Inspiration Striking

Want to know what's great about fall and winter?  Throwing a hat on after your hair starts to look gross but you're too lazy to wash it.  I think I did that for about three days in a row last week.  This outfit was inspired by something that Kendi wore a while back.  Kendi's style is a lot more sophisticated, classic, and "grown up" than my own (and she towers over me), but I really enjoyed the mix of prints in the scarf and striped top, paired with the cozy knit of the sweater.  Plus, I was inspired to tie my scarf in a new way!   Last night we went to the grocery store and I got a bunch of stuff for some recipes I've been wanting to try, so today I'm spending the day cooking and baking up a storm!  I love having the oven and stove going when it's grey and rainy out, it keeps the house warm and smelling delicious.  I got the new cake cookbook Vintage Cakes (written by a PNW baker!), and I think I'm gonna try the maple cream cheese frosting from the book on some pumpkin cupcakes I found on Pinterest.  Pinterest is such a great recipe resource.  I love having pictures in a cookbook, but usually cookbooks only have a fraction of the recipes photographed, so I'm rarely drawn to the recipes that have no pictures, though I'm sure they're just as delicious as the ones that have photos accompanying them.  I kind of want to get the cookbook What Katie Ate simply because the pictures are so amazing.  I'm sure the recipes are amazing and the food tastes just as good as it looks, but lately I'm just so enamored with food styling and photography.  I love when a photo can just make my mouth water instantly.  Mmmm.
top/courtesy of olive green anna :: cardigan/anthropologie :: scarf/thrifted hat/REI :: boots/courtesy of modcloth :: bag/courtesy of handbag heaven I rarely don jeans in the summer, mostly because I feel like I'm letting my legs air out from the 9 months spent hiding inside tights, but now that the temperature is dropping, I'll probably be spending more time in pants.  I've been on the lookout for an affordable pair of high waisted black jeans for the past 2 years, and have yet to acquire a pair.  I found some in Austin back in March when I was down there for TxSC, but they were around $100 and I was feeling too frugal at the moment to make the purchase.  I tried a pair of Cheap Monday jeans from Modcloth a few months ago, but I got the wrong size (they barely fit over my thighs... whoops!), and then was too lazy to exchange them and just returned them instead.  Anyone know of a great brand that carries high waisted jeans for ladies who have a generous booty and small waist?  Or is that some kind of shangri-la/holy grail?

fifty shades of fall

Dan and I took a walk through the nearby neighborhoods and happened upon this street completely lined by vibrant red fall leaves.   I love that the color isn't just on the trees, it's completely blanketing the ground as well.  It sort of reminds me of the scene in What Dreams May Come, where the entire environment is a three dimensional painting.  Each little leaf is its own brushstroke.  It's kind of amazing that death can be so beautiful.  Back in college when I took Plant Biology I learned the biological processes which are behind the turning of leaves from their bright green color to all of the crazy amazing fall colors.  Even knowing all that science stuff, it's still quite stunning.  
While we're only just entering fall, back in Anchorage the snow has arrived for good.  Lately I've been kind of sad that Western Washington doesn't have a white winter.  Maybe for a week or two here and there we'll get snow, which will turn into slush and ice after a few days, but nothing like the pure, crunchy goodness of a solid snowy winter.  I think we're planning on going up to Anchorage for Christmas again this year, which would be nice.  I love playing in the snow and how pretty everything is underneath a blanket of white.  It's especially incredible when you wake up to a world covered in hoar frost, and all the trees have become frosty crystalline creatures.  
dress/dear creatures via modcloth :: coat/courtesy of modcloth + diy :: tights/target shoes/courtesy of modcloth :: bag/ona :: photos by Dan
When I first saw the Dear Creatures fall 2012 lookbook, this dress was the one that really caught my eye.  Simple lines, but enough detail to keep the eye moving around.  I think it'll even be nice to wear as a top with a skirt worn over the bottom of it.  Or maybe with a belted cardigan and some boots.  I think it'll also be a nice spring/summer dress as well. I've noticed that most of the dresses from Dear Creatures tend to function well in any season.  I've never been one of those girls who has different wardrobes for each season, so having pieces that work well year round is important to me.

