the basics

 

there's pretty much nothing more basic than a white button-down with denim. well maybe a white tee, but you get the idea. it will never go out of style and it's a fool proof option when you just gotta put clothes on your body and get out the door. the brilliance of a basic is that you can change it on a whim with accessories. now it's pretty obvious from the pics what i paired my white shirt and cutoffs with, but it would have been equally as appropriate to wear strappy sandals, a metallic cross body bag, and colorful statement necklace. throw a blazer over it, maybe a leather jacket, wear it with boots. seriously, the options are endless! these are my favorite things to have in my closet; classic, basic items that make getting dressed easy and make accessorizing fun. and in full disclosure, i wear these shorts probably 3 times a week and these loafers about as often. they are workhorses in my wardrobe. i am nothing if not sartorially responsible.

wearing:

thrift shop purchased white shirt originally from old navy

boys levi's cut off by yours truly

vintage choker and loafers

clutch and cuff bracelet given to me by my lovely sister

thrifted sunglasses available in my shop

clyde's rebirth june necklace

gage huntley wrist harness

life lately

august. she's a cruel mistress. while her days are the hottest of the year, there's always the threat of the cold months ahead. to me august is a time of transition, when i feel most reflective. and subsequently most vulnerable. i tend to go into self-preservation mode and take a step back from life so i can get a grip on myself. there's never one big thing that brings on this feeling, but a realization that life is passing me by at an incredible rate and i can't grab hold of it tight enoughit's like my soul has lost it's anchor. but not really because that can never truly happen. that's why i have the tattoo on my forearm, as a daily reminder that in the midst of struggles, i have a hope that sustains me. even as i see my son getting older and i am getting older and i feel like i'm looking winter square in the face....i know it's going to be okay. then when september comes along i mellow out. things fall back into place and i'm grounded once again. plus there's football.

flip flop

 

school is in session, but i'm holding on to summer as long as i can. donning a simple weekend outfit complete with resort-wear style jacket, easy slip-on dress, and my ever present flip flops. 

these past few months have renewed my love for the thonged sandal. there was a time in my life when i couldn't bear to hear the incessant flip-flopping noise they made. this summer, however, i found myself creating outfits around them. like, what can i wear with my flips? these $2 shoes made of rubber and plastic have been my go-to options. i will miss them when the weather gets cooler and i'm forced to wear far more stylish footwear. until then, long live flip flops and long live the jolly roger.

wearing

coogi jacket that i thrifted. pretty rad, no?

thrifted f21 body con dress

vintage gold choker and purse

walmart flips from the boys section

sale! yay!

for all my local peeps, i'm having a big fat sale in the shop! i love sales. i bet you do too.

SoBro

 

i'm recycling outfits again. i originally wore this on saturday in austin. it was kinda the perfect thing to throw on for a super hot south texas afternoon of scoring rad thrift merch. and really, the summer here has been kind of a disappointment. yesterday temps finally made it back into the 90s so i jumped at the chance to wear something easy and that i can sweat in without it looking like i sweat in it. i know gross, but it's also totally true.

i also thought this the perfect opportunity to introduce you to our sobro monster (sobro=south broadway). a friend came over and tagged the wall off our back deck. eventually we'd like to graffiti the whole thing but this is a good start. i dig it.

wearing

vintage running tank

thrifted floral skirt and sandals

clyde's rebirth june necklace

gage huntley stamped necklace and wrist harness

#txsc13 is about learning

photo cred: totally stole it from paige

i'm still reaping the benefits of all that i learned from the ladies up on the txsc stage. not the least of which came by way of the sassy little ginger who's raising her hand in the picture above.

so let me just give you a few more brilliant takeaways....

jentine led our thrift store outing to savers and gave us tips on what to look for. now i am a seasoned thrifter, but i still got some great nuggets that i can then pass along to my customers that shop at amandromeda. about how to spot a quality piece and how to get people excited to buy vintage.

merl (waving in the pic) and janette spoke on purchasing with a purpose. that means not chasing after fast fashion trends at the big chain stores that specialize in cheap and unethical labor, but instead buying second hand and supporting small local businesses and independent designers. that got me thinking about the next phase of my growth as a business owner. i want to collaborate with more designers and introduce more created pieces into my shop. i have a friend here in town who i will partner with to sell some of her one-off pieces that she repurposes from vintage clothing. both of our visions are super similar and it all came together at just the right time. i'm more than a little bit excited about this new venture.

julie talked about work/life balance. some of it was so common sense that i was a bit embarrassed that i hadn't thought of it that way before. like making an editorial calendar to organize blog/social media posts, as well as work and life events. i'm lazy by nature so having everything laid out and scheduled helps keep me motivated. but also, it helps to see it all together so i don't overcommit to one thing. seriously, just that one realization has been so good for me.

and lastly, but not leastly, kendi presented about launching a start-up. i mean, i've had my shop for over 4 years so this thing is already started. but the idea that struck me the hardest was when kendi said that your enthusiasm is the best marketing for your business. that just sent a spark through me. i need to be more excited about this job that i do. when someone walks through my doors they need to know that i love my shop and the pieces that i source myself to fill these racks and shelves. when i tell people that i own a business, they need to hear and feel my excitement. that is the greatest advertisement i could have for my shop. yep, it was kind of a mind-blow moment.

so, all in all, it was a wonderful conference that i am still feeling inspired by. and i really can't wait until next year.

