Many thanks to google.com for this definition of sanguine.
Day Trippin, Milkwaukee Edit
Milwaukee surprised me. I was actually blown away at how much I liked the vibe there. The quick drive from Chicago flew by and the first stop on the list was bloody’s at Sopelman’s. The Harley’s parked outside when we pulled up, hardly rivaling Hells Angels, was the quintessential image I had of Milwaukee. This was fulfilling everything my imagination had created around this town. I had really wanted one of those bloody’s with all the fixings piled on top and this place had it all, including one with fried chicken. After lunch, we made it over to The Milwaukee Public Market and the scenery quickly changed. This area reminded me of the meat packing district in New York because quite literally both neighborhoods have evolved from old industrial areas. I loved this area because of the market and other cute bistros where outside seating was in abundance. From there we walked to the Milwaukee Art Museum which was right on Lake Michigan and in my opinion looked like a horseshoe crab! One of my favorite moments at the museum was when I saw Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s work. I have seen some of his work before at the Art Institute of Chicago and I love his imagery and the scenes he depicts. There was also a very cool limited time poster exhibit that featured different marketing tactics to grab your attention on a poster that were from actual institutions or organizations from history. Milwaukee, thanks for a great day, I will definitely be back.
From the vault
I wanted to share some personal drawings I use to express myself. They are a work in progress and I definitely work to improve my skills. I am obsessed with trying to to draw the human body and perfect it. When I feel inspired I also try to design my own ensembles so you’ll see some of those thrown in as well!
No title necessary
I am so proud to say I walked in the Women’s March in 2017. For me, walking was about; standing up for something much larger than myself, for being inclusive of all people regardless of their color, gender, religion, faith, or sexual preference, women’s reproductive rights and sexual freedoms, strong women leadership, and the freedom of speech. I never considered myself a feminist till a few years ago when I saw other men in the workplace move up faster than me whom had the same skills and it really discouraged me. My parents did not raise me to think of myself as inferior to men, but I was seeing the opposite first hand. As I read further into feminism and specifically the 60’s when revolutions inside America were happening I was blown away at the hurdles that had to be overcome just a few decades ago. Thus, not much has changed. I am thankful that there are so many women over decades that have pushed the envelope and today we have so many more women leaders and role models to aspire to. I myself have very strong women in my family that inspired me to walk the walk in the first place. For them and our future generation, the work continues, stand up!
I know you’re there. It’s me, Lauren.
This has been one of he hardest, most challenging years of my life. I had some really important people leave my life, by death and by choice. I had a really traumatic living situation incident and I moved to a completely different neighborhood. I got two new jobs, and struggled to be an adult for awhile. I got really angry with life and myself. I learned so much about what I want out of life, the person I want to be and project, and what really matters. Also, not to sweat the small stuff, which my Dad reminded me of. I have some new life mottos coming out of 2016 that I hope to never forget. (I plan on framing them in my apartment). I know everything happens for a reason and there is a purpose for me to experience the people and challenges I did this past year. Seriously, I got some big signs that came across my path when it really mattered and showed me the way. Even though I know everything happens for a reason, this year still sucked and I am so glad it is over. Like so so happy 😁 Oh! and also my New Years resolution is to read more.
New Discovery, New Perspective
I started a new job a few weeks ago and had a day off before I started so I decided to wonder around The Art Institute for the morning. In the past, I usually go there when I am in a crunch on time and end up having to pick only one or two exhibits that I can see. During this trip I came across a few different pieces that scan a few decades from the 20’s to the 2000’s. The first piece I loved was this famous Hopper that really hit me when I saw it in person for the first time. There really is not that much to the painting but I think what I love most about it is the story that you start to build in your head about the characters in it. The simplicity of the design and color also draws me to it. The thing about the O’Keefe painting that inspired me to take a picture of it was the large building in New York and all the excitement and possibilities that can/are happening inside that building. Starting a new job, I have that sparkle of hope for what is to come of my future. The next print of the girl in her outfit that clashes doing an ordinary thing such as filling up her tank with gas but still looking so glamorous was just striking to me. I aspire to be that flashy and glamorous everyday but sometimes I just don’t have the gall (or energy to wear the heels). Finally, I went to the tapestry section, which they hide in the basement unfortunately. Velvet was being featured, which is very in style in the fashion world as well and I absolutely loved it. WOW and this jacket made from velvet was stunning. Who knew there were so many different variations of velvet and that velvet has actually been such a luxurious fabric for decades. There were so many cool patterns too spanning decades. All I could think of was how I wanted a complete jump suit or bell bottom pants in these fabrics. Oh! I almost forgot but I also went to the Thorne Miniature Rooms (which is also in the basement) and this was so fun. Unfortunately, I was so distracted by these rooms I forgot to take a picture. Some were decorated for Christmas and you couldn’t believe the detail. I never thought of this as art before but it certainly is. The different interior design styles over decades and spanning nationalities and cultures was incredibly interesting so see. Even today home decor really draws from the spectrum.
Word #5
Many thanks to google.com for this definition of demagogue.
Bangin’ Breakfast Nook
Welcome to the second edition to my home decor updates. I am so excited to finally have my breakfast nook complete. It makes for an awesome place to enjoy a cozy breakfast or supper and wine with friends. I opted for the bench look on this West Elm table and I couldn’t be happier. All other accessories are from Target if you can believe it! The branch was found and spray painted by me. Happy homing!
Leg Models Wanted
Updating your home decor is fun and stressful! I have been making some changes to my relatively new apartment to make it feel more like home and cozier for the winter. I love my Ikea couch that has lasted me over 5 years but the legs were starting to look very “college” like. I replaced the legs with these mid-century modern chestnut colored wooden legs from Etsy. You can see this small change now matches my coffee table and transformes the room! It was so easy to put these on, all you needs was an Allen wrench to take the existing legs off. I am so happy and it only cost me $40.
The Leaves They Are A Changin’
A couple weekends ago I went up to Michigan where we always go near the sleeping bear dunes. We were about a week too early to really see all the fall colors changing but we still were able to enjoy a Fall filled weekend. We went hiking at Empire Bluffs on Sleeping Bear Dunes and this trail was so awesome! Once you got through the woods, we were walking along the dunes with a huge drop down to Lake Michigan. We stumbled on this secret forest, Game of Thrones like at the end where you will see a photo of a interesting tree I have included. After our hike we drove to Leelanau Peninsula near Traverse City to a winery/distillery called Chateau De Lealanau. They had cherry cider that was delicious and we had to buy in their cool little tumbler bottles. We ate at Bubba’s in Traverse City, one of our favorites for casual dining up there. The next day we got a bushel of apples to make our seasonal whiskey with and of-course some apple crisp. We even picked up some acorn squash and cooked it later in the week with a little brown sugar. We both finished our entire half of squash that night it was so good.
Lets Have a Fashion Show 
