a peak at my christmas list

thankgiving came late this year so it's a bit of a scramble getting everything ready to go in time for christmas.  in case anybody is itching to get me crossed off their shopping list in time for the black friday/cyber monday holiday shopping madness, here's a look at what i'm drooling over right now.

crown vintage tabitha bootie (black size 11)

urban outfitters black panama hat

american rag tribal print sweater (medium or large)

artemis stud duo earrings

crystal lana drop earrings

warmen nappa leather plush lined button gloves (camel size large)

sandra dieckmann graphite stag throw pillow

sandra dieckman graphite bear throw pillow

buddha and yin yang iphone 4s case

talisker 10 year old single malt scotch

tibetan turquoise mantra earrings (charitable purchase from the campaign for a free tibet)

chateau cap de mourlin grand cru 2005 (bordeaux st. emilion blend)

deadwood: the complete series (on DVD)

happy holidays y'all!

word count: 35,770

liebster award!

happy thursday!! today i feel very honored to announce that lisa over at making life's lemons has nominated loosefromthezoo for a liebster award!
as i have already been nominated for a liebster award previously, i figured i would modify the process a little to make things shorter and sweeter.  if you've never heard of the liebster awards, head over to lisa's blog or my previous post to learn a bit more about what they mean!
here are my answers to lisa's questions!
If you could go back to any moment in time or time period, what would it be and why? if i were just visiting moments of history dr. who style, i think i'd try to find f. scott and zelda fitzgerald sometime in the 1920's to party hard.
if i had to LIVE sometime in the past i'd absolutely pick the 1970's.  i like being able to fly in an airplane, but i secretly wish the internet had never been invented.  i also rock a pair of bell bottoms pretty well.
If you had to sing karaoke, what song would you pick? if you get enough margaritas in me i can tear freddy mercury to shreds singing somebody to love.  (though let me add: with the exception of this song, as a general rule, i despise the music of queen.  and journey.  and fun.  basically all bands that sound like queen are terrible in my opinion).
If time and money were no matter what would you do? steve and i would visit every single place on the planet, excluding those locations that are likely to kill me from cold weather or political upset.  i would attempt to write novels in between sight seeing and possibly attempt to become a b-list actress if i got really really bored.
What is your favorite piece of clothing?? Pictures?? i have this emerald badgely mischka silk evening gown that i plan to wear to my friend's wedding in a couple of weeks.  it's pretty fierce.
What would be your ideal vacation? either a multi-country eurotrip, or a two month road trip of the continental united states (i may or may not have created an itinerary for the latter).
Do you have any hidden talents? What are they? i'm not sure what constitutes hidden... 
i can draw decently well.  i also have a small host of skills that have made me what i believe to be a decent actress.  i can do a variety of accents reasonably well and i can make myself cry real tears if i need to.
i can also do a hair-raisingly accurate lois griffin impression. and i can move my eyes side to side independently of one another.  but nobody ever wants me to.
 Flats or heels? varies week to week.  it definitely makes you feel like a beast when you can strut in heels, but if i had to pick one for the rest of my life i would go with flats for the comfort factor.
Where/when are you the happiest? hanging out with steve by a body of water. extra bonus happiness points when one or all of the following are included: snacks a puppy good music alcohol
If you had to change your name what would you change it to? maxine kaye
What's your favorite cookie? a cupcake
What item could you not live without? a car.
word count: 22,833

summer fashion favorite

i remember how desperately i used to want a pair of jelly shoes when i was a child.  i begged and whined and eventually, probably on my birthday, i received a pair of heinously uncomfortable strappy blister-machines that would eventually be something of a fashion icon from the 1980's (though my childhood ones would have been more of a mid 90's jelly fad revival).

hotter than molly ringwald

since then, jellies have come a long way.  i first took notice last summer when tory burch introduced a jelly version of her famous reva flat, but sometime a few weeks ago i found myself on a serious hunt for a cute pair of jelly shoes.  much to my dismay only tory herself seems to sell jellies in larger than a size 10 (yes i have monster feet and it makes shoe shopping torture).  but i eventually read a review on zappos that the mel by melissa fresh iii flat ran big.  i immediately snatched up a 10, crossing my fingers it would fit, and i'm pretty sure i have worn them every day since they arrived.  they are a very soft, flexible plastic and their waterproofness, comfort, cuteness, and super fun pop of color have me totally obsessed.

