never leave the stream of warm impermanence

song of the day: 'changes' by david bowie

it's lightly snowing right now. thankfully there's not enough to have closed schools, because after a weekend playing single mom I'M READY FOR MY BREAK! he's a joy, seriously :) but it is pretty seeing the world dusted with white. there's supposed to be more coming our way and i'm excited to go on a snowy run.

thanks for the awesome feedback about the new layout and weekend post featuring matilda! it feels good to make changes and it is most definitely getting me out of my funk. it's so funny how even the smallest things can make a big difference. but yeah my mood is getting back on track and i'm so thankful for that.

but this weekend was a good one for me. i got a lot done with updating the shop and am forming a plan that will help me be more consistent in that. i think using the dress form and taking the photos at the shop are the keys to getting it done. i'm just terribly lazy when it comes to taking etsy photos!

and i took outfit pics this weekend so i have them for the week ahead. this is what i wore on saturday to the shop. isaiah and i went across the street and he climbed on the rocks while i snapped pictures! it was nice because i had more time and i felt more organized. feels good, you know?

and the kiddo and i had a good time just the two of us. we had a movie night on friday, got him some new shoes, he kept me company at the shop and then we watched a lot of football. i spent a ton of time on twitter and laughed a lot. but i was so thankful to get matt back last night. the world is so much better when he's around :)

so that's a lot of words for a monday morning. have a great day!

details:

fur-vintage faux, etsy

cardigan-target

skirt-thrifted

tee-hand screen printed, etsy

loafers-cole haan, thrifted

coat-vintage, thrifted

what matilda wore

i'd like to introduce you to matilda. she's been in my family for a long time. my grandma had her from the time my mom was a little girl and mom even fitted her wedding dress on this form. now matilda stays at my shop and adorns my window.

i thought it would be fun to post pictures of her each week in what she's worn in the window. creating outfits for her is one of my favorite things to do at the shop and i usually change it everyday. these are the outfits from friday and saturday.

most of the pieces seen here are in my etsy shop. yeah, that's right, i finally updated it!!! the cowl scarf is from ana at toil and trouble.

oh, and did you notice the changes to the blog? let me know what you think.

it's easier not to be wise

song of the day: 'i alone' by live

i wanted to wear a sweatshirt today so i decided to go with it instead of fight it. i think that's the only way to make it through the funk, ride it out and hope for the best. even my tights are like sweats, very thick and cozy. and strangely enough, the overcast skies are comforting.

but, matt is leaving for a boys weekend today :( i always miss him like super crazy when he's gone. so i plan to ease the pain by having a movie night with the kiddo and drinking wine (after he goes to bed of course!) maybe some late night etsy-ing??? who knows.

thanks so much for the awesome comments yesterday! they made me smile and remember exactly why i keep up this blog. you guys are the best :)

details:

coat-vintage

tights-calvin klein

shorts-vintage

shirt-thrifted american apparel

when my head won't hold on

song of the day: 'the stone' by dave matthews

ugh. i'm in a funk. an emotional, physical, mental, and blogging funk. it really shouldn't come as a surprise because this always happens to me when i get home from vacation. but, i just feel.....blah. i have little motivation to do things and an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. eventually, it will work itself out, but while the funk is camped out around here, i will be in my cozy clothes :)

these are the contents of my head

song of the day: 'why' by annie lennox

back to the grind. school is in session, my shop is open, matt's commuting to work and we're back to normal life. why is it always so hard??? *sigh*

anyways, this is a dress i bought while thrifting in florida. after ripping out the huge shoulder pads, i really love it! plus it was half off, so it only cost me about $3. i love thrift store sales.

i also got these shoes while on vacation! we did a little shopping down in miami and urban outfitters was having a 50% off everything on sale sale. awesome! i got myself some pretty good deals while i was away.

