Freckles in April

Feeling Dressy

2012-03-02T04:00:00.013-07:00

1. Dorothy Perkins coral v-neck peplum dress
2. Asos color block dress
3. Alloy Carly Knit dress
4. Asos midi with belt
5. Modcloth Blue Isthmus dress
6. Vero Moda Button Back dress
7. Target belted dress
8. Vero Moda red midi dress
9. eShakti The Birds Who Gossip dress*

It never fails...we've had some warmer weather the past few weeks and yesterday morning I woke up and thought, "Jeans? Psh! Give me a dress!"

This is a very restrained list. I've seen SO many dresses lately that I love. Asos, in particular, is killing me but I've found good stuff everywhere.

(confession: I know I'm trying not to buy too much new stuff but I got #3 last week and LOVE it. A worthy purchase.)

Seen any pretty and affordable dresses around lately??

Open to Interpretation

2012-03-01T07:00:00.019-07:00

This round was Erica's pick!

Madewell 2011

Darn that Erica! Her inspiration pictures are always the hardest for me. I own nothing in this color. My one silk blouse is in the dry clean pile. I am scared of scarves. I don't own hipster glasses. I got nothing. I barely squeaked in under the deadline with my outfit but I did it!

Thrifted top (similar), thrifted scarf (similar), Gap jeans (similar), Target moccs, Simply Vera sunglasses from Kohls

Besos!

After spending an entire day going in and out of my closet searching for SOMETHING to wear for this round, I rediscovered this linen shirt all wrinkled and abandoned at the far back. It has very similar details as the one in the inspiration pic so I busted out the iron. I tied a scarf in my hair instead of around my neck so as to avoid the dreaded flight attendant look (no offense to flight attendants) and I quite liked the result.

Go check out Amy's and Erica's interpretations!

The Flour Sack Project

2012-02-28T04:00:00.001-07:00

I have a kind of crazy love for flour sack dishtowels. I'll sprinkle one with flour and lay pasta to dry. I always use one to cover rising loaves of bread. When we're having a really messy dinner and a regular bib won't cut it I'll use one to cover as much of Baby 2 as possible. They are such a fantastic kitchen tool.

At some point I realized they might also have some pretty good crafting applications as well. I use them for kid projects all the time and started getting inspired for other DIYs as well.

Have I mentioned that you can get a four pack for $1 at the dollar store?

So a couple weeks ago I forked over my hard-earned dollar and got started on various projects. And, of course, I will be blogging about them. I hope you can contain your excitement.

The first project I'm going to share with you is super easy. The next one involves sewing AND painting so soak up the simplicity while you can.

Furoshiki is a Japanese wrapping technique that uses squares of fabric to wrap gifts or create totes to carry things. I think it feels rather fancy and is super fun in prints (plus: good karma for being eco friendly!). You can find directions for the otsukai tsutsumi (the wrap I did) and a whole bunch of other ones here.

It was a lucky thing that I had these dishtowels on hand. Furoshiki wasn't what I had in mind for this project but a sweet friend is having a baby girl soon and it turned out I wasn't going to be able to attend her baby shower (go and see what I missed. I was really sad) and I told her I'd drop by with my gift. Ten minutes before I needed to leave I realized that I had NO non-Christmas wrapping paper. Flour sack dishtowel to the rescue! Her gift was neatly wrapped AND she got a new dishtowel in the process. I added some girly ribbon and a little hang tag and had enough time to snap a picture before walking out the door. Easy!

Suspended

2012-02-23T04:00:00.013-07:00

Target shirt, Gap jeans (similar), mens suspenders from WalMart, Charlotte Russe shoes (similar-y), F21 bangles

I've decided suspenders are slimming. You're pretty much drawing two thick vertical lines along the sides of your torso, which is like Dressing Yourself Skinny 101. I wear my suspenders a lot but I'm only just now putting this together. Why yes, I DID go to college.

And I know I'm like 2 years late hopping on the mustard train but I haven't loved it on myself until now. I think it's because of my change in hair color. In any event, I need like 13 more of these shirts because I have been wearing this one constantly with just about everything and if I could just get like a two week rotation going that would be great.

Cruisin'

2012-02-21T04:00:00.040-07:00

I wrote a crazy long post about our cruise (I am incapable of recapping vacations in a brief way. I insist on writing down every single detail) and then I was like, "...no one cares, Kayla." and put it on our private family blog instead.

So here are the bare bones: I got this crazy idea to surprise Aaron with a vacation for Vday. I e-mailed Shawna, who is married to Andrew, who is one of Aaron's really good friends from his BYU days and who we haven't seen in almost five years. She suggested a cruise and it was a brilliant suggestion and a week later we were on a boat. It was awesome. The best part of the whole trip was their lovely company.

Outside Grauman's right before heading down to Long Beach

In Ensenada

Andrew and Shawna at our muster station

Mexico

Just a little lost

We found a beautiful furniture shop and spent a long while wandering around and dreaming of being rich enough to be able to ship any of it back to the US (it was quite affordable without the shipping part).

Aaron owned a butterfly knife for a few blissful hours before it was confiscated by ship security.

I'm not pregnant. Just sitting really unattractively.

Why yes, that IS my old ugly diaper bag.

Farewell, Ensenada

The best part of sailing Carnival

This was the highlight for me.

I miss them

The most exciting part of the drive home to our children who were not in the least bit happy to see us

When customs asked what we bought and I responded, "A Christmas ornament," they gave me a weird look. I guess that's not what the average cruise passenger brings back from Mexico.

Lightning

2012-02-17T04:00:00.001-07:00

Old shirt (similar), thrifted vest, F21 jeans, Charlotte Russe shoes (on sale!), Target watch (similar*)

There was some lightning last night right after I finished taking pictures and it reminded me of this story about how I'm kind of a gullible idiot-

When I was little I must have asked my dad where thunder and lightning came from. He either didn't know or wasn't sure he could dumb it down to my little kid level so he told me that storm clouds were quite dense and they would collide and rub against each other. The sound of the collision was thunder and the rubbing caused friction which would then create lightning. This sounded quite plausible to my elementary school brain. I went on my merry way.

Apparently I never thought to question this explanation. In my second year of college, I took a physical science class. My professor started talking about thunder and lightning and I kind of started to relax a bit cause, hey, I got this. Except then he was all talking about positive and negative charges and stuff. And I kind of started to raise my hand but turned it into a head scratch at the last moment while I pondered a bit. Where did I learn the friction thing...

I finally remembered that my information had come from my dad, the same man who had my sister and me terrified of something called "The Dreaded Trinity Squirrel" (large flesh eating squirrel with a taste for small children, in case you're wondering) while we were camping at Lake Trinity in northern California when I was five.

I figured I could probably trust my professor on the positive/negative thing and I put my hand down.

*Just kidding. This is actually more like it.

Open to Interpretation

2012-02-16T07:00:00.003-07:00

I love the colors in Amy's pick for this round (plus: I spy Missoni for Target heels! The only thing I really liked from the collection)-

Source. Used with permission.

Unfortunately, between our cruise, a sudden influx of blog design clients, and a barfing baby, I have barely managed to squeeze in a shower lately. There definitely hasn't been makeup or hair or real live clothing (there has, however, been large amounts of these amazingly comfortable Target pajama pants that I picked up in LA about 30 seconds before boarding our ship because I forgot my pajamas in the dryer at home).

Anyway, let's pretend I got dressed. And I had a much better closet than I currently do.

1. Madewell V-neck Pocket Tee - Pretty color, comfy silhouette, very affordable. Style blogging has taken me away from t-shirts in a big way but...I'm starting to miss them. This tee would look great with skinny jeans and sandals when it gets a bit warmer.

2. Muubaa Albany Fur Collar Jacket - I'm totally dreaming here ($700??) but look at it! It's beautiful!

3. Melissa Borrell Lace Pop-Out Earrings - To bring in the lace element from the original. These earrings are super cool..they come attached to the piece of metal they were machined from! You pop them out yourself and attach them to (included) earring hardware.

I'd probably wear everything with my go-to gray skinny jeans from Gap and my black Target peep-toe heels. Or, more realistically, thick socks. This winter has been ridiculously warm but I am still almost always freezing. Poor Aaron gets the job of foot warmer at night. He doesn't love it.

I promise to actually participate in the next round but, in the meantime, go see Amy's and Erica's interpretations!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T04:00:00.111-07:00

source

We normally don't even recognize Vday round these parts (we barely even do our anniversary) but this year I pulled off quite the gift. I surprised Aaron with a cruise! Not too shabby considering I thought of it just over a week ago. So we celebrated a little early and got home yesterday evening. I'll share some pictures and an excessively wordy recap later but, in the meantime, here's some love for your Valentine's Day:

Some tips for a really great marriage from Mara and Danny of A Blog About Love. A hearty amen to all of it.

It's business time. Please tell me you already know this one by heart. The other day Aaron was giving me a massage and wimped out early. "That was like two minutes long!" I complained. He replied, "Two minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven." Touche.

Ruche regularly posts love stories on their blog. If you want to laugh, cry, and generally wallow in sap, it's a good place to go.

Time.com did a wonderful piece on couples who have been married 50 years or more. My favorite was one sweet wife talking about how she and her husband have become so alike and she said, "It's the years. The years." I can feel the weight behind that. What an amazing thing to stand on that side of a marriage and be able to look back on so much time, experience and love shared.

Happy Valentine's Day from our nest of lurve to yours.

Old Navy

2012-02-08T04:00:00.003-07:00

One of my sort of unofficial goals for the year is to keep my clothes shopping to a minimum. I have a tendency to go shopping out of closet boredom rather than necessity but this blog has taught me time and again that my closet has tons of awesome options if I'm willing to put forth a little effort. As a result, I have spent very little time doing any kind of online window shopping. Why tempt myself?

Then Madeline posted some of Old Navy's ridiculously cute spring dress offerings and I found myself delving into the website and THEN I had to hide my car keys from myself. I. don't. need. anything.

But seriously, Old Navy has been upping their game. On top of the pretty dresses that Madeline posted I found quite a few other things I'd love to take home with me:

1. Colored chambray - a fresh take on the more traditional chambray from last year

2. Black and white color block top - graphic black & white is very on trend right now but still feels crisp and classic. I love the flattering silhouette- this is my FAVORITE shape for shirts. Very kind to tummies that have carried babies. Wear it with skinny jeans and feel like a million bucks. (I actually went to the store in search of this one but the stores apparently don't have it yet.Thwarted!)

3. Striped tie waist dress - add a messy bun and strappy sandals = what I want to wear all summer long.

4. Tea length jersey skirt - I have a couple jersey skirts from ON and they carry me through the summer. Mine are boring solids though...LOVE the colors here. (although I saw it in the store when I went in search of the B&W top and it didn't strike me as much in person)

5. Striped keyhole swimsuit - It's like my skirt in swimsuit form. The angled stripe on the sides is really slimming.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

2012-02-06T04:00:00.070-07:00

Janssen and I had so much fun doing our under $5 gift guide for Christmas that we decided to do a quick Valentine's version. We gave ourselves a bit more leeway in the price this time, since you're probably only buying gifts for a special significant other and maybe a girl friend or sister or something instead of your whole extended family. There are still some under $5 options but we threw in some cool stuff on the higher end as well.

Also, I asked Aaron what a guy might want for Valentine's Day and he said,

I know exactly what every guy wants for Valentine's Day. Are you listening? I mean really listening? Ok, the perfect Valentine's Day gift is to be let off the hook for Valentine's Day. Or maybe like, sex with some french fries waiting for afterward.

And that about sums Aaron up.

1. Sex - FREE
Just sayin'.
(don't forget the french fries. Apparently guys like that)

2. A massage - FREE. Plus maybe the cost of some massage oil.
Most people love massages but professional ones are pricey and involve being naked while a stranger rubs you down. Look up a few massage techniques online, grab a bottle of coconut oil (or real massage oil, if you're fancy), put a towel down on your massage surface so the oil doesn't stain anything important and start attacking those knots.

3. Star Walk app - $2.99
Star gazing is romantic. Star gazing with this app is freaking awesome. My dad has it on his iPad (though there is also an iPhone version) and all you have to do is point it at the sky and it displays the stars in front of you and which constellations they belong to. You can tap to pull up all kinds of information about what you're seeing. It's fascinating and super fun.

4. Custom chocolate bar from Chocomize - Base price $4.50 + add-ins
It's build-your-own chocolate bar. Pick your base (dark, milk or white) and add in whatever your (his) little heart desires. I'm dying to try this.

5. Foam Disk Shooters - $6-10 apiece
Back in my working days we each had one of these in our offices. Every once in a while you'd hear one power up followed by some shrieking and the sound of running. Occasionally there were wars. For Christmas this year my parents got the ones I linked to above (the non-electric kind are better for sneak attacks). SO much fun. Grab one for you and one for your lovah and have at it.

6. Tie - I've found them for $10 and under at places like Marshall's.
Instead of gift wrapping it, give it to him Jennifer Aniston on the cover of GQ style.

7. Custom phone skin or case from Gelaskins - starting at $14.95
Make him a pretty new skin or case for his phone! You can pick a pre-made one (like the one above. Which Aaron wouldn't actually like but I sure would) or you can create your own using a picture, pattern, words, artwork, whatever. Compatible with a whole bunch of different kinds of phones.

8. Helicopter - $25.75
Not the most romantic gift in the world but if your husband is anything like mine he'll think this is the best. thing. ever. One of Aaron's friends got him one for Christmas and it has been a prized possession in our house ever since. I'm kicking myself that I didn't think of it first.

9. Sheffield Cider -$10 a bottle + $10 shipping
Several years ago some friends of ours introduced us to fancy juices. It makes dinner feel so much more special if you're a non-drinker! My mom discovered Sheffield Cider while in Utah last year. The juice is fantastic and their shipping is quite fast. All four flavors are good but we love the Harvest Crush and Classic Sweet. Of course, you could always go with classic Martinelli's or one of Ikea's sparkling juices if you're a little strapped for cash.

