Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Merry Merry

Well that's all for me, folks! I have a few more Santa duties to attend to, and then it's all maxin and relaxin, for at least a few days! I'll be taking the next week off here to catch up on work behind the scenes and hopefully get my office all cleaned up so I can prepare for the new year- my main "resolution" of sorts is to get organized so I can really get things done next year! 

I hope you'll meet me back here on Monday, January 3rd to start another year of Modish goodness! All of your comments and emails over this past year, especially on some of my more personal posts, have really kept me going and lightened up my days. I mean really! You all make me smile and laugh and feel like I have something worth saying, which I'm not sure I always do, but at least I feel comfortable trying. That comfort comes from hearing from you guys and the kindness you all show me continually. I am truly so grateful for that. 

So, I wish you all the happiest of holidays! May you have lots of warm food, warmer hugs and snuggles for days! I'll see you back here in 2011!

Polished

Oh I am love, love, loving this super sparkly teal- it's perfect for Christmas, very festive! Neko kitty likes it too (the bottle at least.)

My poor fingers and nails have been dry as a bone lately. My nails were chipping and peeling and I haven't painted them in a month or so to give them a break. But then I found some vitamin e oil and I've been using it everyday on my cuticles/nails and WOW- it really helps! They feel strong and healthy again. I think the cold weather + re-circulated indoor heat = dead nails, so if you're experiencing the same thing- oil up, ladies!

David Ryle

Don't much feel like posting about "stuff" this short week, so I'll just post lots of pretty images instead. Like these nature photos by David Ryle. I could just get lost in their tones.

{via all the mountains}

Eco-Friendly Find: Happy Holidays

Well, all I can say is that I wish I had discovered ciociaela's shop a few weeks ago, in time to order a few of these lovelies for pre-Christmas delivery! Not only does she have a shop full of cute pouches for every need, but these ornaments—crafted from eco-felt and stuffed with eco-fill—make for a sweet, green Christmas. I don't know about you, but I'm making a note for next year's shopping!

Wishing you a lovely holiday, whatever you celebrate!

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

12.20.10: So this is Christmas

It's our first Christmas in our first home, as man and wife, and that feels pretty darn awesome. It's strange, getting married really does change things- we've always felt like a family but it feels so solid now, so cozy and comfortable. Just us two and our four furbabies, in our very own 667 square feet.

So, this Christmas feels like a really special one for us. It has some magic in the air that I haven't felt since childhood. We have a Christmas tree that we got from a little neighborhood corner store and carried all the way home. We shopped for decorations together at a neighborhood antique store and spent double what we intented to, getting a little caught up in holiday cheer. We had to make 3 trips to get the lights for our tree because they had to be just the perfect ones. And my mom sent me a box full of ornaments from my childhood which will now be part of the new memories we're making here.

And as I sit here, typing under the glow of fairy lights with the scent of evergreen in the air, I feel so lucky and so grateful for home, health, family and all these moments to remember. I am lit-up with joy.

Kitty Photo Friday

Our kitten Neko has realized what a good pillow big fluffly fat Lulu-cat makes! I couldn't believe I found them sleeping like this, the cuteness was seriously overwhelming in person!

Well, next week will be a short one- Wednesday will be my last day posting before I take a little Christmas break from the blog. I'll show you all my personal home decorations for the holiday on Monday- it's looking seriously festive in here!

See you back here next week and hope you have a wonderful weekend!
<3 jena

Roots

I'm loving our little home more and more every day I spend in it. These stunning embroidery pieces in the Ana Ventura shop, a series called roots, seem like the perfect tribute to that feeling.

Draft Dodger

We've been stuffing beach towels and blankets under the door to keep the drafty air out of this little old house. We have to find something more permanent, and less tacky, of course. But I just stumbled upon a much more adorable option- this snake draft dodger! By Banquet, it's actually a kit that comes with a screenprinted snake and includes everything you need to stuff it and paint it. Use it at the foot of your door to keep the cold out, as quirky home decor or a fun toy for a kiddo. Speaking of which, this would be a super fun project to do with kids!

Botanical Posters

I've been totally obsessed with these posters since I discovered The Evolution Store. Originally illustrated in the 50's and 60's, these scientifc German charts have been re-issued using the same methods as their first printing. They're educational, totally gorgeous and would make for great home-decor in the right room, me thinks.

Pendleton Round-Up

Sorry, I just realized by that title you might be expecting to see a round-up of my fave Pendelton blankets or something. Nope!

