February marks my blog anniversary, four years I can't believe it! I've made a lot of progress on some of my projects others not so much but I'm excited for where this year will take me and what I can get accomplished :)
I started this blog to share my progress on my creative endeavors and my thoughts on fashion and baking so here's what I'm excited about now
I'm trying to move out of my comfort zone I really like girly dresses in theory but in reality don't like my legs too much, my solution tunic with leggings perfect for winter or whatever were having this season ;) I really like this printed one I got on sale at old navy. I love happy bold prints :)
Im trying to take the time to celebrate the seasons I got into Valentine's day by designing cute little valentines with corny messages
And I drew my dogs in cartoon version and made a strawberry cake with sprinkle designs - hello cookie cutter as a stencil hack :)
Oscar season is upon us and while I'm behind on my must see movie list I was so happy I got the chance to see Brooklyn the costumes are a dream and Saoirse Ronan gorgeous in the clothes of the era and gives an amazing performance! It inspires me to do a retro drawing project :)
Girl Scout Cookie season has snuck up on me. I'm trying not to bust into my thin mints just yet, I love them from the freezer nothing like frozen minty chocolate-y goodness and this week in particular I think thin mints really do make everything better :) Here's the link
That's what's new with me. I hope to write better content this year, more DIY posts and fashion round ups and fun recaps of new projects!
It's Red Carpet Season YAY!!! Who doesn't love to look at pretty dresses?
Here are my favorites from the Golden Globes. I was kinda disappointed this year with the lack of variety but they were some happy surprises.
Cate Blanchett, in Armani Privé
Love the lace overlay detail it was so soft and flowy and feminine
Reese Witherspoon with Calvin Klein
I always love Calvin Klein's silhouettes, sleek and simple with a pop of color
Nancy O'Dell in Marchesa
Royal Blue is such a great color and I like the floral detail around the neckline
Emma Roberts in Lanvin
Love the bodice and the mermaid skirt and the black
paired with the blue earrings
Melissa Rauch in Romona Keveza
Melissa is rocking the yellow, I love this style of dress.
and yes I do love the Big Bang Theory :)
Did you have any red carpet favs?
I have a couple more movies on my must see list. What about you do you get excited about Oscar season?
My extended mild Spring is officially gone, and has been replaced with humid and hot with a constant chance of stormy showers. But there are upsides to summertime.. even in Texas :)
Summer flowers for example, I love Zinnias they come in many different varieties and they are about the only bright and happy thing that can hold up to the summer heat. This pink one has extra large blooms, it's a Champagne Toast variety. I also love to plant Zinnia seeds and watch them come up, it's low maintenance gardening......my favorite kind :)
Summer dressing is always a nice change, easy and breezy layers. It's too hot for skinny jeans now and I love how easy skirts and dresses can be. But finding a great summer dress that you can throw on and look great in is hard to find. I have started my search though, and can't wait to share more in some upcoming outfit posts. I did order this dress, on a whim this past weekend, mostly just to get free shipping on shoes lol. But it's really cute in person, I was pleasantly surprised. I love the color of the print, and the piping and pleating detail in the bodice. The back has elastic and a zipper closure, and the skirt flares out and is has a nice little twirl too it. But I'm still on the fence lol
The pattern is brighter in person than on the website.
Summer movies are always highly anticipated but I really like movie marathons at home too. I got to hang out with a friend last week and we watched You've Got Mail and Silver Lining's Playbook, an old favorite and a new favorite. My friend is aware of my love for Anthropologie and she gave me the cutest mug ever! I love the cute little dachshunds :)
spots and stripes
cute little closeup
Summer baking is high on my list. I want to experiment with fresh berries and peaches and cobbler and tarts. I'm really excited about the possibilities and to use my fresh garden carrots in a carrot cake :)
I know most girls can relate to "love at first sight" when it comes to shoes. It doesn't happen to me very often but when does I get a little obsessed and start planning outfits around the shoes. This latest shoe crush is truly a wearable work of art.
Yes, I drew a fun little doodle
I think what I really love about these shoes is the mix of materials: the suede, the watercolor print, and the cork. The elements play off each other and compliment one another in an unexpected way. What can I say, I'm a sucker for water color prints, Impressionism is my favorite genre of painting and I'm often wearing Vera Wang's watercolor prints. I also love the tiny curve around the front opening it's so adorably retro.
This lovely shoe is by Tracy Reese and available (at where else) Anthropologie. What's even better it comes in two very different colorways. A playful weekend one, and a little more serious work appropriate one. Bright colors are my favorite so I'm pretty sure if I had to pick only one pair it would be the bright ones, but I really like the blush/gray combo too. But alas I am not coordinated enough for 3.5" heels and I'm already 5.9" tall so I'm pretty sure I would feel ridiculous towering over everyone.
On to the outfits:
These shoes have so much wonderfulness going on it's best to let them take the focal point of the outfit. I think a simple black dress is a safe option, the contrast would really make them stand out.
This next dress is probably a little to matchy, but I love it anyway, Supyana has been one of my favorite designer for quite a while and her prints and her attention to detail are awesome.
So I finally finished a new stuffed creature I had been working on.......things seem so simple in my head even when I put them together but construction is not always as easy as I imagine it to be.
A couple years ago, I made a goodbye and good luck cake for one of my coworkers. She was really into twilight and vampire stuff so I made her a bat cake topper. Then I remember it the other day and decided it would be fun to make a plush bat. I took my sketch and made it into a pattern.
