i've been waiting for you

song of the day: 'what about love' by heart

speaking of waiting, i was at the mechanics for over three hours yesterday. i took the car in to get an oil change and fix the door striker on the rear passenger door (yes the door was held closed by a strong piece of twine so that it wouldn't fly open. we are a classy bunch). but found out the ball joint on the driver front had to be replaced because, as roger told me 'the wheel could come of in any direction and you'd be stuck in the middle of the highway with no way to push it to the side and you'd have to get it towed.' i'm sure he kept the fact that i'd also have to be towed by an ambulance to the nearest hospital if that happened to himself. but no, roger's a nice dude and he was very concerned that we wouldn't make it home. needless to say, we got it fixed. but that meant sticking around in the waiting room watching nickelodeon for another hour and a half. isaiah had a great time making eyes at the girls that work behind the desk and chewing a lot of bubble gum.

so anyway, that's kinda why i don't have a lot of pics today. and they aren't that great to begin with. after waiting around the mechanic's and then driving in the heat to target, where we got a snack, i marveled at all the cute bathing suits and then cursed the fact that there weren't any small enough for my no boob self, and then buying a star wars lego pack, and then driving home with the windows down in the rush hour heat, i look a bit worse for wear.

thanks again for all the awesome comments about my store. i'd love to talk more about it if you all still have questions. i don't want to go on and on about something you're sick of hearing though, so let me know.

oh and i am wearing shorts :) when matt first saw me when he got home, his eyes went wide but then relaxed when he saw the shorts through the dress. silly boy.

details:

dress-f21, ebay

shorts-talbots, goodwill

boots-steve madden, idee geniale's closet

we belong together

blue floral skort-sold!!!

song of the day: 'circle in the sand' by belinda carlisle

here are few new things in the shop today! don't you think that you and one of these gems 'belong together'? eh, eh?

well, i thought i'd talk a bit more about my shop. one thing that i've been asked about a lot is whether or not i had to take out a small business loan. and no i did not. see, i gots me a sugar-daddy who gives me anything i want. ha! no i'm just kidding, but matt does have a good job with a yearly bonus that helps to pay my expenses. plus, it took about a year for the building to be renovated so i used that time to build my inventory little by little. and i have like the best deal ever on rent. really, i mean, everything fell into place for me to open my own store and i do realize that i'm way more fortunate than most. my first day, i was so nervous about whether or not people would come, if i had everything i needed, if i knew how to use the cash register and all those silly things. yeah, my store didn't look anything like it does now. it had to grow as i had more money to throw at it and as i saw what people really wanted to buy. it's definitely been a learning experience and there's been a lot of trial and error. for sure, owning your own business is stressful, especially dealing with things like taxes, permits, and licenses, but it's worth it. and i did it the other way around, started my brick and mortar before my etsy store, so i think all of you who already have an etsy and are dealing with the business side of things will have a much easier transition. i think the biggest thing is to have a vision and to stick to it. everyone will have ideas and advice to give and a lot of it will be useful. but if it doesn't go along with what you see in your dreams, then don't do it. you have to be able to walk in everyday and be so excited and proud of what you have. that's way more important than a business plan or profit margins.

colorful checkered blazer

rad leopard belt

i reach for you and you bring me home

song of the day: 'heaven is a place on earth' by belinda carlisle

this is another thing i bought fully intending to put in the shop, but then decided i couldn't quite part with it. it's so not me with its super bright colors and ultra girliness and all. oh well it makes me look tan and i love the buttons down the back and the flowy shorts that make it look like a dress. yep, it's a romper! so super fun! and to be completely honest, i'm not sure the buttons do indeed go up the back. the tag is back there but i am not totally convinced i'm wearing it as i should be. i don't care too much though, i prefer it like this.

