What I wore.... and the all too easy destruction of tights.

I have a dinner date tonight with some girls and despite the gloomy weather and pounding head cold I am rocking I'm still in a bright mood. Maybe it’s the promise of spring right around the corner, or the coffee Eric fetched me this morning. Meh, really, it’s probably just me looking forward to dinner out and among grownups which has me so cheery.

Today I am wearing my Jason Wu for Target sweater and skirt. The shirt is from H&M, the clutch is Hobo, thrifted belt and bangles, shoes from Material Girl, and the tights are holey. Yah… holey, but as long as that skirt stays down you shouldn’t be able to tell. After tonight I’ll probably have to trash them and I really wish that I could remember where I bought them. (Sigh)

Everyone knows that Velcro is a tight's worst enemy, and in our house the boys sport no shortage of it. This weapon of stocking mass destruction is on their coats, shoes, and even on their watches. I do my best to steer clear of the stuff, but it’s tricky with cute and clingy, huggable, sabotaging toddlers about. Among the trickier attack moves they have perfected is the “Under-the-table-shoe-strap-tight-destroyer”. You never even see this one snag you, just feel that slight tap and hear the popping sound that signals the end of your newest blue stockings. The most destructive move they have however is the dreaded double whammy “Surprise Mommy Guilt Assault”. The last time I suffered the effects of this powerful blitz was on Valentine’s Day. I had just bought Baelin a treat at Dunkin Donuts and he giddily threw his arms up for a hug, my first thought is …. aaaaaadorable…. my second is THE RED TIGHTS!

“DON’T HUG MOMMY!” I snap, trying to jump back from his open arms and winter jacket.

Too late though. KKKKKEEERRIPPPPPP… I cringe as I try to gently tear him and the longest strip of Velcro ever off me. After examining the damage I notice judgment on the faces of the other patrons. Well, I guess it could have been pity I saw, or maybe stocking shell shock. Something like that can be so difficult to watch. Not only did my tights and sweater dress suffer injury that day, but I had publicly denounced affection from my baby on Valentine’s Day of all days! See? Double whammy. (No worries though, donuts and kisses made all that better.)   

Anyway, these purple tights were another unfortunate Velcro victim.  “At least the destruction is up high.” I think while I hair spray my backside. They just have to make it through dinner. Dang Velcro!! It’s just one of those mommy fashion hazards I guess. Like dodging puke and yanked earrings early on. Or finger paint stains and dunking your fringe scarf into a public bathroom toilet during potty training. (Did that one happen to anyone else?)

Really though, who would even notice holey tights around the best part of my rainbow outfit? That belt! It’s one of my favorite things I have ever picked up at a thrift store. Wearing it always puts me in a good mood, and it is absolutely Velcro proof.

I hope you all have a great weekend! - Kendra

"Well, as long as you know it's ugly...."

Soooo… I am the sort of girl that buys scented nail polish. The sort that eats up bobby pins with little bird heads on them, sunglasses with bows, and Sailor Moon t-shirts. And yet I’d deny being a “girly-girl”. Perhaps it’s because I view “girly girls” as being so polished. To me a “girly girl” cares to a certain degree just how all that girliness is working for her, or at least can demonstrate some flair in pulling it all together. She is serious. I am… not so serious. I’d describe my style as cute…. or maybe fun, I’ve never been able to pull off polished.  I mean, there is nothing polished about tearing through a thrift store rack full of ugly sweaters, at least not how I do it anyway. I triumphantly hold up a great find, shouting “THIS ONE!”, as my thrifting partner in crime… cringes.

“Just wait till I try it on before you judge!” I snap.

There I am, in that retro black and white checkered amazingness, waiting for Kati’s opinion.

“It’s great right? It’s so bad it is GREAT!”

“Ok….” She concedes, “that is kinda working for you. How the hell do you do that Kendra? Only you could pull that off.”

         If hadn’t heard that a hundred times before, I might have been offended. But I’ve learned to take “only you could make that work” as a good thing…. and not so much as the backhanded compliment I used to.  When I’d ask “What do you mean ONLY me!?” the response was normally something like…. “Well I could never wear that, but…..” (Hrm.) Well, I can..... and do.

         I go on…“Well I am hardly serious about it Kati… I sort of think people can see that right? That’s it’s fun? And if they don’t, they can enjoy a little chuckle at my expense, I still would really, really love this sweater.”

         Perhaps I should just embrace the whole girlie girl thing, I mean, I did buy a sweater with flowers all over it. Sure, Ok, I am a girlie girl. Patterned tights and cozy sweaters just make me happy. I wore this prize piece out Monday and then popped over to visit my mother. I had it paired with black corduroy pants and flats. Simple.  The lack of attention I paid to my hair is sort of pathetic, but pony tails are just sooooo easy. (I sort of think a real girlie girl might have made a little more effort up there- wouldn’t she?)

