Rosey.

1950's Rayon Print Dress  -  thrifted, $4.50

1940's Hair Combs  -  Grandma's, $0

Black Velvet Flats 

Found this dress yesterday while out thrifting- it is soooooo comfortable.  I love how subdued the colors are, and adore the button down bodice.  It's not the most flattering dress I've ever worn, but damn it, sometimes that has to fall by the wayside :).  

My Los Angeles trip is Creeping (and I mean inching, very slowly) up a little closer everyday.  I'm REALLY trying to not get excited yet, but my resolve is pretty much gone...  I'm SO PUMPED!  Even though I've never even been to California, I've long decided that it's the place for me.  I'm hoping I'll hate it (yeah right, ha!), and be content with living in my current city for a few more years...  Who am I kidding?  I'm going to fall head over heels and never come back!  

Obvously, I've been researching the area to death, and have every Vintage Store and Vegan Restaurant on lock down :).  Oh man... the food!  There are a few places I've been reading about for years that I'm pretty pumped to try.  Cafe Gratitude, and Real Food Daily come to mind.  As for Vintage stores, I'm can't wait to check out Wasteland, Jet Rag, American Rag, and the likes.  Thankfully my Mom is into the same stuff I am (i.e music, vintage and bars as opposed to "sightseeing"), so we'll be hitting all the famous Rock & Roll spots from the 60's-70's, famous bars (Roxy, Viper Room, etc.), and Laurel Canyon.  

Okay, I've got to stop for now or I won't be able to physically make it through the next week :). 

So, I finished our new Sandwich Board for the shop this morning, and it's def working!  We've had a ton of people in today.  I included a picture of it at the bottom of the post.  I looked FOREVER and couldn't find one cheaper than $70 (are you kidding?)..  We toyed with the idea of making one, but then I found a vintage kids chalkboard for $3 which ended up to be perfect!  Totally worth the wait.  Anyway, I had to paint one whole side, but the other side is a chalkboard- although, I'll probably end up fixing that up too.  The sides are hand drawn.  Love <3.

So, I know I professed my love for Ty Segall in my last post- and I have to say, my obsession only keeps growing.  Ahh, I can't listen to anything else :).  "Melted" was my first purchase, but I've been digging his collaboration with "White Fence" called Hair.  So many great things to look forward to!  LA, Ty Segall, the Southgate House re-opening.. couldn't come at a better time; I need some mind-unclogging.  

BEHOLD!!!

Outfit Fails & a New Love.

Ahh, yes.  So many outfit fails that will never reach the light of your laptop.  These are the 2 most recent ones. 

No, the outfits sadly did not translate to film, but I still found some cool pieces!

#1

New----->1970's Navy Daisy Shorts  - thrifted, $1

1970's Daisy Tooled Leather Belt -  thrifted,   $2

1990's Sandals -  thrifted,  $2

I FINALLY found some sandals- praise the shoe gods!  It only took me over a year, and countless (and I mean countless) hours in thrift stores, but I finally snagged a pair that I like, and most of all FIT.  -Sigh of relief-

Of course, the entire sole came off the first day I wore them, but they've been 'Shoe Gooed' and are as good as new :).  

#2

1970's Poly Bird Print Tank,  yard sale $2

Yeah, the awesome bird print definitely does not translate.  Too bad- it's a pretty cool print.  

It's strange how much a photo changes the way you look at your clothing.  Cher had it right, what with her computer/polaroid way of choosing her outfits.  

Anywaaaaaaay.  

I've fallen in love folks.  

with TY Segall.  

Oh man, I'm obsessed.  

Behold!

FUDGE....  So good.  

I haven't found I new singer/band I've liked this much in a while; and I certainly needed it.  

To my surprise, he is currently on tour, and is coming to Nashville in September!  Yeessssss.  I haven't had the option to see a band I love in a long while, so I'm super pumped to make the drive!!!

How to be VEGAN and still have Friends.

Vegans get a pretty bad rap don't they?  

I've found that even someone just finding out I'm vegan, even if I don't say one word about it, can elicit some pretty intense feelings, hateful or otherwise.  

Here is a helpful list of tips for navigating a Meat Eating world.

1.  Don't complain!  

I find that people really love to think that you aren't eating what you WANT to be eating.  They want to know that you are suffering without eating meat and cheese.  Avoid saying things like, "I can't eat that", and replace them with the positive opposite, "I don't eat that", or just "No thanks!".

2.  ALWAYS eat something before you go out to eat (restaurant or dinner party).

I never, ever go out to eat at a new restaurant without eating a little something first.  Even if it looks like there are vegan options, you just never know.  Don't ever put yourself in a situation where you are starving.  Starving = Unhappiness.  Never let them see you squirm!

As for dinner parties, eat something small before, and bring a dish to share- which brings me to my next ...

3.  Only bring your BEST dishes to a Dinner party.

You want everyone at your party to see that vegan food is normal food!  It's just not Dairy or Meat (which is only 2 food groups of many).  You want everyone to love your dish so much that they consider the fact that Vegan dishes can be just as good!  :) 

4.  Never expect anyone to Cater to your eating habits.

Are you going to bring a steak to dinner just because someone there eats meat?  No.  So why should they cater to your veggie love?  Don't expect anything- always be prepared!  

5.  Get your Facts straight.  

Some people love to fight with someone who stands for something.  Plain and simple.  For some people, you simply stating a preference = you telling them that they are terrible person, and you hate them.  No, this is not at all LOGICAL, but it's life.  SO, just keep a little bank of statements/counter arguments in the back of your mind that you can easily access.  Which brings me to my next point...

6.  Don't Freak Out!

The general public sees Vegans as being angry.  Even if they've never met one.  Don't let yourself be a statistic!  If you must enter an argument about food, try your very best to put forth your BEST self, and do not get flustered or angry.  This is what SOME people want.  They want to have another excuse to hate a whole sect of people. 

7.  You cannot CHANGE anyone.

When you make the decision to become vegan, it's usually because you do a ton of research and find out just how much ugliness lies beneath almost EVERYTHING in the food/fur/clothing industry.  So you make the decision to not contribute to that ugliness.  These new found facts burn a whole in your brain, and you think, "if everyone knew about this, they would surely stop too!"  Unfortunately, you will find that this is just not  true...  Your words will fall on deaf ears.  And the louder you try to scream them, the less people will HEAR you.  

How do you feel when someone tries to PUSH information on you?  You turn away.  This is no different.  Plus, everyone has to hear the right information at the right time for them to have that "aha" moment.  

Instead, if you want to talk about it, keep it casual.  And only talk about things that pertain to the conversation.  Just be generally respectful to the person you are conversing with, as you would in any other situation!

and finally...

8.  Have Confidence!

You reserve the right to eat whatever you want.  Having confidence in your morals and ideals takes practice, and will strengthen with time.  Just do what feels right for you, and stand behind those choices!  There is no negativity to that, unless you make it that way :).  

And remember to have fun with it!   Choosing peace for animals shouldn't mean taking on hate toward humans- hate is hate.  It's never conducive to a resolution.

ally.