Hitting the streets!!!!

First one taking place TODAY!! Thursday 29th of July!!!
Snazzy New Development, one of Ireland's finest All Weather Market Venues!

How to find us today!!!

Gals, we are very excited to be hitting the road today and heading for Limerick City to participate in the first ever Artisan Fair at the newly developed Milk Market Venue in Limerick City. The Market today brings arts and craftspeople from all over Ireland together once a month ( last Thursday of each month!!!) to sell their wares and deal directly with the public.

Well we have the car packed to the brim with stock, mannequins, coffee and "oursmelves"! Hoping to have a nice day and hoping to meet lots of market browsers throughout the day. I believe there are also fellow Irish etsy shops going to be there too so it will be lovely to network and mingle with our fellow etsy sellers.

Market is open from 12 midday until 7 tonight... so why not pop by after your working day for a gander around! We will have lots of 'bonzie' goodies to tempt you!! ;)

I Dig You Cause Your Fashion Is So Keen

Dress: Old Navy, remixed * Belt: Little Ocean Annie vintage, remixed * Scarf: gift from Katie of Interrobangs, Anonymous * Shoes: Hasbeens

Ah! No time! So hot! So tired! So busy! Can't control my use of exclamation points!! Can't be bothered to write complete sentences! (Extra credit to any comments on this post that use at least one exclamation point and incomplete grammar!)

Let's agree: we love this scarf. It has the Tower of London on it. And it engulfs my face. Ain't nothin' better. And that's all I've got. Face-eating scarves and bad grammar. Hopefully things will be more complete tomorrow.

Title song: The Hippos, "Bad Grammar"

Rug

Review and Giveaway: Misikko Hana Elite Flat Iron! - CLOSED

So, I love my hair, I really do. I love the short, sassy pixie, and I love that it's thick and unruly. But as it starts to grow out, even just a little bit, it gets...well, how do I put this?...batshit crazy.

See exhibits 1 through 3 below:

Exhibit 1: Cute and all, but seriously wave-city

Exhibit 2: In which I contain the crazy with a flower pin

Exhibit 3: I mean, seriously, look at those sideburns!

Of course, the ridiculous summer humidity only makes things more unkempt. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to get my hairs trimmed recently, so they're getting to that phase. So when Misikko approached me to ask if I'd be interested in reviewing one of their flat irons, I figured I probably didn't have much to lose (except those beloved sideburns, if I happened to singe them off with a too-hot iron). Anyway, here's what they sent me. Adorable, no?

So yesterday I went about straightening my little pixie. I was skeptical, to be honest. I mean, I don't have much hair, and I wasn't at all convinced that even a really nice straightener would make much of a difference. The Conair flat iron that I have now entails a 30 minute battle, and my hair ends up poofy and not remotely sleek. So I went into it ready to be entirely underwhelmed. Instead, this is what happened:

Exhibit 1: Sprinkling what I can only assume is Misikko's magic fairy dust on my miraculously straightened hair

Exhibit 2: Pointing out the delightful sleekness of my now-straight hair

Exhibit 3: Feels so goooood...

Exhibit 4: In awe of the awesomeness

Anyway, literally one run-through with the Hana Elite, and I was a convert. And despite the fact that it showed me just how uneven my current haircut is, I flipping love this thing.

And...miracle of miracles, I get to give one Hana Elite 1" flat iron to one of my readers (they have lots of awesome models, too, including the Chi flat iron and the Corioliss Classic flat iron)! All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post, with a valid email address (comments without an email address will not be counted). And I'm usually stingy with allowing extra entries, but the folks at Misikko are a lot nicer than I am, so you get a whole handful of extra entries! Be sure to leave an extra comment on this post if you do any of the following:

1. Follow Misikko on Twitter (@misikko)
2. Blog about the giveaway on a personal website.
3. Join Misikko’s newsletter (3 extra entries)
4. “Like” Misikko on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MisikkoBeauty)

The winner must be from the US or Canada. I'll select a winner at random on Friday, August 6.

Good luck!!

UPDATE 8/6/10: The giveaway is now closed. I'll be announcing a winner in today's post. Thanks for entering, everyone!!

Lace on Satin

Shirt: Old Navy, remixed * Linen pants: Forever 21 * Wedges: Old Navy, remixed * Necklace: craft fair in Chile, remixed

Hey Monday, what's shakin'? Things are finally settling down on my end. I'm still busy, and we're currently internet-less at home, so I'll still be a bit scarce for awhile. But I feel like I'm slowly but surely getting back on track. The good news is that I'll be able to reveal some of my recent developments this week, and I won't have to be quite so damn vague about everything! More good news is that I was over the flipping moon about this outfit. It's been hot as blazes in Chicago lately (other than yesterday, which was gloriously cool), so I knew I had to bust out my fabulously flowy linen pants. I don't often pair light neutrals with other light neutrals, but it felt right in this case, and I just loved the outcome, especially with the darker, heavier choker necklace to ground everything. Sorry for the wrinkles, though. Linen is great and all, but good gravy it can hold a crease!

