navy and ivory.. or, if I were liesl from the sound of music, I might wear something like this.

Photos by Neil!

Vintage Navy and Lace Pleated Coat - Tennessee Antique Mall

Ivory Lace Dress, Gold Heart Locket - Forever21

Brown Suede Wedges - Kimchi Blue, Urban Outfitters

Another find from last weekend's Tennessee Antique Mall excursion was this navy and cream coat. It's fully lined and pleated with great covered buttons and pretty lace cuffs and collar.. and it reminds me a bit of the Sound of Music.

Lately, I've been thinking about my New Years Resolutions. I am 100% a procrastinator, so the idea of a whole year to meet my goals is a bit daunting because I WILL put them off until December. I feel much more comfortable when I keep my goals on my mind with the intention to tackle them quickly.

So when it's been a matter of a few weeks and I'm already telling you guys about my New Years progress, don't be mistaken and consider me a timely or organized person. Just ask my mom. I am merely trying to avoid the inevitable, which is STARTING PROJECTS I NEVER FINISH.

That said, here's my progress. I've been seeking out fabric with my friend Lauren (who knows about 100 times more than I do about sewing) for my dress, although it's rather difficult when I have no set pattern yet. Consider the Built by Wendy Guide to Dresses already on pre order (okay, and Bioshock 2.. I've got to have that in my life). I've chosen a nonfiction book to dive into - a Rasputin biography Meaghan's boyfriend Mike lent me. Neil has given me a lovely harmonica in the key of C. AND.. I've found a dress form, which I believe will really add to the more professional aesthetic of my shop. It's in southern Illinois (thanks to Craigslist for puppies and dress forms!), so we're going to pick the guy up on our way to St Louis for our Valentine's Day excursion. She will probably need a name, as she is going to become a member of our family. Any ideas? Can't wait to introduce you all.

On a negative, but still related, note, there was a bit of a Facebook blowout due to my last shop update. A girl I went to college with happens to work in an animal shelter and was really offended by my rabbit's fur coat I just listed in my shop. While her intentions may have been good, her way of approaching it was a bit childish (thankfully my sisters and brother-in-law came to my rescue!). My policy is if I find something unique in a thrift store or an antique store, I put it to use. If I can't, I find someone else who will. I won't necessarily go out and buy a new fur coat (although I've definitely bought my fair share of faux fur lately), but I have no moral issues with the pretty 40's fur cape my mother-in-law bought me at the flea market. Where do you stand? Do you guys find vintage fur to be appealing or inhumane?

But more than making me examine whether or not to wear a vintage fur coat (my feelings on fur don't change just because someone gets angry), this small debacle has helped me with the 'love more' resolution. I have a hard time balancing my opinionated feelings with my love for others. The smallest argument can lead to the biggest roadblock in respecting someone. Can we love others without agreeing with others? It seems simple, but most of the time, it's a really hard thing to do. Since graduating college, I've become more and more set in my ways, taking pride in being different. I can't tell you how many fights I've gotten into with friends over different tastes in music or film or politics.. and most of the time, they are fights I will more than happily join. But when arguments (especially ones that, at the core, don't matter - like why Amadeus is a better movie than Avatar) get in the way of loving or accepting someone, you know something is up. The point of this is I can see myself in my opinionated college acquaintance. I think the flaws in others that bother us the most are the ones we ultimately can see in ourselves, and that's why this chick annoyed me with her pretensions. This teaches me that maybe I should accept my friends more as they are than as I am or as I want them to be, even if one of them does happen to have an obsession with Taylor Swift's music and, in turn, can't understand my obsession with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

I'm pleased to report that an interview and giveaway are currently in the works! A great girl that runs one of the cutest Etsy shops (and that's saying a lot.. how many wonderful Etsy stores are there, anyway?) and I have been plotting and scheming. More info coming soon!