Hello there, all Penny Darlings!
Welcome back to another exciting week!
The big news here is: I left my day job. It’s exciting and scary and I loved the people I worked with but it was time for me to go. So for the time being I am a full time blogger and I am very exciting and very happy and overjoyed and scared and excited.
I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and to work for myself and create opportunity where there was none and I’ve never worked harder and I’ve never been happier and all of you are such an important part of that. You all make everything worth it. And I’m 25, this is the time to pursue the dream. I want to write a book and have a podcast and do YouTube videos, and Instagram pictures, and write a blog. I want to do it all! It’s my dream.
So now, more than ever, will I need everyone’s support! If there’s any content that you are dying to see or never want to see again – let me know! If there’s products or companies you want me to review or hauls to post – let me know!
I also added a super cute widget on this page with the help of my dear friend, Cat, who let me know this was an option! It’s a link to do a little ‘buy me a cup of coffee’ as a small gesture of support towards Penny Darling. And honestly, what’s a cup of coffee? (I mean the way I drink it – about $2.96). So this widget allows you to donate to Penny Darling starting in increments of $3 to ‘buy a cup of coffee!’ It’s seriously the cutest widget of all time. You can see that on the side bar!
So after my awkward ‘donate to me’ button – let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of this post and the actual content of the day.
But today, as it was a very busy week – (I swear, next week I am returning to two posts a week. Would you like to see three posts a week? Let me know!) – I wanted to answer seriously the biggest FAQ that I ever get asked.
WHERE DO YOU FIND ALL OF THESE BRIGHT COLORED WALLS?!
And the answer is – everywhere. Honestly, it takes a TON of planning, a lot of luck with schedules, and the weather, and my GoogleMaps app is covered in pins of exciting walls. And I usually plan to bring an outfit to match that wall. It’s VERY specific.
So, I love that it looks so casual – but that is honestly one of the things about this blog that takes SO darn long. I have lists and maps and I figure out a map for a day of photo shoots so that we can hit each wall in exactly the right light. It’s a lot.
But I wanted to share some of my fave walls and tell you what they really are!
The Loading Dock of a Family Owned Meat Shop
The Side of Our Apartment Building
The Eved Roof of a Lutheran Church
A Parking Lot Divider
The Side of an Apartment Building in a semi-sketchy part of town.
The Side of an Ice Cream Shop
(update: IT IS NOW PAINTED BLACK! Tragic.)
A Bicycle Shop
(Also now out of business. Tragic.)
An Abandoned Train on an Abandoned Track.
This has been in my hometown (Reading…yes as in Monopoly’s Reading Railroad….and if anyone has been fooled their whole life into saying Reed-ing – it is actually pronounced Red-ing). It’s been there since I was a little kid and just last month they finally cleared it!
The Loading Dock of a Flooring Company
A SUPER Sketchy Pawn Shop
…but look at how VIBRANT that red is. Honestly. It looks fake.
Literally Just Some Strangers’ Houses
If you live here, I am sorry.
A Small Corner Store in a Nearly Forgotten Town
The door plays Fur Elise when you open it and the cash register makes Sonic-collecting-ring sounds while they scan your items.
These Are ALL Mechanic Shops
Or auto/car service shops. I’m not enough of a car person to know if there’s more than one type of mechanic shop.
But isn’t it strange how MANY of these are auto shops in some way?
An Abandoned Pizza Restaurant
RIP Pizza Shop….
…..And this wall is the adjacent wall of this teal wall. Literally right next to each other.
A Barn in a Public Park
The Side of a U-Haul Store
They always have stuff parked in front of it but I seem to find a few moments to run over to snap a pic!
A Movie Theatre
Literally, how cute of a match is this to my outfit? Honestly. I remember that Lip Color was AMAZING but it got all over everything.
A Hair Salon
My best friend, Abby’s, older brother Dan did this mural for the salon that Abby’s sister-in-law, Dan’s wife, and lifelong friend worked at! So cute!
Both of These Are The Same Vietnamese Restaurant
And the brother duo that owns it is VERY indifferent about our presence.
….and this is a Jos. A Bank
This is where Preston used to work. I went to a rally later that night and saw the big H. (meaning Hillary, of course!). It was a cool experience.
And these are some amazing murals in the Mural Corridor in my hometown on parking lot walls!
A Storage Shed
An Improv Theatre
Preston and I LOVELOVELOVE to go to the Improv theatre. It’s $5 for two hours of hilarious comics doing improv in this postage stamp theatre and it’s very bohemian and fun and it’s literally the best hidden gem in HBG. And I have no idea how – but every single person there is funny.
This is the other half of that same mural!
A Bodega
A Hair Salon
This is one of only two locations I was asked to leave.
…This Flower Shop is the Other
Although this owner was a NUT job. For real. If you ever want to here that whole story – let me know.
A Used Furniture Store
This place has the whole side of the building painted like a flag – but I’ll take what I can get.
The Amtrak Station
Literally, while this photo was being taken – a guy was asking me and my friend, Lexi, who was shooting, over and over again if we were looking for the entrance because it’s over there…and we were both like, super polite but also not very good at context clues here, sir. So we said that we were not and thanked him!
Next to an Antique Shop in a Small Town
This is the most quaint shop of all time…like I would call it a shoppe just because it’s so cute. And this was an Eagle Scout’s final service project and it’s a little free library and people can open the Tardis (which I swear, is bigger on the inside) and take a book or a leave a book! It’s such a cute addition to the community!
A Really Pretty DD off of the Turnpike
The Side of an Apartment Building in Midtown
A Roller Skate Rink
A Mental Health Clinic
There’s like an 87% chance that it is abandoned and spooky as hell but it is a lovely shade of blue and I’m willing to get haunted for a cute wall, am I right or am I right?
And of, course, my PIECE D’ RESISTANCE:
My Millenial Pink Wall
This perfectly pink wall….is a sex shop.
For real. It is an adult book store tucked off the main road. It’s usually pretty empty during the day so I take a bunch of shots up there. They don’t mind!
And…I’ve even run into people I know there! (more awkward for them than me!)
But one of my most asked questions is about the walls – so I hope this will give you a chuckle next time you see me posing in front of it!
And if not, it’s at least informative that these backgrounds are from HOURS of searching and driving to them and figuring out shadows and time and stuff.
SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!
The next few weeks have some awesome stuff planned! I’ll be doing a post with Avenue, some fave fall styles, and as well as more Gwynnie Bee & Society+ stuff, some lifestyle stuff, and more!
And I CANNOT wait to get into the holiday season. I’ve got Halloween outfits planned, Halloween costumes, couple’s costumes, stocking ideas, gift ideas, holiday wear. Ya’ll….it’s going to be Ah-MAH-Zing
If you are at all interested in doing a collab or working with me – please feel free to check out my new Contact Me! page!
I definitely want to do more His & Her fashion. Do you guys like seeing Preston more?
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Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.
Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!
How Very,
Abby
Penny Darling 
Please tell us about the flower shop!
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Of COURSE we want to hear the flower shop crazy lady story!! Would make an excellent video too! It’s very interesting to read where all these walls were, also interesting that people actually asked you to leave, like who cares if you’re taking pictures? Lol
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