Introducing SOSH Chicago

The best thing about Chicago is that there is so much to discover. I'm always hearing about new bars and classes and restaurants — but sometimes get stuck in a rut of going to the same place over and over again. Have you ever been sitting around trying to figure out what to do with your friends? Something different? Which bar to go to? What's happening this weekend? My friends and I do this all the time. Of course we have our neighborhood bar that we love and our weekly farmer's market, but when we want to mix it up, what the best way to get suggestions?


Introducing Sosh! This app is a great tool for trying new spots in your neighborhood and around the city. The folks over at Sosh were awesome enough to give me beta access — and over the past two weeks I've already discovered a new cool boutique, a killer cocktail spot just down the street from my apartment, and have added a handful of must-see events to my calendar.

Sosh has amazing suggestions and my favorite part is the great imagery — in a sea of apps that suggest restaurants and drinks, Sosh acts on a visual basis and it really grabs my attention!


How do you access Sosh? You can make an account through their website or through the iPhone app. The site currently covers five cities, which is great for finding new neighborhood favorites and for traveling. The service is totally free, too! Once you have an account, you can begin looking through suggestions broken down my neighborhood or category. Want a good burger or a date spot? There are categories for that. You can then continue to break the selections down by neighborhood. Tap on an event or place to get more details — you can get tips from other Sosh users, find out if it's cash-only, and also have directions, hours, and more at your finger tips.


Want to keep this event in mind? Bookmark it. You can create categories of your bookmarks. For me I separate them by upcoming, food, and other things I want to do. Once I've done something, I can mark it as such and leave tips for other users! And bonus: Sosh reminds me when a bookmarked event is coming up. So here's to never forgetting about Vintage Garage again!

I'm loving Sosh and I'm excited to use it to find out more amazing places in this great city. If you're in Chicago or one of the other cities available, be sure to sign up for Sosh and download the app! They said it best — life's too short to be bored!

This post is sponsored by Sosh.

Ghost Totes Now Available!

I'm so pumped about the new Ghost Totes that are part of the An Honest Tote by Mini Penny line! They have just been added to the Etsy Shop and are available in either black or white stitching.



All bags are made to order. If you're interested in custom colored stitching, just let me know. These are $40 and I'm offering free shipping within the US. Shop for your Ghost Tote here!

Weekstagram // April 13

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica's kitten Theo. I love rescue stories — and Theo is especially awesome. Jessica adopted this little dude from Tree House Humane Society in Chicago. When he arrived at the shelter, he was missing part of his back right leg. They're not really sure whether he was born that way or if he had some sort of accident. Either way, Tree House performed surgery on this little dude so he wouldn't bump on it every times he walks. And now he scuttles along just fine and has fully adjusted to being a tripod kitten. Theo might have the most energy of any kitten I've ever met — during playtime earlier this week, he wore me out first!

If you're looking into getting a pet, consider adopting from a local shelter or rescue center. There are so many great pets who need loving homes!

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram at @minipennyblog.

Wrap It Up

No exaggeration, one of my favorite things about gift-giving is the tradition of wrapping. When I was a kid, my parents used to let me wrap all of my brothers' Xmas gifts (hey, it kept me busy for a few hours, it was one less thing they had to worry about, and I was great at keeping secrets). Since then, if you receive a gift from me, you can expect it to be wrapped up in a fun package.

Over my adult years, I've acquired quite a bit of fun wrapping paper from all over the place — vintage prints are some of my favorites. Post-holiday sales can be a good place to find some neutral prints like gold chevron and baroque ornamentations, but you run the risk of only coming up with snowmen and Xmas-themed Mickey Mouse.

I've found that paper and stationary stores, Etsy, specialty shops, and vintage sellers are some of the best places to find unique prints. Bonus idea: Use printed paper as a backdrop for photos!

Check out a few of my favorites! (Header image from Sycamore Street Press)


Blue Floral / Peach Cube Double Sided Gift Wrap, BeSpoke Letterpress


Jade Wrap, Smock Paper


Wild Cats, Normans Printery on Etsy


Camellia Wrapping Paper, Clap Clap Design on Etsy


Gray Molecules, MOZAIQ on Etsy

Silver Screen Style // Royal Tenenbaums

My first ever Silver Screen Style post was a Wes Anderson movie — Moonrise Kingdom. Keeping in theme with yesterday's WomenCrush Wednesday, I am featuring movies this month which include the lovely Anjelica Huston. Wes Anderson films are always styled so well and have great color palettes, so Royal Tenenbaums seems like a good place to start.