I love cute little fangs :)
In huggable plush form
Meet Ben
close up of the face :)
Meet Ben the bat, he loves to play tag and hide and go seek. Fall is his favorite time of year and he loves fruit cups. I used anti-pill fleece for the 1st time, I definitely like the texture better than regular fleece its definitely great for making animals. I hand stitched most of his face, I experimenting with doing a zigzag applique around the largest part of the eye. I plan to add to the shop tomorrow after I take some better pictures. Working on more creatures, I'm eager to share as fast as I can get them done.
I was in Walmart the other day and look what I found in the craft aisle......mini canvases with an easel! So cute and tiny. I'm going to have to dream up a mini painting just so I can display this tiny canvas somewhere :)
I finally got to wear this scarf the other day, it is getting a little cooler now but still not consistently cool. Also I found this shirt at Urban Outfitters, I really like their BDG brand shirts.
1. Simply Vera: Vera Wang Sweater from Kohl's (last year)
2. BDG floral print shirt from Urban Outfitters
3. Supersoft pretty scarf Mossimo Supply Co. (I think this is it?) Target
What do you think about the Narciso Rodriguez collection at Kohl's ?
It's a little too 60's mod colorblocking for me. I think some of the dresses are cute, but let's be honest I don't wear knit dresses. Some of the tops are cute but I wonder what the material feels like. I probably will pass on this and wait for the new Prabal Gunrung collection at Target in Feb.
Also I'm glad all this election nonsense is over for the most part. I hope we can work together and do what's best for the country. I have decided something, thanks in part to reading the Happiness Project.
Doing things makes you feel better, it makes you feel accomplished, the act of contribution is a positive one. So when I feel overwhelmed about the future of our country and I start to feel helpless, I am going to do something to help my community. How can you help your country? Help your community.....grow where you are planted. I decided to organize a food drive at work, I was a little nervous but to my surprise everyone is pitching in and bringing stuff. Instead of trying to do it all on my own, I decided to include others, because everyone likes to have that awesome feeling you get when you have helped someone else and the overall result will be a larger donation, so that's more than I could have hoped for.
Anyway sorry to ramble on, just thought I'd share. Happy Wednesday to you, a little something below to make you laugh :)
Here's my top 5 things I'm excited about right now :)
1. Balloon flowers
It's officially June and it's almost unbearably hot, but some plants are enjoying the warm weather. Like my balloon flowers, they are one of my favorite flowers because purple is my favorite color.
I love their happy star shape :)
Not many flowers look this cool before they bloom...it's like floral origami!
2. My garden is growing
My squash is going nuts, we had to give it something to climb on.
I'm also getting quite the tomato harvest from my garden, nothing like fresh tomatoes in a pasta salad :)
3. Dorthy Perkins
Thanks to scathingly brilliant I have recently discovered Dorthy Perkins. An awesome shop from the UK. They've got everything covered: classy and chic, relaxed and trendy, and cutesy and retro!
I ordered a couple dresses, and was very impressed with the presentation, and the price. The quality of the fabric and the construction are impressive, even the polyester, and I normally have a no exceptions polyester policy.
I wish I had paid more attention to the sizes though, as I had to return them but I plan to order from them again :)
4.
Moonrise Kingdom is Wes Anderson's latest film. He is one of my favorite directors, his attention to detail is inspiring. The character quirks, the costumes, the set design, the cinematography, right down to the soundtrack choices, he's pretty amazing in my opinion. I will have to a summer movie review post very soon.
5. Zinnias
I'll end this post with my Zinnias, I guess I like them so much because they are a bright pop of happy color when everything else has given in to the summer heat. I tried planting some from seeds this year and just when I had given up that they had taken root, they started popping up :)
These are the smaller variety
there's even little blooms around the center of the large bloom...pretty cool huh
I was working on something and got stuck, so I went back to my go to doodle. You know that doodle that you draw when you're on the phone or supposed to be paying attention in meetings. I really needed a burst of color, it's amazing how color can lift the spirit :)
I'm working on some different painting styles too, hope to share those soon.
On a more fashion-y note when it starts getting hot, I start thinking about the perfect summer dress.
Lands' End has some fun silhouettes and prints, the really cute ones are $100 and you know with their quality you get what you pay for, so I might have to splurge.....eventually ;)
Hello and Happy Wednesday!
I added blogs I follow on the right side bar, they are mostly food, fashion, and craft related, I know that's a surprise but check it out you might find something new and fun. Also I added email subscription bar at the top of the blog so you can subscribe to FTF by email :)
I tried making a key lime pie for the first time this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy the recipe came together. I used cinnamon graham crackers and coconut oil in place of butter for the crust( just like Babycakes taught me) and squeezed all the limes myself :)
edible happiness
Now to master cheesecake, among other things.
I was kind of underwhelmed by the red carpet at the Oscars, but these were my favorites:
Michele Williams: Louis Vuitton (everything looks good with her short hair)
Penelope Cruz: Giorgio Armani ( love the silhouette, she's always elegant)
Was anyone surprised that "The Artist" won Best Picture? I wasn't I knew the Academy would delight in a concept that celebrates movies and nostalgia. I still haven't seen it yet, I plan to soon though. I was surprised to find out what else Bérénice Bejo has appeared in ( she plays the leading lady in "Artist"). I will admit " A Knight's Tale" is one of my favorite silly movies and I can't believe I didn't recognize her sooner, although it is a small part, she plays the Princess' Lady in waiting or whatever you want to call it!
