My Desk

Saturday, January 26, 2013

I have to admit - I moved months ago and I still have yet to unpack the majority of my things! It's so hard to get motivated enough to unpack and assemble everything - however, having gotten sick of having papers and books cluttered everywhere, I finally organized my desk and LOVE the result so much I just had to share a closer look with you all! ♡

My actual desk is somewhat short, so I elongated it by stacking two boxes and covering the ugly cardboard with cute bedding and old selves! I placed two of my favorite vinyl records (Prince's Purple Rain and the soundtrack to Disney's Cinderella) on top and arranged my lipstick collection and resourceful/inspirational books (including thrifted Disney golden books, Creative Inc., Pretty: The NYLON Book of Beauty, & The Teen Vogue Handbook)!

Also pictured: the ADORABLE sweater clips Miss Annika made specially for me of Finn and Jake from Adventure Time (to be worn in an outfit post soon)!

Closer to my actual computer you can find even more books (two Style Me Vintage books & 50 Fashion Designers You Should Know), my planner, vintage Alice in Wonderland Paperdolls, pins I made (one of which made out of a sticker illustrated by Wishcandy), my Fred Flare ice cream lamp, the gorgeous mermaid fabric gifted to me by Christine, my Judy Jetson watch, and my Locketship cat/ice cream bow (still one of my favorite things EVER *__*).

And decorating the walls is my flapper tie, pink measuring tape, new dress from Mod Dolly (another sneak peek to a future outfit post!), and my gorgeous I Love Crafty necklace ♡

Phew - sorry for the long post! So, what do you think? And what's decorating your desk?


Kailey

Frosti

Saturday, January 19, 2013


COAT: Target TIGHTS: Forever 21 (a few years ago) SHOES: ASOS

Last Thursday I did a bit of exploring - even though it was particularly cold and foggy out, I visited a park with the most beautiful trees I have ever seen! The overcast day made everything look the most gorgeous shades of blue and green - it reminded me of the forest in Gravity Falls!

Sharing this rather awkward action post so you can see just how foggy it was!

Meanwhile, I am so happy to finally have found a bright, happy, candy-colored coat! This one was on sale at Target and I couldn't resist the color paired with the 60s inspired style *_* These shoes from ASOS were another new purchase, and a not a very weather appropriate one at that, but they are so lovely! With the icy hues and silver on my shoes, I felt kind of like a figure skater (∗ ❛ั ᵕ ❛ั )

After we were done at the park, we visited a record store where I picked up this Grace Jones single and for dinner ate chicken teriyaki with fried rice - all in all quite a lovely day!

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!
♡,
Kailey

Interview: Marianne from Esme and the Laneway

Thursday, January 17, 2013

With her pin-curled hair and penchant for beautiful vintage frocks, Marianne's blog Esme and the Laneway has been an inspiration ever since I had the pleasure of falling down the rabbit hole and welcomed into her world of pastel hair shades, bright lipsticks, and lovely vintage pieces!

I was recently lucky enough to ask Marianne some questions about blogging, photography, her favorite dresses, and her cat! ♡

When and why did you start blogging?
About 4.5 years ago. I wanted to change my style and actually try wearing vintage and shop differently, and learn about photography, and make little stories and a world, and it was like a little experiment that I didn't think anyone would read. And then I fell in love with it!

What are 5 things that are making you happy right now?
Family, having just had a very relaxing summer holidays and feeling like a new person for it, riding my bike to go and see my friends on warm evenings, my new vintage dresses (santa was pretty good to me this year), and some exciting things that are coming up for the blog.

As a fellow cat owner and lover, I'm itching to know more about Babycat! How did you two "meet"?
We have known Babycat ever since she came into the world! We had basically adopted her mother (Eggy Peggy, an exotic with the smooshiest face and huge yolk coloured eyes who has sadly since passed away) after her owner, a neighbour of ours, kept locking her out of her flat and going away for weeks at a time. We started to feed her, and along with another neighbour begged the owner to get Eggy "fixed", and even offered to pay for it and organise it, but the owner refused... and lo and behold, Eggy grew a football tummy. By the time she gave birth she had been mostly living with us, we hadn't seen the owner for ages and so we declared her ours – and the five kittens she produced! Having six cats living with us in that tiny one bedroom flat was the happiest time... sorry, what a long answer!

We registered Eggy at the vet and had her chipped and spayed, had the kittens checked, and our amazing friend and neighbour found homes for three kittens, kept one, and we found a home for Babycat – with someone who then, thankfully, changed their mind, so we kept her! I'm so glad we did, I can't imagine not having her! I rather wish I hadn't had her spayed, though, as I kind of wish she could have kittens and I could keep them all and be a fulfilled crazy cat lady. But that would be ridiculous, too, of course ;)

In another interview you did, you listed PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake" as a favorite song - what other musical artists do you listen to?
Isn't PJ Harvey just so amazing! I grew up listening to garage and punk and rock and indie, and still love a lot of that. I have been listening to Renato Carosone lately, and Talking Heads. I have been consciously making an effort to listen to more cheerful music some of the time. I want to learn more about 1960s Italian jazz bands at the moment.