Long Faux Fur Brown Coat, Warehouse // Polo Dress, Lacoste // Urban Decay All Nighter Eyeliner, Sephora


Black Rhett Leather Jacket, BBDakota // Emma Western Shirt, Joe's Jeans // Spirit Ranch Boots, Free People


Firebird Track Pants and Track Jacket, Adidas Originals // A Stopwatch

WomanCrush Wednesday // Anjelica Huston

The first time I ever saw Anjelica Huston was in The Addam's Family in the early 90s. Heck, I was a kid. But I did love Morticia. She had that sly smile and sassiness. Now, when I look at Huston's other work, I see a lot of those characteristics that made me like her so much as a kid. She's a knock out with great talent that just won't quit — her repeat roles in Wes Anderson movies are a great reminder of that.

I mean, her style sort of evolved from menswear-inspired to sophisticated-goth-meets-Free-People, which is all around bad ass. Don't you think?




Photo sources: Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, Craig McDean for Interview Magazine, and Ara Gallant.

Shop my Anjelica Huston picks:

It's Happening!

Yesterday I was able to shed a layer. My fluffy coat was making me too warm. You guys — spring is totally happening.


I spent the day walking around and eating donuts with my friend Jess. I met her amazing cat. More on that later this week.

Sonoma Life Solid Texture Sweater, Kohl's (gift from Mom!)
High Waisted Mini Skirt, Forever21
Polka Dot Tights, Drugstore [similar]
Thigh High Socks, Urban Outfitters
Faun Patent Boots, Dr. Martens (gift from Brock) [similar]
L'Epicier Leather Bag, American Apparel [similar]
Found objects necklace, DIY
Radio Sunglasses, Cheap Monday [similar]

Photos by Jessica Laskaris | Facebook | Instagram

April Wishlist

Have you guys heard of Upstate? I recently stumbled upon their site and I'm in love with everything. I wish I had the skill to DIY something like this, but I'm pretty sure I would never achieve its perfection. However, their stuff is fantastic and serves as some pretty amazing inspiration for playing with color this spring. I'll take one of everything.

Aside from that new discovery, I'm ready for sandals and I've been on the hunt for unique bras to layer under and over basics. I tried on some shoes similar to these last week and talked myself out of it because of the weather, but I'm sure they'll be making it to my closet soon.


Basically everything from Upstate // Ax & Apple Later Gator Necklace and NYX Purple Mascara, NastyGal // Strappy Front Bra, Free People // Camilla Sandal in Patent Black, Need Supply

What are you looking forward to this month?

Header image via Upstate.

Weekstagram // April 6

I'm surrounded by creative people all the time. It's a really, really great thing for me. This week, I had yet another friend be selected for the Instagram featured users and have decided to explore a bit of my own creativity with some shots here and there. I used to shoot a lot of personal work back when I did photography, and fell off of that habit after booking weddings almost entirely burnt me out on the craft. The rise in mobile photography apps like VSCO Cam and Mextures, combined with admiring the work of those around me, has certainly sparked my interest again. Every week, Instagram has a themed Weekend Hashtag Project, and I'm going to try to participate in it. This is my entry for this weekend's #WHPHandInHand prompt.

Instagram noted that hands are extremely expressive — and I agree. I've always loved shots of hands. As makers, even the cuts and stains of our hobbies and jobs tells a story of who we are.

Up until recently, every Sunday I was blogging a weekly recap of my week's worth of Instagram shots. I feel like those posts can be a bit repetitive considering that a lot of you already follow me on IG. I do share outfit photos on that platform, but I am anxious to start mixing it up.

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram at @minipennyblog.

You've Got Nail 35

Remember tying a knot around your finger as a way to, uh, not forget something? Before the days of iPhone reminders, I suppose this was a pretty good way to remind yourself to feed your Tamagatchi or tune into TRL (or whatever the heck we were all doing back in those days?) or to call your mom at 7pm from the mall pay phone. Anyway, I think Spring could have used one of these a few weeks ago. I think it forgot us. I heard an ice cream truck go by my house today — instinctually I wanted to run outside for an ice cream sandwich, but I know the sunshine is still deceiving us. By the time I put on pants, that ice cream truck is going to be gone.

I'm still on about powder blue. This is the shade that came in my March Julep Maven box. I love it. I actually opted to skip the April Julep boxes — I wasn't into the colors and figured I'd hang tight to see what May brings. But for now, this blue and the lavender that came with it are doing a fine job of holding me over.

Here's what I used:

Julep Nail Laquer in Margaret [similar or subscribe to Julep Maven]
Rhinestone Embellishements
Pearl Embellishments
Floral Embellishments
Seche Vite Top Coat