do you see the hideous dark clouds behind me? yeah, it was sunny and hot all day and then i began to see these rain clouds roll in about 5:00. i hurried out to take pictures so i wouldn't lose out on my chance and about 20 minutes after this it started pouring. big time rain, i'm talking here. but the sunset was amazing! the most incredible color i've ever seen. the sky was tangerine. and it looked so beautiful against the dark of the buildings lining my street. i took a few pics on my phone but they don't do it justice. i posted it on twitter though if you're inclined to take a look.

what do you think about the new background? wood slats. i think it's pretty rad.

and thanks so much you guys for all the wonderful comments about my shop! it's funny because when you open a shop whether online or traditional, you worry about what other people will think about it. will everyone love it? hate it? think you could have done this or that better? it's hard to put yourself out there for the world to critique sometimes, especially when you put so much time and hard work into something. it's very personal, you know? so thanks for the boost of confidence! and i do wish that all of you could come by and see it and chat with me.

i'll go into more detail about stuff tomorrow probably. i kinda forgot that i wanted to talk more about it and i feel like i've used up my allotted blogging time. this is already kinda a lot to read on a monday morning. but anyhoo, thanks!! you guys are the best :)

details:

romper-vintage, manna center

accessories, shoes-vintage

let me introduce you

this is amandromeda!! it's my pride and joy, my baby. i've been at 116 n broadway for about a year and a half now. i love it. it's a ton of fun and i've gotten to meet a lot of people through the shop. it's so gratifying to see people around town wearing stuff that they've bought from me. like when i see someone in one of my dresses i get so giddy. having a shop of my own had been a dream of mine for a long time and i truly feel blessed to be able to do this. and really it's all because my sweet husband matt supports me and gives me money to keep it going. some months are better than others but in a small town it's hard to rely on the income from such a unique little place and if he didn't have a great job with amazing benefits then i couldn't afford to keep it. and it's nice that isaiah can be there with me during the day. sure there are days when i want to ring his neck but it's better than having to pay for childcare. i just put in a movie on the computer and he's cool.

i sell a lot of different things: some furniture pieces, handmade accessories, vintage and used clothing and whatnot. i have a few handmade cards but i'd like to get more in stock. if any of you make your own cards or know of someone who does could you let me know? and i'd love to start screenprinting stuff too, like shirts and tote bags. hopefully we'll get into that soon because i think it could be a ton of fun.

i know a lot of you have etsy stores, but if you were ever thinking of opening a brick and mortar store as well, i would totally encourage you to do so. i love getting to see my customers face to face and chatting about stuff with them and getting to know them. if you have any questions about it, please feel free to ask. i've gotten to know megan of chicfaced blog and beaucoup vintage over the last few months because she recently opened her own vintage boutique and etsy shop. we've been emailing back and forth for a while talking about our shop and blogs and asking each other for advice and stuff. and things like that make all this worth it. the relationships that you can make. so all that to say, ask if you need to and open a store if you want to :)

and the winner is.....

lara from la chouette en dimanche!!!!!!! such a cute postcard and i loved the little note on the back telling me about your hometown. so lara, i will be sending out your prize on monday morning!!! hope you love it. and this is a pic of my postcard wall as it is now. so any time you guys go on a trip or whatever, feel free to send me a card. the more the merrier i say.

i always got by on my own

song of the day: 'alone' by heart

ah, it's friday! and this is a much more fun friday than normal because matt has the day off. i'm pretty pumped because we're going out to breakfast and to the manna center and he'll be able to keep me company at the shop. and speaking of my shop, i took pictures of it yesterday so i'll be posting those this weekend some time. i'm excited to show you guys what it looks like!

this is the dress that i cut and hemmed totally wrong and so the front is way shorter than the back. i had wanted to fix it but i'm afraid that the back will be too short and then it'll be unwearable. and it's kinda fun to have it asymmetrical. something about it reminds me of stevie nicks. maybe it's the sheer sleeves and the high collar. it has a slight goth feel to it, which i am decidedly not. and i don't really know why i always look so intense in my pictures. i mean, i really am a pretty jovial person, i like to have a good time and i'm usually in a good mood. i think it's harder to smile to an inanimate object. i do tend to smile more when matt takes my pictures for me. i just don't have that connection to the camera i guess. we may need to get to know each other better, maybe go out for drinks first so we can loosen up and then get on with the nitty-gritty.

