silk and hand made lace slip dress with 1970s cream bell sleeve floral lace robe won out. When it was all said it done.... i was absolutely thrilled with my choice! The jewelry was a collection of vintage Afghan and Indian pieces. I also borrowed a beautiful tiny cuff from my most cherished friend, that belonged to her since childhood. My flowers we're hand picked the afternoon of the wedding from The Gauge Gardens and arranged by another very special friend. The whole experience was full of pure love, light, blessings, and lots of unbelievable magic!

Like I said, it's a gift to know people who are inspiring you by being themselves. I don't ever want it to go unnoticed. Much love ♥

xo.

* Also, in my happy-fun times dream world there are no overdraft fees, thai food is the healthiest thing you can eat, and no one else in the world has curly hair but me...

the long and winding golden brick road...

2010-06-17T10:24:00.001-05:00

Things keep moving right along over here in the Magnolia Family Manse...

You can now check out the amazing vintage and designer goods, all hand-picked by me for BUYDEFINITION.com!

Click Here to Shop

You can't lose when you have Gaultier AND Herve Leger to choose from. I'm serious, you can't... Try. I dare you. ;)

I have had a blast shopping and shooting with that gang and there is much more to come!! Keep your eyes open, as I know they'll be adding more this week.... Oh and in case your wondering, my heart's very favorite piece that I gave up just for BDVintage is this "Brody Denim Bustier."

I can't lie, I want to put it on and sing "Like A Virgin." The Glee version but yeah, it's a Madonna piece if I ever bought (and sold) one. So you know, buy it :)

As for my own pet project, the to be unveiled magnoliafamilyvintage.com, I am slowly but surely progressing... I am in love with the stuff I have to sell though! Switching formats has proven to be a pain in my butt, however one I believe will work out better for us in the end. If I had known this is what I was going to end up doing I would have taken photography and web design as a wee child. Instead I am forced to rely on the help of others and that's not easy when you're a control freak... or so I hear, haha. Take a super sneak peek at pics I did with the lovely Kathleen for the web site....

and many, many more...

Honestly, I am super excited to launch my own little vintage niche in the world. It is going to come with a few surprises... Like a new blog!! Yes, I will be switching over in a few weeks to wordpress and hopefully a whole new level of nonsense blogging.

In the meantime, do us a favor! Roll on over to the Magnolia Family Vintage Facebook page and "like" us with all your heart. Then click the "Suggest to Friends" link on the left hand side of the page and tell someone else about us! I will admit, I have a pretty lofty goal for FB fans before the web site launches. There is a reason! Just the top secret kind...

Summertime Sistah Friends Garage Sale AGAIN! xo

2010-06-02T08:59:00.003-05:00

ONCE AGAIN! Garage sale time friends...

You may be asking yourself why? Didn't you JUST have a garage sale? Why do you have so much junk, Sarah? Why are you obsessed with getting up so early on weekend mornings? Why are you so committed to bargain PROVIDING as well as bargain hunting?? And I tell you the answers are these- We moved to a smaller house since last garage sale, hence more stuff needs to GO! Our last two garage sales were thwarted by rain and road construction respectively. And of course, we as a group will take ANY and all excuses we can muster to mix up some mimosas. It's a good time had by all and I PROMISE there is gonna be some fun, useful, necessary, and just plain fun treasures for you.

What's new is the goods AND the location. I know you want to come down to South Congress Saturday morning and grab yourself some iced coffee at Jo's, then trek a short block up the hill and hit us up! Tell me you have a better idea! I dare you.

...crickets, whistling wind, etc....

I thought so.

(please don't mind the fact that I almost directly copy and pasted this from the entry I made about the LAST garage sale. *cough*)

JOIN US.

some of the hippest, sweetest ladies in Austin (plus me) are hosting a good time garage sale this Saturday morning. Be there or be square. No ordinary group of garage sellers here, no sir. This is bound to be some good stuff and some great prices. I mean cheap. I mean garage sale!! We are throwing stuff into the sales pyre and you are GUARANTEED to find a treasure. Yeah, I said guaranteed... Beliiiieeeeve that.

Come get cheap and dirty with the coolest girls I know.