if you haven't jellied up your feet yet i would really recommend you try it.  i'm going to have to be sticking with the open toed variety (unless i get crazy and decide to spring for some of tory's) since my big fat feet can't be tamed.  but if you've been considering taking the jelly plunge do it, i say!  full speed ahead!

tory burch jelly bow flat // mel by melissa macadamia sandal // vivienne westwood anglomania + melissa virtue flat // melissa ultragirl + liberty flat // tory burch jelly reva // mel by melissa fresh iii flat

P.S. what do you guys think of the new look?  it seemed like a good time to replace the old dusty banner.

wearing it down

some days you leave the house feeling cute enough to brag about it.  today was one of those days!  we're going to go see steve's little brother graduate from high school tonight, and i need to leave straight from work so i figured i'd just wear it all day long.  here's what i'm wearing:

goodness don't you just love maxi dress season?  i do. 

recent pins

1.  tandoori chicken burgers

2.  crockpot caramelized onions

3.  olivia cut-out oxfords

4.  poppy bouquet

5.  mismatched tiles

6.  hair jewelry

7.  golf tee balloon anchors

let me know in the comments where i can find/follow you on pinterest!

guest post: mother's day style with alyssa from glitter and gapske!

Hi! I’m Alyssa, from Glitter and Gapske, a lifestyle blog all about the daily sparkle. Becky’s a good friend of mine from high school, and I’m so glad that we get to interact in the blogging world now that we live far apart. I’m so excited to be guest posting about Mother’s Day on Loose from the Zoo!

My mom is way cooler than me. She’s a brilliant artist and works with clay, paints and takes gorgeous pictures (check out here website here! : patriciagapske.com). Fun fact: I'm wearing her BCBG leather jacket in this picture. I'm so happy we're similar sizes!

 

photo credit left to right: nolan gapske, patricia gapske

I’m not much of an artist, my brother ended up with that gene, so I’ve found that one of the biggest ways my mom and I bond is through style. In all honesty, we’ve never paid much attention to Mother’s Day, at my mom’s request. I used to think this was strange, but she’s really helped me understand that she’s grateful for the time we spend together each week. I went to college in my hometown, and have been lucky to spend a lot of quality time with my mom overtime. Even if I only get to see her for a few minutes, it’s nice to have that.

This year, we’re going shopping over Mother’s Day weekend! My mom and I have different styles, but it’s always fun to go out with each other. As for our different styles, my mom tends to wear clothes I would consider to be categorized as a little more bohemian or rock influenced, while I tend to wear more classic styles with pops of brights and sparkle. When it comes to accessories, you can find my mom wearing some really cool architectural bold heel and jewelry inspired by birds, while I’m more likely to be wearing a bright or sparkly flat and some girly skulls. As far as make-up goes, I’ve got the subtle cat-eye thing going on and my mom usually is wearing some awesome purple shade from Urban Decay. With her naturally white hair, she rocks it!  She frequents Fossil and BCBG, and I’m usually hitting up J.Crew or LOFT (and let’s be honest, with my budget, Target and Old Navy too).

We really have different styles, but when it comes down to it, we tend to pick out similar basics. We both have our fair share of similar black blazers , cozy sweaters, plain white t-shirts and jeans. In honor of my mom, who had white skinny jeans before me, here’s how we both might style the pants!

note from becky: thanks alyssa!  i can't decide which pair of shoes i love more!  now everybody head over to glitterandgapske.blogspot.com for more of alyssa's awesome style!

pins and needles

1.  similar // 2.  similar // 3.  recipe // 4.  recipe // 5.  flats // 6.  bracelet // 7.  triptych

i'm always looking for awesome pinners to follow! let me know where i can find you on pinterest!

what i'm packing part 3

adding a blazer for the sub-60 weather

dress // sunglasses // blazer // shoes // bracelet // earrings

what i'm packing part 2

dress // bracelet // necklace // shoes

like i said.  vacation on the brain.

dress // sunglasses // necklace // shoes

joyeux mardi gras

it's fat tuesday and since being fat is something i am getting really good at i naturally couldn't resist the paczkis  my coworker brought to work.

mardi gras totally snuck up on me this year and i am sad to say i haven't made anything out of purple feathers for my own amusement.

i watched an entire season of merlin on sunday so things have not exactly been eventful.  but i have some enjoyable art and music posts coming soon.