boots boots boots

Let's get some shoes! As many of you know, I've been on a quest for boots. "But Jenny," my mom says when I tell her I need to go boot shopping, "didn't you just buy boots last year?" Yeah, mom - last year! But, really, my boots from last year are still kicking...the problem is that they're heeled boots, which are fine, fresh, AND fierce, but not really suited to long days of walking on the frozen tundra. I think that my mom may be a convert though; when we went shopping, she was the one who got the fanciest pair of boots! I must be rubbing off on her...

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a certificate for a pair of boots and, quelle suprise, my sister got the same thing! (In an entirely unrelated incident, Dad gifted Mom the "boots of her choice" as well! It was a Very Merry Bootmas in the Zowie household.) So off we ladies set for DSW, my current favorite source for all things footwear related.

There was much trying on, not a little angsting about beauties that didn't come in my size, and even some unrealistic lusting over a pair of bright red boots (I still love them! You can't change me!) But in the end, we all ended up with what we needed. My boot shopping requirements were pretty simple - they couldn't be brown, since my other boots are brown; they needed to be easy to get on and off (zippers were a big plus); and, of course, they had to be mader for walkin'.

I already shared shots of the beauties who came home with me on Instagram, but here they are:

Why yes, I do now own a pair of shiny silver boots. Thank you for asking! I love both of my new pairs of boots, and I especially love the fact that, along with a well-timed sale and the DSW Rewards certificates I had squirreled away, I got both pairs under the limits of my Christmas gift! Merry Bootmas to me!

Because it's been a long (looong) time since I made Polyvore sets, I thought I would whip up some outfit options for my boots.

preview booties by ficklekitsch featuring a jumper sweater

For my silver babies, I went with a day look which is actually pretty similar to how I actually wore them. They look great with slim fit colored pants, either for tucking in or going over the top. I totally fell in love with this owl sweater, and thought the neutral tones went really well with colored pants and a scarf. The bag was just too cute, and the whole quirky casual ensemble is topped off with some funky earrings.

fido bootie by ficklekitsch featuring amrita singh jewelry

I've always loved mixing hard and soft. My family will tell you that the Christmas I got my first pair of combat boots, I wore them to Christmas dinner with a red velvet dress. TRUE STORY. So, to pay homage to one of my first adventurous ensembles, I paired my new combat booties with a slightly more sophisticated red dress. A pair of patterned tights adds some interest and another element of soft, along with some pretty sparkly earrings and bracelet. For a last touch of "hard," I couldn't resist this brass knuckles-inspired spiked clutch. Fierce (literally)!

starting off right

One of my general goals for the year is to be better at stuff. And blogging is stuff! So, right on the heels of my year in review post, this is what I did over the long weekend!

As mentioned in the previous post, my fabulous artist friend and first-ever houseguest Claire came down from her shanty in the wild woods of Minnesota to ring in the new year Milwaukee-style. (Note: she does not actually live in a shanty. Or the woods. But she does live in Minnesota.) We had a lovely time - we took a trip to the Milwaukee Pubic Museum, which I hadn't been to in years. It was fun to see the new stuff and all the exhibits that fascinated me in my youth. We ate at the Milwaukee Public Market (always a favorite spot!) and brunched at Cafe Centraal, which is right in my new neighborhood! It wasn't all downtown treks and fine dining, though - we also spent plenty of time playing video games, watching funny videos on Youtube, making butterbeers, and just talking about everything. Basically all the stuff you need your best bros for. We rang in the new year with mimosas and thoughts and dreams for the new year. And before Claire had to go back to her shanty on New Year's Day, we helped my roomie Disdainbrook fulfill one of her 2013 wishes.

