The perfect dress for a date night with my bestie...

Two nights ago I had a date night with my bestie. We were going to go see a friend play her music, but decided it was too late for us old ladies... So we went to our local wine bar instead. I ate my weight in cheese and prosciutto & drank a tall dunkel. Yum. We laughed alot and just had a pleasant evening. I love that girl to no end. I wish I had gotten photos of us but I didnt. But here is the outfit I wore. I had not had a chance to wear this lovely dress from Ruche since I got it (a while back)... 

 <<< outfit details >>>
dress: ruche
belt: ruche
moccasins: PPP vintage
owl ring: made by me
knuckle ring: forever 21

and just for fun...

I have spent all morning working on my first Roots and Feathers order for Threadsence, which I am super stoked to merge the two.  I think it is going to be a perfect union.  And after my daily date with the post office, and picking up my furrball from the vet, Ill be starting to gut my jewelry studio and prep it for all new furniture.  Im hoping I have the stamina for the rest of the day...  Time for a good lunch break now.  

PEACE,
Laura

The Carpenter...

I found this beautiful saw handle in my daddy's woodshop.  Im almost 100% positive he made it.  I remember it from when I was little.  For those of you who do not know, my dad was a carpenter.  Or really, we called him a master wood crafter.  He could make anything.  Anything.  Not only with wood, but really anything he put his mind to.  If he wanted to do something and he didnt know how, he would get a book and teach himself.  He built our entire house board by board that I grew up in.  When we first moved out here in the country I was 3 years old.  He started building the house when my mom was pregnant with me.  They would drive out to their piece of property in the country every weekend to build the house.  They were pretty broke in the beginning, and the base of the house was built with boards my dad reclaimed from tearing down another old house.  And we would go to the local dump and look for good boards there.  We finally moved out there when it was a livable box.  Then throughout my life, my parents business grew and they were able to financially afford to continue building their dream home out in the woods, and it eventually grew into a magnificent place full of love, and completely one of a kind and handmade.  My dad then learned masonry and built all kinds of rock walls and even a gothic archway (that James and I got married under).  The house is just a work of art, built with love & sweat.  And this sentiment above reminds me of the beginning of that journey they took together.  I am slowly starting to gather items from my parents house, starting with little things like this that have alot of meaning.

Tomorrow will be the first time I am actually going to bring home furniture from there.  I am going to redo my jewelry studio completely with their old furniture.  Im hoping it will create a warm, memory filled space that I can go into and feel comforted with their spirit.  I have an exciting big project Im going to be working on over the next month or so, and this will be my preparation step in making this a magical experience and journey.  Without actually having my parents here by my side to show them on a daily basis what I am creating and doing, the best I can do is surround myself with their things that are left behind.  As Ive said before, I know they are just things, but they feel like a warm blanket to me.  Its what I have left in the physical sense.  So it will be a bittersweet process to make this change, but I think it will be a good and necessary change.  Im looking forward to it.  And this amazing saw handle will be hung on the wall.  Even though I am not building my home like they did, I am in the beginning stages of making this house our home.  Gosh I miss my parents like nothing else in this world.  

PEACE,
Laura

Fabric Wrapped Bangle >>> DIY Tutorial

Here is a super easy and simple DIY on how to make fabric wrapped bangles (like I wore in my previous outfit post).  I have another one I made a long time ago that I wear on a very regular basis.  I was recently gifted these wooden bangles, so I immediately wanted to make more.  Its almost so simple that you dont really need a tutorial, but just in case...

<< Supplies you will need >>
 wooden bangle
fabric strips or ribbon trim (or get creative)
scissors
hot glue gun



<< step one >>
hot glue one end of your fabric strip to the inside of your bangle, preferably at a slight angle in the direction you are going to wrap.

<< step 2 >>
start and then continue to wrap the bangle around the whole bracelet.  as you are wrapping you can re-enforce with little dabs of hot glue on the inside, under your fabric.  You dont need to on each wrap around, just a few here and there.  Also, as you are wrapping make sure to keep it tight, and going at the same angle to create the same space difference in your pattern.  (unless of course you want it to be a bit uneven and unpredictable, which is just as cool).

<< step 3 >>
Cut your fabric to be just long enough to wrap the end part around to the inside of the bangle.  Just like you did when you started, apply hot glue, and then flatten out your fabric on it.  If you miss the corners you can always add a bit more.

And there is your bracelet.  You can play with adding more than one fabric together to create an interesting pattern play.  For my fabric I choose here, I ripped my strips instead of cutting them so that the edges would remain raw like you see.  If you are not sure how to do this, all you need to do is to start a slight cut with your scissors in line of where you want your fabric to be cut, and then hold each side of the fabric in your hands and tear it apart.  You will hear a nice 'rip' sound as you do so. 

I love these wooden bangles b/c they are usually big enough for my to wear high up on my arm.  But I also love this look of adding two contrasting ones together.  Just a fun easy way for you to accessorize your outfits specifically to your personal liking!  Have fun, and send me a photo if you make one!

PEACE,
Laura

A mini risk challenge...

Yesterday we had to wake up early to go to the city to take James car in for a recall, go visit his brother at the hospital & go grocery shopping. I surprised myself by getting ready early enough to look decent AND actually snap some pics before walking out the door. All before 8:30 is a BIG deal for me. This outfit was the comfiest casual outfit. I enjoyed wearing it all day long.  Lately Ive been trying to take mini risks in outfits - things I love but dont normally wear - like this hat for instance.  I love love love hats, but everytime I have worn one I always take it off before I leave.  It just always feels funny.  But once I allowed myself to get over it, I LOVE it!!!  And another one is the color of my shirt.  As silly as that is, I have certain colors that I tend to stick to.  Do you do that?  And green is not one of them, well this shade at least.  I normally go for retro greens like olive and avacodo... But Im so glad I took another mini risk b/c I love this color on me.  (Im hoping I feel the same way with Red Velvet's dress when it arrives, blue is another color not on my normal list).  I encourage you to take this little challenge with me, even in the tiniest of ways.  Its amazing how it can change your perspective.

*I have a super easy DIY coming soon to make this bangle above*

Im sure you noticed the uh-mazing necklace Im wearing above!!!  I recently did a lovely trade with my sponsor Blessed Bee Apothecary and I could not be any happier!  She was sweet enough to even send along another necklace just because!  I adore them both so much, so completely up my alley!  She has a lovely shop, go check her out!


Time to go obsessively clean my house & start re-vamping my studio to make it more organized and creative in there for an exciting upcoming project!!!  Im over the moon!

PEACE,
Laura