two thousand words: Reflection

 "Beautiful Bridget"

 "Self Portrait by Window" 

Photo Credits: Bella Q

guest post: Comtesse de Ferveur

Meet the Comtesse de Ferveur: Dublin's Vintage Maven

There are some friends, I can't wait to meet. Dubliner fashion blogger, Elizabeth, the Comtesse de Ferveur is one of them. She introduced herself to me last year via e-mail, when she was just starting out- and we shared a fierce love for vintage. Since she has blossomed as a blogger and enjoys a wide range of readers. 

Her sweet face, her sharp eye for bargains and irrefutable style make up the components to this Irish girl's charm, and if you haven't stopped by her blog and introduced yourself already, I hope you take a moment to do so. She rocks. 

She is also my guest blogger today and is sharing her thrifting tips in Dublin. Since Dublin is on my wish-list to visit and shop, I will be bookmarking this post. 
Hope you enjoy!                                                                                                      -Bella Q

Hello Dublin!

Top  5 Thrifting Tips - in Dublin with the Comtesse de ferveur

Elizabeth here from the Comtesse de Ferveur. Many thanks to Bella for her kind invite! I am sharing my top 5 thrifting tips with you and setting them into a Dublin context for a little bit of local flavour. First of all, we are dealing with small charity shops in Dublin, many of which are well-curated (organised by colour, or category) and some of which even have specific vintage rails (though sometimes with a loose take on what can actually be considered vintage, as well as a far higher price tag).  Dublin has provided me with some fabulous treasures over the years and, if anyone plans to visit, do think about a quick charity shopping excursion – there are over 20 charity shops in the city centre alone and – the time-poor might like to note – many happen to be grouped together in clusters.

1.     Inspiration -  Of course we all love the chance factor involved in thrifting. And the extra-sweet pleasure that comes with rifling through a further-reduced bin. But sometimes you can have a hand in how things actually play out in a thrift store. Have you seen a look on a favourite blogger recently? Say a simple item they’ve styled in a cool way? Same thing goes for fashion magazines and runway shots – if you have spotted a style or colour somewhere that you would like to try, thrifting’s your in. I’ve been on the look-out for a hot pink blazer in recent times; therefore, I scope the pinks rail/blazer section within a matter of seconds upon entering a charity shop. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, to quote that great Irish songster Bono, but I’m convinced that I will eventually. With so many charity shops in the city centre here, it’s easy to pop into nearby boutiques and fashion emporia during your thrifting excursion and cast an eye over their ‘this season’ styling ideas. 

2.     Operations – Not unrelated to my ideas on how to work with your inspirations. Go into a store and concentrate on what you’d like to find. I always look at shoes, bags – and blazers, of course. Never thrift when hungry, you won’t have the patience for it.  If you’re a germophobe thrifter, always have hand sanitizer in your bag (you are guaranteed to pick up at least one thing that you’ll regret laying a finger on).  Though, I believe most of the bigger charity shops here now use a steamer to freshen up clothes at least.

3.     Examination – So, so important. Remember that someone has given this item away. There could be a particular reason for it, other than sheer closet-clearing goodwill. In Dublin charity shops, I’ve seen a lot of bits and pieces that are, well, missing bits and pieces. Make sure you give the item a good once-over and that if there are faults or stains, you are happy to deal with them creatively when you get home.  It is also worth getting au fait with stain removal. Organic ones will often come out; chemical-based ones are probably there forever. Which leads me to my next tip….

4.     Inhalation – Sniffing, if you will. Yes, you will get strange looks. You can subtly sniff clothing but, of course, even the most horrendously incongruous ‘beef pizza’ smell will come out of machine washables.  However, you will need to reserve your heartiest sniffs for handbags and footwear. Stinky handbag linings can be particularly impossible to contend with, and it is where your valuables will be nestling. Also, I have found with plether bags from the 1970s and 1980s (I thrifted one in Dublin a few years back) that the backing of the plether can sometimes discharge a fine dust through the lining and into the bag itself. Cough! I wonder if other people have noticed this with handbags of this period? If not, keep an eye out. My sniffing technique has noticed (read, inhaled) this fine dust (which gets over everything) on several occasions. 