We dyed her hair! It was my first time being on the begloved end of a dyeing session, and it went quite well! We only did the underside of her hair (with Atomic Turquoise from Manic Panic) and somehow managed to keep from getting dye on anything in our bathroom, including our big white tub. Great success! It definitely gave me the itch to get my hair dyed again. I'm way overdue for a coloring, but I still have to decide what I want to go with. I'm going to stick with red, but I might go with something a little deeper than before. We'll see what swatches sing to me next time I'm at the salon. Although there's something wonderful about dyeing hair in a little bathroom with a white tub, two friends with gloved hands and a tupperware to do a cold rinse in. It's hands-on, gives you a sense of shared purpose and community. But it does also make everything smell like dye, so. You can't win 'em all.

a year in the life

Happy 2013! The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things. Like, for example, how a year has just ended! I really like having time to reflect back on the year behind me and to look at the year ahead.

In 2012, I:

• got out of my retail job and into a full-time temp gig
• got a permanent (though part-time) job in my field 
• had my face in a nationally circulated magazine
• moved out of my parents' house (and in with my best friend)
• attended my first convention (LeakyCon!)
• hosted my first houseguest (who is here now! Hi Claire!)
• read more books for pleasure than I have since before college
• learned how to pick up a cat
• opened a bottle of champagne with no injuries (New Year's Eve, just squeaked by!)
• survived a suburbs-to-downtown commute (every day!)
• bought my first piece of furniture 
• handled a plumber
• tried two different kinds of Butterbeer
• ate brunch downtown
• got a book signed in person by an author I admire

As for 2013, I don't really believe in "resolutions." It seems like a way to set yourself up to fail, making sweeping declarations and plans that will fade when you get back to everyday life and probably be a bust within the month, which is a bummer when you have a brand spankin' new year to explore. But I do believe in goals and my goal for 2013 is...to achieve more goals. Basically, I want to do things, things that I've never done, or things that I've been afraid to do. I might make an actual list, but either way, I sort of feel like my adult life has really "begun" now (with a job, car, apartment, even a cat running around!) and with all the serious building blocks in place, it's time to enjoy some extracurriculars. I want to write more, I want to explore my new(ish) city, I want to make things and share things and accomplish things. My goal is to nurture my confidence, my creativity, and my relationships with family and friends.

Happy New Year! May we all enjoy happiness and success in the coming year.

settling in

It's aliiiiiiiive!

Yes, it's true. Contrary to appearances, this blog is still alive! What have I been doing that's so important? Well...moving. Whoever said that moving was easy was lying to you. (I don't believe anyone has ever said that moving was easy.) Who would have thought a person could accumulate that much stuff? And yet once I was in the apartment, many trips to Target were necessary for more stuff! Mysterious...

Dining room, circa moving weekend. Check out that sweet built-in!

As of now, House Snark is still very much a work in progress, which is both fun and frustrating. Just like every shelter blog tells you, making a well-appointed home takes time. I would rather make do than run out and spend a lot of money buying things that I'll probably regret (also the running out and spending a lot of money isn't actually an option right now. Budgets!), but it's sometimes hard. Kaitlin and I both really want to have an organically created home, with lots of things that are handmade, vintage, and just plain old awesome. Sometimes that means living without a dresser (hello!) or a coffee table (hello again!). But problem solving happens - I've got clothes in my closet, obviously, as well as in storage crates on my IKEA shelf (I would show you but one of those crates is holding my underwear and...I don't really feel we've reached that level of intimacy, Internet.) and a pair of folding chairs have served admirably as places to set computers, plates, and beverages while sitting on the couch.

Speaking of the couch, that's one thing that I am really pleased with. Neither Kaitlin nor I had a couch going in, and I knew that was something that would be really important to both our day to day life (where else are we supposed to watch Downtown Abbey* and play Mario?) and really difficult for us to get into the apartment on our own (we both drive compact cars and, PS, are delicate noodle-armed young maidens). So the couch needed to be set before move-in day. My mom agreed to be my shopping buddy (she drives a Ford Escape!), and we made a plan to visit a local used furniture store to check out the selection and possibly stop by to check out the clearance section at Steinhafels.

