Sweater Dress and Moonlight

Story time; ready, go! I've been absent here all week and maybe your curious as to why. Well, I'll tell you why regardless. I've been terribly sick. I don't remember the last time I was this sick. It wasn't anything too serious: sore throat, way too much mucus, migraine, body aches, bit of a cough. But Tuesday I had the worst fever of my life (at least that I can remember). Fevers like that are zero fun and actually a bit scary. Will had me bundled up in bed beneath the majority of blankets we own, with pillows piled around me and a pup snuggled close. It is a good thing he takes such good care of me because I could not even form coherent thoughts. And talking hurt too much. I'm pretty sure the past two/three days was just me under lumpy blankets making unrecognizable moans and grunts and snorts and coughs. And so much soup and so much tea. The good news is I'm feeling a lot better today so I can finally share these pictures (taken several days ago) with you.

The weather lately has been exceptionally warm for this time of year and it is so so lovely. We're talking the mid 40s people! That's light jacket/sweater weather! Crazy. I think it is perfect and basically want to spend all my time outside. The pups agree. We decided to take them for a walk at sunset but by the time we got to the park it was already fairly dark. The pups didn't mind much, and I didn't either because the moon was out and bright and shining beautifully over the frozen pond.

Outfit Details
Coat: Old Navy, last year (similar)
Scarf: gift from Will, from Fred Meyer
Sweater Dress: gift from Will last year, from Kohl's
Polka Dot Tights: gift
Flats: 1318 Fashion

I hope you are all well and healthy. I had a lot planned this week, but I'm still going to be taking it easy for a few more days until I feel 100% again. Expect some craftiness soon!
xx Emorie

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A Freeing Feeling

Saturday morning included a little (slightly) spontaneous drive. I woke up before the sun and let Pippin out into the cold to do his business but I couldn't help standing there with the door wide open waiting for him. Beautiful thick rain clouds were rolling in and the breeze was crisp and had a slight bite to it (in the best way). My pup stood there with his face to the sky filling his lungs with the clean cold unfamiliar scent and I did the same. But to me, it smelled like the north and it felt like home. Once we were fully awake and showered, I bundled up with my wet hair and we headed out. We grabbed some almond milk hazelnut lattes (yum) from the Lucky Perk near our house, turned on some Bon Iver and drove with no destination in mind while it drizzled. I may have even rolled down my window at some point. It was short and sweet and freeing.

xx Emorie

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Little Changes

Please excuse any mess you may encounter here over the next few hours. I am uploading a new template today! A few new features and a fresh pretty new design is coming shortly!

If you're here and everything looks in order, please let me know what you think!
xx Emorie

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Beanie, Dots, Dinosaurs

Beanie, Dots, Dinosaurs. Is there a better combination? This outfit could also be called A Whole Bunch of Things I Received For Christmas, but I thought the first a tiny bit catchier. I'm lucky; quite a few of the people who love me have exceptional taste. That, or they know just what I like. The beanie was a gift from my brother, the sweater and scarf from my mother, and the tights from my sister. I love them all, and it was a coincidence that I wore it all together and didn't notice until making this post.

Today was perfect, weather-wise, if you ask me. We got a fresh heaping dump of snow over night, the clouds stayed out for the majority of the day (so the snow didn't melt), it was warmer than it has been (a high of 36 degrees, woohoo!), and now that the sun is setting a thin fog is forming. I wore this outfit out for a long list of errands today. Will and I came back home and treated Pippin to a quick walk (because the sun was already setting) around the neighborhood and he shot these for me. That pup of mine sure loves running around in the powdery snow. Do you see that happy face!?

