Escape to a Small Town

Because we weren't escaping town to Chicago yesterday, my sis and I decided to escape town to a slightly closer, more charming, and less exciting destination called Bellefonte.

The sunny skies fooled me into thinking it was warmer than it really was, so all I wore under my jacket was the polka dot shirt from yesterday's post. It wasn't very warm.

It might not be Chicago, but Bellefonte is a cute town about 20 minutes away from Happy Valley, good for a day escape to small town America. Not to mention antique and thrift shops galore.

I went in with a few things in mind that I wanted to find: flower brooches, a birdcage veil, and once again, an antique cake topper. However, as we all know, the number one rule of thrifting is to not be on the lookout for any one thing in particular, and I'm finding that to be especially true when I search for wedding things. When I went antiquing with my dad a few months ago, there were flower brooches EVERYWHERE. I figured I would have no problem finding enough to make one of these:

Yesterday? Nothing of the sort! Guess we'll just have to keep searching.

But! As we turned to go up the rickety stairs of the never-ending antique mall, I saw this leaning against the railing:

Two bucks!

Keeping an open mind for the decor has led to all kinds of fun ideas that I never would have thought! Things are just in the beginning stage now, but I can't wait until things start coming together.

All that dust in the air sure worked up an appetite, so Em and I headed over to Cool Beans Cafe where I had a delicious hummus and veggie wrap, probably the most healthy thing I've consumed in the past month. But then, my after-lunch treat cancelled out all nutrition that I had probably gained from that veggie-licious creation...

Oh well.

All in all, yesterday was another great thing to lift me out of the post-Christmas funk. Now go drink some coffee and curl up by the fire with a good book. Or Cosmo. Either way.

Bon Appetit!

Polka Dots and Post-Christmas Depression

Helloooo to my freezing funky junkies!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that Santa was as good to you this year as he was to me. I also hope that in the midst of the Christmas season stress and chaos that your family was blessed with the little things that make the holidays a memorable time of year. I know that for me, after the last minute gift shopping and the hoards of presents are opened, Christmas ultimately lies in the memories made with my loved ones: holiday party-ing with my girlfriends I've known since preschool, a day-long cookie baking marathon with my mom and sister, and spending Christmas Eve with my family, amazing fiance, and future family-in-law.

I've also had a slight change in my Christmas break plans, as a nasty bout of the stomach flu hit the Saylor household put a wrench in travel plans for the Chicago externship. I'm hoping to work out switching to do it over Spring Break. Although the break didn't quite turn out as we had planned, this now means two more weeks of relaxing, sleeping in, and wedding crafting! Not to mention I'll have someone to kiss on New Years Eve. ;-)

Yesterday I found myself in a bit of a post-holiday funk, so I sauntered down to Goodwill. In addition to a burnt red spring/fall coat and a hot pink blazer, I was drawn to some blue and white polka dots peeking out of the rack. It was a really neat cut, but the only problem? It was rocking some 80s, mom-tastic shoulder pads.

Hop in the mini van, kids!

But after some loving scissor cutting/ripping the shoulder pads out, as well as some seam ripping to let the collar open a liiiitle lower, it looked like a whole new shirt. The pearls, earrings, and makeup certainly didn't hurt either, I suppose.

Major to-do on this week's agenda: make and assemble wedding invitations. I'll keep you posted on the progress, and even let you see a sneak peak of my Microsoft Publisher creation!

Until next time...eat lots of leftover/stale Christmas cookies, play with your new toys, and don't feel bad for being sick of Christmas music on the radio.

Happy Holidays from The Funky Junkie!

It's Time for Mistletoe and Holly...Especially Mistletoe.

With seven semesters of college down and one to go, I am officially on CHRISTMAS BREAK! My last one ever. Woah.

With Christmas classics on Grooveshark radio, I'm sitting in my kitchen at home waiting for mom and sister to get home so that the Christmas cookie baking marathon can begin. Meanwhile, I'm relishing in that fact that I can now shamelessly stalk wedding blogs without guilt. Because I have no projects, papers, or exams. Schooool's out. For. Winter.

These next few weeks of freedom will hopefully mean lots of time to get the ball rolling on some wedding crafts and decorations! Namely, invitations, gifts for my bridesmaids, and most of all, sifting through the masses of photos and ideas stored on the computer and narrowing it down to which things I want to be on the look out for in my antique and thrifting adventures (which there will hopefully be one or two to tell about by the time break is over!)

But until then, feast your eyes on some of my latest inspirations:

 

-Bren

The Funky (But Not Junky) Professional

Even though I still have a whole semester left before I enter into the real world, (Jobs! Marriage! Cooking dinner every night!) I've been starting to get antsy about transitioning from a late-sleeping, leggings-and-sweater wearing, Top-Model-Marathon-watching college student to a responsible, suit-wearing, Wall-Street-Journal reading wife and career woman. Maybe.