Saturday, June 5th

1405 Newton St.

Austin, TX 78704

8 AM sharp!

FIND...

vintage clothes

not vintage clothes
appliances
baubles
knick-knacks
decoratives

housewares

jewelry

shoes

KIDS STUFF WOOOO

books

and all other kinds of random goodies!!

see you there good lookin'

And Don't forget to join me on

FACEBOOK
and
TWITTER

Take that malaise!

2010-05-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

(***FAIR WARNING***- Upon initial review of this blog, I noticed that the first several paragraphs were dry and all the text looked sad. So I plugged in 3 or 4 completely random photos to punch it up a bit. They have nothing to do with the statements being made, or anything else for that matter. Carry on.)

Random Photo #1

hair wars

Let's set the mood. I am at Jo's, where I spend a lot of time now that I live 100 yards away (more on that later), I am listening to "This Year" by the Mountain Goats because I am at the moment committed to uplifting music (sorry Cat) and I am wearing a bathing suit underneath my dress because I can't seem to catch up on laundry no matter how much time I spend staring at the pile on my bedroom floor... Oh, plus I have a giant spider bite on MY FACE and a squirrel broke into my house today to eat my food. That's the set up. And this is a big step because I am have become reaaally attached to my internet routine of juggalo stalking and google earthing. To be here now... I had to leap.

Random Photo #2

best thai food ever, somewhere, pasadena

So yeah, I came reeeaaal close to saying goodbye to this blog, this project, to my store, to this whole tiny (I mean tiny) niche I carved out for myself.

Then the weirdest thing happened. I was indulging in the haze of not knowing where your life is going by having as many mimosas as possible over at Nomad a few weekends ago (10-2 on Sundays, $10, bottomless mimosas, nuf said) and this stranger man came over to tell me he loved my blog. He told me he loved reading my blog... in Afghanistan... and it was part of the reason he decided to move to Austin. Now, not only did it never occur to me that anyone ever garnered any real benefit from reading my blog but certainly not a soldier in a foreign country and it was really, really touching. So touching in fact that I think I mumbled and stared at the floor. Did you know I fail at accepting compliments? Cause I do. It wasn't the first sweet thing anyone has ever said to me about my little project here, but it was the best. So stranger man from Nomad, hello! I love you! I appreciate your kind words and I hope I reflected that. Oh, and if you're wondering, I think I got up to six or seven mimosas but we didn't get there when they opened! I know I can do better!

Random Photo #3

they mate for life

The point is that it kicked me in the face a little bit as far as how lucky I am. I may not be the most successful person at what I do, or the best blogger, or hippest chic in town but hot damn, I have a good thing going here. I like waking up in the morning. I like my life. I like vintage clothes and writing nonsense I find amusing. I like my friends and their bands and all the little things I get out of choosing this path. That deserves a little enthusiasm don't you think! I only ever quit things when I get complacent and so I choose not to. I choose to write nonsense and I choose to sell vintage clothes and I choose to have the biggest hair I can muster. So there malaise! Take that (a little more-than) quarter life crisis!!

See my daughter is staying home with me for the summer (this does not mean you get to call me a stay at home mom...I am way to lazy and scattered to earn such a title), my new house is a brand new financial monkey on our back, and I live in a town where every other girl I know does exactly what I do... a lot of the time better (Austin may as well have about 30 people in it when you get down to the brass tacks of peoples livelihoods.) I let some things get in my head. I let some things overwhelm me, and I almost let said things win. Well HECK NO. It's not that I don't like to lose, see... It's that I don't like to compete with anyone but myself. I like to be me and do my thing and I place value on the opinions of a very small group of people. So, that's where I am coming back to. How does Drake* so eloquently put it? Oh yes, "I'm doin me, I'm doin me, I'm livin life right now man and this what Im gon' do til it's over, til it's over... and it's far from over." Ugh, Drake, I love you.

Random Photo #4

iphone camera winsss

So we need to play a little catch up. I mean, if you'd been sitting on my deck for the last couple of weeks you'd know everything about me but because I don't usually give my address out on the internet you couldn't come... Sorry bout that. But that's a good lead in to the awesome THINGS GOING ON IN MY THRIFTY LIFE LIST I am about to commence. Ready? GO!

