I know Halloween is on Sunday, but my little mind is already focused on that impending gift giving holiday.


This year, I'm making a pledge to shop handmade (and vintage) for all my holiday gifts. 


The time is ripe for re-prioritization. 


I am pledging to support independent artists instead of big box shops.

 I am pledging to give quality over quantity.

I am pledging to shop thoughtfully, even if it's easier to shop conveniently. 



And I'm starting now. 

By planning ahead, I know I can find something for everyone in my life, even for all those finicky dudes I know.



{ will you join me? }



pssst! - I'm going to make a nifty button for this. check back next week to pick it up if you'd like to take the pledge, too.



Halloween is almost here!  Why should humans be the only ones to have all the fun? 
Check out these outfits for your furry friends.


"Sharkdog (or cat)" by QUILLERinstinct

I can't stop laughing at this photo.  Not only is the costume amazing, but that expression on kitteh's face....!






"Sushi Dog Costume - MD to XL (custom sizing)" by sushibooties

SushiPup!  Now with less sodium.






"Mad Cow pet hat" by PamperedWhiskers

Udderly adorable.






"Pimp dog piece costume costume sizes" by DownUnderDogDesigns

All he needs now is some gin and juice.







"Lion Costume - Dog Costume" by LiLYorkieFruFru

"I are tuff!"  I feel like Fifi needs this costume.  She pretty much thinks she's a lion already.
(or maybe the shark costume, since she's the BITEIEST cat ever.) 




OH, and check out Panda's adorable pup, Suzy!


Isn't she cute?!
(She a unenthusiastic lobster.)




{ do you dress up your furry child? }



pssssst! - even more awesome tag answers from ana (who has the freaking adorableyiest dogs ever) and ana's friend madeline!

come play & I'll link yours, too.


Hooray!  Etsy is fixed.


Here's a smidge more treasury goodness for you.



This collection is based off my favorite poem of all time.  Hit the link to read it.



{ do you have a favorite poem? }



psst - check out Brooke's fun answers
send me your links, and I'll post 'em too.
: D



Well if you're a serious Esty-phile, you're already aware the site is majorly bugging out today.   I can't even log in! (Waaaaaaaaaah!)   So instead of the promised {treasury trove}, I've got a little game for you....


" weeping kitten pocket notebook " by nowvember


I've seen a couple of these "tag" blog posts floating around lately, and I thought it'd be fun to make up my own. 


So, tag, tag - you're ALL it! 
Do up a post, or leave your answers in the comments below. Whatevs!


  1. What is your theme song?
  2. Where is it you are dying to visit?
  3. If you were a cupcake, what flavor would you be?
  4. If you had an arch nemisis, what would his/her name be?
  5. If you could live as any ficitonal character, which would it be?  Why?



And while you ponder those, listen to this.



{ song updated without stupid commercial! sorry, dear ones.  }


psssst! - if you're in serious need of a treasury fix, see my post from late last night.



Bloggy pals:  I need your help!



Your clickiest of love would be much appreciated!


{ muchos, muchos gracias! }


ps - back much later with a full {treasurytrove} for your viewing pleasure.


good night, dear ones.



Last weekend, the hubbers and I went out to Fall City Farms to pick out some punkins.



Scary scarecrows...



 


Punkins!




 

The hubbers inspecting the merchandise.







Ha ha - I caught you sneaky photog!







A trip to the punkin patch is never complete without cider and donuts. 
(I miss this so much from my hometown in Michigan -- I lived a few miles from 4 different cider mills.  Yeah, we like our apples.)







Yesterday we decided it was time to carve up these bad boys.  The hubbers drew that beautiful tree himself! 
No stencils here, folks.






My punkin is dark green, with lots of scars and marks, so really there was only one thing it could be:
ZOMBIE PUNKIN!
( ps - i updated mine late yesterday. he now has punkin guts dangling from his mouth. will photo soon.) 






We got so excited we had to preview what our punkins would look like lit up. 
We took them to the hall bath for this photo.  : P





{ what will your punkins look like this year? }




 

Welcome to the very first { bug miscellany } Virtual Fashion Show! 