Outfit Details
Coat: Oldnavy, last year (similar) see it here, here, and here too.
Beanie: gift, bought here on amazon
Scarf: gift, not sure where from
Sweater: Forever 21 (similar / similar / similar <--- I want this one!)
Dress: Very old. Tag says Love Tease. See it here too.
Tights: Target
Boots: Target (similar)

I've got a pup curled up next to me (and the space heater) that sure looks like he could use some snuggles.
Stay warm, lovelies.
xx Emorie

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Just Because

Here are some blurry iPhone pictures of Pippin enjoying the meat off a bone last night, just because. They probably would have been more in focus if I hadn't been laughing so hard. After Pippin picked off the little bits of meat from the bone, he was determined to go hide it somewhere for later. He didn't understand why we wouldn't let him wonder off with it and insisted he had to stay on the towel (we strategically placed on the floor); confusion and hilarity followed.

I'm that embarrassing mom with a camera in your face when you least want it, aren't I?
Regardless, he is the luckiest little pup in the world.

xx Emorie

*For the record, this was completely his granddad's idea. So spoiled.

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Black and Gold Mason Jar DIY

I know that the majority of the time when you see a picture of me on here I appear all pretty and made up, with a pretty outfit and makeup. But the reality of the situation is that most days I don't bother getting out of my 'comfy clothes' (I'm writing this while sporting owl pajama pants and a hand-me-down baggy sweatshirt) or putting on makeup. Which is silly, because I do really like planning outfits and getting dressed up. I like makeup, too. Both of those things make me feel pretty and pretty good about myself (I'm not saying I need pretty clothes and makeup to feel good about myself, but it doesn't ever hurt). So, I guess, I'm trying to encourage myself to get ready a little more.

Will and I bought ourselves a new corner desk for our room with the money we got for christmas and it is so so nice to have a nice place to sit and work (before we had been sitting sideways on a folding chair at a tv cart). It's also great to have an organized pretty room to feel good in. I've been sprucing up and updating other areas of the room in little ways now too. We bought a new bookcase, because it matches the desk and was only $17 on sale at Target! I've got it set up on the wall next to our closet. I finally put up a full length mirror, between the closet any bookcase, and I've decided to use the top of the bookcase to store some of my pretty things, like my earrings and makeup. I think having all of it out it in the open let's me always see my options and also encourages me to wear them more!

But the mason jar I had my makeup brushes stored in just wasn't cutting it anymore. I was improving other areas of the bedrooms in little ways, so why not my makeup storage too? I went for glam, with black and gold; it ties into other areas of the room beautifully and adds just the right amount of glitter for my liking. I chose to paint the inside of the jar, with a gloss acrylic paint, so it would still have that glassy sheen. I didn't want it to look ceramic, like mason jars often do after they've been painted on the outside. I love how it turned out! See how simple it was to create below.




Black and Gold Mason Jar DIY

Supplies Needed:
+ a mason jar
+ black gloss acrylic paint
+ a foam brush
+ wide gold ribbon
+ E 6000 glue
+ black card stock (optional)

Directions:
1. Make sure your jar is thoroughly clean and dry. Squirt a bit of paint directly into the bottom the jar.
2. Start with a small amount and use that to cover as much of the jar as it can before adding more, so you don't get unnecessary buildup.
3. Swirl the paint around in the jar and use a foam brush to evenly spread it around and up the sides in a thin layer.
4. This fourth image is what mine looked like after one coat of paint, nearly completely covered, but you'll want to be real thorough. Let the paint dry for as long as recommend on the bottle and maybe longer as the paint will drip back down to the bottom as it dries.
5. I let my jar sit for 2 1/2 hours before applying another coat of paint. I then let it sit overnight to be sure it was thoroughly dry before placing anything inside it. This fifth image is what my jar looked like after two coats of paint and drying overnight.
6. Decide where you would like the ribbon to wrap around the jar.
7. Using a toothpick thinly apply E 6000 glue to the edges of the ribbon in small sections and apply to the jar. Wrap the ribbon all the way around, pulling it flat and tight as you go.
8. Overlap the ribbon and glue it to itself. Trim any excess ribbon and create a straight seam.
9. Smooth everything out and apply a very thin layer of the glue along the seam to seal it.

Once your jar is completely dry it is ready to use and be filled with whatever you fancy! I cut out a circular piece of black cardstock to fit in the bottom of the jar and simply laid it flat in there before putting in my makeup brushes. This will make cleaning it easier and keep the bottom of the brushes from chipping the paint on the bottom of the jar.