1. I moved. I moooooved. I finally live in Austin proper. We moved into a pretty little 1940's bungalow house in a lovely 78704 neighborhood and I am sure that in the future I will go on and on about the merits of my new hood... Actually, I know I will. I just decided to. I will tease you though with the fact that I have my own magical porch of wonder and bliss (not my words even) and it calls to people I love for nights and nights of wine and wisdom...

2. I decided to abandon ebay. F that noise. It got on my nerves and I felt lost in the shuffle of ebay. So yeah, expect to see and shop magnoliafamilyvintage.com on June 7th. It's gonna look a little somethin like zeeees...

3. I am currently workin on a super special collaboration with the fantastic BUYDEFINITION.com. I will be selling a small selection of some of the best vintage I find through them in a little project we like to call "Magnolia Family Vintage for Buy Definition." Catchy, eh? I'm just saying, keep your eyes open because it's going to be real niiiiice. I did my first ever pop up shop in the BUYDEFINITION showroom over SXSW and had a blast!!

4. I did this wacky/rad thing to my hair. Eh? Fresh braids for the summer y'all.

Taken at PYSCHFEST!! by the lovely Stephanie of Laced With Romance Vintage... I also sold some stuff with her in just about the prettiest little outdoor boutique set up you ever did see...

Anyhoo, that's enough of those self-indulgent shenanigans... I am so excited for summer!!

seacrest out. xo

sxswishlist

2010-03-18T09:18:00.001-05:00

get fashionable with us, sxsw style!

Yes, that is right. Come see me tomorrow afternoon and pick up some vintage, some super hot threads from the impeccably edited buy definition showroom, a SXSW 2010 screen printed tee, and a cocktail to boot. Talk about schwag! You're gonna impress yo friends!! And don't forget to bring your favorite old TEE OR TANK to screenprint!!

RSVP Y'ALL.

I am bringing vintage denim, vintage swimwear, pretty-pretty vintage dresses, 90's florals, polka dot bell bottoms, lace, tie-dye, sequins, ruffles, plaids, and one ultra-wicked bo derek gold and shells headpiece!

sneak peak?

Respect the needs of the black woman!! ya heard.

And if you haven't shopped at buydefinition.com before you are denying yourself some serious fashion luuuuv. Talk about style, this web site (and showroom) is stocked up with the best of the best.

My wishlist? So glad you asked.

leather shorts! These would be disastrous on me but a girl can dream...

did someone say cape? Bingo.

sorry an eagle clawed me in my ear. it's hot so I left it.

Anyway my birthday is coming up in 9 months so start saving up amigos! :)

SISTAH FRIENDS GARAGE SALE THIS SATURDAY!! xoxo

2010-03-05T07:00:00.002-06:00

ONCE AGAIN! Garage sale time friends...

JOIN US.

Come get cheap and dirty with the coolest girls I know.

Saturday, June 5th

1405 Newton St.

Austin, TX 78704

8 AM sharp!

FIND...

vintage clothes

not vintage clothes
appliances
baubles
knick-knacks
decoratives

housewares

jewelry

shoes

KIDS STUFF WOOOO

books

and all other kinds of random goodies!!

see you there good lookin'

And Don't forget to join me on

FACEBOOK
and
TWITTER

In store now...

2010-02-21T11:24:00.001-06:00

Bored with your closet? God knows I am (bored with your closet that it.)

Shop Magnolia Family Vintage RIGHT NOW xo

amazing vintage in ALL sizes...

Magnolia Family Vintage

lately get me shakin

2010-02-18T13:08:00.000-06:00

get inspired by Antonella Arismendi

love is love is love

2010-02-14T14:15:00.000-06:00

This is perfect.

that's all.

Happy Valentine's Day homesliiiiice xo

This is dumb.

2010-02-13T09:54:00.003-06:00

Anna Wintour is not a good person.

Not only has she single handedly delegated American Vogue into a joke of a fashion magazine but WHY oh why would you make Tina Fey into an ass clown like this? I ADORE me some Tina Fey. And I don't hate... I mean, what do you do when you're asked to pose on the cover of Vogue? What do you do when you're inevitably attacked by stylists and skeletor in a pencil dress? Oh Anna, Do you get some sort of sick pleasure in taking one of the only smart, funny women we have as a country to hold in high esteem and making her look awkward and p-p-painfully uncomfortable in the glossy pages?! BUNNY EARS?! (EDIT: my husband just pointed out that those are mouse ears, haha. IT'S TOO EARLY TO BE THIS UPSET. I get flustered.)

