A Day at the Field Museum

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The Field Museum in Chicago is definitely one of my favorite spots. Lauren had yet to go, so since we both had the day off yesterday, we decided to venture down to Museum Campus and have a go at it.


A friend of mine works at the museum and was able to get us visitors passes and show us the back end of the place. It was quite interesting. The animal exhibits have been my favorite since I was a child, but Lauren was super into mummies (and I'm not opposed!), so we stopped by the Egyptian exhibit first.




Another section that we were both really engaged with were the halls dedicated to the cultures of Pacific Northwest natives. The totem poles are huge and beautiful, along with cases and cases of masks, apparel, and other ceremonial pieces. Incredible!






Of course I get beyond excited when it's time to look at the animals — so much so that I hardly took any photos to share! But The Field Museum has an extensive collection of taxidermied animals, along with skeletons and reproductions.

I was also really curious about the upcoming Maria Pinto exhibit. Being the anxious little creature that I am, it was pretty killer that we got to look at it before it was open to the public. They had just finished putting it together just before we arrived, so we really couldn't have timed it any better! The Maria Pinto show opens on September 14th for those curious.


Bowler hat, Aldo
Eugineides Blouse, Sessun
A-line skirt, UO Surplus
Button stud belt, UO Surplus
Bunny ears ring, c/o Ringsandtings.com
Bicycle necklace, gift from ex
Found objects necklace, DIY

My Rainy, Lazy Sunday

Sometimes a rainy Sunday is just what you need.

This past weekend was lovely — as noted yesterday, I got to hit up the Savers opening on Saturday and had perfect weather. The evening was rather relaxed which lead perfectly into a lazy and hazy Sunday.


First things first: my friend's roommate's cat, Atticus. Such a talkative perma-kitten darling that I absolutely adore.


We went to a little diner just around the corner from his place for some coffee and omelettes. I'm growing a little fond of Pilsen, actually. There are tons of murals and interesting little vintage shops to check out. Hopefully in the fall I'll have some time to explore a bit and add to my list of favorite stores!

We popped over to the Food Truck Social, but it was rather dead. I'm not sure if it was the rain or just the event itself, but we were there maybe a total of fifteen minutes before bailing.


Something I found exponentially more interesting was an architectural salvage in Ukranian Village called Salvage One. The architectural salvages in Columbus that I had grown used to were rather cluttered and unorganized, but this spot had nicely set-up room environments. There were some pretty nice mid-century style pieces of furniture that I fawned over and their prices didn't seem terribly over the top for their carefully curated space. With some hunting, though, most of these pieces could be picked up elsewhere for much cheaper. As with most collections like this, you're obviously paying for the convenience.



They did have some rather interesting picks, like this Skeeball machine and some random metal letters lying around. There were some killer bars (obviously no use to me or most other shoppers) and other interesting old-school games as well.



Something I was rather surprised to see were the stacks upon stacks of movie reels. They had so many that they were actually using strips of the film to create "curtains" in between rooms. I took a quick look and it seemed like a lot of them were Bollywood-esque pictures. A little part of me hurt seeing these spliced up for what might be a temporary display, but I guess in the end it's good that they're getting recycled in some fashion and appreciate.

This is a spot I wouldn't mind checking out every couple of months. There were a lot of similar stores in the area as well if you're on the lookout for some new digging ground.

After the salvage we picked up some coffee at WestTown Bakery and sat on the patio for a bit, protected from the rain. Late in the afternoon, I got dropped me off at home where I finished my closet clean up and desk set up in my room (finally). It's say that it was a much-deserved and needed lazy Sunday.

Big Shop Announcement + New Items!

Drumroll please! I'm so happy to announce that from here on out I am offering free shipping on ALL U.S. APPAREL ORDERS! This goes for clothings, shoes, and accessories — i.e., everything except home goods. Hooray!

On top of that, I have listed a few killer items this evening. I have a nice little stock to add over the next couple of days. Keep your eye out for new goodies...


1960s Miss Elliette California Floral Dress - Size 0/XS, $56. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this may be one of my most favorite items that I've ever had in my shop. Everything about it is flawless.


