change

i want to thank you all so very much for following along with off of broadway over the last couple years.  this blog has been so awesome for me, but at this time it just doesn't fit who i am.  so i've decided to start a new blog.  one that reflects me and my lifestyle, my family, my shop, and my community.  i want to share more with you guys and i think i compartmentalized this blog too much to allow me to do that.  so please, come see me at amandromeda.  and thanks again for meeting me here :)

decisions

i've been wrestling with the idea of closing my blog and had pretty much decided on it when i took these photos. even though i haven't taken any outfit shots in weeks, almost every time i get dressed in the morning, i have my blog in mind. is this blog worthy? would i post this outfit? kinda funny. it's been a big part of who i am for so long. i don't need to blog like i did before. when i started it, like most of you, i needed it for the community. i live in a small town that is largely void of style. but in the last year, i've gotten a great group of friends who are like me and this blog no longer serves the same purpose it did in the beginning. does that mean i get rid of it? i don't know. that's what i've been wrestling with. i think of you guys, my readers. i hate to disappoint you by shutting this blog down or by not giving it the attention it needs. have you all reached this point in your life? i could use some advice and direction. 
details:
blazer, bag, shoes-vintage
pants-local boutique
tee-local coffee shop, pour jon's
necklace-clyde's rebirth

friday favorites

a favorite little spot in my house that overlooks broadway and the rest of downtown siloam springs.  i believe whole-heartedly in filling your home with things you love and hold meaning rather than just look cool.  for instance, the dress form was my grandma's and the plant was given to me in honor of my mom.  my dad is an avid hunter and the skull is from him.  nothing matches.  it doesn't have to.  i love each piece and that makes it perfect.

patchwork denim

as a bluejean baby, i really dig new trends in denim.  and i love the patchwork pieces that are surfacing on street style blogs as of late. so when i saw these jeans at the thrift last week, i couldn't pass it up.  they are comfortable and slouchy and kind of my new faves.  and this blazer....all i can say is 'thank you little boy, for growing out of this amazing garment.'  
happy monday.
details:
vintage clutch, necklace, blazer
thrifted tee, jeans, shoes

on high waisted panties

for valentine's, matt treated me to some new undies.  after much back and forth going, i settled on a matching lacy ensemble (wink wink) and the above pictured floral number, all from american apparel.  no lie, we were a bit skeptical of the granny panty even though she has in recent years reinvented herself as the trendy high waisted brief.  she has, as you well know, been given a bad rap for her unimaginative design, poor fit, and control panel disguising ways.  however, all indecision flew out the door the minute i put them on.

i felt sexy.

like racy 60s movie kind of sexy.  as though i should be drinking and smoking in bed wearing nothing but my big panties and a flimsy robe.  why should a pair of underpants that cover my belly button make me feel so feminine?  almost like going against the status quo of tiny undies made me provocatively powerful. 

but make no mistake, these are most definitely lounging panties and not working panties.  the waistband placement makes pairing them with outer garments awkward and uncomfortable.  no matter, i love them and i will absolutely buy more.

i'm bringing the granny panty sexy back.

classic stripes

i find it harder and harder to buy things new.  oh sure, i make exceptions with undies and running shoes, but otherwise i can find almost anything i want second hand.  take this shirt for instance.  k, so it's F21, but i found it at salvation army.  now you just tell me when a blue and white striped button down blouse is going out of style.......exactly.  and i will guarantee the $4 i paid for it is way less than the original price.  so thank you, girl who doesn't like classic stripes, for donating your gently used item so i could swoop in and snatch it up and subsequently garner numerous compliments to which i replied, 'thanks.  i got it at the thrift shop.'  yep, i'm popping tags.
details:
all purchased at thrift shops
necklace- in pink, via gift card
crown pendant- gift

high heeled shoes

in honor of fashion week, i wore heels to my shop on saturday.  the pain wasn't as excruciating as i expected.  maybe i should wear heels more often.  and velour.  i should wear velour more often too.
details:
velour sweater-vintage
jeans, shoes, necklace-thrift
bag-vintage

happy birthday, amandromeda

on friday, february 6th, 2009 i turned over the open sign to amandromeda for the first time.  i was outrageously nervous thinking this whole venture would be the business equivalent of walking around with my skirt tucked into my panties.  but here we are, 4 years later and while not every moment has been brilliant, i've at least been able to keep my backside covered.  i love my little shop.  can't wait to see what this year holds.  now, celebrate with me and do a happy dance!

