Favorite Blogs: I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours

I thought I'd give a little linkage/shout-out to some of my current most read/favorite blogs. A bunch of these are ones I've just started reading recently. I'm also looking for some new recommendations, so tell me what you're reading these days!

The Pineneedle Collective: Annika has an amazing, sweet, girly, vintage style and we share a love for Japanese fashion and DIY, so of course I'm going to love her. But the coolest thing about her blog is the science fact she includes with each post! Her passion and knowledge about the various subjects is so apparent and I feel a little smarter each time I visit her blog.

Already Pretty: This blog is great for really thoughtful writing on fashion and body image. No one can explain the "why" and "how" of an outfit quite like Sally can. She has convinced me to try looks I didn't think would work on me, like maxi skirts and wide legged pants. It doesn't hurt that she is creative and has killer style. She also has a great crew of contributors so there's always a great variety in the posts on Already Pretty.

Tolt Yarn and Wool: This new local yarn shop's blog is just beautiful. Store owner Anna is an amazing photographer, so between that and the beautiful yarn and patterns they showcase, this blog is ultra inspiring. Even better is her instagram where she posts pictures of her sheep! which just had baby lambs! I have to admit I might be biased on this one, but I'll write about that later.

Yes and Yes: If you ever need some inspiration to just do something, to live your life to the fullest, this blog is just the jumpstart you're looking for. Sarah's travel posts make me want to go everywhere and she has the most wonderful "Network of Nice" where readers can ask or offer help in all sorts of ways. Her small business blog is awesome if you have need of that sort of advice.

dottie angel: Oh my, Tif is just the sweetest, most darling lady and her blog is just the same. She is a vintage crafting goddess and is so very inspiring. She also has the most perfect frumpy/cute style (I mean that in the best way Tif!). I basically want to be her when I grow up.

Strawberry Fields Whatever: I used to read NOGOODFORME religiously and was so sad when they stopped posting. Luckily two of the three original writers now run Strawberry Fields Forever and it is excellent! Laura Jane and Liz's writing is what I want to read when I need something that feels real and right and perfect in that moment.

The Dainty Squid: This blog is almost entirely responsible for my obsession with nail art. Kaylah does some really creative, pretty, and clever things with nail polish. She is also a film photography enthusiast and looking at her photos always inspires me to actually use some of my vintage cameras...something I don't do nearly enough. She also has the most amazing, ever changing hair, cute pets, and her "Friday Favorites" posts make me want to buy everything.

The Clothes Horse: I actually got to meet Rebecca at a blogger event she co-organized while she was still living in Washington and she was so incredibly sweet (and tiny!). I've read her blog for a really long time and so impressed and inspired by the amazing photos she is able to capture by herself, using self timer. Her style has evolved a lot since I started reading her blog, in a really cool, organic way that reminds me of my own style evolution.

Liebemarlene: I'm pretty sure Rhiannon was one of the first bloggers I followed. Her vintage style is simply perfect and her dreamy photos make me want to visit the south. And have you seen her wedding photos? Oh my goodness, dreamy vintage perfection.

Courtney and the Blogosaurus: Oh, this girl! She is a talented crafter and makes the cutest, most hilarious felt and embroidery hoop art pieces. She is also planning a trip to Europe at the moment and I can't wait to follow along and travel vicariously with her (she's going to a lot of the places I visited on my epic European adventure)! She's also super sweet and I used to work with her until she moved and made me a very sad girl.

I'm sure I've forgotten some vitally important, wonderful blogs that I read all the time, but I'm a bit scatterbrained lately. I've started blogging over at the store blog for Ben Franklin Crafts and Frames in Redmond, where I work. I've posting like mad, trying to cover all our Seahawks Superbowl projects. (Seattle is going absolutely nutso and it's so fun to see that I'm finally starting to care about football just the teensiest bit.) Check out my posts over at craftsandframes. And please, leave links to your own favorite blogs in the comments!

Recipe: Apple Bread

I think of this a lot like banana bread . . . it's the perfect way to use up apples that are a bit overripe and no good for eating any more. I tweaked this recipe a bit, adding a more spices and baking it for way longer. For some reason, the first time I made this, it was way underdone so I put it back in the oven . . . and then forgot about it. I was bottling cider out in the shop and had a "oh shit!" moment, ran inside, pulled the bread out, and miraculously it was not burnt, just crusty and delicious. It's a very dense bread and I recommend slathering a slice with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven. Pure happiness.

Apple Bread

3 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix together wet ingredients and the apples. Combine the two (this takes some serious arm muscle). Stir in walnuts. Spoon mixture into two greased loaf pans and shake, tap, and smooth to get the very thick batter to settle. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the bread is very done. It should be almost burnt, but don't let it go too far! 

velvet & chiffon

velvet dress - thrifted, necklace - diy, chiffon skirt - thrifted, tights - target, belt & boots - thrifted

This is a super duper old outfit, but I thought I'd post it anyhow. It was saved as a draft before I stopped blogging for like, EVER. Yikes. Sorry about that guys. Belts like this are one of my favorite things and this pleated chiffon skirt is so useful for layering under too short for work skirts and dresses. Unfortunately I broke these glasses awhile back when I set them on my bed and then proceeded to sit on them. sadface.

better late than never

I just found this picture J took of me when we went pumpkin picking this fall and thought I'd share it. I don't get a chance to take many outfit pictures without a camera to do the whole self timer routine. I'm still just using my phone as my primary camera, supplemented by an Instax and a 35mm Yashica. Taking lots of pictures of myself, I generally know how I want them to turn out but it can be really fun sometimes to see yourself through someone else's lens. J always takes good pictures!

I don't think I've mentioned it on this space yet because I just haven't been blogging, but I moved back home. My living situation and roommates got worse and worse after the best roommates ever moved out and eventually I couldn't take it any longer. I think I made the decision around the time someone I lived with told me she wished something horrible would happen to me. Caring, compassionate people right there. sigh. Well, since I've moved home I have yet to fully unpack and one of the things I have not unpacked yet is all my jewelry and accessories. Looking at this picture, I miss that stuff. I sort of took the unpacking slow to see what I really want and need and I think I absolutely need all my baubles!

dark floral

My mom's co-worker gave her a few samples of Jamberry nail stickers and I just had to try them out. They were super easy to apply and I loved this dark floral pattern which I wore with my favorite dark red nail polish. They didn't last as long as I hoped, although my mom's fared much better. I found that the "top coat" sort of layer, a clear plastic-y layer, started peeling at the edges within a few days. I am terrible about picking at things so of course I made it worse and ended up peeling off the whole damn thing. I figured I'd just throw some regular topcoat on once the clear layer was peeled off but I didn't do it right away and the colored stickers started wearing off. Like within an hour of peeling off that weird clear layer my nails were totally sad looking. I was super bummed. I might try Jamberry nail wraps again, but I'd be careful to not pick and peel them and keep a clear coat handy to fix them up!

a note: I haven't blogged in ages because I haven't felt inspired to do so but I miss it and am going to try to get back into the swing of things. fingers crossed I'll be around more regularly!