Research!

Since the lockdown began and we shifted all classes online, I’ve been trying to spend this time learning to sew and finally get around to the things I had put off or had been avoiding. For instance: cleaning and sorting photos on my computers. UGH. Boring and tedious so NO THANK YOU. But being stuck at home meant that I had no more excuses- and you know what? Feels so great to finally delete/sort photos and consolidate what I have. I was able to clean up my computer’s files and now while I primarily use my new laptop (Thanks VA!) for regular class work and everything else, I now can use my cleaned-up desktop for Zoom classes and meetings.

In other news- I got picked up for research for the Fall semester! Whoohooo! I’ll be looking into how the language processing in the brain occurs with Semitic languages in regards to diacritic marks. Sounds like a mouthful but really easy! Semitic languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Maltese, etc) don’t utilize ‘traditional vowels’ like we (English speakers) are used to. Instead they use diacritics (little marks above or below a letter denoting that there is a vowel attached to it) when they write. In Arabic, for example, generally diacritic marks are not used in day-to-day writing or life. You’ll see it in the Qu’ran and in calligraphy or some official documents. But normally, in books, newspapers, on the TV, signage.. nope. So how do you know which word it is then? If you don’t have ‘all the letters’? Context plays a big part of it, and what I’m looking at is the shift that happens in the brain when the reader makes the switch between needing the marks to not needing them. Why is this neat? Well…. for those that have had a stroke, TBI (traumatic brain injury) or CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that lose the ability to process language (via aphasia or another disorder) it’s worth seeing if there could be a way to track how the brain processes this shift to see if it can be replicated with those that have had some brain trauma.

Legit never thought I’d be going the Neuro side of Linguistics (had been convinced I’d stay with SocioLinguistics!) but I’m really excited about the possibility of working in this field and hopefully finding some correlation. Super excited to be conducting research under a leading Maltese linguist. I don’t know Maltese but there’s an option to start learning it and I’m quite excited for it! I’ll be focused on Arabic language processing which if you’ve ever had a convo with me in real life you know I get reaaaaaaaaaaally excited over it ha!

The BIG Clean-out

I’ve essentially been collecting for 25 years- some of those years not as much and others… well… yeah. At one point I’m pretty sure I had close to 2,500 dresses in my collection. I used to sell on Etsy but it was difficult to maintain while in school and working. Last year when I moved out to Arizona, I was forced to really go through my collection and sell pieces off. I did end up selling a ton, but not for a lot of money. I was selling pieces for pennies, and resellers were demanding lower prices and then turning around and selling them for hundreds of dollars in profit. Several of them even assured me that they were not going to resell the items, either. Just.. really left a bad taste in my mouth.

The other issue I’ve noticed with selling is that I have found I really do love each piece I have. There’s a little bit of emotional attachment with these pieces and some are just really hard to let go of. It gets worse when you don’t know if the buyer is going to or prepared to respect the integrity of the garment by properly caring for it. It’s like each of them are my babies (yeah I know.. ).

Right now I am trying to pare down- my current house is quite small. I adore it, but I just have too much for the space. Combined with vet bills, college payments and general not-working-ness due to COVID-19, I’ve been slowly going through the ‘Vintage Vault’ and photographing pieces. If you are interested- many of them are on eBay currently and are also listed on my IG.

I’ve also put a lot of thought into paring down to only items I REALLY LOVE.. so there’s more space for the ISO (in search of’s) that I’ve been waiting for. I’d ideally like to have a wardrobe consisting of pieces I only truly love- there is no reason for me to ever look at my closet in the morning and thing ‘gee, I have nothing to wear today’! So.. I’ll continue going through the vault between homework and classes. Til then, I’ll be drowning in dresses!

 

xo

Well Hello there….

Long time no blog.. 3 years… I guess I have some explaining to do.

