October

Au Revoir, October.



Til we meet again.



My sister Lauren took these beautiful photographs in State College, PA.

Rosie the Riveter Costume

Nest's mothership is having some personal issues right now, creating problems with uploading photographs. They are aware of the problem and are fixing it soon. My apologies for the delay. New entries are all ready to be posted once this issue is resolved.

Until then, Happy Halloween!

DIY Rosie the Riveter modmeg Outfit Deets navy jumpsuit: Atlantis thrift store on Hope St. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for $20 red kids jacket: $5, Salvation Army chunky boots: $15 previously thrifted for my Nancy Spungen costume the year before The story behind the look: AKA the 'We can do it!" poster woman. Totally thrifted, I found the perfect navy blue jumpsuit at a nearby shop, Atlantis Thrift on Hope and Havemeyer. It was originally an extra large men's jumpsuit, so I added darts and took in the back. It ended up fitting really well. We found the red polka dot fabric as a little girl's jacket and reconstructed the fabric as a head scarf. Chunky work boots were thrifted and my sweet fiance` scanned the actual image from Rosie's collar emblm and printed it out for me. We laminated it and attached a pin. This touch along with the accurate polka dot print really made the outfit. I used eyeliner to widen and my brows and my boyfriend's belt to cinch the waist.

Perfect Engagement Gift

Will's parents gave us these beautiful sterling silver antique candlesticks for our engagement. I absolutely love them and the really cool 'C' engraved in them. My engagement ring was from Will's paternal side of the family, so the Coles so thoughtfully gave us these from the maternal side. The C is for Collins, my future-mother-in-law's grandmother's maiden name. I am so touched and think they are just lovely.





The place card photographed with them reads Mr. & Mrs. William B. Cole II, and was at Will's parent's wedding.

The Ring

The ring is stunning. A 1930's platinum ring that the original William Battle Cole, Will's paternal grand father and namesake, gave to his bride in 1934. An amazing honor that means more to me than I could ever express. I always had my heart set on a vintage 30's platinum ring, one that had meaning and was purchased long before DeBeer's coined the market and the diamond industry became so corrupt and violent.




No rock could compare to this intricate detail, the radiant center diamond nestled in a square setting with two smaller gems glistening on either side. The raised middle with the tiniest ridges carved into the linear, art nouveau style. I know nothing about engagement rings, only what I felt was really me. I was completely astounded that what I always had my heart set on was what was once given to Will's mother for this very occasion. I truly believe this was written in the stars.

The Proposal

My amazing partner-in-crime somehow managed to surprise the hell out of me and sweep me off my feet with the most amazing proposal ever.



We have mad history with our Aussie mullet-wearing friends of Air Supply. Will and I spent the first few years we knew each other in high school driving through D.C. to their dead-serious duets and giving each other mix tapes that had alternating songs of theirs, The Descendents + Body Count. And five years ago, the night we realized we just had to be together, began by hearing one of their 80's love ballads in a whole new light.




Will and I have known each other for over ten years, and I adore and am more fascinated by him more and more each day we are together.






We used to steal kisses after Key Club, skip school to watch 'Star Wars', saw each other through heart-breaks and losses over Baskin Robbin's ice cream cones, and shared countless high school and college road trips and memories.



As kids, even when dating other people, we remained the closest of friends and saw each other through our ups and downs. We went to Will's senior prom together as best friends, got each other's back through countless hard times, and have always shared the same ridiculous, twisted sense of humor.







For Will to pull off a surprise the way he did took a lot of forethought, careful planning, and some pretty tricky maneuvering. All of this effort made what I thought was just another fun little dinner out on September 15th, a HUGE surprise that completely swept me off my feet. Will somehow lured me to Staten Island and into the St. George's Theater without me having any idea of the reason or occasion.


An even more mind-blowing fact is that I had no idea what was going on until the lights dimmed, curtains rose and the teal and magenta lights filled the stage. Who knew the salt-and-pepper, short-long-having, bedazzled-cross-shirt-wearing Russel Hitchcock and his neon-clad guitarist and partner Graham Russel were still touring?

