Grey Cloud

I kinda feel like a little grey cloud in this outfit. There are some days when all I want to do is stay curled up underneath blankies, all warm and cozy. This outfit is my translation of that feeling, so I could still mentally be in bed all day! Because this oversized sweater sometimes puffs up and makes me look suuuuper big on top I like to pair it with less on the bottom, like here with shorts and tights. The mornings are pretty chilly, but the afternoons warm enough to get away with tights on some days so I'm taking advantage of that for as long as possible!

When wearing all one color, or muted colors, I really like to have little pops of color or bits of whimsy, hence the blue tank, the red shoes and of course polka dot tights! I also have been wearing my labradorite a lot recently, especially with a simple outfit like this, it really stands out. 

This Beautiful Place-Talapus and Olallie Lakes (Pt 2)

The mushrooms on this hike totally blew my mind! I was thrilled to the point of ridiculousness to see so many mushrooms throughout the entire hike and in some spots at least a dozen different types completely surrounding me! AH! Finally!!! The whole hike was stimulating with all these unfamiliar mushrooms to check out but I also found a few other critters about!

This frozen bee completely surprised me but I took the opportunity to kinda poke him (nicely of course!) and check him out! Fun and random - apparently the whole swarm will become docile just before transporting the Queen to a new hive and there's some crazy videos out there of people scooping them up and just holding handful of chill bees. Pretty neat. There was plenty of toads in the creeks and I found this little mini mini one! And I have to admit, I love this photo below! If you look closely you can see mini frog, chillin, staring out across his entire universe.

 

This Beautiful Place -Talapus and Olallie Lakes (Pt 1)

I think this hike is officially my favorite of all the hikes I have done so far since being here in Washington! The trail was absolutely beautiful from beginning to end, plenty of waterfalls and mushrooms (oh the mushies!!!), traversing through old growth forest to Talapus lake and eventually you climb along the valley to Olallie lake. It's an easy 6 something miles round trip, smack in the middle of Snowqualmie Pass, and there's even a few forest bridges (forest boardwalks?) on the trail!

Sweater Dress Weather

I have never owned a sweater dress. For 5$ I am definitely not disappointed and quite proud of myself for actually wearing it. If anything..it's surprisingly warm. This whole outfit was under $30, bam, fist pump! I'm pretty excited to have this dress for fall, eeeee! 

The Ever-Changing Entryway

Now that the weather is getting wetter and the days are shorter I'm finding new places inside to take outfit photos and the entryway is one of them. Above are a few detail shots of the entryway 'storage box' (aka dresser which we use for hats, gloves, scarves, and 'entryway' things) as it is currently, but the design elements are always changing. I'm always moving things and changing little details, like adding a curiosity here or there. Both the dresser and the wood cabinet were free and I think they're such beautiful pieces! I lined the shelves of the cabinet, to help break up the wood a bit, with a gorgeous floral paper which I see now I didn't really get pictures of - next time! Abalone shells on the dresser hold trinkets like sage, amethyst and quartz as well as a collection of Rhode Island beach findings like sea glass, shells, and porcelain (thank you lovely Beetle!). The glass lid box holds a silver charm bracelet that my Grandfather brought back from across the world for my Grandmother; I could never wear it but it's fascinating to look at and play with!
The apartment I rent has been relatively unchanged since the 1930s (?!) so it has a lot of great quirks like an out of commission icebox in the kitchen. Also it the kitchen is a small, strange space that would be ideal for a second counter, prep space, eating space...something...and finally we've found SOMETHING! After shopping around it became clear we would need to McGyver something because the space is so awkward, anything too big blocks off the sink and the cabinets. Money has been so tight and we hadn't found any frugal solutions until....ta-da! New table and chairs! Yay! Some friends traded us for this neat vintage diner table and sparkly, cherry vinyl diner chairs and I love them! I thoroughly enjoy getting to sit at the little table for each meal, like this afternoon's Pho. I also found out that our kitchen was originally painted this same Aqua color! Kinda still wish it was...