Even more good news is that I can announce the winner of the happy pappy vintage giveaway today! Congratulations to comment #16, Alice! I'll send you an email right away. For those of you who didn't win, don't fret. I have another giveaway in the works. Don't let it ruin your Monday.

Title song: Danny Williams, "White on White"

Bonzie in the Irish Examiner!

Credits

Accessories: Bonzie www.bonziedesigns.com
Stylist and Shoot Producer: Annmarie O'Connor @ iblogfashion@gmail.com; 087 976 4920 Stylist's Assistant: Catherine Glasheen
Hair: Susan Corcoran @ John Geaney for Hair - http://www.johngeaney.ie/; 021 450 3788
Make-up: Kate O'Reilly using MAC Make-up- info@kateoreillymakeup.com;
Models: Anya, Frieda and Inta @ 1st Option http://www.1stoption.ie/; 01 670 5233
Photography: Miki Barlok - http://www.barlokphoto.com/; 086 223 7081
Location: The Westbury Hotel - http://www.doylecollection.com/; 01 679 1122

Giveaway Reminder: The Happy Pappy Vintage

Due to the fact that I'm crazy with life right now, I'm giving y'alls the rest of the weekend to enter the happy pappy vintage giveaway. Get to it, if you haven't! I'll announce a winner on Monday, July 26.

Also, if you have any last lingering questions to preguntarme, git 'er done! I'll post the first of the answers posts next week!

The Wind Would Pass Me By

Dress: thrifted * Shirt: Old Navy * Sandals: BC Footwear * Belt: thrifted * Bag: vintage Kenneth Cole

So thanks for letting me take the day off yesterday. I can't say that I got much rest, since things are still way crazy and busy, but I feel much better, stress-wise. I got something major accomplished yesterday, so I feel much more prepared for everything. I'm still going to keep this post pretty short, because although my stress level has gone down, my exhaustion has not.

These pictures were actually taken last week, on one of the hot as blazes days in Chicago. Joe met me after work, and we walked out to the lake shore to cool off and get some pictures. It's amazing how much cooler it is right at the water! I seriously just wanted to stand with my feet in the lake all day. I really like how stark some of these pictures look. There were dozens of kids frolicking in the water on either side of me, and yet Joe managed to get some pretty awesome shots of me in the lake.

Title song: Antony and the Johnsons, "The Lake"

Laundry Day: You Can Keep Your Words

As much as I wish I was standing on the beach with my toes in the sand, I am not. My stress level has risen through the roof with all the stuff going on right now (it may be exciting stuff, but it's a bit hard to juggle along with everything else. The simple fact that I could muster up this single post is impressive), so I'm taking the day off from the internet. My Google Reader will be subjected to the dreaded "Mark all as read" button (p.s. who else finds that to be unbelievably satisfying?). Gods of rain, weather, time management, and sleep deprivation willing, I'll be back in full form tomorrow.

Title song: Angie Stone, "U-Haul"

My Mind is on the Blink

Shirt: thrifted * Skirt: Tulle * Belt: Little Ocean Annie Vintage * Moccasins: Kmart * Glasses: Bleu Dame

Guys, I'm tired. Really, ridiculously tired. Tired in a way where I find my eyelids drooping and my feet dragging. Tired in a way where everything is sore. I had a great weekend, but a weekend that completely wore me out. There was a lot of lifting, a lot of bending, a lot of stair climbing, a lot of painting, and very little sitting or lying down.* Combined with the fact that our apartment is constantly upward of 90 degrees, I'm seriously dragging today.

But I'm also very happy, and very excited about life right now. Despite the crippling exhaustion, things are going really well. Lots of big changes, but ones that are moving everything in the right direction. So it's a satisfying exhaustion.

I'll probably have a bunch of posts like this for the next week or so. Heavy on pictures, short on words. I'll hopefully get to answering some of your questions soon, too (they've been so fun to read so far!). And I promise I'll reveal all my exciting developments very soon. Just keep your pants on. And enter the giveaway!

*Yes, Emily, I'm tired. I probably don't deserve to be, but I am. It was no couch, but the weekend still took a lot out of me! :)

Title song: The Beatles, "I'm so Tired"

A Change of Scenery

Gals,

We wanted to share this capture of Model Laura Fan wearing "bonzie" at the recent Finals Heat of Visionnary Awards Ireland where local hair stylist Jodie McGrath of FoxyChopper reached the finals for her awesome styling skills in hair design. We really enjoyed working on the clothing for this project and wanted to share a quick capture of Laura in her finery before she hit the catwalk. ( more pro shots to follow)

Congrats to Jodie for a fantastic entry and Kate Rose Crean for her stunning Make-Up Artistry.