I love how this turned out and looks perfectly custom for the shelf it is on. It goes great with my pretty jewelry stand and little box, don't you think? Do you have any clever/cute storage ideas that you use?

xx Emorie

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Goals for 2014

Hello, 2014. I like how you're feeling so far.

If you've been a reader here for awhile, I'm sure you've noticed my monthly goals posts. I really enjoy posting them, for very selfish reason. It is a great way for me to check in and evaluate how I am doing in many different aspects of my life. I much more enjoy setting small, simple goals each month that are attainable and beneficial rather than playing into the hype of a yearly resolution. In my own past experience, resolutions were never mapped out well and quickly dropped or forgotten completely. But, as I've previously talked about, I do still love using this time at a new year to reflect over the year previous and think of areas that still need improvement. I'm combining the two a bit this time around and outlining several long term goals I have for the year that will then be further broken down into smaller attainable goals as each month goes on.

I'm so excited for some changes, for learning, for growth, and to take everything as it comes.

GOALS FOR 2014

Blog Life
+ Be more of a creator and less of a blogger.
To be honest, there have been quite a few times recently where I have felt extremely and entirely BLEH about blogging lately. I think this happens primarily when I am posting just to have something up or when I am creating just for blogging content and not because it is really something I wanted to do. I do love blogging, and I love sharing parts of my life here with you as well as projects I am excited about. But I think what I really need to do is leave all of these preconceptions I have about what blogging is, what it is suppose to be, and how I've been doing it behind. My true passions are creating and expressing; I want this place to be reflective of that first and foremost.

+ Open Shop.
You've probably noticed that there is a little link up there in the header that says 'design' and that it has linked to absolutely nothing and has since it existed. Well, actually, it links to a picture of Pippin because that little face makes everyone a little happier. Just know that there are things in the works and that everything around here will be changing quite a bit over the course of the next year. I couldn't be more excited (and scared) about it.

+ Expand as needed and accept changes (because usually they're good things).
Kind of in line with the first two things I want to work on for my blog this year, I have plans to change quite a few things up and as a result hopefully experience some growth. I don't want to be reluctant to any of these changes or hold back in the slightest.

Real Life 
+ Create a integrative schedule to get moving.
I miss being fit and feeling strong, confident, and highly focused. I want to try to integrate yoga more into my schedule, so will most likely be looking for some refreshing morning routines to try. I want to challenge myself physically again too and add a few days of lifting and toning a week. I'm all about workouts that take little time and can fit seamlessly into your day but are still going to push you to be better. I'm excited to get started!

+ Read at least one book a month.
I love reading and I always have and it is something I do regularly. I have a tendency, though, to hang on to books for a really long time. I really like to savor them, and to me that generally means taking my time with them. But my reading list has gotten unbelievably long and I want more. I've mostly been reading A Dance with Dragons the past month or so, limiting myself to two-ish chapters a night (because the next installment hasn't been released yet). I've finally realized how silly this is and I'm ready to finish and start other books. I want to push myself to read different types of literature, too, because I tend to stick to my favorites, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, 90% of the time. There is so much more out there!

+ More unplugged days.
As much as my recent blogging hiatus was very much unplanned, it was certainly needed and appreciated. I plan on scheduling, purposely, a few breaks from blogging throughout the year this time around. Planning some posts ahead of time will be worth it, to get a refreshing break from my sometimes tedious blogging schedule to relax, reflect, and reevaluate where things are headed.

+ Learn new things.
I want to carve out more time this year to learn new things and try out some new hobbies. I want this next year to be remembered as the year that I pushed boundaries and sought out ways to improve myself. I've always wanted to be great at calligraphy, why not now? Maybe I should finally act on my dream to be a part of a roller derby. My goal is to try out something entirely new once a month, all year long. I'll be sure to share these adventures with you.

I just want to continue trying to be the best version of myself. You know? What are some goals you're setting for yourself this year?
xx Emorie

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