I found these vintage photos in the OSU State Archives of what is quite literally the "Pendleton Round-Up", which seems to basically be a rodeo. And having started this week off declaring I was a country girl, I thought it fitting to share them here as I went to many-a rodeo in my childhood, oh yes I did. I remember always being concerned for the animals, tho. But as far as images go, these are just awesome, I think- such great action captures and from so long ago, circa 1915!

{look at this one closely- there is a man on that horse. Can you see him?}

Mr Modish: Style

If your mister is anything like my mister, then the perfect vintage plaid shirt is a very coveted thing. Cairo Vintage has them in bunches, along with great guy's sweaters and cardigans, tees and jackets. Everything is hand-picked for their store in Seattle, but their etsy shop sure hosts lots of highlights.

Color Me Happy in Celestially Inspired Finds

moonstone ring :: seeing stars notebook :: constellation necklace :: La Lune print :: celestial sphere chart :: full moon story card

Country Kicks

Every good country girl needs a good pair of boots, right? These stylish mud-kickers are all high up on my wishlist and are all under $200.

1 :: Frye Erin Workboot in natural, $159.60 on sale at Zappos

2 :: Frye Billy Shorty in burnt red, $190.40 on sale at Zappos

3 :: Bootie with sweater cuff, $92 at Need Supply

4 :: Blucher ankle boot, $99.90 at Zara

5 :: Country boot, $169 at Zara

6 :: Meteor Shower boot in burnt suede, $150 at Seychelles

12.13.10: Outlier

I used to be a bit of a country girl, a desert dweller, a small town-ee.

I grew up in an outlying neighborhood of Reno, in the sagebrush covered hills that lay just below the snow-covered mountains of Lake Tahoe. When I was little, I would ride my purple and teal Huffy on neighborhood roads that ran out, became dirt, and led into what I thought was a magical forest. I'd collect pinecones and talk to the trees. I'd walk my dog Kiska down to drink from the little creek that ran thru our neighborhood. I'd try to make wishes on all the hundreds of stars in the sky I could see, and fall asleep to the sound of crickets (and sometimes, coyotes howling.) 

And I'm so glad I got to grow up that way. When I think back to the jealousy I felt at people who got to grow up somewhere else, anywhere else than Reno goddamn Nevada, I just wish I had known then, what I know now:

That growing up with such open space around you is a very special thing. That having the opportunity to explore nature right outside your door is a privilege. And that a childhood full of lake swims and snow tunnels and cartwheels in the grass is one to feel pretty lucky about.

Now I don't think there's any place I'd rather be from, then up in those hills under the watch of Mt. Rose, its snowy peak shining in the moonlight. 

kitty photo Friday

satellite kitty, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

This weekend holds Christmas tree getting and lots of decorating, probably some shopping and wedding photo organizing (we finally got our official photos, yay!!!) and hopefully some rest too, because sheesh! I'm tired! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you back here on Monday!

<3 jena

Miss Modish's Nifty Gifties: #7

These sachets in Cedar and and Doug Fir, that truly smell like their namesakes since they're made with actual cedar and fir, are so perfect to set the holiday mood. Perfect for anyone who likes thier scents to smell like the nature that lies outside their door, not like an overly strong chemical bomb. By Juniper Ridge, available from local shop, Canoe.

Outfitted (in my dreams)

Since I don't get a chance to do an outfitted every week (because some weeks I seriously never change out of my pjs) I thought it'd be fun to compile an "in my dreams, could never afford it but whatever, we're dreaming here" outfit every once in awhile to help fill the voids... 

dress- Need Supply
twig necklace- layerxlayer
shoes- Jeffrey Campbell
coat (this is where the in my dreams part comes in)- Lauren Moffatt
and I'd probably wear it all with these sheer tights from AA in smoked pearl

Knitwear Addicts Anon, here I come

Not good at all for someone with a fierce knitwear addiction- Annie Larson has me jonesin man, jonesin! Her shop is filled with amazingly unique handmade knitwear that's so good I just can't stand it. It could be some of the happiest clothing I've ever seen. I want to wear all of it. 

Miss Modish's Nifty Gifties: #6

Menswear, for your hair! These little bow hairclips in sweet flannel prints are adorbs for winter. And I've never said "adorbs" before. Ick. But that's how cute I think they are, especially at only $8 per pair. Over at Need Supply.

Miss Modish Muses: Snow Bunnies

Love these snowy-fun-having, vintage ladies! I hope we get some snow this winter, it's so much fun- even if it does seem to shut down the whole city for a few days (that's the fun part, really) Well that, and running around in it in your underwear (not that I've tried), snowball fights, sledding and snow-dogs, of course.

{all images linked to their original sources}