Outside, the weather is chilly and the heat is blasting in my apartment which makes it sooo easy to indulge in several naps a day.

I don’t understand why we stopped having a required naptime after kindergarten.

This is one of my favorite things to do but sometimes I get really anxious about getting writing done and working on the website and then I find a pic like this and I’m happy in the moment.

♥ the alchemist

Hey lovelies! Hope you’re having a wonderful day.

Beyonce has not been on my radar for some time. So, I didn’t know about her newish song or video or even the fact that she had a new album coming out. Mostly because I just don’t care. Even when someone would ask me “Hey have you seen Beyonce’s new video?” I’d say, “No” and I wasn’t even curious to check it out. That is until I heard about dancer extraordinaire Shane Mercado who does B’s routine flawlessly.

I watched the video over and over to the point that I now know most of the words to the song and I have been humming it endlessly. I’m sure you guys must have seen this video already but I can not help but post it here because this is an excellent way to start the week in my opinion!

So, the first video is Shane dancing by himself. The second video is a side-by-side comparison of him and the video and he works. it. out.
Enjoy!

♥ the alchemist

“The world is not imperfect or slowly evolving along a path to perfection. no, it is perfect at every moment, every sin already carries grace in it” -Hermann hesse

This picture is A.MAZ.ING. I’ve talked about The Selby before and it continues to be a source of inspiration for me.

Love is a wonderful thing! Have a kick-ass weekend…

♥ the alchemist

This week has been ker-razy!! I’ve been running around and experiencing real life which means that I haven’t been holed up in front of the computer.

So, I definitely have to get back on track.

This past Tuesday, I got to see Girl Talk at Terminal 5 and it was awesome.
He was having so much fun on stage and it just reiterates everything I believe in, people do what you love and you will earn a living from it!!!

There were so many young-uns that I thought it might have been a little past their bedtime but the experience was amazing. The energy was incredible!! I did notice that there were a lot of people standing around with a beer in their hand and not really moving. Why would anyone go to a Girl Talk concert to stand around? This is not a night at the opera. In the words of M.I.A. “Dance, Dammit, Dance” and that’s exactly what me and my good friend did. We danced from beginning to end and I’m talking about serious crazy dancing.

Other than that I have been working on some things that I will reveal pretty soon. So I just wanted to check in and give mad love to you guys!!!
Smooches.

Also, this girl rocks my style world! Lots of love to the glamourai!

♥ the alchemist

Hey lovelies!
Hope you all had an amazing weekend!!

Time for another installment of Happy Monday and I must warn you do not watch and drink anything at the same time. Seriously. I have to admit I knew nothing about Russell Brand before he hosted this year’s MTV Music Awards and I am now a fan of his ridiculous hair and sense of humor.

Enjoy guys!

♥ the alchemist

There was a time back in the Spring of 2006 that I thought about starting a vintage clothing store on eBay. I know, I know.

There were only a handful of vintage ebay sellers that I knew of: Mama Stone Vintage, MouseVox Vintage, Bleubird Vintage, MakiMaki Vintage, Nasty Gal Vintage and AdoreVintage which sold clothing off of their own domain. These savvy women had tapped into something that was just starting and they were taking it to a whole different level.

I loved the idea of having an online boutique but I had too many vintage treasures that I couldn’t part with. So I set off looking for thrift finds that were cool and that I would want to sell. I set up an account, posted a few auctions and then the idea fizzled. When no one bid on my fantastic finds, I got bored and kept them in my closet. Sucks for you, worked out for me!

Apparently, no one else got bored because fast forward 2+ years and everyone and their dog has a vintage store on eBay.

Anywhoo, I don’t regret not selling clothes online, even though sometimes I feel that itch to think about what if?
If you don’t think there’s enough vintage sellers on ebay (really???!!!) and want to jump headfirst into it. Again, really???!!!
Then I would use the stylealchemy Selling Vintage Clothing on eBay Starter Set:

1. Think of a business name for your store, add vintage, voila! Register this domain name everywhere. Think Etsy, eBay, personal domain. You have to think bigger than eBay, people! There will come a point where you will not want to deal with fees, trust me.

2. Go thrifting. Lots and lots of thrifting. You need inventory. You need good product. Please realize, I do not want to buy something that looks like a thrift store find. Make it look like the hottest shit evah! Let’s go to #3.

3. Start styling. Think outside of the box. That Cosby sweater is not ugly, it’s avant-garde. Pair with lame tights, sick black boots, sunglasses. Put together crazy combinations that work, make my jaw drop at your awesomeness!

4. Find models. For those starting out, you can use yourself but you must be edgy. If not, get your hipster friends to pose by offering them free beer (PBR anyone?) and the lure of internet stardom as a model.

5. Tell model friend that they are fierce, have them pose as if their back hurts. This is where watching America’s Next Top Model comes in handy. Vintage clothing eBay models do not smile with their eyes, mostly because they are covered by huge sunglasses. They are insolent, bored and a little tough but they look frickin amazing and you want to dress like that, don’t you? You know you do, cause I do!

6. Figure out if you want really awesome, clear photographs that look professional and make buyer drool in the genius of that leather skirt or do you want something more creative. Do not be mediocre! Mediocrity will not produce bidders. Pick an extreme and stick with it.

7. Promote, promote, promote your store. This is your brand. Love it, live it.

8. You are now ready to start selling. Godspeed!

In all seriousness, I give mad props to all those vintage eBay sellers who have developed their businesses into mini-empires. Look at Nasty Gal Vintage, MakiMaki, etc. Maybe if I had stuck with it, I would have a hugely successful vintage business but my main problem stems from the fact that if I found some great piece, it probably wouldn’t make it into the store. So I will continue to support other vintage sellers in their quest for online domination. These ladies are redefining what a businesswoman looks like. Take note, internet!

♥ the alchemist

Hey lovelies!
Time for another installment of Happy Monday.

Mad Men has popped up everywhere in our pop culture radar recently. Mostly on the fashion blogs people have been talking about the fashion of that era, etc. But lets get down to the real star of this show, Don Draper’s animal magnetism! So in the spirit of WWJD, here’s SNL’s take on What Would Don Draper Do to get the ladies?

Be Don Draper!
♥ the alchemist

Oh my! Roald Dahl was/is still one of my favorite childhood authors and I devoured his books. So, this Tim Walker editorial in British Vogue paying homage to Dahl makes me weak in the knees! With appearances from Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter and Karen Elson, this is just extra sugary love on the top of an already exciting week.

» Read the rest of the entry..

Just came back from voting!! There’s still time for everyone who can to get out and make a change!

♥ the alchemist