Category: poetry

The Sound of Music Dress

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I bought this handmade vintage dress at an antique store last summer and wore it to see Garrison Keillor live. Y’know I love me some Prairie Home Companion. And I also desperately love some Sound of Music. Don’t you think the shape and color of this dress is reminiscent of that beloved movie? Like something Liesl might wear on a date with Rolf.
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Since it has such a specific look in my mind, I had to change it up a bit. We are teetering into fall, so booties were in order. Then I added my favorite belt and a unique necklace that never fails to make me smile. So many colors! Pom poms! 
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The funny thing is the charm on the last bit of the necklace clanked against the belt buckle as I was ducking into church late, announcing my presence like a cattle bell. So much for being discreet! 
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I think this outfit strikes the transitional tone very well and could even be transitioned farther into fall with some tights, higher boots and a sweater. The dress is made of a lightweight wool, so it will keep me warm! I love handmade vintage…it has even MORE character!
PS> I’d love to share my poem I wrote for September 11th last year for Darling Magazine called, “Blue September.” Here’s a sneak peek: 


Have a beautiful day my friends! 
xo
Natalie

Tiny Book of Tiny Stories, Volume 3

You all know of my affinity for HitRecord, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s (JGL) online collaborative recording/creating studio. Oh, you don’t know? Check out Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Reviews Volume 2 and one collaboration I was a part of here.
I adore the concept of tiny stories. They fascinate me. They’re like little snippets, little poems, even dearer for the fact that they leave so much to your imagination and interpretation.

 Love this one!

And this one! I love that the illustrations and stories are all collaborative, so they’ve been mixed and remixed by artists to create the final product. It’s such a fun thing to do, and you can be a part of it, too, at Hit Record. I’ve got an account (goodgirlstyle)! Even better? You get a portion of the proceeds of any products that are created using your artwork or words.
Love these little books. 
Joseph Gordon-Levitt has also created the first collaborative variety show, Hit Record on TV, that just debuted. I just watched it…how fun is this, guys? It’s so quirky and has such a cool edgy vibe. Here it is:
JGL is one of the most multi-talented people I’ve ever seen, I’m pretty sure. He plays the piano, sings, acts, writes, produces, and is always doing something new and unique. In a pretty one-dimensional Hollywood, I admire that he steps out from the crowd to do his own thing. And I just LOVE being a part of cool new projects.

“Getting started, it’s always the hardest part, just walking up and saying Hello! Or sitting down in front of that blank page. Once you start writing, there’s plenty to say.” 
JGL

Let’s get started. Let’s live and write and share and record our own tiny stories. 
Who knows, to someone else, they might be the biggest stories ever told. 
xo
Natalie
PS> Thanks to it!Books by Harper Collins for the review copy of Tiny Stories, Volume 3. I loved it.

#allthethings

This is a new feature 😉 It’s “Hashtag All the Things,” or #allthethings, as it is popularly referred to. It’s the hodge-podge catch-up, favorites, little things posts. So here we go…
The best thing about the day after Christmas? Leftover lasagna. Lasagna and Christmas toffee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes I really am Buddy the Elf.
Christmas Night, my poem for Darling Magazine, read by me as a special after-Christmas treat! Wearing my Christmas Eve outfit! 

Can I just take a moment to recognize how amazingggggggggg my hair decided to look on Christmas Day with a terrible webcam shot?! 
Christmas Day outfit: Feather/Velvet hair barette from Anthropologie, Gold Silk Charmeuse Blouse from TJ Maxx yearsssss ago, Vintage black cardigan with black beading, jeans from ON, black lace-up boots from Timberland.

Just a few little things for ya’ll!
Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
xo
Natalie

Friday Catch-Up

Hi friends! I’ve been missing you all something fierce lately. Let’s have coffee and chat for a bit, yeah?

God has completely stolen my heart, in the best way possible, lately. He has brought me into such a spacious, beautiful place with Him. He has been giving me the desires of my heart and making my heart desire more and more of Him, every day. #blessingsbacktopraise
There are so many little happy blessings, too, like: 
My advent wreath for 2013 with beautiful beeswax candles in a Swedish wooden heart-and-greens candle holder I dressed up a bit. 
Living in a snowglobe lately!
Beautiful special gifts to brighten my heart from someone I really-really-really-really like 😉 
Blessed to be able to share gluten-free desserts over on the lovely Big Girl Small Kitchen site, such as this Frozen Hot Chocolate and something even fancier coming soon 🙂 
Sharing poetry on my heart over at Darling Magazine…where they take such good care of my words. 
These are just a FEW of the many, many wonderful things in my life right now. I can’t wait to keep sharing with you as we prepare for the coming year. 2014 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER, I’m pretty convinced 😉 
xoxo
Natalie

Natalie + Darling Magazine

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time, but as much as I write about myself on this here blog, it just seemed hard to write about something so personal to me.
Did you know I’m a poet? 
It’s something I drop hints about here and there, especially if you follow my Twitter, but I’m a writer by heart.
Always have been.

