Kancamagus Colors

In honor of fall, my favorite time of year, I thought I would put up a little memory post in honor of the season. In autumn, the air is crisper, the breezes a bit cooler, and the leaves are starting to change.

While I think Minnesota can be quite pretty in the fall with the bright oranges, reds, and yellows creating a beautiful backdrop by the city lakes, it does bring me back to the memory of the prettiest place I've ever seen in the fall: The Kancamagus Highway. Winding through the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the colors are so vibrant, so polished, they look more like a New England painting than a real New England road.

So, as fall and its beautiful colors come to the Twin Cities, I will take my camera and my notebook and record some of the beautiful shades and moments around the area. But, I will always hold that memory of living in New England in my heart...because people still think the photos look fake because the scenes are just that beautiful - and all the winding roads through the history, the mountains, and along the ocean all resemble a painting of nature's best.

Kancamagus Highway

Free People & MOA

One of my best friends is as much of a Free People fan as I am. We love their flowing styles, comfortable fabrics, and free-spirited attitude...not a real big surprise with the blog name. I've gotten many great pieces over the years that I wear every time they're clean and hanging in the closet again.

When we were out and about a few weeks ago, we decided to head to the Mall of America. Many local people don't actually go to the mall to shop all that often, or if they do they hit the end they like for their favorite stores - or just enjoy a happy hour in one of their great restaurants.

We had heard there's an actual Free People - Mall of America Store  - not just the apparel available in department stores. On a rather dreary day that still resembled winter a little too much in Minnesota, we finally made it over there to look around. 

When we got to the front of the store it felt, quite frankly, like we had arrived at our mothership.We were not surprised by the layout of the store. It had all their great clothing, jewelry, and other cool accessories decorated in their famous Bohemian way...just as we expected. And the atmosphere of the place totally fits their apparel - open, fun, and adventurous. We lingered for quite some time. 

So, yes, we fit the profile - right down to the long, messy hair. But, we do it with style and attitude. The staff of the store had the same vibe - and even the dressing room had a fun, boho feel (I snapped a photo when my friend was trying on some skirts). When we go back, as I'm sure we will, I'm sure we'll find some other cool things we just have to have...and I'm sure there will be additional lingering.

The Dressing Room at the Mall of America Store

Springing Forward with the Full-Time Writing Gig

This full-time writing gig is pretty cool. I feel so fortunate. I have neglected the blog and other writing I usually do...but, no complaints. I love being a full-time writer. There's lots of variety...one day I'm writing about computers and technology, the next day I'm writing about fashion. It's pretty great. In the meantime, I'll touch base here and there on the blog until I can get caught up on everything else.

As winter drudges on and we barely get above zero degrees and rarely see the sun, I'm so glad that it's the first of March and not the end of November. Being this cold is much worse in November because you could have months ahead of you - of often brutally cold weather.

But today is the first of March! I can see spring coming...and for the first winter in as long as I can remember, the huge storms hitting the east coast seem to just keep passing us by.

I don't mind snow, but it's actually nice that this year we aren't so completely overwhelmed by it. For friends and family on the east coast, I know you're all very overwhelmed by one storm after another. But, by this time next year, it might very well be our turn again. For now, though, let's just look forward to a long awaited spring.

The Coolest Thing Happened...

Over the years, I've done a few different jobs that I've liked, but they were always to support the one thing I've wanted to do since I was very young: Write. I actually have a small card I carry around in my wallet: "Support your art, don't expect it to support you." But, I always hoped that one day I'd get that job that allowed me to write full-time, and that card would be gone.

Over the years since college, freelance work was there, but for full-time work, it was another story. I've been the writer who worked as an accountant, or the writer who worked as an organic chemistry manager, or the writer who worked as a social worker (great book material). Then the coolest thing happened a couple weeks ago: I became just the writer - except it isn't just anything. It's actually rather amazing.

My official title is Creative/Content Writer. I feel honored, and frankly, quite blessed. I get to write, edit, work on webpages, do some photography, work with some great people - and all at an innovative, tech savvy company. One word: Yay!

There's also the matter of appreciation. Things changed a lot and got pretty tough over the last couple of years - there were back surgeries for him, job changes for me, the loss of a couple good friends and family members. Plenty of time to be humbled a bit, and I learned a lot - making me all the more excited to do well.

But, who knew? And isn't that exactly one of the reasons it's interesting being a writer in the first place?

My original plans may have taken a few turns here and there, and I guess it just wasn't supposed to happen when I was twenty-five. But, it's funny that even with all the twists, I've still reached the right place going in the right direction. 

This one is, quite simply put, a keeper. It must be time to throw that card away.

Scarf Season

Let's face it, for scarf lovers, it's always scarf season. But, sometimes it's a little too warm to pull it off in the summer months - even in Minnesota. I prefer to wear mostly solid colors in shirts, dresses, and skirts, which usually means black or jewel tones, and the occasional crisp white. The patterns and textures are most often in the scarves and the other accessories I choose to put with my outfits. That usually means long necklaces, big hoop earrings, and lots of bracelets in silver, wood, or leather. I've always had that bit of a boho vibe.

