cape cod to carlsbad // a mixtape

  scheels commercials instruct you to find your passion, well scheels i have found my passion: themed mixed cd's and themed parties for all. hire me as your dj for your themed party. but not really because i don't know how to be a dj- yet. i'm sorry scheels golf man, my passion is not finding the perfect club to perfect my approach shot- it's themed mixtapes (cds). 

@scheeles i have found my passion, now i will share it with you.

a themed cd how to: 

1.) pick your theme- good theme ideas: holidays, seasons, books, emotions, people.

2.) construct your playlist- songs that fit you theme: ex. the cramps and the black angels are an excellent choice for a halloween mixtape (cd). always remember to include a psychedelic song from the 60s no matter what the theme. 

3.) name your mixed tape (cd)- past creations: morose mixtape, emotions of school, the electric kool-aid english class. 

4.) select or draw artwork pertaining to your theme- it's like an outfit, the right amount of embellishment and accessories makes it all the better. 

5.) give it to the ones you love, or your worst enemies- after all, a carefully constructed and decorated cd speaks louder than words. 

a field guide to this mixtape:

1.) theme: the theme to this mixtape is summer. summer is a very broad category, so i have narrowed the theme to a more retro sound of summer. you know like the beach boys, but not the beach boys. there's no beach boys on this mixtape. sorry to disappoint if pet sounds is your most favorite record. 

2.) playlist: this playlist provided a sampling of some of the finer summery things in life. songs by: bear hands, mac demarco, cayucas, the kooks, vampire weekend, the black angels (they're like spooky surfer vibe that's flexible for both beach parties and halloween parties), blondie and of course, the obligatory psychedelic hippie touch brought to you by donovan. 

3.) the name: cape cod to carlsbad- a dual coast summery selection. 

4.) theme enhancing artwork: a selection of 70s beach-y keen photographs by hugh holland and joel meyerowitz. 

5.) to you, love me: you might be my loved one. you might be my enemy. you'll never know. enjoy this mixtape. the spotify link is between the tracklist and theme enhancing artwork. 

contents:

giants // bear hands 

freaking out the neighborhood // mac demarco 

cayucos // cayucas 

high school lover // cayucas

denis // blondie 

east coast girl // cayucas 

she moves in her own way // the kooks

holiday // vampire weekend 

diplomat's son // vampire weekend

sunshine superman // donovan 

one (blake's got a new face) // vampire weekend

campus // vampire weekend 

telephone // the black angels 

https://open.spotify.com/user/gk.piper95/playlist/4YTqRzSZeTNAtyznwGjQMh

green coping #52
1976
hugh holland 

green coping #80
1976
hugh holland 

provincetown
1976
joel meyerowitz 

los angeles airport, california
1974
joel meyerowitz 

-gracie 

a garden state: of mind that is, not new jersey

"as i wandered the forest,

the green leaves among,

i heard a wild flower singing a song..."

 -william blake 

   

 it takes being away from home to really appreciate it, but it takes being back at home to get bored with it. as much as i love des moines, it is my home, i find that it can be boring at times. many times. 

for eight months, i lived away from my home in sunny and strange los angeles county, californnia. des moines is a very nice place, but it's no california.

   i miss a lot about california. beaches, high quality churros, san francisco and mountains to name a few. the thing i might miss the most about california is plants. yes, out of all the things i can miss in the giant state of california, the thing i miss the most is plants. palm trees, hibiscus, cacti and succulent gardens in people's front yards. on my school's campus was a beautiful rose garden and beds of cacti and succulents. iowa has plants, but not warm weather plants.

  slightly bored of des moines and the cheesecake factory, my friends (and fellow plant lovers), ana, baby bec, cactus and i ventured to the greater des moines botanical garden in search of aesthetically pleasing instagram pictures that to be honest here made us look like we weren't in iowa. you, of course, need photographic evidence of you doing things other than sitting in your house or going to work. especially if those pictures make others believe that you don't live in cookie-cutter homes in midwestern america. 

in the cookie-cutter midwestern world, the botanical garden provide an outlet for these kinds of pictures as well as photographic evidence of you actually having friends and leaving your home.

