What I Wore: The Thrifted Sweaters Edition

I know I talk about this every week, but I am so tired of winter. More sickened by it than I have ever been. There was a glimmer of hope with some 40 degree days and then it snowed and the temp dropped again. I'm moving. Enough of this.

Anyway, due to the never ending Siberian weather, I thought I'd talk about my sweater collection. It's gotten a little out of hand. I could probably wear a different sweater every day for a month - unless we're counting cardigans, then make that three. How did I amass such an insane collection, you ask? Easy. Thrifting. One thing I've become great at finding in a sea of ugly 80s sweaters is the 1-2 good ones. 

I buy them too, of course, but when your wardrobe consists of fleece leggings, a skirt, a sweater, and Doc Martins for 5 months out of the year, it can become expensive. So I thrift!

Rustic, Country-Chic Cottage

My love of rustic, country style is not a secret. I am not ashamed - not anymore anyway. I blame my mother and her love of the outdoors paired with her love of Country Living magazine for my love of Country Living magazine. I remember growing up and thumbing through it's pages in the small cabin home we have in Wisconsin that my mom decorated with the most well-edited collection of thrift store finds. Now I find myself flipping through slideshows of perfectly placed milk jugs and reclaimed wood walls on their website. Damn you Country Living, you make living in the country see so much more glamorous to a city girl.

Anyway, enough reminiscing. I stumbled across this cottage revival on the website and had to share because it caught my eye with all the things I love - reclaimed wood, teal, vintage charm.

What I Wore: The Wishful Thinking Edition

If you build it, they will come, right? That's how the world works? Following that logic, if I build my spring wardrobe now, spring will come! Soon. Please, dear holy everything, make it soon. We had one week here in Chicago that felt kind of like spring, close enough anyway. So I tried to take advantage of it and pull out some spring gear. Today, it's back down to the tens. As in, we have a high of 10 degrees today. Woo hoo! I'm going to savor this photo shoot and think of better days. Anyway, this is the kickstart of my spring wardrobe! (I can't promise it won't be back to winter next week)

Photo Friday: Colorize Me

I love seeing old photos colorized, mainly because I don't understand the process. I never was a very good artist, so the idea of doing these by hand baffles me. Still, I love vintage photographs and seeing them in color just makes them seem so much more alive - like you could jump into them and across time like Doctor Who. This collection of vintage photographs is particularly interesting because it doesn't focus on a specific subject matter. The subject is people, yes, but people from across different ages, classes, races, and cultures. For a girl who can't get her head out of the past, it's really fun to see this kind of range of vintage photography!

What I Wore: The Winter Brights Edition

It's snowing as I write this, so I feel confident in saying that winter is not going anywhere any time soon. And I am SICK of it! Winter has taken my closet hostage and I want my damn shoes back most of all! In Chicago, temps have not gotten above 30 degrees in a few weeks, with all of last week hovering around the 10s. As you can understand, that means snow boots and ALL OF THE LAYERS! That doesn't mean I haven't been trying, but it does mean that when I try it stays covered by sweaters and jackets. Even this shoot was challenging.

To break free from my back-to-black wardrobe, I wanted to start adding colors back to winter and knew this purse was the perfect fit! 

Bright and Cheerful Interior Style in a Small Space

What happens when a graphic designer and an animator combine? Adorableness, that's what. And a home full of fun, kitsch, and color. Matt and Mel's little home in Fairfax, Virginia is exactly where you would imagine an adorable hipster couple living. Don't you think?

Tutorial: DIY Hanging Necklace Organizer

Maybe you're not like me and you're ahead of the game, but winter makes me not want to do a thing. I am definitely on the new-year-lets-get-organized-bandwagon, but I suck. So, it takes me forever to get anything done. I'm working through stuff slowly. First the clothes, then the jewelry, and finally the craft supplies. I've gotten as far as the jewelry! We can call that progress, right?

Anyway, I wanted to share a tutorial with you guys today on how I got all my necklaces organized for under $15. Organization on the cheap is my middle name (you have no idea how many glass jars I have saved just for this reason). When I realized my old method of displaying my necklaces was falling apart and totally ineffective, I figured it was time to make something new. Ta-da! The Hanging Necklace Organizer Tutorial was born. (Apologies in advance for the lack of photos. I need to get better at taking pictures at night)

What I Wore: The Bomb Girls Edition

It's been freezing in Chicago. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a big baby when it comes to the cold, it's literally been dangerous to set foot outside for the second time this month. As you can imagine, taking outfit photos or wearing anything that doesn't make me look like the Queen of the Bag Ladies has been next to impossible. I am sick of it. I've even been wearing pants. PANTS! What is the world coming to?

The never-ending polar vortex has forced me to discover new shows on Netflix as well, because, well, what else am I going to do? After I finished all the seasons of MadMen (yes, I'm incredibly behind on tv), I had the urge to keep watching a period television series. That's where Bomb Girls comes in. The show follows a group of women working in a munitions factory in 1942 Canada and aside from the drama, the outfits are to die for. These 1940s style dresses have seriously re-newed my love of all things vintage.

Dark Interiors: Macabre Charm in Grey Walls

I have to admit, I have a dark streak in me. On occasion, I'm drawn like a moth to the macabre - explaining my love of all things skull-printed. As obsessed as I currently am with any interior that has white walls with touches of wood, this shadowy shoot by photographer Tommaso Sartori really grabbed my attention.

60s Chic in Warby Parker's Palm Canyon Collection

Like all style conscious girls, I love a good pair of specs. There's nothing worse than not feeling like putting your contacts, but having no other choice. So I make sure I have choices, lots of them. Thanks to the Internet, the perfect pair of frames doesn't have to set you back $600 at the eye doctor. Sites like Warby Parker have made it so easy to have a collection of frames instead of one pair that you have to wear until they break (we be-speckled ladies have all been there). BUT because it's so easy, I'm also constantly shopping new frames and the one set I haven't been able to find is the perfect brown/neutral pair. The time has come, my friends!

Interior Design: Industrial Chic Shopping

I was browsing around the Internetz, as usual, real estate stalking like I normally do when a Google ad caught my eye (damn you, Google ads!). Now, I'm a sucker for those membership discount sites just like anyone else, but they are usually a hodge podge of items. You get up to 80% off on anything you can think of (I just bought a set of fleece leggings on one of those). I've never found one more tailored to me than Dot & Bo.

New Year, New Start, New You!

Well, we did it folks! One more year behind us. Busy, quick, eye-opening - 2013 was a lot of things, but it's definitely helping me realize what I want 2014 to be. One thing I wish I had done more in 2013 was blog. Somewhere between starting a new job and making new friends, I lost the time and the urge to create. I think now, closer to a new start, I'm finding it again. With that, more blogging and more tutorials!

Design Ideas: New Year's Eve Party!

Today, instead of my usual interior design find, I thought I'd share some cute New Year's Eve party ideas! Whether you'll be a guest or the host, it's always fun to get in the holiday mood! (Can you tell I'm excited for the New Year?) These DIY New Year's Eve party ideas are quick, easy, and adorable. You might even be able to get one or two of them in before the big party! A little glitter spray paint fixes everything.

Photo Friday: Self Examination

You guys, 2013 is almost over. How did that happen? It's so weird how time just seems to go by faster and faster as you get older. No one really warns you about that when you're growing up. Soon I'll blink and a year will pass me by. Actually, I think that just happened.

With the year ending, I though this was a perfect time to share this photography series by a very talented young photographer and his collection of self-portraits. To combat his social anxieties, Kyle Thompson started experimenting with photography and used the only subject he had around - himself. The result is something fantastic that shows his tremendous talent.