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RU1: Sequins Snow & Sheets

I've decided to do weekly roundups of little things that I've done or discovered that don't deserve a full post, but that I still want to share! Ideally I'd like to do these on Sundays, but of course here I am starting on a Monday. Hopefully I can get into a good routine for this!

First off: 

A quick interveiw with my friend and classmate Valerie!

From my original article on HerCampus: 

"Valerie Detwiler, a freshman at IU and a Bloomington native, is rocking this eclectic and chic outfit! Her favorite piece is obviously the fox sweater. Her best friend bought it for her at Urban Outfitters, knowing how much she loves sequins. Plus it has so much character! She kept the rest of her outfit simple and inexpensive with a denim jacket and purple flats from Old Navy, pants from Forever 21, and a structured bag from Target."

I'm so jealous of her....

Look guys! I made a gif! (You might have to click on it to see, but I promise it's worth it!)

 

Some cool trees with little hanging stems. Reminds me a lot of the short films that went along with the album Let England Shake by PJ Harvey... Speaking of which, I'm really hoping to do a kind of pattern series based off these beautiful videos. The music is lovely but also very, very sad.

 

(still from Bitter Branches)

Speaking of patterns, here's a bit of a swirly pattern I made a few nights ago. It kind of started looking like an octopus and now I can't unsee it!

 

 

And from a sudden sprinkling of snow we had a few nights ago....

I haven't decided yet if I want to do a full post about the snow. I was really surprised how the camera captured the snowflakes, but all the pictures turned out looking very much the same!

And from other websites.....

I love these plushies from LokiCoki! The mixture of crochet and felt is right up my alley. She has cute little creatures of all kinds for sale in her etsy!

My favorite newly-discovered blog: In Color Order. Just look at that header! I came across this blog when I was looking at patterns on tumblr and discovered Jeni's amazing collection of vintage sheets. The colors and floral patterns are just gorgeuous, and she makes such beautiful quilts out of them! I am just itching to take her advice on thrifting to find my own unique fabrics!

That's all for this week! I know this all seemed a bit disorganized, so I'll probably keep working on the format in coming weeks. But I hope you enjoyed it!

Interobang!?

The other night I was at Bloomington's own Bishop to see the wonderful local band, Interobang! Interobang is a side project of two of my friends, Daniel Talton and Coleman Lowndes, who are both recording arts majors here at IU. Coleman is also a member of the Natives, an Americana band, while Daniel calls Little Timmy McFarland of Flight 19 home. Interobang is a mixture of folk punk, classic blues, rock, and country.

 

Setting up onstage

Special guest Aaron Frazer of Charlie Patton's War on banjo!

Sound checkin'

Daniel (aka Curly Dan) rocking that little guitar!

Ol' Coleman.

 

It was an excellent show. This was Interobang's debut at the Bishop, and I can't wait to see them again!

 

10 pieces, 10 ways

My best friend and roommate Misha had to create a magazine spread for one of her classes, and she used me as her model! The shoot was inspired by Kendi Everyday's 30x30 Remix challenge. She took 30 items of clothing and combined them in new ways every day for a month! We used 10 pieces to create a total of 10 outfits, each one a little different. The shoot took place around IU's campus on a beautiful, warm day.

The items are:

• Striped cardigan from  Charlotte Rousse
• White flower t-shirt from J. Crew
• Navy blazer from Forever 21
• Vintage red button-down
• Purple skirt from H&M
• Black leggings from Kohl's
• Gray skinny jeans from Levi's
• Denim top from H&M
• Faux fur vest from Forever 21
• Black skirt from Kohl's
• Neutral blouse from Forever 21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, that may or may not have actually been 11 items.... I think we need to re-learn to count! Regardless, this was super fun and both of us will probably do the 30-day challenge for real soon!

snowshots

Last night we had a little Valentine's Day snow flurry. It was weird having snow after it being so warm already, but it was still beautiful. I had some fun messing around with my camera in the flakes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

the wondrous music building

The other day I tagged along with my friend Dan to the Musical Arts Center at Indiana University. I got some cool pictures in the recording studio and an interview with a local band (more on that another day!) but most of all I discovered how surprisingly beautiful this building is on the inside. Here are some of my favorite shots:

 

tea time!

One of my favorite traditions when I visit family is to go to Miss Minerva's Tea Room in Culpepr, Virginia. It is quite delightful, with vintage dishes and hundreds of types of tea to choose from.

It is all very whimsical and old-fashioned, two of my favorite things.

Of course my favorite part is the little back room where each guest can pick a hat to wear!

We each ordered our own pot of tea, which were all delightfully mismatched. I drank a nice chai...

...and ate a scone with cream and strawberry jam...

...and some butternut squash soup...

...and a lovely assortment of tiny sandwiches, quiche, stuffed mushrooms, and lemon cake. Although it was all finger food, we were definitely stuffed by the end!!

Here Darby models a bright red hat!

Naturally before we left, we had to take a photo with Miss Minerva herself!

holiday at the cemetery

A few days after Christmas, my family and I traveled to Virginia to visit all of the family we have there. One of our first stops was Arlington National Cemetery in DC. 

We visited my Oma, who died a few years ago, and her husband, who I never knew.

The weather was gorgeous-- so warm! There were birds everywhere and the sky was so blue. We also got to see the graves that were decorated with wreaths for the holiday. It was beautiful seeing hundreds of those red bows, as far as the eye could see.

We also visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. My dad explained that the guard is constantly counting in his head, to perfectly time each movement. I can't even imagine the dedication this would take.

We also walked through this beautiful marble amphitheater. It was quiet and echoey and I loved all the perfectly-spaced columns.

I'm so glad I can see this beautiful place every year!

a heidschi bumbeidschi christmas

Christmas in my family tends to be a very German affair. We have all the decorations my parents brought back from Germany in the '80s, as well as contributions from Oma, my German grandmother. Therefore we have a lot of things that seem absolutely normal to me, but weird to anyone else.

First: The Räuchermänner!!

Also known as Smoking Men, these little wooden men are hollow to allow a cone of incense  inside. They have holes in their mouths so when the incense burns, it looks like they are smoking!

I remember hating the smell when I was yonuger, but now it is so nostalgic to me. This tradition comes from the Ore Mountains, in between Germany and the Czech Republic, where my Oma was from (as she always said, she was Bohemian, not just German)! 

And what was that strange thing in the background of the first picture? My second favorite decoration, the Weihnachtspyramide, or Christmas Pyramid! It is a pointy arch shape with small candles on the base, and helicopter-like arms on top that spin around when the heat from the candles rises. I just love the tiny wooden carvings of toys and the painted gold stars. This tradition is also from the same area, but has now spread all over Germany; history suggests that these pyramids came before Christmas trees!

Speaking of Christmas trees... I figured out how to use manual-focus on my new camera to create that cool bokeh effect.

And finally, Heidschi Bumbeidschi! Of course, Christmas would not be complete without our traditional German carols. Here is my all-time favorite Christmas song!!

 

Download 06 Aber Heidschi Bumbeidschi