details:

dress-vintage, 2 gals (which is the flea market/antique shop across the street from my house)

shoes-cynthia vincent for target

love was wilder than the wind

song of the day: 'listen to your heart' by roxette

i had totally forgotten about this song but then a couple danced to it last night on 'so you think you can dance' and i immediately downloaded it. you better believe i'll be jamming out to roxette today.

i had been stalking this dress on etsy for a long time and then last week it went on sale. woohoo! you know i hit the commit to buy button so no one could snatch it away. i love the color, the shiny stripe, the sleeves....it's such a great dress. albeit a little see-through. last night i was standing in the sunlight coming in our front windows and matt said, 'did you wear that dress like that all day? you know you can see through it.' whoops. i didn't really know. and yes i did do a little alteration on it. i made it shorter and took up the skirt on the sides because i felt like it was a little too flowy. i like it a bit better with a slimmer skirt because the top is kinda big. matt even said it was his favorite vintage dress, probs cuz it's basically transparent.

oh, and to clarify, cheap thrills is a store about 30 minutes away that sells both vintage and used clothing. it's awesome. you can sell your clothes and either get store credit or walk away with cold hard cash. and the manna center is a thrift store here in town that i go to A LOT that has half price wednesday and i get a ton of my stuff there.

details:

dress-vintage, etsy

shoes-vintage bass, manna center

every rose has its thorn

song of the day: 'every rose has its thorn' by poison

man, i had a big scare last night. we updated my iphone to the new os and after it finished syncing up, the whole thing was factory restored. no contacts, no apps, no music, no nothing! where the heck was all my stuff?! that had never happened before and i thought matt hit the wrong button and wiped it out and i was just going to be sick. sick i tell you. but then we plugged it back in the computer and all was right with the world again. it was a little touch and go there for a few minutes though. i admittedly have a slight addiction to my phone and the internets in general. i'll be checking things on the laptop then put it on the table only to pick up my phone and continue on. i think i may have a problem.

i know i wore both the shorts and the sweater recently. i'm not really sorry about repeating so soon as i love these pieces too much. you guys are just lucky i didn't make you look at my moccs again. i love them shoes. and really my sock tan lines are getting so out of control that i only like wearing shoes that sort of cover that up or at least disguise it a bit. the ankle strap on these sandals kinda distract the eye so you don't notice it as much. i should take a picture of the line. it's pretty funny.

details:

sweater-vintage, cheap thrills

shorts-vintage levi's, cheap thrills

wedges-lower east side, ebay

purse-vintage dooney and bourke, manna center

vintage and thrifted necklaces

the lonely street of dreams

song of the day: 'here i go again' by whitesnake

yesterday was a hot and lazy day of being at home so i pulled out my too short floral romper i bought at walmart for $5. it's cute and all but miley cyrus plainly designed this thing for preteens with big boobs. the top is big while the torso is short and i give a free show to anyone looking when i bend over. that's why this little number is reserved only for days spent in the comforts of my own home. but i do kinda feel fun and flirty in it so i keep it around. and with the intense heat and humidity as of late, my hair has been getting wilder and bigger and crazier. i love it. even my fringe is curling a bit. the secret is to drive with the windows down. that seems to add to the crazy, especially if it isn't completely dry. it's my natural volumizer.

oh and just letting you all know, i'm waiting until friday to announce the winner of the postcard/necklace giveaway. i want to make sure i get all of them in.

you guys, i really love having this blog and i love hearing from everyone. it's just really a ton of fun. thanks for hanging out with me :)

details:

romper-walmart

cardigan-target

moccs-action is the fruit

vintage accessories