Star Power

Rawr!

I don't know where this deep rooted love of loafers is coming from but it's there. Possibly it began with the, still coveted, cat loafers but one thing's for sure, I'm really diggin' em for summer! In the summer I'll be able to wear whatever shoes at work but I think there's several reasons I'll probably stay away from sandals. I think I may have found a happy medium!   

I picked this shirt up at an outlet billabong store a few years ago, it's got baby stars all over it! Coincidently, got this belt at the Volcolm outlet next-store! (yes, yes that is..a terrible pun. heh. )

This was supposed to be an afternoon outing at a local public garden which turned into a bad situation. It could have been much worse so really the sun on ma face was too glorious not smile about. Yay vitamin D, yay for that star power! (Yes, yes that is another terrible pun, baahaha!)

PS - this is my last post with long hair!! Cause oh yeah...I did somethin kinda craaazzzy!!

Morningside

I've been having a lot of fun just taking photos about the house. The other morning I realized that the first 1-2 hours of being awake are my best hair hours, totally wasted, right when I wake up. I started taking photos of my alter, aka bedside table, and I wanted to try and capture this good hair feeling in my Good morning, Morning! photo shoot. 

My hair would dread up in a day if I let it. As you can see when I wake up my hair is practically in perfect rings, but give it a few hours and it will all unravel and be back to its unruly self. So, for this morning, I just laid back with my book, some tea and enjoyed it!

This little saucer is one of three from a cute little tea shop back in CA. Each saucer has a delicate floral pattern that I just fell in love with, they had lost their teacups so she was selling them 3 for 1$. I use saucers all over the house because they are perfect for collecting little things, or as candle holders, serving snacks - anything! A saucer is perfect beside for catching all my necklaces, hair ties and tiny stud earrings which I usually forget to take out until the very last second.

My friend made and sent me this dreamcatcher with feathers, beads and lichens - it's nice to feel like I'm always sleeping with nature. Is it dangling off of the most gaudy slash borderline tacky candleholder ever, yes...yes it is. This Chrysantemum stone above is one of my favorites, usually a mixture of dolmite, limestone and gypsum, its often looks like the flower, or has that 'burst' kinda shape. To surmise, this stone is often seen as an aid of good fortune and for me opens the mind to opportunity and positivity, helping me to be fully present. I won't geek out on the details but for those interested in gemstone healing email me, or this is a great summation of its properties. 

This little bowl of goodies was a wonderful gift that arrived just in time to be the first 'new new apartment' warming gift, haha! I've added a couple little things like pieces of driftwood but the little box has Desert Rose (aka Gypsum crystal), Blue Peacock, Kyanite, Agate, Amethyst, Palo Santo, Sage and Lavender. It was a perfect addition to my bedside alter!

Snail Mail!

Back in October I challenged myself to send more bits of sparkle, snail mail style. Sending and receiving mail definitely something I enjoy, especially if I can spread a little nonchalance!

I have a lot of fun making/finding things and sending out those bits of randomness! I love making presents for my friends - partly because I really like the fact that my friends are the type of people who appreciate and enjoy swapping handmade goodies! The necklace is from a local market artist and the earrings I made myself. Fun and funky decoupage (ish) packaging and these babies are ready to ship! 

 

I also like to decorate the outside of the packages, quotes, pictures, glitter, stickers, whatever! Why should they be plain when they can be fun and weird?! 

A Little Pink, A Little Funk

I got a new ring. I like the new ring. The ring came as a sparkle in these grey weeks which I'm glad for and it led to an adventure, which of course I love. Especially when I find a little magic. I've been spotting little collections of pink about the house and I love it. When I was little I had an awesome pink room but after 10 years of pink, its..well its like 10 years of any color! Needless to say pink hasn't been prominent but it's been creeping back in...hello.

So pink is nice enough, florals are nice enough, this outfit is nice enough but then I have this overwhelming tendency to throw it off, dont know where it comes from or why, yea it's weird, kinda funky and yea I gotta go there. The result..red boots. Kinda works, kinda doesn't. I'm ok with that.

I've gotten some pretty rad thrift scores recently and I'm pretty excited about them..these boots, this bag and the olive overlayer..all thrifted. My proudest is the bag, ridiculous tag sale so it was $1.29, smiles.

One of the perks of my job has been daily exposure with some pretty neat stuff from artists to farmers, and while I'd like to have a piece of everything I can't have it all. But it is fun to share my favorites! Artist/Anthropologist Daniel Leen hand casts PNW artifact jewelry, among many other awesome things. I saved for these earrings while trying to decide which design since most are etchings from Pacific Northwest pictograph and petroglyph sites. It was hard to choose a favorite I settled on the Green Man mostly because they've got a little shimmer. I'm definitely getting a second pair with an etching one day. 

Just couldn't help myself ; ) 

And ps...say goodbye to that fishtail braid!

Reflections

My last post, about three weeks ago, was very positive and it was a little hard for me to maintain that level of positivity recently. All in all, it's been a rough few weeks. Not to say that the world isn't without pain everyday but from a national level to a very small personal level, there has been too much bad recently. My thoughts are with the victims and those affected by the terrible acts of violence seen in Boston as well as the tragedy in Waco and my own hometown. Death will always been a side affect of life, at once being the most horrific and the most empathetic of axiom's and also one of the most complex symbiotic human experiences; for we each battle, we each have both lightness and dark raging within. This relationship can bring a community together but it can also isolate feelings of hopelessness, blind confusion, hate...then we each have to make the choice of how to battle with ourselves. 

These past few weeks I've felt a lot of hopelessness out there. Helplessness. And that is my dark side winning. Then, someone gave me flowers totally out of the blue. And I remembered to smile, and it felt so good, and I was reminded that there are still good people in this world. And then I remembered Dumbledore. Ok technically I remembered the words of JKR but whatever, it was just what I needed. 'Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.' I've been holding onto that and really trying to cultivate appreciation and love for allll those little things. I made myself a few little easy goals but they really do help, I've been taking photos as often as possible, in any little moment I can, being more in contact with friends/family, adventuring, sending packages and cultivating happiness!

I realized I enjoy sharing happiness just as much as I enjoying sharing in others' happiness. And that, it the light side winning ; ). Like an incredible view on a beautiful, clear day in Seattle. And the beautiful evening light in my kitchen, on a rainy day after getting surprise tulips. 

Every time I see the tulips I can't help but smile! They are really so beautiful, and I seem to have gotten several different types and colors, yay! I wish I could send them to people, but I think there will definitely have to be some guerrilla tuliping from me in the near future...

 I found I have a collection of pink on my windowsill.  

Tulips enjoying showing off in the light of the sunset

I wish that life could always be silly breakfasts and elevensies of tea and bites, but it can't, so I savored every moment of such a morning while tackling 12 impossible things (before lunch).  

It isn't selfish to take care of yourself. You need to take care of yourself. Find time for yourself and enjoy it however you can. Even if it means a fancy donut breakfast, or a teacup of mandarins.