Why should Brits have all the fun?

I'll admit it, I'm one of the gossip-hungry ninnies who read everything they can about Prince William's wedding. Embarrassing but true. And I know way more than I ever should about Kate Middleton. And do you know what I love the most about her....?

The hats.

Ohmagosh the hats! Why have Americans completely dropped the ball on formal hats? We did so well up until the end of the 50's & the all of the sudden goodbye gorgeous, colorful, feather-topped hats. Now you have to be British or Southern Baptist to pull it off. And oh how I wish I were British or Southern Baptist right about now.

I think it's time for a hat revival. I'll be going to a wedding next weekend... & of course summer is the season of weddings... & there's Easter in a few months. Let the church-hat shopping begin! I've always thought the trick is to start small until people make comments like "You're such a hat person!" & then you can get away with any hat you want...

1. Purple & Gold Fascinator
2. Paulette: Pagoda Hat
3. Raspberry Bows Tweed Pillbox
4. Beaded Cocktail Hat

Of course if I really had the lady-balls for it, you know I'd actually be in something more like....

Words Words Words

You'll never know just how good you are a charades & other forms of non-verbal communication until you completely 100% lose your voice. Like I did.

No worries, I'm back to blabbing away, but for a few days last week I couldn't even make a peep. (a few friends teased they liked me better that way, so at least someone was enjoying it) Just try teaching a class like that! It's amazing what you can say with a snap & a facial expression... heck, I even gave out detentions without words! But the show must go on, adaptions were made & I literally taught my classes through powerpoint. So as I was in a search for images to express me when my own voice failed, of course my computer took a little detour over to Etsy as it tends to do...

These were absolutely no use in my class powerpoint, but it makes me want to add a little something to my home the says welcome all on its own.

1. Hello Sign
2. Namaste Necklace
3. Family Collage
4. Emerson Quote
   

So... anyone up for charades? I'm a force to be reckoned with these days...

Advent Calendars

Most years I try to block out the holiday season until the official shotgun start after Thanksgiving. This year I don't even care, I want Christmas cheer & I want it now! haha I may hold out on actual Christmas music. Plus starting early means not having to continually play catch-up. Example: Advent Calendars.

Advent calendars weren't really a tradition in my house as a kid, we had them occasionally but it was no big whoop, but I love them. Being the grown-ass adult woman that I am, it's appropriate for me to start investing in traditions. I'm not only subject to the traditions of my childhood but I can also start building the traditions I'll want to carry the rest of my life. (Wow, that's almost trippy to think about.) One thing I really enjoy are the seasons of preparation... at Easter we go through Lent, at Christmas we go through ADVENT.

And getting a head start of Christmas means I could (hypothetically) create a super awesome, keep forever type advent calendar actually in time for advent! Here are some of my favorite examples I've found so far:

+++++

I think my favorites are the "Brooklyn" calendar since I'm a total city girl... but I wonder a good way to make it reusable year after year & also give it more of a Pittsburgh heart. And obviously I'll need to make the doggie treat tree for my Natalie, but that goes without saying.

Sleepy Day

I don't know about you, but there just didn't seem to be enough coffee in the world for me today. There's been exactly 1 thing keeping me going all day long with a smile on my face, the promise of this when I get home...



Oh I'd love to have those sleep lovelies waiting for me as well. Except notice that my selection is ever so slightly less "call girl" than Holly Golightly's. Mostly because I am more than slightly less "call girl" than Holly Golightly. hehe I don't judge her though... she's fabulous.

1. Tassel Earplugs
2. Sleep Mask

p.s. Is it just me or do sleep masks with the eyes open freak you out?

Grandma Chic

Oh deary me, once something strikes my fancy it's hard for me to let it drop. And what's got me daydreaming now is this idea of Grandparent chic for fall. It's a term made up between me & Jen (& I'm sure to spread fast) which goes beyond "vintage" to downright elderly. It's hard to explain in a way that makes it sound appealing, but imagine ladies playing bridge except turn them all into 20-somethings & give them much nicer, non-orthopedic shoes.

I've been searching & want to show some of my favorite things I've stumbled upon:

1. Satin Short Gloves - I imagine them with a cocktail dress or just anytime I leave the house


2. Glasses Leash - not just for librarians anymore


3. Sweater Clip - I already bought 1 from Goodwill but I love the different length chains on this one


4. Brooch - need I say more?

Feel Better Flowers

The inevitable has happened... it's the worst possible time to get sick so of course I have. Just a cold I'm sure, nothing too tragic, only enough to make me completely effing miserable. There are a lot of changes & stress at work so I need to be on my A-Game, there's a heatwave so naturally I'd run a slight fever & be stuck in bed with no air conditioning, & it's summer which alone is enough reason to NOT be sick. Who gets a cold in the summer?

Here's an honest confession... sometimes I wish I had someone to send me flowers. It's silly & a little selfish, I have plenty of friends who tell me to my face how much there care & they're active in my life & give me extended hugs when I need them... not to mention my Mom has been on 24/7 crying calls duty. I am not lacking affection or love. But still... there's just something about flowers that show up unexpectedly to brighten your day.