10. A watch - prices vary but I love this one for $48
One of these days I'm going to get Aaron a cool watch. I don't even know if it's something he wants but I think he'd love this one. As an engineer he's always fascinated by parts and pieces and cogs and all that so a watch with visible inner workings would be perfect. Target, WalMart, Overstock, and about a million other places have all kinds of different options. There's bound to be one that suits your smellier half and fits your budget!

Hope on over to Janssen's blog to see the other half of the gift guide!

Scary Stuff

2012-02-03T04:00:00.007-07:00

Macy's dress (you can't see the details thanks to funky photo contract but this one is similar), thrifted scarf and belt, Miss Mooz shoes from Last Chance (but you can find them here)

I'm kind of proud that I had to think long and hard to come up with things that scare me. I've definitely got a few though!

1.Red lipstick - or lipstick in general, really. I think it ages me and makes me look clowny.

2. Scarves - They look so nice on other people. They make me look like a flight attendant.

3. Ponytails- I know, it's a weird one. Aaron thinks ponytails are the hottest thing ever. Half the time I come out in the morning and he'll say, "You know what would look really good with that outfit? A ponytail." But I feel so BLAH in a ponytail. I always worry they take my outfit down a notch.

So I braved all 3 and felt super awkward all day long. But I did it! Pat on the back to me.

And to you! Link up below or add your photo to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 10 > Something that scares you

2012-02-02T07:00:00.006-07:00

This one was suggested by Miss Nemesis toward the end of the last round and I filed it away in my brain box. I think most (if not all) of us have some trend or ensemble we'd love to try if only it didn't scare us silly. We've tried it in the safety of our bedrooms only to turn chicken at the last minute and change into one of our go-to backup outfits before walking out the door.

Miss Nem said her thing was red lipstick (which she then decided to go for with fantastic results)

I have a friend who is terrified of skinny jeans. She owns a great pair and they look fantastic on her BUT she can't bring herself to wear them in public.

My sister is scared of tucking in her shirts.

A friend from my old neighborhood would love to become a girl who wears hats but is worried that she looks ridiculous (she doesn't).

I used to be scared of wearing red. It was a long slow road but I finally got over that one. I've still got a few more fashion fears lurking in my closet though.

What are you scared of? Bright colors? Boyfriend jeans? Winged eyeliner? Well, tomorrow I want you to take a crack at that fear. Jump right in and give it a try.

Come back tomorrow to link up or go add your photo to the Flickr group!

Open to Interpretation

2012-02-02T04:00:00.017-07:00

Picking an inspiration picture for a group OTI is kind of hard. When I showed Erica my initial pick I could see her shaking her head through gchat. Not accessible. People would balk. So I sent her this one and she said, "Perfect!" And she's right, of course. This is the kind of classic outfit that pretty much anyone can interpret with stuff they already own.

I really wanted to wear a cozy sweater but, strangely, I own zero cable knit. So this is what I came up with:

Button up free from swap (similar), thrifted and altered red top, khakis from American Eagle altered (similar), Target heels (similar), bangle from a trip to the Bahamas

Bright + neutral + layers. I actually started out with something a lot closer to the original but I hated it and declared a last minute re-do yesterday. I was much happier.

Link up your OTI below! Or you can also add it to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 9 > Group OTI

2012-02-01T07:00:00.007-07:00

As a reminder, here's the inspiration image-

From J.Crew

Come back tomorrow to link it up or you can always add your photo to the Flickr group!

Dressing Up My Coat

2012-02-01T04:00:00.019-07:00

Charlotte Russe coat (similar)and boots (similar), flower and skirt (similar) by me, tank from Last Chance, necklace from Old Navy, belt from a skirt I bought at JCPenney

This prompt was difficult if only because we've had so very few coat days lately. I did mine out of order and ended up doing this one dead last, just waaaiting for a cold day. This day still didn't call for a coat but oh well. I put a flower on it and I wore it and I liked it.

Link up your outfit below or, as always, go link it up in the Flickr group!

Baby Copycat

2012-01-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

My baby niece has killer style. She's already copying Kendi!

My sister noticed the outfit resemblance from my winter brights inspiration post and I had to share.

Also, I did something I never ever thought I would do.

I made a Freckles in April FB page.

I hereby solemnly swear to you that I will never make liking my Facebook page a condition for entering a giveaway or participating in a challenge. It seems like another good way to get to know readers (Twitter has been so awesome for that). And also because all the people who went to Alt told me I should have one. And considering all the other good, sound advice that came out of that thing I figured I should listen.

(I am dying to go to Alt next year..is anyone else kicking themselves for just staying home and reading updates on Twitter?)

SO, anyway...like me?

Winter Edition: Day 8 > Dress up a coat

2012-01-31T07:00:00.012-07:00

You see what I did there? It looks like a coat? Maybe? No? Ok, moving on...

Coats in and of themselves tend to be icing. I think just about everyone who lives in a cooler climate has a decent, good looking coat that adds instant polish or style to their outfit. The idea of dressing up a coat hadn't really occurred to me (possibly just because I live in AZ which doesn't have a real winter) until I saw this post from Elsie at A Beautiful Mess.

From A Beautiful Mess

The stuff she added is simple but adds so much to an already awesome coat.

If you're feeling crafty you could try adding a fur collar to your coat (or cape!).

The adorable Lizzie from Cotton and Curls

You could add a belt, a bow, a flower, a brooch, whatever. Up to you

Come back tomorrow to add your link. Don't forget to go check the Flickr group!

Winter Brights

2012-01-31T04:00:00.021-07:00

Dress by me (similar), thrifted vest (similar), Gap jacket (similar), Kohls boots (similar), Charming Charlie earrings

Sorry. This picture was begging for a snooty mustache.

A couple years ago I paid full price for this jacket. That may not seem monumental to you but for me? That is huge. I don't pay full price for anything. I find something I want and then patiently wait for it to go on sale then I wait a little more until I have a coupon and it goes on better sale and THEN I will finally evaluate whether or not I really want it enough to spend money on it.

This jacket, though. I fell in love the instant I walked into Gap. There was only one left in my size and not a mark-down in sight. I bought it. Heaven help me, I forked over the full asking price and I have never regretted it. I have worn the living snot out of the jacket and it is holding up beautifully. Worth every penny.

And I really love it with this dress.

Link up your bright colors below! As always, don't forget the lovely ladies in the Flickr group.

Winter Edition: Day 7 > Bright Colors

2012-01-30T07:00:00.011-07:00

Winter tends to be a time of blacks, grays and browns. My trips into public places have been awash in people clad in dark neutrals. It fits the weather and, sometimes, our moods, but bright colors have their place in winter too!

For tomorrow I want you to add bright color to your winter wardrobe. It can be all over color or a small splash- whatever works for you.

McQ Prefall 2012

Gap scarf

Sarah Jessica Parker [source]

Pretty winter looks from Net-a-Porter

Love the bright hat on Kristine

PINK pants from Kendi.

Rebecca in happy brights

Gorgeous brights bordering on neon from Julia.

Come back tomorrow and link up your outfit or add it to the Flickr group!

Decade or Region

2012-01-30T04:00:00.039-07:00

ATL shirt, Gap jeans, Charlotte Russe boots, Charming Charlie necklace

I have a love/hate relationship with Arizona. There's a lot to love but a lot to make you want to run screaming for the (cooler and greener) hills. But since it looks like we're going to be here for.ev.er (please say that in your Sandlot voice, thanks) I've been trying to make my peace with the southwest. I even have my eye on a pair of cowboy boots.

There are many things I am still learning to love about my desert home but there is also lot I can totally get behind. Like turquoise jewelry! And 70 degrees in January! And fry bread. Sweet mercy I love fry bread.

Link up your outfits below! Be sure to go visit the lovely ladies in the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 6 > Decade or Region

2012-01-29T07:00:00.005-07:00

If the challenge were a little longer I might make these separate days but the halved time frame requires some economy with prompts.

I'm sure we all have a decade that speaks our sartorial language and over the past few years we've seen a huge interest in vintage fashion. Victory rolls, wide legged jeans, neon...all places we've bravely gone before but don't mind revisiting. My inspiration pictures start in the 20s but you can go as far back as you want for inspiration (know how to update a fig leaf? I would love to see that).

1920s inspired dresses and hair (2008 collections from Rodarte, Reyes, Dior and Reem Acra) [source]

30s sewing pattern [source]

All kinds of fantastic 40s fashion inspiration [source]

50s style fashion shot by Mert and Marcus for Vogue in 2010

60s inspired dress from ASOS

70s style from F21

80s edge from Free People

The other day I saw a super cute girl wearing what I can only describe as a modern, daytime wear friendly kimono. It was a lot cooler than it sounds (I should have sucked it up and asked for a picture). It was obvious where her inspiration came from but it wasn't costumey at all. So if you have a regional style that speaks to your soul then go for it! Kimonos, dirndls, saris, lederhosen etc. They're all up for interpretation.

Obi belt (part of a kimono) [source]

Sari inspired scarf (SO pretty) [source]

Modern designer's take on traditional Turkish clothing (I would wear that vest in a heartbeat) [source]

I love Mexican embroidery! [source]

I said this a couple days ago but try to keep from going Halloween with this. This prompt isn't permission to bust out that poodle skirt you sometimes wear in October. You can go all out if you want but that's not required. Sometimes one 80s inspired neon bracelet is enough to get your point across.

Come back tomorrow to link up here or add your picture to the Flickr group!

OTI Inspiration

2012-01-28T07:00:00.004-07:00

Since Amy, Erica and I do Open to Interpretation every other week there was an inevitable overlap if I did a 2 week challenge. It was my pick anyway so I decided to use it as a challenge prompt. I loved our last group OTI and I'm excited to do it again!

Here's the inspiration picture:

From J.Crew

Even though this is also part of my challenge, it will function like a normal group OTI. The link party will be open starting Thursday morning on all three of our blogs (you only need to link up in once place. It's connected to all of us). There are no rules but it would be lovely if you would link to one of us. Here's a button if you want one for your post-

Even if you couldn't commit to doing all 10 days of the challenge, perhaps you can do a quick OTI with us?

Winter Edition: Week 2

2012-01-28T07:00:00.003-07:00

Here are the prompts for week 2!

January 30: Decade or region
January 31: Bright colors
February 1: Dress up a coat
February 2: Group OTI
February 3: Something that scares you

It's kind of crazy how much faster this one is going by. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am!

Miss Mix-a-lot

2012-01-27T04:00:00.024-07:00

Spotted Moth top (gift from my in-laws), H&M pants, Target cardigan, earrings from JCPenney

Surprisingly, this prompt was by far the hardest one of the challenge for me. I guess it had been a while since I made a go at pattern mixing and you should have seen my bedroom floor while I was desperately trying to find something that worked. I came up with some ridiculous outfits. I couldn't bring myself to walk out of my bedroom in those ensembles, much less venture into public. My boys were rather amused.

Hey there shoeless Joe.

Yeah, it's safe. BUT! I mixed three patterns. Striped cardi (had a Target coupon!), feather printed blouse, aaand subtly patterned pants. Pat myself on the back.

Also, we went to our friends' little girl's first birthday party and I did, in fact, wear shoes. The party was at a park so I wore my park boots. They're ugly and beat up but they keep the nasty sand off my feet. It wasn't worth the effort of pulling them back on for pictures. Laaazy.

How did you do?? Link up below or add your picture to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 5 > Pattern Mixing

2012-01-26T07:00:00.008-07:00

Our other repeat from the last challenge. I chose this one specifically because it was difficult for people. BUT the thing I read most from that day was, "This was hard but I love my outfit!" And that is what I am going for here.

So tomorrow I want you to mix up some patterns and love it.

Meg mixed patterns AND textures.

According to Tumblr, this photo originally comes from somewhere in here.

Sydney, via Weardrobe

Amy in one of my fav pattern mixing ensembles from the last round

Emerald of Sunday Crossbow

Post your pictures in the Flickr group or blog it and come back here tomorrow to link it up!

Channeling

2012-01-26T04:00:00.070-07:00

Shirt free from swap, Old Navy pants, Charlotte Russe booties. The necklaces and belt were gifts from various family members

Can you figure this one out? The hair is the biggest hint. If not, the shoes should help (...they're blue suede)...

Source

Little known Kayla fact: I love Elvis music. Lilo & Stitch came out when I was a sophomore or junior in high school and I remember sitting there in the theater thinking, "This is the coolest soundtrack I've ever heard." I picked it up a few days later. When my aunt and uncle found out how much I enjoyed that soundtrack they gave me two Elvis cds (CDs! How quaint). And I've been a fan ever since. Devil in Disguise and Burning Love are still two of my most favorite songs ever (also, MELT).

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog..

The casual wear of Elvis's day was not basketball shorts or jeans (how novel). Even pictures of him lounging around have him in slacks. I took a pair of my old charcoal gray work pants and skinnied them up. I've worn them once since leaving the work force when Stinky was born and I hated that outfit. A quick sew job and I think I might actually get some real wear out of them.

I really loved this outfit. Also, an old guy riding a motorcycle through the Target parking lot liked my outfit enough to pull over and tell me so. He especially loved my shoes. So that pretty much made my day right there.

And, I kind of feel like if you're going to try and channel Elvis then you have to attempt the lip curl. I have come to the conclusion that I cannot do it. I have embarrassing photographic evidence.

I share because I care.

Link up your outfit below or add it to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 4 > Channel Someone

2012-01-25T07:00:00.037-07:00

I think we all have someone we'd like to emulate, if only for a day. Someone like Audrey, Marilyn, Cinderella, Katniss, Duchess Kate.

