{ wine-o }

i am not saying that i am in any way a wine connoisseur but i do like my vintage grape juice.  because my life is so laid back at the moment, i usually pour myself a goblet to take to my room to sip on while watching a movie and working on any type of paperwork i have for that evening. i have tasted many different wines over the years.  my absolute favorite was a 1997 insignia followed by a 2003 rudd that we had in celebration of graduating from college over a dinner at my favorite restaurant.  however, these, along with other favorites, are a little out of my price range for an everyday evening treat.  of them all, my daily go-to has been alamos' malbec.  it has a slight red cherry taste but finishes off slightly spicy with a hint of chocolate and oak.  its smooth finish leaves me lulling off to sleep without a long lasting aftertaste.  now, enough of the chit-chat, i have a glass to finish and a movie to attend to.  

{ image via alamos, dean and deluca & winebid }

{ trash or treasures }

i love going to garage sales.  you never know what kind of treasures your going to find.  sure, most of other people's garbage is, in fact, garbage, but there are occasionally moments where you may stumble across something better than finding a dollar bill on the ground.  this happened to me this summer when i measly walked down the street to a neighbor's estate sale.  she was from albania and had traveled the world due to her job.  walking up her driveway was like walking into saks fifth avenue with an 80% clearance sale.  she had fur coats from germany, a fur hat from russia (which i regrettably did not buy :( ), beaded necklaces from india, and much more.  although she had quite the collection, i only walked away with 3 items.  one was this alligator clutch that she had gotten in egypt.  as soon as i saw it, i knew i could not leave it behind.  its scaly texture and rich cocoa color contrasts beautifully with any light, soft sweater i throw on.

the tassels were added by me.  i made them following honestlywtf's diy here.

here are the other two items i picked up from the estate sale.  the peach feather pin is to die for. i can't wait to wear it with a navy striped top or a black blazer.

{ cat & mouse }

after seeing theglamourai's posts here and here, i decided to start my own little collection of figurine pets.  when i laid my eyes on her vintage brass mice, i immediately went to ebay in search of my own little family.  to much surprise, i was able to find two and couldn't hit the 'commit to buy' button fast enough.  however, after receiving them in the mail, i decided to split their relationship by leaving one at home and taking the other to my boyfriend's for when my rings need a place to rest while staying with him (knowing me, i'd loose them as soon as i put them down).

fast forward a few months to the day i decided to run over to bay city, mi to check out the extravagant vintage stores they have along their main street.  it was then when my mouth dropped to the floor (and i may have let out a small squeal, although if you ask my boyfriend he may say different) as i had spotted bagheera.  i snagged the jet black porcelain panther off the shelf and scurried anxiously to the counter to make the purchase.  he now sits atop his little perch in my room watching my every move (such a typical panther).

{images taken via instagram}