May In Review!

I liked doing the end of the month wrap up so much last month I thought I'd do it again this month (and maybe every month?) I wish I had started doing this sooner! Even looking back at last months was really interesting to me! I can't wait to look back at these in a year or so!

May in review!
new blogs I found & enjoyed:
• I just recently found that Geninne had a blog. I've been raving about how much I love her work since the early days of this blog, so I'm super stoked to find she has a blog!!
• Creepy Animals. So, they haven't posted in five weeks but going through the all the old posts was a lot of fun!!

iphone apps downloaded:
• Park Finder. Helps you find local parks. You can search by activities and it shows you the distance to each park from where you are!
• Garage Sale Rover. Last month I downloaded the igarage sale app, which I still love but this new one shows sales that it doesn't (and visa versa!) This one is free plus it automatically marks rummage, estate and community sales in another color than garage sales which is so much easier for me.
• Fungi. It's a mushroom identification app which is obviously super relevant to my interests.

(kevin using the fungi app)

my favorite posts this month:
• What I wore 5.20.11 - The day I tackled my fear of taking photos on the deck!
• The Collector: Part 9 - My most personal collection.
• Tutorial. Sweater Clips!
• Sorry Kitties...
• Where I blog.
• The Dainty Squid - caught peeking in my journal!


new (to me) movies I watched:  
• Easy A. This movie was seriously 100x funnier than the previews ever looked. (The dad is totally my favorite character, I love him!)
• Leaves of Grass. Okay, so I had seen this before but I really wasn't watching just listening while I worked but I actually sat down and watched it this time and I was surprised how much I liked it. (How can you not like a movie where Edward Norton plays both the main characters?!)
• The Crush. I'm a big fan of late eighties, early nineties dramatic thrillers so this is right up my alley. I mean, it wasn't amazing but it was good to watch while I worked.
• Fear. Well, I just told you I liked cheesy dramatic thrillers and this definitely fits the bill. Anyways, I actually really liked this one (possibly just because of young Mark Wahlberg though....)


exciting happenings on and offline: 
• The new Man Man cd, Life Fantastic, came out and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I highly recommend it!
• Hey vegans, and non-vegans who like yummy food - you know that daiya came out with pepperjack cheese not too long ago right? OHMYGOSH. It is the best thing I have ever tasted. We've been making grilled cheese sandwiches with it but my mind is seriously swirling with ideas for what else I can put this cheese on.
• I got to meet Elycia and we had one heck of an amazing time!  I can't wait to see her and Ivan again.
• I'm still on cloud nine from launching my new line earlier this month. I'm so so so excited for what the future holds!
• I got a really really awesome email mid-month that I will tell you all about tomorrow! Eeeeep! I'm busting at the seams to spill the beans!

See ya tomorrow!
xoxo

Pressed Flowers!

I have a new favorite hobby...pressing flowers.

 It all started when I found this pocket sized moleskine at Borders. It was on sale since Borders was closing down but I had no use for it since I already have a million other notebook that I write in for a week then forget about. (please tell me I'm not the only one who does this?!) The next day while walking through the woods I thought of the perfect use, to press flowers in! Since there was only one left at Borders I figured it would be gone by the time I went to buy it so I just ordered it off amazon.

For some reason this is ridiculously fun and way more addicting then I ever imagined. I pick nearly one of everything to put in my little notebook. I love flipping through the pages of collected flowers, and leaves and seeing how they've changed. Here are some of my favorites;

And one that was just a test that I didn't think would turn out at all but for obvious reasons became my absolute favorite...

A little tiny mushroom! I didn't think it would end up acceptable at all, I figured it would just rot or something but it's so perfect. I plan on putting many many more mushrooms in my notebook!

Does anyone else press flowers?
xoxo

suddenly...summer?

Yesterday was Memorial Day, which means everyone is talking about summer already. Even though it's not officially summer yet. And even though here in Michigan it seems like our lilac bushes and apple trees have only just sported their spring blooms.

And after a cool, rainy weekend, it did seem like summer suddenly appeared here on Memorial Day, with sunshine and temperatures in the near 90s. So naturally, we joined the rest of the neighborhood out on the lake.

Lucy encounters a turtle.

Wild strawberry blossom.

xo

K

a man in a uniform

I don't mean to be flippant or disrespectful, but since it is Memorial Day, this blog would seem to be the place for vintage photos of men in uniform. These photos are all of relatives who served.

My mother's uncle Henry, circa 1940s. I love this photo because he reminds me here of my #1 political crush, Howard Dean.

And this is my mother's uncle Frank, with his wife Dolores, also circa 1940s. Isn't Dolores lovely, and isn't her outfit amazing? I love the big buttons.

Here is my dad. I think he's pretty handsome here, although the haircut makes me laugh. This is a high school photo, from 1959, so Dad would be 17 or 18. He went to a Catholic military high school and later entered the Army.

