Back to School

I may not be able to pay for grad school, but that isn't going to stop me from back-to-school shopping.

Check out the treasury here.

Etsy Gift Guide

 

1. For the Raunchy Jokster: Pin Cup Beer Mug by JeezVanilla

2. For the Green Thumb Dinosaur Lover: Dinosaur Planter with Air Plant by boygirltees

3. For the Fur Friendly Fashionista: Peach Fox Fur Earmuffs by SimplyFurs

4. For the DIY-Obsessed Cheesemonger: Brie Cheese Making Kit by makecheese

5. For the Non-English Major Nerd: Caffeine Molecule Coffee Mug by DailyGrinder

6. For the Snazzy Art Student: Pompeii Bow Tie by SuperAwesomeBowties

7. For the Californian in New York: Soopascarf in Burgundy by Yokoo

8. For the Plan-Aheaders: Wall Calendar 2013 by FormbyStina

For even more ideas check out my Etsy treasury!

Home Sweet Home

Next week I'm going on a trip to see my friends and family (hence my absence for the next couple of weeks, apologies!). First I'm going to Santa Cruz for a week to visit my grandma and my cousins, and my mom is also flying out. I'm expecting to finally get the tan I've been waiting for all summer and to spend lots of nights drinking with my cousins.

Then I'm going back to Denver, and words cannot express how excited I am. My family moved to Wisconsin at the same time I started college, but I still consider Denver my home and make an effort to go back and visit whenever possible. Luckily I have plenty of friends willing to take me in, and I've become accustomed to couch surfing.

Here are some pictures we took on my 35mm last summer.

I'm really excited to get in some much needed nature time! I'm getting a little stir crazy in New York what with all the free time and ever increasing humidity. It's time for an adventure.

I made this etsy treasury to inspire some true Colorado ruggedness. Last summer I was caught climbing a mountain in wedges--I've turned into a such a New Yorker, I forgot that impromptu hikes happen when you go out in Colorado! Here I am feeling crazy when I make it into Manhattan.

Tumblr Famous

I was a teenager during the rather innocent age of AIM, back when we went through a hippie phase as opposed to a Kurt-Cobain worshipping, grunge wearing nineties phase. Now there is tumblr, not to mention all the other social networking sites and their accompanying trolling, anon-baiting, hate-mailing, etc. Tumblr is the perfect forum for breeding teenage culture, drama included, and I find it fascinating.

This is a tribute to all things witchy, floral, teenager-y, neon, and nineties, with a special shout out to artist and tumblr anthropologist Grace Micelli and, naturally, epitome of tumblr fame, Molly Soda.

    The inspirational Grace Miceli.

(I actually used to see Molly Soda in the photography building at NYU because she worked in the cage renting out equipment, so when I saw her on tumblr I was like, is that the same girl? I really did have to do the google search version of a double-take despite the (then) neon-yellow hair and glaring Molly-Soda-ness.)

And of course the ever infamous Molly Soda, official queen of tumblr.

Check it out & buy some tumblr-esque accessories, then take some selfies!

Happy Housewarming

Plenty of Off and citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes away.

Adding some religious iconography to reinforce the graveyard theme of our backyard.

Baby Jesus sleeping in the plants.

Jon chilling in the backyard.

An off-color request for privacy on our bathroom window.

Starting to make my room pretty.

My llama from my bff Gina chilling on my bookshelf.

Jon tending to his chives.

Housewarming etsy presents to myself.

 Another etsy treasury dedicated to things I want for my new apartment! We're finally starting to get settled, but we still need a few more personal touches to really make the place ours. The good news is I can finally get back to making things for the shop, so expect new items in the near future!

Hey Old Sport

In anticipation of the Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island June 16th-17th, I made an etsy treasury for some flapper fashion inspiration! I recently reread The Great Gatsby and I have to say, I actually prefer Fitzgerald's other novels. But that has not dulled my excitement for the movie. 

Carrie Mulligan as Daisy = style inspiration. I might have to make that bracelet.

Definitely going all-out, including a haircut and every accessory imaginable. Super stoked guys super stoked.

I Do Not Deal Well With Humidity

This aforementioned lovely weekend turned out to be even more lovely and the perfect start to summer. I even made strawberry lemonade with chocolate mint from my boyfriend's garden and went to Far Rockaway Beach.

But as excited as I am for summer, I have to face the dank reality that a good chunk of it will be spent completely idle in front of the window unit. Summer in New York means two things: a ton of awesome shit to do, like free concerts and rooftop barbecues, and heat waves so foul you feel like you're living in a never-ending and rancid exhale.

I am from Colorado, where there is zero humidity to speak of and ninety degrees is not only tolerable but temporary: as soon as the sun goes down it cools down. In New York standing in the shade is as refreshing as bathing in a tub of sweat. My brow sweat alone could fill this hypothetical tub over the course of a day.

So to ward off the impending misery I made an etsy treasury full of heat-defying summer fun.

I for one am definitely getting myself a wooden fan, an idea I picked up in Paris, where the metro is not air-conditioned. It is also full of people who do not wear deoderant. I will take rats and crazy people over B.O. any day. Not that New York public transit is lacking in B.O., but believe me when I regretfully inform you that the stereotype of the French is true (at least in the summer).

Hey Bear Face

Just a preview of my etsy treasury in honor of all my bears. 

OKOK Calm Down

I made a treasury on etsy! For those of you not up-to-date on etsy terminology, it's basically a treasure box of fun things to buy that I collected together into a cohesive and convenient collage. This one is for all of my fellow crazies out there. Sometimes we need a little help to calm our anxieties, and these are some things to help you do just that.

This moleskine was basically made for me, not because I'm British, but because I am a compulsive list-maker. As in I often make multiple to-do lists a day and relish the weight lifted from my shoulders when I cross off "figure out how to pay state taxes" or "shower."

Not just a candle to light around your bubble bath, but an homage to Ernest Hemingway, who knew how to enjoy life with some good food and some good wine even when a lack of finances or a wife and child stood in the way.

Meet "Redhaird Spinster Trollop," because everyone could use a cuddly plush doll and drinking buddy. No more drinking alone!

This clock will not only help you get your life organized, but it will also take you back in time for those many occasions when there just aren't enough hours in the day! Or when you forget to take your medicaiton. 

Check out my treasury for more handmade and vintage miscellany to help you take off the edge.