if you like it then you should have put a coat of paint on it

Recently at Target I overheard a woman lamenting the fact that the (easily paintable!!) item she loved came in a color she didn't. I wanted to run over to her and preach the gospel of paint. But, being a shy person who avoids talking to strangers at all costs, I decided to avoid the soapbox for the time being and pour my passion into a blog post instead ;)

Paint allows you to see potential in things that you'd otherwise avoid. It can turn cheap toys (like... plastic dinosaurs) into cute decor, and ugly flea market finds into treasured possessions. And it's fun!! If you haven't seen a horrendous color disappear while you're waving a can of spray paint over it like a magic wand... well you simply have not lived, my friend!

Here are some of my favorite paint transformations!



Thanks to spray paint, I turned a bright red french fry bowl and a neon yellow clearance basket into pretty purple organizers for my closet! The same color also came in handy for my DIY lipstick holder!



Packing orders for my etsy shop requires the use of some terribly ugly utilitarian supplies like tape dispensers. The green one began life in a dull beige hue, and the peach one was originally black. I'm so much happier working when my office supplies are this pretty :)



This lamp was a flea market find almost 10 years ago. It was black and rusty and the original wiring was frayed. A little sandpaper and spray paint and it looks as good as new! My mom and I re-wired it, and now it's a one of a kind lamp that is right at home in my bedroom.



My IKEA dresser was originally completely unfinished wood, but I decided a couple months ago to spruce it up by painting the frame the same grapefruit shade as my door and closet. I also switched out the standard knobs. The flowers are from Anthropologie and the cats are from Urban Outfitters.



While I had the paint out, I also decided to paint my office desk! It too was unfinished wood and needed a little pick-me-up. I love unfinished wood (the desk behind me in my outfit pictures doesn't have any stain or paint on it) but sometimes a bright coat of paint is just so much better!



For the dressers in my closet I did the same thing that I did in my bedroom and just painted the frame. I think covering the original plain birch wood with mint green helped make these look more at home in my 60's beauty parlor themed dressing room!



Last but not least, my absolute favorite paint makeover! It was so easy (and cheap! I didn't even use one full quart of paint) and it made SUCH a huge difference! My room feels so much bigger and brighter since I painted my bed frame mint green.

And I mean, isn't it a nice thought that when you're shopping for a bed -- or a dresser, or a lamp, or a table -- that the only thing you really NEED to consider is the quality and basic structure. Even if it's the most hideous hue you've ever seen or covered in a blinding pattern fit for a fun house, as long as there is paint on this planet it doesn't matter. Just something to remember next time you're at Target and see the most beautiful vase you've ever laid your eyes on in the most apalling color known to man ;)

daisies

Maybe it's because a lot of people don't think it flatters their skin tone or something, but it seems like grey clothing and accessories are really hard to find! Except for sweatshirts and t-shirts. Maybe it's a "I only wear this when I want to lay on the couch stuffing my face with ice cream" color? Or a "the only other people who will ever see me in this are the other people at the gym" color? I rather like it myself, though! Maybe I'm just a champion of underdog colors.

Either way, these shoes are grey and in my eyes that makes them absolutely awesome.

dress - c/o oasap | brooch - vintage | shoes - c/o bait footwear

remembering

Six years ago today, Hypatia became a member of my family. As sad as I am to be marking this anniversary without her, today should still be a happy occasion. I got to spend part of my life with one of the sweetest, most gentle feline companions on the planet. Our time together was brief, but so incredibly full of love and joy -- and today should be a celebration of those happy memories.

I'm still having a very hard time coping with her loss, but lately I've been finding myself smiling sometimes when I talk about her instead of immediately bursting into tears. I still cry a lot, but I like those moments, however rare they may be, when I can say her name and feel happy. One thing that has helped me find comfort has been coming up with ways to honor her memory and keep her present in my life.

The day that she passed away, my mom gave me a gold chain for her name tag, and I wear it every day along with a hand-stamped charm displaying her adoption date. Sometimes when I start feeling sad, looking at her spot on my bed or seeing her favorite food at the grocery store, I'll just clutch my charms and reassure myself that even though she's gone physically, she'll forever be in my heart.

I understand this definitely isn't for everyone, but I also had a cremation crystal made with some of her ashes, and had it set in a ring. I chose a pink crystal since she had a pink collar and a pink bed, and was just such a sweet little dainty cat. I personally think it's a beautiful way to memorialize a beloved animal, and it really provides me with a sense of calm knowing that she's always with me wherever I go.



I had this one wall in my room that I never really knew what to do with (it's an awkward space next to my window, about 2' deep) so I decided to make it into a little Hypatia art arrangement. I ordered custom portraits from a few artists on etsy and hung them in a grouping with a photo of her that I printed on fabric and framed in an embroidery hoop.

Obviously not everyone grieves this long for their pets, and I know that I was more attached to Hypatia than most people are to their animals. I am, by definition, a cat lady. My cats are my kids and Hypatia was my baby. But time is healing my wounds a little, and my other goofy playful cats are helping me cope. I was actually watching a video of Hypatia a couple weeks ago and when she meowed, Arrietty meowed back. They kept going for a few minutes, and it was so moving I can't even begin to describe it.



