Brand new

I rarely buy any clothing new. Aside from a Target t-shirt here or there, almost all of my clothes are from thrift stores or sewn by me. Shoes however, most of my shoes are new. I've been meaning to buy a few new heeled summer shoes. I tend to wander around in a few of the same flat sandals all summer. I have a ton of heels, but they are mostly winter-ish since is is cold here so much of the year. After finally seeing the Sex and the City movie the other day, I was motivated to stop by TJ Maxx and pick up a few heels for summer. Here they are in all their glory, they're no Jimmy Choos, or Christian Louboutins, or Manolo Blahniks but they're not bad for me.

Steve Madden





















Nine West


















BCBG Girls

And the best part, they were all on clearance. Whoo! I continue to be a cheapskate! So I'm off to go stomp around in style!

P.S. In case you can't tell, those are 5 ants on my foot (not spiders) I've had it for 6 years and I still love it.

Speaking of bugs, I hate to say it, but I love bugs. Yeah, not good in the house, not good when they bite or sting, but I generally am a bug fan. I've been meaning to get myself some mounted dried Cicadas cause they are pretty and remind me of being a kid and moving from Chicago to Wisconsin and being amazed by bugs. I really hate that there aren't fireflies here. I like to go home at least once a summer, just to see the lightning bugs (and last year the Cicadas!!) If you don't know anything about them, look them up. They don't make it this far north but they burrow in the ground for SEVENTEEN years and then they all come up at once! It's like a plague! And they are SO loud and a million birds migrate in to town to eat them all! And Asian tourists!(they are a delicacy in some countries and people literally flew to my hometown to collect garbage bags full of them to cook and sell there!) It's crazy! Anyway, I found this $2 art at the thrift store the other day, and now I have two giant grasshoppers over my bed that match my room perfect! Fate!

Sorry about the angle, the picture and my bed are in fact straight. Oh, and can I also say that I love my bed, desk and dressers. They are all a set from the 50s from Norway. They are solid oak (none of that modern IKEA particle board shit here) and they are so simple and chic. No handles, no ornate details, just great Scandinavian style. My dad and his brother had them in their rooms when they were little boys. My grandma let me have the 2 desks, 2 dressers, and 2 twin beds when I was a kid. When I got too old for a twin bed, my handy father made the two little beds into one queen sized bed for me! Love!