It's the little things...

As anyone who is interested in mycology probably has, I have a mental list of mushrooms I'd really love to find and identify. Near the top is an earthstar. I had a basically given up on mushroom hunting for the year because of the weather, it's been pretty frosty lately. But a few days ago Kevin and I were at one of the local parks taking outfit photos when I spotted these beauties in a patch of mulch.

I thought they were just puffballs but upon further investigation I realized the were earthstars!! These are Astraeus hygrometricus, more commonly known as the false earthstar, or the hygroscopic earthstar.

They start off looking like puffballs but as they mature the outer layer breaks open into a star shape. The rays open and close depending on the amount of humidity in the air - opening when its wet and closing when the air is dry. It had just rained earlier in the day when we found these but you can see in the above photo the one beside the open one is closed.

Sorry for the mushroom talk, well not really...I'm totally stoked. I couldn't be happier about crossing a mushroom off my to find list! It's the little things that count!
Hope you're having a fabulous day!
xoxo

Merry Christmas!

I hope Santa Cat brought you everything you were wishing for this holiday season!

Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Dainty Squid!! 

(Kaylah, Kevin and the four kitties)
xoxo

What I wore; the most fabulous collar!

the details:

coat - thrifted / vintage

scarf - Target

dress - Retro Peter Pan Collar Apricot Dress c/o Romwe

belt - Modcloth (last year)

tights - Interlaced Belt Tights c/o Romwe

shoes - Hot Topic (probably 6 years ago?)

There has never been a dress with a more fabulous collar than this one. It was love at first sight! The whole dress is a nice thick, warm material (that is suuuuper soft!) and the collar always sits perfectly. I have so many dresses with great collars that never sit flat, it's such a bummer. I need ten more dresses like this in different lengths and colors to get me through the cold weather.

This was our first big(ish) snow of the winter. We got around 3 or 4 inches total and then it quickly melted. In a way it's disappointing but it will make the winter go so much faster! Although, I definitely need at least one good snow to play in! I love sled riding, especially with my nieces and nephew!

Well, I have to run! I hope you all have a fabulous christmas eve,  if you celebrate,  and if not, I hope you have a great day regardless!!
xoxo

some things never change

I was looking at some old photos and realized that perhaps--like so many things--our sense of style is set at an early age.  For example, I still think I look best with bangs.

(See what I mean about the bangs?)  I still love plaid.

I can't say I wear a lot of animal prints these days, but I do love my leopard coat.  And still rock serious bedhead sometimes.

A yellow dress with floral applique?  Yeah, I'd still wear that.

The nautical look?  Absolutely!

A plaid poncho?  Sure.  And I appear to have inherited a penchant for nerd glasses from my parents.

A scratch and sniff pizza t-shirt?  Nah, probably won't do that again.

xo

K

FF #136

 Eeep! In love with this kitty sweater! I'm kind of the pickiest sweater wearer ever so I think venturing in the mall (oh gosh, it's been so long!) to try it on might be in order .

(via: forever 21 )

This pattern is so pretty!

(via: dterzigni)
Oooohhweeee! I'm lovin' this bag. 

(via: romwe)

I love simple yet eye catching necklaces, these are no exception!

(via: homako)

Dying over this vintage steamer! It's so stunning!

(via: Selected and Collected) <--- gosh, isn't that such a great name for a vintage shop!?

I am completely smitten by this kitten ring!

(via: spotted moth)
Puxxle, the pixel puzzle. So awesome!!

(via: thedieline)
Love this cloud mobile!

 (via: The Butter Flying)

Modcloth is having an awesome sale this week! You can take an additional 25% off the items in the sale section with code "SALEAWAY" now through the 28th. Weeee, I think I've got some shopping to do!

(via: modcloth)

♥ Ok, if you can only look at one link I post, I recommend this one - Cooper: Photographer Cat. "Cooper is a 6 year old American Shorthair cat living in Seattle. Once a week he wears a lightweight digital camera fastened to his collar, which snaps a new photo every 2 minutes." Such an awesome idea!
♥ Here is a tutorial on how to make paper snowflakes from coffee filters!! While I plan on taking down all christmas decor as soon as christmas is over I think the snowflakes might be taking their place!
♥ Love this wooden doormat from Martha Stewart. 

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! Today cannot go fast enough, I'm so very excited about tomorrow (and of course, the next day!). I can't wait to be with both of my brothers and their families under one roof! 
xoxo

ps; There is still ad space available for January! You can find more info here.

shop update preview

Here's the fresh batch of lovely vintage, coming to the shop shortly.

1950s true blue chantilly lace party dress.

Wool plaid cape with fringe.

Mod 1960s grid print dress and matching coat.

Beaded flowers cardigan with rhinestones.

Koret of California olive glen plaid skirt suit, with attached scarf!

1950s blue corduroy inverted pleats skirt.

1960s folklore paisley print dress, by Butte Knit.

1980s cream Irish wool cable knit sweater, by LL Bean.

1940s nubby brown rayon blend dress with belt, by Eve Carver.

1950s houndstooth coat with giant buttons, by Skinner Chamberlain.

1960s bohemian silk taffeta dress with sash belt.

1960s ski sweater.

1940s pastoral print rayon dress with big buttons.

xo
K 

DIY shoe fringe

I'm a total sucker for shoes with fringe, even the ugliest of shoes is somehow charming to me with fringe. So I decided to give it a go and try and make fringe that I could add to make all my already awesome shoes just a little bit better!

Supplies needed: ♥ pinking shears ♥ scissors ♥ hold punch ♥ vinyl (or leather) ♥ a pair shoes

Use the photo below to make sure you have the right kind of shoes as some kinds are not suitable to add this fringe too.

The flaps (for lack of a better word, I'm no shoe expert!) that the laces tie into need to be not connected. In the first picture you can see where the flaps are attached at the bottom to the shoe, in photo number two you'll see that they are not connected. Basically you just need to be able to insert something from the bottom of that area for them to be the correct kind of shoe for this tutorial.

Got the right shoes now? Here's how to add some fancy removable fringe!

1 // Unlace your shoes and measure how wide the area is at the bottom of your lace flaps and how long the tongue is, add 1 inch or so to the length for fringe then cut out a piece of vinyl using those measurements.
2 // After it's cut make sure the piece fits and trim, if necessary.
3 // Using your pinking shears cut just enough off that you're able to get the pretty little zig-zag design. After that's done, using regular scissors, cut one inch up each one of the peaks made by the pinking shears.
4 // Insert the vinyl piece back in the shoe and use a marker to mark your bottom holes. Make sure to make both of the shoes the same!
5 // Punch holes where you marked in the previous step.
6 // Put your shoe lace through the vinyl piece as shown in the photo, with the laces coming out the front.
7 // Lace up your fancy new shoes and enjoy!!

grey shoes pre-fringe c/o Blowfish & heart tights from ebay.

Some tips and ideas!

♥ Try different lengths for a different look! A shorter fringe would be less eye catching and more like secret pizazz!
♥ Use a contrasting color fringe to add a bold pop to your shoe! 
♥ Make multiple fringes in different colors to make black shoes coordinate with any outfit! This fringe only takes a few minutes to make.

Let me know if make some removable fringe for your shoes, I'd love to see a photo!
xoxo