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Visual Splendor

Visual reviews of apartments, movies and more eye candy.

Business Features Visual Splendor

Thrifting and Touring Bloomington, Indiana

03/13/2009

If you’ve ever been to Bloomington, Indiana you know there’s no shortage on fun places to explore. It’s absolutely bustling with thrift shops, cute cafes and anything you could ever want to eat. The ever-growing small businesses are always changing for the thousands of college students which attend Indiana University nearby. It’s a great spot to find one-of-a-kind thrifty goodies and delicious food. Whether you’re looking for food to find old favorites in restaurants or to try something new, you’ll more than likely find what you’re looking for in Bloomington.

rosey outlook

follow the leader

enlightenment

My mother grew up in Bloomington and has always had a soft spot for the college town. She loves to see the new changes and reminisce about her old favorite hot spots. Luckily she wanted to take me around to some of her favorite places, recently, and I took my camera along for the ride. Feel free to skip along my steps and enjoy thrifting, international markets and fun for many.

Chow Bar

216 South Indiana Ave

Amazing buffet with delicious Chinese food and tons of bubble tea flavors/options! Better yet, the fortune cookie at the end of this meal is chocolate flavored.

bubble horizon

chow bar

Cactus Flower

322 East Kirkwood Ave # 202

this way

hotrod sinners

rainbow wave

heart string

on sale

step in time

heart sale

hidden away

looking in

see you

dressing

jewelery stand

Soma Coffee House

322 East Kirkwood Ave

soma

soma's tv

Vintage Warehouse

401 East Fourth Street

to the shop

array of clothing

Sahara Mart

106 East Second Street

In the market for chocolate? a new teapot or tea cup? Wine? Tea? Go here no matter what market goods you’re looking for because you’ll find it and a whole bunch of other things you always wished existed here.

chocoholic

dressing up

tea crazy

Oriental International Market

408 East 4th St

tasty joy

.. and as I traveled Bloomington, Indiana…
stumped

laughing planet

pick your poison

Mise en Snap Visual Splendor

Mise en Snap: Psych-Out! a 70s Visual Trip

01/20/2009

Take a trip down psychedelic, vintage lane in “Psych Out” a trippy dippy film from the 70s.

psych~out

flower patch

giftshop

ashbury x haight

oracle

on sale

paper roses

makeup

A dark, thick liner paired with a bright, rainbow hue and nude, shimmery lips has always been my makeup regimen. Add glitter and you’re ready for a party.

flower smile

Cheer up a friend and give them a thoughtful gift. Strapped for ideas or cash? Try a single flower, sketch or candy bracelet and channel the love-passing, pay-it-forward smiles of flower children and candy ravers everywhere.

staircase

This was so rad, everyone was lounging around while some girls started pulling glittering beads all up and over the staircase. It created glimmering prisms in the hands of everyone as they grabbed more strands to pull and hang. The completion created a spiderweb of starlight.

flyer

van

lamp

curtain

doorway to dishes

kitchenette

god is alive and well in a sugar cube

“God is alive and well in a sugar cube” (a reference to LSD as it is injected into sugar cubes)

love

party trip

Don’t ever take drugs in an uncomfortable setting. Especially LSD.

oh, jack

Jack Nicholson, aka Stoney, plays a too-cool hippy and blows off his lovely, tripping Alice.

This movie is absolutely fun and visually stimulating for those who adore the drug and hippy culture of the 60s. It proves a point however as a propaganda film that drugs can be very dangerous when taken in unsafe circumstances and you’ll also watch lovely people deteriorate as they do not follow this guideline.

Business Features Visual Splendor

Tea for Two at the Indianapolis Propylaem

01/15/2009

As a former tea room employee (hey, high school counts), I searched high and low for the best tea rooms in Indianapolis shortly after moving there to attend school. While there were very few tea rooms in the area, I found a few that were spectacular. One of those is the Propylaeum located just minutes from downtown Indianapolis on Delaware Street (in Indianapolis’ Old North Side).

the tea room!

tea for two!

yum!

This hidden gem is fit for any royalty, but don’t feel pressured to dress to the max or spend a lot of money. It’s menu, prepared by Chef Mike, is tiny, but that means that what they do serve is extra delicious. The items listed are also inexpensive. One of my favorite things to order is a hot cup of tea and strawberry shortcake paired with delicious and creamy vanilla ice cream.

strawberry delight~

The best part about this establishment is that it is housed in a to-die-for facility. It’s an old and beautifully detailed Victorian mansion that was founded in 1888 by May Wright Sewall. It was originally a social and culture center for Indianapolis women and is currently the oldest private club owned and operated by women. It’s name -Propylaeum – is a greek word that means “a gateway to culture” and that’s the philosophy of this lovely tea room.

adventure for two!

After lunch, take a tour of the large mansion and discover what’s hidden in all its nooks and crannies! You’ll find a number of private bedrooms that are rented out nightly to those visiting Indianapolis. Each room is uniquely decorated and sure to inspire feelings of “old time” and good cheer!

tea for two!