I am not naturally enamored with social media. The idea putting myself ‘out there’ is not something that appeals to me- and honestly, it terrifies me. I’m an introvert, and I really don’t think that I have anything to say that matters outside my small circle. I feel this constant push-and-pull conflict with social media. I need to use it in order to stay up to date and keep in contact with people, but on the other hand I think many users develop this idea they are more powerful or influential.. (maybe they are the center of the universe?) than they really are, and so self-promotion and putting myself out there just seems weird to me.

I did like this blog because it was a nice way to journal what I was wearing and life events… if you know me in real life (and have gathered from here and IG) I had a rough few years following my PTSD diagnosis after my time in the service. In the last 10 months, I have been able learning to use my voice to help others that are going through a similar process of reintegrating into civilian society and as hard as it is to open myself up like that, I have found it has been helpful in my healing process and other’s.

I think I also put a lot of pressure on myself to appear a certain way to the outside world and it felt so inauthentic to do so. Over the last few years, I’ve been really evaluating how  that has negatively affected me, and trying to strike the right balance between being truthful about how I feel and also not becoming a negative Nancy. Thanks to some wonderful individuals at the VA and close friends, I think I’ve found that sweet spot and have found a place where I feel content with how I feel and what I show to the world.

I’m still wearing vintage, and it is still one of my biggest loves. I don’t live in Baltimore anymore, but am retaining the name because.. well… alliteration is awesome:) I relocated to Tucson, AZ a year ago to pursue a dream I had when I was 8 (yeah, weird kid) to study under Noam Chomsky and get a PhD in linguistics. Which, I am very happy to report, I am doing:)  I’m doing my focus in Neurolinguistics, researching how the brain processes diacritic marks in Semitic languages and how that can help us to understand language processes in those with TBI, CTE or aphasia/other language disorders from strokes.

I’ll be back to post a bit more frequently, because honestly, I have missed it. Til then, I’ll be staying inside out of the 105F heat and doing some much needed studying!

xo

Viva Las Vegas Day 2

Ugh. May was rough. But I’m back with the remainder of my Viva journey!

Day Two: The actual first day! Thursday I woke up nice and early (I can’t tell you how excited I was that I couldn’t sleep!) After a quick cup of coffee and getting ready- I was off! I headed over to The Orleans to meet up with Tara before we picked up Todd where he was staying on the strip. Tara had never been to Vegas and Todd hadn’t spent much time, so we decided to hop over to check it out.

Lunch at Mon Amie, Gabi in The Paris.

 

Senor Frogs has the best stools! After we finished walking around, we headed back for the afternoon/evening festivities!

The best thing about Thursday is that the vendors open for business! I wish I could upload the video I took of the vendor areas- but they were too large! I think I posted snippets on IG.

Re-Mix shoes! Tried as I might, I couldn’t resist a pair! They have some lovely new canvas wedges that I fell for- and I’m so glad I got them! My feet WERE KILLING ME the whole time I was there- note to self- WEAR COMFY FLATS. Don’t even bother wearing cute heels. You’ll wear them for like 2 minutes.

After the vendors, we checked out a few more bands, then I headed back out to Frankie’s- a friend of mine from Baltimore just happened to be in Vegas and he wanted to meet up. He’s long teased me for my vintage-ness, so I wanted to bring him to Frankie’s…. he was pretty shocked to say the least! He was the odd one out:)

Also. Ricky never smiles in photos. Ever. Even though he’s the biggest goof. Don’t let the grimace fool you- he was thrilled. ha.

Part 3 is on its way!

xo

Jaye

Viva Day 1

I’m going to break this into a few posts, as I’m currently at work and don’t have access to all my photos!

If you’re in IG and follow any of the guys and gals in the vintage and Rockabilly community, then you know that Viva Las Vegas the 20th year just happened. After 10 years of deciding if I should go, I finally did it. I went on a shoestring budget but it was so so worth it!

