wild child

 No matter how long I live in a more urban environment I think I'll always feel most at home in nature.  Last week, when I was still in Tacoma, I was having a terrible time trying to fall asleep and found myself wandering out to the living room to stare out the window, something I used to frequently do during bouts of insomnia when I lived in Anchorage.  I'd walk to the back window in the kitchen and stare out across the back yard and lake, everything so quiet and calm in the wee hours of the morning.  Staring out across the lamplit street in Tacoma isn't quite as relaxing as those nights looking over a moonlit lake, nothing astir and only a few visible lights on distant homes.  One of my favorite things about Anchorage is how much nature is present even in the middle of the biggest city in Alaska.  I need only walk 20 feet from the back door and I'm amidst stands of evergreen and birch trees, blanketed in snow.



dress + tights/courtesy of modcloth :: boots(similar)/target :: coat/coldwater creek short necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis :: long necklace/handmade

homecoming

It seems like one of the first things that happens once I get a new dress is that I remix it with this plaid top.  I've probably worn this top with nearly everything in my closet by now.  It's starting to wear down a little bit and I should probably start a quest to find a replacement for the inevitable day that I'll have to retire this one.  I actually brought tights to wear with this ensemble but it turned out to be warm enough to go tights-less.  Of course after the sun set the temperatures dropped and I was rather chilly walking downtown, so I won't make that mistake again. It's been wonderful being home.  Today my mom and I went to get pedicures (a treat!  I never get my nails done), and in a few minutes we're going to yoga together at a studio we've never been to here in Anchorage!  My parents just got back from vacation and my mom did yoga nearly every day there, so it'll be fun to do it with her!  I haven't done yoga in over a week so I'm glad to have a chance to get in some mat time before getting back to my normal routine back in Tacoma. As for the Iditarod, I've taken about 2,000 photos so far and my laptop is painfully slow at editing photos, so it might be a few days before I can share some, but it was so much fun to get out there again and experience something that was such a huge part of my childhood.  I got so nostalgic and a little verklempt more than a few times.  I've also been able to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in a while, so that was also wonderful.  Coming home is such a breath of fresh air!

 
dress/courtesy of modcloth :: boots(similar)/target :: shirt/courtesy of free people bullet necklace/local craft fair :: long necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis

diy mobile magazine

Hi guys!  I'm partnering with a super awesome company who is working on making a mobile magazine platform called Luca where you can create your own little magazines!  These little magazines are an awesome way to share blog content on mobile devices like iPads and smartphones where you can flip through just by swiping, like a magazine!  For my first "Luca" magazine  I thought it'd be fun to put together a little magazine of some of my favorite easy DIY projects, which you can find here.  It's mainly formatted for mobile (but it also works on a normal computer too), so grab your phone or tablet and flip through!  Also, since we're still working out the kinks, let me know if there's anything that you think would make the magazine make more sense in how you navigate, etc.  I'm planning on making a few more Luca (maybe a recipe booklet, hair and makeup tutorial booklet, etc), so if you have anything from the blog that you'd like to see compiled into a little mobile magazine, let me know!  I'm excited for Luca get all the final touches so it can officially launch, I think it'll be a great way to create packets of content for readers.  I'm currently putting together an Anchorage city travel guide and I think a Luca mobile magazine would be the perfect platform for something like a city travel guide!

And speaking of mobile devices, I might be a little less active on the blog this week because I'm up in Anchorage running around, so if you want to see what I'm up to, follow along on Instagram!  I'm sharing lots of Alaskan photos and a ton of Iditarod images too!

homemade healing hand lotion

When I get a new item of clothing that I love I'll usually wear it to death in the first couple weeks of getting it.  If I really love it, I'll probably want to put it on before I'm even out of the store.  I'm realizing that this effect transfers over to other parts of my life too, because I just can't stop playing around with essential oils right now.   When I first got them I didn't even know you could make your own lotions and stuff, but now it's one of my favorite things to do!  The best part is that it's crazy easy.  This lotion was actually the first one I ever made after I saw a friend complaining about having really dry hands from the winter weather and working as a barista.  I looked up which essential oils would be good for that and found a few recipes for healing hand lotions that looked really simple to make and just dove on in.  Five minutes later: hand lotion.  So awesome.  
Anyway, I'm pretty stoked on essential oils and figuring out all the cool ways to use them, so if you totally couldn't care less feel free to skip past, but I love learning how to make new things that I didn't even know I could make, so I want to share those things with y'all.  I'm still playing around with them and have had some awesome success with them and I'll probably do a blog post about it later after I've had more experience, but for now I created a separate page sharing my current experiences if any of you don't want to wait for a blog post and want to learn more about what I've been using my oils lately!




1/2 cup coconut oil (best to use cold pressed, extra virgin, organic, unrefined) 4 drops YL Frankincense Essential Oil 2 drops YL Lavender Essential Oil 1 drop YL Lemon Essential Oil
Just drop everything in a mixer (or do it by hand) and whip for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a glass jar (citrus oils will eat away plastic containers), and you're done!  I made a second batch for Dan because he does a lot of dishes at work, so his hands are constantly getting wet and dry. Plus, we both rock climb, so we use chalk to keep our hands from getting sweaty and slippery while climbing, but that also dries out the hands too. 
Coconut oil will start to liquify in warmer temperatures so you might want to mix in something else that will keep your lotion from turning into oil, like Shea butter.  Also, depending on the coconut oil you get, you might get the coconut smell in there too.  When I first made lotion I used refined coconut oil and it didn't smell like coconut at all, but I've heard that unrefined is better for your skin, so it's your personal preference.  Some people also find that coconut oil doesn't moisturize as well as other oils, so play around and find out which will work best for your skin!
// With any health or body care routine, make sure to do your own research and consult with any healthcare professionals you feel will help you make a decision on how to best care for your body.  This is just my story, but make sure your story is informed and healthy for you! //

iron pyrite

When I clicked on this dress to get a closer look at it I noticed it had shiny gold threads woven into the fabric.  At first I was disappointed because I liked the plain grey, but the more I sat on it, the gold grew on me.  I figured I could return the dress if it ended up looking weird but I'm so in love with it.   The combination of the sweatshirt fabric with the little flecks of gold reminds me of pyrite, or "fools gold."  When I was a kid, maybe around 6 or 7, my Dad and I flew up to Mount Susitna and landed on top.  We wandered around for while, exploring, and I found a couple iron pyrite stones which I took home. As a kid I'm sure I thought I'd found something valuable.  Fools Gold indeed.  My Dad quickly told me what the specks of "gold" really were, but I still loved the rocks and kept them. I'm sure I still have them, squirreled away in some nook back in Anchorage.  
I've been loving more fitted, slinky maxi dresses these days.  This one is especially comfy as it's pretty much the maxi dress version of a sweatshirt.  In theory that sounds weird, but in practice it's amazing.  A slinky, sexy dress that also feels like you're wearing a hoodie?  Awesome.  I was a little afraid the length would make me look too short, but I actually like it.  Plus, it's a nice change to be able to wear flats with a maxi instead of always needing platform heels.  Short girls take note!  A maxi dress that you don't have to hem!

 

dress/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes(similar)/target :: bag(similar)/courtesy of fossil jacket/modcloth :: necklace/courtesy of moorea seal :: photos by Dan