Dad and his date for a dance (I'm thinking high school junior prom). Her dress is...wow!

Dad and his mother, my grandma Edna, in 1958 or 1959. Dad looks quite sharp in his uniform here, but I daresay my grandmother holds her own in her taffeta dress, pretty corsage, gloves, and wonderful eyeglasses. I do love this photo.

This is Dad at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1964. Dad told me this was a summer ROTC training camp. He was very lucky--a spot on his lung kept him from being sent to Vietnam. He instead ran the bakery and mortuary services on a Kentucky Army base. Weird, but I'm glad of it!

xo

K

This weekend I...

met Elycia and her fiance Ivan!

I tried writing a post about the day three or four times already now and just can't manage to sum up the day. So I will just say three things about it that might give you the gist of it:
1. I seriously have not had that much fun since I was a little kid (and my body is totally paying for it now, I'm so so so tired)
2. I really miss them already. Like the next morning I woke up and was like "Oh no, Elycia and Ivan are back in Canada now..."
3. I CANNOT wait to hang out again.

I'll be back tomorrow but for now I've got to run. It's Memorial Day in the United States which means Kevin has the day off work and it's the perfect day for a cook out and a hike!
I hope you're all having a wonderful day!!
xoxo

It's the little things...

like finally figuring out how to improve your packaging and getting a new stamp in the mail!

I've been stressing out over new packaging for a while. It's something I never mastered. Since the beginning I've always packaged my items in plain cellophane bags. When I finally gave the shop a make over I figured the next step was to give my packaging a make over.

I ordered the stamp from rubberstamps.net, which looks totally sketchy but with the recommendation from Katie (via a guest post about product packaging on Leigh Ann's blog) I just went for it. Aaaand I'm so glad I did. My stamp came really fast (ordered the 23rd, got to me on the 26th). I am beyond pleased with it. I just want to stamp everything in sight...and uh, I kind of did.

I also ordered some stickers from moo to use on days I'm just not feeling the stamped doily look. I haven't recieved them yet since moo has a much longer turn around time but I feel accomplished knowing that I'm on the right track to cutesy packaging. No more cellophane baggies ever!!

Well I've got to run. I have a super exciting day planned.
xoxo

FF #106

This print is so charming.

 (via: The Black Apple)
Soooo pretty! Granny Squares are the most under rated thing ever!

 (via: NzLbags)
I'm pretty sure I mentioned Theater Cloud's work in a previous Friday Favorite's list but how could I not post this piece? It's gorgeous. 

 (via: theaterclouds)
I'm crazy about this cute little flower pin from Danny Brito's vintage shop, City Song Vintage!

 (via: city song vintage)
One of my lovely sponsors, Dani of Kittenbear, just opened up her online shop. Her jewelry is absolutely beautiful!

 (via: Kitten Bear)

Oh my goodness, these shoes are so so so fantastic. By Paige also has a pair with owls, another with foxes and another with lobsters! Eeep! 

 (via: By Paige)

I really love photos like this! 

 (via: Bellroy)
There is nothing about this that I don't love!!

 (via: doe c doe)
Love this dress!! 

(via: ModCloth)
These wooden doily coasters are so fantastic! 

(via: uncommon)

These photos by Ingrid Nelson are absolutely stunning!

I'm crazy about this beautiful striped dress.  

Danielle's "What Tammy Wore" outfit post. (PS. Tammy is her absolutely gorgeous kitty.)

Love these brooches by littlemiso. 

I hope you all have a fantastic Friday & a perfect weekend! 
xoxo

sunshine and clear skies

We returned home from (an abnormally rainy and gray) Colorado to (a completely normal) rainy and gray Michigan--and foot-high grass in the yard. After two days of this, the sun has come out...so this shop preview starts with bright yellow sun and ends with blue skies!

(By the way, all the Denver Max Fund items we've listed to date have sold, and thus, we have raised--with FuzzyLizzie's and your wonderful help--$85.00 for the MaxFund! More items are coming, including one in the update below.)

Sunny yellow shantung dress with tie belt.

Kelly green gingham check blouse, by Karelle.

1980s deadstock gray button-bib dress, new with tags.

Boxy floral print cotton blouse/jacket, by Beeline.

Gorgeous 1950s shirtwaist dress--pintucked back bodice with rhinestone-studded cutwork lace flowers, by Parklane Juniors. (A special listing for Denver's MaxFund no-kill animal shelter!)

Butterfly and daisy print golf skort, by Malia.

1960s lavender embroidered linen dress.

1960s paisley print blouse, by Queen Casuals.

1940s black taffeta suit with rhinestones and passementerie trim, by Doris Dodson.

1980s nautical rayon blazer.

Waterflowers maxi-dress, by Keram.

Khaki floral print skirt, by Herman Geist.

1960s aqua Emma Domb dress and jacket.

xo

K