remix archives // birds of a feather

I only just got this dress in March of this year, but it's been styled up at least six times, probably more with the times I wore it and didn't take any photos.  I don't suspect this dress is typically considered versatile, but for some reason I think it's one of the most versatile dresses I own!  It works great in hot weather as a sundress, but it's even more wearable by layering tops, cardigans, and tights for cooler temperatures as well.  Plus, since the print is black and white, it pairs well with almost any color.  I know it'll get tons of wear this fall and winter, so I'll have to come up with some new ways to style it!

autumn litmus

Well, it's here.  These pictures document the last sun I'll see for the next nine months.  Okay, well, I'm being melodramatic, but the forecast for the next week is clouds and rain.  Good ol' Washington.  I can't even remember the last time it rained here. This dress is kind of like my litmus test for the arrival of fall.  It never fails that this dress is one of the first things I throw on once the weather cools down.  It was one of those amazing thrift store finds, and had been placed out of its section after presumably being tried on and found wanting (though I can only imagine it must have been fit related, because who could pass up this little gem!).
A long time ago I remember pinning this home deoderizer thing where you put lemon slices, vanilla extract, and fresh rosemary sprigs in water and let it simmer all day, so last night I tried it and it was great!  So this afternoon I decided to make it a bit more fall-friendly and simmered orange slices, cloves, and cinnamon sticks! Oh man, if you haven't done that, I urge you to do it immediately!  It's the best thing in the world!  I want that thing simmering all day, every day during this fall.  I seriously want someone to come over to our house just so when they open the door, they get slammed in the face with fall-deliciousness.
dress/thrifted :: tights/fred meyer :: socks/forever 21 :: coat/tulle via lulu e. bebe boots/courtesy of modcloth :: photos by Dan
Lately Dan has been wanting to learn more about photography, and though he took a darkroom class last winter, all the settings and such look much different on my DSLR than the Olympus OM-1 he used for his class.  So we've been going on little walks and I've been teaching him what I know while he takes my outfit photos.  It's been fun.  I still love taking my own photos, but sometimes it is nice to do outfit photos while we're out and about when it's not so convenient to haul out a tripod and do them myself.   
I'm definitely going to have to make my camera more rain friendly, though.  Last winter I tried to make a rain cover with a ziplock bag, which worked alright.  I might try to finagle a ziplock cover again this year, or maybe invest in a real camera rain cover.  I've jerry-rigged an umbrella onto my tripod before also, but that always was a bit unstable.  Have you guys ever come up with a great solution for taking photos in the rain?  It's an almost daily occurrence here during the winter months.  I'm trying to prepare myself so I don't use the rain as an excuse not to do outfit photos.  

lovenell giveaway!

Hey everyone! How's everybody's Monday going so far?  Today I'm teaming up with Lovenell to do a sweet giveaway!  One lucky entrant will win $50 to spend at Lovenell!  They've got super affordable prices, so $50 will get you quite a bit!  In fact, you could actually buy both the dress and cardigan shown above for $50, pretty awesome.  I'd love to pair that cardigan and dress, actually, but you all know I'm pretty crazy about pattern mixing. To enter: Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you'd get if you won the $50 gift certificate!  Make sure to also leave me a way to get ahold of you if you're the winner. For extra entries, follow Lovenell on Facebook and/or Twitter.  If you do either or both of these, make sure to come back to this post and leave an additional comment letting me know you've done so for each additional entry, otherwise it won't count! The giveaway will be open for entries until Saturday, October 20th at 9pm PST.
The winner of the Minuet Crochet giveaway is...

Congrats!