Black and White Floral Dress - Size S, $25


60s/70s Mod Blueberry Jacket - Size M, $26


Geo Southwestern Oversized Poncho - Size M-L-XL, $26

That's all for this evening! Lauren and I have a fun plan tomorrow to hit up a couple of thrift stores and go see Gedi down at the museum. We'll see what happens. Happy shopping, Minis!

A Saturday at Savers

I can tell you that if there's one thing I miss about Columbus, it's the thrifting. While Chicago has so many resale, thrift, consignment, and vintage stores to boot, I find that it's the lack of having a car that discourages me from venturing out. That's why when I got the invitation to attend the Savers grand opening in Orland Park, I jumped on it!


I had never been to a Savers before. Since I follow the 'thrift' tag on Tumblr, I do see the name thrown around here and there. Again, not having a car has prevented me from checking them out. My overall impression was that the stores are similar to Ohio Thrift in reference to size and organization. I like their price tag system better than that of other thrift stores (they're actually print tags with barcodes, sizes, etc, that are tagged to merchandise rather than stapled — a HUGE pet peeve of mine!). With these things comes a catch, though. Some of the merchandise is noticably higher-priced than some other stores. I wouldn't say it was a bad thing, though, since the store was extremely clean, well-lit, open, and organized by size, it was an enjoyable experience.

Oh and the staff? Easily the friendliest thrift staff I've ever encountered.


I couldn't help but giggle at the fact that we were picked up in a party bus. I mean, it had a stripper pole in it. I do love that Savers offered the transportation to Orland Park because it gave me a good chance to get to know the other bloggers, some I was familiar with and others were new to me. We also got to have talks with Eric Himel, a celebrity fashion stylist. He was kind enough to give us some of his thrift and styling tips and answer our questions about his profession. Very cool!

Photo courtesy @sazzou's Intagram

Photo courtesy of @sazzou's Intagram

After stopping for some wine and cheese and a gift bag (complete with heart sunnies, a red Swatch, an adorable emergency kit, and MAC matte red lipstick!), we were off! We had about an hour or so to shop around and I came home with so many goodies.

My favorites?



This trench is easily at the top of my list. It was my splurge item at $30. Originally it had a cloth black belt, but I replaced it with this leather skinny belt with gold hardware that has been living in my closet quite some time. I'm considering putting some cone studs on the shoulders to give it a bit of an edgier look.


I love this skirt from J. Crew. Okay, it isn't vintage, but it was three or four dollars and has a great pattern. I love that it plays on the fine line of animal print but still keeps it monochromatic. I'm rally into skirts for the fall and this will be fun to play with some pattern mixing!


This cropped Pendleton blazer. Now, I know that it's absolutely hideous. I love it. I try to nab up Pendleton pieces when I can. They are normally made with great fabrics and this one appears to have never been worn. It has shoulder pads under the lining, but I'm going to do some surgery and make it a bit more modern. I can definitely say that my Clueless style post came to mind when I picked this out!


And finally, this is probably he best graphic tee I've ever thrifted. Sarah from Zzouzi Vintage & Handmade found it and gave it to me, so I owe her a big ol' THANK YOU! It's the first yellow piece in my closet and I think it'll be really fun to play with.

I know that Leilani over at Thrifaholic will be sharing more images soon — there were lots of cute ones snapped while we were out shopping. I also have a fun giveaway coming up, so keep your peepers on Mini Penny!

A bit thanks to Bridget, Eric Himel and the Savers team for such a fun Saturday! This has been one of my favorite events to be a part of. Mini Penny started as a thrifting blog and it felt so good to dedicate a day back to it! And if you get the chance, please check out the other bloggers involved — Jag Lever, Zzouzi Vintage & Handmade, Thriftaholic, Halfstack, The Girls of Lincoln Park, A-Line Style Services and Examiner.

What I Wore // UO Home Office

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I had originally planned to put these photos in with my main Home Office post, but once I realized just how image-heavy it was going to be, decided to split it off. Obviously I packed a few outfits, but this outfit on Wednesday was my favorite and subsequently the only one I was able to have Matthew photograph while we were out and about.