you there

a wee little outfit post kinda recycling a look i wore in austin. see how sartorially responsible i am? surely there's some nobel prize to be won for this.
wearing:
shirt from the gap that i've had for AGES and just recently cut off the sleeves. also has a hole in it
pants courtesy of lulu's from the txsc swap and basically made for me
clutch from my fave local thrift shop
shoes are from there too
choker purchased for 2 dolla bills ya'll at a flea market across from my house
feather necklace via etsy. no idea the seller. sorry
cute little unicorn ring you can't really see from thepapermama given to me at txsc
bracelets from my bff

happy accidents

 

while in austin, we went to the cutest little vintage shop called ragalicious. owned by the quirkiest lady with a cool eye for rad clothes. she gave us wine and sent us running amuck in her shop for goodies. as a bargain shopper, i immediately went for the $10 rack. i found an amazing embroidered mexican dress. i had been looking for such a dress as this for SO LONG. i knew it would need a few alterations so when i got it back to the hotel and i tried it on for paige, we agreed it needed to be shortened and maybe the sleeves removed. i had a great plan for when i got home. i like to DIY stuff to save a couple dolla bills but my execution for such things is sadly lacking. i am notorious for not properly preparing. like when i got a pair of scissors out and chopped the hem before double checking the length. you probably know where i'm going with this. yeah, so it barely covered my lady bits and i almost cried. yet another cute piece ruined by my hastiness. but then a lightbulb went off in my head. i could make it a cropped blouse!! yay! i was able to save the large floral bouquet in the middle of the dress so i can use it as a wall hanging or something. now i kinda feel like a genius because i'll truly get more wear out of it as a shirt. so see, happy accidents do occur.

but while i was moaning to matt about what happened to create such a cute new blouse, he suggested that i get back to my bread and butter of blogging and share more of my outfits. especially ones that come about under less than ideal circumstances. so at 10pm he grabbed the camera and started shooting video of me in the house acting like a complete goon. he later nabbed some screen shots to make these stills. he says he's better at video. i say he's good at everything he does.

wearing:

dress cum blouse: ragalicious

arm cuff and snake ring: ragalicious

jeans, shoes, choker: thrift

wrist harness and stamped necklace: gage huntley

june necklace: clyde's rebirth 

   

#txsc13 is about getting motivated

there was so much to learn at txsc this year. frankly, i was surprised, and very pleasantly so. the first session i attended was jessie's about creative marketing and organizing an event to grow your brand. she listed out several steps (all starting with a P because she's cute) that help her when she is working on a project. 
for the past couple years, i've wanted to put on a fashion show for my shop that would get people excited about buying vintage and prove that you don't have to look like you're in costume. in a small town like siloam, it's kind of daunting to think about planning and hosting an event like this. for one thing, would anybody even show up? because that would truly suck. but then, if people did come, would the time and effort be worth it? would i see a return on my investment? these are all the reasons why i have not done it yet. but after hearing jessie kind of lay out a plan of attack for such a big task, i feel motivated to try. i see a clear path to making this dream of mine a reality. 
first off, realizing i can't do this alone. i need to partner and collaborate with other downtown businesses. i need to gather a creative team together to brainstorm. i need to use social media and word of mouth and good old fashioned fliers to create buzz and promote my show. even typing it out right now gets me excited about this crazy venture! 
i'm not one to take a flying leap of faith and spontaneously stick my neck out just for my community to ridicule me. but it is strangely comforting to have a strategy, a system, a motivating hit list of things to light a fire under my proverbial arse. 
so now i've put it out on the internets that means i have to do it huh.

golden hour

after a full day of classes on sunday, we all went out for dinner and drinks to just chill. it's funny how you could tell we were all completely exhausted but also not ready to say goodbye. we drug our weary selves out of our cozy hotel and walked to meet up with others. the sunset was gorgeous. it lit up the city in golden hues. the photographer in merl couldn't help herself, so she snapped this pic WITH HER IPHONE. seriously, she knows her stuff. but i love the angle, the depth, the sunburst reflected off the building, and yen and paige in the far background. and merl always manages to make me look dramatic even when tired and sweaty.
wearing:
shoes from urban outfitters via ebay which i managed to rip on the back at some point that trip
skirt given to me by my friend jen
tank borrowed from paige
necklace by CR
thrifted purse

#txsc13 is about friends

so i just got back from the texas style council down in austin. and while it was a chance to learn and network and get motivated (and i'll talk about all those things later), it was for me an opportunity to spend quality time with some very close lady friends. i've met some amazing women (and men) through blogging and seeing them in person at the txsc conference. and these are not just passing acquaintances that fizzle once we get back to real life. no, these are true connections and lifelong relationships. when we all got together on friday night, it was like a high school reunion-girly squeals and hugs and lots of laughter. it was such a treat getting to spend a weekend with these hot babes! and bryan too :)

jessie, paige, merl, yen, kendi

texas style council

yes, i will be there! this is my third year to attend the texas style council and i truly believe it'll be the best one yet. from the swap to the thrifting to the fancy party and the conference itself, indiana has put together one stellar lineup. i am pretty dang excited. plus i get to see some fabulous ladies that have become very dear friends. so, if you'll be there too, let me know! austin is going to be super hot this weekend! *wink wink nudge nudge* *no it's really just going to be 100 degrees* *yay* *i love summer*