year round

(january 11th: I went layering crazy for awhile, usually using that cardigan and scarf, my favorite items of clothing.) (february 23rd: yep. more layering, more primary colors.)

When I started my new job in June my wardrobe remix collection kinda slowed down - it's tough when I wake up early (too dark) and get home late (too dark!). But I still like to review my photos from the year, and after seeing dear beatrice's adorable roundup, I thought I'd pick my favorite outfits from each month... be they drawn or photographed!

(march 28th: got my prized timberland wedges at a goodwill, making march my favorite month. This is also my favorite w_r photo for the year.) (april 13th: making a move to more monochrome pieces.)
(may 25th: maybe not my best outfit, but our trip to new york - this photo was taken at coney island - was really the highlight of the year. This was the first vacation for me & bryan and it couldn't have gone more perfectly!) (june 26th: by this picture I had started my new job AND was living in a dorm at night working ses, so using as many floral prints as possible kept me going!)
(july 17th: I went to more weddings than usual this year, thankfully I've got a few under-used party dresses waiting in my closet.) (august 8th: this was the only wardrobe remix I took this month! I still like it, though. It's my "If Emma Lived in Seattle Circa 1994" look)

(september 19th: my obsession with short boots was full fledged at this point. I honestly own at least three pairs, and I'd own more if I could just fit them in my tiny apartment.) (october 23rd: got this grandpa cardigan at a sidewalk sale, it's so cozy.)

(december 3rd: with the dark winter hours setting upon us I really can't find time to take any w_r photos! I might try to do more w_r drawings this year, they're so fun.)

to boot

yep. I have a boot problem. a bad one.... and with this awful Minnesota snow, I'm focusing on the ones that will keep my toes warm too! There are a lot of sidewalks here that haven't been plowed or even shoveled! Walking back to the apartment from my car today, I actually had to climb a mountain of snow to cross the street! A pair of Sorels might make that easier.



(clockwise from left: kensie girl Kedrina, Sorel Caribou, Sorel tivoli, Sporto Kelly, Sporto Kim, Sperry Top-Sider shearwater boots)


p.s. I leave to see my family in the mitten state tomorrow! It's going to be a week long christmas and birthday (for me AND my mom!) celebration, with lots of cookies and cake and food and fun! HOORAY!

dog days

oh hello, blog. This update is mostly for my buddy Chance, who informed me that he finds babies entirely too scary and didn't like seeing one at the top of the page. SO! Here's some recent artwork, and a list of other recent things:



eating: sparkling linzer stars which I made to bring to the paper bicycle cookie trade.... but then the sky opened and dropped all snow in existence onto Minnesota, so I turned into a little weekend hermit and ate them all myself.

wearing: this great vintage poncho which will eventually have to be better photographed, although it's too cold for me to wear it as my coat. It will probably make an appearance in Spring.

listening to: the oddest combination of Bing Crosby christmas music, Savage Love podcasts, Warpaint, and... Kanye (SHUT UP I know I know. But I can't help it! I'm watching that half hour long Runaway video right now and I love it. SHUT UP!!)

watching: Boardwalk Empire. It's seriously so amazing. Just... watch it.

baby grand

BABIES. BABIES EVERYWHERE! If you have a baby, you know a baby, maybe you even are a baby (and if so, how did you learn to use the internet so fast) perhaps you would like to get a beautiful onesie from this great company called Slumby! I did some design work for them earlier in the year, and I have to say it was a lot of fun.

Speaking of gifts, I've been loving all the great gift guides that design*sponge and riflemade have been putting out! I'm finally getting a good idea of what to get my various family members!

give thanks

Okay, so maybe I'm posting too many camera phone pictures (I blame vignette) but it is awfully convenient when you've been traveling almost constantly for the last couple days - MN to MI to OH to MI and tomorrow... MN! So here's my Thanksgiving in a nutshell:










(p.s. Wondering what that tiny little doorway is at the top? Perhaps you'd like to know about the nerdily adorable obsession Ann Arbor has with FAIRY DOORS.)

white out

In case it wasn't made clear enough in the last post, on Friday afternoon it was a perfect fall day. By 1AM Saturday morning, it looked like this... (that's my boot on the ground, i realize the perspective is a little confusing).



When Bryan and I decided to go to breakfast later that morning (after many z's) it looked like this, and Bryan spent a good couple minute getting the snow off his car while I huddled inside....




winter welcome wagon!

band together

uhhh yeah. Girl crush-o-meter has maxed out in mere days on Warpaint, I heard them twice in one day on The Current and I DIDN'T EVEN CARE. They are like girlyness embodied but in a "wearing my garter belt and playin' my guitar" sort of way. And, in case you were curious, I love the music too! "Ethereal" might be too obvious, but it's snowing like crazy outside so I can't quite think of a better way of describing it. LEMON OUT.

present tense

Sometimes I will see a link to something (music, artist, youtube video, whatever) constantly linked to on all the blogs I like... and for SOME REASON I don't click on it. Does this ever happen to you? It is a strange phenomenon that most recently manifested itself in Gifted Magazine - linked to by two of my favorites, RIFLE made and sweetfineday. Well I finally clicked on the link and was NOT disappointed, holy moly.

lots of gold? check.
cute gift ideas for everyone? check
delicious photos and whatnot? of course.

I highly recommend you page through this rockin' free online magazine from creature comforts if you like pretty, cute things.

Speaking of holiday madness (it isn't even thanksgiving yet, what's wrong with me!?!? I still have to freak out over pumpkin pie..) I created these maps of the fair Twin Cities for the MCAD Art Sale. Go buy them!

tea for two

Isn't it funny how little themes pop up in your life? Right after I got a little freelance job to illustrate a postcard for a teatime holiday boutique I watched Tea for Two on Netflix Instant (what would I do without Netflix? Go crazy, probably.) I also love this time of year for drinking some earl gray, which got me to thinking about the perfect day of lounging, tea drinking, and book reading... so I made this ($50 and under!) set.

cardigan: uniqlo // top: dorothy perkins // leggings: brandalley.fr // thunderbird moccasins: tobi // bag: urban outfitters // madame bovary: high valley books // tea tin: kusmi tea

By the by, I love love love the packaging for Kusmi Tea - so regal. I'm sure it's delicious too...

ready, set, go

Inspiration from a local antiques mall. The annual art sale at MCAD is coming up, and I've got a few more years that I'll be allowed to participate as alumni -every year I say it, but I really need to get my butt in gear for this! It's a good reason to make some new paintings and such.



(how about the type on the "in god we trust" poster? I want that as a tattoo, except maybe it will say "i love cheese" or something.

hunt & gather

Some images I've been saving on my tumblr and on flickr. All photos are clickable.