At the last moment, my friend, Brandy, had to back out and I ended up solo. I missed you girl! She had been before so I had been relying on her guidance throughout the event- there is so much going on! It’s really overwhelming at just the sheer volume of things to do.

Vegas for one is sensory overload. Viva is moreso! I couldn’t get over it. You’re assaulted on all fronts- sights, sounds, smells, oh my! And it’s a lot to take in for an introvert like me. Yet, as exhausting as it all is, it was the most fun I’ve ever had.

While in the airport during a layover in Chicago, I met Elizabeth and her fiancé Steve and another guy, Todd. Elizabeth and Steve were awesome and were Viva veterans, so we met up with them a few times, and I cannot wait to see them again next year! Todd hadn’t been to Viva before like myself, so we ended up hanging out. I had posted in the VLV FB page that it was my first time and I was riding solo, and another gal, Tara from Atlanta reached out to me. She, Todd and I dubbed ourselves the Viva Virgins and stuck together throughout the trip. 

The Viva Virgins: Tara, Todd and Jaye

We all arrived on Wednesday, the day before the actual event. We got our wristbands that evening at the Orleans (Tara stayed there, Todd was at the Excalibur and I had an Airbnb) and ran into Miss Cherry Bomb and her lovely mom, Jo! Cherry won Best Dressed last year in the Pinup Competion! (Not that it’s hard to see why- she’s fabulous!)

That afternoon before we all met up, I had ventured out to the strip to see Big Elvis (my father’s favorite performer) at Harrah’s and play my lucky slot machine at The Mirage (it didn’t fail me again!)

After we mingled with the other early VLV-goers, Todd, Tara and I ended up grabbing dinner and talking about what got us all into the scene. It’s so awesome to meet other people who into the same things you are from all over the world. There’s not much of a scene in Baltimore, so it was really comforting to know I wasn’t alone!

Afterwards, Todd broke off to see some bands and Tara and I went to Frankie’s Tiki Room for a pre-weekender drink (or two!)

And we got to take our mugs home with us! How saucy is the naked lady?!

An Aussie sandwich! Sweet gals from Perth and Melbourne!

The Stitch Bitches! These lovelies gave me SERIOUS skill envy- they all made their dresses! Isn’t that incredible? I can barely sew on a button. 

We didn’t stay out late, as we both wanted to get sleep before the festivities began! So off to our respective rooms to get some beauty sleep before the actual official start of Viva Las Vegas!!

I’ll be back with Day 2 this week!

XO

Jaye

MCM Kitchen Love

In a beautiful coincidence, I was reached out to recently by Wayfair about blogging for them about my ideal Mid Century Modern (MCM) Kitchen space. It makes it even more fun since I’m looking at buying my first home and a MCM kitchen is an absolute must! They’ve definitely been rarer to find in recent years, so the possibility of taking an existing kitchen and modifying it to my little heart’s desire is taking up prime real estate (no pun intended!) in my brain as of late.

I grew up in my Great Grandmother’s and Great Uncle’s kitchen. It was AMAZING. Teal metal cabinets, fun Eames barstools, and pops of color and chrome accents. I want to be able to capture this vibe in my own kitchen some day.

I decided to look at this with two different perspectives: Going full on MCM and incorporating MCM elements. There is the risk you run of going absolutely MCM nuts if you don’t plan on it being your forever home. The resell is daunting- would others GET this kitchen? Would it be a turn off to potential buyers? Will I spend too much money on a space that the rest of the population thinks is an eyesore? Am I the only person who thinks about this?

In a perfect world, I would have metal cabinetry from the 50s, a stainless countertop, a color blocked tile floor and HEAPS of color! But in the real world, I am looking for ways to achieve my MCM goals, and work within 1. my budget and 2. appeal to everyone (I know, I know, what’s the fun in that?? But this may not be my forever home..) So. In order to look at both perspectives, I’m going to write about both! It’s like I’m playing Devil’s Advocate to myself… Weird.

Let’s get started!

Let’s look at some inspiration, shall we?

