Friday, May 30, 2014

Momento Mori


Artka


Maybe it's just been a cold spring, but this style of layering knits and floaty fabrics seems very appealing right now. It's a fashion from Japan called Mori Girl.  Mori means forest, and, oh man, have I been craving the forest lately. I love living in the city with all the rust and graffiti, but sometimes I just want to be alone with the trees, ya know? 



I also have a fascination with small animal skulls. I've never thought of using them in my hair, though. I had an awesome marmot skull that got lost in a move and a rabbit skull that blew off my balcony when I put it outside to dry after cleaning it. I still have a bird skull that I on the rocks near the ocean and a sun-bleached turtle shell that I found in the woods. I wonder how that turtle shell would look as a pillbox hat. 


I would really like to get some more brown clothing. I only have two things in brown and it is one of my favorite colors. Weird, huh? Brown doesn't seem to come in style that often, so it's hard to find stuff in the shades I like. Bummer. 

on etsy, but can't find it anymore

These pictures are of a darker side of Mori Girl. There is also a lot of white lace and furry things. I like how it all seems really comfortable and not form-fitting. I like clothes that have ease of movement for climbing trees and fences. These might get stuck on twigs and rusty nails, though... where is the happy medium between comfy and not billowy? 

Monday, May 26, 2014

Rave! Charcoal Cleansers - Biore and Destiny Boutique

My skin is really picky. If I use something too harsh it gets all irritated but I really need a deep cleanse to minimize acne. Charcoal Cleansers works great for this because the charcoal draws out impurities from your pores and send them down the drain!


This Biore Deep Pore Chorcoal Cleanser works great to help control moderate acne. It makes my skin itch after but the itch goes away once I apply lotion. You can find just about anywhere that carries Biore which makes it easy to stock up. I bought mine at Target on sale for $6.

My first charcoal cleanser was from a natural brand called Destiny Boutique. I love it so much but it isn't available at the general store. It is also more expensive than the Biore cleanser but at $15 for 8 oz, I still consider it affordable for me. It lasts a long time! 

If I didn't have to worry about acne I would definitely prefer the Destiny Boutique cleanser because it smells better and feels better on my skin. I will probably end up alternating these two because I love them both and I definitely plan on reordering from Destiny Boutique.

<3 KM

Friday, May 23, 2014

Violet Syrup


The violets are here and it's time to gather them! Well, it's probably a little late for those south of me, but those to the north probably have good patches blooming right about now. I love the taste of violets. I love those violet mints that people always say taste like soap. My favorite drink is violet liqueur with lime and tonic water.  So really I had to figure out how to make violet syrup.


So I took my dog to an abandoned lot where we foraged and romped. We were careful not to take too many violets from field because there are other critters that subsist on their nectar. The spring blooms of the violet don't usually produce seeds. They mainly propagate through fall blooms and runners.


We went back home and removed the stem and green under part of the flower by pinching and pulling. I also washed the flowers because who knows what or who likes to pee in that lot.



Here's how to do it:

I got 3/4 cup of flowers, so I added 3/4 cup of hot water. Use equal amounts of water and flowers, no matter how many you get. Also, be careful not to scald the flowers. It will ruin the color of the final product. I boiled the water and then let it cool for about a minute.

Then I let the flowers sit in the water for about 24 hours, shaking or stirring occasionally.

The flowers should be sitting in a lovely violet colored water now. Heat this water gently on the stove. Add the same amount of sugar as you added water. You can add more if you want it sweeter or if you want the syrup to last longer.  Dissolve the sugar in the hot water.

Pour the liquid through some cheese cloth or a tight strainer, making sure none of the petals get through. Put it in a jar and put the syrup in the fridge for future use. 


Isn't the color the best? It really is that color, too. No photoshop tricks. It looks almost black in the shade.

If you add lemon juice it can turn a fuchsia color. I haven't tried it yet, though.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

I freaking love UrbanOG! Review + Coupon

So I'm still not over daisies or neon pink, Urban Og has plenty of both! Here is one dress from my recent haul - more to come.

