BACK TO BASICS // black tee three

This outfit feels very "2010 me."  I wore this skirt all the time in 2010, and the scarf used to be one of my go-to accessories.  I'm not sure if it's quite warm enough for bare legs yet, but it's definitely too warm for tights anymore.  Well, some days, at least.  I can't wait until the evenings are warm and the sun is up till 9pm.  Walks with Dusty during the winter were very much an obligation, as I had no desire to be out in the cold for any length of time, but I've started making our walks linger on as I enjoy the colors of sunset, getting the last warmth out of the day.  There's a house near ours that has ducks and chickens and I love taking Dusty over there to visit her creature friends.  I was thinking about getting chickens or ducks this year, but I think I might wait until next year, or maybe just a couple months so I can devote the time to building a coop and caring for them properly.  I think Dusty would love having some little fowl friends to herd, eh?  

 

top(similar) + skirt(similar) +cardigan + scarf/thrifted :: shoes/minnetonka glasses/courtesy of bonlook :: photos by Dan
The nice thing about a basic black tee is that it's plain enough to pair with some more bold pieces.  I almost forget that I'm wearing a basic tee with this outfit because the rest of it is so much more eclectic and bright.  I've always been drawn to prints instead of solids, but solids are nice to have to set off those louder pieces (even if I tend to want to pair loud pieces with other loud pieces...).  I think I'm getting better at balancing loud pieces with quiet pieces.  Not to say that one way or the other is better.  So many people get stuck on making rules about what's "tasteful" or "chic" and dissing any styles that don't fit into those sophisticated style categories.  But to hell with that.  2010 me liked outfits that were loud and crazy as hell, and that's totally fine.  2014 me likes more mellow outfits and that's fine too.  I don't like to think of one version of my style as better than the other.  Sure I'm growing in my style, but the seed form of a plant isn't any less important than the fully bloomed version.  Without the seed, no flower would even exist and in that way the seed is almost more beautiful. Within the tiny seed is packed everything it needs to grow.  Maybe it'll be a little marigold, maybe it'll be a six foot tall sunflower.  It might even end up as a 200 foot tall cedar.  And in the end some people might find sunflowers more beautiful than cedars anyway.  I think it's a waste of time to feel embarrassed about past style choices.  It would be so ridiculous for a flower to be embarrassed that it used to be a seed.  

BACK TO BASICS // black tee two

I like to call this type of outfit "casual fancy."  It's something that I feel like works well for everyday stuff, like going to a coffee shop, lounging around, going to class.  It's comfortable enough for regular day to day stuff, but you could definitely wear it out with girlfriends or on a date.  I feel like this challenge is actually helping me breathe new life into items I like but haven't been inspired to wear in some time.  This skirt is a favorite, but I've only worn it a couple times about a year ago.  It's funny how something as basic as a black tee can be inspiration to wear things that you haven't worn in while.  
Even though I was forced inside by rain for these photos, spring is definitely here.  My first year in Tacoma the winter and spring were awful and by the time they were over I was so ready to move back to Alaska.  Thankfully the past two springs have been much more gentle with some sunny interludes between the grey, rainy stretches.  I need to plant my seeds and get my starters going indoors so I'll be able to plant my garden next month!  I also need to build some more beds, I really want to expand my garden this year.  I made wooden ones out of 2x6's last year, but I found these beautiful corrugated metal raised beds from Oh Dear Drea and I'm totally smitten with them.  What are you guys most excited for with spring's arrival?


tee (similar)/thrifted :: skirt (similar)/courtesy of tailor and stylist :: necklace/moorea seal hat/the north face

BACK TO BASICS // black tee one

The last few months have turned me into a lazy bones in terms of putting on clothes.  Since I spend a lot of time at home I lost the feeling of wanting to get dressed, instead opting for throwing on a pair of leggings crumpled up next to the bed and spending the day working on the computer never to see the general public.  Now that I feel spring coming, I sort of want to shift gears and get back into the habit of putting on outfits and maybe even leaving the house.  I thought I'd force myself into this by starting a series.  I love being forced to be creative, like with my remixology posts, so for this month long challenge I'm going to try to work with just the basics.  Five outfits styled around a basic black tee, five around skinny jeans, five around a black dress, and for the last week I want you guys to let me know what basic wardrobe item you'd like to see styled into 5 outfits!
I've never been good at "basics."  I've always gone straight for the wacky stuff, or the more bold items.  I'm sure basics mean different things to different people, too.  For someone who works in an office, maybe slacks, a dress shirt, and a pencil skirt are great basics.  For a student, jeans, a floral dress, and fun tee might be staples.  This is partly why I couldn't decide on a fourth basic item to style.  I thought maybe a floral dress, maybe a chambray button down shirt, maybe a neutral sweater?  But I figured I'd throw it out to you guys, since I also want this series to be something that is interesting and helpful for you guys!
For this first black tee outfit, I fancied things up a bit by adding a cute floral blazer and statement necklace.  I'm not an expert on work-wear, especially in an office setting, but this outfit reminded me of a business-casual type of look for creative work environments.  I haven't worn this blazer in over a year, but after wearing it once I'm starting to get a few ideas for future outfits!  I love how something can sit in my closet for a while, unworn, and then catch my eye and become inspiring again.
  tee (similar)/thrifted :: blazer (similar + similar) + jeans/courtesy of modcloth boots/lulu e bebe :: necklace/courtesy of noonday collection :: photos by Dan

diy yoga mat cleaner

I've been wanting to make my own yoga mat cleaner for quite a while, but even more so lately as my mat has been showing a little wear and I figured it needed some love.  The mat cleaner at my yoga studio doesn't smell very good, so I wanted my own which had a pleasant aroma instead of smelling like chemicals.  I looked around at a few yoga mat cleaner recipes and I liked that some had witch hazel instead of white vinegar.  Vinegar is great, but I am not a fan of the smell.  Witch hazel actually is pretty nostalgic for me because I used to use it when cleaning my horse's legs, so I went with witch hazel (though you can definitely use vinegar if you have that on hand and don't want to bother going to the store!).