"please don't hurt me" - Tina's face

Your bobble head better hope I don't see you on the street Anna. Watch your back.

Now let me say that Tina does look PRETTY. Technically. She has a sweet little figure and at least on the cover she doesn't look constipated. Just stiff and vacant behind the eyes. Can you actually photoshop character out? Hm... I did not know that. But come on. Have you ever seen a more awkward expression than the one on her face in the long shot? I don't think I have.

This is not how I like to start my Saturday morning.

Seacrest OUT. xo

we did rock. we did swap.

2010-02-06T16:45:00.002-06:00

It's been a whole week since the Rock N' Swap and so I should probably go ahead and blog about it? I like to give myself a good, long window between the topic and the blog. Have you noticed? :) I want to say that I had such an amazing experience hosting my first ever full blown EVENT. I have never done anything like that before and was blessed! I was touched by all the love we were shown and all the amazing things people said to us at the event and afterwards. If you are one of the kind souls who texted me, emailed me, called me the day after I have to say thank you to the intensity of the sun. I felt so gratified! I felt like we learned a lot and in my mind put down a great foundation for something that will only get bigger and better. We have already discussed taking the next event to a bigger venue, making it all ages, maybe outside on a pretty summer afternoon...

Thank you to the amazing Tolly who took my little clothing swap idea nugget and turned into a full blown reality. Thank you to Beauty Bar for being so open to a kind of event that, as far as I know, no one has ever tried on that scale here in town? They were so good to us!! And thank you to the Cupcake Bar for the insanely good treats, Treaty Oak Rum for the booze we sooo took advantage of, and to Laced With Romance Vintage for bringing your beautiful goods and beautiful faces to the party.

Thank you to my close friends and my family who came out and worked their butts off in a variety of ways. Knowing I have so many people in this town who have my back makes this feel like my home... finally. You sorted and folded and hunted hangers and ran back and forth like banshees. You are champions.

And thank you to the lovely people who came out and swapped with us! If you said hello or just remained focused on fighting your way through the racks (which got a little tough there for a bit, no lie!) I am so glad you came. I met some really, really lovely people. My hope is that y'all had a good time and got yourself some goodies. I know a few people who scored some ridiculously cool items that made me more than a little green-eyed.

practice that pageant wave!

The Cupcake Bar!!

Door guy had a yo-yo AND let me do his job for five minutes. Hero alert.

The best of intentions!

Laurie Gallardo at the booth with my husband.

getting set up...

harhar

get you some!

vintage poncho of woooonder

worker beees

git it gurl. haha xo

See MORE PHOTOS from the event in the FACEBOOK ALBUM.

Ok, so as long as we're here and we're talking about Austin fashion events I might as well stack 'em deep and tell you about last nights highlight, the FASHION FREAK OUT!! I was so pumped I got to attend this because for the last two years I have been out of town every weekend that this has gone down. That is just silly. How much do I love vintage?? How much do I looove free vodka?? Haha, the answer is a lot. This is right up my alley.

Some lovely friends of mine like Kathleen, Magnolia Family Vintage's own model and "face of," and Tiffany the fashionista behind Austin is Burning, among others, were walking the runway last night and I got my SCREEEEAAAM on when they hit their pose!! I thought the looks were almost all divine, the models were working it, and the crowd was pumped. There was such a positive energy going on. I met some rad people last night too and got asked if my hair was real a surprising number of times... hm? If you were going to buy a wig would you really go for the white girl afro? I don't know...

I didn't get a lot of amazing pictures but there will be recaps all over the internet if you missed it. Here's what I did manage to retrieve with the help of my friend who was perched a slight bit closer than I on the Mohawk Roof area...

This one is for Cassidy haha ;)

Haha, I am actually laughing to myself right now about the fact that I thought these appropriate to post. Pretend they're like my memories themselves... a little fuzzy, a little rough, lovely from afar... I managed to get a whopping three other photos out of the evening. I really need to step up my photo taking game. I am having so much fun and freedom these days, it really should be proven!!

three hot chicks and one golden girl...

this photo officially justifies the return of the word FLY.

