Forest Wedding Bridesmaid

tracy reese white dress / hasbeen clog / vintage gold clutch / diy flower crown

My beautiful and amazing cousin has asked me be to a bridesmaid in her wedding at the end of the summer. I am so incredibly lucky that she has amazing style and a lot of trust because she has simply requested we wear cream lace dresses, low tan shoes, and gold accessories. This is my current favorite look. What do you think??

what's new?

My phone finally died awhile back and I had to replace it. I got a second job so I now work 7 days a week, roughly 8 hours a day. I'm a zombie. I let myself have a tiny bit of a social life this week and took a day off and saw Kyary Pamyu Pamyu at the Showbox and hung out with my dad. I got my hair cut (24" off!) and colored it redd-er. And I've been working on this pair of fingerless mitts/wristwarmers and they're shaping up nicely.

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!

minty moon

I'm loving half moon manis lately, especially in weird, non-traditional colors. This one was OPI Gargantuan Green Grape with Sally Hansen Wedding Glitters. I used Seche Vite topcoat and ORLY Bonder base and it has lasted an entire week and still looks decent which is amazing for me. I must be really hard on my hands because my nails almost always start chipping around day 3 but this combo holding up impressively!

kishi bashi - - - bright whites

the magnetic fields - - - your girlfriend's face

fair day

I love fairs. Ridiculous fried foods, rides that make your stomach go all topsy turvy, lights and color and retro graphics all over the place! They always have such a sense of romance and whimsy and childishness that I absolutely love. Add in cute animals, an absolutely gorgeous day, and some fun friends, and I'd say the day was a success. Especially when an Instax turns out this good. Do you see that color coordination between our outfits and drinks? Perfection.

dress - target, shoes - steve madden, purse - thrifted picnic basket w/ thrifted scarf, sunglasses - topshop (london)

I obviously was feeling the vintagey vibes of a state fair, while J went for the carnival clown craziness. It's weird but I definitely love both of our outfits, although for different reasons. I think my outfit is one of my core styles. I don't have a style, that's for sure, but this kind of simplified vintage is something I feel really comfortable in. And god, the color of that dress? LOVE. I get such a kick out of the wacky stuff J wears. I mean, girl has balls, right? Those pants are a disaster, but a disaster that she is totally making work. She is making me lust after some platform sneaks, that's for sure. Oh, and her hairclip? One of our friends from Japan made us each one! So kawaii!

tyrannosaurus style

wearing: thrifted dress, talonalia necklace, diy spike haircomb, red lippy, thrifted boots, & everyday glasses

I made this crazy cool haircomb ages ago after seeing the tutorial on the always amazing Honestly WTF. One of the spikes fell off before I ever had a chance to photograph it so it sat languishing in my jewelry box until I finally remembered to dig out my E6000 and glue it back on. I'm actually glad it sat around for ages because the shiny brass spikes tarnished a little and look SO MUCH COOLER. It's perfect with my Talonalia necklace both because of the tone and because the spikes remind me of dinosaurs (yes, I know tyrannosaurus rex is not one that has spikes, shut up, blog titles don't need to make sense) which are, you know, ancestors to birds. Yeah, I think about weird connections way more than I should!

lorde - - - royals

my favorite cold remedy

. . . is a Hot Toddy. I'm sick right now and this is the only thing making life worth living at the moment. Sore throat, headache, sniffles . . . I've got it all. If you're feeling similarly under the weather, mix grated ginger, fresh lemon juice, honey, and whiskey with a generous splash of hot water. It's basically DIY cough syrup.

MS MR - - - bones

rainbow dotty nails

sally hansen - lacey lilac, ulta - celebutante, loreal - not a cloud in sight, l.a. colors - (no name blue), sally hansen - pretty in hot pink, revlon - frankly scarlet, revlon - eclectic, sinful colors - rise and shine, revlon - peachy, essie - meet me at sunset

Oh my gosh, this was the most fun manicure I think I've ever done. Even after it had chipped beyond ignoring (I'm really bad about removing my nail polish when it starts to look raggedy), I was still getting compliments every day. Super easy too! I picked out five pairs of polish colors, a light and dark shade of a similar color and painted two coats of the lighter color and then dotted on the darker color with a toothpick with the tip broken off to be less pointy. I've also used bobby pins for dots before, so look around and see what would make nice sized dots. No need for a special dotting tool! I still can't believe I have enough polish colors for a design like this. I did realize I have a few holes in my collection. Pinks and greens are kind of scarce or funky, so I picked up a cheap bright/light pink (the one I used was a little too hot pink in my opinion) and a basic light green. A lot of my older polish has shimmer which I am not so into these days.

I couldn't stop myself from editing this picture with LINE camera. LINE is a chat app that is really popular in Asia (I think) and I started using it while I was in Japan. There's a lot of games and other fun apps that go with it, including the most ridiculously fun photo editor. I love all the silly stickers and decided to bling this one up. You may see more pictures like this in the future because I find it endlessly entertaining.

retail therapy

recent purchases: 2 black & white print dresses, dark teal jersey dress, black pencil skirt, ghost world comic, giraffe print heels

I went to Fantagraphics, the comic book store that shares a space with Georgetown Records, with a friend from work. We met up to check out the button maker store in the neighborhood and popped in to look at comics and I ended up picking up a few things, including Ghost World. I've been meaning to read that for ages. Also, I recently scored a way marked down basic black pencil skirt at Target (it has a cool zipper detail on the pocket) and picked up a few dresses and some shoes at the thrift store.

Is there anything worse than when a favorite blog ends? (There's tons of things worse, obvi I'm just making a point.) Whether it fizzles, posts slowing down until there's nothing or it ends with a dramatic "this is my last post EVER and here's why," it's a big dissapointment. Sometimes the blog is revived later and sometimes the blogger you loved resurfaces at a new home but usually that post you're so excited to see after months of inactivity is a goodbye, thanks for reading, and sorry I haven'tposted lately but I don't need this anymore.

Well...this is not that sort of post. I still love to blog (although you may see me posting regularly somewhere else in the near future) and I'm determined to get it running smoothly this time. But I have been thinking about why people blog and why they stop, and this post will serve as a memorial of sorts to blogs I loved and lost. I miss you, I don't blame you, and thanks for not betraying your once loyal readers by deleting your blog when you were done with it...we might not be.

amethyst from the trailer in instax

Sorry for the long absence guys! Life has been crazy lately! I went to Japan, roommates moved in and out, my car died and I bought a new one. This ring I bought right after getting back from Japan (as if I didn't do enough shopping there). I got it at the Trailer Park Mall down in Georgetown. Every time I go, I seem to forget a camera, which is a shame because it's really neat. Someday I'll remember, and show you guys all the cute little vintage shops and art galleries run out of vintage Airstreams. It's adorable!

yellow spring

chambray shirt - thrifted (little boy section), chiffon skirt - target, tights - hansel from basel, bracelets - thrifted mostly, shoes - steve madden

I took these pictures at least a week ago, before the official start of spring. And then what do we get for the first few days of spring? Full on winter weather, that's what. My parents' had snow and it's been freezing. But it's finally starting to look like this every day and I can't be happier.

I bought myself a bouquet of flowers today, on an impulse, while picking up wine at TJ's. I think spring is making me crave living, growing things. I've been researching terrariums like crazy and have plans to make a mason jar version. I also went to the thrift store on saturday and found an old glass lampshade, like for a pendant light. It's huge, all beveled glass and aged brass, and I'm going remove all the lighting components and use it on top of some sort of tray or dish for another terrarium. It's so big though, I don't really have anywhere to put it, so I'm also hunting for a pedestal table of the right size.