"What do you like best about your blog?"

Meg of don juan's reckless daughter (one of my favorite bloggers)

passed on a blogger award/question of sorts:
"What do you like best about your blog?"
Well, I have a multi-tiered answer. Also, my answers are fashion-centric (even though I have a travel-ish blog). So, I will use organized bullet-points to respond: 

1. BLOGGING IS AN OUTLET: Blogging at it's purest keeps me sane and allows me to channel something I am passionate about into a concrete product. I blog to stay sane. 
2. OPENING UP: Naturally, I'm a pretty shy and reserved person.  Blogging has given me an opportunity to open-up, and share a part of myself that before I would be terrified or too self-conscious to post (i.e. posting fashion pictures, or pictures of myself period). This is scary, but also challenging, and, as a result, a growing experience.
3. FUSION OF HOBBIES:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   3 things I have held dearly in my life are my journal, my quotebook(pictured above: a book of favorite quotes from novels, etc collaged with fashion editorials), and my fashion magazines. Blogging allows me to fuse those 3 things into one product. It saves so much time and space. I have an archive of my life and of fashion editorials that will not be lost or deleted from my computer. It's there to stay. And as I said in #2, these 3 things are no longer accomplished in isolation. Instead I share it with the world.
4. THE COMMUNITY: I love the people I have been able to connect with solely through my blog (i.e. don juan's reckless daughter). 
5. THE FASHION MISFITS: It's kind of a relief to find thousands of other people who are just as obsessed with fashion as you are. It's kinda like in high school or college when you find that niche group of friends that you fit in with. How good does that feel?!?
6. THE POWER OF BLOGGING: Blogging has made fashion more democratic? Blogging diversifies the look of beauty and fashion. Blogging has taken the control of the market out of the hands of the few (fashion magazine editors, etc) and put it more in the hands of the people. HA! How freaking hilarious does that sound? But it's true! (This is not a manifesto, by the way).
7. THE FEEDBACK AND VALIDATION: So, as I said in #2, you open up and are taking a chance: exposing yourself to the world. That's quite scary, so when you get feedback and validation, it feels so great instead of leaving you out there hanging. When someone tells me they genuinely love my blog or read it, I get quite a pep in my step and a sparkle in my eye. Also, the little comments are like receiving presents every day!

So now, I pass on this question to other favorite bloggers:
1) Elm Street Life
2) Explicit.Rex
3) Mousevox Vintage
4) res pulchrae
5) Rackk and Ruin

"From Nashville to Kentucky. My Heart, It Draws the Line."

"From Nashville to Kentucky" is the name of a My Morning Jacket song, but it's also what I've been up to recently. First, Gary came to Nashville to stay for a few days; however,  the only photo evidence that I have from that experience are from Virago, a swanky sushi place in Nashville. The pictures are bad, because I didn't wanna disturb that swanky atmosphere with an abrasive flash, but the sushi was powerful stuff.

 I had this number below called "The Bomb" and I've been dreaming of it ever since.

After the Nashville visit,  I returned with Gary to the bluegrass state for the rest of the week.

One of those days, we went to Louisville (from which My Morning Jacket hails). Now, I've talked about my amorous relationships with cities on this blog. Louisville has only been in my life for a total of 3 days, but it was love at first sight. It's character is similar to Nashville, but, for some reason, it seems more laid back. From a few recommendations from my friend Phil, Gary and I ended up at Cumberland Brewery on Bardstown Rd.

That day, they offered a Belgian Triple, 9.5%, so I felt tripled after drinking it. It was delicious.

 We also ate some pretty good grub.

Then we hoped across the street to Why Louisville, the most hipster tourist shop I've ever seen. 

'Twas the Urban Outfitters of tourist shops, except this shop offers locally designed Tshirts. So I'm not ashamed to say I was loving it and bought two Tshirts to display my love for KY. I hardly even wear tshirts, but that's besides the point.

So first one was a connect-the-dots shape of Kentucky (above).  And the second one is awesome, because it's a KetuckYeti screaming...enough said. You can actually by that one online here.

Then, after buying Tshirts and seeing Scott Pilgram (SEE IT, IT'S GREAT!), we stopped at a place called Liquor Barn, the WalMart of alcohol. It was HILARIOUS.  Grab your buggy and stock up. At first it was overwhelming, but then I got super excited because I found a German Riesling that I haven't been able to find for 2 years (not pictured). Here's Gary... looking ridiculous at the Liquor Barn with his goofy sunglasses he had just bought:

Well, add in a visit with my cousin Matt, and that completes my Louisville trip. Now, I am back in Tennessee preparing for my next voyage: Colorado and California!!!

My Giveaway on Mousevox Vintage!!

MouseVox Vintage (the lovely blogger, vintage seller, and fellow Nashvillian) is hosting a giveaway for my shop, Passport Smiles Vintage. 

Enter the giveaway to win a  

$15 gift certificate to my store. 

To enter:

1) Visit my store, Passport Smiles Vintage.

2) Then go to the Mousevox Vintage Giveaway Post and leave a comment with a way to contact you.

3) Follow this blog (if your reading this, most likely you've already checked this step).

C'est tout!

4) Then, to increase your odds of winning, you can leave an additional comment after you follow me on twitter and retweet the giveaway.

Eddie Borgo, Sharks and Beetle Juice Part Deux

Eddie Borgo! Again? Yes, folks. It seems that I am obsessed with his jewelry. Last March, I posted (click here) some of my favorites from his Spring/Summer collection, which he said was inspired from the movie Beetle Juice! That won me over immediately, as it was a childhood favorite. Well alas, his fall/winter collection is now on his website, and the pieces seem even more directly inspired by Beetle Juice and sharks. What do you think? 

Beetle Juice: 

And Sharks:

Now, I want the Bear Trap Bangles to go with the Bear Trap Ring.

And here's a pic of Eddie Borgo above. Visit his website to see more of the new and past collections.

P.S.--the photos were found on weheartit.com, but they weren't credited. If you know any of the sources, let me know.

Photography Spotlight: Ben Pier

From "the timid proud one":

 From "world of darkness" :

From "the girls in the office" :

From "midwest portraits of the americas" :

Visit Ben Pier's site for more!