Did I mention I dyed my hair again? Well I did. It's blonde. :)

That's All I got. Seacrest Out. xo

How to Swap. (bring me good stuff)

2010-01-21T09:26:00.002-06:00

Let's talk Swap.

Not that this needs a whole lot of explanation but success is not guaranteed at an event such as this. It takes a bit of strategy and a good attitude. Just like having fun at a house party! Don't you wish someone had given you a little primer before you learned the hard way? For example- Don't show up on time, the host/hostess will inevitably still be in the shower. Don't stand in the hallway, you'll only get bumped every time someone needs to go to the bathroom and end up with beer all over yourself. And never assume the bathroom door is locked at a house party. Ever.

A few supah exciting updates before we begin... First, somehow I failed to mention in the first blog post that this event will be a charity event benefitting Arc of Austin (all leftover items will go to their shelter) and the Texas Advocacy Project (all proceeds from The Cupcake Bar.) This is an amazing opportunity to help out two great organizations.

Next, and I could not be more giddy to say this, after a brief eek! panic! moment over DJ issues, we have secured KUT's own Laurie Gallardo as the DJ for our event!!! WHAT!? I know. That's pretty cool. As a die-hard, all day long KUT listener and Texas Music Matters fan I just died a bit inside because besides the whole DJ'ing thing I GET TO MEET HER! haha. I am a nerd for public broadcasting and this is right up my alley. And the lady knows everything you would want to know about good music so our spot will be the jam for sure. What is "the jam" you say? Show up and find out.

Not new but IMPROVED and up to date event poster!!

(feel free to share it with your friends)

Oh! And not only will be Magnolia Family Vintage be swapping awesome goods, but we have guaranteed swapping from some of Austin's favorite fashionistas!

Esti Choi of buydefinition.com!

Tiffany of Austin is Burning!

Indiana Adams of AdoredAustin.com!

and we are adding names daily. Don't doubt it, you're going to find the good stuff.

Getting on with it...

"How To Succeed at a Clothing Swap by Just Trying a Little"

The Best of Intentions- My number one clothing swap concern lies in the spirit of the event. I want this event to be about community, fun, green-livin', and style. This is NOT - I REPEAT NOT- a chance for you to horde a bunch of stuff you plan to take and sell to Buffalo Exchange the next day. Please do not be a vulture. I can smell one a mile away and if I see you I will descend like a lioness separated from her cubs! I had a bad experience with this at my own garage sale when dozens of people arrived at dawn and indiscriminately hauled away garbage bags of the best stuff to sell at their city-wide garage sale stalls, I am sure... Before any vintage loving, real-life, stylish peoples even showed up! Call me old fashioned and hard to please but I love to see it all go to a loving home where someone will put it on and feel FLY!* Dig it, love it ,wear it.
Nothing but Possibilities- Come in believing you could find something neat and adorable that just wasn't someone else's cup of tea. Come with hope and nothing to lose. After all, you didn't pay to get in and what you did bring to swap will go to a good cause either way. You may not find that sought after vintage Galliano cape you've always wanted. Most people don't swap that kind of schwag. Most people swap what doesn't fit, what they were into last year (could be what you're into now...) , and what they bought and never wore. I know a lot of women have said "I won't find anything in my size" and "I am too old" and to that I say shut up. Seriously. I have had it up to HERE with the wah wah. Lots of women are your size and lots of women are your age. No reason to think they won't be there too. It's just not true. Like the argument that you can't find vintage "in your size." I am living proof that that is BS. Not only do I fit my butt into it on a daily basis, I have found and sold tons of truly plus size items from the past... The point is this is not a sample sale and you have to open your mind. Never thought about belting a shirt before and wearing it as a mini-dress but your curious because you've seen it look adorable on someone else?? Well NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! You could find a belt and a shirt for free and give it a go. If it doesn't work out... well, you tried something new and there is a goodwill down the street. But you know what? I bet you look FLY**
What to Bring- Bring anything! Almost. Bring things you at least liked at one point or someone else did (that sweater your Aunt gave you is nice but not your style...) Feel free to bring dresses, shirts, tees, sweaters, vests, pants, skirts, scarves, belts, shoes, purses, and shorts! Vintage is welcome OF COURSE and so is new and so is that period in the 90's that seems up for discussion :) There aren't a whole lot of rules here... Except, okay, just don't be gross or insulting. Don't bring it if you knew it was ugly in 1997. Don't bring it if it has stains of an unidentified origin. Or stains at all. There would be very few exceptions to this unless you can prove to me that the ketchup came right off the french fry that Jon Hamm dropped out of his own pretty mouth. Got me? A lot of people would say don't bring things that need repairing/have holes. I am of the opinion that if it is a great item otherwise, someone might want to put the ten minutes of repair time into it that you didn't! Another thing to keep in mind is that a maxi dress can be turned into a mini, long sleeves to short, things can be altered... When you get something free you're liberated to do as you wish with it. Items full of holes should be left at home unless they're those items that look so super cool with holes like jean shorts and metal tees. Word. Bring your stuff neatly folded, if possible, ideally in a resuable bag you can then use to haul off your loot in. Final word- bring stuff I would like, muahaha.
Logistics- On the day of this event, when you show up with your bag to swap, you will receive in return a ticket for each item, up to ten. Please feel free to bring more than ten items because, as you know, any extra goes to a great cause (but please don't dump a giant bag of whatever at our feet because you figure we'll take care of it. Pick and choose what you want to swap!) Then you will proceed inside to dig around through what other people have brought. This is also the time when you get a cupcake and something to drink, in other words, the very best part! When you find and decide you want to keep something, you will give one of your tickets to a Rock N' Swap worker bee manning the table you're sifting through. You will have ten tickets so you get to take home ten items. This is how we are going to try and prevent the aforementioned vulturing.