Hop into your front row seat, as we watch some seriously stylish bloggers strut their stuff on the digital runway.
( Be sure to check out their blogs, too  -- each and every one is on my "must read" list. )







{ jess from the mundane adventures of miss jess }


"I took this photo for a We Love Colors shoot, and I love the outfit. Layering, bright tights, big boots, wide belts... LOVE!" - jess




 

{ victoria from the moss garden }


"I tend to dress a little preppier than your average student and I like to wear things that are clean-cut, not too frilly or fancy, and most of my clothes are in blues or greens with a lot of brown leather. My sweater is from Roots, jeans from American Eagle, and riding-style boots by Aldo. This is pretty much what I'd wear on an average day to class, probably accessorized with some sort of animal-themed jewelry. :)" - victoria



 


{ cristie from the citybirds nest }


"i think i am pretty eclectic when it comes to personal style but i LOVE pattern and color and i am not afraid to wear bold patterns. i like a lot of styles from preppy, hippie, mod to grunge. i think the only consistent is that i love vintage so i always try to add a bit of a retro vibe to all my outfits from either adding jewelry or actually wearing a vintage piece." - cristie



 





"This skirt is my latest thrifting find. I paid less than $3 for it and it's REVERSIBLE!!! So, if you haven't already done the math, that's $1.50 per skirt. awe.some." - molly





 
{ monica from the captain's photolog }
"I have always been interested in fashion, but never really applied it to myself until recently. I've worked hard and shed some lbs so am now playing around with what my personal style even is. I think I've found it, but I'm still learning. I used to live in tshirts, jeans and hoodies but have since learned that a cardigan is a grown up version of a hoodie. also dresses are more awesome than I thought since they take no time to put on and POOF an outfit/look is born. My first priority is always comfort, but I now know that doesn't mean I have to look like a slob/college kid." - monica






{ shery from nevertheless }


" I love white!
Cropped white blazer – Dotti
White lace strapless dress with blush coloured lining – Dotti
Gold and blush bangles - Gloss" - sheryl




 

{ stacey (and baby Z) from design addict mom }


"We were at an annual Kentucky Derby party. The hat is by nine west and the dress is a brand called New Directions that i purchased at Belk. Baby Z is outfitted in Ralph Lauren baby(it's my favourite brand to shop for clothes for him). He's always my escort/companion everywhere i go and he always steals the show:-). I think i picked up the fashion jewelry at TJMaxx." - stacey






{ moi from here }


I'd like to say I have very "me" look, but mostly I'm a hodge podge.  I like retro influences, color (!), patterns, little dresses, big boots, high heels and statement jewelry.
This outfit is my $10 H&M cardi, Tucker for Target dress, belt from Jujubes (the best cheap clothes in seattle), H&M tights and Banana Republic boots circa 2002.  I felt pretty great in this get up (altho you can't tell from the photo - me no likee having picture taken!).




A hugebungous, ginormous THANK YOU to all the lovely bloggers who participated!  I had a lot of fun, and I hope you all did too.  And if you missed out this time, never fear!  We'll do this again soon.



{ now c'mon, tell me:  How freakin' stylish are all these awesome bloggers?! }




Psssst! Check out LittleGrayFox for the results of her Crafty Challenge.  There's always some fun stuff going on over there.



 
It's no secret that I'm in love with the open road. 

So when LittleGrayFox offered up her newest Crafty Challenge theme, "someday you'll ache like I ache," my mind immediately heard one word:  fernweh.


photo from one of my trips across the country...i no longer recall which one


Fernweh is an old German word, for which there is no direct equivalent in English.  When I first discovered it, it was defined:
"a longing for, a desire to return to, a place you've never been." 

Wiki has an alternate definition which places it more clearly in the context of this challenge theme:
"an ache for the distance."


 


So this is where my mind went when the challenge was proposed.  I've recently become interested in embroidery, so I decided to attempt to translate the above photograph into a stitched piece.







I left a lot of the details out, and tried to boil the photo down to the just the essence of what Fernweh means to me.  A lonely road to nowhere is sort of iconic in my mental encyclopedia.

 





After stitching, I placed the muslin in a kind of gothic-y frame. 
It's a little "emo-crafty" but hey, it seems to work.