I was shocked, thrilled and in total disbelief. They instantly had me laughing and singing within the first two bars of the opening song "Sweet Dreams", a personal fav of ours. Half hilarious and half dead-serious, as is everything that we do, we sang and laughed as we watched Air Supply serenade Staten Island. Will was so cute and quite pleased with himself upon seeing my ecstatic response to the unbelievable surprise, and I was so distracted and overwhelmed by the fact that we were seeing them, that it never would have dawned on me that there was more in store for us.



A little over half-way through the show, the lights dimmed and Air Supply introduced their favorite love song. Thus began the best part of the night. The opening bars to "Two Less Lonely People" began, and Will and I looked at each other with the hugest smiles on our faces. We sang along, kissed, danced, and prepared for our fav part: the break-down, the bridge, the harmony we always try to nail. The momentum builds and here it comes... "tonight I fell in love with you, and all the things I never knew seemed to come to me somehow, baby love is here and now there's...." and they hold the pause, a HUGE spotlight comes up right on us, I look down and Will has slipped down on one knee, is holding my hand, and putting a ring on my finger! He then so confidently and sweetly say "Meg, I love you so much, will you do me the honor of one day becoming my wife? Will you marry me?" And right then, the entire place starts singing "Two Less Lonely People in the world, and it's gonna be fine..." I say "REALLY?! REALLY?" In utter disbelief, and as I see how for real he is, I say "YES!" Will jumps to his feet as the world melts away and we hug, kiss, laugh, cry and are just generally freaking out.



The rest of the song, show and night is a blur of excitement I have never felt before. Will managed to eloquently slip in, right after I said yes, that the ring he put on my finger was the 1930's platinum ring that William Battle Cole, Will's paternal grandfather and namesake, gave to his bride in 1934, and that this date, September 15th, was their wedding anniversary.


Will took proposal to a whole other level. Will just doesn't do something unless he can do it better than any man ever has before. As my future man-of-honor and best friend Justin Scribner said, "Will is like...super-human." Truth, J-Dawg. Truth.







Our story is unlike many others in that our history, our relationship and our road to becoming engaged is longer than most. This union has been eleven years in the making. Each year, each step closer enriching our connection and building a stronger and more devoted bond than I ever dreamed possible.

Mid-October Tabletop

Office Space

The Enderby and Handstand Records studio got a good clean and spruce. These four vintage taupe mod plastic oval canisters are fantastic with their clean, modern lines and the storage they provide for my supplies. The mid-century look is great mixed with the dark wood antique shelving unit that came with our old school Italian Brooklyn apartment. My Nana's bright orange antique tobacco tin holds buttons while an old photograph of her reading National Geographic to me rests within view while I work.




Needles, pencils, buttons, and everything I need is stored in its own vintage canister, container or bowl.



Will and I found some old Mason Jars in the basement when we first moved in and have used the vessels for various things.

Building Your Retro Bar

Building your own vintage bar is a classy, fabulous, and totally green way to bring back cocktail hour. Having your cocktail ingredients organized and in one area can help make those surprise or last-minute visits from friends more enjoyable, by providing a quite and easy way to offer a liquid refreshment for your buddies.



With mid-century high ball tumblers, a rad retro turquoise blender, old drink stirrers and a collection of *pitchers from different eras and genres, we are creating our own cocktail bar right in our home.



These German Beer Steins are one of my favorite purchases from Dead Bird Finds, who also provided the rad silver-rimmed tumblers . Resting beside the beer steins is a one-of-a-kind find from Sidedish, run by the oh-so-talented-and-bff-like-whoa, Alison Appleseeds.



A vintage leather his & hers flask set with built-in cap, shot glass and a strap so you can tote that mug with you when you leave your nest and want a portable cocktail hour.


How cool are these shot glasses? They look like test tubes or beekers and you can chill them by putting ice in the bowl. To the lab...or bar. Our neighbors Jenna and Neal handed them down to us. Thanks, Usatins!




Here are a couple of items you can add to your retro bar from our fav, Sidedish. Alison has a such fantastic finds you're going to want to check it way too frequently.

*Owl Pitcher Set from Natalie Rensink.