spring on a string

The temperatures are slowly creeping toward "warm" and it's all I can do to avoid breaking out the sandals. However, practicality dictates otherwise. So I rounded up a few way to add a springy punch to an outfit without sacrificing warmth. And the best part? All but one of these are under $25!


nautical necklace, $12 at fred flare


hedgehog sterling silver necklace, $22 from Luxe Deluxe


lollipop necklace, $15 from inedible jewelry


cherry pendant, $5 from that's mine!


branching out necklace, $40 from yankee girl

more posie prettiness

I'm an avid reader of posie gets cozy and even bought the March issue of Romantic Homes so I would have the pictures of her studio, so when apartment therapy featured photos of her whole home? I'm all over that like a fat kid on cake.






all images via apartment therapy.

a dismal sort of mess

Inspired by all the amazing granny squares I'm seeing around the internet, I've been inspired to learn to crochet. So, being a good little homeschooled child (I still firmly believe that everything you could ever want to know is in a book somewhere), I checked out a book.
So. Not. Happening. You know, I'm sure that when I learned to knit I was this awkward, but mercifully I can no longer remember the part where everything is fiddly, and I have 17 thumbs, and my yarn keeps splitting and I keep dropping my work and that chain stitch makes it quite tricksy to discern where the next stitch goes and...suffice it to say that I was not successful. I didn't even save my misshapen lumpiness to take a picture; I frogged it all and rolled it into a ball.
Maybe tonight's attempt will go better.

walls of beauty and inspiration

I'm loving the Inspiration Boards group on Flickr.

suddenly I want to make tiny, cute creatures

Click image for more pictures.

they called this "the bumblebee outfit"

And as descriptions go, I can deal with that. The whole thing was based around the stripy tunic; much to my suprise my husband encouraged me to buy it, despite his clearly stated earlier dislike for horizontal stripes. So I got it, and like it, despite my striking resemblance to a monopoly prisoner. (It has pockets!)
Please excuse the crazy eyes: when I get tired my eyes cross. Seriously. (No one believes me, but hello! We now have photographic proof!
yellow flowered scarf (in hair): thrifted
black turtleneck: thrifted
black and white striped vest: gadzooks
yellow pants: H&M
striped socks: gift
black flats: target (side note: cheap flats are my savior right now; I don't mind marching through salty slush because hello! They cost less than $10!)
red bracelet: thrifted
red heart earrings: target

so many pretty things

gorgeous bag. This may be the solution to my current baggish dillema. Maybe one fabric can be that awesome red and white stuff I just got?
beautiful studio. It makes me want to create...things.
a skirt with a bow. How simple would that be to make? Maybe in a simple muslin? Or a lovely silk?
very charming cupcakes. See the one on the lower left? The green one with pink sprinkles? I like how they piped on the icing, and want to try it. (I picked up polka-dotted cupcake liners the other day, and can't wait for an excuse--and chance--to make something yummy in them.)

I love just browsing around etsy

It reminds me of a flea market, in many ways. There are lots and lots of things and many of them are kinda lame (to me, anyway) but there are lots of good things, too. And you have to forcibly restrain yourself from buying ALL the good things because the pocket book can't quite handle it.


"tea is my copilot" print. It's so very dreamlike. I like it.


Bicycle bowl. Wouldn't this make cereal seem that much cooler?


Toe tags. Hahahahaha. That's just funny. I want them for next Christmas.


Honey bee notecards. They're yellow! And have bees on them! I want to frame one of these and hang it on a black wall.



cups that snap together. That's just brilliant, although I'm not entirely sure why. It's not especially useful (although you can use the extra snaps to attach them to the wall) but it sure is niftycool.

what I'm reading

"It had the flat thud of taking one more step on a staircase that's already ended."

The subject matter is fascinating, for sure: a woman who loses 188 pounds through diet and exercise. However, what kept me reading was her writing style. The imagery is exquisite, communicating her love affair with food and the sensual pleasure of gluttony. I found myself cheering for her, wanting a happy ending, and exasperated by her weakness. For we want heroes who are perfect, not human. Frances is thoroughly human, though, and this book chronicles the whole of her journey from the Planet of Fat to the World of Girls. It's a good journey.

