unexpected kitty...!

This beautiful little cutie came out of his hiding place on a fire escape I was photographing yesterday. I wanted to take him home! Unfortunately, he wouldn't let me get TOO close to him. Isn't he beautiful? I love surprise kitties! Hope your Tuesday has gone swimmingly!♥. P.S. If you're still interested in sponsoring for February, please fill out this form! I'd be glad to have you! My current statistics are listed here.

love, polly

To express oneself completely..

I've been thinking a lot about ways to express myself completely through one medium. I express myself through so many mediums though, that this one task seems difficult. I think taking photos and making up outfits every day is among one of the most important ways I can and will ever express myself. Two people in the costume shop told me today that I basically never wear the same outfit and it really has been dawning on me that it's close to true. But where's the fun in wearing the same outfit even twice unless if it makes you feel like a million bucks? This I ask you.

I found this vintage 1950's dress at a yard sale marked down because it has some pink stains. I am going to try to get them out with Palmolive. My friend who owns Figmint Vintage says she soaks her clothing in a bathtub with Palmolive and it works wonders! I'll let you know how it goes! :D

outfit details: blue wedges- Jeffrey Campbell

suitcase- Salvation Army

vintage 1950's dress- Urbana yard sale

vintage cream blazer- Great Grandma Polly Whitmer

love, polly

rain drops on dried hydrangeas

Hi, loves! I hope your weekend has been well. Today is the second day for my crew and I shooting Academic Integrity. It's fun and exhausting at the same time... but we are getting great shots. It's all worth it. Here are a few photos I made into a GIF from yesterday when some snow was melting off a roof of a beautiful garage and onto a hydrangea. I am a little obsessed with hydrangeas. Can you tell?

love, polly

100,000 thoughts.

My crew and I are shooting a short film today and it's absolutely freezing. We shot a scene outside and these earmuffs kept me unbelievably warm. I just got them from ebay and what a smart choice I made ordering them! I am completely and totally in love. The name of the new film is Academic Integrity. We are having fun shooting it so far and I am always loving the job of costume designer although things are incredibly hectic and rushed.

My mother gave me this pin and it makes me laugh so hard. It's very old and I treasure it. Also, she received this vintage Gucci scarf when she lived in Hollywood, CA in the 1980s. She was kind enough to let me borrow it..........

Hopefully I will be back when I'm not so busy. I start assisting an opera this coming week called Barber of Seville. It's an exciting whirlwind! It's good to be back. I hope your weekend is as creatively fulfilling as mine!

love, polly

SHOP UPDATE.

1. vintage 1950's gold flower brooch

2. 2. vintage flower brooch and earrings

3. vintage coral celluloid floral clip on earrings (SOLD)

4. vintage teal and silver 1950's floral earrings

To view more of the shop update, visit the Paulie Antiques blog or the shop!

love, polly

Meet Courtney..

Hi, there! I want you to meet someone new... someone very special. Her name is Courtney and she has a blog called A Bevy Of. I saw she commented on one of my lookbook photos so I visited her, too, and turns out she is totally and absolutely stunning and inspiring. She deserves her own post on my blog. I asked her a few questions to get to know her a little better.... Enjoy! ♥. 

P: Courtney, where do you live? C: I live in Los Angeles, CA, but I'm from Michigan. This might surprise some people but I really don't like it out here and actually plan on moving back to Michigan in the Spring. My boyfriend and I really miss trees, open spaces, nice people, and oddly enough, freezing cold winters. Plus, Detroit is going through this beautiful artistic renaissance right now and my boyfriend and I want to be a part of it.

P: What are your hobbies? C: I love spool knitting and crocheting as well as thrifting/vintage hunting. I have an etsy shop for both of those hobbies! I have been ice skating since I was 3 and did that pretty much non-stop until I graduated from high school. I'm also a Graphic Designer and my friend who started the organization Detroit Lives will ask me once in a while to design a poster or two for him. Designing posters is probably my favorite Graphic Design pastime. 

Some other non-fashion things about me: I worked for the co-owner of The Drybar, he was the one who designed everything for them. Under his direction, I designed everything for the makeup and beauty lounge, Blushington. Right now, I am designing similar things for various beauty lounges. I love it!

P: Do you own any pets? C: Prior to transferring to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, I actually went to Michigan State for two years with the intention of becoming a Veterinarian. I have two cats with me here in CA: Ponytail & Mustache. Ponytail is a rescue and Mustache is a beautiful yet goofy Ragdoll. As I'm typing this, Mustache is attempting to knock over my coffee mug. I keep telling him  no, but that doesn't mean anything to him.... When we move back to Michigan, my boyfriend and I plan on adopting a Boxer and a Golden Retriever. My parents have two White Golden Retriever puppies named Sadie and Oakley, a Ragdoll named Elvis, and a chubby little tabby named Madison, I consdier all of them my pets. 

