[Handmade*] and Holiday Re-Cap

♦ my family's first *huge* Christmas tree! ♦

♦ delicious! they make lil' gingerbread man shapes also! ♦

♦ the view from outside the kitchen window. we really, really live out in the country. :) ♦

♦ my character in the Nativity set. shepherd up! ♦

♦ a gift I'm so thankful for, a hot glue gun! (and Hello Kitty band-aids....) ♦

♦ sister's couch cat observes me blogging. ♦

♦ designing some biz cards at my fam's old-school computer! love it! ♦

♦ lovely (soon-to-be) new additions to the SHOP*. love these simple rosette bobby pins! ♦



I truly hope everyone had a wonderfully and absolutely *amazing* holiday! I sure did! To just be with family, laughing and enjoying eachother's company, to be happy without stress or work. Love it. That is simply the best way to recharge my batteries! And of course, there were the constant sugary comfort of cookies. Gosh, I so love me some cookies. Mmmmm.  :)   What are your favorite holiday treats?

To get out of the house for awhile, (and away from some of the prevailing leftovers), some of the fam and I went out to Moscow for some fabulous Mexican food and to take a good gander at some local guitar stores and used book stores. Two of my favorite things! :)  Super great day. No outfit post, (meh' trusty photog is home with his family), but I did snap some random shots of the holiday cheer. If you can picture me boppin' around in hot pink corduroy pants, stripey tank top, a denim jacket and some Keds, that image is just about as good as an outfit post.

Who has plans for New Year's Eve? Any fun cocktail parties? Movie nights? Fondue to celebrate? A big bowl of chocolate fondue was once the tradition in my family's household. Apples, bananas, grapes, graham crackers, marshmallows, the works! So good! After munching, we'd spend the remaining time until midnight thinking about what others foods we could dip in chocolate for the next year. (Potato chips, oh yeah!) I've been brainstorming on some fun resolutions for the past week, - expect more on that soon!

Handmade yummys and pretties that I'm absolutely loving:

- How cute is this homemade winter-themed breakfast party?!

-  This isn't quite handmade, but I'm in love, (and it matches my tattoo)!

- I love mermaids, and this wall print is one of my new top favorites!

- A handmade, way-too-cute version of a sweatband! Love this!

- I want to drink this smoothie every morning, it looks super delish. There's granola in there!

xoxoo

INKED Inspiration* Saturday

♦Cute lace dress, adorable tattoos, - love this picture!♦

♦Love this dessert-themed sugar skull!♦



♦Ok, Shark-Rose. So much cool.♦

♦I just love me some Kat Von D!♦

♦Love this take on the "Sailor Jerry"-esque schooner and anchor♦

Hoping everyone is having a great weekend so far! I'm finally at home with my parents, blogging from the comfort of my family's comfy-comfy couch. :) Now that I'm finally done with my first semester here at University, (not counting my first 2 full years at a community college), all I can think about are tattoos tattoos tattoos! My spare time has been taken equally by trips to the gym, (more on fun and healthy resolutions later), roller derby practice, and looking up tattoo inspiration on the internet.

I feel like I should reward myself for a semester well done with some new ink, don't you agree? (Or am I just making an excuse to feed my love for tattoos?!) Either way, I want another. There's this amazing shop right here in downtown Moscow called Untamed Art, and I definitely want to go there. Nick had a great experience and the shop is simply beyond cool. I'm thinking of focusing on sugar skull-inspired designs in a simple area, like my side, because I'm not going to be able to take the time off roller derby to get my pre-planned tattoo on the tops of both feet. Let's chat inspiration! If you have a tattoo, what is it? What kind of tattoos do you like?

The weather here is so fickle. Today, with only 9 days until Christmas, I'm wearing a simple long sleeved t-shirt and no jacket and that bright sun is a'shining! Hmmm, doesn't quite feel like the holidays without a white snow-covered Christmas.