Passing for Thin, by Frances Kuffel

a quiet weekend

I know I've been lax in posting; I've been ill. I spent most of yesterday curled up on the couch acting pathetic and rotating between sleeping, CSI, and Smallville. (The latter I'd never seen before, and we think it's slightly cheesy, but man is that kid cute or what?) Fortunately I feel much better today; the headache is completely gone and the cold mostly so. (Did I mention that we had to sing in church yesterday morning and I was talking like a frog three days prior but I sang anyway? No word yet on what it sounded like. I'm guessing like a frog croaking in harmony.) So anyway, that's where I've been. Oh, I've also been knitting. Another friend is having a baby in March, so I'm doing some more wrap sweaters, this time in yellow and white because I don't know if it's a boy or girl.
I'm also trying to think of a major project that I can take with me for the twenty hours of driving I have in front of me over the coming weekend. (Hooray road trips with sisters!) I'm thinking if I can find the yarn I might start on the Matrix sweater requested by my brother-in-law.)
Also: I DON'T HAVE A CAMERA RIGHT NOW. We loaned it to said brother-in-law over the weekend and he hasn't given it back yet and I am about to DIE.)

if you ever need a small person model with a winning smile, I can totally hook you up

move over, cute overload

I adore Jan Brett. I've been in love with her since I was eight, I think. Of course, back then I didn't really know who she was; I only knew that there was this copy of "the Owl and the Pussycat" that enthralled me. The pictures were so intricate, so detailed. There were stories within the story, and I spent hours poring over that book.
Now, though, I know who she is, and I've been known to request her books for Christmas presents. So today, when I found her website, I was enthralled. (Don't ask me why, but I'd never thought to sit down and google her.) I was looking for coloring pages to print out and use here at work, and boy did I find them. She has Hedgie (in my opinion one of the cutest characters ever, definitely rivaling Miss Tittlemouse) doing everything you can imagine. As a calendar, making a hedgehog snowman, juggling, and, my personal favorite, as a blue angel. The site is full of plenty more activities and ideas, from how to draw a dog to making hedgehog cookies. So if you're a mum with kids and want ideas, or you just want to step, for a little while, into a world where animals talk, this is the place for you.
Image via janbrett.com

I want to print out this site and hang it on my wall

The images are just that lovely. The products are awesome, too! See: this, this, and on a nicer note this.

dwadling is the most fun

I have today off, so I should be charging round, running errands, fixing the world, or at the very least washing the fortress of dishes that has accumulated in our kitchen. But I'm not. Instead, I'm sitting quietly, nursing my sore throat with lemon and honey tea, listening to Rabbit Fur Coat and looking at the fall collections. Some of them. Here are my favorites from rodarte.

1. I love subtle pleating, the neutral color, and the touches of lavender in the flower at the waist. Also like the idea of pinning a huge flower to the waist. 2. A sweater dress that somehow feminine and retro! Awesome! Also loving the mustardy gloves. 3. I love the contrast between the etheral dress and the very grounded but still lacy shirt. 4. Phantom flowers = awesome. Unfinish, floaty edges also = awesome.

suddenly I want to put flowers on everything

After seeing this Rodarte dress in Harper's Bazaar, I'm obsessed. First I went and dug up the s/s 07 offerings from that designer (not sure HOW I missed that show--'twas lovely!) and then I started dreaming of chiffon flowers in a million colors. I want to make a chic little dress and scatter flowers in various hues across it...around the hem....across the shoulder. (Note: do NOT want to do the floral camo effect in the background of this image.) Wouldn't it be lovely?
Image from style.com

today I love

• customized tshirts
• crookedly hung photos
• sequinned chair backs
• domino pendants
• fabulous powder rooms

if I surround myself with enough bright colors, maybe it will feel like spring

On the bright side, it IS above freezing today. I'm even wearing short sleeves at work! (With armwarmers, but still!)


This is fabric that I bought on Sunday. I wanted whatever was left on the bolt; sadly there was only a yard. At sixty inches wide, I can still make something, though. Not the sundress I was hoping for, but I'm swithering between a pencil skirt and a very tailored fifties-style halter. Suggestions?