For tomorrow I want you to channel someone. Alive or dead, fictional or real, famous or regular Joe - doesn't matter. The trick here is to keep your outfit from looking costumey. You don't have to copy them exactly...just try and capture the flavor. Pick something they might wear. Give their hairstyle a go.

There's this person on Tumblr (via Polyvore, maybe?) who does outfits based on Disney characters and I think they've really got the hang of this. If you search Disney Bound on Pinterest or go to the Tumblr you can see a bunch of awesome outfits that get the general feel of a character without going Halloween. I particularly love this one:

Genius. Source

Cori channeling Audrey

Me taking a shot at Snow White

Looking a little Pocahontas Source

Hayden Panettiere channeled Amelia Earhart for Glamour Magazine in Apr 2009 (I would wear that outfit in a heartbeat) (there were a lot of other good ones in the series, totally worth looking through)

Emerald takes on Rosie the Riveter

Elaine does the Black Swan.

Come back tomorrow to link up your blog post or go add your photo to the Flickr group!

Trendy

2012-01-25T04:00:00.046-07:00

ATL top, skirt by me, Charlotte Russe boots, Charming Charlie earrings

I had something completely different in mind for this prompt, but then I saw this fabric at JoAnns. When I first started seeing Navajo stuff around I kind of went, "meh" because, as an AZ dweller, I see it a lot and it felt a little boring to me. But I've seen some really gorgeous pieces and outfits lately and I've come around (LOVE the sweater in this post).

I've dubbed this my "Cowboys and Indians" skirt. The indian part is obvious, but you kind of have to look for the cowboy-

I needed pocket fabric and happened to have an old bandana in my fabric stash. Perfect! Except the skirt didn't turn out quite like I wanted (fit is weird and pattern doesn't match up at the seams) so I'm probably going to take it apart and start over. Ah, the joys of sewing.

Also, I was inspired by that hair twist pic I posted yesterday and decided to give it a try last night for my temple date with Aaron. I loved the way it turned out! That's a trend I'll be embracing whole-heartedly.

Link up your embrace-a-trend outfit below. Or you can always add it to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 3 > Embrace a Trend

2012-01-24T07:00:00.019-07:00

Sometimes it's easiest to just stay in our own little comfort zone of classics and basics and ignore passing trends. But for tomorrow I want you to pick a trend that intrigues you and go for it. Neon nails? Sure! Faux fur? Heck yes. Red pants? You know I love 'em.

Other trends worth trying:
-Skinny jeans
-Winged eyeliner
-Drop waist dresses (think silhouettes from the 20s)
-Polka dots - or stripes, if that's easier. They're still hanging on.
-Sequins
-Ballerina bun - probably dying but I refuse to let it go.
-70s style- wide legged jeans and maybe a little fringe (fun!)
-Tangerine (Pantone color of the year!) or graphic B&W
-I hesitate to even say this but...baseball caps. Apparently they're a thing this year. Several designers included them in their spring collections. Knock yourself out.

Try some fancy nails! Crazy manicures are popping up all over the place. The Beauty Department has some good nail art tutorials [source]

You can hop in on the tail end of the braid trend or try it's updated cousin The Twist (pretty!). [source]

Neon - fall's fun and funky homage to the 80s. Original source unknown.

Animal prints - I've had trouble coming around on this one...I just did it. They were in while I was in high school. How did they come back so soon?? Original source unknown.

Faux fur - dying to hop on board this one. I adore Suzannah's DIY vest! Source

Colored pants - such an awesome and unexpected way to add color! Source

Come back tomorrow to link up your blog post or head over to the Flickr group and add your photo there!

Monochromatic

2012-01-24T04:00:00.057-07:00

eShakti tunic, skirt by me, thrifted scarf, Steve Madden shoes via Last Chance, bracelets from F21 and JewelMint (gift)

I originally tried red but the end result was awful. I looked like an honest-to-goodness lion tamer or maybe a ring master. The effect was very circus-like. I was so very tempted by all the blue and gray in my closet but finally pulled out almost every single yellow thing I own and it worked (Aaron loved it).

Also, say hello to my fancy studio! And by fancy I mean a piece of fabric tacked up in my sewing room. The ideal time for me to take outfit photos is while my kids are napping but that's like high noon (which is the worst possible time to take pictures). So Aaron helped me rig up a little studio space for when naptime weather didn't cooperate and allow me to take my challenge pictures outside. It'll be making a few more appearances. It may not be pretty but it works!

Also, I am already woefully behind. I commented on all of TWO blogs yesterday in the 3 minutes I had to sit down at my computer. But from what I've seen of the thumbnails yesterday it looks like you guys are doing awesome! Hopefully nap time will go a little better today so I'll get a chance to sit down and take a real look.

Link up below! Don't forget to go see what's being posted in the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 2 > Monochrome

2012-01-23T07:00:00.044-07:00

This prompt is one of two repeats from the first challenge. There is just something about a monochromatic outfit that feels so wonderfully organized and clean to me. Last time I went safe with blue..we'll see if I can be a little bolder this time!

Blair from Atlantic-Pacific

Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2007

Upload your picture to the Flickr group or blog it and come back here tomorrow to link it up!

Layers

2012-01-23T04:00:00.014-07:00

Striped shirt from Mervyn's, checked shirt and pants from Gap, jacket from JCPenney, shoes by Miss Mooz via Last Chance, bracelets from F21

Outfits like this remind me why I was drawn to fashion blogging in the first place. All these pieces are staples in my wardrobe that get a lot of wear but I never would have put them together unless pushed. The resulting outfit was something I loved and felt very comfortable in.

Link up your layers below or add your photo to the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Day 1 > Layer it

2012-01-22T07:00:00.017-07:00

I'm starting you off easy! But the biggest perk of doing a winter challenge is that we can wear layers. Layers add depth and complexity to an outfit as well as warmth. It's a great way to work in pattern or texture and there are a million different ways you can go about it. Layer shirts, sweaters, scarves, skirts, accessories, etc.

Anyone can throw a cardigan over a t-shirt and call it layering..try and push yourself a little. Look for a combo in your closet you haven't seen before. You can get really creative or go classic..it's up to you!

I think of Blair as the layering queen. I love that she layered plaid under her chambray (under leather!). You can pretty much go look at her entire blog for layering inspiration if you're so inclined.

Wendy's layering of a long sleeved jacket under an elbow length sleeved one is unexpected but super cool.

Linley's layering here is simple but the bright color of the shirt plus the cuffing makes for a fantastic outfit.

I used this pic during the last round of the challenge too but, seriously, check this guy out! Three layers plus all kinds of pattern mixing (plus the glasses and the watch and the bone structure). I love it all.

I think she layered a skirt over a dress (tunic?). Pretty and unexpected. Source

Dress under gingham under cardi (plus a really cool necklace). Source (possibly not the original source..stupid Tumblr)

Love Krista's tights under socks under boots look. Cozy!

Love Kendi's button-up under a jacket under a fur vest.

Come back tomorrow to link up your layering outfit or post it in the Flickr group!

Winter Edition: Week 1

2012-01-21T07:00:00.008-07:00

Just a quick note before we get going- remember that the prompts are really basic so that they're accessible for anyone who wants to participate. BUT that doesn't mean you should take the easy or obvious route. Stretch yourself! Try new things.

Also, the prompts are open to interpretation. Just a guideline to help you when you walk into your closet in the morning. During the last round one of the prompts was to tuck. Malorie was pregnant at the time (not an ideal time for tucking shirts into pants) and ended up wearing a tie tucked into a cardigan. Perfect example of taking a prompt and making it work for you and your life and your closet.

(P.S. Just saw that Malorie had her baby a few short weeks ago..congrats!!)

Here are the prompts for week 1:

January 23: Layers
January 24: Monochrome
January 25: Embrace a trend
January 26: Channel someone
January 27: Pattern mixing

The first inspiration post goes up tomorrow! Let's get this party started.

The Challenge: Winter Edition > The Low Down

2012-01-20T07:00:00.002-07:00

Alright, pretty much the same deal as last time, just a little shorter and simpler.

The list of prompts for the first week goes up tomorrow. Look it over. Get some ideas.
The first prompt goes up Sunday, Jan 22. Get dressed according to the prompt, take a picture, and....
Add it to the Flickr group and/or post it on your blog and come back here to link it up on Monday, Jan 23.
Each link party will be open for 3 days, which means there is some lag time if you can't do it on the exact day. Don't worry if you fall a little behind!
You don't have to participate in every single day. Great if you can! But if the flu or something knocks you down and you can't do the whole thing I will still like you.

I've said this before but I'll say it again- pictures taken with cell phones in bathroom mirrors are totally acceptable. I'm not asking you to go all fashion blogger on me. Just participate in whatever way is easiest for you!

Also, I'd like to encourage a culture of commenting. I'll be trying to comment as much as possible but I learned very quickly with the last round that I can't get to everyone everyday. Posting pictures of your clothes on the internet is a scary thing. Give positive support where you can! Make friends! That's one of the best parts of stuff like this.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Now's the time.

Open to Interpretation

2012-01-19T07:00:00.059-07:00

I was just thinking the other day that OTI needed a bit of shaking up and then good ol' Erica sends this round's inspiration over-

From the Sartorialist [photo used with permission]

Ooooh, interesting!

My favorite part of his ensemble is the green socks. And I just happen to have a skirt in almost that same exact hue. Which I hiked up to my armpits and called a shirt. Or maybe a tunic? A skunic.

I carefully planned out my outfit ahead of time (and actually really liked it) and then my day was totally crazy full of errands and grumpy kids and then I was in the middle of making dinner when I looked up and realized it was practically dark outside. I grabbed my camera and pressed Aaron into super quick photographer duty.

I got two pictures: the above (which I have entitled "Boobs McGee") and one in which my left eye is closed, my shoulders are hunched and my mouth is in the middle of saying something that looks veeerrry attractive (entitled: "Quasimodo"). It was really fun trying to decide which picture should go with this post.

Sadly, Amy is sitting out this round of OTI but you can still go see how Erica interpreted it!

The Wednesday Want

2012-01-18T07:00:00.002-07:00

A few things I've been wanting lately:

1. UO Pristmatic Post Earrings. I'd wear 'em with everything.

2. Aqua and grey ankle booties. I don't know if I could walk in them or even what I would wear them with but, gosh dang it, I want them. Possibly just to look at and maybe sometimes snuggle with.

3. Snow and a cozy cabin. This winter has been so disappointing. We had a couple weeks of really cold weather in early December (we were a good 20 degrees colder than Boston for a week) and I got all excited and then...warm. TOO warm. Some people love it but I really just want to wear layers and drink cocoa and wear my boots without getting sweaty feet (gross).

4. A pygmy hippopotamus. I mean, really, look at it!

Link Love

2012-01-13T07:00:00.009-07:00

Reachel shared this lovely article on her blog about how "pretty" is dying and "hot" is taking it's place. And that is a very sad thing.

I'm not sure how I ran across this post entitled "I'm a good mother, you're a good mother" but it's a well-written reminder to stop judging each other's parenting.

You've probably already seen this since it's being passed around blogland and FB like crazy, but there's a reason everyone loves it. I could have written it. You probably could have too. Don't Carpe Diem.

And, just for fun, here are some links about the history of Friday the 13th. Turns out it's an oooold superstition and businesses lose tons of money whenever it happens because people really do tend to hunker down and just wait for it to pass. Who knew?

Happy Friday the 13th!

DIY Knockoff Chanel Pants

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

For Christmas Aaron got me this book on couture sewing (I'm so proud. He put real thought into that one). I've never cared much about the big design houses but knowing a little about their history and the care that goes into each of the pieces has gotten me really interested.

I've spent an inordinate amount of time over the past couple weeks browsing through collections from the past couple years. I'd give an arm to look at some of that construction up close. Did you know that they do the vast majority of their sewing by hand?

Mind is boggled.

I was looking through Chanel's 2011 Spring collection the other day and fell in deep and abiding love with these pants:

Perfectly skinny and I love the buttons at the bottom. It seemed like it would be an easy enough DIY.

There are multiple ways of doing this but I was limited by the amount of fabric in the pair of jeans I started with so my pair only has 2 functional buttons and 3 that were just stitched on. Also, I was using my iPhone at night while doing this, so, you know, real high quality tutorial pictures going on over here.

This would be a really fast project if you use a machine. I went for the real couture experience and did everything but the buttonholes by hand. I hand basted everything, adjusted the fit then hand basted again. I checked the fit one last time then sewed everything with thread strengthened with beeswax (didn't know that was a thing. Thank you, new book). It was actually kind of fun, though I can't imagine doing an entire garment that way. My fingers were pretty sore and I only had to do a few seams.

I started with a pair of Gap jeans that fit me well in the hips and thighs.

I put them on inside out and pinned two places: one pin at the knee where I was going to start taking them in and one a little ways above my ankle where I wanted the split to be (pulled in to a comfortable skinniness). I also pinched the extra fabric at the bottom to see how much I wanted to take them in (about 2 inches from both front and back).

Then I used my seam ripper to open up the side seams to the pin at the knee.

I turned them inside out and drew myself a sewing line from the knee pin down to the second pin. Then I hand basted along that line (I give you permission to use a sewing machine instead) After adjusting the fit a couple times I sewed my permanent stitches.

This gave me a rather large, triangular seam allowance. I pressed them both toward the front.

This creates a kind of placket for the button holes on the front side of the jeans. I blind stitched it in place.

You can kind of see here how the back portion (on the left between my fingers) now lies behind the button placket (stitched down on the right).

Then I measured where to put buttons and button holes and got sewing yet again.

After these pictures this shirt went into the donation pile. Thank you, photos, for helping me to realize I don't like this shirt anymore.

Say hello to my new favorite pants. I LOVE these suckers. They were a fun project and a near perfect end result.