So, are you pumped? I am. You think that up there is a whole lot of blah-blah?? It totally is. If there is one thing I know how to do, it is overthink. But then again are you a professional finder of awesome things for super cheap that other people want? I didn't think so! Since I am... I may have some insight here. I certainly do love this kind of thing and I hope to see your pretty/handsome face there...

*FLY needs to come back. I love saying it and I am going to be throwing it around a lot. It is super fun, try it. "Girl, you look FLY!" See what I mean?

**What did I tell you?

Rock it, Swap it.

2010-01-18T13:04:00.002-06:00

Hey y'all.

My confession this winter is that I refuse to take off my leggings and I have amassed a collection of oversized sweaters you could drown in. I do not consider this "getting dressed" per se but it's been working for me for months now...

It's been a beautiful holiday season in the magnolia family manse. I hope you all had a an equally pleasant roll into 2010. We spent the Christmas in Montana with family. We snowshoed, we layered, we dogsledded. My toes froze and m daughter was spoiled like crazy, to be expected. We came home to a bright new year and then free week in Austin's Red River District blended right into what I fondly call my birthday month. Yes, I am now 28 years old. I cannot lie, so far 28 looks like a gem and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday weekend. Good company, good family, kind words, good music, tasty food... I could go on. Truth be told I have been absent from blogging too long to bother trying to catch you up. It's been a lot. I am blessed in my life and in my heart.

On my break from work and from blogging I took the time to reconsider what I want to do here. The original intention of this blog seems to have come and gone. The absence of plan for what I was going to do when my year of living thriftily OFFICIALLY ended left me a bit confounded. I love to share the things I love and my passion remains in the spirit of living green by making good use of what we already have (as opposed to focusing on sustainable ways to make MORE things, which is it's own lovely thing). And so that is what I plan to continue to promote and discuss here. But limits aren't my thing. Planning gives me hives. Definitions give me the heebie jeebs. So I am just not going to bother with those. I am going to commit this particular blog (ooooh sneaky did you know I keep other ports of call??) to recording and l-l-l-loving anything I want :) My beautiful family, my addiction to the treasure hunt, the road trips, the good time bands, my need for everyone to express themselves with style... You get it. You know what's up.

So here is the good news! Well, in my mind there is a lot of god news but the most immediate and the most exciting is that I can now unleash upon you what we have been working on here behind the scenes for quite awhile...

Remember for the few of you who were paying attention I said free clothes!? Good booze! Music! Well here it be.

Mark your calendar.

What? you say.... Well it is a clothing swap. A big one. This isn't the weekday night-living room swap you may have been to or heard about in the past. This is much better. In my head, I had the thought "Wouldn't it be fun to host a clothing swap? Wouldn't it be MORE fun if there was liquor? And music??" Not exactly nuclear engineering but hey, here we are. I joined forces with the effervescent and shockingly well connected Tolley over at Austin Eavesdropper and wham-bam we have Beauty Bar, we have Treaty Oak Rum, we have The Cupcake Bar, we have Laced With Romance lending their always impeccable hippie selections... This is a lot of good stuff.

