It's my birthday. I can wear what I want to.

Since being 20 years old means I sort of have to be a grown up, I have to spend my birthday at my internship and in college classes. So this outfit is a bit polished and includes a blazer...because I try to look serious when I’m at my internship.

Although I’m twenty years old now and am told I’m rather sophisticated for a girl my age, I still am a whimsical, young spirit. Proof:

1. I still sleep with a teddy bear
2. my favorite book is a children’s book (Alice in Wonderland)
3. I wear t-shirts with animals on them, and this dress has foxes on it
4. I own a substantial owl collection (which is a step up from the Barbie collection of my tenth year) and each of them have names
5. my favorite food is cupcakes
6. and doing headstands is probably my favorite activity right now

Later today I have to do "show and tell" for my French class, and I'm taking along this purse. This is probably the first time I've ever been thrilled about the prospect of talking in front of people. I'm hoping my professor will be impressed when I say Mon sac à main a quatre-vingt ans. An "A" would be a nice birthday present.

Thank you everybody for the sweet wishes yesterday. Someday I will invent a device that will allow me to share cupcakes with you through my computer monitor.


Outfit Details:

Blazer//Zara, thrifted
Dress//ModCloth
Owl Necklace//Gift from Josh
Pocketwatch Necklace//ModCloth
Tights//Worthington
Purse//Antique, 1930s
Boots//Vintage, Ebay

Little Delights: Birthday Cupcakes

So my birthday is tomorrow (I'm a whopping 20 years old!), and as Birthday Queen, I demand enough cake so that I may have a bit of it every day for at least a full week. Otherwise it just isn't a proper celebration. Today someone at work made me some cupcakes that look like owls! The way to my heart: owls and pastries.

yummm...each of these recipes is all natural...c'est délicieux et parfait...

Strawberry Cupcakes//Cooking With Amy

Raspberry Swirl Cupcakes//Eatingwell.com

Banana Cupcakes//Brown Eyed Baker

-I have made these, and they are very unique and delicious-

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes//Brown Eyed Baker

I'll be back tomorrow to show you what saccharine ensemble I choose to wear for my birthday :D

Featured Poet: Jennifer Marsh

No Cash Value
by Jennifer Marsh



Why not?
Save now! No exclusions on- family. Children. Home.
Like [s]aints consume the Basilica
More beautiful than Rome
As you fill your empty soul with
emptiness
American Living Apparel-
Made in third-world countries
By children whose names you can’t spell
Their hell? Well,
That’s just sixty nine cents an hour
No math required!
And…no interest for the first six months!
50-80% off!
That’s a small price to pay
4 hour steals
That steal far more than 4 hours- of your blood. And bones.
As you destroy your future
And shatter the past
Blur the line between contentment and greed
Insist on owning everything-except you
And try to cover up, how little you really have.




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Featured Poet: Jennifer Marsh and I were in class together a few semesters ago, and her poetry always floors me. Doesn't she seem like a pro? The flow of this poem is flawless, and these words bring to light such an unfortunate aspect of our culture. If you'd like to read more of her work, check out her award-winning piece in the latest issue of Voices magazine. 


_________________________________________________________________

Are you a poet? I'd love to feature your original work!
Submission Guidelines:
Subject matter is not limited, though profanity is discouraged.
You must be a follower of The Quirky Poet.
You may send your poems to rachelmarie@thequirkypoet.com.



Thanks for reading!

Je me sens belle et malicieuse.

Details:

Photos by Josh.

Owl Ring//Charlotte Russe
Blouse//Vintage
Cardigan//Vintage
Shorts//Vintage BONGO, 1980s
Tights//Vera Wang for Kohl's
Shoes//Vintage
Handbag//Charming Charlie's

 

The Fading Rose

"Ask me no more where Jove bestows,

When June is past, the fading rose;

For in your beauty's orient deep

These flowers, as in their causes, sleep.

"Ask me no more whither do stray

The golden atoms of the day;

For in pure love heaven did prepare

Those powders to enrich your hair.

"Ask me no more whither doth haste

The nightingale when May is past;

For in your sweet dividing throat

She winters and keeps warm her note.

"Ask me no more where those stars 'light

That downwards fall in dead of night;

For in your eyes they sit, and there

Fixed become as in their sphere.

"Ask me no more if east or west

The Phoenix builds her spicy nest;

For unto you at last she flies,

And in your fragrant bosom dies."

--- Thomas Carew

Details:

Photos by Josh.

Necklace//ModCloth

Sweater//The Quirky Poet

Dress//ModCloth

Bird Ring//Charlotte Russe

Handbag//Charming Charlie's
Change Purse//Vintage

Boots//Charlotte Russe

Tights//Vera Wang for Kohl's

Contagious

My blog is like a disease. The cool kids are calling it the Quirky Fever. It's so contagious now that it's spreading onto the pages of other blogs. Watch out. Yours is next. (Bwahaha!) If you didn't yet catch my interview over at The Midwest Muse, you should definitely check it out! Interviews are so fun, aren't they? Jessica is a lovely lady, and I'm sure you'd all love her blog :) 

Original Poem: This Poem Is Broken

This Poem Is Broken

by Rachel Marie Talan

Head tilted with the

slant of writing —

I craft “To Do” lists that

never get “To Done.”

I write letters to no one,

ink screaming out of the pen,

only to forget my signature.