If I were to do it again I'd start with wide legged jeans so I would have enough fabric to do working buttons all the way up. I'd also do the button holes in the same gold colored thread the manufacturer used for hemming and other details. I picked a blue that matched the denim because that's what the fly buttonhole is done with but I think more visible buttonholes would be better (you can sort of see them above in the up-close pic). I actually think I might go thread shopping this week then go back and redo those (I left them closed just in case) and put faux buttonholes behind the buttons that are just stitched on. Because I can.

The Challenge: Winter Edition

2012-01-09T07:00:00.037-07:00

Mark your calendars! The next round of The Challenge will run from January 23rd to February 3rd. The weekend of January 28th and 29th will be off days to play catch up or wear pajamas (your choice) so there will be 10 days total.

I decided to nix prizes and points and all that to keep this round really simple for me (I started losing sleep when I thought about how much work it was last time). So there are no points for blogging about or otherwise sharing the challenge but, if you feel so inclined, it would be great if you would.

The format will be much the same as last time...a link collection here on my blog and a Flickr group for anyone who does not have a blog or chooses not to post their pictures on their blog. If you'd like a button for a post or your sidebar you are in luck!

I'm getting really excited about this next round...I think it will be a lot of fun!

If you're a newcomer to Freckles in April, last year I ran a 21 day outfit challenge. I posted outfit prompts with inspiration pictures to help participants try new things and get more use out of their closets. I tried to keep the prompts accessible so anyone could do them but allow room for creativity for those who wanted to really push themselves. To see a few examples of prompts I used, go here, here or here. Also, you can see the Do's and Don'ts of the challenge right here. We had over 100 participants in the last round- I hope you'll join in this time!

A Sunday Share

2012-01-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

My mom sent me this article this week about a 100 year old woman who was recently reunited with the now-grown baby she placed for adoption after being raped at age 17.

Just some dust in my eye....*sniff*

Open to Interpretation

2012-01-05T07:00:00.015-07:00

In retrospect we maybe should have just scrapped this round. I think all three of us were kind of scrambling with the holidays and whatnot over the past couple weeks. Oh well, we managed to pull it together!

It was Amy's pick this round and she chose this lovely ensemble:

Picture from See Jane. Used with gracious permission.

I love the way she layered (and that jacket is fantastic) buuut unfortunately it's not quite that cold here. I had to go a little lighter!

Sweater and legwarmers by me, Gap jean leggings, old button-up (Macy's?), necklace from random cheapy jewelry store in the mall (Stinky broke the earrings a couple years ago so I had to buy the set), shoes by Miss Mooz via Last Chance

This was a bit of a departure for me but I was happy with how it turned out. I kind of dug the legwarmers (sleeves I cut off a sweater I no longer wear). Maybe I have ballerina aspirations? I wanted to put a light jacket over it all but as it was I was fanning myself with spare bits of paper and touching up my makeup halfway through the day. Darn toasty Arizona winters.

Click on over to see Erica's and Amy's interpretations!

Four

2012-01-04T07:00:00.005-07:00

Four years ago today (at 7:42pm) this little guy entered our lives six weeks earlier than we had anticipated.

Last night we took a walk to the park and Aaron pushed him on the swings. Just as the swing went backward and Aaron moved into to push him again, he tooted. Right in Aaron's face. Just a little reminder of how apt his nickname is.

Happy birthday to my sweet Stinky!

Rachel Zoe

2012-01-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

I was browsing around Fashionologie the other day and a slide show of Rachel Zoe's 2012 Pre-Fall stuff (I'm not sure what "pre-fall" is supposed to mean) popped up. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked her offering. Here are a few of my favs:

1. It's like a tuxedo in dress form. Love the shoulders on the jacket. 2. Gorgeous classic coat in a fiery color and a fun collar. 3. So soft and drapey and blue! 4. Edgy jacket + soft maxi = bff. 5. I adore the soft chiffon blouse and the super high-waisted skirt. 6. I would wear the living snot out of every one of those pieces

PS Janssen rang in the new year with a brand spankin' new Freckles in April blog design. I love the way it turned out...go check it out!

2012

2011-12-30T15:38:00.008-07:00

Like most of you, with the advent of the new year I have goals on my mind.

This blog is just over a year old and I've been changing it up a little bit lately. I'm blogging less (it was starting to feel like a job that paid me nothing. I'm trying to take it back into hobby-that-I-enjoy territory) but I'm also trying to make sure that what I DO share here is of a higher quality. No more blogging just for the sake of getting something up because AGH it's a weekday and I have to post!

Janssen and I were g-chatting the other day and she said something that has been on my brain ever since-

fashion BLOGS are really useful

but how long does ONE fashion blog continue to be useful?

She is so very wise, that Janssen.

I've been unsubscribing from quite a few fashion blogs lately. A new post would come up in my reader and I'd go, "Yup. That looks like something she would wear." And then I'd move on. Blogs that I once found incredibly inspiring are feeling a bit stale.

I really don't want to fall into that rut with my readers. Here's the thing- I DO blog for myself. Fashion blogging has made me think of my wardrobe in a whole different way and I am much happier with my personal style now (though I think it will always be a work in progress).

But I also blog for you. I get wonderful e-mails about how I've helped girls out of their post-baby shlump or showed them how they could wear the boots their in-laws got them for Christmas. The e-mails I got after the 21 Day Challenge occasionally made me cry. I thought it would just be a fun little thing to do with you guys but there were some women who really needed that push and it made a huge difference in how they felt about themselves. It made me feel like I was operating a worthwhile corner of the internet over here.

So here's the big question: how can this blog be useful to you in 2012? I have some things in mind that I'll be doing for myself but what would you like to see?

Christmas Dress

2011-12-29T07:00:00.008-07:00

A couple weeks ago I thought to myself, "I'd really love a new dress to wear on Christmas." Almost immediately I followed that thought with, "Nah. I don't have enough cash to get myself something I'd really like." But then my brain went, "Duh. You own a sewing machine, tons of fabric, and multiple patterns that you haven't ever used. Get crackin'."

I bought this pattern ages ago so I could participate in the Presserfoot Mad Men Sew-Along. I carefully altered the pattern to my measurements and then..something happened. I don't remember what but I didn't get any further than that. Inexplicably, I also threw away every part of the pattern beside the bodice front and back for view A and the sleeve pattern for view D. I wish I remembered my thought process for that.

Crazy face courtesy of me feeling super awkward about taking outfit photos in front of my fam.

Fortunately, that was all I needed. UNfortunately, despite painstaking pattern alterations way back when, it was not even close to fitting properly. The vast majority of the time spent on this dress was nipping and tucking and trying to get it to fit like a wiggle dress and not a paper bag. I also lowered the neckline significantly since the original pattern actually had turtleneck aspirations. I did a neckline facing instead of a lining since, again, I apparently didn't feel the need to keep that part of the pattern.

Matchy! Love my Eos lipbalm.

For the skirt I used my wonderful custom pencil skirt pattern. It fit like a dream from the get-go. I will love that pattern forever.

Dress by me, thrifted belt and shoes, necklace from ATL, bracelet from JewelMint (Christmas present from my sister that oh-so-conveniently matched my outfit for the day)

Even with all the bodice alterations it still came together surprisingly quickly (two rainy-day naptimes and one late night hemming session) and I love it! I feel like it has a classic shape that lends itself to a lot fun remix possibilities.

The fit is still not perfect (that's my biggest sewing hurdle right now..I think I need to take a class or read a book or something) but it's a big improvement over my Halloween dress. I'm getting better!

Special thanks to Nikki for being willing to snap a few pics while also holding/bouncing her baby. That's a talented woman right there.

The Wednesday (fulfilled) Want

2011-12-28T07:00:00.025-07:00

I always go kind of crazy cleaning lady right before Christmas. All I want on Christmas morning is to wake up to a sparklingly clean house. I would really love it to stay that way but I know that's like asking pigs to dance the hula.

While cleaning and organizing my closets (and preparing for my uncle to come stay with us) I realized we have a rather glaring hole in our linen closet: blankets.

I mean, we have blankets, but they're awful. They're holey or bright pink or sandpapery or all of the above. I have no nice blankets to cuddle up with on the couch or offer to houseguests. The more I've thought about it, the more I've realized I just need to toss everything on our blanket shelf. It's that bad.

Back in November I did some Christmas shopping with my mom and saw this Martha Stewart blanket at Macy's.

It's absolutely gorgeous in person. It's soft and substantial and just begs for a good couch snuggle. It's also like $120. At the time I kind of recoiled in horror just absolutely positive that was a crazy price tag for a blanket. Unfortunately, the more browsing I've done the more I've realized that's pretty standard for a good quality blanket. Some of the other ones I've really loved have pushed the $200 mark. For a blanket. It pains me.

After I had this post all written I complained to my mom about my blanket issue. Last night she went to Macy's and found a wonderful Ralph Lauren blanket on sale for $40. Good old Macy's to the rescue! I love that place.

Guest Post

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff today talking about my favorite Christmas music and movies. Come on over!

Also, I could have sworn I posted about this but I can't find it anywhere so I must have spaced it. Back in October Brett interviewed me for her blog. Find my interview here.

AND, last week I was interviewed for a little piece on Mormon fashion bloggers.

Have a very merry weekend!!

Open to Interpretation

2011-12-22T07:00:00.095-07:00

My pick again! While going through my Pinterest boards I kept coming back to this picture:

Shot by Phil Poynter for Vogue Germany

There's so much to love here...a gorgeous silhouette, chunky metallic belt, big splash of red, big and bold winged eyeliner rolled up in a fantastic photograph. I adore it all.

I picked up this wonderful blue coat back when I was quite pregnant with Stinky (with very high hopes that it would fit when I got unpregnant). Every winter I rediscover it and remember how much I love it. I'd totally save it in the event of a fire. When I decided on the inspiration my mind immediately went to this coat. The end result was not something I ever would have come up with on my own but I loved it!

Pictures by Aaron with his 5D Mark II. Obviously.

Charlotte Russe coat and boots, shirt from Italy (a gift from my mom), floral skirt free from church swap, yellow skirt by me, thrifted belt, old headband

I feel like the pictures didn't really capture the silhouette but the bottom was quite full (I layered two full skirts to try and mimic the shape in the inspiration pic). I looked rather hour-glassy, which is quite the accomplishment for my squarey body. I also did a pretty serious winged eyeliner which was a fun change from my normal, more conservative little line.

I was worried I'd be a little overdressed for our trip to the ghost town but there were a lot of other women wandering around in dresses. Granted, they were paid actors (and some of them were faux hookers) but still. I was in good company.

Click below to see Amy's and Erica's interpretations!

Six

2011-12-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

1- Our wedding reception (please note the friends plotting our demise in the background). 2- At Out of Africa in front of a lion that you can't see. 3- Pregnant hippo and husband. 4- Pavones, Costa Rica at sunset. With a sunburn. 5- First wedding anniversary. Sick and sunburned. 6- Hawaiiiii. Sunburned.

Happy anniversary to my hunk of burning love. May we continue our long and illustrious history of taking really unattractive pictures together.

A Sunday Share

2011-12-18T07:00:00.002-07:00

First moments with Baby 2

Edit: If you have a moment please go read and spare a prayer for this sweet little boy and his family. Having had a child go to the hospital in an ambulance this year I know exactly the nightmare feeling she is talking about but hers is so much worse. *Edit 2: she had to take down her original post because of what sounds like lawyerly intervention and an investigation or something (darn right too. There should be consequences for that truck driver).

Does anyone else revel in birth stories? I'm so glad that people feel comfortable sharing such personal, intimate stories. They're beautiful and uplifting and absolutely among my most favorite things to read.

For the past few weeks my reader has been alight with birth stories and I thought I'd pass them along:

Superwoman Cecilia gave birth to identical twin boys with no drugs. I keep trying to write about the miracles that happened here but my sentence ended up being like 18 lines long so let me just say: there were miracles.

Sydney labored for something like 9 days (mind is boggled). But those pictures of her when she first held her baby? Killed me.

Christy gave birth to twin girls seven months ago and just got around to posting the story (can't blame her. She has got to be BUSY). I can't believe how chunky her sweet babies look. They must have been really crammed in there.

CJane had a home birth, which both terrifies and fascinates me. Later that day, she hosted Thanksgiving dinner at her house. I kind of wish you could have seen my face while I was reading about that.

This one is older but it's one of my all-time favorite birth stories- the birth of Nella Cordelia. She has Downs Syndrome and her parents had no idea until she arrived.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Challenge 2.0

2011-12-16T07:00:00.021-07:00

Alrighty lovelies, I'm trying to get my brain back into Challenge mode. I know a lot of people were hoping for a winter edition and I'm starting to work on it. It will probably be in January or February

I DO know that the next round won't be 21 days. I'm thinking 2 weeks with the weekend off (so ten days total). I think that's long enough to still be a challenge but not so long that people start hating me for roping them into this crazy thing. But it means I need a new title! 10 Day Challenge sounds kind of lame to me (and yet 21 Day Challenge did not?). Challenge 2.0 is my working title but it's kind of geeky. Suggestions are welcome.

I'm trying to decide if I want to do sponsors again. I'm sort of inclined toward it since I think that prizes give that little extra bit of motivation (plus drawing winners last time was so much fun for me). I'd definitely have to simplify my methods if I do go that route. Tracking points nearly killed me last time since I was only expecting like a quarter of the participation that I got.

If you or someone you know might be interested in sponsoring the challenge, would you contact me? For sponsors who provide a prize for a randomly selected winner I give sidebar space for one month plus a spotlight post in the week leading up to the challenge. E-mail me for blog stats (my traffic sky-rocketed during the last challenge so it's a great time to get your ad in front of some eyeballs).

