Silver Screen Style // Elf

Elf is easily one of my favorite recent holiday films. It seems like a lot of Christmas/Halloween films nowadays are bland or cheesy, but Will Ferrell's role as a naive "elf" is beyond amazing.



1. Staring at Stars Convertible Coat, Urban Outfitters ($149)
2. Seven for All Man Kind Second Skin Denim, StyleBop ($210)
3. Philosophy Peppermint Bark Lip Shine, Amazon ($15)
4. Clean Knit Hat, Topshop ($28)



1. Starlite Hologram Crystal Dance Skirt, Dancing in the Streets (£19)
2. Green Slim Waist Belt, Romwe ($20)
3. Peppermint Latte Sweater, Modcloth ($45)



1. Candy Apple Red Onesie, JumpinJammerz ($50)
2. Pure Organic Maple Syrup, Best Made Co ($70)

Ulta Haul and Review

Ever since Tish turned me onto Ulta back in Columbus, I swear I can't make it out of that store without spending way more than I budgeted for. It's like Target, I swear. I just want one thing and then end up finding a ton of stuff that I want to give a shot. Thankfully,  my last two trips have resulted in finding some of my new favorite products. Of course, I've just gotta share 'em with my Minis!

• NYX Stick Blush — Not only are these very affordable, but they come in eight different shades! I love NYX products because of their price point and quality. These blushes don't fail. They're soft enough to apply easily and smoothly. I grabbed the Magnolia, Orchid, and Tea rose. Magnolia is a great bright pink, the Orchid is a nice coral, and the Tea Rose is a deep pink with slight bronze shimmer. At $6 a pop, I love having these in my kit for variety!
• Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray — People have been raving about NYM products and one of my coworkers had this on the NYC trip a few weeks ago. I'm not foreign to this type product, as I was a huge fan of the John Freida Beach Blonde Ocean Waves spray back in the early 2000s (helloooo varsity tennis practice). I was bummed when the Ocean Waves spray was no longer available and NYM is a great replacement. The scent is to die for and it gives my awkwardly wavy hair lots of great texture. Not bad for $6 per bottle!
• Burberry London for Men — I don't even going to try and hide the fact that I wear men's cologne. For a long time I was addicted to Third West Brand's Vintage Tobacco scent. I was having a difficult time finding it for purchase, so I opted for Burberry London for Men. It's amazing and I always get lots of compliments. The best part is that no one every knows that it's for men! More info.
• Organix Renewing Moroccan Argon Oil — I bought this as a travel size (for $4) simply to try it out. After giving it a shot, I can't imagine buying the large size. I use a tiny drop of this and it makes my hair look shiny and refreshed. I'm curious to try the shampoo and conditioner!
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse — This is the one item that I went in looking for. For ages I've been using brow pencils and finally decided to go headfirst into a clay product. I have no regrets and absolutely prefer this over any other brow makeup I've ever tried! It lasts all day and it so easy to apply with the supplied brush. I went with the rich brown color.
• L'Oreal Magic Smooth Soufflé — This was on markdown and I needed to new foundation. I opted for it and am actually pretty pleased. It's lightweight and smooth, so I don't feel weighed down by a lot of makeup all day. My one criticism is that there aren't many shades to choose from!
• Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Priming Potion — I admit that this is my first Urban Decay product. It gives my skin an incredible texture. At around $30, it's a little pricey, but totally worth it. I hope that UD comes out with a green primer similar to the Boots No. 7 primer I reviewed a few months ago!

I was lucky in that I loved every product I picked up these rounds. I can't wait to go back and pick up some lipstick in deep tones for winter!

DIY Mini Planters

Okay, so I was pretty amped about my awesome promotion for multiple reasons. One of those reasons? Having plants at my desk. I know it sounds silly, but there's just no way to care for greens in the basement of a retail store. Now that I have a cool job in a cool office, I figured that I should spruce up (no pun intended) my area and maybe kickstart my green thumb.

