seeking inspiration · my GREAT grandma

nearly 103.

that's how many years God gave us to enjoy my great-grandma before he brought her home on March 28th. 

her birthday would be next month.

my wonderful great-grandma THELMA had a quick tongue and an opinion on everything. everything.

this is the grandma who patted my hand approvingly when i was younger as i drank a big glass of ice water. she smiled: 
"you like ice water too? that's my girl." 
yup. me and grandma like water! (lol)

this is the grandma who shook her head at me disapprovingly when she found out i wasn't registering for fine china. shocked: 
"you're not picking a pattern for your formal china?!"
yeah, my hubby and i are 'day-to-day china' people, aka the casual dinnerware!

this is the grandma who, just a few weeks ago, lusted over my cousin's 5-inch wedge boots. without a hint of irony: 
"ooh if I were 20 years younger I would snatch those right off your feet!" 
because all the 82-year-olds are wearing them, right?

this is the grandma who, when asked what she wanted to drink with meals, would never miss a beat:
"I'll have a bit of bourbon."
bourbon and ginger ale or bourbon and sprite - that was her drink!

in the end, grandma told us not to feel sorry for her...she told us to feel happy. so we spent this past weekend, as a family, celebrating her long, beautiful life.
we poured ourselves bourbon and ginger ales...and i took deep breaths after every drink. (hey, i'm a spiced rum and flavored vodka kind of girl. at least grandma and i both loved that water!)

she was blessed.

and we were blessed to be a part of that life. 

love you grandma.

you could see her rocking these, right?

friday find · red and a bit of nostalgia

red is my absolute favorite color. 

anything drenched in this hue immediately catches my eye. 

and usually ends up in my home.

seriously.

each room in my home has a million red accent pieces. (although, it's probably not an accent color if nearly every blanket·throw pillow·vase·frame·candle rocks red, right?) it's disgustingly fab.

now that you know this about me, you may not be surprised that my 'thrifting eye' is repeatedly drawn to the hangers offering red surprises.

say hello! to my latest find.

IT'S RED!

oh hey! recognize my necklace?

and this fun little outfit addition was a stocking stuffer from the hubby this past christmas. so this is HIS friday find.

sweetness.

and yes, it's spring now and this look features me still rocking boots and tights... not to worry! i paired this same dress this past weekend in an outfit perfect for 'playing' outside and it was nearly 70 degrees! watch for a bonus friday find this month to see how...

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can i be honest with you real quick?

i mean brutally, almost shockingly honest?

well here goes...

i am not a fan of fashion.

ok ok, that statement doesn't seem so bad. my first tries included words like 'hate', 'abhor', 'disgusted' but those seemed a bit harsh.

truth is, i had a defining moment the other week. during a group dinner the question was posed: "if you won the lottery, what would you do?" then one-by-one, we went around the table with our answers. one of the women four seats before me stated:

i would buy a house in Paris, Milan and New York and spend my days being a fashion blogger.

and my first reaction: 'ugh. i wouldn't!' (in my head of course)

not the expected response from someone who just spent a solid year building this blog, huh?

so i considered this for the next few days and came to a conclusion:

it's not amazing fashion that i seek out every day.

instead, i keep my eyes peeled for the people rocking bright colors, bold colors, wearing anything unusual and cool, dressing in a way that accentuates their amazingness. yup, amazingness.
really, i'm on the lookout for genuine bits of inspiration. and these can come in the form of personal style or artistic displays, even cityscapes.

so this is my blog. it's not a fashion blog. maybe it's a style blog? maybe.

but it's here to inspire. or at least here for me to chronicle the things that inspire me.

style and inspiration blog? ok sure.

WELCOME.

not always totally sure where i'm going. but i'm part-way there.

muse · SPRING!!

it's the first day of spring!

yaaaaay!

 

not only does this promise warmer weather (ok, ok seattle, I know we may not see the sun for a few months yet) but hopefully we'll start seeing brighter colors on the streets, as well.

 

because i'm getting a bit tired of the black jackets EVERY WOMAN has been sporting around here.

 

i'm not kidding.

 

we're wearing our black jackets while...

 

waiting for the bus...

 

 

heading to starbucks...

(nice tights though!)

 

 

walking our dogs...

(oh? doesn't everyone walk their dogs on train tracks?)

 

 

travelling in packs...

('scuse the thumb in the picture but 5 women ALL in black jackets? thankfully we've got a red pants and red purse sighting!)

 

 

yes. i'm ready for bright colors.

 

AND, now that it's warming up, my social freeze will start melting and i'll once again begin stopping people on the street to ask for their pictures.

i mean really.

these stalker photos have to stop. ;-)

 

Happy Spring!

 



muse · from dirty bird to fashion inspiration

it's working right?

Photo: Donegal Browne

you're completely inspired by the animal above and are now compelled to create something beautiful?

no?

ok, me neither.

but Briar Bates was. 

and through crow inspiration, this was born.

i came across this loveliness during a recent exhibit at Vermillion.

and though i may not have ever been inspired by a crow, inspiration FOUND with this dress!

anyone want to lend me $3000?!

friday find · old haunts bring new hunts

once. nyc was my home for a time.

now. it's my favorite trip to take.

annually.

or when coast to coast flights are reasonably priced.

(grrr)

this time, since thrift stores have become a bit of a hobby, there was a new kind of shopping to be done.

and now i have a new·old comfy sweater.

and rockin' it transports me back to brooklyn heights.

even if just mentally...or just for a moment.

just a(nother) thought...

the other day i was in the office kitchen refilling my water and i ran into a statuesque co-worker looking for the refill supply of paper cups. she found them in the highest cabinet.

 

as she stretched her 6-foot frame to reach them, i smiled, "it's great to be tall, right?"

 

she met my smile with a frown and in an exasperated tone said, "no! it's not!"

 

cut to me: surprised.

unsure what to say.

awkward silence.

 

apparently when she was younger, she was much taller than her siblings and friends and 'blah, blah, blah' never quite fit in.

 

cut to her today...in her 50s...still hating her height. hating her body!

 

now me: sad. where is the fun in simply fitting in?

 

when i was younger, i was nearly the same age as my brothers (my stepmom's kids): one year younger than one, nine days older than the other. i was taller than both of them...and LOVED it. 

though i never reached my dream height of 5'11" (just 2-inches shy), i now rock the highest heels to make up the difference.

 

cut to me today: 4-inch heels, baby.

 

 

so here's what i think.

 

don't fit in. it's boring. booooooring.

 

and whether you're short, tall, slender, curvacious, young, old, triple d's or single a's: love love love your body!

 

oh and rock rock rock your own style. (and if i see you, let me snap your picture!)