But the used store turned out to be a lot less local than we thought, and I'm afraid of bedbugs, so Steinhafels became the first stop and, well:

With cameo appearance from my mom's foot

I even WANTED a grey couch! It was on my secret mental list (because I didn't want to want it too badly) and there she was, waiting for me in the warehouse clearance section (which is PAST the normal clearance section and is, indeed, in the warehouse) looking pretty as a picture and comfy to boot. Not to mention all clearance was an additional 15% off THAT DAY ONLY (oh sales, you do enliven my blood and bring the caps out of me). In the end, the couch B A R E L Y fit in the car (I had to ride with my knees squashed against my chest because the seat was pushed forward all the way) and was in the neighborhood of 45% off. Not too shabby! Plus, I was right about the comfy thing (I'm sitting on it right now, so I would know.)

Next up on my list is to hang some art and continue to deck the halls. I'll share some more pictures once things are more to my liking. I ordered some curtains for my bedroom that I'm super in love with, so hopefully they'll look just as good in my room as they did on the internet.

Until then, blogizens!

*OMG Downton Abbey! I somehow hadn't seen it before, so K and I are working through it. All of Lady Mary's outfits are TO DIE FOR. Possible post upcoming.

apartment hunting: success!

Not that kind of Rent...

When I last posted about my apartment hunt, it was a wishlist for my "someday" apartment that I hoped would be coming soon. That was back in May but, happily, someday has come! The fabulous Disdainbrook and I signed have signed a lease and are now officially renting a lovely little apartment (dubbed House Snark).

I won't lie, the searching was rough. I spent hours on Craigslist, sifting through spammers and aggressively ugly (and poorly maintained) apartments. Not even gonna lie, after the thrill of finding a place, my second thought was "I don't have to spend every night on Craigslist anymore!" Freedom is sweet. But in the end, perseverance (and a little good ol' fashioned luck) is what made it happen. We visited several places, some (one) doable and others not. We weren't overly picky, in my opinion, but we knew what we weren't willing to compromise on and, much like in the dating world, we were looking for Mr. Right, not Mr. Right Now.

And Mr. Right, indeed! I didn't really remember what I'd put on the original wishlist I'd posted, so out of curiosity's sake, I went back to take a look. And, well, see for yourself!

(Bolded points were top priorities)

Location - I'd like to be close enough to downtown to go back and forth easily but in a neighborhood that's relatively quiet. Not college student-land. Check! It's in our top choice neighborhood, which is close to the city but has a great mix of neighborhood-feel and funky flair

Clean/well-maintained Check!

2 BR/1 BA Check!

Separate dining room OR den - K and I are both writers (obviously) and would love a shared office space. Personally, I'd lean towards dining room because I also would like to entertain Check! We have a lovely little dining room (complete with a built-in with leaded glass!)

Hardwood floors Check!

Historic charm Check! Built in the 1920s with many original features!

On-site laundry Check! (and it's free too!)

Non-hideous kitchen Check! And much more spacious than most kitchens we saw

Parking for 2 - preferably at least one that comes with the unit, the other can be street parking Check - one garage & plenty of street parking

Central air - Uncheck :( But there is a window unit that comes with the apartment, and we knew that was a longshot in the historic buildings we were looking at

Preferably upper level Check!

Walkable to restaurants/groceries Check! (Well, the winter might keep us in our cars a bit, but there's a lot of great stuff within a mile)

Tall shower - we are both tall ladies Check!

Outdoor space for DIY projects Check! We get our very own private porch - great for projects and entertaining!

All but one point on my wishlist? Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

My biggest tips for new apartment hunters like myself are: never give up (never surrender!) and be ready to act. It was tough trying to coordinate two very different work schedules (I have a standard corporate schedule with no availability during the day, Kaitlin works a variable retail schedule that changes week to week), and there were a few times that we set up an appointment for a showing a few days in advance only to be called and told that the place had already been rented. The same was true in the case of the apartment that became ours - I asked for a showing on a Sunday, we saw the place on Monday (due to a serendipitous series of events that gave Kaitlin the night free), decided that night we would take it, filled out applications on Tuesday, were formally offered the place on Wednesday (and immediately accepted), and signed our lease that weekend. The rental world moves fast, especially when you're looking in a popular area. It's scary, but when you see the right train coming, you just have to be ready to jump on board and ride that baby all the way to tenancy. 

