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My sweet friend Ronit threw me a little bridal brunch this past weekend and I thought it was the perfect excuse to finally wear my party hat! The outfit sort of created itself from there ;) I haven't had a party "in my honor" since I was a little kid, so I felt very special! The cats seemed to dig the look.
party hat: cloud society
necklace: vintage, thrifted
cardigan: splendid, thrifted
tank: american apparel
skirt: forever 21
tights: nordstrom
shoes: steve madden
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These are bits from my favorite spread in this month's Papercut Magazine. It's just oooozing autumn, I love it so. And honestly, I really like seeing photos of other redheads! I don't mean that to sound weird, which it probably does if you're not a redhead, but we are so few and far between, it's like instant camaraderie!
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In just a few short days (5 to be exact) I'll be walking down the sandy aisle by the sea to get married, and I'll be wearing these shoes! It took me forever to find some affordable, vintagey, mushroom toned shoes to go with my dress, and when I finally stumbled upon these on Zappos, I knew they were perfect! From Poetic Licence (spelled funny) they're even cute on the inside. I can't wait to wear them!
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On last week's Top Model (yes, I still watch that show. I think it's good this season!) they compared one of the models to Penelope Tree, and I was like, "who what now?" And then they showed a photo of Penelope Tree and I knew right then she had to be my next Miss Modish Muse!
She came from an extremely wealthy and traditional English family and was discovered as a model by Diane Arbus (one of my faaavorite photographers) when she was just 13! Her family objected to her modeling, but at 17 she met the editor of Vogue and Richard Avedon at a ball- Vogue thought she was too gawky and plain to be a model, but Avedon thought she was perfect. He shot her and helped launch her career- she was on 3 Vogue covers after that. She was entrenched in the swingin' 60's scene, the definition of "flower child." John Lennon, who was asked to describe her in three words, called her "Hot, Hot, Hot, Smart, Smart, Smart"
{Penelope with her family}
Dang, I want that red & black tweed coat she has, overlooking the cliffs (that looks kind of like Mendocino where we're going soon!) And I loooove the one with her in a big headdress. She's still so beautiful, don't you think?
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Babette is releasing their fall collection today and it is soooo gorgeous. Full of jagged edged druzy necklaces, rainbow hoop earrings, golden girly necklaces and lots more. I want want want.
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When I stumbled across Jessalin Beutler's Etsy shop a few weeks ago, I was immediately smitten with her bold, geometric designs and bright colors. So you can imagine how happy I was to learn that many of the tees she offers are organic as well!
There's so much to see in the shop that I can't begin to pick a favorite, but with the holidays fast approaching I am happy to know that most of her designs are unisex or men's sizes — perfect for those hard-to-shop-handmade-for guys on my list. Check out her organic offerings here.
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
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Ah, it's officially fall! Can you feel it where you are? It's definitely getting chilly in the mornings here in Portland. These images are of the harvest moooon a couple nights ago on the fall equinox! It's kind of rare we can even see the moon here (being so cloudy and all) so it's pretty special that it made it appearance for us.
This weekend I'm meeting my awesomest possumest guest blogger Renee (of petals & pedals) in person! In fact, as you're reading this, I'll be eating breakfast with her and her hubby and little one. I'm so excited! I also get to have a little bridal brunch with girlfriends this weekend, thanks to sweet Ronit! And there is oh so much work to be done before we take off on our trip.
Hope you have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday with a new blogstar!
<3 jena
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I'm down with a fair amount of kitsch in my yard--see the pic below of our severely wilted front yard {please rain, please!}. Last year when I found the mother load of birdhouse gourds growing in an overgrown ditch near my house I harvest a few when they were full grown. Actually, I didn't have one-stroke tole painting in mind when I picked them.
I had two straight lines' modern birdhouse in mind. Fall is here, people are are decorating their porches with corn stalk scarecrows and dinner tables with dried gourd centerpieces. While a little more kitsch would fit right into my decor, I think a glossy coat of paint is just the perfect way to bring the gourd look into modern cool. What do you think?
On that note, I'm taking the next couple months off Petals & Pedals to tidy up my over-neglected gardens {and do a daily rain dance}, but I'll see you back here in the spring with more gardening projects and growing fun!
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
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Nonesuchthings is a cute little shop that could easily be called "all such things" because they carry all sorts of cuteness! Somewhere in between a shop and blog, this London based site carries porcelain keys, Japanese bunny bags, teacup jewelry, gorgeous masking tapes and my favorite, glitter crayon rings! (upper left) You'll be able to doodle at a moment's notice.