From the Wood Wood SS2012 Collection

Some time ago I posted on my Tumblr about how in-love I was with this denim by one of my favorite labels, Wood Wood. A couple weeks ago we got them in at my store. At originally $175, I couldn't really passing up a chance to have them in my wardrobe for under twenty bucks.


And not to be forgotten were my super-fun Keith Haring nails. I came up with the idea to do these in nail form after peeping Astrowifey's new Keith Haring shower curtain. Urban is doing a big push with the Obey x Keith Haring line right now and I figured what better way to celebrate it than put it on my digits. Well, the @uochicago Instagram picked it up, which lead to the company-wide @urbanoutfitters Instagram team sharing my image, which has [as of now] gotten over 30,000 likes. How flattering!


Also, have I mentioned how much I love my Jeffrey Campbell Litas? Comfiest. Shoes. Ever. Now I understand why they blew up so fast!

Jackie Blouse, Velour
Brown high-rise denim, Wood Wood
Black Litas, Jeffrey Campbell
Velvet skinny belt, Urban Outfitters
Black leather bag, Aldo
Silk skeleton scarf, thrifted
Leopard print beaded necklace, Urban Outfitters
Sparkle and fade lace bralette, Urban Outfitters Surplus
Gold pyramid bracelet, XXI
Hinged ring, H&M

Urban Outfitters Home Office

I have been counting down to this trip for the past couple of months and I can easily say that it went leaps and bounds beyond my imagination. I got back into Chicago this morning and I'm still in awe at how quickly the past couple of days zipped by. It was borderline sensory-overload in Philadelphia — everything was new and strange and unfamiliar.


The flight was quick and early with perfect blue skies! I turn into such a kid when I get on an airplane, I swear. No matter how many times I'm on a plane, I'm always fascinated by it!


When we landed on Tuesday morning, we immediately went from the airport to Home Office. After taking a short stroll around the Navy Yard, we hit up Quarters O for a meeting with some wonderful and familiar faces. Quarters O was small home (admiral's cabin I believe? I could be remembering incorrectly) that Urban rehabbed and filled with Anthropologie digs. It was phenomenal and a great introduction to the beauty we'd be seeing in every detail over the next couple of days.

Bart in the Quarters O Living Room

Lovely sofa on the enclosed porch

Drew and Jocelyn

Veggie burger, pita, guac, and black bean/edemame dip!

We had a wonderful working lunch to finish out our time at Quarters O with both new and familiar faces.

Free People Building

Building 543

Urban Building

Building 543 - Acid Bath Room

Building 543

Caitlin - Building 543

Bart, Caitlin and Rudy - Building 543

We were given a tour of the campus and had the opportunity to go into each building — that includes the Free People, Anthro, BHLDN, and Terrain spots. Free People was surprisingly one of my favorites! They had killer fabrics everywhere. I loved that every building had its own feel and special touches. A lot of the original architectural elements were kept and anyone who is familiar my taste knows that I'm a big fan of industrial spaces.

I did nerd out a bit when we were included in the the Urban Second Quarter Earnings Review meeting. I love numbers (something I really dove into at Apple and even with my own analytics), so seeing numbers on this scale was fascinating. I was so extremely flattered to not only meet but to also get a congratulations by the CEO in front of the entire company. It was ultra-humbling and in my crazy range of emotions, even touching. I think in that moment I knew that I could feel like home here. It's almost uncalled for in my experience to have someone at a "corporate" level (I hate to call home office that, because it doesn't feel like your standard "corporate" atmosphere) listen to the suggestions of retail employees. We were even thanked on multiple occasions for the work we do in-store. I felt a lot of pride for my little Chicago Surplus location and for the path that brought us all here in the first place.

Art Show in Building 543

Rudy and Caitlin at the Koi Pond - Building 543

Oh, and a fun fact? Everyone at home office brings their adorable dogs to work every day. There were darling pups all around and I could barely contain myself!


