Halloween Inspiration Board

1. Black on Black Nails

2. Cat Silhouette Card

3. Gourd Garland

4. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

5. Gold Pumpkins

6. Bat Wings Graphic

Happy Halloween!

Trend and Its Influence: Tights

 

Urban Outfitters is a prime resource for general fashion necessities. It particularly specializes in  one of my personal favorite fashion basics; tights. The UO tight selection is diverse and fun, offering an extensive selection of both colored and patterned tights. As displayed above in some distinctive looks from lookbook, tights can diversify any outfit, casual or formal, on a bitter fall day. I also find them particularly comfortable to wear! Below are some of my favorite types of tights from UO that can all be found here. Enjoy!

Autumn in Vermont

This weekend was filled with many autumnal activities. I taste-tested organic produce and delectable treats at a local farmers market, shopped for warm attire on Church Street and took a trip to the Shelburne Museum where I quickly fell in love with Vermont foliage in addition to the museum's many diverse galleries and sites. If you happen to take a trip to Burlington in the future, I highly recommend visiting the Shelburne Museum; displays vary from Impressionist paintings to historic Steamboat Ticonderoga. Here are some photos of the museum's grounds!

Happy fall!

   

Sisterly Love

 My phenomenal friend Hannah (we frequently introduce ourselves as "Hannah Squared" with zero shame) and I share many things in common other than our name. One of those things is our tremendous appreciation and empathy for our families, and particularly for our sisters. Hannah, having recently posted a dedication to her sister, inspired me to do the same. I never thought being away from home would lead to an unsettling yearning for my sister, Kait, since we haven't officially lived together for many years now. I unsurprisingly misjudged.

My sister and I became particularly close when she was in the midst of her college years and I was just entering high school (she is six years older.) Our inevitable bond with one another is one I am most grateful for. She constantly inspires me with her intelligent, creative and compassionate interests, talents and overall path in life. I am constantly thinking about my Sis here in Vermont, and spend a solid amount of time considering what activities we both need to partake in when we reunite over Thanksgiving break. Below is the list thus far, consisting of some of our most favored past-times.

Cooking, cooking and lots of cooking. We are foodies at heart and enjoy creating food as much as we enjoy eating it. This gem of a recipe is without-a-doubt on the list of things to cook.

Thrifting. My mom, sister and I have recently established a tradition of taking a ritualistic Sunday trip to a local antique shop back home, all being thrifters and heavily interested in antiques and bobbles of all sorts.

 

Crafting. Though the possibilities are endless, I know my sister and I will inevitably spend time crafting once reunited... perhaps making this necklace, a craft project I've been eyeing.

Going to the movies (or cuddling up beneath a comforter and watching them at home.) Yet another basic pastime. A diminutive theater resides in the next town over back home, offering home-baked items to munch on and a select four or so indie films for viewing. These few flicks are on my current list of must-see's: 50/50, The Debt and Restless.

Love and miss you to the moon and back Katie!

*Photos courtesy of weheartit.com*

It's All About the Soil

Two summer's ago, I participated in a community service program in the UK that focused on the significance of both the Slow Food Movement and Organic Farmingcc (as mentioned here.) Part of the program consisted of living on an organic meat farm on the Welsh coast. During this time, I met Peter Seger, owner of nearby Blaencamel Farm (and one of the first organic farms in the UK) who later became the principle subject in one of my college essay options, and then, just now, appeared on my computer screen as a result of my StumbleUpon-ing.

Below you will find my snippet of writing on the inspirational green thumb, as well as a video of his speech on soil and the benefits of treating it equal to human.

The Joys of Rain

It was raining the day I met Peter Segger. This I remember, for it was because of the rain that he presented a smile he claimed was “just an inch wider” than his smile on the days where it’s nor raining or sunny.

“This is the weather we depend on,” he continued, as he placed a lit cigarette in his mouth, brushed his wrinkled hand through his white hair and delicately pulled on a leaf from the plant stem beside him. I forced a chuckle in response, my eyes fixated on the grey sky, and my mind fixated on the absurd notion of being excited by cold and wet weather.

“If Wales had just a slightly increased probability of sunny days throughout the year, I might consider moving here,” I thought.