 Darling magazine asked me to write 8 poems for their 1 year anniversary issue, the Fall 2013 issue.The magazine has 8 ‘personas’ of women, such as The Hostess, The Stylist, The Dreamer, and more, and there is one poem for each. Unfortunately, I just found out the print issue SOLD OUT (yay!) but you can buy the online version here or maybe at an Anthropologie if they have any left. It’s pricey, but you’ll never find a more high-quality magazine in all aspects, and it’s something you’ll return to time and again, I promise.

Darling is such a beautiful magazine that uplifts women and inspires us to think about the deeper things with true heart, and to be women who bring everything they have to the table, holding nothing back. In beauty, humility, and truth we aim to share, give and find all of the love we can.
That is what I hoped to capture in my poems for these women with beautiful hearts.

As a special treat for my blog readers, I decided to read you one of the poems about The Beautician persona. This is the unedited video, wherein I get a message on gchat and check it and then forget I’m recording and fix my hair and sigh and then remember I’m recording. Actually, the ending might be the best part. Ha! Enjoy…
Even if you can’t get a copy, you can always find me writing for their online version, too (though these 8 special poems are only in the print and digital magazine issue).
Thanks for all of your support, friends!
PS> That outfit above? Turtleneck: Target // Necklace: Old Urban Outfitters// Skirt: J.Crew//Booties: TJ Maxx// Tights: ??// Sunnies: Local store//
xo
Natalie

Waxing Poetic

Sometimes you have to dig through old things to get to the new ones.

Sometimes you have to wear old dresses for new beginnings. 

Like a  lilac 1950s dress for a solo vacation and for chasing down some memories on a walk along the lake, far from home.

Waking up in a new place is good for the soul. 
Having experiences beyond your control is good for the spirit. 
So is tea on the porch of an 1800s house in the morning light, looking out over the lake and the mountains, seeing the pure white clouds bend low as if to whisper, 
“There is light here, darling. You’re almost there. Keep going.” 

You’re almost there, darlings. Keep going. 
Happy weekend!
dress: vintage 1950s//hat: diane von furstenburg//sunnies: gofish//rose-gold pointed-toe ballet flats: thrifted
xo
Natalie

Tiny Stories: Volume 2

 You all know Joseph Gordon-Levitt, right? Pretty face who plays beside Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer? Played Robert Todd Lincoln in the currently-box-office-hot Lincoln? Rumored to be playing Batman in a new comic-inspired movie? Yeah that guy.
Well, turns out he’s also the pretty face behind the online collaboration production company, HitRecord, that allows artists to post, compile, collaborate, and remix to create even better art, film, writing, and other projects. They travel, they publish, they produce CDs, sharing the collaborative art (and then sharing the profits with the collaborators). Pretty cool, right? 
The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Volume 1 debuted last year, filled with small stories and art created by HitRecord collaborators. They’re quirky. They’re different. Some of them are a little bit strange, a little bit funny, a little bit sentimental. Some of them make you cringe, make you wonder, make your heart swell, or make you shake your head and giggle a little.

Volume 2 is hot off the presses from It Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. It makes a wonderful stocking stuffer for a friend. Tuck a little bookmark or Starbucks gift card inside, wrap it in craft paper, tie it up with some twine, maybe add some washi tape. They’ll think you’re super cool. (which is true)


Here are a few of my favorites:
See artists worked together on the story and illustration. They hit record, they remixed it, they turned it into something unique. I adore this one.
Truth be told: These two volumes are lovely. They are a pleasant reminder of the tactile beauty of the printed book, with their textured, imprinted book jackets and their quirky, artsy vibe. 
And I love that, being a quirky, artsy story-teller myself.
YOU can join, too! I scoped out the collaborative scene, and I think I just might jump in myself and contribute some writing to be remixed. Let’s fill some pages for Volume 3, yeah?
I have always identified with the quotation, “The universe is not made of atoms; it is made of stories.” ~Muriel Rukeyser
HitRecord adds one important word to that: tiny. 
“The universe is not made of atoms; it is made of tiny stories.” ~Muriel Rukeyser and wirrow 

Many thanks to it! books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. These words and opinions are my own.