Shoes - Matiko

This is my first time ordering from UrbanOG and I'm super happy with all the items that I ordered, the delivery speed and the selection. They have like 3 or 4 pages of knee high boots alone! 

The only thing that irritated me about shopping on Urbanog.com is that your cart times out (spontaneously empties itself) after an hour or so even if you have an account. If you take awhile to shop like me I suggest adding what you like to your wish list and then putting your final choices in your cart when you're ready to order. I think my cart timed out like 7 times or so because I often shop a bit, walk away and then shop some more.

If you are interested in ordering from them they have a 30% off coupon (MAYWKND) running from now till 05/26/14 with free shipping over $60.

<3 KM

Sunday, May 18, 2014

True Life: Body Shame and Blogging

Truly appreciating your own body and being confident about your own body image can be tough. I have struggled with this since I started blogging, and way before then too. 

I have 3 kids. I had my first when I was 20. At the moment I love my body more than ever in some ways and less in others. I feel like I can never just be happy with it. When I am skinnier I have one set of issues and when I am curvier I have another. I have learned to just laugh it off, live healthfully and dress the best I can so I can get on with my life.

My body issues can make it really nerve wrecking to get dressed in the mornings. It's even worse when I want to share my outfit of the day on my blog. It bothers me so much so that I have been avoiding posting pictures of myself lately (I plan to change that, I have some adorable new outfits after all :p). I keep blogging anyways because I love the art of fashion. I also like networking and reading other people's blogs for inspiration. Fashion is always changing and it is great to see what everyone is up to and where everyone is shopping - the trendy, the timeless, and especially the rebels ;).

Today I watched the video below and it really resonated with me. I think it is so great that this woman, Taryn Brumfitt, is reaching out to women who have issues with their bodies. She even launched a Kickstarter to promote her cause. She is so "on it"! 

Her mini documentary is truly inspirational. It is sad to see that most women do not like their bodies no matter what shape or size they are. It inspired me to love my own body a little more because we have all been blessed with beautiful bodies, minds and souls. I bet that many men have these issues too, even though they may not vocalize their insecurities as often. I think that it is so easy to focus on the negative rather than the positive, although I do believe that the negative can be a great motivator in small doses - and with the right attitude. 




Another thing that I occasionally get self conscious about is my age. I am over 25 but I still have a ways to go till I reach 30. I feel happier, wiser and even prettier than ever before but I also feel more introspective and sometimes old. I bet the majority of fashion bloggers are younger than me. Once you reach your mid twenties it's like most people expect you just to give up and adopt an alternate, professionally relevant, identity and move on. 

This made me want to stop blogging at one point but then one day I realized something: I will never stop loving fashion. I should just dress according to what makes me feel my best - not according to what I feel like I am expected to wear by society. I should just be myself and be confident. I bet there are tons of other women and men out there who feel like me in one way or another. I think it would be amazing if more and more of us just started showing how happy we are to just be ourselves. I think this is already happening to an extent as it seems like the positive body movement keeps gaining momentum. 

Hope all is well in your world. You are all so talented and beautiful! I have been so blessed by every little heart on Bloglovin' and Polyvore, and I truly appreciate every follower and every comment. Thank you all!

<3 KM

Friday, May 16, 2014

Fae Art Clothing


Naturally Bohemian
I am totally obsessing over this style of clothing right now and I don't even know what it is called. I have found it under the names faerie, bohemian, gothic, tribal, and shabby-chic. These artists take scraps of fabric and lace, usually recycled, and sew them into magical dresses. They are the perfect balance between ethereal and battle-worn.

Gibbous Fashions
These dresses also remind me of this spring. Still full of little natural uprisings, but cold, like buds and unfurling leaves crusted in frost. I mean who thinks it's going to be in the 30's in the middle of May? Seriously. I want to plant my garden already!

Fractal Wings
I would like to try and make something like this for myself, but I really have no idea where to start. Is there a name for this style? Do you know any other artists who make these mystical garments?

Monday, May 12, 2014

Neon Pink and Stripes

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with pink. Sometimes I absolutely love it and I swear it is my favorite color. Other times I am so over it and I hate anything pink, in any hue.

