spring grove blogger date

Often when I read the blogs of lucky girls who live in really big cities I get jealous of their ability to meet up in person with other style bloggers. So lately instead of just being envious, I’ve been chatting more with some of the lovely style bloggers of Cincinnati. I’m dying to organize some sort of big blogger picnic or something with the ladies of Cincy: Kasmira of What I Wore Today, Paige is Midwest Darling, Tamia from Style Sample, Lauren of Paper Gown Fashions, and Molly the Sister in Second-Hand Sequins.

I’ve been hanging with Molly a bunch ever since we ran into each other at my favorite bar a few months ago. We had our first blogger date at Spring Grove Cemetery on Father’s Day. I know you’re probably thinking, ‘They hung out for the first time at a cemetery? How emo.’ Actually when Spring Grove was built in the late 1800s, it was modeled after French parks from that time so it has some beautiful landscape architecture. Not to mention that it encompasses over 700 acres, including 12 ponds and a ton of really incredible Gothic Revival architecture. I remember going there with my mom a lot when I was little to watch the swans, but I actually hadn’t been back since then. We had a great time wandering around even if it was like 1000 degrees. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures we took that day. (The ones with the rounded edges were taken by Molly and her awesome friend Patricia.)

How picturesque is that?!

These cute little bridges were everywhere!

I'm still experimenting with filters...

There must have been thousands of snails in this pond, all along the entire edge.

I wasn't totally happy with my outfit, but I overslept that morning. Also I am so insanely jealous of Molly's hat.

Patricia, conqueror of trees.

Behind the scenes

They were having a horse and carriage drive at Spring Grove that day, so we got to see a little parade of people in their period clothes and carriages!

My favorite cart

How cute is this little mule!

Sorry for so many pictures, but I hope you enjoyed our field trip as much as we did!!

twofer

I really hope that everyone’s spring has been going well; mine has been spectacular! Honestly that is probably why I’ve been posting so little lately. I’m glad that things turned themselves around though because the year started off kinda rough.

Since I am behind on my posts, I have quite a backlog of outfits. Now I know what you’re thinking- what does this mean to me, the average blog reader? It means that you get not one but TWO outfits in this one post! I know, it’s an amazing deal. This first outfit is from the Friday of the Kentucky Derby, and I actually completely forgot and still ended up with a very Derby outfit. I just wanted to wear my new hat! I was also really excited that day because while I was getting dressed my fancy new blue shoes arrived! I’ve been on a big kick to buy more brightly colored shoes after being incredibly inspired by Iman of Mishaps & Miracles, she rocks the best head to toe color that I’ve seen in a long time!

I am really happy with my new shoes, I was debating between the ones I got and the Steve Madden version:

As you can see the ruffle down the front is a little more well made, but for $20 less I figured I could deal. Actually when I got them I liked them better than I thought I would. The color was more vivid and they just looked more well made than they did in the picture on the Target website.

WHAT: floppy wool hat, thrift

w.a.s.p. dress, borrowed from maya

green rhinestone ring, gumball machine

double buckle belt, chicken lays an egg

ruffle shoes, target.com

WHERE: work at chicken lays an egg

WHEN: friday, april 30

This second outfit was a little something I threw together to work with the head wrap thing. Haiku Ambulance rocks them so well and since we have the same haircut I wanted to give it a try. Unfortunately this was one of the days that my camera decided it couldn’t focus on things. For some reason it’s been doing that lately and I don’t know why, but please bear with me until I figure it out.

Also, A little shout out to my girl Haiku Ambulance for getting Weardrobe‘s Spotlight this week!

I used a square-ended 1980's necktie for my hair wrap



WHAT: 1980′s skinny neck tie (as a hair wrap), chicken lays an egg

banana republic oxford shirt, thrift

wide belt, chicken lays an egg

checkered skirt, chicken lays an egg

knee socks, target

mary janes, target

round purse, chicken lays an egg

WHERE: running errards and drinks with some friends

WHEN: tuesday, may 3

hats and handbags

In my digging through some older pictures, I found a posts worth of pictures that I never put up! Last week the boy and I ventured out to Everybody’s Records to sell some of his vinyl that never gets played. Although it’s a bit peely, I really like their mural.

Actually in the last year or so ArtWorks, a local art non-profit group has been putting up some really incredible murals all around the city. This is my favorite one in Camp Washington just up the street from the old location of Chicken Lays an Egg.

"Campy Washington"

I’m so excited to see this move of more public art in the city. Recently Shepard Fairey even put up some of his wheat-paste pieces all over the city, and that to me seems crazy (in a good way). It makes Cincinnati feel like a real city!

This one is at the corner of 13th and Main St, in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood. Originally it was inhabited by poor German immigrants who referred to the rank canal that existed there at the time as the Rhine; as in the Rhine River that cuts across Western Germany. For the last thirty or more years though it has been a predominantly poor African American neighborhood, but gentrification is turning it into the ‘Gateway Quarter’ featuring million dollar lofts. Ugh. I’ve been reading a bunch of blogs about Cincinnati, so forgive me if I’m in the tour-giving mode. In all seriousness though, urban geography became a huge interest of mine when my brother and I took some classes about it together; it’s just so interesting to me what factors go into a neighborhood turning over.

Anyway, here’s what I wore to the record shop:


WHAT: floral hat, boomerang thrift (nashville)

neat pleats dress, chicken lays an egg

gold belt, chicken lays an egg

green scarf, chicken lays an egg

square handbag, thrift

square lace flats, chicken lays an egg

WHERE: everybody’s records and lunch

WHEN: tuesday, march 6