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Last weekend, we stopped by the Pendleton Woolen Mills store for the first time, and I'm so glad we did! It's in Milwaukie, a little suburb south of Portland (that we considered living in when we were house hunting!) It's kind of just an ugly warehouse space, but it's an ugly warehouse space filled with incredible, colorful Pendleton home goodies, fabric and remnants, crafty stuff and much to our surprise- a little tapestry museum in the back! It was SO rad. I took lots of pictures, of course, so how bout I stop yammering and take you shopping with me!
8550 SE Mcloughlin Blvd, Milwaukie, OR
{this isn't an image printed on fabric- it's all loomed wool! And it's gigantic.}
We walked out with a roll-up blanket that's wool on one side and nylon on the other (perfect for a sandy beach or damp Portland picnic) and I had to have a dopp bag in teal, so cute!
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Last night I stumbled upon this really cool vintage pressed flower piece over in trampoline and I just had to have it. I'm not sure why I was so drawn to it- something about collecting flowers seems so treasured, to me. Plucking them, saving them, pressing them- such a beautiful way to cherish a moment, a memory, a place.
Intrigued, I started to search for more vintage pressed flowers and after a little trip down the rabbit hole, I fell into wonderland- Emily Ann Thurrell's scrapbook of pressed flowers, from 1932! The too lucky marcinema, who owns the book now, was kind enough to share her incredible find on flickr, and I think it's so amazing! Can you believe it's almost 80 years old?
So now, of course, I want to try pressing some flowers myself. I think it might be fun to collect some little botanical specimens from our upcoming wedding trip, in all the places we go- I'll have to remember to bring a big heavy book with us! Have you ever pressed flowers before? Any tips?
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Eventho it's almost fall here in the Northern hemisphere, it's spring in the fashion world right now. And Fischer's new line for spring 11 has me feeling excited about next year already. I just love the backgrounds in these shots, so country cottage & dappled light perfect. They definitely add to the laid-back pretty feel of the Fischer line. The last dress is my favorite!
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I'm all snuggled up with a blanket and a cup of coffee at my computer this chilly morning, dreaming of these felted slippers from ing00te...
Wet-felted and formed by hand from wool (a wonderful renewable resource), these beauties are sure to keep your toes cozy as autumn sets in. Available in all felt, or with latex or cork soles, they'd make great house shoes or could venture outdoors!
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
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While searching the sephora site this weekend to stock back up on my make-up and moisturizer usuals, I found myself a little distracted in the nail polish section. It was the gold sparkle top coat that did it. I haven't painted my nails since high school probably, but I used to love it. I always had colorful nails. And now I have depressed and ignored oh so plain nails. I think they need a little pick me up.
So, I ordered some polish. Ya know, just a few shades. I went a little crazy because I started to rationalize how I really should paint my nails for the wedding. And it'd be fun to have painted nails for my outfitted posts. And I stare at my hands all day working on this laptop and I deserve to stare at something a little more colorful, uh, right? Apparently I'm so deserving that I needed 7 shades to start with:
Teal We Meet Again, Only Gold for Me top coat, Dating the Drummer, Meet for Drinks, Sample Sale, 1st Night, Going Nude, Eh?
Going Nude, Eh? Does it really need the "eh?" at the end? All these names are just awful, ugh. Despite that, I think this is the start of a new obsession.
What are your nail polish favorites so far for fall?
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Hello! Happy Monday! We're starting this week off with my new blogstar series, introducing you to some of my favorite blogs! First up is an absolute every day favorite of mine, so I'm thrilled to start this new series off with her. Introducing...
For me, for you is my go to place for cute shoe oogling, fashion drooling and new music discoveries. And I love that Kate, the adorable, super stylish and multi-talented blogger behind it all, seems so sweet and down-to-earth, too! Beyond her good taste for all things awesome, she shares lots of beautiful photos from her everyday life that make me covet NY life without ever having been. Plus, she hosts cookie parties, is obsessed with sandwiches and loves her cute tuxedo kitty, Wendy. I'm sure you're already reading her blog, but if not, it's time to change that!
Where do you live? New York City
Where do you blog from? my home office (I hate that term, but I suppose that's what it is!)
How long have you been blogging? for over 10 years in some form or another (livejournal, anyone?) but on my current blog, roughly 3 years
What's one of the oddest/sweetest/craziest or most memorable comments you've ever received? oh my, I could write a book! But, weirdest: someone telling me an APC dress I posted about was "frowzy". Had to dictionary.com that gem. Sweetest: whenever my readers notice a mean commenter and reply, making them feel like an idiot for even thinking about being mean. I have a GANG of awesome supporters, which I think everyone needs on the internet sometimes.