On a scale of 1-10 of MCM.. These are 7+. Are we seeing a theme here? Lovely metal cabinetry, pops of teal, red and orange! That first one.. Swoon. I’m packing my bags right now and movin’ on in.

On the scale? 1-6! Sleek teak cabinets, metal accents, pops of color and open air shelving… Be still my heart.

The more I looked at different kitchens within the MCM realm.. the more I realized that it’s all very attainable. Even accents that I never even thought about- backsplashes, countertops, open shelving, door and drawer pulls, oh my! In both perspectives, I found similarities between the two. Let’s take a look-see…

Pops of color! Whether it’s an accent wall, or furniture, pops of teal, orange, red and yellow make their way into the environment breaking up the white and teak combination. I love the idea of using barstools to be that colorful accent. I browsed Wayfair to find a few of my favorites:

1. Orange Trent Austin Barchetta So versatile, it could work in almost any kitchen.
2. Sunny Yellow Wade Logan Swivel Bartsool I looooove the curved back.
3. Retro Red Wade Logan Barstool Giving me all kinds of diner feels.
4. Eames Inspired Luxe Barstool Is that not the Cadillac of barstools?

I love the open-air shelving for showing off beautiful dishes and cookware. Some more colorful options I gravitate to:

1. Mustard Silverstone Cookware Set You cannot have a bad day cooking with these.
2. Lime Utensil Set Love the wooden handles.
3. Peacock Purecook Cookware Set So pretty, they beg to be displayed.
4. Atomic Red Colander I own this in orange, and I use it for more than straining (Hello, decor!)

Even backsplashes are a fantastic option to look at adding dimension to your MCM Kitchen. Subway tile is always a safe bet (and classic!) but why not a fun colorful backsplash that has a quirkier pattern like these?

I get a Moroccan vibe from the backsplash here, and I like that while it isn’t matchy-matchy with the barstools, they compliment each other so much.

I wouldn’t have thought to place the tile in a diamond pattern, but I like how it stands out and screams LOOK AT ME I AM FABULOUS (because why not?)

One of the companies I’ve been eyeing for a long time is Nostalgia Electrics, who design their appliances to have a fun 1950s vibe. The four I know that will be finding their way into my new kitchen are the microwave, convection oven, toaster and coffee maker!

Seriously, how cute are they? I’ve read great reviews, too, so I’m excited add them to my dream kitchen. It’s so hard to find great retro inspired appliances so I was thrilled when I found the SMEG Refrigerator and Freezer. It reminds me so much of the fridge in my Great Uncle’s home.

This. This must happen. I like how it’s narrower than most fridges. I know many of the homes in the Baltimore City area have narrow galley kitchens, so this is really an ideal size. Is it weird to profess one’s love to a fridge? Get used to it, it’s happening.

I am so excited to start getting out there and house-hunting. Kitchen renos can be so overwhelming and expensive, but I’m glad there are options out there to give me that MCM vibe. My dream kitchen as I mentioned before, is my Great Uncle’s, so it is really wonderful to know there are modern touches out there to help make my future kitchen as close to his as possible.

What does your dream kitchen look like? Hopefully this inspired you!

xo Jaye

*A special shout-out to Sean and the team at Wayfair for inspiring me and allowing me to go crazy with my dream kitchen!

(all photos are from Google and Wayfair)

Baltimore Style

So I was in a magazine (!!!!!!!) Life goal #247 complete.

Check it out:

Fresh Era
Xo

Hairspray

I’ve been working on growing out my hair for the last two years- I keep going back to the pixie cut! The middy cut is really ideal for vintage hairstyles- it’s nice and layered and shows off pin curl sets nicely! My middy is getting a bit long but I’m ok with it!

After spending so much time looking at Pinterest and other vintage gal’s Instagrams for hair inspo, I’ve been getting a bit more bolder with trying new styles. So a little look back at the last few months of the hair evolution…

I do a mix of a wet set and hot rollers, depending on how much time I have available. I have notoriously thick Italian hair that is *mostly* straight (and highly damaged).

