I was so sad and surprised to hear that Betsey Johnson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that her stores will be closing!  I've always admired the spunky fashion designer, not just for her whimsical clothing creations, but also for her overall joie de vivre. 

This velvet coat is a Betsey Johnson purchase from oh, about six years ago. While I loved stopping into Betsey's hot pink stores, I had to admit to the shop girls that most of the items were sadly out of my price range. They always insisted that I just stay and play dress up, so I'd try on racks of party dresses and tons of high heels. I could usually walk away, but this was one clothing item that I couldn't leave behind. It has accompanied me on a few tours, and even kept me warm in the winter weather at the Sundance Film Festival.

This witchy coat is one of my absolute favorite things. It's embellished, over-the-top, and totally Betsey. I will surely miss all of BJ's designs, which always make me feel like a rock 'n roll queen. However, while it seems like Betsey is closing up shop, I'm sure this isn't the last we'll hear of that feisty broad!

I'll be returning to NYC on June 18th to play the New Music Seminar at Arlene's Grocery, which is sure to be a great show!

You know me, just doin' the Angelina in a cheap old dress. I've given up on pretending to be normal. This chair is a fabulous old gem that I am dying to makeover. I'm thinking it just needs a coat of paint and reupholstered in a bright fabric, then I'll move it on into my rehearsal space.

xo d

I've officially been announced as being on the Warped Tour this summer! You can see my Warped profile here. I hope I'm coming to some of your cities!

Here's the list of dates I'll be playing:

Jul 07 - Tinley Park, IL

Jul 08 - Shakopee, MN

Jul 09 - Bonner Springs, KS

Jul 10 - Noblesville, IN

Jul 11 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Jul 12 - Burgettstown, PA

Jul 13 - Holmdel, NJ

Jul 14 - Montreal, QC CA

Jul 15 - Toronto, ON CA

Jul 17 - Darien Center, NY

Jul 18 - Scranton, PA

Jul 19 - Mansfield, MA

Jul 20 - Camden, NJ

I wish I could have seen more of the city... It was kind of disappointing. Our hotel was by a bunch of closed restaurants and strip malls. Finally we found a place called J. Alexander's where I had the most heavenly key lime pie. Three of us were supposed to "share" it, but that never happens. I'm the dessert bogart. I will always look at the dessert menu first.

As for the hotel, I'm finding that Quality Suites aren't so quality. One of our favorite moments from this tour is when I yelled repeatedly at the manager at the front desk "MY SHEETS ARE SOILED!". 

There were brown stains all over my sheets and they wouldn't give me a new set. Is that so much to ask? I said I was going to give them a horrible review, and the manager said he was going to charge my credit card for an additional $200. Eric, my bass player, had to drag me out of the office.

 [vintage beaded jacket, j crew pants, ash shoes, kenneth jay lane + vtg necklaces]

That's enough rambling for today. How's your week?

Row 1: Pool overlooking the lake in Gainesville, our show at the Backstage Lounge, 

my drummer Kevin Rice hanging out a rest stop on the road

Row 2: Show @ Club 57 West, beautiful Miu Miu boots I spotted in Miami, 

yours truly, in a long white dress playing Bardot in Miami

Row 3: Starbucks spiked with Bailey's (a good start to the morning), luggage tag, another long drive

Tour life is certainly filled with a lot of long drives.

Here's some music that I'm currently enjoying to pass the time.

I've been updating and posting photos nonstop on Facebook and Twitter! 

Follow me there, and I'll be back soon with a few stories. Never a dull moment here, my friends.

We had a great show last night at Bardot in Miami. No cameras allowed or I'd love to show you some photos of the venue. It was fabulous inside. Lots of tapestry rugs, chandeliers, comfy couches, and cool artwork. 

Now I'm finishing up my coffee and we are getting ready to head to Orlando! More tour photos and posts coming soon!

Love from Florida,

D

You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff I've had to accomplish this week...

We leave on tour this Sunday and will be gone roughly 20 days, exploring cities by day, and playing music at night. I'll be updating from the road as much as I can, with diaries from all the cities we're visiting. Go check out my Facebook page or my website for tour dates!

 I'd love to meet you if I'm coming to your town.

Ok, now might be a good time to finally start packing.

xx d

As I got older, and hopefully wiser, I became incredibly particular as to what kind of journal I'll use. For songwriting, they have to be a larger size. For a travel/tour diary, medium-sized and unlined. Come on, I know you have things you're neurotic about, too.

In my journal scavenger hunt, I stumbled upon the Etsy shop Renovated Books and loved it so much that I had to share. They take old books and repurpose them into very cool, incredibly one-of-a-kind journals.

Below is the beauty I selected, which dates back to 1918. I love that some of the original pages are still included throughout.

The best part is that if you have a favorite childhood book, or if someone close to you does, you can send it to Renovated Books, and have them repurpose it into a journal. I think it's a great gift idea to get someone an old copy of their favorite book and have it redone in this way.

My gift to you is the little mixtape below, which features a bunch of my favorite love songs! 

Give it a listen and get into the spirit.

I think I have a certain buying pattern that includes a lot of velvet, studs, animal print, sequins, beads, and of course, skulls. Come to think of it, my taste today is very much the way it was when I was about six. 

Not growing up, in certain ways, is so fun. Being a rock singer has really been an enabler, too.

For a date night, I love this Topshop black dress, or these gold heart heels. Heart-shaped sunglasses add a touch of fun. If you're celebrating with your single girlfriends, a night in with pink cocktails, lip-shaped chocolates, and some rom coms might be key. 

Also, don't forget about your Valentine's Day cards. Etsy has some great handmade options to make sure yours really stand out!

How will you be spending your Valentine's Day?

Go Shopping: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

I suppose it's a tiny way to remember where you started and who was there for you. I'll hold onto the certain vocal tone I've learned from Carole, enjoy reunion lunches with my "gold" friends, and proudly wear this hat that belonged to my grandfather (mon Pepere!).

[FP leopard floppy, coffee with my best friend, my favorite worn-in jeans I've written all over, Mike playing the drums at rehearsal]

[a journal from when I was 8/my first concert, a new journal I plan to take on tour, peppermint brownie cake pops I whipped up in the kitch, two trophy jackets that add some glitz!]

[my puppy sleeping in the morning, a Cate Parr watercolor I got for my mom (it actually inspired this blog design!), diner food on a snow day, patchwork jeans with Missoni poncho and some favorite rings]