Cat Footwear AW14 // Megs

I'm super stoked to model these Megs boots for Cat Footwear's AW14 lookbook. Here's a sneak peek at these fun and comfy boots — available fall of 2014!

The ALL NEW Mini Penny Shop My Closet Site!

You guys! I am so pumped! I always get such an awesome response from my Shop My Closet sales that I've decided to change a few things (for the better)!

First of all, introducing shop.minipennyblog.com! This is a separate, stand alone site (not affiliated with my vintage-only Etsy Shop!) where you can access my Shop My Closet items with ease. No more emailing Paypal requests back and forth — you see something that you want, you add it to your cart, and you check out! Bam! So easy! I'm hoping this will eliminate some of the disappointment of having to email some of you ladies back to let you know that an item has been claimed — it updates in real time!

And secondly, I've decided that I will closet clean out one a month. Yep. I have a big, big closet with many good things in it. Instead of doing this sale sporadically, I'll be giving y'all a notice a couple days prior — then you can pounce on the goodies as soon as they go online. I'm aiming to do this mid-month starting in November.

So, there you have it. There are currently items available from the most recent sale, so if there's something you've had your eye on, go get it before someone else does!

Weekstagram // Oct 27

I cut my hair! // Some awesome handmade wooden salt and pepper shakers from Todd // My very-last-minute Halloween costume: Leela from Futurama! // And enjoyed a Sunday around Wicker Park with the help of @PopularPays!

You've Got Nail 12 // We Can't Stop

All praise the Miley mani! This actually ended up taking me way longer than I expected (because, hey, I had no idea how to do the gradient well) — I'm super amped on these fun nails, especially since I don't have time to do a Halloween costume.

#FlashbackFriday // Costumes of My Past

Okay, this is obviously not a costume. But it is a totally awesome photo of my and my brother after carving pumpkins. Why is my pumpkin sad? I don't know. I wasn't even a teenager yet.

Anyway, enough about the emo pumpkin. I wanted to share a little #FlashbackFriday of Halloweens of my past. What's amazing is that I recall being a black cat multiple years as a kid and I don't have one photo of it. But, the rest of these are still pretty good. Enjoy.

Silver Screen Style // Ghostbusters

When I worked at Apple, my coworkers called me Gozer. I'm not sure why, maybe because they thought I was genderless. Regardless, these movies rule, so why not bring some Ghostbusters to your closet?

Recipe // Chai Cupcakes

This time of year, so many people are making pumpkin cakes and cookies (heck, I made some pumpkin pancakes), so I wanted to try something a little different. Welcome the chai cupcakes! Recipe after the jump.

Me and the Moon

I found a home for some of these patches: my [faux] leather jacket. I also have had a tendency to buy a lot of polka dot items lately. One of these days I'm gonna end up accidentally dressed entirely in dots. Someone stop me.

HUGE Shop My Closet Sale!

Hey Minis! Just having another Shop My Closet sale — and this one is a lot larger! Winter closet clean out! All prices include free shipping in the US, so if there's an item you're interested in, send me an email and I'll shoot you a Paypal request for the total! Head over to the NEW MINI PENNY SHOP MY CLOSET SITE and check out!  All items have sold! Stay tuned for the next Shop My Closet sale!

Weekstagram // October 20

There's a older dude who goes around to Logan Square bars and charges $5 for Polaroids. Took advantage, again // Longman & Eagle have a Sunday Donut Shop! They were pretty good, but still not as amazing as Federal Donuts. I need more time to explore Chicago donuts. // Lost Girls Vintage pop up at Parson's Chicken and Fish! So rad! // I puppy sat this little guy for a couple of hours // A group of us went apple picking at County Line Orchard // A #latergram from when Todd and I watched the sunset from Sears Tower // SHOES // No but seriously, SHOES. I drove to Kentucky for the Nasty Gal Warehouse Sale and bought over $2500 worth of clothes and shoes for around $300. Anyone interested in a haul video? // And in case you missed it — new items listed in the Mini Penny Shop!

Follow me on Instagram @Chaplinnn

New Etsy Listings!

Hooray! Lots of new vintage items available in the Mini Penny Shop! Check them out — free shipping on all US orders.

The Apple Orchard

I grew up in the country, but have never been apple picking or to a pumpkin patch. When Sarah and Kyla from Lost Girls Vintage asked me if I'd like to join them on an adventure to County Line Orchard, I was pretty pumped (and a little nervous).

You've Got Nail 11 // Classy Nude

I was pretty impressed with the House of Holland by Elegant Touch Polka Dot It nails. They lasted well and didn't wear too roughly like some press ons I've tried do. Thankfully I picked up a second set to try. I love the look of these — they're matte! — but they're a little longer than what I normally wear. It's not a problem, but I have to get used to them. I'm excited to decorate these a little more once it gets closer to Halloween!

House of Holland Nail Kit in Classy Nude

Shop My Closet

For the entire shop my closet sale, see this post! All of the items have sold! Check back soon for a new Shop My Closet sale.

Silver Screen Style // Beetlejuice

I watch this movie all the time. It's not a Halloween movie, but it's spooky and fun enough to feature for  an October Silver Screen Style.