I'm nervous (and horrified by the length of my to-do list), but I'm so excited to finally put all my blog-reading and pinning to good use. And, of course, to share our ideas and projects with all of you! Westward ho!

milwaukee spots: coquette cafe

Last Sunday, my lovely little sister turned twenty! Yikes! Luckily, I was able to face this inescapable proof of my own mortality in the best way possible:  with celebratory brunch!

We all know brunch is totally fetch right now (is it too late to make fetch happen?), but this was my first foray into the downtown brunch scene. As resident foodie (or the closest thing), I was placed in charge of researching the possibilities and presenting the birthday girl with her options. In the end, there was a clear winner:

Photo taken from my phone during brunch - I love technology!

Coquette Cafe (warning: site features autoplay music if you wait too long!) is located in the city's Historic Third Ward, serving "authentic bistro fare." Their menus are available for perusal in the website, and one look at the brunch menu convinced us that this was the right option (plus the fact that they serve brunch all the way through 5 o'clock; we would be arriving at 2, which is sort of a no man's land as far as brunch-serving restaurants are concerned). It features both brunch-y fare and many of their usual entrees, so there's an option for everyone.

The restaurant is really lovely and charming, and the staff was warm and attentive. Of course, the number one question is, as always, "how was the food?"

I am not a great food photographer. Trust me, it was super good.

I had the salmon cakes with poached eggs and bernaise sauce with a side of dauphinoise potatoes. It was absolutely divine, and I say this as a person who isn't particularly fond of eggs (but who loooooves salmon and bernaise sauce). I also had a mimosa - because, brunch! - and that was also very good. My sister had the pain perdu (brioche french toast with carmelized pears, candied pecans, maple syrup and a side of bacon), my mom had chicken confit crepes, and my dad went traditional with an order of coq au vin. All of the dishes received thumbs up from their respective diners.

All in all, I definitely recommend Coquette Cafe to any eaters in the area. It was my parents' second time eating there - they'd gone for dinner something in the neighborhood of ten years ago, and they said that nothing has changed. As far as I'm concerned, nothing needs to! The prices are definitely more on the side of "downtown" as opposed to discount (brunch meals range from $9 sandwiches and omelettes to $23 hangar steak) but I felt they were reasonable (of course, I wasn't the one paying, so...your mileage may vary!)

What's your brunch destination? I've read a lot of great things about the brunch scene in Milwaukee...hopefully I'll be able to investigate some more!

ootd round-up

Did you know that I wear clothes everyday? Like, every single day of my life? It's true!

I've only very rarely posted OOTDs to this blog because a) I don't have a tripod or a fancy camera or a friendly photo-taking slave to help me get good shots and b) I generally don't feel like my everyday outfits are worthy of commemoration. But now I have Instagram and, by definition, those photos are allowed to be a little funky and self-taken! And maybe knowing that I'll be posting pictures occasionally will help me inspire to be fierce every day.

Here's a selection of some lovely outfits I've worn to work in the past few months:

It's interesting to look at outfits together like this...you can definitely see what my favorites are (hello, black cardigan!) and what the basics of my office style is (cardigan + top/dress + tights/socks, generally). A lot of my work style is based around comfort; while I like to be cute, I have to consider whether an outfit is something that I'm going to be able to wear for 10 hours at a stretch (from getting ready in the morning to changing into my lounging clothes at home) including three stretches of commute, a walk from the city lot for my second job, and a lot of sitting. You can also tell at the end that I got a shiny new app that allows me to make collages which I really like...it's nice to be able to show off accessories or shoes within the same pic (I have some shoe shots that I didn't include in this collage - you can view all of my instagram shots on your computer here).

Looking at the composite also reminds me of things that I want to buy to fill in wardrobe gaps - new trousers and more stylish socks (which I get a huge kick out of wearing) chief among them - as well as things that I have in my closet already and should really make an effort to wear more often - certain sweaters and my blazer (I haven't worn that thing in forever!).

Do you have a formula for putting together work outfits? Are you in the habit of recording your day-to-day looks? Have you ever had someone walk in on you taking a picture of yourself in the mirror (awkward.)?