You've had black, red, pink, lavender, and blonde hair - and you look stunning in each! Do you have any advice for experimenting with different hair colors, and do you have a personal favorite?
Thanks very much! I think that it is fun to experiment with hair colour, and, unlike drastic hair cuts, it can almost always be changed if you decide you don't like it. My advice is that if you really, really want to try something and you know it could work, do it. Don't wait 3 months or 2 years and then wonder why you've spent all that time feeling blah about your hair. But go to a good salon, especially for things like bleaching!

My favourite has actually been the red, especially when it was a lighter, more ginger shade. The blonde and pastel lilacs and pinks has been really fun, and I think I'll keep it for a bit more, and maybe enjoy some enormous Marie Antoinette up dos and attach things to it (sea shells? I would go there), but I am starting to miss the red hair I had back in winter. Much easier to maintain, too!

The pictures on your blog are absolutely phenomenal! Do you have any photography tips?
Wow thanks, they are never as good as I want them to be. I really enjoy taking photos, so I think experimenting with different camera settings, the light, the colours in the picture and so on is really fun, and help make a picture better. I usually follow the classic rules, and try to have something in the foreground and another in the background and have the focus on something in the middle, but also I just try and catch what has caught my attention. I love using my fixed 1.8 50mm lens and getting as much natural light and depth in as I can. I also edit my photos in Photoshop, which is so amazingly powerful. Maybe I should do a post on what I do to my photos, as I like to make them very bright and crisp, contrasty, and saturated, at the moment and it is fun to get things to look how you like.

My camera broke and is being repaired, so I have been using my iPhone for all my photos lately. It's far from ideal (I've only just managed not to throw myself on the bed and weep) but it is not the end of the world – and I've found that with the editing, they tell enough of the story to be ok. So to anyone starting out, I would say that a good camera is obviously going to make a big difference to your images, but even a basic one is a good place to start. Don't feel trapped by a lack of technical knowledge or equipment, and just take photos you like.

Out of all the beautiful dresses you own, do you have a favorite?
I do! I love my red and pink, mid sleeve 1950's cotton party dress that I've had for a while now. It was one of the very first 1950s dress with the full skirt style that I ever got, and I realised how much I love everything about them. It used to be a fancy kind of party dress and was longer and had a huge bow at the back, but it had been altered to its current state by the time I got it and I love it as it is. I also recently got a cotton pique dress with a blue hydrangea print, and I do love that too... maybe the pink-red dress has competition! ;D x

Visit Marianne on...
Esme and the Laneway
Twitter
Instagram

Thank you again Marianne!

♡,
Kailey

Ice Cream Party Hat DIY

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Hello! First things first, my friend Sunny's interviewed me about cartoon characters and Happy Meal toys on her blog Crazy Bat Lady - please take a look!

Meanwhile, I made this ice cream themed party hat for an upcoming outfit post a week or so ago, and thought I might as well share a little DIY post showing how I made it!

You Will Need:
- Ribbon (I got this from Joann Fabrics for a dollar!)
- 12 x 12 Cone-Colored Paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Needle & Thread
- Pink Crepe Streamers (got two at the dollar store!)

1. Roll your paper into a cone shape and glue to help it keep it's shape. Cut excess paper.

2. I wanted this to be extra cutesy, so I made it so you can tie a bow under the chin to stay on! To do so, cut a small hole near the bottom and tie a string of ribbon. Repeat this step on the other side.

3. Ruffle the crepe streamer using a straight gathering stitch.

4. Glue ruffle onto the bottom of the party hat, covering where we tied the ribbon earlier.

5. Use a marker to draw a diamond pattern onto the cone so it looks like a waffle cone and you're done!

You also add a pom pom to the top to make it look extra cute (if a little bit less ice cream ish)!

Please let me know if you make any, I want to see! And if you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comments, tweet me, or send an email!

♡,
Kailey

Bespotted

Sunday, January 6, 2013


DRESS: ModCloth SHIRT: (worn under dress) ?? LADY TIE: c/o Flapper Girl TIGHTS: c/o Tabbi Socks SHOES: Kohls

This winter has been freezing - I'm embarrassed to admit I was stomping around in ugg boots (I was desperate I'm telling you!) in a not very attractive attempt to stay warm before I got my brand new coat; but luckily, I was able to steal away some sun and *finally* show you this outfit!

The talented and sweet Christine, owner of Flapper Girl, sent me this lady tie for review and I absolutely ADORE it! Not only did it arrive in the best packaging ever, but it is so well made and I'm already thinking up how I can base a Valentine's Day outfit around it ♡_♡

Also included was the most incredible fabric I have ever seen - Christine was kind enough to send along this mermaid textile simply because it reminded her of me! ;__; I'm too afraid to cut it - nothing my clumsy hands could make doesn't seem quite worthy of it :') Thank you again so much Christine!

I'm also completely in love with these tights from Tabbi Socks - who wouldn't want to run around with bespeckled legs?!

Meanwhile, I dyed my hair with Cupcake Pink from Special Effects diluted with conditioner and it turned out really peachy - I think I love it! What do you think?

♡,
Kailey

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