Ms Frizzle Dresses

Beetles

I was browsing on Amazon and came across a store called Cowcow selling printed dresses. I soon realized they had prints of most of my favorite things! The drawings are well done and there's none of that weird branding crap that steers me away from similar clothes.

Weather

A bunch of the prints even come in different colors. The reviews describe the fabric as light and synthetic. They appear to be great, whimsical summer dresses - I just can't decide which one I want. Most of the dresses seem to be in the $16-$20 range, which is quite reasonable. The store also sells tops, leggings, swimsuits, and other items with the same nifty prints. 

Dinosaurs

You should search Cowcow plus what ever design you can think of. They have hundreds of prints. There's normal stuff like flowers and geometrics, but they also have a ton of animal and food prints. They have bees, chickens, pandas, unicorns, cheese, sushi, macarons and so many others... If you want something gothic, just add "Halloween" to your search terms.  There is even a design featuring anal beads in the most discreet way. I'll let you find that one on your own.

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Art Glass Obsession - Paul Harrie

I have a few collections that began with random, serendipitous finds. Glass orbs are among my favorites. The artistry and technique that it takes to create something out of molten sand is so amazing to me. Paul Harrie's work is incredibly unique. Here are some of his pieces that are on my wish list, which will be waiting for me until I can finally justify spending $250 on a paperweight.

Twinsies by kmfern featuring a pyramid paperweight

Seriously can't decide if I like B&W or color better.

Rainbow Orb by kmfern featuring glass paper weights

 I love how these pieces look totally different depending on the angle. Magic!

paul harrie by kmfern featuring an art glass sculpture

How does he even do this? I think the upper right is my overall favorite piece in this lot. It is so simple, yet so complex.

Fancy Perfume bottles by kmfern featuring an art glass perfume bottle

Hope that you all are having a fabulous week!

<3 KM

Trump the Trump

With all of the Trump  controversy out there I thought I would be topical for once and get in on the action. Ivanka Trump has a clothing line (and strangely, a little girl's shoe line) and some of it is pretty cool.

Dress 1 and Dress 2

She has not one, but two Wednesday Addams dresses. Is Ivanka Trump a secret goth?

Trippy

She has this super tripped out dress. Look at the faces in the zoom. Crazy! Someone has been taking acid.

Red

A dress that looks like it was made from a brocade curtain in the Wild West.

Crop

And I don't know what she was thinking with this one, but a dry-clean only crop top. Who dry-cleans their crop tops?

And I will end with this meme that has been generously donated by my man.

Hot and Spicy Species

I know sciencey stuff is not a lot of people's cup of tea, but I had to share this table I made. I was searching online for how to differentiate between different Capsicum (hot pepper) species, but I couldn't find much of anything that showed this. This made me decide to make my own easy to read graphic spelling out the differences between the five domesticated hot pepper species. I made this so I could perhaps better understand a few of the mystery peppers I grow. 

The going was a bit hard, but I scraped up what info I could. If you know where to find more detailed morphology of peppers, please tell me!

I also drew some pictures at the bottom to better explain the botany terminology used so any pepper-head can use the table.

I got most of my info from Wikipedia and Encyclopedia of Life (someone really needs to put more capsicum info on there!).

It's Orchid Time at Trader Joe's!!!

One of my favorite things about Spring is the abundant plant life. Gardening doesn't come easy to me. I've tried so many times but I am more of an animal caretaker than a plant pruner. I usually don't bring plants home since I worry for their fate but there are some that truly call to me.

Orchids are one of my favorites but I have no idea how to keep them alive in Oregon! Here are some of the beauties that I recently sighted at Trader Joe's. I am so reluctant to bring one home because I just might cry if it dies.

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to search for plants because they have a wide variety of beauties. Their prices are hard to beat as well! The peach colored orchid pictured above is lovely. The green and the yellow one in the picture seem to be the same variety. I think it would look really neat to have one for every color of the rainbow!