Now listen carefully. I know that not everyone has been to a swap or even knows how a clothing swap works. It is as simple as can be.

You show up at Beauty Bar on January 30th between 6 and 10pm.
You bring with you ten items of clean clothes (items such as shoes, belts, and purses will be counted) in good condition and with reasonable belief that someone else may want them. You don't have ten items of clothing to spare? No worries.
You can also swap with us a measly $5 at the door and we'll let you inside the fray.
Once you're in you get to treasure hunt through the clothes other people bring and take up to ten items home with you! For free! And if you just hate the idea of taking home free clothes... well, I won't address how many ways something could be wrong with you but I will say that you can also shop a little vintage from our own Magnolia Family Vintage or Laced With Romance, drink a little rum and hope a cat fight breaks out, do a little dance around the piles to the rock and roll part of the rock and swap... You know, lots of options.

We're going to want a lot of people to show up. The more people show up the more clothes there are to swap the more chances increase that we can all walk away with our new favorite things! I love that idea. I love a good chance. Hopeful, isn't it? So you know, get your talk on and tell people what is happening!! You can RSVP at the web site and post all about it on Facebook and you know you have a blog that you want to use for good and not evil. Let the world know.

Now, I will be publishing a comprehensive "How to Succeed at a Clothing Swap by Just Trying a Little" this week. There is a spirit and a method to the madness!! Keep your eyes open and in the meantime start setting aside your swap offerings and tell your friends.

Seacrest Out.

foremanphoto

2009-12-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

If you live in Austin you may have picked up a copy of RARE magazine, the fashion issue, in the last couple of weeks. If you have, you may have noticed a surprisingly fresh fashion spread.

*please excuse the wonky cropping.

The fantastic thing about this is that Alan Foreman, the photographer, is a native! Or a local... who knows how long he has lived here the point is that he does! Austin does have it's own burgeoning fashion scene but Mr. Foreman's resume includes various international ELLE'S, Blackbook, and a Vogue (Spain according the web site.) Those are credentials we don't see much of here because they hoard them in NYC and other such bright lights big cities! I also happen to know that he and his wife have started a brand new model management company, the absence of which was, in my opinion, a void in Austin until now. They have girls flying all over the country, signing with major agencies, appearing in NYLON for goodness sakes. Enough of that, you'd think I was trying to work with the man or something... ahem. His work speaks for itself.

the giving spirit.

2009-12-09T08:48:00.000-06:00

I am in the mood to give.

It's not something that happens that often so my advice is take advantage

and now is your chance!!

OR!

(I can't decide which photo I like better for this purpose. Please choose for yourself which appeals to you, gets you in the spirit more, and then focus on it.)

The Prizes!

I am making THREE gift packs that are all vintage, all from the heart :) I will be including vintage jewelry, a vintage scarf, and something else, who knows. I will gift wrap your present and mail it to the winner by Wednesday, December 16th. I am actually GOING SHOPPING for these gifts, not just selecting from the magnolia family closet. Fancy, right?

How to Enter!!

While this is all in the holiday spirit, I am still going to use it to my advantage. Winners will be chosen at random from followers of the Magnolia Family Vintage twitter account on Monday, December 14th. That's five days to push ONE BUTTON that says follow. I want to get 100 followers by Christmas! I will put your name in the drawing twice if you tweet about this giveaway, this blog, my awesomeness, etc, etc. You will have to message me or comment to let me know if you have payed it forward though. I wouldn't want to miss it!

Who doesn't like a pretty gift under their tree from a stranger? No one doesn't like that.

Ok, got it? Follow the shop ON TWITTER to win a super cute, hand-picked, holiday gift package from the family de magnolia aka me, and Magnolia Family Vintage.

xo.

New listings in the Magnolia Family Vintage shop...xo

2009-12-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

New additions in the Magnolia Family Vintage shop...

sequins! minis! Marc Jacobs! Oscar de la Renta! fur!

Click to shop...

this is

2009-12-04T22:05:00.001-06:00

this is...

my first cover credit (stylist) on a national magazine!