The last challenge really was SO awesome with such great participation. I'm really hoping this next round will be just as fun! I've been going back through and reading all your wonderful suggestions from the last round and I think the next one is going to be that much more awesome because of your feedback. I'm excited!

Recipe: Utahna's Toffee

2011-12-14T07:00:00.006-07:00

Super awesome iPhone photography. I especially love the garlic at the back.

I mentioned in my last post that I went to a candy exchange this weekend. I had a heck of a time figuring out what to bring (candy is not my forte. I make good caramels but wrapping them makes me feel sort of violent).

Then I stumbled across this recipe from Aaron's great aunt Utahna (yes. Utahna). Bingo! I'm not really a toffee person but I love this one! It's pretty quick and easy and doesn't even require a candy thermometer (which is good because mine broke like a year ago and I never replaced it).

Raquel hands out awards for best sweater, best tasting candy and best presentation so I wrapped mine in wax paper and made little boxes out of sheets of card stock. I took a calligraphy class a couple weeks ago from Melissa Esplin (it was awesome by the way. Utah people - take her class!) and used my fancy new skillz to make a pretty label. I didn't win (boo!) but I was really happy with how it all turned out! It felt fancy with pretty minimal effort.

Utahna's English Toffee
from Red Couch Recipes

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 cup toasted pecans broken in pieces (toast in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes)
1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place toasted pecans in the bottom of 8x8 pyrex pan.

Cut butter into pieces and put it into a medium heavy sauce pan with the sugar, and water. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon. The mixture will appear fluffy.

Cook 10ish minutes (it will depend on your stove. Mine took a little longer) until it turns an amber color, starts to leave the sides of the pan, and is slightly smoking.

Take off heat and immediately pour over prepared nuts. Let cool for 8 to 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips. When chips are melted, spread with an offset spatula. Let chocolate set* (it takes several hours). Chip out of the pyrex with a butter knife (there might be a better way to do this. I don't know what it is but it worked just fine and gave me good sized pieces).

*Don't put it in the fridge if you can help it. The cold chocolate doesn't adhere to the toffee very well and it ends up separating when you break up the toffee. If you DO put it in the fridge, let it come back to room temperature before breaking and mash the chocolate down a bit. This I learned the hard way.

DIY Christmas Sweater

2011-12-12T07:00:00.020-07:00

My friend Raquel holds a yearly Christmas treat exchange and always requests that attendees sport some specific Christmas attire. Last year was aprons (mine was awesome but I got sick the day of and ended up staying home) and this year was Christmas sweaters.

I am not really a Christmas sweater person. Even to be funny. I'm lame that way.

But last week I happened to stumble across this Phillip Lim sweater and thought, "You know...I'd maybe wear that."

I mean, I'd maybe wear it if I ran across it at Goodwill for $3. But I would not pay anywhere near the $385 Net-a-Porter has it listed for. Mostly because I would never pay that much for anything besides like..kitchen appliances (I'm getting a Vita-Mix for Christmas! Woot!).

Anyway, I knew I could DIY it. I still had some leftover gray jersey from the tunic from this post and I've always got freezer paper and fabric paint on hand. I found a simple reindeer graphic and did a not-as-quick-as-I-would-have-liked freezer paper stencil (for future reference: large stencils should be done in pieces if you value your sanity).

I really love the end result. I've worn it a few times already and I'm kind of thinking maybe I need a few more...

Deer bum wraparound action

The party was a blast! I ate lots of yummy homemade candies and had some good laughs.

My friend Staci won the sweater contest with her own homemade creation. She pinned a stocking to her sweatshirt! It was both hilarious AND functional. Like a festive kangaroo. She fit all kinds of stuff in there. I sense a future fashion trend...

Open to Interpretation

2011-12-08T04:00:00.005-07:00

When Erica sent me her pick for this round I actually laughed out loud a little bit. It was just so perfect. Perfect for December, perfect for a group OTI, perfect for my closet (I got a little dizzy thinking of all the different ways I could do this one). I really love it.

Found on Pinterest but it's not attached to an original source. Anyone recognize?

I was really tempted to go with my red blazer and striped skirt for this one but I'm always looking for reasons to bust out my beloved red pants. If only I had a furry hat (or vest!).

Target shirt, vest from Meredith, Gap pants, Payless wedges, old scarf, bag free from church swap

I helped Aaron with a photoshoot (by that I mean I held the umbrella light stand so it wouldn't get knocked over by a tiny gust of wind) and got paid in outfit pictures taken with Aaron's 5D Mark II complete with lights. Fancy!

Click below to see Amy's and Erica's interpretations and check below that for the link party!

Link up below!

Button Fixed

2011-12-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

There was something wonky in the OTI button code but, fortunately, a lovely reader caught that something was wrong and I got it all fixed (phew. That would have been real fun to deal with tomorrow).

If you're planning on using an OTI button for your post tomorrow, THIS is the correct code (sorry about that):

OTI Reminder!

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just a little reminder that Thursday is our OTI link up! Remember that you're interpreting not copying, so don't worry if you don't have red pants and a furry hat...just work with what you've got!

Find the inspiration and button here. Take your picture asap and get it posted and linked on December 8th!

Under $5 Gift Guide

2011-12-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

Janssen was invited to a rather high number of "Under $5 Gifts/Favorite Things" parties. I was invited to none. There are two possible reasons for this: 1. my real life friends are boring non-party throwers or 2. Janssen is way way more popular than I am. Leaning toward #2.

Anyway, we were talking about how hard it is to find cool things for under $5. Almost everything that came immediately to mind, like my mascara or fav nail polish, was in the $7-9 range. Under $5 is an elusive category populated with scented candles and cheap bath salts. We thought we could do a little better.

The key to giving inexpensive gifts is presentation. A couple colored pencils wrapped with twine or a pretty ribbon and a gift tag feels special even if you only spent $3. The dollar store carries all kinds of ribbon options for cheap and I love using basic office supply string tags as gift tags.

1. Mirra makeup brushes - These are surprisingly nice, given the price tag, and can be found at Kroger grocery stores (includes Frys in AZ and Smith's in UT and probably a bunch of others in other states). I own a few and use them quite a bit and they've held up really well. Prices start at $2.24 (with my Frys VIP card. Otherwise it was $2.99). There are a few brushes in the $10 range but most are under $5. Bundle two of the cheapest ones together or pair one with...

2. Cover Girl Eye-Enhancers 1 Kit Shadow - Comes in 25 shades and was $2.55 at my grocery store when I last checked.

3. Faber-Castell Pitt Calligraphy Pens - Archival, acid-free, smudge-proof, water-resistant and all kinds of fun to write with. Black, cranberry and sepia available online for $1.99 apiece.

4. Sequined floral coin purse - Pretty, sparkly, and $4.80!

5. Bar Brow Aviator Sunglasses - Let your friends channel their inner Maverick or Ice Man for $2.49 (on sale from $5.50)

6. DIY Sea Salt Spray - Pick up small spray bottles from Target or Wal-Mart and mix up a big batch of my favorite DIY hair product. You can get a LOT of bottles worth from one little container of epsom salt and one tube of gel so the final cost per person would be well below $5. Bonus points for creating a cute little label to stick on your bottles.

7. Fun tights - I think under $5 options are easier to find in stores than online but I found these awesome pirate ones and diamond textured ones on Amazon. Check Target or Wal Mart.

8. Flour sack kitchen towels - I've found 3 packs for $1 at Dollar Tree. They're wonderfully multipurpose. Good for cleaning up and great for crafts. I let my kids draw on one with colored sharpies and then paint it and we hung it on their wall for a while. I made another one into a baby dress.

9. Erasers with famous paintings and their artists - I kind of feel like maybe my life has been incomplete without one of these sets. On sale for $1.99 (orig. $4.99). It also sounds like they're maybe pretty decent erasers.

10. Pantone colored pencils - for the color nerd who knows what the Pantone color of the year is (it's Honeysuckle) and can't wait to see what it will be for 2012 (yay!). $1.39 apiece in almost any color you can imagine.

11. Socks - Fun ones! Stripes, argyle, polka dot, fuzzy! I've had good luck at Target (I can always find the cheap ones in the store but not online) but I'm sure Wal Mart and department stores like Macy's or JCPenney would also be good. The ones in the picture are, sadly, $7.50. Foiled.

12. Local treats - I get all my bread from a wonderful mom-and-pop bakery. It's about $4 a loaf and I would love to tie a red bow around one and give it as a gift. Delish! I also have some options for locally produced honey and chocolate that would make lovely gifts. Find something you love and share it!

13. Dover Thrift Editions - Cheap paperback versions of classics. I picked up a ton of these in college and they're awesome. Bonus: they tend to be small and thin so I can squeeze more into my limited shelf space.

14. A deck of cards - the more decks you own the greater variety of games you can play! Plus, I don't know about you, but we're always having to buy new decks because one card disappears forever into the depths of our couch. This deck of cards is barely over $1 so you've got some leftover change to include an ebook with instructions for a bunch of different card games if you'd like.

15. A pretty notebook - I think that empty notebooks are among the most wonderful and useful things in the whole world. A purse sized one is perfect for jotting down grocery lists, inspiration, random thoughts, and reminders. Or you can always go with one of those basic spiral-bound $.99 ones from the grocery store (those are actually my fav) and include a fun pen!

16. A pretty bottle - Fill it with homemade lemonade (or something a little stronger, if that's your thing). I'd be thrilled to receive this one! $3.99 at Ikea.

17. Carafe - Find 'em cheap at thrift stores. I never pay more than a buck and I use mine all the time. It makes our beverage of choice (water!) seem so much fancier.

18. Serving Bowl - I think this $1.99 option from Ikea is gorgeous.

19. Cookie cutters - buy online or go to JoAnn's or a baking supply store (they're cheap when you pick them up individually). Include your fav recipe for sugar cookies!

20. Scarf - Thrift these (if you're ok with giving secondhand stuff as gifts). You'll probably spend less than $2 apiece and can sometimes find some really nice ones. Alternatively, places like Old Navy frequently have them for pretty cheap on clearance.

21. Magazine holders - I felt like I finally saw the light when I got myself a set from Office Max to hold all my old Real Simples, Ensigns, etc. But this set of 4 for $2.99 from Ikea (this is becoming the Ikea show) is way prettier.

22. A house plant - Pick up a small glass container from a thrift store. Throw in some pebbles for drainage, a little soil, and a plant. Succulents are ridiculously easy, upkeep wise, but an herb plant would be awesome too.

23. An ornament - You can find pretty options for cheap everywhere (especially after Christmas) but even over the past couple weeks I've had awesome luck at Kohl's, Macy's and random mall kiosks. If you're crafty I'm sure there are some good DIY ideas floating around the blogosphere.

24. Scrabble Slam - We love this game! Much faster paced than its predecessor and you only play with words that have four letters so it's not as intimidating for someone who maybe didn't ever think of high school vocabulary tests as a good time (please tell me someone else out there loved vocab tests as much as I did!).

25. Padded hangers - This is $12.97 for a pack of 10 but you could easily divide them up. Nice hangers are so awesome. I learned the hard way about how cheapy ones ruin your clothes (the shoulders of my fav sweater will never be the same). Some nice wood ones would also be fun.

26. iTunes gift card - music is always a good gift. A $5 gift card can buy a handful of great songs!

27. Rug - If you like to put a rug near your doors then you know they get filthy and beat up fast and usually don't last real long. A cheap stripey one is just the ticket for your friend who likes you to wipe your feet when you come in. This one is $3.99 from Ikea.

28. Your fav snacky food - The Funyons were Aaron's suggestion. I'd probably go with Reeses or something. Maybe a sugar cookie from Sweet Cakes! That's actually a really good idea. Note to self. And they don't need to know you used grocery coupons.

29. Eos organic lip balm - pretty, functional and tasty! I've wanted to try this one for ages and finally picked up the summer fruit flavor at Wal Mart last week. I love it!

30. Homemade candy - caramels, toffee, nut clusters, rock candy. The options are endless! You can even try your hand at making homemade versions of your friend's fav candy bar.

Bonus extra item: when I told my friend RA about this gift guide she immediately pointed me toward these brilliant Apple Core cord wranglers. There are 3 sizes and they're all under $5. They're so well designed (and come in pretty colors!) and I think just about anyone who has electronic devices would appreciate one. I immediately added it to my list. I need something to corral my headphones. They drive me nuts with the constant tangling!

Janssen came up with 30 more ideas. Hop on over to her blog to see the other half of the Under $5 Gift Guide!

*Remember: if you shop online, go through ebates! You get cash back for online purchases. Seriously! I got a check for almost $20 last week. Plus, if you're new, you get a $10 gift card to Target, B&N, Home Depot or Magazines.com when you sign up. Also, they did not pay me to say this. I really just love ebates.

OTI Inspiration

2011-12-01T07:00:00.019-07:00

Come back on December 8th to link up your interpretation! You can add your link on Erica's, Amy's or my blog. The link party will be attached to all 3 of us so you only need to do it once. If you'd like to put a button on your post you can grab the html below-

We decided to keep participation loose. We didn't want to make any rules for this party but it would be nice if you'd link back to one of us in your post! The link collection will open at 9am EST December 8th and close at midnight.

We're really looking forward to seeing what other people come up with!

So You Wanna Be a [Fashion] Blogger: Part 3

2011-11-30T07:00:00.037-07:00

source

Find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

7. Be friendly and accessible.

Get Twitter. Respond to comments and emails. Leave good, quality comments on other blogs. Make friends and link to people.

8. Be prepared for the haters.

Don't allow anonymous comments or get formspring unless you can handle it. I allowed anonymous comments for a while and usually got a few less than kind comments every week (I finally disallowed anonymous commenting after a day full of crazy spam). People get mean when they're hiding behind their computer screens and it can take a while to develop a thick skin. Don't open that door unless you're ready.