All that aside, there is one thing that I am getting excited about, which is building up my cute professional clothes wardrobe! I know that might seem weird to be thrilled at the prospect of sweatpants and jeans no longer being an option for looking presentable at work, but lately when I've shopped downtown or look through magazines, I find myself thinking to myself, that would look cute with a blazer and some funky jewelry! Instead of, I could really use some more going out clothes! Well...maybe that's not entirely true...

When I used to think of going to work, I used to think of this:

Yikes. How boring. I was pretty sure my days of funky clothes and thrifty shopping would be screeched to a halt once I got a job. Goodbye Goodwill, hellooo overpriced department stores....

But last summer when I had an internship at the Bedford Springs Resort and Spa, I had a coworker who defied all of my previous conceptions of the working woman. Every time she walked in to work, she looked ADORABLE while still professional! She rocked everything from bright, funky blouses to non-traditional suit coats. That's when I realized, just because you need to dress professional, it doesn't mean your individual style has to go out the window.

The best part? You can totally thrift that stuff!

In January I'll be working at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers for a week-long externship in Human Resources. Finally, a job that requires a different outfit from my usual messyFood and Beverage uniform! My mommy and I are planning on a shopping trip in the near future for some of these funky and fabulous work clothes. Here are a few of the things I'm looking for:

And just for kicks....I looooooooove this vintage look:

And while I'm at it, this is what I'll wear to bake pies for my husband:

On a more boring note, I am one final away from being one step closer to all of this exciting adventures to come. While I should be studying Updike, Cheever, and Bradbury (an English essay test...c'mon, reallyyyy?), I have been gorging on Christmas cookies, drinking too much coffee, watching Christmas movies, and coloring. Yes, coloring. With my fiance. Don't judge.

The Sky is a Hazy Shade of Winter

....and I am dreaming of this:

Christmas: Then and Now

As the snow drifts softy outside my window and NSYNC's Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays (you gotta watch their music video for this, by the way--90's nostalgia at its finest, a Gary Coleman appearance, and bleached blonde babes) comes on my itunes Christmas playlist, I can't help but be taken back to my childhood and teenage years of Christmas at the Saylor house. However, things over the years have changed, and as I prepare to spend this Christmas as a 'kid' for the last time so to speak, I started thinking about the other Christmas things that have evolved as I have grown...

Christmas Eve
THEN: Before the term "all-nighter" was in our vocabulary, my sister and I stayed up ALL NIGHT talking, looking at old photo albums, reading, and singing. Since we weren't allowed downstairs until 7am, we'd sneak out of our rooms to grab our stockings around 5, trying to make opening them somehow last two hours. Which never happened.
NOW: Staying up, overindulging on mom's cookies and poppyseed roll, and watching the 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon. Trying to see how long it's possible to sleep in as to not make gift opening stretch past 4 pm. And despite waking up at 10am, consuming copious amounts of coffee throughout the day.

Gifts
THEN: Longing for an Easy Bake Oven, and being completely devastated when I found that heat from a light bulb will not produce the delicious treats I saw on the commercial.

NOW: Having a whole new appreciation for a home cooked meal and stocking up on leftovers to bring back to college.

THEN: Who wants money and clothes for Christmas? BO-RING.
NOW: Who wants money and clothes for Christmas? THIS GIRL.

Winter Fun
THEN:Snow days, where the day was spent out in the snow instead of school.
NOW: Snowy days, where the day is spent in school or work instead of in the snow. Not that the snow is particularly inviting. Oh, the memories of snowballs in the face...

Music
THEN: Boy bands releasing sub-par holiday albums that occasionally carried the smash hit (see exhibit A, NSYNC.)

NOW:  Three words: Glee Christmas Album.

THINGS THAT HAVEN'T CHANGED (AND NEVER WILL!)

The classic Hershey Kiss Christmas commercial

The bliss of biting into a warm peanut butter blossom cookie

No matter how sick you may be of it, the depression that goes with all the radio stations switching back over to secular music as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Day

Knowing all the of the words to the songs in White Christmas and singing along every time without shame.

Forever having an excuse to buy a new red dress for the holiday party season.

Saying I'll get all my Christmas shopping done on Black Friday, yet still finding myself scrambling around the mall on December 24th.

As we plunge into the Christmas season full speed ahead, I hope that this holiday finds you all in happiness and good health. I can't wait to blog about Christmasy crafts, keep you up to date on the weddin' plannin', and hopefully make some thrifty excursions here and there.

In other news....how cute would these as wedding favors be? I'm hoping to try them out at some point soon.

Looooove and all things Christmas,
Bren