At the moment I am in love with neon pink. I want a hot pink jacket in the worst way and I have even been thinking of buying some neon pink pillow cases for my bed lol.

Neon Pink and Stripes




One thing I hardly ever get tired of is pinstripes. I think this H&M dress is perfect and the cut is so fem. It's definitely on my buy list!

<3 KM

Friday, May 9, 2014

Tasty Salads 2: East in the Garden

I really like lime juice and fish sauce with a little bit of spice. In this salad the arugula adds the spice. I grow arugula and cucumbers in my garden, but they are never ready for harvest at the same time. Not that I get very big yields anyway. The only things I grew myself in this picture are the sprouts.

Ingredients:

1 small Cucumber, diced with the seeds removed
A large handful of Arugula
A small handful of Alfalfa Sprouts
Juice of half a Lime
1/2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Instructions:

Just toss it all together. If you want you can chop up the sprouts and arugula a little.


If you want more ideas for salads here is the Tasty Salad 1.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

My favorite shorts were only $10: 1015 store review

At first I was a little weary of buying clothes from the 1015 store because they are super cheap and that often means that they don't last or don't wash well. About 9 months ago or so I decided to order anyways because I liked the styles and I figured that it was worth a shot. I'm so glad that I did and I think I'm going to order again all because of these shorts I'm obsessing over lol.



I have these shorts in black and they are my absolute favorite.  At first I thought that I didn't like them because of the flap thing in the front but I don't even realize it when I wear them because most of my shirts cover it. They are great distance walking shorts because they are super comfortable. 

They manage to make things look dressier look and look great with blouses. I've even managed to wear them with tights and patterned leggings underneath and it ended up being nice and warm in the freezing weather I went through when visiting relatives in the Midwest this winter. I really like the length too, these hit me mid thigh when I wear them on my hips but they are still modest if I wear them on my waist. 

On the other hand I did buy 2 other items that were just okay. I also ordered like a $5 blouse and I really liked the print but it ended up having a weird shape that I couldn't get over so eventually I donated it. I also got a pair of printed pants that I loved but they didn't last as long and they ended up being a bit of a fad for me that I got over pretty quickly. That happens to me sometimes lol, but at least they weren't more expensive. 

Pros of 1015 store: 
- Very affordable. 
- Long lasting considering the price.
- Some really cute clothes.
- Lots of colorful, interesting prints.

Cons:
- Items under $15 cannot be returned for cash back, but they will give you store credit. 
- Some of the cuts are weird so make sure you really observe how they fit on the models.

<3 KM






Monday, May 5, 2014

Recycling for coffee addicts: used coffee creamer turned perfect sugar dispenser.

Re-purposing used items is always a good idea imo. It saves a lot of energy and waste, and even a little money. That way I have more money to invest in my wardrobe lol.

One of the easiest things to re purpose are coffee creamer containers. When you think about it they are actually really functional because the pouring lip makes them a great dispenser of any kind and the lid keeps things dry.


The hardest part is getting the inside perfectly dry. I ended up putting and entire dish towel inside and moving it around with a butter knife. I didn't have a funnel on me so I made one out of a clean juice container.

Other things you could stash in empty coffee creamers:
  • chocolate chips
  • nuts
  • seeds
  • rice
  • dried peas or beans
  • small candies like jelly beans or m&ms
I've even read that some people use them for water bottles but I haven't tried that one yet. They are BPA free but I am not sure how well they prevent leaks.

Here is a super cute idea for turning them into Elmo party favors from Susan House on Pinterest. Too cute!

<3 KM


Friday, May 2, 2014

Cold Spring Rains


 Spring is finally here! I love watching all the bulbs pop out of the earth. My dog and I have a tradition of violet hunting in church-yards every spring. We go on a long walk and try to hit as many churches as we can in one afternoon. It's been a bit too rainy to do our mission so far, but this weekend it looks like it might actually be nice enough! 



I am also happy that it's spring because I can bust out some of my favorite outfits. I got these tights in Haight-Ashbury when I was a teenager. I'm surprised they have survived this long, but I'm glad they have because I love how trippy they are.


My dress is Ya and my jacket is Sooki des L.a.