5.     Remuneration – See an item that you’re interested in, yet still not 100% sure about it? Feel the thrifting tremours and go ahead and do it anyway! What’s the worst that could happen? You’ve donated  cash to a charity, you should be proud of yourself! If something doesn’t work out, or you’ve found that six months down the line, you haven’t even worn it once, get things moving. If you are happy to donate it back to the charity (and in Dublin, donations are desperately needed), do so and chalk the transaction down to a mistake made philanthropic.

Depending on the item, I sometimes sell things I haven’t really gotten wear out of on Ebay. If, after a couple of re-listings, the item still hasn’t sold, I donate it to a charity shop. It’s important to give when the getting has been so good.

What I really like about the Dublin charity shopping scene at the moment is that so many people are getting in on the act – no matter what their sex, age or creed. Yes, of course, it means that the good stuff disappears in the blink of an eye (never ever think to yourself “I’ll just pick that up in a sec”), but it also means that a real gem is all the more appreciated. I hope that the secondhand-loving readers of the Citizen Rosebud are finding such gems out there and cite beginner’s luck as a carrot on a stick to all hitherto virgins of thrifting fun. 

Be sure to add Elizabeth to your blogroll! 

http://comtessedeferveur.blogspot.com/

All about Anika (Burke)

These pictures are waaaay old. Ok, maybe just a few weeks, but in blogger years they are made of parchment and are from the covered wagon era. Well, at least before my last haircut. Which is now how I'm measuring the minutes of my life- in 6 weeks increments.

The best thing about this outfit are the earrings- I got them from the Chico, California based Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique.  A few months ago I was lucky to win a giveaway hosted by Suze from Miss Vinyl Ahoy, and I won a goody bag from Anika Burke. I was sent a HUGE package of assorted jewelry, and I have had so much fun with my new arsenal of rings, ear-rings and necklaces. 

When Anika contacted me and asked me to write a review on their special goody bags, I was happy to oblige. It's a word of mouth promotion, not offered on their website, but if you're interested, send them an email or call them to order one- it's $11.95 plus shipping, for a mystery goody bag of jewelry. 

This special is such a fun bargain! I was sent two generous pouches of jewelry from Anika Burke, much too much for me to wear on my own, so I've played Santa and gave some of the pieces away to my friends who loved it. The best scores were two pairs of feathered ear-rings, and I've been wearing a plastic floral bangle pretty much every other day since I got it. I've been wearing ear-rings,  playing around with wearing big statement ear-rings like the ones you see above. Ear-rings are something I normally wear, but, it's easy to try things you'd not normally think to order for yourself, since there is so much to choose from in your goody package.

My one criticism is that the quality of some of the pieces aren't keepers: my favorite ring (a Virgin Mary sparkler) broke on first wearing, and several necklaces and ear-rings got wrecked rather easily but for the most part, the pieces are holding up ok. At $11.95, which is the price of one stinky ring at F-21, this special is really quite the bargain; I think an Anika Burke jewelry mystery goody bag is a great way to try new trends without breaking the bank.

To order, contact Anika Burke by phone: (530) 918-8850
or email: customerservice@anikaburke.com

Call or Email Anika Burke Eclectic Boutique and order the Mystery Goody Bag for 11.95

Here are some other posts where I'm wearing my Anika Burke jewelry:

• American Spirits
• By Any Other Name  
• Spin it Spinster
• Raindrops on Roses
• Mexican Milagros
  

Disclosure: I received free product from Anika Burke for this review.  The opinions expressed regarding the products are my own and an honest one.

outfit post: My Other Life

That woman she’s got eyes that shine.
Like a pair of stolen polished dimes.
She asked to  dance I said it’s fine.

My head and heart are spinning. Not even sure if there's one particular reason. But I'm going to tell you: I want to step off. Just for a little bit. To catch my breath and hear my own thoughts. I'm dizzy. 

Too much on my plate? Maybe too many plates. Spinning. And now it seems the opportunities being heaped up on said plate feel a tad overwhelming + I'm caught in some Dervish undertow of letting everybody down.

Afraid of disappointing. YOU, for one. Whatever you think I am, or need me to be, I need a little elbow room to be true to size-  a real life person who has her own way of seeing things, of taking life in. And failing.