My hair was still really short, so I was pinning it up in buns and french twists and adding a lot of flowers in along with scarves. I’ve also been growing out my Bettie bangs so I’ve been trying to get them to have a bit more oomph in the front.. I feel like it’s the only thing that works with them!

Here I was trying to get my hair in more of a Pageboy style, as it was sorta getting more in that middy style I was hoping for. Again- flowers and scarves!

These were from last month! My hair was finally a good length and I could pull off a Pageboy/Lana Turner-esque look. Definitely one of my favorites! When I do my sets, I usually only use a setting lotion and hairspray, but last month I picked up Suavacita pomade (after stalking all the best vintage hair gals on Instagram!) and I have to say- it’s so very fantastic! The smell is great and it has a nice hold. I am a convert for sure!

Both of these are from the last few weeks, and were hastily done (neither wet set fully set sadly)

So this is from last week and you can see just how long my hair has gotten.

And now I’m back to my beloved pink!

All my scarves are vintage and my flowers are from Shazam Vintage Hair Flowers.

xo

Birthday Roadtrip 2016

Years ago, I lived out in California. I was still in the military and received orders to move to Texas. Knowing I was not supposed to make any stops in between, of COURSE I decided to stop over in Las Vegas! Bad idea. My car was broken into, and everything I owned (uniforms, clothing, books, dads, makeup, vintage(!!!) and paperwork was stolen. I ended up with a stolen identity and years of struggling to keep it from ruining my life. It wasn’t the greatest trip, but I don’t regret it- what I DO regret… is that I didn’t stop at the Grand Canyon on that trip.

For the last 10 years I’ve been kicking myself over a missed opportunity. So when I learned that 2016 was the 100th birthday of the US National Park Service, I knew that was what I really wanted to do. Thankfully my birthday lined up with the Park Service’s! I booked a flight out to Las Vegas and booked a car to drive out to the Grand Canyon. My dad, the Elvis-loving man he is, decided last minute to join me on my birthday road trip.

Meet up in the airport! Note my dad’s visibly “wtf is she wearing?” face.

Fun times with my dad’s favorite performer, Big Elvis.

My favorite representation of Art Deco, the Hoover Dam.

 

I couldn’t get over just how VAST the Canyon is…

After, my dad suggested we drive down to Sedona, Arizona to see the Red Rocks. The landscape was so otherworldly, it was hard to take it all in.

I wish I had better photos but the weather wasn’t the greatest (it stormed the majority of the time) and we all know I’m not the best photographer!

If you ever get the chance to go out to the Southwest- I highly encourage you to do so!

xo

New Year New Adventures!

I was definitely ready to put 2016 behind me. It was just not my year (and probably not many other’s either!) So I have to say 2017 is shaping up to be much better!

Some fun things to look forward to this year:

Dita Von Teese! Two other lovely vintage gals and myself will be seeing her in 3 weeks! I am so incredibly excited! I’ve been dying to see her for some time.

Scotland! A totally random moment when I bought a ticket to Edinburgh on a whim. Two months to go!

Viva Las Vegas 2017! I’ve been dyyyyyyiiiiiinnnnnng to go for years! Since this is Viva’s 20th year, I felt like there was no reason I should not go. It’s looking like a bunch of Baltimore Vintage Society guys and gals are going!

Australia and Fiji! So my little sister moved down there 3 years ago. She’s been trying to get me visit since… And I don’t like to fly. So.. it’s happening. And I’m sure I’m going to be taking a LOT of Xanax.

Buying a House! Seriously! I’m adulting! House porn. I’ve been looking at it. I think I have like 30 houses saved on my phone right now.. one in particular I’ve been dreaming about… le sigh.

Those are just a few of the things I’m super excited about this year. What are yours?

xo