a new look for mia prima casa

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Sarah S.

I founded the Mia Prima Casa (which means “my new house” in Italian) blog three years ago as a way to keep family and friends updated on everything I was up to post-college. This usually meant updates on how I was decorating my new (first!) apartment, what I was I was eating (usually plants), and what I was wearing.

Today, Mia Prima Casa has a whole new look. I like to think the blog now more closely represents the woman I am today: well traveled, well dressed (or at least trying to be!), and beginning a whole new chapter (business school).

Mia Prima Casa is far from gone, but she goes by a new name now. The Gibbson Girl, which is based off the 1910s fashion icon, evokes a sense of adventure, travel, and boldness. She has a vintage flare. Wears a crazy hat with confidence. Runs marathons. Travels to London. And most of all loves a night in with her cat, watching Downton Abbey and sneaking looks at her old travel diary pages.

Gibbson Girl Vintage Style on Etsy Tour de France Utrecht #100DaysofMiaPrima 1 European Style Brunch Breakfast Tea #100DaysofMiaPrima

I am so ready for this new chapter. And I hope you all are ready to meet the Gibbson Girl.

Cheers!

Sarah

p.s. The Gibbson Girl has a vintage shop, too!

This post is #85 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima

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den haag, the netherlands

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Sarah S.

Den Haag– the Netherland’s third largest city after Amsterdam and Rotterdam– was a stark contrast to Delft, the small town I visited just a day before. Whereas much of Delft was accessible by foot, Den Haag, also known in English as “The Hague,” required the use of pubic transportation to make good use of the city. Thankfully, as so often is the case when I travel, I was lucky enough to have a very kind bus driver-turned-tour-guide.

Den Haag, The Netherlands #100DaysofMiaPrima Coffee Shop in Den Haag, The Netherlands

The two main attractions in Den Haag that I was set on seeing were the Mauritshuis, where Vermeer’s famous Girl with a Pearl Earring is located, and the Louwman Museum, a classic car museum that rivals Turin’s Nazionale Dell’automobile.

Below are some of my favorite shots from the Louwman Museum and a few of my favorite paintings from Mauritshuis. Overall, the day trip to Den Haag proved to be a good one– full of diversity: from swan cars and royal chariots to creamy coffee and Vermeer’s strokes of daylight.

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Mauritshuis, Den Haag

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer

My favorite paintings from the Mauritshuis

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #51 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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people are boring (but you’re something else)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Sarah S.

People are boring

But you’re something else completely

Damn, let’s take our chances

-Father John Misty in Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

It’s finally here! The 2015 edition of the Spring Mix Tape. As you know, I create a mix tape (i.e. a 2-3 albums of curated music as well as handcrafted cover art) twice a year- once for spring and another for fall. I ask my friends to submit songs that remind them of that particular season then curate their great music into “albums.” The music is always excellent and always of a wide variety (my favorite part!). But the best experience for me is creating the cover art, which has also varied widely: from screen printed canvas to watercolor to this season’s piece: collage. In fact, this season’s cover may be my favorite. I enjoyed the free form of the collage process as well as the structure of creating a “booklet” that literally stands on its own.

Copies of the mix tapes are for participants only, but luckily for you, I’ve put together public Spotify playlists for everyone to enjoy. Here’s to new music, art making, and above all else, the great friends to who make it happen, year after year…!

Album #1: People Are Boring

Album #2: But You’re Something Else Completely

Album #3: Damn, Let’s Take Our Chances

Tot ziens!

Sarah

This post is #29 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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Creative Hurricane

creative hurricane

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Sarah S.

It’s only a handful of days before I leave for Europe, so it’s down the wire on a couple creative projects I’m trying to complete. The first is posting new items in my Etsy vintage clothing shop, The Gibbson Girl. I’ve finally photographed every last piece in my inventory, so it’s time to get them measured and up on the shop!

The second project is my annual Spring Mix Tape. For this iteration, I’m creating collaged booklets. The concept was fairly simple but the execution is slow going (but worth it!).

With just a few days left to finish this all up, wish me serious luck!

Cheers!

Sarah

This post is #25 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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adventures in pittsburgh: the mattress factory

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Sarah S.