Circleville Pumpkin Show

I grew up in a really rural area of Ohio. The closest town to my was this place called Circleville — a farm community that has an affinity for pumpkins. Every October, this town shuts down its streets for the Circleville Pumpkin Show. It's dubbed as the Greatest Free Show on Earth. My high school would get out for the week and everyone in the town would go enjoy pumpkin-flavored everything (and this was going on way before the pumpkin-flavoring craze. This festival celebrated its 100-yr anniversary a few years ago). There were pumpkin waffles, pumpkin chili, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin ice cream, and best of all, pumpkin donuts and pie.

Recipe // Pumpkin Pancakes

Daaaaang. Todd and I made some pumpkin pancakes a couple weeks ago and they were seasonal and amazing. Want to feel totally awesome on a fall morning with  your breakfast? Whip some of these bad boys up. Bonus points if you have a pumpkin pancake mold. Recipe after the jump.

Weekstagram // October 13

Got to see Tame Impala at the Riviera thanks to Popular Pays // Got a fun Polaroid taken of us at the bar // This amazing tea infuser — the Manatea! // And nowadays, I don't get hit on at bars. Dudes just give me a twenty and leave (insert shrug)

Follow me on Instagram @Chaplinnn

Also, a big congrats to Cara of The Marvelous Flight of Cara! She won the Atomic Spinster Nail Decal giveaway! Woo!

Pop Quiz

Happy Saturday! I saw this little quiz on Little Chief Honeybee and it reminded me of the MySpace days. So if you're new here or maybe just wanna know a bit more, read on!

DIY // Future Pumpkins

There have been so many awesome little pumpkins and gourds at the farmer's markets this year and I wanted to snag a few and make my own easy, adorable fall decor. Since I don't really have the room to carve pumpkins (and quite frankly don't want to deal with the mess quite yet), I decided to give these little dudes a makeover — a la the future.

Think: robots. metallic. glitter. minimalism. holograms. outer space. Follow the how-to after the jump.

You've Got Nail 10 // House of Holland Set

At some point last week, Todd and I wandered into Ulta so that I could pick up some of my hair stuffs. Anyway, I happened to notice these rad House of Holland by Elegant Touch nails and had to give 'em a try. I ended up picking up two sets (more on the other one later) and really love the uniqueness of these press ons. Way to go, House of Holland!

The set comes with a variety of nails — some are solid, others have the textured bubbles, some have the crescent cuticle shape. They vary in mixes of black and white. The kit comes with glue and a file, so all you need is this one set and you can have some killer nails in about 5-10 minutes.

House of Holland Nail Kit in Polka Dot It

Nine Days with TQ

Todd came to stay with me for nine days and we took the city by storm. We seriously squeezed in so much and it was awesome. Here's a photodump of all of the cool trouble we got into.

Instagram // Who to Follow

On Sunday, Instagram celebrated its three year anniversary. I was an early adopter and have evolved my IG style a few times since I hopped aboard. Nowadays, I post less frequently and enjoy observing and interacting with the users I follow. Recently, it's been a great learning experience for me on how to translate my mobile photography better through the platform. Check out some of my favorites after the jump.

Polka Dot Rain

Okay, so we had a little bit of rain last week. Fall is finally here and I'm having fun playing in the weather and jumping over puddles.

Weekstagram // October 6

Todd flew into town last weekend and we celebrated with some Choco Taco // City views from the Navy Pier ferris wheel // Amazing suburb estate sale find // I introduced Todd to Bang Bang Pie // And Gaslight // And played some real life Duck Hunt out by the seawall // We invaded every photobooth we could find // Checked out the Lincoln Park Zoo // And saw Nick Offerman at the Chicago Theatre.

Follow Mini Penny on Instagram @Chaplinnn

Mustard

I used to be pretty weird about wearing yellow — but now that my hair is a lot darker again and my blonde section is super white, I feel more comfortable in this mustard shade.

Obsessed // Autumn

See this? Yeah, the photo above. That's where I grew up. My mom shot it and uploaded it to Facebook last week. Seriously, growing up in a spot like this (this is literally out of my parents' kitchen window), how could fall not be my favorite season? It's not about pumpkin spice lattes (just stop) or inherently bad over-the-knee boots (just my opinion). It's about the colors, the layers, the brisk mornings and warm tones. Ya know, walking around with leaves crunching. The stores have pumpkins for sale outside — or if you're luckier, you can go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard. The food is great, the fashion is great, and for the most part, the weather is great.

And then the fall festivals — I'm not talking about the type with the girls in flower crowns — I mean the small town food-centric carnivals. Growing up in the rural midwest, we saw it all. Corn festivals, apple festivals, and my personal favorite, the Circleville Pumpkin Show (more on this later this month).

Time to bust out those flannels and jackets, Minis. Autumn is here.

Credit to my mom for this awesome photo!

Apartment Preview

Welcome to Candyland!

When I came to Chicago at the end of August to look for an apartment, I had no luck. I was really anxious and didn't think I would have a place to live come September first. On the very last day, I found this place — a top level unit in the three flat in Logan Square.

You've Got Nail 9 // Atomic Spinster Giveaway

After my last run in with bad nail decals, I was a little hesitant to give the Essie version a try. I've been hoarding the gold scale-like ones for a while and decided to give them a go with my Atomic Spinster John Waters decals (Can you seem him? the tiny John Waters on my pointer finger. He has a flamingo. Hell yes.)