*accompanied by the pretty, pretty photo story inside, also mine whaaaats up.

(they actually cut my favorite looks from the shoot! Oh well, I will get the pics and show them off here, just the same...)

this is...

awesome. that's all really.

this is...

just badass. and so true.

yeah, it's a Friday night and this is how I roll. tomato soup and sweet lovin cuddle time with my man.

I ~

2009-12-01T20:59:00.000-06:00

am in love. tokion sept/oct 2009 "earth angel"

photos by Stephen Schacher

~~If anyone else out there with superior google skills can find this whole series, I will send you a lock of my hair and a recipe for honeybun cake. No kidding.~~

Nevermind! High fives and candy apples for Hilarie who directed me to the Zinio web site and WHABAM. I added the rest of the gorgeous set.

On a different note!

We're friends, right? In the modern sense of the word we are.

Follow me on Twitter! (Sarahhatespants, harhar)

Aaaaand

Follow Magnolia Family Vintage on Twitter.

We'll make it worth your tweet time in the New Year with some nifty deals, sneak peeks, and not to mention my ever-awesome insight from thrift stores across this fair nation... Don't doubt it.

time machine girl crush

2009-11-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

USCHI! Obermaier.

Arguably the most beautiful groupie.

ever? It's possible.

radical. model. mick, keith, jimmy. style maker... it's quite a resume.

Uschi Obermaier was discovered by the magazine twen. Thin and petite but feminine she represented a new type of model and exposed frontal nudity for the first time on a magazine cover.

In Munich, Obermaier was briefly involved with Pamir survivor Othello (a.k.a. Rudolf Liebzeit). Obermaier moved from Munich to the Berlin-based Kommune 1 after she had become Rainer Langhans' girlfriend. Langhans and Obermaier talked openly to the media about their relationship, becoming symbols of the sexual revolution. Some commentators in Germany claim thatJohn Lennon and Yoko Ono, among others, followed their example.

Obermaier was not viewed by most in the Ausserparlamentarische Opposition as one of their activists. She did not take part in radical feminist campaigns like other female members and friends of the Kommune 1. She was best known for appearances in German magazines Der Spiegel and Stern, in which she appeared openly nude and using marijuana.

Rainer Langhans mentions in his autobiography that he and Uschi Obermaier met Peter Green in Munich, where they invited him to their "High-Fish-Commune". They were not really interested in Peter Green. They just wanted to get in contact with Mick Taylor: Langhans and Obermaier wished to organize a "Bavarian Woodstock". They wanted Jimi Hendrix and "TheRolling Stones" to be the leading acts of their Bavarian open air festival. They needed the "Green God" just to get in contact with "The Rolling Stones" via Mick Taylor.

Obermaier probably was the best known German groupie of the 1960s. She was briefly a member of the Krautrock-band Amon Düül, and is said to have had affairs with Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix.

(text is obviously from wikipedia... links and all.)

The last two photos show Uschi with Natalia Avelon, the actress who portrayed her in the biopic Eight Miles High. It's a fun film and Uschi was involved in the entire process of making it, which lends the credibility that most biopics do not enjoy.

Uschi is in her 60's now and obviously still a stunner. She makes jewelry and lives in Topanga Canyon.

sarah hates pants

blah blah blah, etc.

old words. new day. no pictures.

magical creatures, insidious creatures!

sxsw was all about MFV. no, really.

who are you?

as days go by

for and of the magnolia man.

On pants and why Sarah hates them*

Ann He lends her shine to MFV ♥

they say you're back but I never knew you left

gonna make it through this year (if it kills me)

Baked Penne Pasta with Roasted Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce

watch me while I congratulate myself

light and leather

do right and kill everything.

native, son. (this is not a tumblr)

the day's not over yet

let's get laced.

the long and winding golden brick road...

Summertime Sistah Friends Garage Sale AGAIN! xo

Take that malaise!

sxswishlist

SISTAH FRIENDS GARAGE SALE THIS SATURDAY!! xoxo

In store now...

lately get me shakin

love is love is love

This is dumb.

we did rock. we did swap.

How to Swap. (bring me good stuff)

Rock it, Swap it.

foremanphoto

the giving spirit.

New listings in the Magnolia Family Vintage shop...xo

this is

I ~

time machine girl crush