Address 1410 North Delaware Street; Indianapolis, IN 46202
Please Ring 317.638.7881 (call for reservations)
Hours Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Mise en Snap Visual Splendor

Mise en Snap: White Oleander and DIY Inspiration

01/15/2009

I had the luck of watching one of my favorites recently and decided to take photos of more delicious mise-en-scenes to oogle at later and to show you. This movie was originally a novel by Janet Fitch and was later -after being turned into a screen play- directed by Peter Kosminsky. Although movies from books are commonly *sniffle* trash this one was quite good and had more than a few visual gems for me to appreciate. I believe it should not remain unsaid that the lovely Alison Lohman is absolutely perfection on screen here, either, just as much perfection as Michelle Pfeiffer is (in the movie) and still just beginning to sparkle into a star. It is about how toxic a mother and daughter relationship can sometimes be.

boudoir

the kitchen

electric daisy

painting butterflies
*hint* make your own lovely goodies and sell them at a local market stall 😮

market stall

market

suitcase art

Suitcase your Memories

movie inspiration
The character’s suitcase art was really interesting to me as well, they were almost like collages and memory jars as an art form within old suitcases. Why not try to find a cheap, old suitcase at your local thrift store and create a very large sort of locket of a favorite memory or time in your life? Add scraps from it, sketches, drawings, everything you don’t want to lose. Decorate it with colors, patterns, words, letters, paintings, textures.. open it and put these special items on display whenever you’re feeling nostalgic rather than keeping them tucked into a jewelry box and rarely admired.

Business Features Visual Splendor

Life is a Cup of Cake in Seoul

12/31/2008

I just love meandering along the streets of Seoul, South Korea — especially when I’m in Itaewon. Seoul is currently ranked as the second largest city in the world (next to Tokyo) and the Itaewon district is a colorful hub of culture and lights! It boasts restaurants and shoppes with owners from around the world and walking the streets is like walking through a global tunnel!

life is a cupcake!

Well, the other weekend I was in this magical place and quite randomly happened upon a lovely cupcake shop called “Life is Just a Cup of Cake.” Needless to say, that’s pretty much the cutest name I’ve ever heard of. Of course I had to venture in to check it out. The exterior was positively darling and lured me right inside.

Like most Korean stores and shops it was tiny, but perhaps a bit bigger than I expected it to be. Two women were sitting at a very tiny table drinking tea and enjoying tasty home-baked cupcakes. To the left there was a tiny room with teapots on display and another, larger sized table, with a group of cute Korean women huddled around pleasing their taste buds.

The owner was Korean but spoke English very well. She asked if we were visiting and was happy to hear we were Korean residents. After snapping a few shots and weighing my options, I chose a charming, “Earl Grey” flavored cupcake speckled with the perfect amount of shiny silver beads (edible, of course!). I devoured it later and am happy to inform you that it tasted very tea-like and was a scrumptious afternoon treat.

Where is it?: If you’re in the Seoul area, get off the subway at the Itaewon station. Take exit 2 and walk straight — you’ll see a side street on your left and the shop stands out like a cherry on a mound of frosting!
Please Ring: 02-794-2908 or 010-4617-2908
Website: www.cupcake.co.kr

Mise en Snap Visual Splendor

Mise en Snap: Tales from the Crypt

12/24/2008

I recently had the fun of re-watching the 1973 movie edition of Tales from the Crypt. An absolute design gem in my opinion, you can find lovely mise-en-scenes in most old films (especially in Hitchock’s). Try watching some of your favorite old films for inspiration when designing anything. You’ll find as many tacky, funny goodies as you will absolutely sensational ones. Mind not the knives, terror-stricken faces and gore — as my grandmother LaVera once said, murder is necessary to tell a story.

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt
All horror films should contain tea parties nestled within their gore!
Many Miseducated ladies are known to have fright fests
so why not get a little tea party motivation simultaneously?

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt
I’m really digging the modular stereo with rainbow tuning.

tales from the crypt

tales from the crypt

Mise en Snap Visual Splendor

Mise en Snap: SPUN Snaps from the 90s

12/19/2008

SPUN featured quite a few miseducatedly fashionable moments as well as lovely artistic shots nestled within it’s not-so-attractive, but strangely engrossing plot lines. Each snap(shot) seems to engulf the pleasure and pain aspect of drug addiction. It’s a movie about scoring and partaking in the use of, as well as the lifestyle surrounding, crystal meth. Probably not a good watch for the easily offended or sickened but a good watch for the strange movie lover like myself.

SPUN

SPUN
The dog was green to indicate he was sick but it otherwise acted like a normal, healthy dog with a miseducated hair treatment.

SPUN

SPUN

SPUN

The Credits:
SPUN

Visual Splendor

A Little Apartment in South Korea Tour

12/07/2008

Miseducated loves to see inside the walls of cozy apartment. How is it decorated? What unique features does it have? A person’s home says so much about them, that’s why Miseducated girls come from unique little nooks all over the world.

Now, let’s go on an official tour of Wendy Gould’s apartment in South Korea.

Want to give a tour of your home or your favorite place? Contact Miseducated and we’ll take a look and let you know if we’re interested in featuring your spot!

Visual Splendor

Adoring the Interiors of Amelie

11/19/2008

You may have noticed the heavily magical and saturated imagery in Amelie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It was an eye candy carousel for my mind and I can’t watch it enough. It actually started me on a kick of running to Mass Ave Video to rent every cute, feminine, French film I could find in hopes to see more of this style. I found a few gems and one of them actually is a bit like this, magical and sweet: Love Me if you Dare.

Below I’ve captured some delightful interior shots from the film Amelie. Enjoy the quaint decor and be inspired by the tiny interiors of Paris radiating huge personality.

window.jpg

kitfr.jpg

roomfr.jpg

doorfr.jpg

kitfr2.jpg

amkit.jpg

ameliebed.jpg