I'm not always equipped with a pithy remark, or the right attitude. I get hot, feel petty and melt down. I have zero intentions of painting myself into a portrait of perfection or airing out my foibles like laundry drying on a line- no spin cycle on this model- let me make myself clear. 

One thing I am clear on- no matter appearances there is always more to it. An invisible world that spins over the one you see- the other life. As someone once told me: there's 3 sides to every story. Which I take to mean that there's never one way of looking at things. 

Half full. Half empty. The same cup comes with a multiple choice. 

One refill please. 

And let's make it a double.

Now Wearing: 

• hearts for eyes
• d.i.y. blue t-shirt shrug
• heart pin- courtesy of Crimson and Clover
• cotton floral sundress- Target
• Let Them Eat Cake, textile shoulder bag, Krazy Mary's
• d.i.y. yellow lace bracelet
• heart on sleeve
• unromantic grey socks
• my new clogs from Target

When it Rains...

it pours.

Moony-eyed over Seattle

 I had an amazing time in Seattle last week! I returned home to Sac-town late last night, and today I am beat- super exhausted and taking a day off. Let me just say, when it rains, it pours- I've so much to share with you, but no time to do so. 

Tomorrow I hit the ground running, good stuff going on: I'll share with you sooooon as possible. Meanwhile, please enjoy some of my favorite shots of Seattle (the friend photos can't make it to the blog- out of respect for my pal's privacy- but let me tell you, the best part of my trip to Seattle were the wonderful peeps I got to hang out with during my visit. 

Seattle: you are a beautiful, beautiful town.

outfit post: Rain or Shine

So the Seattle forecast calls for rain. I can't even imagine what to pack, as my Sac-town days are warm and sunny so a pair of shorts, some wedge sandals and a tank top is all I need for the day. I think my tights are all packed up in my winter boxes, so boo-hoo. I'll be dredging up some knee-highs, a couple of sweaters and not plan to look too swellegant. 

Here's what I wore last week- short shorts are becoming a stand-by. So. Please. Stand. By.

Give Me Some Sugar, Seattle

Ladies, and one gentlemen: my bags are packed. I'm heading to Seattle.

I'm going to be paying a short visit to this fine and beautiful city to work with this lovely woman:

Shanley Knox, founder of the Nakate Project

Her name is Shanley Knox, and she is the founder of the Nakate Project. Nakate is an ethical fashion company that sells jewelry made by the women of, and support a village in Uganda, Africa. You can read more about what this project is about on their website: nakateproject.com

Loving Local: Sac Fashion, Bloggers and more Hats

Hi, my name is Bella, and I'm a Sacramento Fashion Blogger. I live just off the grid in Sacramento, California, and I live, breathe, and blog Sacramento fashion. So you shouldn't be too surprised that I was in my favorite vintage and hand-made boutique with my homeslice Kerry Dolan (see above) trying on different hats, and making quite possibly the best hat purchase of my life. I've waxed poetic about Crimson & Clover many, many times, and you can be sure I'll wax like candlelight about them in the future so I'll leave it at that.

Nicole and Kara, the lovely ladies who are Crimson & Clover co-sponsored the first ever Sacramento Fashion Blogger meet-up last year, and since, many of us have become fast friends. In fact, I would venture to say a community sprung up from that meet-up, and many of the same friendly faces met-up late last month to say hello to a couple of new faces, and goodbye to a cherished one.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Be happy. It's one way of being wise.  -Sidonie Gabrielle

They say that misery loves company, but let me just say for the record that happiness throws a damn good party. Joy is magnetic, and it draws you to all sorts of good stuff, the least of which being a whole slew of folks who like a good time, a good laugh, and a good friend. Happiness makes everybody beautiful. The people I find most inspirational are the souls who devote themselves to happiness, who choose it as a state of mind, a way of life. Happiness is food for the soul, a delicious popsicle of goodness meant to be savored, devoured. So enjoy. 

That said, let me also state for the record that the pursuit of happiness is over-rated. What I mean to say is that while I aim my canoe towards the shores of felicity, I think there's more to life than the just its high points; there is SO much more to the human experience than a Pollyannaesque turn-that-frown-upside and Dances-With-Unicorns mindset. And I seriously don't trust a person who only smiles. 