After the workday was through, we hit up Morgan's Pier for food. There weren't many veg options, so I opted for a Shandy (Yuengling + lemonade) and the vegan chorizo. It was pretty good! Afterwards, I met up with my pal Lou and we got some gelato and walked around center city. He showed me the LOVE statue, which was surprisingly tiny!


The next morning started early with the subway ride — which I was astonished to discover still uses tokens — and a small breakfast at the URBN MRKT in Building 543. I can say with much certainty that they probably made the best iced soy chai + two shots of espresso drink that I've ever had. I know I'll be longing for one tomorrow morning and will have to settle for a New Wave hail mary instead. UGH!

Matthew looking foxy in the Urban Building between meetings!

Our day was filled with exciting meetings — everything from the team who plans store-level training to the graphic design team (TO DIE FOR! I HAD TO CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT!), the two in-house video guys (I wish I remembered their names. I was so impressed by their work and they were so humble/quiet and willing to share. Seriously good vision here!), and possibly my biggest curiosity, the photo team. I had always heard rumors that only interns shot their photos, but I made a request to see the photo studio and BAM! we were there!

The rolling racks of clothes and shelves of shoes used for styling? Yes, incredible. The photo studio set up was adapted well to the space and it was really cool to see it behind the scenes. I know now that I'm not going to be looking at product on the website the same again!

After lunch I got to meet with the blogging team and part of the social media team. While I do enjoy what Urban is doing on an artistic front, I think there's a lot to grasp with social media and how it can influence customers in regards to a company that has the magnitude of UO. It was interesting to hear the ladies' direction and growth as a social media team within the company and perhaps even be able to relate it back to myself and my own personal projects.


On top of all of the excitement, I met this happy rock. There were little gems like this all over the place! The graphic design team was gracious enough to share some of their future plans, new catalogs, upcoming illustrations and tag/bag designs. Everyone was incredible!

Around 3pm we skipped over the the Mütter Museum. I had originally thought that we weren't going to be able to check it out and was so happy when it was added to the itinerary. I had heard so many cool things about it. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, especially with my weak emotions in regards to human sufferings. I found myself have to walk away from some displays — while fascinated medically, the thought of someone suffering with those sort of deformities broke my heart. I do however recommend the museum from a learning experience. The wall of skulls was particularly interesting.


My evening on the other hand was a little less exciting (probably for the best). Everyone was headed to a sausage restaurant that literally had nothing vegetarian on the menu. I bumped over a couple blocks and grabbed a bite with someone from Instagram at a cute little vegan restaurant. My plans for the evening fell through, so I ended up relaxing at the hotel with a bubble bath and prepping for my big morning.

Back to the Naval Yard

Visitor's Center

My interview room!

The next morning, the rest of my team split off to do some training in the Urban Outfitters store downtown. Meanwhile I hopped in a cab and went back to the Navy Yard for my interviews. Yeah. I interviewed at Home Office today. Looking back on it now, it seems like it went by so quickly. I mean that in a good way. I met up with multiple people and left with good feelings. So who knows what's going to happen. It could mean a major change for me or it could mean that I networked with some great people that I may see later down the road. No matter which way it ends up, I'm so thankful for the past three days. I'm excited and finally, after so much struggling post-Apple employment, I feel confident in what I'm doing and the path I'm choosing. 

I mean, I feel like that's a good place to be in at 25, right?

Matthew in Rittenhouse Square

Vegan Cheesesteak! Finally!

Afterwards I met back up with my team, we grabbed a vegan lunch (oh my gosh, YAY!) and then headed off to the airport.


Security checkpoints, terminal, and a non-window seat later (this photo is a little deceiving because I totally invaded Matt's space to get a photo of these fluffy clouds), I'm back home in Chicago.

What's next? I have no idea, but I'm starting to get a clearer view. Oh and for the record, I am totally into it.

I owe a huge thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point — my fellow team leads, receivers, associates, everyone in the company who voted for our video, Drew for making the contest, Ted and Dick for creating such a creative and open environment, my store manager Beth and district manager Rob for giving us the time to make this happen, and every person in between who took time out of their days to show my kid-in-a-candy-store eyes what happens behind the curtain.