The group and I followed Peter throughout his haven; a swarming collection of green with an every-so-often burst of red, purple, orange or yellow. The greenhouse, structured with plastic wrapping and metal poles, was a spacious sanctuary that played host to, quite literally, the fruits (and vegetables) of his labor. The humid area was divided into rows of families. The tomatoes’ inhabited the far left, while the cauliflower occupied the far right. The potatoes, peppers and aubergines, or what American’s recognize as “eggplant”, seized the space in-between, making a perfectly established niche for a farmer.

We were lead outside, where, again, a pattern of-sorts was developed on the saturated land. Wide lines of compost lay adjacent to one another, stretching from our feet to the far end of the pasture. Peter spoke again, and here I recognized the deep and almost fulfilled tone of his accented voice: “Now, this is the basis for this farm. Other than the sun and rain, this fertilizer is the key component to organic farming.”

I sprung my hands out in front of me as we continued on to our last destination, hoping to avoid the possibility of slipping on the sticky mud below my Wellies. We eventually reached a clearing that, from standing in the wood we had come from, temporarily made the day look bright rather than overcast. Among the clearing was a sea of vegetation; a vast supply of jade colored blossoms bigger than an average person’s head.

“And this is our field of lettuce; our glory field, if you will,” Peter said. The ground extended to the point where the lettuce became blurry, making it a mystery to all of as to when the foliage stopped growing. A common “awe” was shared among the group as we simply stared at Peter’s glory field.

“This very land here constantly reminds me why I do what I do,” he slowly inhaled his cigarette. “Organic farming is so much more than the production of generally healthy, chemical-free food. It doesn’t emit the amount of fossil fuels conventional farming does, and it doesn’t require the use and waste of both pesticides and synthetic fertilizers,” Again, he placed his cigarette to his lips. “It was my generation who brought the issues of global warming upon your generation due to selfishness and resistance to facing the truth. This is my way of giving back to you.” Peter inhaled his cigarette one last time, gazing carefully across the field while softly nodding. I looked up at the grey sky, and smiled.

Six Things to Savor

1. Bold jewelry pieces that make a statement, like this pyrite and chain collar necklace.




2. "Balloons" inspiration board, via Pinterest, a new obsession.




3. 5 fall essentials.




4. City art (I purchased the custom print above for my friends as we depart for college, so we forever remember where we came from.)




5. Phantogram.




6. Stunning Miu Miu Inspired Gold-Glitter Cake.

Latest Listenings

How Children Describe Love

My sister, Kait, and I find interest in nearly all the same things, most of which are either corny, quirky, witty and/or sentimental. The Things About Love site published a post that is just that- a collection of quotes by young children describing what they believe love is. It may not come as a surprise that I have to thank my sister for showing me the page. It was such a sweet finding that surely proves that children frequently outsmart adults when it comes to understanding sometimes complex aspects of life.

Below are some of my favorite renditions accompanied by a few fitting prints by Etsy artist Shira Sela- I love the youthful innocence and wonders the prints depict! Enjoy!




“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”

Billy – age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”

Karl – age 5

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”

Bobby – age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.”

Nikka – age 6

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”

Karen – age 7

Block Island

Throughout my sister's high school and college years, Block Island was always her most favored summer destination. To this day, she treasures the moments in which her and her friends would spend the Fourth of July and the third of July, her birthday, at a large beach house on the petite oasis. This summer, her 25th birthday request was to spend the weekend of the Fourth on the island with her family. We stayed at the Spring House, a beautiful and historical inn that stands charmingly on a hill of emerald overlooking the Atlantic. The weekend was filled with delectable fresh sea food, scenic bike riding, sunbathing beside transcendent ocean waves, charming boutique shopping, and a quirky Fourth-of-July parade.

Six Things to Savor

1. Irina Werning's "Back to the Future" Photos.

2. Waking Life: a movie everyone should watch and live by.

3. Latest listenings: Summer 2011 essentials.




4. The movie Beginners, which I highly recommend; an honest depiction of human emotion, predicament, love, humor, relationships and life in general.




5. Toilet paper art. Extraordinary.



6. The sweetest protest I've seen: riding bikes while wearing skirts.