All my poems are half-written,

as though the ends have just

broken off and been lost.

And I swear I’ll find the glue

to fix them someday.

Even this poem is broken:

it’s missing a corner,

right here, at the

__________________________________________________________________

Many of my poems end up self-depricating. Should I be concerned about this?

New at The Quirky Poet

Pea and I have been working very hard on the store ;)

Come browse all the new listings, and be sure to check out the clearance section...

         

    

        

And don't forget to use the code QUIRKYBLOG for free shipping!

I hope you're all having a beautiful day :)

A Wind With Fingers Goes

"They dropped like flakes, they dropped like stars,

Like petals from a rose,

"When suddenly across the June
A wind with fingers goes.

"They perished in the seamless grass,—

 No eye could find the place;

"But God on his repealless list     Can summon every face."

                                                      —— Emily Dickinson 

Details:

Photos taken by Josh.

Scarf//Hand-me-down

Blouse//Old Navy, Thrifted

Jacket//Vintage, 1980s

Skirt//Vintage, 1980s

Booties//ModCloth

Bracelets//Charlotte Russe

Cameo Ring//Antique

Featured Poet: Amber Rose

The Moon Is Always Smiling
by Amber Rose


I.
Slightly doomed, the jazz singer looks back longingly.
Pale, but not a ghost, she waves at the lingering shadow that once was.
‘Don’t look back,’ she must repeat. She’s just lost her lover,
and the flowers on his gravestone dance wickedly in the August wind.

II.
Life is worth more than you hold it to be.
Just breathe and retire your fears,
and maybe futures can be spent with tears you’ve saved.
Don’t look outside
until the storm passes
and keep your fences clear.
The moon is always smiling.

III.
The reflection of the ghost, a look of absolute trepidation.
Bigger in death than he ever was in life.
Am I looking through a crystal ball?
His breath lingers on my neck in the looking glass.
His eyes pierce mine and we laugh like mad children.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Featured Poet: Amber Rose is an aspiring jazz singer who also writes poetry and keeps a sweet little blog called Laughing With Broken Eyes. Her words are always lyrical and evocative. Even her blog posts are written lyrically! If you'd like to read more of her beautiful poetry, you may do so here.

_________________________________________________________________________________
Are you a poet? I'd love to feature your original work!
Submission Guidelines:
Subject matter is not limited, though profanity is discouraged.
You must be a follower of The Quirky Poet.
You may send your poems to rachelmarie@thequirkypoet.com.




Thanks for reading!

Clones

Can you figure out which is the real Rachel Marie?

Winner gets 1,000 points.      

 Outfit Details:

T-shirt//Hand-me-down
Necklace//Vintage
Skirt//Vintage, Alfred Dunner
Belt//Vintage
Shoes//The Quirky Poet
Ring//Antique

Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater

The EBEW assignment: to wear black and white. And I tried. I really did. But I have no black shoes! (Aside from this hideous pair of black combat boots that I only wear for utilitarian purposes.) Such an atrocity, I know. But here is my black and white outfit...with a sneaky pair of brown flats. (Please don't give me an F!)

How does an avid shopper like me end up with no black or white shoes? Well, I think I just get too distracted by the oddball shoes. I wear peach shoes with tassels on them. I'm the quirky poet, after all. I'm drawn to strange things by nature. Most times it takes effort for me to incorporate basics in my wardrobe, let alone an outfit compiled entirely of basics. It's a miracle that I have a LBD and black tights in my possession!

Mixing patterns and textures is easy for me. (Check out this pattern frenzy.) Wearing solid colors alone? Not so much. Part of me thinks I ought to work on this...another part (a larger part really) thinks that I should just be me and not worry about it.

Besides, if all these photos were in black and white, you wouldn't have been able to tell that I cheated.

Details:

Photos taken by Josh.

Blouse//Vintage, 1970s
Dress//Vintage, 1990s
Tights//Worthington
Shoes//Vintage via The Paraders
Handbag//Antique, 1950s
Bracelets//Charlotte Russe




 

Everyday Vintage

There is no sweater I adore more than this cozy friend. I live in this sweater. I've been informed that it is "the frumpiest sweater in existence," but I beg to argue that this is what makes it so perfect. Its over-sized, draping goodness is unmatched.

To some, vintage clothing seems inaccessible as everyday wear. But this sweater is proof that vintage can be everyday. It is possible to find vintage that is comfortable and soft. Not every vintage piece is dry clean only, scratchy wool, and made with shoulder pads.

The plaid dress and shoes in this ensemble are vintage as well. Amazing that a dress from the 1970s could appear so modern. Fashion is cyclical, so it's a wonder that more people don't use vintage in their wardrobes.

Incorporating vintage into your life becomes easier with practice, and after a while, it becomes difficult to go a day without wearing at least one vintage item.

Special thank you to Steffy of Steffy's Pros and Cons and The Paraders Vintage for the giveaway which earned me this delightful plaid dress! <3

Details:

Photos all taken by Josh! Isn't he so talented?!

Dress//Paraders Vintage, 1970s

Sweater//Vintage (Thrifted) 1980s

Pocket Watch Necklace//ModCloth

Tights//Target

Shoes//Paraders Vintage, 1980s

Rope Ring//Charlotte Russe

Cross-stitch ring//Antique