As difficult as the last couple months have been, I am just so happy that I have so many warm memories to comfort me. When I glance at the art grouping on my wall or look at my ring, I remember how she used to cover her food bowl with anything laying on the floor --tissues, socks, carpet fuzz, paper bags. I remember that she liked to comb my hair with her paw to wake me up in the morning, and that she would use my dad's sneakers as a scratching post.  My heart will always be heavy, but remembering how happy she made me when she was here is finally helping me to smile a little now that she's gone.


links
gold stamped charm - sarah fewell
cremation crystal - cremation solutions
hypatia painting - dog dream
portrait of me & hypatia - paper plants
hypatia illustration - brett manning

better in person

This was one of my favorite outfits I've ever worn, and yet I kind of hate how it came out in my pictures. It's weird how that happens sometimes! I promise it looked so cute in person. Pinky swear!

I was so excited to find this dress on ebay. I've been after a perfect black and white polka-dotted dress for years and this one (originally from h&m) really does the trick. blah. I got a comment recently that said my blog has gotten dull the last few months, which was kind of rude but probably a little true. I know that I'm still mourning the loss of my cat and having a hard time creating fluffy content with a heavy heart. But now that the thought is planted in my brain, I just can't seem to write *anything at all* without feeling like whatever I'm typing is Dullsville, USA. aghhh! I just seriously can't think of interesting things to say now. It created a big mental block (catch-22 alert!) Outfit posts always present that problem to begin with (like how often do you really want to hear "I love this dress, here is why") but now it's even harder to come up with an interesting way to make trite conversation about what I'm wearing or what I did that day. Oh phooey! :p

ps. I didn't want to do a whole post on the office finale since I'm getting into "might turn into an office fanblog" territory but did anyone else watch it?!?! I was in a constant state of crying the whole time. It was so perfect. I want to watch it again so I can catch things I might have missed the first time, but I don't know if my heart can handle it just yet.

dress - ebay | sweater - steamtown mall in scranton

shirt - forever 21 | shoes - asos

summer sponsorship rates

Hi... just a little note to let anyone who's interested know that I changed my sponsorship rates a bit for summer. The large ads are now $25 for one month. I also added two new sizes -- medium ads which are $15 for one month and featured ads (the attention-getters that go at the very top of the sponsor section) which are $60 for one month. Summer prices will last through the end of August.

You can view rates, traffic, statistics, etc. on my sponsorship page here. And if you're a current or past sponsor just let me know when you e-mail me and I'll give you an extra discount! ;)

daydreams

I've been trying to catch up on work the last few days (birthdays and a couple trips have made me fall so behind!) so I ended up starting Scandal and I've been watching episode after episode while I toil away at my computer. It's so addicting! I used to be active in politics when I was a teenager and this show makes me a little glad I never pursued that for a career. I still volunteer during election season and obsessively follow the news but I think I'm much more suited to be an outsider in the field of politics. It seems like a world with a higher than average amount of bullies and mean people, and I can barely handle the few I've had to put up with online.

Honestly the older I get, the more I crave a really quiet, almost hermit-like life. I think my ideal existence (read: dream life, never gonna happen) would be living in a little cottage somewhere in Europe with no internet access and no phone. I would ride my bicycle into town to buy groceries, see movies and get the occasional pastry. But most of the time I would be painting, gardening, reading or watching dvds with my cats and (hey, as long as I'm dreaming) my brilliant boyfriend in our beautiful home. It's a far cry from the busy political future I once envisioned for myself, and probably nothing more than a pipe dream, but a girl can wish :)

dress- charlotte russe | shirt - c/o modcloth | shoes - c/o bait footwear

tights - target | ice cream brooch - sweet and lovely

purple summer

I am so smitten with this purple dress right now! It just seems like such a perfect frock for summer picnics and day trips to the beach. As much as I love cold weather there is a part of me that's looking forward to the warm relaxing days ahead... emergency ice cream runs, chalking up the driveway and listening to the crickets during midnight strolls. And I'm actually planning a kind of epic road trip for June, so this winter gal is getting really excited about summer for once! :)

dress- modcloth | belt - ruche | bag - asos | shoes - dorothy perkins

the office wrap party - part 2

The first place we stopped when we got to Scranton was the Steamtown Mall. It's mentioned in The Office quite a few times but we were there for more practical reasons -- Kyle forgot to pack a shirt and tie in his suitcase. While we were there, though, we found the original Scranton welcome sign that's shown in the opening credits! I read somewhere that they had moved it off the highway and into the mall so it would be easier (and less dangerous) for tourists to take pictures with it!

We took a LOT of pictures in Scranton so it took me a while to narrow down which ones to share, and even then I still ended up with 40 for this post. Yikes! I decided to do one of those "read more after the jump!" things so my blog won't take 200 years to load :)