I went to Terrain this past weekend to pick up supplies, but obviously you can go to any greenhouse or home decor store — heck, even vintage or thrift stores for interesting containers — to get what you need. Here's what I ended up with:

• Moss — I went with Selaginella Gold Tips. My eye was drawn to the color and obviously I'm going for fairly low-maintence plants given that they will be in my office!
• Air Plant — Again, I went with this for ease. I grabbed one in a more neutral color for contrast.
• Succulents — Succulents are my favorite. I went with a nice variety of color for obvious reasons.
• Variety of Planters — I wanted different heights and color. I ended up with a Grey Two-Toned Mug, a Jadeite Tumbler, and a colorful votive. It would be really fun to mix these up with vintage pieces!

Obviously this is super easy, as all you have to do is transfer the plants from one container to the other. I placed a small amount of sand in the base of the Jadeite Tumbler so that the succulents would sit flush with the brim. Perfect!

Weekstagram // November 24

Click to Enlarge

Thanksgiving week is obviously always filled with great food and a slightly shorter work week. Who could be bummed about that?

• Super amazing holiday craft day with some coworkers. Can you say Puffy Paint and Hanukkah tees?
• I enjoyed some s'mores at the Back To School 2013 Preview!
• Our employee-only Urban Outfitters Sample Sale last weekend was a madhouse. I'm really not into aggressive shopping, but ended up with one bag of amazing stuff for fifty bucks. Score!
• I'm totally in love with my Teddy Bomber coat.
• Oh, and this cat ring from Madewell.
• Some days, you've just gotta look to the cookie.
• My first fully vegetarian Thanksgiving meal!
• Continually amazed by my amazing work environment.
• Last week was also my roommate's birthday. I made him a veggie pizza and drew him a butt. Standard!

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram @Chaplinnn

Terrain

Today I headed to Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, for my first ever Terrain visit. For those of you who are unaware (and no worries, there are only two locations in the US, so it's not super well-known), the URBN brand has a greenhouse/home decor store called Terrain. It's pretty fantastic.


Given the time of year, it was very festive. There are multiple buildings, including a green house, an area for events, and a café. They had some fire pits and an area to pick up holiday trees.



The atmosphere was great and there were so many things to look at. I really couldn't get over how well put together the space was.


Per usual, I was lusting over the hand-written typography on all of the little (and large) chalkboard signage everywhere.



The Mushroom Hut was a great little spot to have events.



And there were perfect bursts of color everywhere.


Not only were there lots of plants, but there were great displays of kitchenwares, books, soaps, candles and beauty products around every corner. It was perfectly cozy and I recommend it to anyone who is in the area! If you don't happen to be in Pennsylvania nor Connecticut, then take a look at their blog and Pinterest for lots of how-tos and inspirations!



The outside area was cozy and ready for winter. It's a shame that I won't be in my own place until after the holidays, because I would love to pick up one of their great small firs!


However, I did end up with some goodies. Organic lemonade, Blue Hill Honey, a Honey Tobacco candle (I'm obsessed with anything tobacco scented... except cigarettes), and some great plants and planters for my desk! This week I'm going to put together a little post about the plants and containers I got for this little project. I'm so excited for 'em!


It was pretty windy and cold, but I held up pretty well with an anorak and some denim. I mean, I am from Chicago after all!

Olive anorak, Urban Outfitters
Striped basic pocket tee, Forever 21
Banjo necklace, Vintage
Belt, URBN Sample Sale
BDG Foil Mid-Rise Denim, URBN Sample Sale
Leather Litas, Jeffrey Campbell
Skull bracelet, Urban Outfitters
Gold cuff, H&M
Cat ring, Madewell

Thanksgiving

This Thursday was my first Thanksgiving away from my family — yes, last year my mom came up to see me in Chicago, but this time around I headed to New Jersey to spend the holiday with my roommate's family. It was an experience.

The new job has been amazing, but time consuming. I'm having a great time, but it's certainly wiping me out! I'm hoping to share some of my holiday baking recipes here in the next few weeks in preparation for December.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. And in the tradition (sure, a few days late), I want to share how thankful I am for everyone who has supported me and believed in my work over the past year. The blog, the people I've met, and the interactions I've had since starting this project has enhanced so many parts of my life. Thank you!