“While I am here would you take a picture of my ugly sweater?” I asked.

“Well as long as YOU know it’s ugly….” my mom responds.

“Of course I know it’s ugly! Come on mom, you know you want one!”

“No…. only you could pull that off Kendra.”

         (Yikes.) Well, maybe my taste is way off the mark, but I am afraid realizing this isn’t going to stop me from wearing it. I am the sort of girl who gleefully wears ugly sweaters.

And now, a story of a boy, and his cats. …….

I am also the sort of mom who can’t tell her three year old that these pictures are really just supposed to be of me and my obnoxious sweater. Baelin saw that camera and couldn’t join me fast enough, squeaking “I waaaaant to get in toooooo!”

Alrightie B. I know one day he may be mortified to be seen, let alone photographed, next to me in such a fine sweater, I am not going to chase him away now. So there he is, with Big Grey Cat, and New Big Grey Cat, under each arm looking terribly cute. My mom had to run some paperwork into a high school she works with after our visit and asked if she could bring Baelin along. Never one to turn down a few moments to myself I stuffed him, and cats, into her truck and waved them off. While on their drive Baelin is of course going on and on about his cats, my mother later tells me she asked him if his cats get to go to school with him.

“No… they have to stay home with Mom.”

“Hrm… schools don’t let you bring in lovies huh? We’re going to go to a school, but since you’re with Grammie special today, I think we’ll be able to bring your kitties in. But when you’re bigger and go to high school, Big Grey Cats will have to stay home.”

“Yah.”  

          I was told that Baelin had a nice visit with the ladies at school, he and kitties chatted everyone up, and let them know that it was alright  his cats were with him today…. he would leave them at home when he was bigger. On the way out of school, surprisingly, Grammie and B passed by a young man who had a stuffed cat under his arm.

“What do you have there!?” my mother asked him.

(Baelin gasped.)

“Oh, this guy is just coming to visit with me today.” the young man responded heading in doors.

“GRAMMIE!” Baelin exclaimed “You caaaaan bring lovies to BIG SCHOOL!”

“I guess you can B!”

         The first thing Baelin tells me when they return is all about how he will get to bring his kitties with him when he starts high school. When we pick up his brother from school that afternoon, he excitedly recounts his discovery again, and yet again to Daddy when he gets in from work.

“Daddy! When-I-get-to-go-to-high-school-Big-Grey-Cat-gets-to-go-TOO! I can brrrrrrrring my caaaaaaaats!!!!”

Romyn shouts “And I can bring my JETS!” (Big Jet and Little Jet are Romyn’s two favorite stuffed dogs.)

         Eric gives me a look. I am not sure if it is for the cats or for my ugly sweater.

“Baelin had a great day today.” I tell him.

         Later Eric and I reflect on just how fast these kids are growing up. I tell him how Baelin crawled up into my sweater pictures, and wondered just how soon it will be until we as parents become too humiliating.

“Well if he brings his cats to high school I am not sure much will embarrass him.” Says Eric.

“What if I’ve stuffed her into his back pack before he heads out?” I ask, “He has already promised Big Grey Cat he’d take her.”  

“That would be awesome.” Eric laughs.

         I guess with this sort of mindset we’ll become embarrassing sooner, rather than later. Oh well, let the countdown to freshman year begin!

-Kendra

While out walking my jackalope....

(Sigh) I am such a mess. Basically, the family has had a lot going on which has delayed Happy Words from getting some flocked shoe outfit photos. We're all getting over some bugs, Eric (the hubby) has been studying for his Master Sargent placement test, the weather has been bad, and we were temporarily distracted by Legos. So when we finally had a sunny day I knew I had to catch up and cram a few shots in before I was once again preoccupied with life stuff. I had a quick plan, figuring we’d take the kids to the park, where there’s a big bathroom I could change in (getting a few outfits in all at once), I’d pack a picnic, walk the trails, and we’d all have a nice time.

I remembered to hastily grab all the “important stuff” like a ball for the boys, the camera, flocky shoes, the dog, some lunch, and my tights. I had not planned out any outfit accessories though. Standing in my bedroom with a tote in hand and the kids shrieking out their pre-park excitement, I figured I’d just grab a bunch of gold and brown stuff and sort out exactly what I wanted to wear once there. (What a bad idea!)