and i just want to thank you all for the wonderful comments about the house! it was such a fun project for me and the fact that i spent so much time overseeing every detail, it really means a lot to hear that you guys like it. i mean, our home is such a reflection of who we are and i wanted to make sure that i filled it with things i love and have meaning to me. that's what makes a house a home. not brand new, super sleek, uber modern things, but carefully chosen people and items that you can't live without :)

details:

dress-vintage, thrifted

tights-walmart

shoes-urban outfitters

loft living

many moons ago, i promised to show you all my house. well, today is the day. there's a combo of really good photos in here and some that i took. i'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference :)

anywho, we live above a flower shop in historic downtown siloam springs. the building is over 100 years old and when we began the renovation, it was totally vacant. no walls, no electricity, no plumbing...nothing.

here's what our building looked like in 1910.

these are the before pics. we had just talked with the contractor and decided to go forward with the reno. i planned and dreamed of this place for so long!

this is the kitchen area of the loft. i bought pretty much everything off of ebay-the sink, faucet, stainless steel work table, and range. all of the shelves are from an old bookcase that we took apart then screwed brackets on to hang on the wall. the table is one that i designed and my dad built for me. it's one of the most special things in the house.

my fridge is a hand-me-down from my parents. it was pretty lame looking so we chalkboard panted it (which now shows the nfl playoff schedule) and switched out the handles. matt uses the top of it to display all of his single malt scotch bottles. and the pantry is an old cabinet i got from my grandma.

and here's the living room! we wanted to fill the wall around the tv with all sorts of posters and random stuff. that way, it wouldn't seem like the television was the focus of the whole place.

the hammock is from bolivia where matt grew up. we love having it up in the house and isaiah uses it like a playground swing.

isaiah's room. his hammock swing is from guatemala.

the master bathroom. the tub is probably my favorite part of the house. i use it every single day. we got it for free then found a company to resurface it for us. i love it!!!! and the large photo above the tub is by a photographer friend of ours. it's of a surf shack in st. barts.

and the bedroom! this is such a haven for me :) the words painted on the wall are the lyrics to the song matt wrote me and sang in our wedding. the heart is made up of photos of the two of us from when we were dating to now.

this is another very special thing in our house. it's the chandelier that my grandpa bought my grandma back in the early sixties. there's a smaller version of it in the bathroom above the tub. these two light fixtures and the table are the things that, in case of a fire, i would have to find some way of unwiring and taking apart to get them down the stairs before being consumed by the flames.

so that's the tour! i tried to just hit the high points. we've only been here for two years but are wanting to sell. this place is way too big for our little family. i'm not much of a housekeeper and the extra square footage is not worth it. i loved getting to design the layout and realize a dream. it's been so fun to be here in the middle of town and be so close to my shop and see the pretty lights at christmas and watch parades from my window. but, it's time. we're ready. so if you know of anyone who's interested...........

my vacation in pictures

hope you all are having a wonderful new years! today has been pretty low key for us. mostly a lot of cleaning, grocery shopping, and football watching.

we got home at around 9:30 last night after getting pulled over by a cop. he said it was because our taillight was out. seriously? that's a high priority on new years eve? lame. but we got home safe and managed to stay up long enough to pop the bubbly and ring in the new year.

i know a lot of people are doing recaps of 2010 but since my blog birthday is coming up soon i decided to do it then. instead, you get to see some of my favorite pics of our trip! luckies :)

this is a shot of the sunset from the rooftop of the house we stayed at in the keys. it was quite gorgeous. people would go out in their boats to watch the sun go down. ah! that would be the life, huh?

this is at the no name pub where everyone would staple up a dollar. like every single surface was covered with bills!!

we visited the gravesite of matt's little brother who only lived 4 months. we gave isaiah the middle name mark to honor his memory.

this is at matt's uncle's house before we went to dinner for matt's birthday. the backyard is really pretty because it's along the canal with gorgeous landscaping. but the light was pretty harsh and i had a mini freak out from his uncle's dog who jumped up on me. i didn't like that.

this is the cuban restaurant we ate at for our anniversary lunch. my stars it was good.

here's matt looking all miami vice with his stogie and aviators.

we went to club deuce for happy hour. it's one of anthony bourdain's favorite spots in miami so we had to go there. we got buy one get one free single malt scotch! crazy. we were the most normal people in that place.

the miami beach strip at night. super cool.