Striped tank, Velour
White belt, thrifted
Vintage banjo necklace, thrifted
Gold cuff bracelet, H&M
Cat ring, Madewell
Pleated Maxi, Urban Outfitters
Toecap Platform Wedge, Urban Outfitters

Silver Screen Style // This Is England

For years I've been praising the film This Is England, a film by Shane Meadows about skinheads in 1980s England. Growing up while listening to a lot of punk of hardcore, I found skinhead culture and style to be fascinating. Obviously there are a lot of misconceptions about the lifestyle, which is why I urge people to watch this film and read about the origins without prejudice.

If you like the film, I also recommend checking out the television mini series for BBC, titled This is England '86 and This is England '88. Both are pretty hard-hitting.



1. Cult Acid Wash Jeans, Your Eyes Lie ($36)
2. Bomber Jacket, TopShop ($100)
3. Black skinny braces, American Apparel ($18)
4. 1490 Cherry Red Boots, Doc Martens ($130)



1. Twin Tipped Polo, Fred Perry ($85)
2. Striped Suspender, American Apparel ($18)
3. Acid Wash Shorts, Etsy ($55)



1. Polka Dot White Shirt, Romwe ($32)
2. Laurel Wreath Harrington (Men's), Fred Perry (£195)
3. Powder Blush in Pinky, NYX ($6)
4. Perfect Gingham Shirt, J. Crew ($78)
5. Classic Trucker Jacket, Levis ($58)

Portrait by Creature Type

I've been super busy with work (and it's only Monday!), but I wanted to share this incredible portrait that Creature Type did as part of her I <3 Bloggers series. I'm totally floored by it and am so excited that Michelle did this.

I've mentioned here blog before and how much I love her illustration, but if you somehow missed it, go check her blog out now!

Weekstagram // November 10

Between my trip to New York and back, it felt like I hardly had time for anything else. Somehow it seems like I squeezed some good food and fluffy animals in there, though.

• It started snowing in Philly on Wednesday, but then quickly turned to sleet. I'm not ready for this.
• My roomie making potato and cheese pizza is definitely a plus.
• The day I borrowed his Star Wars sweater just happened to be the same day that Angry Birds Star Wars was released! Be still my heart!
• Power pumpkin, vanilla lavender, and green tea sesame donuts from Federal Donuts. Amazing!
• Meg and me met Cookie Monster in Times Square just before President Obama's speech Tuesday night.
• This ultra-fluffy puppy belongs to one of Lou's neighbors.
• Today I worked as a lighting assistant on a shoot with an ex-member of the band KoRn. Remember them? My brother used to be really into them growing up, so I know all of their stuff from listening to it on the car rides to school. Guy was super nice and funny!
• Sesame Seitan from Su Xing House. Just can't get enough.
• Lou is such an awesome roomie that I gave him my oranges.

Follow me on Instagram @Chaplinnn

Friday Finds // Leaf Art

When I was younger, my mom had a framed piece of art that was an intricate quilt cut out of normal paper. I was pretty fascinated by it. The cuts were really intricate and clean. I've been familiar with this process for quite a while, but Spanish artist Lorenzo Duran's cut-out leaf work is so perfectly in season!

Silver Screen Style // Wayne's World

I used to watch this movie all the time with my brother's growing up, so it's only natural that Wayne and Garth's 90s grunge style snuck its way into my wardrobe as an adult. And Cassandra? Forget about it. Babe!