These are part of my spoils from shopping on Sunday. I got each of these shirts (top to bottom: silk cardi, dolman-sleeve turtleneck, regular turtleneck, boatneck tee) for $1 each. I also got a pair of jeans for the same price, but they're going to take a tiny bit of modification.

I love when pretty things come in the mail

on the fickle nature of fashion

The Bargain Queen has been running a fabulous series focusing on the fact that fashion icons and trendmakers actually don't follow trends. She uses examples of classic style icons Audrey Hepburn, Diana Vreeland, Jackie Kennedy, and others to point out that the well-dressed actually wear what suits them and many have developed a uniform of sorts. She's right, of course. I started to feel like maybe I should be more consistent, more slimmed-down (in the closet), more refined. But then I realized: I get bored. I love being boho one day, fifties housewife the next. I love layering and wearing bright colors and dressing in all black and throwing on little dresses. I love the adventure of rarely wearing the exact same outfit twice.
I'll be the first to admit that I do have certain patterns, though. I usually have a very similar silhouette: fitted on top, full on the bottom (great for disguising hips). My skirts all end very close to the knee; rarely are they longer or shorter. I wear lots of turtlenecks and boatnecks and almost never crewnecks. I wear either flats or high heels; never any mid-heel heights. So whether I'm boho, grunge, vintage, or punk, I pick the elements of each style that suit me and wear them the way I want to.
I've become much more democratic in matters of fashion. It used to be that if what you had on was "tacky" or "ugly" just plain "out" I would secretly scorn your lack of taste. But honestly? Who decides what's pretty? Or not? If pointy toe shoes make you happy, wear them! If peter pan colors under crewneck sweaters rock your world, go for it! I'll even give you permission to wear floofy jumpers if you want to, just because that's your prerogative. Just make sure that whatever you're wearing is what you love. Be yourself, and let the fashion powers-that-be go jump in a lake. If you're like me, "yourself" is a different person every day. Who cares? But if "yourself" happens to be boring, don't be surprised if I offer you caffeine.

getting monday off to a good start

Spoils of my Gadzooks shopping trip (consolation for not being able to find a SINGLE PAIR of jeans I liked that looked good) on Saturday. I'm trying to get more color into my wardrobe and I was pretty good--I only bought one black item (out of four). This is what I wore Saturday night. I felt a little odd since I wasn't wearing anything vintage: a highly unusual state of affairs for me. (Well, the pin is vintage, but none of the clothes are). Also nothing is thrifted, which is very VERY unusual.
red dress: gadzooks
black lace-trimmed tank: gadzooks (different trip)
black skinny pants: H&M
black flats: target
vintage pin: christmas gift from husband

work in progress friday Saturday

I'm knitting up the koolaid yarn, turning it into a pair of mitts. Since I dyed laceweight, I'm using two strands knitted as one, and the striping thing it's doing is cracking me up!

green goodness

aka my thrifted bunny bowl

the hat is done!

And I love it.

stuff that made me say "wow"

Note: DOES NOT include Windows Vista.
- 150 handdrawn valentines. Just gorgeous.
- recycled sweaters. the shrug is so lovely.
- beautiful events. I haven't looked at all the pictures yet, but what I've seen have been full of thoughtful details.

if bomb diggity could be worn on the head, it would totally look like this hat I'm knitting

Or, random ruminations from my scatted brain.

Last night le husband and I finally found a place around here the serves decent sushi, and we were both so estatic that we couldn't stop grinning about this wondrous state of affairs. We then went and watched "Music and Lyrics" (a real date!) and although Hugh Grant is his usual charmingly rakish underacheiver character and Drew Barrymore is her usual lovely self, the whole movie is a bit flat, I think. There are some fabulous moments ("Every syllable you uttered was devastating") but on the whole it's a little eh. Even the music is blah. Drew's wardrobe is utterly charming, though, and Hugh's take on the Tom Ford look (black blazer and white dress shirt at all times) is velly sexy.

So anyway, that was just an intro to say that I made le husband go to Borders with me afterwards, just because we were near there and I like bookstores, and I got to flip through Twinkle's Big City Knits and can I just say that I think I've finally found the motivation I need to work out? No, seriously. I've promised myself that if I work out every day (at least 15 minutes) for the next 21 days (the time it takes to build a new habit) I'll buy it for myself. WITHOUT A COUPON. OR A SALE. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I can feel the world slowly grinding to a halt.

