No Jeans at Work!

I was blog surfing before class started last night and I came across a quote that read something like "life is too beautiful to worry about fashion do's and don'ts"

So this morning I decided to just go ahead and not wear jeans to work today. Thursdays are mostly a paperwork day, so it is pretty much the only day I can get away with it. Everyone loved it though...

Cardigan from Old Navy, Dress and leggings from Kohls. And these pretty shoes are my oxfords from Piperlime, I love them! They have enough of a heel to add some spice, but still flat enough to be comfortable in all day.

I ordered some scrap book supplies from two peas last week and it has finally arrived! I am so excited, I haven't had new supplies in a long time, I can't wait to make some pages. We are super busy with Halloween activities this weekend, but I'm hoping to squeeze some scrapping in!

-XO K.

What I wore Yesterday

I was having myself a little Ghost Adventures marathon yesterday via my DVR. Afterwards I decided to head to Virginia City. Before I even made it to the base of the mountain I decided to turn around due to the nasty weather. So we just spent the rainy afternoon inside cuddled up on the couch watching movies. But at least I looked cute!! All in all it was a fairly lazy, and relaxing weekend, which is nice because now it's time to gear up for Halloween, Yay!! -XO K.

Recently Thrifted....

I just wanted to share some of my recent (and some not quite as recent) thrifted finds. I really love the look of a framed collection, but I had no artwork to even begin a collection! So I began checking out the framed artwork areas of the thrift stores I frequent. Here are some of the items I've picked up in the past few months....

I actually picked up this embroidered piece yesterday for $1. I was so excited to find this. I adore the colors, it will work out very well with the colors I have in my living or dining areas.

This piece was actually the first one I picked up to start the collection, also for $1. It reminded me of the old victorian kit house we visited in Montana, and I am obsessed with old homes. So it's fairly fitting that I begin a collection of old house artwork!

This is the second house artwork I picked up, I love that the architecture is similar to the first piece.

                                                  

This one was just neat to me. It is actually a page torn out of a book that someone framed... but I loved the colors and the style of the artwork.

I really like this one, I'm not sure the origination of this portrait of a girl, but I have seen her in other places, other forms of print. This one has quilted fabric surrounding the oval portrait.

This is where she resides on a shelf in my living room, next to another one of my favorite items, a cuban cigar box from the early 1900's, originally my great grandfathers.

And lastly, another piece I really like, a tiny butterfly (4X6). I love this print style, usually they are pricy, even in the thrift stores, as they are increasingly popular. But I managed to pick up this small piece for $3. 

Variations of size when displaying a framed artwork collection makes it visually interesting, so I am collecting all sorts of shapes and sizes. I have different ideas of locations in my home, but I will definitely post a pic when I have my artwork hung!

What I Wore Today

It was overcast and drizzly today, so I wore my wellies! I paired them with a black sweater dress, grey tights and grey thigh high socks. I am also wearing a grey lace skirt underneath, so there is just a bit of lace peaking through.  I must be the only person in Reno with rain boots, because people look at me so weird!

Happy Monday

I wore my wellies for the first time today! It was still cool and damp when I left the house at just before 5 am.  But when I left work it was in the mid sixties with the sun shining. And I'm in my beanie, sweater and wellies. Oh how I love the Nevada weather.
So this weekends photography inspiration was "comfy and cozy". What makes you comfy and cozy? For me it's waking up late, staying in my PJ's and baking. This weekend Celeste and I finally made the pumpkin scones I've been craving. They turned out super delicious. I found the recipe here.
I made them yesterday and they're gone! It was so comfy, having fresh baked scones, hot coffee and sitting at my table watching the rain fall in the backyard...

What did you do this weekend? I hope it was relaxing and fun!

I've been slacking on taking pictures as I continue my way through my anti jeans adventure, even though I have worn a lot of outfits sans jeans lately, this is the only pic I remembered to take from last week!

XO -K.

Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble... notes from the chalkboard

Celeste came down with a bug, so I am home from work today while she sleeps it off (hopefully!). So while she watches cartoons and I simmer some chicken noodle, I decided to bring a little Halloween fun to the chalkboard wall. I actually saw this Shakespeare line written on a chalkboard  in a magazine recently. That chalkboard was right above the stove, how fitting!
-XO K.

Project Monday

Over at her blog Blume, Carrie has started a fun and inspiring little project. She gives you a little seedling, and you grow all weekend, and share your bloom on Monday with the Project Monday Flikr group!
This past Friday's seed was tradition. What is your family's fall tradition?
One of my favorite fall traditions is unpacking our few halloween decorations. Although we don't have much, I adore how excited Celeste is, and I love reliving the past memories of such pre school art projects like "upside down cat head". Celeste glued the poor kitty's head on upside down, and when I asked her what the kitty's name was "upside down cat head" was her reply! Oh to be four again...
So here are a few pics I took this weekend, though I'm not quite done, I still need to decorate our front porch.