 




Some close ups of the stitchery.  I tried to stick to a simple gray scale, which was a bit harder than I'd originally anticipated.








I am SO not a stitch-y expert.  I am just really enjoying messing about with embroidery these days.


 



In the end, it looks a good deal different then the photograph, but hopefully still captures the spirit.



Be sure to visit LittleGrayFox tomorrow to see all the entries.  I am so curious to see how everyone else intrepreted the challenge.



{ do you ever feel a little 'fernweh' ? }





Pssssssssst! oh. em. gee. tomorrow is the Virtual Fashion Show!
Thank you to all who submitted photos -- I am soo excited!!


 
I am so excited for this Fashion Friday
So today we're gonna have a special clothing edition of crave + rave.  Etsy has tons of fabulous fashion finds.
(that's right - it's not just mustaches, owls and robin's egg blue cowls :P)


Here are a few of the things I'd love to have in my closet.



"Pretty Birdie's Bamboo and Organic Cotton Mini Dress" by stephanieteague

I would wear this entire look, head to toe.  The color, the retro silhoutte, the big hair...I am all over this !






"cloke neck grey wool coat" by Lwangslife

Oversized collar?  Check.  Beautifl tweedy texture?  Check.  Knee grazing length? Check, check, check!  This coat's has it all.






"Row Dress by mydearthing" by mydearthing

I love the simple silhoutte of this dress.  It makes the delicate intricacies of the contrasting trim even more eye-catching and special.






"Hooded Plaid Jacket, Organic wool" by AlexKnitwear

Do we really need to talk about why I love this jacket?






"LMuse milk..." by LeMuse

Don't you just want to cozy up in this oversized sweater?!




Don't forget to send me your Look for our Virtual Fashion Show THIS Friday!  I've already received a bunch of photos, but as you know how the old saying goes, the more the merrier...

I'd love to get all submissions in by the end of today, but it's not like I won't accept them tomorrow too. : P I just need time to edit this monster post together, so don't wait 'til the last second, ok?  



{ would you shop Etsy for your fashion needs? }


pssst! - clicky for to email me.





This year I'm striving to only give handmade holiday gifts.  Whether made by me or one of the many talented craftspeoples out there, I want to spread the joy this Christmas with lovingly created prezzies.

Click the links for tons of gift ideas (especially for those hard to shop for folks!).



I think we all know a lady (or seven) like this... ; )




 

So many dudes in my life...so glad for these "man themed" gift guides!





We do a "white elephant" gift exchange in this office.  But this year, mine will be the awesomest!



 

{ are you getting ready for this holiday season
(or am I seriously pushing it cause it ain't even Halloween yet?) }




 
Psssst! Don't forget -- send in your Look by Wednesday to be a part of our Virtual Fashion Show!


{click here to email me}








If I ever harbored any doubts the Pacific Northwest is a magical place, those fears were well and settled this past Saturday.



The hubbers and I attended an open house for Treehouse Point, a truly unique place located just 20ish miles east of Seattle.






Owners Pete & Judy Nelson constructed a one of a kind lodging experience in the lush PNW jungle.





Perched high in the pines are the kind of treehouses one only dreams of building.




 


 
Climb the stairs or scale the ladders, and inside you'll find a cozy stateroom unlike any other you've seen before.








Imagine lying in bed, gazing out into the dense green forest -- not a ground level -- but up in the canopy, sharing an evening in the woods with owls, squirrels and chipmunks.






Each treehouse is completely different. 
This one is built around the tree's trunk!







 





Most have balconies providing unobstructed views of the forest.






The autumn sunlight filtering in through the trees lent a beautifully dreamy quality....


....although one can easily imagine how enchanting it would be to watch the rain cascade down around you, whilst cozied up in your own private nest. 





The treehouses are scattered across the scenic property, some right along the river's edge.





Whether it's a peaceful retreat in contemplative solitude, or a romantic weekend away you seek, Treehouse Point would be a remarkable way to experience the PNW.



{ Would you stay in a treehouse? }




Psssst!  Don't forget -- send in your Look by Wednesday to be a part of our Virtual Fashion Show!