The theme was Masquerade!!! ( although you guys probably worked that one out already! ;)

Giveaway: The Happy Pappy Vintage

Okay, everyone, it's going to be a good day. It's Friday, for one, which is awesome, but there's also some awesomeness going on here at Between Laundry Days as well! I've been so excited to post this all week! I'm very happy to introduce BLD's first sponsor, the happy pappy vintage. Emily has an adorable Etsy shop, with awesome, and totally reasonably priced vintage clothing and accessories. In order to properly introduce her to all of you, she has been kind enough to offer up one of her lovely vintage bags for this week's giveaway!!

To enter the giveaway, simply visit the happy pappy vintage and find your favorite item from her shop. Then, leave a comment on this post with the following info:

• Your favorite item from the happy pappy vintage
  
• A valid email address (please note that any entries without a valid email address will be deleted)
• One entry per person
  

The giveaway will run until next Friday, July 23!!! And if there's something in her shop that you're just dying to have, Emily is offering a 15% discount (pre-shipping) to all BLD readers! Simply message the code "betweenlaundrydays" to her when you're checking out. Good luck!!

UPDATE: Due to general craziness, I'll announce the winner of this contest bright and early Monday morning (7/26). Git it done, folks!

Orient watch giveaway winner: The winner of the Orient watch is the lovely Emily of Sartoriography! Emily, I'll send you an email shortly. Congrats!

Interested in sponsoring Between Laundry Days? Send me an email and let's chat!

Or What Her Game Is

Dress: Forever 21, remixed * Belt: Forever 21, remixed * Scarf: thrifted * Sandals: BC Footwear, remixed

I'm melting. I'm not built for this weather, you guys! Spending much of my life in the high, dry, arid West means that I have zero, zero tolerance for humidity. Joe can vouch for me. I'm a grump when it's hot and sticky like this. Though Joe probably doesn't want to do much of anything for me since he's sick and tired of all my whining. And there's no end in sight, so I'm devoting today to trying to adjust my attitude. If I have to be hot and uncomfortably moist, I'm gonna do it with a smile on my face! Or at least not a grimace.

Despite the heat, and despite my oversized pair of grumpy pants (they're the boyfriend jeans of grumpy pants), I'm crazy about this outfit. This soft jersey dress is one of my favorites, and I just adore this silk scarf that I thrifted for a song (literally, the store clerk made me sing for it...ha! Just kidding. How awesome would that be, though?). This is probably the last of the adorable outfits for awhile, though, since it'll be boyfriend grumpy pants from here on out.

Title song: Pat Benatar, "Hot Child in the City"

Shooting with Lucia.

Gals,

Simply had to share this preview of a shoot we did recently with Irish Photographer Lucia O'Connor-McCarthy and stylist Danielle Fitzgerald. The full editorial feature will be published soon in KISMET magazine and we will be sure to share the rest of the shoot with you then!!!

Also , a special thanks to the Bridal Bubbly Blog gals who are currently hosting a special 'bonzie' giveaway on their blog at the moment. Click HERE to enter for your chance to win!!

We'll Go Walking on Our Own Rainbows

Blue striped tank: Forever 21, remixed * Skirt: Anthropologie, remixed * Cardigan: Target * Sandals: BC Footwear, won from Tweet my Style, remixed * Belt: Target, remixed

So you might all remember my first shot at this outfit. It was a weekend attempt, and while I loved wearing it, I hated how it photographed. I knew I wanted to give it another shot, so I thought I'd attempt it as a work-appropriate outfit (it doesn't take much, just a belt, cardigan, and fancier sandals). Once again I loved wearing it. The fabrics and shapes are so flowy and comfortable, and I couldn't help but feel confident and powerful all day (that's what bright colors will do to you!). And happily, I was thrilled with the way it photographed this time. Something about adding the cardigan and belt seemed to ground the bright patterns and flowy shapes. It felt, and looked, fun but structured, bright but organized, sassy but practical. I'll probably wear it again on a weekend because I just love this combination so much, but I think the work version is my favorite. What about you? Which do you prefer?

And can I just take a moment to absolutely gush about these shoes? I won them as part of a Tweet My Style contest a few weeks ago. They're BC Footwear, which is a branch of, or owned by, Seychelles (correct me if I'm wrong on that, or if any of you know better). I love the woven leather straps and subtle cognac color, but I'm really, really sold on how comfortable they are. I took them to Colorado and wore them literally all week (well, not hiking, but everywhere else). I couldn't be more excited to have a nice, comfortable pair of flat sandals. I'm fully planning to wear them into the ground.

Don't mind the bandaids. This was taken on their first wearing, and I was trying to break in the leather.

I want to thank you all for your wonderful questions on my Between Laundry Days FAQ post! I'm really excited to get a couple of answers posts set up. There's no real end date for it, so if you still have a quandary, let me know! Oh, and you only have two more days to enter the Orient Watch giveaway!! I'll pick a winner at random on Friday, July 16.

Title song: The Shirelles, "Bright Shiny Colors"