If the mean comments do come, try to keep in mind that they don't matter much. I've decided that the people who leave mean comments are 1. Those girls who were mean in high school and still haven't grown up. They're like female Uncle Ricos trying to relive their queen bee glory days (in which case you can pity them) or 2. People who are insecure (in which case you can pity them).

9. Be gracious.

You are most likely an adult (I do have a few teenage readers. Hi girls! This still applies to you). You know how to interact with people in a polite and kind manner, yes? Do so.

Be humble. Be friendly and helpful when people e-mail you. I've had occasion to e-mail other bloggers with questions and it always blows me away when I receive short, terse replies (one time I got a one word reply and a link. No greeting, no signature, nothing. Made me feel really stupid). On the other hand, getting a kind, thoughtful reply from a blogger you respect just makes you like them more.

10. Be prepared for the time suck

Blogging can be like a full time job that doesn't pay you anything. If you're not writing a post or tweaking your design you can be leaving comments on other people's blogs or reading articles about blogging. There's ALWAYS something you can be doing on or for your blog.

Some people have the time and want to spend it on their blogs and that's fine! I do not have that time. I set myself a blogging time limit and I stick to it (these posts took me like 5 days). It's easy to get sucked in so set limits for yourself if you need them.

Fellow bloggers- anything to add?

So You Wanna Be a [Fashion] Blogger: Part 2

2011-11-29T07:00:00.058-07:00

source

Find Part 1 here.

4. Network

There are all kinds of networks and groups for fashion bloggers. Joining can help you meet like-minded fashion bloggers, learn technical blog stuff, improve your photo skills, help you get your blog out there, etc. IFB is a big one and I found a handful of interesting and helpful articles on there that helped me come up with ideas for blog building back when I was getting started. There are also groups for Mormons, moms, Anthropologie lovers, etc. Having friends in my blogging community is one of the big reasons I blog! I've met some really wonderful women through this here little site of mine.

If you're interested, you can also do button or link swaps with fellow bloggers to help drive traffic to each other. Not everyone does them but it's a good way for fledgling blogs to help each other grow!

5. Work on your photography skillz

Your pictures can make or break you. If you're trying to gain a following then you need good pictures. Period. The biggest fashion bloggers I know have fantastic style but I probably wouldn't be as in love if their pictures weren't equally awesome (Kendi and Sydney are good examples here. Amazing style bolstered by equally amazing pics). If you're using a significant other to take your pictures then consider investing in a tripod and remote. The most loving of husbands may start rolling his eyes after a few weeks as you drag him and the camera out yet again (there are some out there that enjoy it though. If you have one of those, KEEP HIM).

Even cheap point and shoot cameras can yield good pictures if you know how to use your camera right and a Canon 5D can yield junk pictures if you're clueless. Spend some quality time with your manual. Learn about lighting. Figure out some poses that don't make you look like a crazy person (have you ever watched America's Next Top Model? No? Now's a good time to start) (Smize! Find your light!). Find nice backdrops (shooting into a mirror in your bedroom with piles of laundry behind you is less than ideal).

6. Dress up your website

The way your blog looks makes a big impression. It seems silly when you consider most people use feed readers, but it's true! When I run across a blog that looks clean and polished with decent pictures then I automatically assume it's a fairly popular blog with a decent following (and I take a good look at the content to see if I want to subscribe). Big blogs have nice designs. Dinky new ones have basic blogger templates or one of those busy scrapbooky designs. My readership didn't noticeably grow until I spent some serious time on my blog design.

Make sure your font is legible - remember that there's a reason that black Arial/Times/Helventica on a white background is standard. Have your contact information readily accessible. Create an 'About' page (it doesn't have to be fancy but readers like to know a little about the voice behind the blog). There are thousands upon thousands of tutorials on the internet to help you spruce up your blog if you're willing to spend a little time playing with HTML (or you can always hire someone if that's too daunting for you).

Aren't you so glad I divvied this up into parts? Dryyyy reading, this. Final installment going up tomorrow!

So You Wanna Be a [Fashion] Blogger: Part 1

2011-11-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

Just in the past few weeks I've gotten quite a few emails from girls looking for advice on fashion blogging. After 5 years of blogging and 1 year of fashion blogging, I've definitely got some opinions on the subject. Whether or not they're valuable remains to be seen, but I'll share my hard-earned wisdom with you anyway. Most of this is specific to fashion blogging but some applies to blogging in general.

As I got writing, this post got longer and longer until I finally decided I had to break it up into 3 parts. No one wants to sit and read my blog for that long at one time.

Keep in mind that this mostly applies to bloggers who want to build a following. I'm sure there are girls out there that really are only doing it for themselves and don't care if anyone ever subscribes but I think most people want to be part of a community. It's the best part of blogging!

1. Figure out your purpose

Why do you want to fashion blog? Are you trying to figure out how to get the most out of your closet? Do you have amazing/quirky/vintage/whatever style and want to share? Are you trying to find your personal style? Does it just look like fun? Are you wanting to build up a following and monetize?

Knowing why you're blogging will make a difference in how you blog and what you write about. It will give your posts a sense of direction. It will also help you push through those times when you're feeling bored and uncreative. Which brings me to...

2. Be prepared for the burnout.

Fashion blogging gets old fast for a lot of people. It feels silly and a little vain and you might get to the point where you just don't really care anymore. I'm sure this doesn't happen to everyone but it does seem pretty common so be prepared for if/when it hits. You'll have to decide to either plow through or quit or do something else with your blog. I chose to do the challenge to help me get inspired and excited about fashion blogging again but I'm hitting that point again and I have to figure out what I want to do.

Don't feel the need to post every single day. Take breaks if you need them. Explore other options if you want to expand your repertoire.

3. Figure out your flavor.

I post my outfit pictures but write pretty minimally on fashion related topics (and I mix in recipes and whatever else strikes my fancy). Some people are really dialed in to fashion week and the big designers and trends. Some people include makeup reviews and hair tutorials. Some bloggers post only outfit pictures with no editorializing.

Decide what you want to do and work with it. Don't try to copy someone else's blog. Brand yourself and then work with that brand (although this doesn't mean you can't evolve!). It can be really nice to have a weekly series that makes it so you automatically know what is going to be going up one day a week (like my Wednesday Want, for example) or something you can fall back on if you don't have anything else to post (I post Follow Fridays when I don't have anything else going on). Stuff like that takes away some of the, "What on earth should I post tomorrow??" stress and sets you apart a little bit.

Come back tomorrow for Part 2!

Follow Friday

2011-11-25T07:00:00.003-07:00

via

Here are some of my favs for your Friday. If you'll excuse me, there is some leftover pie calling my name.

1. Voice of Reason - One of the very first blogs I started reading regularly way back in the day. She is hysterical and so very right thinking. Plus she calls her son The Tiny Dark Lord and how could you not love her for that?? Also, she is the reason I know Janssen. AND, when Janssen and I met up for a double date with our husbands up in Utah a couple months ago, we actually saw Miss Nemesis at Pizzeria 712 and then proceeded to drive our dates crazy while trying to get up the courage to introduce ourselves. It was a pretty special day for us.

2. Busy Bee Lauren - A lovely local blogger who does a little bit of everything. I recently spent an embarrassingly long time perusing her archives. She just makes me happy. I particularly love her Tumblr Thursdays AND she turned me on to Doctor Who. I want to marry him.

3. Wendy Nguyen - Amazing style from an amazing woman (she grew up in foster care!). She also has some really awesome videos (you've probably already seen her scarf video floating around. If not, go watch and prepare to have your mind blown).

And a quick bonus link: have you seen this tutorial for winged eyeliner using scotch tape?!? As someone who occasionally has to redo their eyeliner 8 or 12 times, I am REALLY excited about this.

Have a lovely weekend! I hope you've got your Christmas music going loud and proud!

Thankful

2011-11-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

They may be stinky and incapable of cleaning up after themselves but they're mine and I love these three more than anything!

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

(I've got this chilling in the fridge. SO excited)

Open to Interpretation

2011-11-22T07:00:00.121-07:00

I have been staring rather longingly at Aaron's side of the closet lately. Since the weather has turned vaaaguely chilly around here I just want to steal his oversized long sleeved thermals and snuggle up. Unfortunately, since Aaron works from home he sees that I've stolen his clothes the moment he leaves his office to refill his water bottle. He doesn't love that.

The amazingly darling Jen Hammer from this post. Used with permission.

When Amy chose the above comfy outfit for this round of OTI I threw a last longing look at Aaron's shirts (he has the perfect one!) and then busted out my sewing machine. Time for me to have my own big snuggly shirt that won't earn me a stink eye for thievery. I love the way it turned out! I may not change out of it until spring.

This outfit actually kind of pushed me. As much as I love slouchy tops and leggings on other people it's not a combo I wear often. And I wanted my socks to show (they're striped!) but I don't own any shorter boots so I had to figure out how to make mine work. I folded them down (you can see what they look like normally here) and it looks kind of funky and after a day full of pondering my footwear I have decided that I maybe like it?

And, in case you didn't notice, I went red. If I could choose my natural hair color I would go with a red that is maybe only occasionally found in nature. I adore brilliant red hair. This is about as close as my hair gets to my ideal color. I looove it. If only it weren't so darn difficult to maintain.

We decided to do something kind of fun with the next round of OTI. We're opening it up to anyone who wants to participate! On December 1st we'll post the inspiration image and then on December 8th we'll have a link party set up for anyone who wants to play along. We'd love to have you!

Click below to see Amy's and Erica's interpretations!

A Sunday Share

2011-11-20T00:00:00.039-07:00

source from Mark Mabry's Reflections of Christ

I was listening to the MoTab station on Pandora yesterday while cleaning bathrooms when a song came on that made me stop, sit and listen. I googled the artist, Joy Williams, and found her MySpace page (did you know MySpace still exists??) with all her music. Her other songs are lovely as well but this one is just so beautiful. Apparently it's an older song and I'm only just now hearing about it. This does not surprise me in the least as I am pretty much always at least 3 years behind everyone else in technology and music (Hey! Have you guys heard of this crazy Lady Gaga person? I'm kind of scared of her but I find her music strangely catchy! And I think I might finally be ready to upgrade from Windows 2007!)(maybe).

Here With Us (digital single) by Joy Williams

You can hear the song by clicking above or going to Joy Williams' MySpace page (click 'songs' in the music widget in the middle of the page. The song is called "Here With Us").

Link Love

2011-11-18T07:00:00.006-07:00

It's been a really weird week around here. A woman in our neighborhood was murdered late Monday night/early Tuesday (they were related and he was taken into custody within hours) and it has thrown a kind of dark shadow over everything these past few days. We walk past her house all the time and I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that she's always been there and suddenly she's not. By all accounts she was a lovely person with a big heart and the whole thing is just so sad and makes me feel a little ill.

Ever since it happened I've been kind of subconsciously seeking out good and positive things to balance out the awful. Here are a few of those things:

-Have you ever listened to the Peaceful Holidays station on Pandora? It's so wonderful.

-Bethany's birth story had me in tears. It sounds so similar to my experience with Stinky (although he was almost 34 weeks along as opposed to Lucy's 30(!) weeks). I really am so incredibly grateful for modern medicine and doctors who recognize when something is off.

-This pin of a "Christmas cave" had me immediately barging into Aaron's office and commandeering a couple of his larger boxes. You can see the results above. My kids LOVE it. It'll be a fight when I have to take it down (I'd be lying if I said I haven't spent some time in it myself. It's a squeeze but it's just so pretty in there!).

-I've only watched this about, oh, seventeen times. Pretty sure it's the thing I'm looking forward to MOST about 2012.

-Have you been watching The New Girl? I'm kind of a closet Lord of the Rings nerd and this scene had me rolling (you can find full episodes here, by the way). I like Zooey Deschanel just that much more now.

-Last night, this happened:

That would be BriAnne, Marisa and me at the movie theater. To see Breaking Dawn. Oh yes I did. Not a midnight showing though. This old lady can't handle that junk anymore (maybe for Hunger Games though). I lucked into a 7:00 showing and waltzed right past the legions waiting for the 12:01 showing. Suckers.

There was far less cringing this time around (don't get me wrong. There was some cringing. The wolves!). There was, surprisingly, a Bella nip, a fair amount of blood, and a little vomit. K. Stew spent most of the movie looking legitimately awful. I actually kind of liked it. The makeup and acting have gotten SO much better over the years. Thankfully.

Have a lovely weekend!

Long Skirt and Shooort Jacket

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Macy's jacket, Gap dress, DEB undershirt, Payless shoes, DEB bracelet

I didn't love this outfit but I'm sharing it because I have been very impatiently waiting for months to wear it.

I adooore dresses with jackets. My pinterest is full of the combo (1, 2, 3, 4, for starters) and it was finally cool enough to give it a try! It's not exactly what I was wanting, though. I'm on the hunt for a shrunken blazer or two in the little boy's department but thus far the thrifting powers-that-be haven't been real forthcoming in that department. But when I find them I'm pretty sure this will be my fall uniform. So comfy.

In an ideal world I'd love to wear something like this cropped leather jacket with my dresses. I will continue to dream.

A Sunday Share

2011-11-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past couple weeks trying to think of service activities I could do with my kids around the holidays. They're too young to be able to understand or do most of the ideas that I came up with.

On Tuesday, we met up with some friends for lunch at Chick-fil-a (play place!). At the register I noticed a pamphlet and a red and green shoebox and the lightbulb over my head dinged on.

My kids understand toys. And they can understand that some kids don't have toys. Stinky is getting really excited to go shopping this week to fill our shoeboxes!

If you want to join in the fun with us, here's how it works: Pack a shoebox full of toys, school supplies and hygiene items this week and drop it off between the 14th and the 21st. Enjoy your warm fuzzy feelings of holiday cheer. Easy!

