Pot Pie Plottin'

Pushing aside the bits of Halloween decor still strewn about the duplex, my roommate and I curled up on the couch tonight with a couple of pot pies that cost 57 cents and a bountiful supply of the Christmas spirit. Yeah, I said it - we are as bad as the retail stores, but we can't help it. One of the first conversations we had upon moving into our wonderful 1930s abode two months ago was "where will we put the Christmas tree?" Tonight the question at hand was the theme for our Christmas party...well, ONE of our Christmas parties. We even considered establishing a point system for festivity attendance - the more events you come to, the better your present (and the more fun your December).

Favorite Christmas Movies is the theme this year (because the tacky sweater party is fun, but we have to be different). We're considering going as Vera-Ellen and Rosemary Clooney a la White Christmas. Would a live performance of "Sisters" be too much for a holiday house party??

I think these glasses I found the other day have been instrumental in my premature Christmas cheer. They just look like something out of a grandma's cabinet, and I LOVE it! If they don't sell on etsy by mid-December, I'm yanking them and using them myself!

Watch Men

I rarely wear watches these days, my cell phone serves as an accurate and easy time keeper. Lately I've been so charmed by the grown-up, simple feel of a device made for one purpose, especially when that useful device is adorable as well.

A few years back, I found the most classic, black-band-white-face men's wristwatch. It was about $5 at Walmart, and big surprise, the buckle broke and the battery wore out within a couple weeks. Batteries are easily replaced, though, and discarded timekeepers are everywhere. Cheap watch disaster behind me, I still haven't gotten over my love affair with the idea of a chunky man's watch on a woman! My wrists aren't oversized...no forearm version of cankles here (should we call them frists?)...but they aren't going to snap in a stiff breeze, either. The stately face and wide band of the male-oriented piece made them look dainty by comparison - at least in my eyes! It's also a great way to toughen up a frilly ensemble without going overboard. My next trip to an estate sale, I'll be breezing through the overpriced costume jewelry on my way to hunt for cool clock faces, or a glitzy gold one I can wear dangly, maybe even stacked!

Pin Up Girl

Tiny, detailed, mysterious, old fashioned. Okay, so it's mostly the old fashioned that makes me love the idea of fraternity pins. Magically, the shining bits of metal and paint emerge glistening and pure from the reality of stale beer, smelly couches, and hungover guys that I encountered in my daily walk to campus my first 2 years of college.

I've dated several fraternity boys in their post-college years, but somehow managed to keep buried my secret desire to sport their respective pins on a cardigan or some frothy dress. The choice to romantically pursue me requires a high tolerance for vintage. However, I knew bursting into a verse of "One Boy" as Kim in Bye Bye Birdie would more likely produce an eye roll than an eager agreement that getting pinned would make us seem just like Gidget and Moondoggie!

Frat-boy free at the moment, I still find myself charmed by the diminutive decorations, but with no particular allegiance, I find myself wanting to gather them into a fun and versatile statement piece! There's something about the idea of clumping them together - a Sigma Chi buddy-ing up to a Pi Kappa Alpha, Phi Kappa Psi mingling blissfully with whomever I choose - that creates a laid-back homage to precious years. Though collecter sites have some high-dollar options, Ebay has reasonable lots under $10, or eye-catching individuals for a little less. Thrift stores also have a variety, including fraternal orders outside the frame of learning institutions.

It's my subtle take on the John Belushi "COLLEGE" shirt - you didn't have to live in an Animal House to smile at the image, and you didn't have to go through hazing to appreciate the coolness of these little pins!