I'm the biggest cry-baby in the world when I'm sick & now that I have snot pouring out of every hole in my face, fire shooting from my throat & my muscles feel like they've been on a torture wrack... all I want are some daisies. Is that weird?

I don't feel much like moving so I just surfed my way through etsy so find some "feel better flowers" that won't die in a week to treat myself. I'm not sure if I'll get them, but even just the search has cheered me up. I hope they're a little special delivery of "cheer up" for you too today.

1. post earrings


2. pocket-watch necklace


3. bobby pins


4. orchid necklace

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50588912/modern-branch-and-orchid-lariat-necklace?ref=v1_other_1

Coffee Reverence

It's one of those days... not a bad day, just a coffee day. It's the only thing keeping me awake enough to give my students their proper attention on their last day. Here's a dirty little secret: educators are just as excited for the end of the year as the kids are. Even me, who works all summer & will have a new crop of kids in a week or 2, is giddy for the end of school & graduation. But my eyelids would beg to differ... they'd rather still be in bed than saying goodbye to my kids.

Coffee to the rescue! If there's anything Miss Wolcott ( <--that's me) is good at, it's faking it. Tired? Never, let's be excited for our last day & finish the year on an awesome note! How you end the year is every bit as important as how you start it! Yay! Ohmygoshshootmenow. ThankGodforcoffeegoodness. Blahhhhhhhhh.

So I'd like to pay tribute to that old friend who keeps me going on mornings like this in the same way I celebrate most things... I daydream & surf etsy & compile fantasy lists. Don't you?

Wouldn't you like to sit down for a cup with me if I had this adorable set?

1. Mustache Mugs


2. Linen Coasters


3. Cream & Sugar Pottery


4. Mug & French Press Cozy Set

Withdraw

"I am you, you are me. You are the waves, I am the ocean. Know this and be free, be divine."

A week & a day ago I was at the ocean. I miss it already.

I spent that whole morning alone at a beach... it was the most beautiful of any chilly, rainy morning (which is likely WHY I was alone there) just because I watched the waves crash for hours & waded ankle-deep. It was too windy for my floppy beach hat to stay on & it wasn't sunny enough to need it anyway. Basically it was the makings of a terrible beach day, but it didn't matter because there was an ocean & I was there. *sigh*

It makes me daydream...

It makes me want to be a beach ballerina again...

I makes me... scour the internet for beachy-things just because they  make me smile.

(image linked to my Etsy favorites where you can find this all)

Rainy Days

Sunday morning rain is falling, steal some covers share some skin. I used to love that song... but my rainy Sunday would have been more like "Sunday morning rain is falling, alarm clock says get your butt to church." So what do you do on a rainy Sunday? Read a book, watch a  movie... spend way too much time surfing the web? Yep. Here are some of my rainy day discoveries linked to where you can find them.



And here's what Pittsburgh when it rains looks like from my view. It may not seem like much, but it's the view from inside a toasty warm coffee shop with a Monkey Mocha & a gigantic chocolate chip cookie by my side.

I also started a new book that I'm really excited about... but I'll save that for another day.

Gazzu Headband

Let me tell you a little story about the sweetest seller ever...

Remember my dilemma about choosing only 1 or 2 hair helpers for my growing out pixie cut? As it turns out I'm a real pain in the ass. I finally chose which headband I wanted, but instead of just ordering like any normal person I sent Angie, the seller, a message asking if I could have "this" headband in the style of "that" hair tie. Only because I really love yellow & grey, it's my new favorite thing in the world & would be my wedding colors if I were to get hitched before I find a new favorite color scheme.

Angie was the most helpful little thing ever. Not only did she give me some real honest advice, that the yellow actually looked more orange in real life, but she offered to custom make me a headband, AND THEN... actually custom made 3 to give me options. How sweet was that?!

My headband came in the mail the other day! I was so excited that I had to try it on right away... & snapped a picture without checking if my outfit matched or even if I had makeup on... I had neither, clearly. Regardless, it's a super adorable headband & I'm in love. It would be really great if you checked out her shop, Gazzu, & maybe even think about giving a good home to one of the headbands that I left behind. You can check them out here & here.

Hairpin Dilemma

My hair is growing out (not that you can tell yet. It takes a while for those short layers to catch up with the rest) & pretty soon I'll be going through an awkward length... I can just feel it coming. I've had to promise myself that no matter what happens I will NOT chop it all off again. Not that I don't love my sassy short hair, but I miss my long hair every time I see an old picture. So I will have strength & determination & willpower... & a stylist that will smack some sense back into me during any time of weakness.

Still, it's better to be prepared for the awkward stage before it hits. Let's be honest, we've all seen our friends in the weird hair lengths & it's not good no matter how fabulous they are. So during a design-induced mental breakdown at work I decided to step away from the golf invitation, get something to eat, & look for a cute hairband or clip or something on Etsy.

A... as in singular... hairband or clip. Right. Next thing I knew my shopping cart was more than $100, everything is just so wonderful! So what do I do? I really honestly can't decide... will you help me? Here's what I narrowed it down to, I really should only buy one... maybe 2 max. Leave me a comment or next time we talk let me know your thoughts.

This is harder than choosing a puppy, I just want to give them all good homes.

(image linked to my Etsy favorites for more details)