Now I guess it was the rushing out the door that threw me … because I KNOW how I am when dressing up. When I pack for trips, I make sure I have lots of options. I personally have to see it all on, in front of the mirror, and by the time I am done mixing and matching, trying out every bracelet and necklace, it looks like a tornado has ripped through my room. By using this tried and true method I don’t end up all matchy! If I had stood in front of a mirror wearing all of this, I would have said…  I need my orange bangle and hobo bag. Yah…. it would have been much more fun that way and broken up all that….. brown. (And been more true to me.) Actually I did say all that standing in front of a mirror, but the mirror in that cold park bathroom was kinda far from my closet. I also might have tried on a few other tights, it’s not like I have any shortage of those…. green, yellow, anything! But instead I got out there, realized my gold belt was too big, (Hence why it is backwards in that one picture. Three cheers for weight loss!) and that none of the accessories I grabbed actually worked together. I guess I just reeeeeeally wanted to show off my FAVORITE vintage bag so I could tell you all how I fought dirty for it at an auction and WON! (Doesn’t matter that it doesn’t work with the hat!)  Anyway, I almost scrapped all of these photos, because it’s not exactly how I would have worn it out, if I had gotten dressed in my house, and not in a public park bathroom. It’s almost me, but not quite me. But you know what is soooooo me? Messing up and learning lessons about getting dressed in the woods.

So here we are. You know where..... playing dress up in a public park bathroom. It's really the best place for styling and fashion reflection. It’s where you wonder, why I didn’t grab that other clutch. It’s where you promise yourself, that the next time you do an outfit post you’ll actually wear it to the photo location, even if it means you only get to take pictures of one outfit. (Wonder if I could teach my three year old fashion photography?) And it’s when, after your five year old shouts from a crowded playground “HEY MOM! Are you going to change your UNDERWEAR too!?” you decide you might need a better way to wrangle the children during these experiences. Perhaps the best way to deal is to send them to school, and kidnap one of my girlfriends to play dress up in the woods with me instead! No worries. I’ll figure it out. Until then, look at my amazing vintage purse!

(And check out those Jackalope earrings that Eric got me for Valentines! The Etsy shop they came from, Fable and Fury, is full of many potential gifts he should think about getting me!)

At least messing up is still fun! -Kendra

(A better picture of the jackalope earrings from the Fable and Fury store.)

Jackalope Love! (And a few tips on flocking with glitter.)

Here are my flocked Jackalope shoes! They are so cute and I am just crazy about them!

I'll keep this short folks, as I have already talked flock in my Bat Heels post. I will just feature a few tips for flocking with glitter which I had left out eailer. 

         *Another thing I've found is that pressing down the flocking into the glue helped me keep the coverage even.

              I will also say that I've noticed a real variety in the quality of  flocking I've collected. On my Bat shoes I used Martha Stewart's flock, which was loose, very fine, and had no clumps. For these jackalopes, I tried out the Micheal's brand, which was full of clumps and very coarse, I was unable to smooth it out. This quality issue lead to my Jack looking a bit lumpy. I've just recently practiced another flocking project, this time on paper,  using plain old Elmer's glue, and Martha's flocking again, and it turned out great. I will stick with Martha's in the future.

            

             Later I will post the outfit I wore with my sparkly Jackalope shoes. I do really hate posing for photos, you'd think a girl who has seen every episode of Top Model could do something in front of a camera but nope.... I am hopeless. I like to dress up though, so I will keep at it.

Keep it sparkly! - Kendra



Holy Flock Batman! (Glitter and flocking are a dynamic duo!)

I know it might be hard to see but these hot shoes sport grappling hooks and Bat-Tasers. They also do double Batarang duty!  Don’t worry though, these heels are for good and justice, and will promise not to use their powers for evil.

Now if I am going to talk nerdy to you, I’d admit that I really am a die-hard Marvel girl, but when introducing the toddler set to superheroes I have found Adam West Batman and vintage Superman are the way to go. So classic Batman Blue and Superman Scarlet are the current team colors we sport in this household.

      I scored these brand new heels from Goodwill for a measly four bucks. Glittering on a Bat Signal seemed like the right thing to do. While digging through my sparkly stash however, I came across a jar of forgotten and unused yellow Martha Stewart flocking. It was so very yellow…. sooooo very bat signal yellow. The fuzziness hypnotized me, brainwashing me into believing flocked shoes were the most genius idea in the Whole Wide World!! Now I cannot say that putting fuzz all over a pair of shoes is really a great idea, (think rain and mud- these shoes are for sunny days only), and I won’t say it was the smoothest project I have ever tackled, but I will say they turned out pretty awesome. 