What's one of your favorite posts/or fave series on your blog & why? Definitely Bits Of My Weekend where I share photos from my weekend every Monday. It's not intended to serve some "ohh look at me and my awesome life" purpose (trust me, I have some hideously boring weekends sometimes and am kind of a homebody!) but rather to document small moments in my life I want to remember. It's also got me in the habit of taking tons of photos and expanding my photography knowledge, which has always been a passion of mine.
Who are 3 other blogstars, in your book?
It's very hard to choose, but these ladies rock my world with their unique blogs that bring something different to the table in my google reader all the time: Lily of BigBANG Studio, Anabela of Fieldguided, and Vic (her blog doesn't exactly have a name, but is constantly incorrectly linked as "lost" :) http://lost.net.au/vic/
Visit for me, for you :: Kate's flickr :: her jewelry shop
{all images by Kate, from her Bits of My Weekend series}
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A couple views from my walk with Otis this morning. That mountain far off in the background is Mt. Hood (like in the header of this blog!) I just love this neighborhood...
This weekend holds for us: boxes from the garage to unpack, art to hang, a car that desperately needs cleaning before we take it on our big trip and thrift stores to be thrifted! What are you guys up to this weekend? Hope you have a good one!
And hope to see you back here on Monday! I'll have my first ✭blogstar✭ to share with you that morning. Stop by to see who the stylish New Yorker is! :)
<3 jena
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After my interest was piqued in making a gentle, effective and natural skin salve for my little ones {2-legged and 4-legged alike} I've started to understand the inner-beauty of flowers, adding a few ordinary looking flowers to my must-try/useful plants list. One flower on the list is Pot Marigolds (aka calendula).
{Calendula oil by flickr member Leila-Anne}
Finding calendula became something of an obsession, but my search all summer was to no avail. That is until this past week when I found a solitary pack of seeds marked Calendula, Apricot daisy while rifling through a ravaged seed rack at Lowe's. No scientific name, nothing real specific, but I forked over 3 dollars and went home and researched the variety. Sure enough I'd found what I was looking for: Calendula officinalis.
{My seed starting set up; Seed pic from Wikipedia.}
Calendula has historically been used for its anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties making it useful for alleviating a variety of skin problems, while its other name, Pot Marigold, hints at its ability to keep pests like tomato hornworms and asparagus beetles out of the veggie patch. I want it for the flowers: to grow, dry, and add to plaintain/comfrey oil to make more salve.
Check out those jagged, skeletal seeds. Don't they look like doll house sized Halloween decorations? While the blooms stretch the fall color spectrum from deep, pumpkin orange to a delicate, pale, faded yellow; what a perfect way to welcome autumn.
{Balcony grown calendula by flickr members Maija and Lauri, aka fiikus}
Since this is a new plant to my garden, I don't have the knowledge that comes from experience so I've read around on the internet to get a good grasp of what they like: cool, temperate fall weather, grow in a wide variety of soil types and they're fine with full sun to partial shade. They don't like being over watered and do like to have room to stretch their arms out, so don't overcrowd them. Sounds simple enough! I'm ready to give it a go.
What are your favorite unassuming-but-spectacular fall flowers? Any favorite varieties of calendula in your repertoire? Anyone want to send me some seeds? No? Well, it was worth a try!
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
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So, I wasn't planning on doing an outfitted post today- I was planning on throwing on a hooded sweatshirt and jeans and heading to the grocery store. But I decided to try on this vintage tunic, cause I noticed it in my closet and I've never worn it before. It has a full zip up the back and somehow I managed to zip it allll the way up! But zipping it down proved to be impossible without twisting my shoulder out of its socket. So...guess this is what I'm wearing today!
cardi: Ohio Knitting Mills (probably my favorite cardigan ever)
tunic: vintage, thrifted
bracelet: a vintage necklace, thrifted
jeans: Rock & Republic, from The Rack
boots: Colorado Country, thrifted
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Flutter is a gorgeous little corner of the shopping universe, a teal and golden traverse into a different time and space. In otherwords, it's darn cute. With just a hint of magic floating in the air. There is a golden birdcage on the wall with bouncing birds inside, tweeting away. There are antique chaises and wardrobes from Paris displaying contemporary pillows and rugs for sale. There are books and perfumes, knick-knacks and jewelry, and my favorite, racks full of stunning vintage women's clothing. They also carry Frocky Jack Morgan's line of handmade wedding dresses which are gothy, girly, embellished bits of wonderful.
{this kitty saunters, and I mean saunters, around the store. And lounges too. He's so cute!}
{there's real birds in there!}
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