Have a wonderful Sunday :)

Open to Interpretation

2011-11-10T07:00:00.057-07:00

For this round of Open to Interpretation we are SO excited to introduce our first guest interpreter: Sarah from Frills for Thrills!

Her blog is new to me but when Amy threw her name in the ring as a possible guest I was immediately sold. Sarah is a pastor's wife and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. She is absolutely darling and I love her style- classy with a bit of an edge.

Sarah picked this lovely outfit as our inspiration for this round:

From Maddy, who graciously gave us permission to use her photo.

I think I would give a leg for that mustard blazer. I love the infinity scarf with the pendant- it's an unexpected kind of layering. And, of course, the top knot. I can always get behind a good top knot.

ATL top, Gap shirt I cut up to make a vest, Old Navy necklace, scarf from my friend Marisa (see left sidebar-they're hoping to adopt!), Gap jeans, Payless wedges

I wish I hadn't worn jeans but it was a park day and sometimes I have to go with practical stuff. But I liked the top half!

Click below to see Erica's, Amy's and Sarah's interpretations!

Recipe: Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2011-11-09T07:00:00.005-07:00

A couple weeks ago my kids and I stopped in at Cheesecake Factory. I was really there for a slice of cheesecake so I wanted something small and light for lunch. I ended up ordering Asian lettuce taco things off the appetizer section of their healthy eating menu.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked them and thought they would make a quick, easy and healthy dinner at home. I made them last week and after the first bite Aaron said, "Oh yeah...I could eat a whole lot of this."

The sauce totally makes these. The Cheesecake Factory version was only vaguely peanutty and I kind of wanted more. I immediately thought of this sauce that I had recently pinned (it originally comes from this cookbook). Lesley used her sauce as a dip for some really yummy looking coconut chicken skewers but I decided to use it as a marinade for the chicken AND as a sauce for the wraps. It's so ridiculously good.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Feeds 2 adults (maybe 3 if you aren't piggy like us)
Inspiration from Cheesecake Factory
Sauce recipe from Lesley of homemade grits

For the wraps:
4 chicken breast tenderloins
Butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
Bean sprouts
Shaved carrot
Maifun Rice Sticks
Peanut sauce (recipe below)

For the peanut sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
11/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
pinch cayenne pepper

Mix together all sauce ingredients (I used a hand mixer). Reserve 3/4 cup or so (cover and stick it in the fridge). Put the raw chicken in the rest of the sauce and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours.

Grill the chicken. While the chicken is cooking, boil a cup or two of water and remove from heat. Put in a handful of rice sticks and let soften.

When the chicken is done, let it rest for a few minutes then slice each tenderloin in two so you have long, thin pieces of chicken.

To assemble, take a butter lettuce leaf and layer on some rice sticks (which, by the way, are noodles. Not sure why they're called rice sticks), carrots, bean sprouts, and a slice of chicken followed by a good drizzle of sauce. Roll up and enjoy!

Thankful

2011-11-08T07:00:00.007-07:00

Me and newborn baby Stinky in the NICU

I know I don't talk much about my kids and being a mommy on my blog but, seeing as it's November, I'm trying to focus on the things I'm thankful for.

Being a mommy can be a hard, thankless job sometimes. There is sass and poop and flooded kitchens and your shoes sometimes go missing and then turn up half buried in the backyard three weeks later. There have been a lot of days where my nighttime prayer has been, "God, I am thankful that today is over."

Baby 2 almost exactly a year ago

But there are also days when my babies wrap themselves around my legs and say, "MOMMY!" (or "MIMMY!" in Baby 2's case) like I'm the best present they've ever gotten. There are times when they are so grateful for some small thing I've done and I feel like supermom. And every day there are snuggles and board books and giggly bubble baths. There are kisses and tickles and belly laughs. Sometimes, in the few Big Bad Things it's hard to remember the million small, wonderful things that make motherhood worth the mess and snot and lack of sleep.

I sure do love those crazy boys of mine.

Feb 2011. Apparently, pants are optional at our house.

Repaired: Cream Skirt

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

DEB shirt, thrifted skirt and belt, Payless wedges

I have been working very hard behind the scenes trying to get through my repair pile(s). And by that I mean slowly and surely ruining and then tossing just about everything. Sometimes in the battle of Self Taught Seamstress vs Sewing Machine the machine wins. Hard.

I picked this skirt up at a thrift store a couple months ago and have actually been wearing it a lot, though it somehow hasn't been in any pictures until now. I didn't realize it was handmade until I got it home and started looking for a care instructions tag. I think it's probably pretty old but it's really well made and has some beautiful details. Which you can't see thanks to these ridiculously blown out pictures.

Anyway, there were a few places where the seams were starting to come apart. The original seamstress finished many of the inside edges with lace so fixing them required unpicking sections of lace, repairing the seam, then hand stitching the lace back into place. It was tedious but workmanship like that should be preserved. I wish I could tell the original owner how much I admire her handiwork!

Gift Guide Part 1

2011-11-04T07:00:00.002-07:00

I am one of those people that gets all annoyed when stores start celebrating Christmas prematurely. Thanksgiving is important! We need to take a moment to say "Thank you!" before we go all gift greedy.

But I am all about getting your Christmas shopping done early. I'm usually done before December starts and, if all goes according to plan, this year will be no different.

For me, the key to finishing quickly and painlessly is to shop online. Ideally, you should be keeping your eyes open all year long for good gifts at good prices but I think the only people who do that are over 50 and have FINALLY learned their lesson.

Here are some of my picks for this year-

1. Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese
$14.42 on Amazon and eligible for free shipping if you can get your total order over $25
For the slightly crunchy girl who, for reasons you can't fathom, insists on making everything from scratch. You can read Janssen's review here and I add a hearty amen to everything she said.

2. Folding cutting board from MoMA
$18 + shipping from MoMA the store
I am of the opinion that you can never have too many cutting boards and this one is particularly awesome. No more veggies sliding off in wonky directions when you're trying to add them to your stir fry!

3. Cooking Light magazine gift subscription
$18 for one subscription, $12 apiece for two subscriptions
I had a subscription to Cooking Light for a couple years and loved it. My mother-in-law gets it now and it's the magazine I always grab when we're over there. The recipes are healthy but not in a "I feel deprived when I eat this" kind of way (I'm dying to try these cabernet short ribs with parmesan polenta).

1. Savoy Bracelet from JewelMint
$29.99 unless it's your first purchase, in which case you get 50% off and it's $15
Pretty art deco inspired bauble from Kate Bosworth's JewelMint collection. I love it so much that I told my sister about it aaand now I'm getting it for Christmas :)

2. Marcasite and turquoise pendant from Overstock
$20.99 plus shipping
I might be the only one but I have crazy love for the dark gray sparkle of marcasite. This pendant is perfect for adding a little color and sparkle to jeans and a tee.

3. Red leather bangles with gold tubes from Leatherwraps on Etsy
$23.00 plus shipping
If you've been around a while you know I love bangles and I love a good fancy+casual mix. These bracelets are perfect! I particularly love the red but there are a bunch of other colors available online.

Thinking Ahead

2011-11-03T07:00:00.002-07:00

I know you've probably mentally shifted into fall and winter mode BUT don't get too far into thoughts of hot chocolate and cozy scarves just yet. Now is the perfect time to shop for a swimsuit! Retailers are clearing out their stock as the weather changes which means sales. I love those.

Here are a few I love:

1, 2, 3

I think J. Crew does one piece swimsuits so well. I have their twist front bandeau suit and love it. They're a little on the higher end of the price scale but they're also higher quality. You'll get years of wear. See more of their sale section swimsuits here. Make sure you look online for coupon codes before you shop. Recently they've had 30% off sale items and a couple free shipping codes floating around*.

1, 2, 3

I don't particularly love Target swimsuits. I've owned my fair share and I feel like they look old pretty fast (although, since I pay like $20 I can't complain). That being said, that one shouldered red number is darling and probably quite flattering.

I was pleasantly surprised by Land's End Canvas this year and I was particularly impressed by their swim collection. I didn't include this one above, but if you're looking for a cute, basic one piece, this one comes in a million colors and is on sale for $25.

*Don't forget to go through Ebates! You get 4% cash back for shopping at J.Crew, 3% for shopping at Target, and 2% for shopping at Land's End Canvas (among a million other store options).

If you're an Ebates newbie, you should know that it's free (my favorite thing!). This link takes you straight to a sign up page. Put in your information then type the store you want to go to in the navigation box. It will take you to the store's website but track what you spend while you're there and then send you a check (or paypal payment). You can also check their Coupon tab to see if there's a free shipping code or anything like that for your purchase. Ebates is my best friend when it comes to online shopping.

Also, I feel like I should mention that they do cash back for Travelocity and Expedia. So when you're booking those painfully expensive holiday flights you can find some comfort in the fact that you're getting a little cash back in the process.

The Wednesday Want

2011-11-02T07:00:00.022-07:00

A couple years ago Real Simple featured a blue and white striped wedge and said it was from TOMS. I spent over an hour frantically trying to figure out how to get my hands on a pair. They were exactly what I had been looking for but it turned out they hadn't even been released. I put myself on the notification list and patiently(ish) saved my pennies and waited for them to become available online. I think I got a pair on the very first day they were available and I've worn the heck out of them ever since.

Well, looks like I'll be doing that again.

TOMS is releasing a line of ballet flats for Spring 2012 and they're so very darling. I'm particularly enamored with these:

So classic.

From what I've seen during my morning of Googling, it looks like there will be a fairly wide variety of fabrics and colors available, any of which I'd be happy to wear.

I have a lot of trouble when it comes to flats and, as ugly as classic TOMS are, they are some of the few shoes that don't eat my feet and make me bleed. I love that they're branching out into prettier options!

Check out more pictures on Liz's Babble post or get Googling (I can never find info about the yet-to-be-released stuff on the TOMS website. Anyone else have that problem?).

The Facts Were These

2011-11-01T07:00:00.058-07:00

I love Halloween and dressing up. I thought part of the joy of marriage would be doing couples costumes! And then family costumes! Sadly, I married a man who doesn't find any kind of joy in dressing up and doesn't particularly love Halloween either. Sniff. I've borne it well until now.

This year I decided he was dressing up with me whether he liked it or not. I told him I'd find him a costume that wasn't too costume-y and he took the news like a man who has known me and my crazy for a few years. No use arguing!

It didn't take me too long to come up with an idea.

Her: Long dark hair and freckles? I've got that covered.
Him: Tall, pale and handsome? Aaron's got that covered.

Aaron's costume was easy.

source

Super thrilled. Also, has never actually seen the show and thus just had to stand awkwardly in an attempt to emulate a character he knows nothing about.

I picked up a black t-shirt for $5 from Walmart and used a flour sack kitchen towel and some bias tape to make him an apron. He thought about carrying a pie around to snack on but that would have required me to actually make a pie and I was rather busy sewing my costume.

My costume was a little more difficult. Chuck has super cute vintage style. There are entire websites devoted to the darlingness of her wardrobe from two short seasons.

I scoured a couple thrift stores before remembering that I NEVER have good luck finding this style of dress and I decided to make my own. I ultimately chose this green dress as my inspiration:

source

The fact that I love square necklines had a lot to do with my choice. As much as I adore the criss crossing on the back, I couldn't figure out how I would make that work so my back is plain. Other than that, I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. The fit isn't perfect (someone far bustier than me could wear it comfortably) but it's not too shabby for a first try at this kind of thing.

Baby 2 went as a puppy. OR, if you're familiar with the show, he was Digby.

Please check out that tail. KILLS me.

Ned and Chuck can't touch (it'll send her back to being dead for reals). So here are awkward non-touching pictures.

It was just for pictures though. We held hands for the trick-or-treating stuff and I'm alive to tell the tale.

Stinky missed out on the family costume party. He doesn't like costumes all that much so his always have to be something that is a shirt and pants and not much else. He went as an army guy (camo pants and shirt from Wal-Mart. Cheap and reusable!). I got him some dog tags from Hobby Lobby and he was SO excited to have his own "necklace." I think you can tell which parent he takes after.

How was your Halloween? Did you dress up??

Costume-ish

2011-10-31T07:00:00.022-07:00

I almost wore my Halloween costume to church yesterday since it's just a pretty dress but knew the universe would probably send some kind of dress-ruining mess upon me so I opted to leave it in my closet until tonight. Instead, I took inspiration from the same iconic beauty that thousands of little girls girls are also dressing as this weekend. Can you figure it out?

Wearing old sweater and lace undershirt, skirt by me, thrifted belt, Payless wedges (recent), F21 bangles

I actually wanted to do this for my last OTI pick but since we had already done so much yellow I went with my second choice.

Figure it out??

source

Snow White! It was kind of fun wandering around all day feeling like I was wearing a costume without really wearing a costume. I should do that more often.

Are you dressing up for Halloween? I'm ridiculously excited for our costumes even though only like 3 people will know who I'm talking about after I tell them who we are.

Happy Halloween!

Flashback

2011-10-28T07:00:00.002-07:00

I recently rediscovered this picture again. It disappears into the depths of my computer for a while and then I rediscover it and it makes my day every. single. time.

That is my mom. Wearing a shiny purple jumpsuit. And my dad. Wearing a mustache and hair that is venturing forth into quasi mullet territory.

I love my parents.

Have a lovely weekend!

Open to Interpretation

2011-10-27T07:00:00.137-07:00

I love seeing how we three girls pull different things from the inspiration when there's a lot going on but I kind of wanted to see what we would do with something really simple. Erica commented that this is the closest our outfits have been to one another and to the original.

Michael Kors via Pinterest

I think I could do an entire 30 for 30 based around this outfit. I actually wore 3 or 4 versions before I finally got around to photographing one and I thought of 4 or 5 more off the top of my head I could do in case I didn't get home in time to pull out the camera. It would be a rather dull 30 for 30 but I would comfortable. T-shirt + skirt = my comfort zone. I'm kind of boring. But you knew that.

