Re-Adjust

Re-Adjust

Saturday, November 14, 2015

I just realized that it has been a month since my face has been on the blog......that has been way to long! Therefore, hello dear readers after such a long time!!! Since it has been awhile I guess I should fill you all in a bit. This semester is almost over and while I am both excited and relieved about that it means finals are coming up. On top of there being less than a month of classes left I also applied to be a Resident Adviser on campus and got the job which starts immediately, so RA duties and training will fill most of my free time. 

However, Thanksgiving is only a little over a week away and I am soooooooooo excited!!! Oh, and it is finally cold here in Texas which is fabulous:)

I thought that today I would bring you all something unique in a post. If you remember a post I did on my Fall Inspiration awhile back focusing on the fashions of Bletchley Circle here I decided to incorporate that into my ensemble for this post. I love everything that Emily wears in the series so I thought I would recreate one of my favorite looks of hers. I love how simple the look is with a cream shirt, silk scarf, and grey wool skirt with a jacket....simple and perfect. I must say that I am becoming a HUGE fan of wearing these scarves! While wearing these style of scarves might have seemed odd and old fashioned to me years ago, now that is exactly what I need and I adore how it transports me into a different day and age!

This is one of my favorite buildings on campus & apparently people carve their names in the brick when they graduate.

Skirt: Thrifted

Sweater: Thrifted

Scarf: Grandmothers

Trench: Forever21

Shoes: Target (old & broken)

Socks: Target

Purse: Thrifted

Earrings: Walmart

Lipstick: Rimmel London Provocalips (230 Kiss Fatal)

**Pictures by Me & Betty (my camera)**

Have you ever had this perfect idea and everything just didn't work out how you had planned? While we have all had many instances like this throughout life, yesterday was a good example of this for me. I had this perfect idea in my head of what kind of pictures I wanted to take and how I wanted them to look and then when I started taking pictures nothing turned out how I wanted. I realized it is the same way in life (as I have been learning).....sometimes we just have to re-adjust our focus and realize that not everything is perfect. We might have ideas and dreams, and while they might seem perfect to us, they might not always be what is best or meant to be in that present moment. Sometimes we have to step back and view life from a new perspective and setting. 

So there is a little photography example for you! Just a side note, I think I really need to invest in a hand held remote for my camera that way I can take better self portraits:) 

Well dear readers, I must bid you adieu for now and hope that you are enjoying the cool weather and anticipating Thanksgiving!

What do you think about my take on Emily's look?

Have you ever had to re-adjust your focus?

Do you use a hand held remote to take pictures?

//Throw Back Thursday// Face Behind The Muse

//Throw Back Thursday// Face Behind The Muse

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Well dear readers, it is Thursday and I am throwing back to the days long ago (well, not that long). I mentioned before that I would share more pictures of my grandmother and today is the day!

For those of you who did not see my first post, Face Behind The Muse, today you get the priveledge of meeting my Granny Minnie, a wonderful woman with a fabulous since of style (and who was also the inspiration for my blog).

I am not sure about you lovely ladies, but I LOVE old photos!! Either old photos of family members or simply random pictures I find in a quaint shop downtown:) Pictures freeze time for future generations to later experience and reminisce about, and they inspire us to delve deeper into the history behind the black and white silhouettes. 

It seems as I have gotten older that rummaging through old pictures at my Dad's house where he grew up has been a constant activity of mine. That and listening to all of the exciting, comical, and adventurous stories told by my 95 year old Paw Paw (who you might just get to meet today?)! Whenever I was a girl, I did not appreciate the old pictures and the stories, but now, it is like a part of me and thus I relish the moments. 

This past trek to Thorndal (my dad's home town) I was rummaging through old photos as always and came across all of these lovely shots that I am sharing today:) The first two photos above were of my Granny Minnie in her early 20's I would assume. I absolutely love the first picture of her sitting in a garden, and Oh, her snow suit (and the snow) is great in the second photo:) The picture right above was taken in 1952 on the porch of what looks to be the farm house my Paw Paw grew up in and is such a perfect candid shot.

As per the date on the top of this picture, it was taken in 1957. My Granny Minnie is holding one of my Uncles. Can we just take a moment to admire her white dress and matching hat! Oh, and leas we forget about the wonderful  car in the background, which just happens to be my dream car (hehe):)

This picture might be an older one, considering that she is holding the hand of my Uncle Jerry who was the youngest of her five children. However, I loved how authentic this picture looked and I also love what she was wearing (this picture was probably taken in the 40's) :)

And now for one of the best pictures of the post.....this fabulous portrait taken on the day she married my Paw Paw! She looks so stunning and elegant, especially on such an important day. This photograph definitely captures the essence of her style, but also the wonderful fashion of the decade.