If you’ve never worked with flocking before it is pretty much tiny fuzzy fibers you might have seen used as texture on greeting cards, or maybe covering vintage bunny rabbit piggy banks. You can work with it pretty much the same way as glitter, but it requires a little more time, and thus patience to get it right. You’ll need to do more layers for full coverage, and it is by far messier than glitter. I discovered if you use fabric glue you’ll  end up with yellow concrete instead of yellow fuzz. Mod Podge again comes out as my medium of choice.

-If you’d like to try some flocking, I’ll break down how I crafted these for you.  (To the Bat Cave!)

1.      Sort out a pattern, I free handed my Bat-Signal, but you could grab clip art online. Make sure to try different sizes so you can see that works best.

2.      I taped down my colored blueprint so I could visualize the finished product.

3.      Trace the outline with a Sharpie. (Gather up your sidekicks…. I used Martha Stewart glitter and flock.)

4.      Then cut out any details and finish the outline.

5.      Let the flocking begin! Just build up layers of Podge and light flock, allow to dry and repeat until you’re happy with the look. (I did think that perhaps next time I may paint the base to match the flock color that way I might not need as many layers, but I couldn’t guarantee the flock would stick so skipped it.)

6.      Tidy up. I was able to push and scrape off wayward glued flock with some tool-thingie I found in the garage. Please no one chop off a finger doing battle with your flocking.

7.      Once flock is dry glitter as normal.

8.      You’re super fabulous. Enjoy.

Dress-  S.Oliver (Thrifted)

         Shoes- Goodwill

Photography done in harsh light- Husband (We'll work on improving that.)

            After finishing my Bat-Heels, I realized that flock might be better suited for portraying a naturally fuzzy, perhaps woodland creature, than a crime fighter, so I made a Jackalope pair as well. Stayed tuned for that!

           

           Same Bat-place! -Kendra

Some fun with Sharpies.

My mother found this little tin pail at Goodwill for a dollar. Check out what a perfect blank canvas it is! We could have turned it into a personalized lunch box, or maybe a spy kit. If I had a little girl I might have made it into the glittery jewelry box of my.... I mean her.... dreams.

When I asked Baelin what he thought I should do with it he suggested I draw a cat.

"Lots of cats."

 I suggested that he draw the  cats instead. 

"I don't know how."

Well that doesn't seem like a very superhero thing to say. We thought it might be a good idea to practice drawing a few until "Super Green Man" acquired the power to depict such creatures. I found a thrifted art book which featured our desired subject, sharpened some pencils, and we created a kitty army. (Both B and I were much impressed by his cat creating talents. It seems you can do anything if you're wearing a cape!) While he continued with the paper and pencils, I pulled out my Sharpies and started to prep the tin with a colorful frame. I love my kids doodles, and thought this might be a great way to showcase them.  Each boy got to decorate one side of the tin, I drew rainbow polka dots on the sides, and we all had nice afternoon working on it together and chatting about our creation. Romyn decided to go abstract, with a "Train, machine, sorta thing" he titled "Art Piece." Baelin stuck with cats, drawing a sleeping cat with wet whiskers. His cat is portrayed shooting radio signal "meows" from one of his three stomachs which only other cats can hear.

Excellent.

Deciding we could not keep such an amazing treasure to ourselves, we re gifted it back to my mother. Really though, it is a great idea for a grandparent gift. It's functional kid art! If you had a painted white box or plain tin from an art and craft store, or something that you were lucky enough to have thrifted, letting your little ones go Sharpie crazy is a great way to make a unique gift. Mother's day seems right around the corner doesn't it?

If you're hesitant about handing over permanent markers to toddlers, you could always let them use colored pencils, then trace over their handiwork with the Sharpies.

There you have it. Fun with Sharpies, and the only art project we've done all month that hasn't required massive clean up. (Which is a nice change!)

Have an awsome day everybody!

-Kendra

Fun with clay.

As I mentioned in my "little bird" post I had some fun with clay this month. I only planned on making a little bowl, but as I was  tempted by the possibilities of clay, I couldn't just stop there. For my friend Julia I made the little owl above. He sits on a wire and now lives happily in a sunny potted plant in her home. I made him the same way I did the little bird ornament, with air dry artist clay and acrylic paint.

Next I made a few mushrooms. Everybody loves a happy red mushroom right? Those small ones were made into magnets which I later sent out as gifts. (The two big ones I have greedily kept for myself.)

Last I made a few tiny glittery hearts. A few were made into magnets and a few are now pins.

 I cracked all these trinkets out during one long lazy afternoon in front of the TV. I really love playing around with clay, it's creatively satisfying and  you can get a lot of bang for your buck. (And I get to share my little creations with friends.) Can't think of anything to sculpt? There is no shortage of inspiration on Pinterest, just stay focused in that sea of creative insanity, or you may spend all day there instead of with your clay!

Happy Crafting everyone!

-Kendra