Life is not just about the good stuffs- life is about living, and living in its entirety means enduring some tough moments ill-suited to smiling: like losing your job, breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, getting in an accident, watching a friend suffer, losing a loved one to cancer, etc, etc.  There is more to life than just seeking out the good times- it is being there during ALL of your times, both the pleasant and the painful.

Lately my life has taken a turn for the better. Fortune has been smiling down on me, and while I embrace this upward spin of the wheel, I'm aware that my reason d'etre does NOT lie at the mercy or the whims of ol' Lady Luck.  So while grateful for these turn of events, I know that my well-being lies well beyond them. True joy lies inside of me like the sun inside a rosebush, and no matter what adventures befall me, what experiences ensue, my life is MY life, a perfect bloom of existence, whether or not caught up in the crush of happiness.

Be the center of the universe. Bloom madly! 

(Photo: "Disney Grrl, Self-Portrait. Photo Credit: Bella Q, the Citizen Rosebud)

outfit post: Fourth of July

Celebrating Independence

Celebrating the 4th last year with Sparklers. (Dress: BUTT UGLY)

In American, the 4th of July is a national holiday. I use it as an excuse to put together an ensemble that features my favorite summer time color combo: the red, white and blue. I have this delicious dress- well, it used to be a skirt, a special piece made for me by Kris Laskey, the genius behind Sacramento label, BUTT UGLY, and as you know, I'm kinda a big fan. Well, I turned in into a shift a couple of years ago, and took to wearing it on Independence Day. Did I mention that is is made out of a vintage linen American flag? Yeah. American frickin' flag, peeps. 

So this year, it's been turned into a top. It may convert back into a mini, later, but I'm headed off to sip a few Amercian made ales, and walk the river levee to watch some fireworks with my BFF. Kinda liked the casual look, you know for levee walking. Anyhoo, I'm posting this super fast, because I'm patriotic like that. Happy Fourth folks! Watch out for Red Coats! -Bella Q

American Spirits

For me, this outfit is tres Americaine. I mean, where else can you reference the Old West wearing little more than a pair of hot pink short shorts, a bolo tie, fake turquoise jewelry, and ankle cowboy booties? I was feeling a bit Spaghetti Western meets Trailer Park.  And a boat-load of attitude can pull off wearing a pair of shorts this bright and short on a pair of stout forty-plus year old stems. I'm telling you, only in America, folks, only in America. The thing I love about the mythos of Americana is its crooning love song to rugged individuality and iconoclasm that rides us off into the sunset. Which by the way often contains the color of these pants.

Now Wearing: 

• checkered kerchief, thrifted
• cheap sunglasses
• vintage bolo tie, thrifted
• black tee
• leather cuff, Fringe
• costume turquoise ring, Anika Burke
• Guess short shorts, the Goodwill boutique
• vintage '80's western booties
• manifest destiny

 Characters abound in America, and I saw the best of them in full force at a
Bows + Arrows party last week. Here are a few of my faves:

Seriously. The IFB Links Ala Mode Weekly Round-Up

Bella Q, the Citizen Rosebud is trying on a few fancy new hats.

Hey world: I'm officially a professional blogger! I've recently been selected, along with a group of top notch local bloggers to write for the fashion/style section of CBS Local, and let me tell you, it is an honor! I just submitted my first article, slated for a July publish date, and I am looking forward to sharing my love of local with the world. 

I am also thrilled to announce, starting in November, I'll be adding the position of Fashion Editor to my resume. I am absolutely honored to have been asked by the publisher of the long running alternative arts magazine, Primal Urge to re-start the fashion section as Fashion Editor. I'll be working with my good pal, textile artist and major Sactown fashion icon, thee LINDSAY RICKMAN and we are devoted to representing the indelible and original style of our hometown. Here's the ad, Primal Urge made to announce the coming attraction- hey that's ME! 

It is ALWAYS an honor to make IFB's Links Ala Mode Weekly Round-up and this week is NO exception. With Vahni,(Grit & Glamour) offering us bloggers some words of tough love, AND a list of exemplary posts, written by bloggers I admire, respect and many I consider real pals, making this week's LALM list with my"Spin It, Spinster," post, has been the icing on an incredible week of cake.