my heart in pictures

for a couple years now, i've had a photo heart above my bed with pictures of matt and me from different moments of our life together.  last week, i decided it was time for an update.  i knew i wanted to instagram all the old photos to match with the more recent phone pics i had taken.  and as i was online searching for places to print my pictures, i found out that all i had to do was send them to my local walgreens!  they just recently launched a great app called printicular where you upload your photos, choose the size and quantity, hit send and it's ready in an hour.  so awesome!  and you don't have to clog everyone's instagram feed, because the app can access your phone's photo album.  39 cents for each 4x4 print.  and now i have a new heart just in time for valentine's day :)

vine

like a lot of folks, i jumped on the vine bandwagon.  made my first little video yesterday while out thrift shopping.  i think this is gonna be fun :)

find me as 'amandromeda'

two step

a few weeks ago, i shared some pics of home improvement projects i wanted to tackle this year.  well, this weekend we managed to cross one off the list!  matt and i spent our saturday night staining the wooden steps in our stairwell that lead up to our front door.  we went with a blueish tinted stain just for something a bit different.  and sunday afternoon, i wrote lyrics to an all time favorite song of mine on the stairs so you can read it as you head into the house.  i really love how they turned out!  and i can't wait to finish up the other projects we have planned!



'two step' by dave matthews
celebrate we will
because life is short but sweet for certain
we're climbing two by two
to be sure these days continue
things we cannot change
oh my love you came to me
like wine comes to this mouth
grown tired of water all the time
you quench my heart and you quench my mind

puffer

i wore this outfit on a day that seems right now a lifetime ago.  it was a saturday and a cold wind whipped through the alley that is adjacent to my shop.  and while i totally dig this puffer vest (made for a much larger, burly man) it didn't do that much to keep me warm.  nor did my shoes, as a matter of fact.  but sometimes you just wear what you feel.  
details:
all thrifted items :)

heartfelt thanks

i want to thank you all so very much for the sweet comments, tweets, texts, and calls about my mom.  these last few days have been tough, but i have never before felt so blessed and loved.  i wish i could respond to each one of you personally, but i just can't. and i can't even put into words how much i truly cherish your prayers and encouragement.  
the funeral service yesterday was beautiful.  it wasn't about sadness, but rather a celebration of life and hope.  we shared sweet memories and pictures and songs.  it was one of the hardest yet most wonderful days of my life.  i know that in the coming days and months, i'll realize just how much i miss her.  but really, i was so blessed to have been her daughter.  and i can't wait to see her again!

goodbye

yesterday at 6:15pm, we said goodbye to the most amazing woman i've ever known.  my mom passed peacefully from this life to the next after suffering a ruptured aneurysm.  it's surreal, it hasn't fully set in that she's gone.  but i am at peace.  two years ago, my mom had a stroke that severely affected her left side.  she was unable to use that hand or walk without a cane.  i know that now she has a perfect body, one that will never see fatigue or blemish.  
i'm so thankful for the legacy she leaves behind.  she taught me how to love my husband and my son, how to cook, to sew.  she always encouraged me and gave me advice about kids, business, and driving in bad weather.  she was an incredibly independent and strong woman, but always with gentleness and compassion.  
i miss her.
and i'm sad.
but that's okay.

interior plans

as i've been thinking about my plans for 2013, i've decided it's about time i do a little domestic TLC.  i love this place and over the last year, it's become much more than a home to me.  kinda like an extension of our family.  i've made and cultivated friendships here that will last a lifetime.  we've lived in this loft four years now and it's about time she gets some new digs.

there's just so much about this photo that i love, but what i'm focusing on here is the inspiration wall of magazine tearouts and photographs.  as much as i'd love to wallpaper my tiny watercloset in my bathroom, it doesn't make much sense to spend the time and money on a room that frankly only me and matt see.  but this could be fun.
       
i want a new rug in the living area and i'd like something bold and graphic.  
via desire to inspire
           
we have a boring black metal door leading into the house from our stairwell.  great for security reasons, pretty ugly on the eyes.  but how fabulous would it be to paint something bright and cheery to greet our guests?!  yep.  totally doing this.
                 
our bedroom is pretty plain.  i want to bring more color and pattern into that room like i have everywhere else in the house.  using different layers and textures to make it warm and inviting and relaxing.  first step is a new duvet.

i love books.  and i really love stacks of books everywhere.  i've already got a pretty good one started by my bed, but my idea is to just start collecting and stacking them all over the house.  then, when i need a new book to read, i've got my very own library to choose from.
via desire to inspire

we have wooden stairs leading up to our front door that are looking kinda sad after four years of stomping up and down.  i'd love to clean them up a bit and then write an inspirational quote up the steps.  
via desire to inspire
i took these images from my pinterest folder and a lot of them sadly don't have original sources :(