Sugar High

Outfit Details: Dress - Vintage swapped with Amber Rose//Sweater: UO (remixed)//Hat: Target//Shoes: Modcloth (remixed)

Hello there darlings!

Seems that dear March has reverted back to the old saying - "in like a lion", because goodness has it ever gotten cold here lately.  Seems the past couple days I have been back in my sweater, hat, and covered legs uniform - all feeling bundled up like a babushka just to brave the windy, cold elements.  This past week has been nothing short of slow as both the hubs and I have been stuck in doors with Spring colds.  Feeling a bit blah, but still that has left us plenty of time to enjoy homey crock pot dinners and Friends marathons.  Hey, there's a bright side to everything, right? 

Anyhow, as Easter approaches, I was feeling all sugary sweet in my pink dress, bunny sweater, and ice-cream shoes.  Perhaps a little overboard with the sugar high, but nothing wrong with being festive I do believe.  Now bring on the Cadbury Eggs!

In other news ...to show some customer appreciation - Rachel of Rachel the Hat was so sweet to show her love and support to my new Etsy shop Allyhoot Vintage.  You can find her over on her blog here, wearing the darling little eyelet blouse she picked out.

Hope you are having a sweet week!

Love Bunches, 

Crum Woods

Hello Darlings,

I'm finally back after a quite uneventful weekend...chock full of some good old fashioned lounging about and plenty of time just enjoy my teeny little family.  It was wonderful!

During this past week spent in Philly, Albert and I snuck away for the day by ourselves and decided to meander for a bit...that is after a pitstop for a green tea frap.  But anyhow...we found a little spot tucked away under an overpass where a curious little trail began.  Yes curious...I am as curious as a cat, so of course we parked and got on our way to the trail, laughing, talking, laughing.  We didn't know much about this trail except for that it ran through a place called Crum Woods.  Not so far into it...I happened to glance down to my right, straight into a wooded area and noticed the tiniest bit of stone peeking out from down below.  So off the beaten path we went.  This is how it went and what we found...

Details: Dress: Vintage in my store// Vest: Vintage//Hat: UO//Brooches: Antique//Bag: Thrifted//Tights: We Love Colors//Shoes: UO

I was in total awe.  Such a mystical little spot...also somewhat eerie, but that only added to it's enchantment.  Smack dab in the middle of nowhere...below a bike trail and above a meadow.  What was it....we did not know.  After going home and doing some research...all I know is that it goes by the name of Crum Henge and was possibly part of an old estate that was demolished when the highway above it was constructed.  It's part of the land that belongs to Swarthmore College and apparently a couple years back some students held there very own performance of Macbeth here.  My, would I love to have been there for that!  We venture didn't any deeper into the trail or woods but there is so much more to uncover...from what I have read.  I simply can't wait to go back.

Hope your week is treating you quite swell! 

Love bunches,

Day Trippers

Outfit Details: Dress & Hat: Vintage - will be in store//tights & necklace: Modcloth//Shoes: Thrifted

The other week, my good friend Kat (who might I add is one of the most genuine souls I've ever met), and I decided to day trip off to a charming little town called Lewisburg to relish a day full of antique treasures and relics from the days of yore.  It was a full day of eye candy both for the heart and soul and what I wound up with was bags full of vintage dresses with the most delightful little collars.

In the last antique shop we hit, the cutest little old lady, who was one of the vendors there approached me and told me she had something she thought I would love.  Of course I was intrigued.  She went on to  tell me that she had these little silk stockings from the 1950s tucked away where no one could find them and that she was hoping the right person would come along and really appreciate them.  Well, she got me hook, line, and sinker....they surely won my heart and will certainly be treasured.  How could I pass up little silk stockings with embroidered poodles?

Anyhow, twas one loverly day with one loverly gal and lots of loverly vintage darlings.  Hoping there will be plenty more gal-pallin day trips in our future:)

Catch you later,
Love bunches,

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Outfit Details: Dress: Gift via Vintage & Gee//Cardi: UO (old)//Shoes: UO

For a good slice of this week my little family and I will be spending some time with my hubby's parents in Philly.  Sometimes it's just nice to fly away and breathe in some new scenery if just for a few days.  On this afternoon, Albert, Keane, and I ventured off to a cozy little park by the stadiums and just enjoyed one another's company and the fresh Spring air.  We sipped our iced coffees and Keane ran around like the place was his own.  This of course meant we did lots of chasing:)  Though all the running around was well worth it as immediately afterwards we met up with Albert's parents and were rewarded with a very large piping hot bowl of muscles.  Mmm mmm good.  Days like this are so rejuvenating to the soul.