I might be over 500 miles from Pittsburgh, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enlighten you all with a post about one of my many adventures in the city. For the last couple months or so, I treated my time in Pittsburgh like a tourist and tried to check off some key items from my bucket list. The Mattress Factory was top of the list (I’m a huge fan of installation art).

While the draw to the museum seems to be the permanent exhibitions by Yayoi Kusama (Infinity Dots Mirrored room, Repetitive Vision), I was most delighted by the work of the artists in residence that filled both the main museum building and its adjacent buildings. Sarah Oppenheimer’s 610-3356 was quite possibly the most impressive piece at the museum (in my humble opinion!), second maybe to Chiharu Shiota’s Trace of Memory, which featured a small house completely overrun with black yarn.

Regardless of which art piece strikes you the most, The Mattress Factory boasts an impressive collection of art installations and should be a must on everyone’s to do list in Pittsburgh.

Mattress Factory Pittsburgh, PA #100DaysofMiaPrima

Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Dots Mirrored Room

John Peña, Word Balloons

Sarah Oppenheimer, 610-3356

Chiharu Shiota, Trace of Memory

This post is #12 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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yoga in the (sculpture) garden

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Sarah S.

During my Texas adventures just a week or so ago, I made sure to spend a couple days in Austin. Somehow, I discovered a yoga class being held at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. The class was an absolutely sublime experience! The weather was marvelous (75 degrees and sunny), the class was challenging (I did a handstand!), the scenery exquisite (see below), and the fellow yoga-goers were exceptionally nice (I was advised to visit both the Barton Natural Spring and Taco Deli; two sites not on my initial list but a must while visiting Austin). I also had a pleasant time wandering the sculpture garden after the class and taking photographs of the sculptural works of artist Charles Umlauf.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden Austin, TX

It’s pretty gloomy here in Pittsburgh today. Storm clouds and rain, included. These photos certainly take me back to better weather and great adventures. Hope they do the same for you!

Cheers!

Sarah

This post is #5 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

spring packing + spring making

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Sarah S.

Today is devoted to packing. It’s unbelievable how entrenched I’ve become in my apartment after just two years. I feel like I’ve been packing for days (I have) and still haven’t made any progress (I have).

#100DaysofMiaPrima Packing

So, I took a break to work on my Spring Mix Tape project. Every season (well, fall and spring), I ask my friends to submit songs that remind them of that season in anyway, subtly or not to so subtly. I then compile the songs into what usually turns out to be a three volume set of CDs– or “mix tapes.” I also create the cover art, which I’ll admit, can get a bit out of hand at times. I usually have to create ten or more copies of each piece, after all. But the project keeps me creating, and sharing work with friends makes it absolutely worth it.

For my last mix tape, I carved a hidden space into old books. For this project, I’m going a simpler, though no less time-consuming route, and focusing on creating art “books” to store the tapes. Here’s my progress so far.

Cheers!

Sarah

This post is #3 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

a vegan thanksgiving + a happy fall

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Sarah S.

Fall Mix Tapes (with handmade covers)

A Vegan Thanksgiving complete with quinoa, veggies, mashed potatoes, and of course desserts…

Vegan Hot Apple Crumble Bars

Vegan Lemon and Fig Bars

And…

50,000 words of a new novel

That was definitely one happy fall.

Cheers!

Sarah

progress, progress

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Sarah S.

I’ve lived in Pittsburgh (and the same apartment) for over a year. For the last, well, decade, I haven’t stayed in one place for more than twelve months. Finally, I’ve had time to settle in to my new place and begin to claim it as my own. My living room, dinning room, and kitchen were more or less done six months ago. (Mostly given to that the fact that my kitchen is smaller than a walk-in closet) But my bedroom has taken longer to come together. I wanted a simple, neutral pallets of whites and creams with a focus on texture. What ended up unfolding is far from that but no less awesome. Actually, probably way more fun to look at. I have images and color everywhere, yet somehow everything still seems comfortable and in order. It’s the perfect embodiment of my style: classic and neat but undoubtably sprinkled with color and pattern. The room has a way to go, but so far, it’s a pretty good start.