I've lost count of how many scarves I have. There's the section on the front of my closet door that are my favorites - super long and easy to wrap around while still leaving some length in the front. Then there is the inside closet wall which has an IKEA Komplement hanger with scarves looped through all the spots, and then there is the collection of smaller silk scarves that have their own special drawer. To me it's the scarves that add the bright colors, shiny beads...and always lots of fringe.

I may not like what follows autumn as much, at least not after too many months of winter, but I love fall and I love pulling out my scarves and wrapping them around my neck, leaving them hanging long, or braiding them in my hair. But, there is just something so merveilleux et chic about scarves that makes me feel like I've really put an outfit together. Besides, they're warm, soft, and comfortable - and just plain fun to wear. 

So, as autumn approaches us and turns into colder weather, one of the best parts of it is having my favorite accessory to add to any outfit. Because whether it's a great little black dress or a t-shirt and jeans, a scarf adds that extra layer of chic that just pulls it all together like nothing else does. 

Piccadilly Prairie

A couple of days ago my twentieth publication came out, and it just so happened to be a really fun interview at one of my favorite shops in Minneapolis. I was also fortunate to do the photography on this assignment, and the owner of the shop is so talented and unique. As stated in my article in the Southwest Journal: 

When you walk by Piccadilly Prairie at 50th & Xerxes, a charming feeling invites you to come inside. Nestled on a corner that is filled with antique shops, this store stands out as a unique place with its own distinct vibe.

Opened three years ago, it has built a customer base that loves to see what has found its way to the shop. Store owner Lacey Brooker is proud her shop is different from everything else in the area. She considers it to be more of a vintage or occasional store, but it’s actually much more than that.

Besides all the vintage finds offered in the store - everything from furniture to jewelry - Brooker also does custom work. She works on sewing and painting projects for customers, as well as building furniture with her father-in-law, Art.  

“I do the designing, he does the building,” says Brooker. 

They use reclaimed materials and buy very little new. They find old wood to use, and even repurpose old hardware to put a design together. It gives even newly designed furniture a very unique, vintage feel that ensures that you have bought a truly one-of-a-kind piece. Says Brooker, “When we build things, we want to keep their authenticity, right down to the chains and hinges. It keeps that history to it.”

Her creations have a real richness to them that make them truly exceptional. Whether it’s an old piece or a designed one, there’s a story behind it that makes the furniture not just beautiful, but very intriguing as well. It can make decorating a home that much more interesting by mixing in vintage pieces with your current or new furniture - adding a touch of history and soul to an already established room. 

“I try really hard to show people how to incorporate vintage pieces in with what they already have of their own,” says Brooker.

Traveling around the world in her twenties probably helped give Brooker her sharp eye for great merchandise. She’s always looking for fun pieces, often taking trips out of town to find them. Perhaps that is why Piccadilly Prairie almost makes you forget you’re in the middle of South Minneapolis. It’s very reminiscent of a New England or European flea market, complete with a comfy couch and pillows right inside the front door. The fresh scent of soaps and candles, with Frank Sinatra singing in the background, adds to the atmosphere of a different era, complementing the unique pieces. Everything about the store is very intentional, adding to the overall experience. Brooker wants it to feel comfortable, homey, and quaint.

The store also hosts different events throughout the year, including a Paris Flea Market that lets people mingle, shop, and socialize while they sip wine. The next event coming up will be the Piccadilly Paint Party in late August. Brooker will have paint stations set up so customers can do a little creating themselves. Using the Cottage Paint she now sells, it will allow people to try out the special paint that gives furniture a vintage look with minimal preparation time.

Piccadilly Prairie is also another great way to shop locally, and to shop small. Instead of buying at a large conglomerate, the money spent at a small local shop goes back into the community. The customer also purchases something that not only has that history to it, but a sturdiness and personality that goes along with it. 

“I really love vintage,” says Brooker. “Pieces are made better with more character. They’re made to last a long time. Now things are made to be disposable. We also like redesign and upcycling, taking really classic lines and updating them into a modern vintage look.”

Piccadilly Prairie has a very fitting motto that fits the feel of the store quite well: “Yesterday's Materials. Today's Designs.”

“Vintage stores and occasional stores are basically the new antique store,” says Brooker. “It’s where antiques are headed.”

For some great little pieces of history, a feeling like you're in a different place and time, and interesting character, this store is just the best shopping experience!

 Brooker Sits in the Front Window of the Store. (Photograph by CY Hunter)

She Will Always Be Missed...

One of the things about losing someone close to you is that you really never stop thinking about them or wanting to share things with them. When my big sister called on what would have been our mother's 85th Birthday, it made a sad day better. And we talked about the things we just had to tell Mom.

I wish my mother could have lived to see today, and many years beyond. I wish she would have been healthy. I wish I would have seen her before she died. Those thoughts will always be there, but they're there along with the memories of a remarkable woman that I got to call Mom.

My sister and I have matching silver glass candle holders. We get them out and light a candle for special occasions in memory of our mother. As my sister and I hung up the phone tonight, I pulled my holder out of its little drawstring pouch, placed a new tealight candle inside of it, and lit the candle.

Lighting the candle produced a large flame that blazed above the candle holder, framed by a circle of dark smoke. A strange picture, but it needed to be captured. Besides, it might be that Mom just wanted to be a part of the conversation - and maybe even have the last word.