Love bunches,

St. Patrick's Day Randomness

Happy St. Patrick's Day Darlings!

Not that I'm Irish or anything, but I think it's ok for an Italian gal to hop on the train and celebrate as well:)  You know what other train I'm hopping on today?...The 11 things one.

The very sweet Chantilly tagged me .... so really, how could I resist?
Alright, here I go:

There are five rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.

My 11 Things: 

1.  I drove half way across the country to get this vintage piano I had my heart set on.  My husband and I rented a car with unlimited miles, then drove 16 hours to and from Kansas without stopping.  When we returned the car, the clerks at the rental place thought there was something wrong with the odometer.  

2.  My first crush at the age of 8 was on Wesley from Mr. Belvedere.  

3.  I make up words for things and then sing about them throughout my day.  My poor husband and son.  My humor is kind of strange.

4.  No way, no how will I go near ketchup.  Both the smell and taste of it disgust me.

5.  I like myself a good ol' piece of barbecue though:)

6.  Perhaps I mentioned this before...but I well, kind of made out with Joey Fatone, from NSync when I was a senior in high school.  Long story.  It is not something to brag about I know, but it's darn-tootin hilarious.  

7.  When I worked retail, I once chased a group of shoplifters throughout the mall...by the time they got to the parking lot, four police cars surrounded us and arrested them.  Even better, my parents were sitting in the food court waiting for me to get off work and witnessed it go down.

8.  I was engaged twice.  

9.  I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naive.

10.  My maiden name was Bongiorno.  Just like the Italian greeting for "Good day".  Boys in school used to make fun of me and call me Marisa BonJovi.  Whatever, I thought it was cool.

Chantilly's Questions: 


1. Where are you sitting, and what are you doing right now?

In my family room, watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  This never gets old to me.  I am kind of a nerd like that.

2. What's your favorite fruit? Least favorite?

Favorite - Nectarines  Least favorite: Anything in a can.


3. Are you a dog or cat person?

Oh a cat lady most definitely.  Maybe even a crazy one....hmmm.  I adore my cats Philly and Lily to pieces and can't wait till they move into our new house with us.  (they are currently dwelling at the in-laws until we finish a few things up).

4. Who's the last person you talked do, and what's the last thing you said?

My friend Kat...via text, she lives down the street from me.  She told me to go to my deck and look up at the stars.  I ran and did.  It was unmatchable beauty.  I told her: "I love this place!".


5. Name your top five bands/ music artists.

1. Keane - so much, this is also my son's name:)

2. The Beatles - Fact, I almost named my son McCartney

3. Los Campesinos

4. Johnny Cash

5. Tennis

6. Where did you grow up? 

Camp Hill, Pennslyvania.  It's like the picture perfect little suburbia of the US. 


7. On your fantasy trip of the world, where would you go?

Italy hands down.  It's where much of my family is from.


8. Describe your perfect day- from start to finish.

Sleep in.  Eat Breakfast.  Play/reading time with my son.  Eat Lunch.  Jam a little.  Explore the outdoors with the fam.  Coffee.  Vintage hunt.  Dinner at my mom's house.  Dessert.  Some more play.  Movie.  Cuddle.  Bed.  I'm a pretty simple gal. 

9. What's your least favorite smell?

How gross can we get here?  I hate when someone burps and the smell is in the air.  I used to work around hundreds of teenagers and this happened often...with the boys, not the girls, just to clarify. 


10. Imagine your 2 most favorite foods are people, and describe the way they met.

Manicotti and Spaetzles.  Mr. Manicotti was a soldier stationed in Germany post WWII.  One day he was driving down the road of a small German town with his friend and noticed two lovely dames walking together, the one being Miss Spaetzles.  He tried to charm her and pick her up and when she refused him, he told her that she had to give him her name and address if she wanted to get off scott free without any further problems.  She begrudgingly did.  From that day on, he showed up at her family's house every day, making quite a pest of himself.  As her father was POW MIA at the time, her family was very poor.  Every day he showed up, he brought them food, cigarettes, and stockings for her and her sisters.  After time they became friends and fell madly in love, got married, had kids and lived happily ever after.