I was so tempted to get this one because it has three different varieties in a single pot, and it's only $19.99! I may just snag it next time and see how it goes.

These tiny mini orchids are just adorable. At only $5.99 I really want to try raising one! Still, I would feel irresponsible without doing some proper research since I don't trust my plant rearing instincts. If only they could make noise or something so I know when to water them and how much.

These guys are for M. They look like they are carnivorous. She said that they kind of remind her of pitcher plants. The purplish one is amazing in real life.

Hope that you all are having a gorgeous Spring!

<3 KM

Jean Skirts

Express

I have been diggin' denim skirts lately. I'm usually not one for short skirts, but I have learned to wear yoga shorts or leggings under them so I don't feel exposed and embarrassed. 

My favorite style is the classic jean cut off. I think I need to make one out of an old pair of jeans.

Aliexpress

The only other kind of short skirt I really wear is pleated, so this combines the two. I really like this one -I think the detailing near the bottom is a nice touch.

Everybody's Buying Vintage

I'm not really one for ruffles, but this high-waisted, tiered skirt has something to it. I'm not sure if it would work with anything but a crop top, so it might not be for me.

Best Fashion Apps to Make Your Life Easier by Evoke.ie

I am no stranger to shopping apps, but this list by Evoke.ie is chock full of interactive tools for finding the perfect look. Even the most devoted fashionistas may find something new. Enjoy! 

What's your favorite fashion app? I love Nordstrom Rack and Hautelook because I always seem to find good deals there. Polyvore is my favorite fashion app and webtool of all time. That one deserves it's own post for sure.

Most of the apps in this bunch are new to me but so far I am loving Chic Sketch. It is about $10 to transform your favorite look into an adorable fashion sketch. I will definitely use this in the future, this app makes everyone look fabulous!

I think that Closet+ is an excellent idea but it sounds like a project to get it started. I bet that it would help me remember those random articles of clothing that I have but forget about. Could result in some really awesome outfits.

<3 KM

How to Survive the Flu

I am not a doctor and this is not real medical advice. If that's what you want, you should go to the CDC website or something. That kind of site usually tells you to go get Tamiflu within the first couple days of your illness. I eschew going to the doctor except in dire situations, so this advice was not for me.

First, don't get on a airplane, even if you think you are just tired and cold. Your ears will be popping oddly for weeks after you get better. And it makes you a major vector for transmission, which no one wants. Someone could die from the infection that you passed on.

Lay down and sleep. Sleep some more. Put on blankets and let the fever kill those little viruses exploding your cells. Don't freak out if you have a 103.4 degree fever. No one has gotten brain damage from that low of a fever. If your fever lasts for more than a few days you might want to see the dreaded doctor in case you have pneumonia or some other secondary infection. 

Good-quality, soft, toilet paper works better and is less expensive than brand-name tissues. It doesn't chafe your nose as much, for some reason. If your nose gets raw, put a little of a beeswax based lip balm on it. 

Once you can't sleep anymore, then it is time to bring in the cough suppressant, antihistamine, and fever reducer. I highly recommend Severe NyQuil. Supplement this with Ricola, or if your throat is seriously hurting use something with menthol. Not cigarettes - don't smoke while sick, you crazy nut - I mean those gross, fake-sugar, dye filled, cough drops.

If you have a terrible post-nasal drip take lots of warm showers. It will loosen up that horrible, rainbow-colored, sticky stuff, which you must cough out. It also helps with the aches. And you will wash away some of that weird metallic immune system smell. 

If you have long hair put it in a side braid and dentangle every couple of days. It will save you a lot of work later and it seems to keep pillow tangles away better than a bun. 

Eat something. Yes, I know everything tastes gross, but have some toast and soup. It is no fun spending the next month trying to build back up all the muscle mass you lost. 

And last and probably most importantly - write down some of your fever dreams/hallucinations. I have a fever poem that I wrote in high school that I still enjoy reading.