P: How would you describe your personal style? C: Very eclectic but consistent. I love vintage clothing as well as thrifted clothing, and I think it's obvious from looking at my outfits that I love patterns and prints, and I've been really getting into textures, too, like velvet, suede, and knit. I love creating beautiful and interesting color pallettes of certain hues and tints. I try to mix prints based on the colors within the print. I'm really excited to see how my wardrobe will evolve over the following seasons, and to see how I'm going to deal with less layers when I get back to the humid summers in Michigan.

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us, Courtney.

love, polly

Fashion your frames DIY

Hi, loves! I bought these frames at a thrift store in Springfield, MO when I went to visit Red Velvet this past summer and I still hadn't done anything with them... so I started getting antsy. Last night I was cooped up in my room so I decided to re- do the frames and feature two of my favorite Marc Jacobs design ads. He is such an inspiring designer and these are so close to my style!

1. Take your frame and take the glass and backing out of it so you can paint it. 

2. Gather your paintbrush and your favorite hue of acrylic paint (this will probably take two-three coats) and paint away!

3. Gather your pieces of art and place them on your mat-board or thick paper of your choice. Make sure the material you chose will act as a sufficient mat-board and is large enough to frame the whole photo.

4. Put your photos on the back and in the center of the mat-board/paper and trace around the edges. Depending on how thick you'd like your matted frame, allow 2-4 inches smaller than the actual size of the photo. This will cut off some of your original photo, but it's necessary to frame the photo.

5. Tape your artwork to the cardboard frame provided with the picture frame. 

6. Cut on the inside line that you drew for the mat-board with an exact-o knife and a cutting mat. You should be cutting out a box shape in the middle of your paper.. and the frame you end up with should be smaller than the artwork you're framing!

7. Now that you have the middle of your mat-board paper cut out with your exact-o knife, tape your mat-board on your photo and turn it upside down so you can see the excess paper.

8. Cut the excess paper with scissors or an exact-o.

Last but not least.. place your matted photos in your beautiful new frames...

And you're finished and ready to hang your beautiful creation! 

love, polly

a winter's day..

Hello, there! When Caitlin Michelle e-mailed me asking to do a product review for a lovely set of her hand knitted gloves, hat, and cowl I was SO happy because I've never owned a cowl before. I literally wear it day and night and it keeps my neck so warm. I've even warn it to bed a few times! The gloves are fingerless and they're great when I am on the go and need to text while walking or when I need to dig change out of my coin purse. I love how warm the hat is and the color is perfect. I love green.. 

I also love the feeling of the yarn she used. It's very soft and never itchy. I really appreciated that!

outfit details: knitted cowl, fingerless gloves, and hat c/o Caitlin Michelle

vintage dress- Salvation Army

Coat- tag-less vintage, Estate Sale

bow heels- Enzo

lace tights- vintage, my mother's in the 1980s

purse- vintage, Goodwill

pastel teal belt- Salvation Army

love, polly

Raspberry & blackberry fruit smoothie pancakes.

Vegan Recipe: 1/2 cup natural organic applesauce

2 cups of Bisquick pancake mix 

1/2 cup organic raspberries

1/2 cup organic blackberries

1/2 cup of organic soy or rice milk

I am really loving this recipe for pancakes. If you add a lot of blackberries to your pancake mix, it will end up turning purple! It's so much fun. Have fun creating your own smoothie pancakes!

love, polly 

NEW CAMERA.

WOAH. I am over the moon excited about my new camera. Here are some shots I just captured with it about ten minutes ago. It also shoots HD video.... expect some videos from me very soon. I wish I could explain more... but I've got to go stitch in the costume shop for a few hours before I can! I love you all.

love, polly

outfit: life is a cabaret!

So, I've finally been able to get outside because the snow (it snowed for the past THREE  DAYS in central Illinois) is melting! This is great news for me because I hate snow a lot. Haha! What can you expect from someone born in California?

So, last semester the University of Illinois put on their own rendition of Cabaret and it became my favorite play of all time (thus far, of course) and I bought the vinyl soundtrack! It's been picking me up when it's gloomy outside. Hope you like it! Have you seen this play? I highly recommend it! ♥.

I reconstructed this blouse by giving it a Bertha Collar. I cut the yellow flowers off of a table cloth and attached them to the lace collar I pleated with my sewing machine. This was a project last semester in my fabrication class. My goal was to make this 1980's blouse into a 1920's sears catalog blouse I loved! Here is the before photo...

OH, and I forgot... I have to tell you that I bought a blueberry pancakes candle yesterday and it's made my whole room smell like my favorite meal... pancakes! What a pick me up! I really can't stress how much difference a delicious smelling candle makes in your room. You're instantly productive! I am almost completely done decorating my room (sorry for the delay... I have A LOT of decorations! I will share them in a couple days.... promise!)

outfit details: tights- UO

boots- vegan, brand: Soho

coat- vintage, tagless, Salvation Army

blouse- vintage 1980's (I altered it!)

skirt- vintage, goodwill

hat- vintage, no tag, my mother's

gloves & purse- my Great Grandmother Frisina's

love, polly