Thrifted blouse and skirt, Aaron's sweater and belt, Mervyn's shoes

Someone told me I look like Robin Hood. I'm down with that.

We are super excited for the next round of Open to Interpretation because we will be welcoming a special guest interpreter! She picked the inspiration and will be joining us in our interpreting and it will be lovely.

Click below to go check out Amy's and Erica's interpretations!

(and cross your fingers the dang buttons work because I'm only 1 for 3 since the beginning of this series and I'm about to lose my mind over the stupid HTML) (I blame Blogger)

(Edit: I give up. The buttons work in Google Reader but not on my actual blog. WHY!?! Blogger hates me. Just use the links above)

(Edit 2: Holy crap, commenter Loren just reached her magic mind through my computer and told me what was wrong with the button. It was an easy fix. Next child will be named after her)

Little Things

2011-10-26T07:00:00.038-07:00

Grocery store sunglasses, Target shirt, Gap shirt I cut up to make a vest, Aaron's belt, Alloy shorts, Kohl's boots

I wore this to a farm. It was too hot for boots. My feet were unhappy.

Doing Rebecca's Little Facts again today!

Movies - I have embarrassing taste in movies. I really prefer brainless fluff and tend to avoid anything that requires an emotional investment. I just want happy endings and kisses in airports while the music swells, ok?

Pet peeves - People who are chronically late. Chapped lips. People who cut across parking lots. Waking up with a sore throat. People who are mean for laughs.

Favorite book - What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. It's a fictional (obviously) account of one man's journey through the afterlife but is based on ridiculously extensive research (he includes a bibliography in the back). It's one of the most interesting and touching books I've ever read (I start bawling on about page 3 and don't really stop until the end). Really well done.

Whole Foods Recipe: Green Mac and Cheese

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, on the worst day of my cold, I broke down and reached for a blue box from our food storage to feed my kids for lunch.

"I'm going to blow your little baby minds!" I told them. I was actually kind of excited for them to experience the mac and cheese of my childhood. It was practically a food group for me growing up and one of the few members of the elite Foods Kayla Will Eat club for many years.

I don't know if they've changed the recipe or if I've just grown up but it was awful. Baby 2 reached over the side of his tray and unceremoniously dumped a handful on the floor. Stinky just sort of pushed it around and then declared he was ready for quiet time and went off to find his blanket.

A few days later I decided to try again with real foods. I was just throwing things together but tried to pay attention to amounts in case I wanted to make it again.

And I DO. We all hoovered it. Baby 2 ate his weight and Stinky came back for thirds. Aaron made appreciative noises from the depths of his bowl. I thought we would have enough for another meal but all we got was a tiny tupperware that I suspect ended up as Aaron's late night snack.

Green Mac and Cheese

1 batch spinach pasta (I think the equivalent might be 1ish pound dried pasta if you choose to go that way)
2-3 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour (I used white whole wheat but all purpose works)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced (or put through a garlic press)
Salt and pepper to taste*

*This is one you may want to salt at the table. Cheese can be pretty salty, depending on the type and brand, so sometimes my homemade mac and cheese needs no salt at all and sometimes it needs a small sprinkle at the table.

Get a large pot of water boiling. Add the pasta. Three minutes before the end of cooking time**, add in the broccoli and boil for 3 minutes more. Drain and return to pot.

**Note: store bought dried pasta and homemade spinach pasta boil for 8-10 minutes but regular homemade pasta only boils for 3 or so. If you make regular homemade pasta, put the broccoli in at the beginning with the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir for a couple minutes. It should bubble but not burn. Pour in the milk and stir.

Let the flour and milk mixture cook for a few minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. It should thicken a bit but try not to let it bubble. When thickened, stir in the cheeses and garlic. Let cook for a couple minutes until the cheese is all melted. Pour sauce over pasta and broccoli. Stir and serve!

Tall

2011-10-24T07:00:00.019-07:00

Thrifted blouse, Gap jeans, Aaron's belt, Charlotte Russe booties, F21 bangles, DEB cocktail ring

When I walked out on Friday morning Aaron's immediate comment was, "You're really tall today!" Between my high heeled booties and the bun I topped out at over 5'11". That's a good day for me!

I've also never gotten so many compliments from random strangers before. A girl at Shane Company and another one at the grocery store liked my blouse. The girl behind the counter at Baskin Robbins like my bun and we ended up having a quick how-to discussion (hint: lots of teasing). Two girls at the mall liked my turquoise booties. One happened to comment on them as we were walking by Charlotte Russe, where my exact ones were on display not five feet away. Good timing.

I think I have an internal fashion pendulum. For a long time my thinking each morning was, "Skirts! I love skirts! I want to wear skirts every day!" And then it swung back the other way and I think, "PANTS. Pants are the greatest thing ever! I LOVE pants!" It probably has something to do with the weather since as soon as the rest of the world turned Fallish I suddenly wanted to wear pants all the time. We aren't really there yet, weatherwise, but I am pretending.

A Sunday Share

2011-10-23T07:00:00.019-07:00

Landscapes: Volume Two from Dustin Farrell on Vimeo.

Just a little something for your Sunday. Watch it with the sound if you can...the music is beautiful.

...[A]ll things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.
-Alma 30:44

Follow Friday

2011-10-21T07:00:00.012-07:00

via

A friend posted this picture on facebook and I DIED.

Princess Bride! Reunited!

It's missing Andre the Giant because he passed away ages ago, which makes me quite sad. But still! Everyone else is there! Even an ROUS!

Apparently they all got together for an Entertainment Weekly thing. I approve.

Anyway, here are some lovely people you should go visit.

1. Lazy Saturdays - New to me but I was hooked from first read. Krista has fantastic style and she's just so darn cute.

2. Cotton & Curls - You're probably already reading Liz's wonderful blog, but if you're NOT, well then, hop on that train, my friend. She inspires me to greater DIY heights.

3. Fancy House Road - written by a group of sisters and their mom (who lived in my neighborhood in high school! Deb was even one of my leaders at church for a couple years). Lots of fun decor projects and general eye candy. Plus they host regular get-togethers for locals that I really look forward to.

Have a wonderful weekend!

(As you wish!)

(Anybody want a peanut?)

Froggy

2011-10-20T07:00:00.006-07:00

Blazer from church swap, shirt by me, gap jeans, F21 bangles, heels from Marshalls (they were brown- I painted them neon pink)

This is the outfit I chose for my "What are you wearing?" interview that I posted about last week. Did you happen to see Ashley and Angela's interviews? Lovely girlies, those two.

I've been really sick this week. AGAIN. Dark under eye circles and chalky skin mean that I've been avoiding cameras and all reflective surfaces. I'm kind of scary right now.

Yesterday I had to get a cavity filled (just so you know, trying to cough while someone is drilling in your mouth isn't as fun as it sounds) and when I got home the kids had destroyed my house. Aaron swears he was keeping an eye on them but considering half our backyard ended up in my living room I have my doubts.

To recap: I sound like a frog, I got a tooth drilled, I spent hours yesterday taking the outside back where it belongs while being froggy and freshly drilled. Childless people, you may now make your comments about dodged bullets.

Speaking of my little hurricanes, my sweet Baby 2 is 18 months old today. Which somehow feels too old, too young, and just right all at the same time. Kids really mess with your sense of time.

The Wednesday Want

2011-10-19T07:00:00.001-07:00

via

I don't believe this requires further commentary.

Recent Reads

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Non fiction, for me, is either a total win where my face is buried in the book for hours at a time or it feels like the worst college class I've ever taken and all I'm trying to do is keep facts and dates straight and glean something useful from piles of dullness.

I read Bill Bryson's memoir The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid a couple years ago and loved it. I have since picked up a few of his other books and found them really interesting (although, by the end of A Short History of Nearly Everything I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by information).

So when I saw Bryson's newest, At Home: A Short History of Private Life, on my in-laws' shelf I had to take a peek at the first few pages and ended up taking it home with me.

Bryson and his family inhabit a centuries old former church in England. He uses the rooms of his own home to give a brief history of domesticity and explain why our homes are the way they are. For example, Bryson explores why, of all the spices and condiments, salt and pepper have found such an enduring place at our tables. He explains the history behind the term, "make the bed." He devotes a couple pages to the agricultural significance of guano.

At 452 pages, At Home is not a light read, but I found myself totally immersed for long stretches and was constantly looking for people to share my new facts with. Since my reading coincided with our short trip to Utah, my poor mom was frequently the one going, "Uh huh..." when I blurted out things like, "Did you know that the world comfortable was first used in 1770 in a personal letter?" Which is interesting when you realize that, prior to that time, people weren't really concerned with comfort at home. It was just sort of the place you survived in. And then! Stuff happened (you'll have to read to find out what).

From the back cover:

So the history of household life isn't just a history of beds and sofas and kitchen stoves, as I had vaguely supposed it would be, but of scurvy and guano and the Eiffel Tower and bedbugs and body-snatching and just about everything else that has ever happened. Houses aren't refuges from history. They are where history ends up.

How Do You...

2011-10-17T07:00:00.005-07:00

...see how many subscribers you have in Google Reader?

1. Pull up your blog in Reader. I subscribe to mine and keep it in its own special folder so it's quick and easy to find.
2. Click "show details" in the upper right hand corner.
3. Look next to "Subscribers"

...see what people have pinned from your blog?

The people liked the skirt.

1. Go to http://pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite/.

Omit the http and all that before your web address. For example, to see what has been pinned from Freckles in April, go to http://pinterest.com/source/frecklesinapril.blogspot.com/

Have a technical-ish question? Ask away.

Because I KNOW someone is going to notice this, Delicious displays my recently bookmarked websites and I feel like I should explain that the "Designing Your Death..." button visible in these screen shots goes to this. I am not designing my death, but I AM making sure all our pertinent documents are handy, just in case one of us kicks the bucket in an early and unexpected fashion.

For Meredith

2011-10-15T11:10:00.001-07:00

Shirt from Italy (gift from my mom), lace vest from Meredith, black vest from Goodwill, old skirt, F21 bracelets, Steve Madden sandals from Marshalls

My sweet bloggy friend Meredith has been battling a crazy eye infection for the past little while. This week she was put on bed rest to encourage the infection to stay out of her brain and blood stream (scary!).

While she convalesces, Meredith has been sporting some pretty awesome huge shades. And if Meredith is sporting grandpa glasses, well then, I will be hopping on that style train. I think it says a lot about her that she still looks so pretty even when you can't see a large portion of her face.

AND! Hello, lace + herringbone. As it turns out, I owned herringbone all along. I have a very VERY small pile of winter clothes in the back of my closet. I went through it before my quick trip to Utah last weekend and TA-DA! Herringbone skirt. I promptly stuck it with the lace vest I got from Meredith's swap-or-shop and I was happy.

I'd be a lot happier if Meredith's eye was back to normal though. Get well soon, Meredith!

Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

There are about a million freezer paper stenciling tutorials out there but I still get questions whenever something I've done pops up, so here's a quick and easy tutorial.

Materials:
Freezer paper - look near the parchment and wax paper in the grocery store
Razor blade - My little blade cost 99 cents at Ace Hardware and I prefer it to the fancier types. Real X-actos will run you a bit more at places like JoAnn or Michaels
Fabric paint - JoAnn or any other craft supply store will carry all different brands and colors
Paint brush - I prefer the cheap black spongy kind for this. I think I paid like $2.50 for a 6 pack.
Stencil - the sky is the limit here. I've printed images I liked off the internet or created my own. Just make sure it's a stencil. Stencils have bridges to connect the pieces and keep it all together. If you're interested, there are internet tutorials for turning photographs into stencils (although, I haven't had the best of luck with those). Also, don't go too crazy with a super elaborate stencil. You will hate yourself by the end of if you have to cut out a million tiny pieces.
Iron - with steam turned off. On my iron I need a pretty high heat setting to get the freezer paper to stick but start low and work upward until it sticks well.
Press cloth - I use a cheap flour sack dish towel

Optional:
Self healing mat - this is an awfully handy thing to have around anyway if you're a crafty type. Use a coupon and grab yourself one from the quilting aisle. They're awesome. I use mine all the time.

Freezer paper has two sides- a shiny side and a dull, papery side. Draw or transfer your design on to the paper side. If I've printed something on another piece of paper I just tape it to the freezer paper and cut through both layers. Use your razor blade to carefully cut out your design.

This is a step I haven't seen in some tutorials but it is vitally important to getting crisp lines and keeping the design from shifting. On the wrong side of your project, iron a piece of freezer paper, shiny side down. Make sure it covers the whole back side of your design area.

Flip your project to the right side and iron your stencil, shiny side down. Make sure you get all the little points and pieces all secured down. Your fabric should be sandwiched in between the two pieces of freezer paper.

I got all caught up and stopped taking pictures at this point because this is the fun part! Sponge brushes work best for freezer paper stencils because you can just mash the paint where you need it. Brushing back and forth with a regular paintbrush can pull up small sections of the freezer paper so you end up with paint where you don't want it.

Sponge your paint into all the open areas of your stencil. Double check when you're done because I ALWAYS have a couple corners that didn't get quite coated.

Let it dry. It shouldn't take long. I had to paint little sections at a time because this paint dried SO quickly that sometimes parts of it would be dry before I had a chance to spread the paint every where I wanted it.

When it's completely dry, carefully peel the freezer paper off front and back. It should leave crisp lines behind.

Cover your painted area with the press cloth and give it a really hot ironing. This helps set the paint and should make it so you see very little fading when you wash it.

Speaking of washing: inside out, cold, lay flat to dry. The heat of the dryer can cause your paint to crack and look gross pretty fast, so avoid it if possible.

Ta-da! You're done. See? Easy peasy.

See some of my other freezer paper stencil projects here, here and here (very last picture).