   the botanical gardens. it's a little like a giant, humid golfball filled plants. there's the giant golfball filled with palm trees and cacti, the only place they could survive in iowa, but there are other gardens. an outdoor garden with a water feature and some wild flowers (iowa does have the most beautiful wild and prairie flowers) and a greenhouse room with more succulents, lattices covered in leaves and vines, potted plants and ferns (ferns are my favorite plant variety). a slice of exoticism and eden-like paradise in a dome surrounded by grey, concrete 1980s buildings. 

the most peaceful place in all of des moines.

wandering the "green leaves among" 

(photographic evidence of leaving the house and having friends)

  

megh, a.k.a cactus, queen of cacti and succulents.

a golfball full of plants. 

my favorite plants, cacti and succulents. 

cactus with a cactus 

haunted. 

-gracie 

(note: des moines isn't actually the most miserable and boring place

on earth. you should come for a visit. we have nice food and people.)

oh boy! - a tomboy wardrobe

"she (jane birkin) reminded me that you can dress tough without

 compromising your femininity. thank you, jane birkin, for providing me 

with infinite outfit ideas and the confidence to dress like a boy but act like a girl." 

-alexa chung 

how i changed my life (sounds a bit dramatic but let's go with it): discovered alexa chung on tumblr, rid myself of strange, sparkly jeans with faux diamond encrusted butt pockets (i have now realized that they hurt to sit on), bought a pair of brown oxfords, googled jane birkin for the first time and decided to dress like a boy but act like a girl. 

 the coolest, most feminine, megababe women ever to walk the earth (i.e. jane birkin, francoise hardy and alexa chung) are the ones that act like a girl and dress like a boy. i've decided to rip off these women and weird 1970s, fur coat bob dylan in getting dressed every morning and attempt to recreate j.w anderson and margaret howell looks at the gap until my last day on earth. i like to dress like a boy but act like a girl. 

so you're going to dress like a boy...

(i lifted this title from "so you're going to wear the kilt", a 

strange, yet very appealing book i found in the scottish history

section of a second-hand bookstore.)

tomboy basics and ways to style them from the queen of tomboy cool, alexa chung.

  

the basics 
1. a slightly oversized and chunky sweater
2. a navy, black or even tweed blazer
3. a classic coat
4. the loafer
5. an oxford
6. a white button down
7. a 70s, floppy hat

the basics styled by alexa chung 

1. the oversized sweater 
the first essential element to a tomboy wardrobe
is an oversized sweater, preferably in navy or grey. you can
wear it with a pair of skinny jeans and hide in it on a cold day.
you can add much needed warmth, comfort and a dose of
effortless, boyish cool to girly dresses or a fitted skirt.

2. the blazer 
like an oversized sweater, a blazer takes some of the
frilly, girlishness of a printed or gingham dress away, but in a
more polished way. i like to buy very overtly girly dress, the
lacy, ruffled and flowery ones, and put a fitted, but not too
fitted blazer over it. 

3. a classic coat
a peacoat, toggle coat, double breasted coat, trench coat or
 duffle coat- any will suffice in building your tomboy wardrobe. find
the one that makes you feel the most like paddington bear or a little
1940s school boy.  

4. a loafer 
tasseled or penny. they look excellent with a skirt or dress-
even a floor length gown. they're the first piece of footwear
to be bought when constructing your tomboy wardrobe. 

5. an oxford 
like, the loafer, an oxford pairs perfectly with a dress (as
shown on queen chung),shorts, jeans, dress pants. a short, frilly dress, black tights, and a shiny black brogue is my dream outfit. 

6. a white button up 
besides a neutral, oversized sweater, one of the first things
you should buy in building you tomboy wardrobe should be
a white button up. you could go with a classic white oxford
like jane birkin or one with a little bit of a ruffle like alexa's
tommy hilfiger shirt. 

7. a wide brimmed, 70s style hat
a wide brimmed, felt or wool hat- the icing
on the tomboy layer cake. finish off your skinny jeaned,
large grey fisherman's sweater under a duffle coat and shinny
black loafered look with a black or even maroon floppy, felt hat.

-gracie