The cool thing about this recipe is that it uses essential oils!  In doing research for figuring out what recipe I wanted to make, I saw that many included essential oils, which got me instantly excited.  I'm continually blown away by how many uses they have.  When picking essential oils for this recipe, I'd definitely recommend choosing ones that have antibacterial effects, as they'll help keep the nasties off your mat.  Of course, you'll also want oils that smell good so figure out what kind of blend works well for you.  I decided to go with one of Young Living's blends specifically designed to fight bacteria and eliminate yucky odors: Purification.  It's also one of my favorite smelling oils.  I feel like it smells like delicious ginger and citrus, despite having neither ginger or citrus essential oils in it at all!  It has Citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil), lavandin, and myrtle.  A perfect mix for using in yoga mat cleaner!

Another use that I've found for this spray is helping with my stinky climbing shoes!  Climbing shoes are notoriously smelly, and I haven't found that lysol type sprays help too much.  Purification is supposed to be a great essential oil blend to help remove icky smells, so I've been using this spray in my climbing shoes after climbing sessions as well.  Multi-use, anti stink, bacteria fighting spray?  Boom.

(recipe inspired by free people + made + remade)
Ingredients:

Essential Oils

Witch Hazel (or white vinegar)

Water

Spray Bottle (I wanted my spray bottle to be glass, since some essential oils, especially citrus ones, can start to degrade plastic if left for too long.  I found mine at a local health food store.)

1. Fill bottle 3/4 full with water. If you want a stronger cleaner use a bit less water and a bit more witch hazel

2. Fill remaining 1/4 with witch hazel (you're only putting a few drops of essential oil in, so just make sure you leave room for a couple drops)

3. Add essential oils. I'd start with two drops and then go up from there. You can always add more, but it's a bit harder to dilute them once you've already filled your bottle! If you're using a few different ones play around with which scents you really like mixed together!

Spritz liberally on one side, wipe it down well, flip and repeat! Hang your mat to dry for like 10 

minutes and you're done!

OUR HOME // living room progress

Back in July I painted half the living room white.  I was tired of the beige and wanted something fresh and crisp.  At the time, though I knew I wanted to paint my big wall something fun, so instead of taking the time to paint it white, I left it beige and proceeded to ruminate on what color I should paint it for months... and months.  I knew that I wanted something that would compliment the chartreuse in the kitchen because you see that wall through the doorway, so I didn't want a clashy color.  After some thought I ended up just going for another chalkboard wall.  After I painted that wall I realized that the majority of the walls in our house are black.  The exterior is black, living room wall, kitchen wall, most of the bedroom, and the wall in the bathroom is off-black.  I guess I just really like black walls.  I'm really in love with it though.  We also rearranged the living room a smidge.  I think I like

the other layout better

, but it's nice to switch things around and this is the layout we picked when we moved things around to fit our Christmas tree in the corner (where the black cabinet is now).  I'll probably move things around again in a couple months.

I took down the bunting that had been up for about a year.  I'd put it up for our housewarming party and just never took it down.  I loved it but I wanted to see what it looked like without it and I like it just fine.  It was fun, but I think it makes the room feel a bit taller without it.

One of my other favorite changes is the turquoise door.  When I painted the wall white, the door kind of just disappeared and it felt very stark and plain.  The other side of the door is orange, so I figured it needed an alter ego equally as bold.  We have quite a few turquoise elements in the room, and I love the color in general, so it was the perfect choice.  The nice thing about painting a door is that it's a super minimal investment (all you need is one or two coats, and you'll only need one of those tiny sample sizes from home depot, which is like 3 bucks I think), and it gives you a big impact.  

The wall next to the door always felt really empty to me, but it was an awkward place to hang any art, and when I found

these little diamond wall hangings

at Modcloth I knew they'd be just the thing to fill the space and add interest, while still keeping things light.  The cool thing about them is that you can snap them together to make them into full diamonds that you can hang or put on a table as a little sculpture piece.  I put up three halves on the wall and snapped one together to put on the table by the hanging plants.

Another favorite improvement is the plant life.  We used to have a palm in the corner where the hanging plants are now and I killed it.  I killed it dead.  When I found the macrame hangers at the thrift store I knew exactly where I wanted them to go, but I also knew it would involve keeping living plants alive.  So far so good!  I love how they fill up that corner and add height and dimension.  

I'm currently in the process of building a rolling island for our kitchen and it's going where this black cabinet used to be.  I figured moving the bar to the living room made plenty of sense and I love it against the black wall (though it was against a chalkboard wall in the kitchen too).

I tried to link to most everything, especially new elements, below, but I probably missed some stuff, so let me know if I didn't mention something and you want to know where it's from.  A lot of stuff is old or thrifted or handmade.

couch + pillows + side tables/ikea :: lamps + bar cabinet/target ::

phrenology container

+

diamond sculpture

-wall hangings/courtesy of

modcloth

:: coffee table/

diy

:: macrame plant hangers + chairs + globes + booze caddy/thrifted