1. BlankNYC Destructed Jean, Urban Outfitters ($78)
2. Thatcher Revolver Black, Warby Parker ($99)
3. Penfield Haverhill Flannel, Madewell ($80)
4. Basic Neppy Tee, TopShop (£14)
5. Chuck Taylor All Star, Converse ($50)



1. Pointed Flat Collar Necklace, Forever21 ($9)
2. Lace Crop Top, GoJane ($27)
3. Jeffrey Campbell Metallic Litas, SoleStruck ($160)
4. High Waisted Blue Faux Leather Leggings, ChicNova ($23)



1. Cheap Monday Second Skin Denim, KarmaLoop ($75)
2. Crochet Vest, Topshop ($79)
3. BDG Leather Belt, Urban Outfitters ($15)
4. Dietagram Embellished Waistcoat, Firetrap (£27)

New York City and Comedy Central

As many of you know, last Wednesday was my first day of work at the UO home office. It's been pretty amazing so far. Well, on my first day I was informed that they were going to send me to New York for the Comedy Central Indecision party. And I had a big confession to make:

I had never been to New York City.

Everyone at work was baffled by this, and admittedly so was I. After all of the things I've done, I somehow had passed over NYC. Needless to say that I was really excited to get up and tweet/Instagram about the event.


So our day was already set up to be really long. We still went into the office in the morning and worked until around two, and afterwards we cabbed over to to 30th Station to catch the Amtrak. It only took a couple of hours to get to New York. It felt really good to be around big buildings again — something about all of it reminded me of Chicago. And with it being election day, most of us were at pretty high anxiety for hours.


When we were walking from Penn Station, Meg stopped me so that we could get a photo with the Empire State building in the background. Totally touristy and totally adorable! I can't believe how small it looked though!

We dropped our things off at the hotel, changed quickly, and then headed over to the NY Beer Company to meet up with the rest of our team, Comedy Central, and our contest winners. Everyone from Comedy Central was really nice and our two contest winners were hilarious! They were great company and we couldn't have asked for it to turn out better.

But it did in fact get better.


Angus showed up! He just happened to be in town for business and we were able to find each other really easily. The folks from Comedy Central were awesome and invited for him to come along with us to the party (his birthday was this past weekend) and of course I was so happy to get to hang out with one of my best friends all evening!



When we got to the party, we were given fun little scratch off cards! I got three Joe Bidens and was able to pick a prize, so I got some cute Indecision buttons for my desk at work. Angus had three Obamas and picked a really funny Obama candy dispenser. There was a lot of food and drinks and interesting photo sweeps.

Photos by NYCPhotoParty

We hopped into the photobooths and played with some fun props, too. I swear we went through this thing so many times!



Meg and I even decided to have a little election of our own. We somehow managed to show up dressed really similarly and posted our bow ties on the @urbanoutfitters Instagram for the followers to vote! The votes were close, but my bow tie won by just a little. This being the case, we agreed to work on our bow-tie-bipartisonship for a better neck-accessoried America!


My favorite part of the night was meeting everyone at the party. So many of the Comedy Central people were awesome, and meeting some party attendees here and there really took the anxiety off of my election thoughts. We met a couple of the guys from 30 Rock and John Lutz was an absolute delight! Check out me and Angus cheesin'!

When the Daily Show started live, we were all glued to the screens. Shortly after, I got a text from my mom saying that Obama had taken Ohio and I felt so much relief! I was so happy to see progress in my home state! As soon as they projected Obama as the winner of the election, the entire room exploded in cheers. It was such a relief after a long, long day!

Panorama: Click to Enlarge

So as we were leaving the party (late), we passed Times Square and there were loads of people out watching the live news on the jumbo screens. We decided to hang out and wait for Obama's speech — in the mean time we met Cookie Monster, an oboe player, a French news anchor, all sorts. As soon as Obama started his speech from Chicago, the whole crowd was a mix of tears, chanting, and happiness.

There were a lot of great firsts for the election yesterday that made me excited to be a part of the entire process. Being in NYC for this whirlwind trip was surreal and I can't believe that something so awesome (and that went so smoothly) was my first experience for NYC. Sometimes it's hard being the new girl, but I'm starting to settle in at work and Indecision was a really great ice breaker for me!


This morning we were up and on a train back to Philadelphia by 9am. We went straight from the station to work. I lots of work to get done today, so let's just say that there was a lot of coffee involved.

I hope you all had a great evening no matter where you ended up!