My Anti Jeans and T-shirt Adventure

I am so sick and tired of not feeling pretty in what I wear, so I am starting an anti jeans project. My work is dirty, so jeans still go there, but everywhere else in my life I think I should dress better than jeans and a T. Today was day one, and my reactions included
"I don't know how I feel about you in that.."
"Where did you have to go today?"
and,
"Whoa, look at you!"

The whole outfit costs under $15! Shoes are American Eagle, skirt is thrifted and shirt is from Target.

-XO K.

Sketch Book Project- First Two Completed!

I  just wanted to share the first two sketches that I have completed in my sketch book for the Sketch Book Project.

Unfortunately my main drawing time is on my breaks at work, so I am eating and drawing! And, as you can see, I got something on that poor guys face and the graphite has totally stuck to it... oh well kinda looks like he has a mole, right? I also have some pictures of my completed linoleum cutting, which I will be making some prints from next Friday before it goes away forever. (notice it is the same kissing couple as my second sketch!)

I forgot to mention on my weekly update post that I went to a show. I saw Civil Twilight, Crash Kings and Anberlin. It was an awesome show, Civil Twilight was amazing. I don't think I have ever seen a band perform live that sounds exactly like the album. After their performance they manned their own table selling shirts and Cd's, so I purchased a t-shirt and let them know that I thought their show was amazing! It was like the days of old when I would go to shows all the time and talk to the bands and have them sign my poster. Which I did, I had Civil Twilight sign my poster. I feel like I'm thirteen all over again...

-XO K.

A Week in Review

First off, let me apologize, we are nearing mid semester and I have been a busy girl! I have also decided to participate in The Sketch Book Project so I have been spending my spare time drawing in my little sketch book. I will not get to keep it, so I will be taking photos of my sketches to document my work, so I will post some soon. You should definitely check out the link above or in my side bar to learn more about this neat little project!
It rained!! Being in the desert, rain is rare. But this week it rained for three or four days straight. So I finally ordered the wellies I've been wanting. I actually wanted Hunters, but these were half the cost and well it rains like twice a year in Reno, so I couldn't justify spending that much. I also ordered these cute pair of oxfords to have something to wear with all the cute skirts of have been acquiring. I have really become bored with wearing jeans and t-shirts all the time, so I want to incorporate some excitement into my wardrobe. I'll let you know how it goes....
I finished up my linoleum carving, I get to print next week and then I also lose this piece as well. It is a collaborative project, we all are essentially carving a piece of a puzzle. Every one's block will be glued down and we will make a very large print which will be going on display at the convention center downtown. How exciting! I am really starting to get my work out in all sorts of ways, and it feels great.
Today I am just taking it easy, working on a couple sketches, maybe go thrifting later...
How was your week?

-XO K.

Celeste's First Time in Virginia City

Earlier in the week I decided to take Celeste up to Virginia City. It's been about a year since I was up there last, and she has never been, so I thought it would be something fun to do together. I described it to her as a ghost town that people still live in. We've been to a couple of ghost towns and she has always seem as fascinated as I am by them.

I started out our morning by making pumpkin pancakes with apple cider syrup, one of my many fall favorites. Super yummy, and I have really been craving these flavors lately.
Then we were off... and I forgot, as I always do, that winding roads make Celeste car sick. So just as we arrived in Virginia City, Celeste got sick. After clean up we began walking around, visiting stores. 

We checked out a couple antiques stores. Celeste broke an ugly bug necklace that I then had to buy (the guy was happy that I offered to buy it, so he gave me 1/2 off). We also went into the Washoe Club just before stopping for lunch. 

Celeste was so freaked out, because we had seen the Ghost Adventures show a couple weeks prior. She still had no problem going inside, which I was surprised, but she was very cautious about it.

 After lunch we headed to the old hospital for a tour, it was neat, but it is now an Arts Center so it didn't really have a creepy vibe, just an old building. But I love that sort of thing, the old buildings, the history, the allure of something otherworldly.
After that we headed back up to the town and went to the candy store and fudge shop. The last place we went Celeste set down her little change purse, with her life savings of $7 in it and it was gone when we went back five minutes later. 
I feel so bad, poor girl lost a tooth on Thursday, and she told me she had been trying to pull it out "to get money for Halloween" and now all her money is gone. Poor baby. It is a good life lesson  though, it happens to all of us. -XO