Also, I've been swithering on the whole "should I should I not get bangs" issue, and I'm sure I'll swither some more because my appointment isn't until March 1 (!!!) but looking at these pictures has definitely assuaged a few butterflies. The girl at the bottom of the post? Loveliness.

Oh, right. The bombdiggity. I posted a picture a few days ago of an image I found in Nylon magazine of a giant oversized knitted beret and I decided I needed one. So last night, not having enough chunky yarn around to just make on, I pulled out an old sweater that I had knitted for the husband that he doesn't wear and I unraveled it and started knitting. It currently looks like a poof of heathery grayness and we all know that poofs of anything = awesomeness. I'll post a picture when I'm finished. Or not. You know, whatever.

sharing the good stuff since....I started sharing

I think we're up for sushi and a romcom tonight, so probably no pictures today (unless I get reallyreally ambitious). I am, however, going to share some of the loveliness I've been finding today.

• From decor8: a tour of posie's house and lovely red rooms.
• felt rugs. (You think I could make one of those?)
• I love this idea of making CD storage look almost classy. (Am I the only person who likes having an actual physical CD? I'm addicted to the packaging, I swear. But we knew that already.) I can't see that being hard to replicate for a handy person. (Note: if it doesn't load at the top of the page, scroll down until you see the gold-framed CD shelf.)
• antidote to winter weather: springy embroidery.

I'm going to stop now; I want to go troll around Ebay some more. (For my SISTER, I swear!)

hooray for another snow day!

No work at all today! And church is canceled tonight, which means le husband and I get to spend the evening curled up being COSY. Did I ever complain about snow? I LOVE SNOW. Awesome stuff, piling up and keeping people indoors. So, on to the good stuff.
- It's enough to make me want to learn to crochet. Actually, I might pull out some books and try to figure it out today, while I'm sitting on the couch watching Les Miserables (the one with Liam Neeson). I don't promise to post pictures of the results, though.
- Speaking of results, I started knitting the koolaid yarn last night, and it looks pretty nifty. Maybe I'll pull the camera out for that.
- free patterns=awesomeness.
- How easy would these be to make?
Le husband just returned! Hooray! So I'm going to scuttle off and do snowy sorts of things, like making lunch and/or hot chocolate and maybe covering some throw pillows. Have fun!

looks that I've been drooling over and just might pin on my wall

Top to bottom: Adorn Magazine, Modern Glamour, Modern Glamour, and nylon magazine

snow day inspiration

I wish I were snowed in at home; I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to be snowed in at work. But if I were at home? I'd want to do nothing more than create cool things, ot at least contemplate creating cool things before making myself hot chocolate and curling up on the couch to watch Roman Holiday. So, here's food for contemplation.

• A playing card bouquet! Too, too awesome. Also note her use of pink and red.
• Although I don't particularly need a tea cosy, I love how she made this one. Wouldn't those flowers look lovely on a skirt?
• Make a few valentines for tomorrow
• How easy would it be to make reversible hoods? Very easy, that's how. A fun addition to your winter-wear WITHOUT giving you hat hair!
• Doesn't this make you want to start your very own house project? It's such a lovely house now that it's been taken in hand.

Enough of this! We get a snow day after all! I think I'll go home and sew some pillow covers, bake more cupcakes (for youth group tomorrow night) and maybe post some photos to wardrobe swap. Oh, and try knitting the koolaid yarn. Or maybe I'll chuck it all and watch Roman Holiday.

feeling domestic

So when I did the grocery shopping on Saturday? I somehow ended up going a little crazy in the baking aisle, and this was the result. (They had red and pink SPRINKLES!) I think I was slightly influenced by the cover of March's Romantic Homes. Mine aren't as pretty, though. Must practice. Fortunately my coworkers are more than willing to eat my attempts.