This is a true story:)  


11. Do you prefer to receive flowers or chocolate from a significant other?

Chocolate all the way....Godiva perhaps:)  My sweet tooth need satiated.

My tags and questions:

Katherine, Jessica, Ilana, Chaucee, Lori Lynn

My questions:

1.  What's the last book you read?  

2.  Name your top 3 songs of all time.

3.  What's the first film you saw at the movies?

4.  Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

5.  Name something that grosses you out.

6.  What's your guilty pleasure song?

7.  Who's your famous crush?

8.  What are you afraid of?

9.  What's one thing you don't do well that you wish you did.

10.  Name one person who's brain you would like to pick.
11. What's your dream job?

Alright darlings, if you made it this far....do have yourselves one loverly little weekend.  

Catch you later, 

xx

Far Beyond

Details: Dress: Forever 21 (old)//Cardi & Boots: Thrifted//Hat: UO

This was just another sunny and cool afternoon spent with Albert hiking the backroads in our neighborhood.  We made it all the way to the other side where the dam lies so peacefully against the mountainous backdrop.  For the several times I've been here, no one else has remotely been seen around.  Except that is, for our friends and their lovely dog, Ingrid.  Fancy running into them on this day.  There's a concrete pad that jets out into the lake at the end of the dam and I do suppose this would be the perfect place to park myself with a book once summer is here.  This town is small simply put, so life lately has been about exploring the great outdoors.  No complaints here:)

On a different note, thanks so much for your sweet comments regarding my article.  It was positively encouraging to an average every day gal like me.  I know on Chictopia it upset some that they would have even chosen me and considered my body type to be put in this category since I am more just a curvy, fuller figured gal rather than plus size, but still I do think us "in between" ladies get overlooked in the world of fashion as well along with true blue plus sizes (18+), so I was throughly proud to represent on behalf of all curvy girls out there.  

Enough about me...how about you?  Any fun plans on the horizon this weekend??

See you soon!

Love bunches,

Dangerous Curves Ahead...some news.

So as I mentioned this past Saturday, I had some pretty nifty news that I was "like omg totally excited" about sharing with you all.  Recently, I was contacted by the editor-in-chief from Chictopia.com asking me if I would be interested in writing a sponsored post for their blog Everybody is Ugly in conjunction with Nordstroms dealing with dressing tips for a curvy body.  I actually couldn't believe what I was reading at first and reread the email several times to make sure I was seeing things correctly.   Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity and was pretty darn ecstatic to take on this task as the subject is near and dear to my heart.  

It's pretty easy to see that I am a curvy gal.  I've struggled on and off from adolescence to adulthood with body image issues and have fluctuated in weight (sometimes in unhealthy ways) from high to low and back high again for many years.  Even at a "small size" I was still never a "skinny gal" like many of my friends and this bothered me for such a long time (it sounds absurd writing this now)...that was until I learned to embrace who I am, curves and all and dress my body properly...and stop the crazy comparisons because as we all know, beauty comes in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Geez, us gals can be so hard on ourselves at times!  So without further ado...you can read my article 5 Tips for Dressing a Curvy/Plus Size Body here at Everybody is Ugly on Chictopia.com. Hop on over and say hello if you feel so inclined.  It would truly brighten my day.

Catch you tomorrow!
Love bunches,
Marisa

The Hidden Bridge

Outfit: Dress: Vintage and Gee  - Etsy//Hat: Handmade//Cardi: Target (old)//Necklace & Tights: Modcloth//Shoes: UO 

Hello darlings, 

In our explorations this past weekend, Albert and I stumbled across a curious hidden back entrance to our neighborhood where an old abandoned campground used to be.  Our neighborhood is kind of rare in that it is both a summer vacation place where people own time shares and a normal every day community.  With it's woods, trails, beach, and mountain views, I guess it's kind of an ideal escape.  Anyhow, because it's a gated community, the hidden back entrance has now been blocked off to the road but Albert and I found it and I couldn't help but think we were explorers who uncovered their hidden treasure.  Rumor has it that there's a old Indian burial ground there and that's why it was mysteriously shut down.   Hmmm.  As no one was to be seen for miles, I hereby deem this the perfect spot for summer picnics.

See you real soon:)
Love bunches,