Good Monday Morning

{first snow + Minnetonka mocs}

Good Monday Morning, lovelies! Goodness me, I haven’t done a GMM post in forever 🙂 But where there’s sunshine, there’s happiness, and where there is happiness, there is inspiration. So, since it is a sunny morning this AM, I’ve got a GMM post for you! 

~taking in the happy explosion of color and pattern in my apartment while sporting a crown braid. Vintage couch, vintage beach bag, clothes steamer, chevron satin pillows, Kaffe Fassett wool hooked rug, closet/vintage clothing explosion on left.~

I’ve had these pictures of my old apartment on my desktop since I moved, because I enjoy looking at them. The space was very happy…very Natalie. I loved that anytime someone new came over they would glance around, smile big, and say, “Natalie lives here.” I love the little corners, and thought I’d share a few with you this morning.

~city skyline porcelain tray from Urban Outfitters~
~Mercury glass votive holders from local store~
~Etched glass frame from a tag sale (brand new!)~
~Katie Daisy card framed~

~Curly Girl leftover calendar page~
~Birds + branches coat hook~
~midweight coat, heavy coat, rain coat~

~Vintage yellow desk~
~Vintage lamp, files, cell phone, etc.~
~”Wag More, Bark Less” sticker~

~Vintage lamp~
~Marimekko Tin~
~Giant clothespin~
~Liberty of London pen holder~
~Pointe shoes picture~
~Pink scissors, fan from Japan, palm cross kept from Palm Sunday~

~Clean water around the world is one of my missions. This Hope photo holder with a picture of a family that we donated a water purification system to, gives me HOPE too, and reminds me to be selfless and grateful.~

Also wanted to share this great, great poem by William Stafford that was the Poem of the Day from The Writer’s Almanac (psst…they have 20% off in their store with code “DANCE” today only, and that’s not an affiliate link!).

Any Morning
Just lying on the couch and being happy.

Only humming a little, the quiet sound in the head.
Trouble is busy elsewhere at the moment, it has
so much to do in the world.
People who might judge are mostly asleep; they can’t

monitor you all the time, and sometimes they forget.

When dawn flows over the hedge you can

get up and act busy.

Little corners like this, pieces of Heaven

left lying around, can be picked up and saved.

People won’t even see that you have them,

they are so light and easy to hide.

Later in the day you can act like the others.

You can shake your head. You can frown.


“Any Morning” by William Stafford from The Way It Is. © Graywolf Press, 1999.

Have a GREAT Monday and a beautiful week!

Freelance Work

{8-page article, “Natalie’s Style” in Life:Beautiful magazine written & styled by Natalie with Britni Ventling, photography by Tobin Bennett, Winter 2012}

My name is Natalie. I’m a freelance writer, published poet, award-winning baker, stylist, speaker, and photographer. 


(published online and in print)


Guest Writer for MaryJanes Farm magazine,
“An Illustrated Life: Tasha Tudor, a Beloved American Icon” April/May 2011

Original recipes for King Arthur Flour, Girl Versus Dough, etc.

Indiana University Most Fashionable Alumnus, 2011

Thrifting Lecture for SEVCA; 2012

Press for StyleWeek: Providence to cover local designer, YellowClover, 2012

Life:Beautiful Winter 2012 “Natalie’s Style”; photography credit Tobin Bennett
With my public speaking experience and a Master’s degree in Poetry from Dartmouth College, along with loads and loads of adventuring and ice cream eating experience, I am happy to write and speak on a number of subjects. But I’m guessing you would probably want me to share my poetry, faith-based fashion, thrifting, etiquette, or gluten-free baking work instead of my ice-cream eating and movie-watching “skills.” Here are some ideas of topics I have written and spoken about in the past and would love to write or speak about for you:


~Fashion styling tips, wardrobe building, closet organization, and any styling subjects
~ Baking Tips, Ideas, and Recipes
~Etiquette, Civility, and Manners for all arenas of life
~Devotions/faith inspiration for women
~Thrifting tips, tricks, resources, and looking great on a budget
~Natural beauty and makeup tips, tricks, and resources
~Poetry and creative writing
~Minnesota, Indiana, and Midwest living, travel, and things to do
~Do-it-yourself projects and crafts
~Seasonal recipes and decor
~Interior decorating
~Press coverage of fashion shows, designers, conferences, exhibits, etc.
~Social justice issues 

If you think my background and interests might match your needs, please email me at: goodgirlstyleblog (at) gmail (dot) com . I look forward to hearing from you and will be in touch as soon as possible.