As I come to a close on this post today, I couldn't help sharing a few more photos, the two above being of particular importance or interest because here my Granny Minnie is pictures with my dad...Yes, my dad. Wasn't he the cutest little boy ever! 

Last but not least, the newest introduction you lovelies might have been anticipating....I now have the privilege of introducing you to my Paw Paw, a lifelong farmer and man of full Scottish blood, Sydney McQuary (but everyone calls him Sid)

I know I could have picked a better picture of my Paw Paw to introduce you all to, but this is one that I found and loved because of the stories it can tell. However, while I would love to tell you all the army adventures of a man who was a commander on a half track in WWII, the day and post are not long enough, so for now I must content myself with the fact that you all have now been introduced to my Paw Paw :)

I hope the day finds you cheered by the sunshine, but whatever the case may be, I hope you dear readers enjoyed getting a little taste of my inspiration and a introduction to my family history. 

Until Next Time!

What picture of my Granny Minnie is your favorite?

Do you have any old pictures you LOVE?

What do you love about old pictures?

//Spring Break// 1947

//Spring Break// 1947

Friday, March 13, 2015

Well.....here it is....a week off of school or for me at least this week is my spring break! In honor of a week off of school and the fabulous years of the 40's-50's here is a post (mainly pictures) of how those young people back in the day spent their spring break.

Have you realized how degraded spring break has become in today's world??? It is so sad to see that people have a negative mindset when it comes to how people spend their spring break. Now being at college I have realized even more the changes in our society. These views of how young people spend their breaks are plastered over magazines and in the plots of Hollywood movies; encouraging and accepting this behavior. It was so crazy to see just how real this lifestyle is when you are at college and see posters all over campus encouraging students to be safe and make good decisions. It is even worse when you hear people mentioning how they will be spending their break. 

Back in the day however, it was a different story!! Spring break back in 1947 was spent by young people at the beach....soaking up the sun, boat racing, dancing to the latest hits, and hosting beauty pageants. When the sun set things were just as special....with glowing, crackling bonfires and portable radios cranking out tunes of the day. 

Spring break was something to remember!

All photos are from an article I ran across here on Time.com in LIFE.

The Face Behind The Muse

The Face Behind The Muse

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

You dear readers will have to forgive me for not posting any of my latest ensembles, but life has been busy. Since I do not have any pictures of my latest ensembles I thought I would take the time to formally introduce you all to my Granny Minnie. I wish I had more than these two pictures of her to show, so next time I am back in Thorndale I will have to snag the other amazing picture of her:) 

As you lovely readers know, my Granny Minnie was the inspiration for my blog as well as the namesake for Minnie Muse. My grandmother passed away about eight years ago and unfortunately it wasn't until a few years after she passed away that I discovered her amazing since of style and treasure trove of vintage pieces, thus began my love of all things vintage!! 

I also have to take a moment and talk about the picture at the top of this post because it is one of my favorites captured of her. This picture is quite a candid and random shot and quite honestly we do not even know who took it, but somehow it came into our possession and I LOVE it (I have it hanging on my bedroom wall as daily inspiration). I believe this was taken when my grandmother was in business school (probably in the 1940's), so evidently she was in some bustling city and I suppose she knew the gentleman who was walking with her, but that is another mystery of this picture. I think for any of you readers, you all can understand why I love this picture so very much!! It is a picture you would not expect to see, much less capture so effortlessly, but to me it is perfect and holds a story and mystery that I will never know, but that says everything. 

I have always wanted to recreate the look she was wearing and also recreate this picture, so maybe one day you will see my adaption of this shot gracing the pages of the blog???? Who knows????

The picture above is the only other picture I have at home of my grandmother (she is the lady on the left) and I think I actually brought it home all for the sake of what she was wearing! My Granny Minnie always managed to look utterly fabulous in whatever she wore and definitely had a wonderful since of fashion. I absolutely LOVE what she is wearing in this picture because it is a perfect example of the typical casual and comfortable pants style of the 40's. I love to wear high waisted pants and go for that 1940's working woman look so this picture is definitely a treasure for me:)

I hope you lovely readers enjoyed this overview of the wonderful lady who was the face behind the muse of this blog, and enjoyed seeing just how she wore fashions of her day!! I hope you all are having a lovely 2015!!