a crisis of confidence

The first weekend in March I'm flying down to a wedding where I mostly know the people through my blog and online forums. There will be some I know IRL (the bride, for one), but mostly? I'll be surrounded by people who have this massive misconception that I am a fabulous fashionista.
I'm scared silly. Everyone knows that girls don't dress to please guys (if that were the case we'd all walk around in bikinis and fur coats) but rather for other girls. I can't borrow anything from my sisters--that would completely undermine my position as "Mistress of the Wardrobe."
When it comes to charming cocktailesqe outfits, I have plenty of those....for summer. My winter wardrobe? Not so much. So I'm franticly scrolling through Ebay, looking for fabulous deals, trying to find The Dress. So far it has eluded my grasp, so I may have to go thrifting tomorrow. And after the dress will come The Shoes.
I need to get my hair trimmed soon, so I'm planning on doing that, and I've been thinking about getting bangs, but is my face too fat for bangs and will they look too juvenile or will it be a much-needed update to my look?
I think I might be overthinking this.

afflicted with spring fever

And the latest issue of Adorn isn't helping much! Inspired by them, I want to go on an apron making spree. Maybe this pattern (The full-length one in the middle with pockets!) in this fabric? Or this. Or this. Or one of these.

le sigh. Must. Not. Click. "purchase now."

experiments

Croissants with Nutella smeared inside and koolaid dyeing: it's all good.


I wasn't kidding when I said I'm obsessed with pink and red! This is cherry and pink lemonade koolaid, and I think I might have gotten a bit enthusiastic on the rinsing; it started felting a bit. Ah, well. I'll get it sorted out. Can't wait for it to dry so I can knit it up!


Alright, enough dwadling. Must go get dressed as June!

see, you want to be my friend and have babies because I made very cute gifts

The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting, with a few modifications. I didn't use a ribbon closure as they suggested because a) it's too girly, and b) what mum has time to tie things up? and c) thirty seconds is all it takes for the wee one to snag it and untie. So I used buttons and a loop. I also added velcro dots on the inside, to keep the flaps in place.
I used a different edging technique on each sweater just for fun. Well, except for the garter stitch sweater; that's just plain garter.

le bag! It is le complete!

I joined the one hour craft bag swap, and this is getting sent off to my partner as soon as she emails me her address. Don't you love those fabrics? Can you believe I found them at WalMart?

a rawther busy day

So today was our day to sleep in, right? We made it all the way to eight-thirty and couldn't stay in bed any longer. Which is probably fortunate, since we had a ton to get done, but I managed to surprised even myself with all the things I did AND photographed. (The latter is the bit I always forget.)
Tonight is the church's valentine banquet; we're dressing as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. I'll make sure to post a picture of our lovely finery. (Did I mention that we're singing "it ain't me, babe"? Let me tell you--it should be interesting to say the least.)
Anyway, enjoy the outburst of photos; you probably won't get another for some time.

adorableness under $30

Flats, flats, and more flats. Wear them with skirts, with skinny jeans, with wide-leg trousers. All from Urban Outfitters. Click the images for more information.

there's warm fuzzies all around

Today I'm madly in love with:

• all things red and pink. My living room is currently strewn with the components of our prizes for Saturday's Valentine Banquet and I love it.
• children's bedrooms that look much better than mine does. Look at the fourth picture down--that's a Pez collection arranged along the wall about his bed, and it looks playful, but artistic, too. And then the one with the white books? I wonder how it would look if I gave all my books dust jackets....
• paper walls. This. Is. Awesome. Wouldn't it make a fabulous curtain, too?
• an amazingly organized workspace. This should motivate me.
• gorgeous window screens. I would love to use something like this on the high, but skinny windows that run the length of our living room.
• and just for the geek in you: all the "q" words that don't require "u." I am totally going to memorize this list, especially since the inlaws will now play Dig with me.

Please excuse the hideousness of this blog. It's a momentary lapse, I promise. I didn't think through the whole "template switching" concept and now I'm paying the price. Hopefully I'll have time to fix it tonight.

addicted to etsy

I held off on getting an etsy account for a reason: I knew it would be an irresistable temptation. And yes, it is. (I bought the most gorgeous handpainted yarn yesterday. It was silk! And on sale! I'm telling myself that I'll give it to mum for her birthday.) Anyway, here are some of my latest favorites.