(Don't forget the awesome sale going on at Shop Flower Pony* on Storenvy! 15% off with SHOP15!)

xoxooo

PS - As with every inspiration post, if you know any of the original sources for the pictures please let me know! Comment below or shoot me an email at shopflowershop[at]hotmail[dot]com.

teal tights

I am officially done with my first semester here at University of Idaho, (as of 8:35pm last night), woo hoo! And right now, as you can probably expect, I'm chillin' in my pajamas with the first season of Glee and unlimited cups of hot pepperminty coffee. It's going to be a good day, I can feel it already.

These photos were taken outside the famous UI Kibbie Dome. It's well...very unique. :) Search "Kibbie Dome" in Google Images and you'll see what I mean. But there's the gorgeous barn over the hill that I love, and that's why Nick and I hopped in the car to do a photoshoot somewhere other than our little jungle next to our apartment.

Do some of you have trouble finding great settings for photoshoots? I definitely do. I don't live in a large "city" by any means, so those fantastic busy-street based shots a la Fashiontoast or Song of Style always turn out weird. Nick and I once tried to be clever and attempt a photoshoot on a sidewalk downtown - we ended up capturing the weirdest things! A Safeway truck speeding through the background, a dog perched on top of a cooler or something in the back of a pickup, (so he looked like a crazy 9-foot tall pup), and tons of other random and ridiculous things. We couldn't even shoot because we were laughing so hard! What are some of your go-to places to shoot?

Well, friends, I'm going to pour myself another cup of coffee and do a little crafting. :) Don't forget to check out the sale on Storenvy! 15% off EVERYTHING in the bunch when you use the code SHOP15.  Enjoy!

[Shop Flower Pony* on Storenvy!]

Wearing: Boots/Steve Madden. Cardigan/American Rag. Skirt/Old Navy. Tights/Gap. Coat/Dollhouse. Hat/Handmade. Bag/Vintage.

Whew, finally!

[See it live on Storenvy!]

Whew! The excitement of this week simply isn't ending! I recieved the newest Michael Bublé Christmas CD from my favorite mister on Friday, (the neighbors really aren't going to appreciate my singing in the shower because of this CD. I'm a total sucker for great jazz/Sinatra/Bing inspired tunes!) I had a wonderful day with my mum today, the new store is launching tonight, and I'll be done with school for the semester on Tuesday! Woohoo! *disco dance!*

How is your week going so far?

I truly must apologize for my lack of -anything- throughout the past 5 days. (Wow! Was it really five days?!) Sheesh! My brain has been utterly connected to both my Journalism and Spanish textbooks. Study study study! That's exactly why my mom forced me out of my apartment and into the fresh air, (forced me by wonderful bribery, coffee-bribery of course!). :) It was a nice change of pace to bop around Safeway, and much needed. Tonight around 8:30pm or so I'll be headed down to Nick's workplace for a special 'friends and family sale'. Then back to the books! I even skipped two gym-trips and a derby practice for this studying business. (Better pay off!)

Who's making vacation plans for this holiday season?  I'm going to imagine myself on a nice, warm, sandy beach. I can dream, right? :)

Well, be expecting a better post tomorrow, dearies! But here are a few good 'tunez' I've been bopping my head to while studying. Especially Band of Skulls! Discovered one of their songs on Guitar Hero and have loved ever since. Let me know what you think! xoxooo

tiny camera and mulberry bag

Happy Monday, everyone!

Hopefully there was lots of love and coffee to fill up everyone's weekends. Or tea if you're like my mister, Nick.  :)  I know there was definitely enough coffee to fulfill my weekend needs! I went to a great little coffee shop on Main, and let me tell you, it just has the best "coffee shop" vibe to it.  You know what I mean? Books stacked high on old maple shelves, big tables covered with students' notes, laptops, and tons of small alcoves and comfy couches perfect for reading or sipping a holiday drink. It's definitely one of my top favorite places to study now!

I'm absolutely in love with this dress from Ross, one of my favorite go-to places for dresses on the cheap cheap cheap! I originally purchased it for a Sunday-night holiday party with Nick's company, but ended up wearing it again today as well. Still clean, I swear! :) It has the most comfortable bell sleeves and a slightly elastic-y waist to bring it all in and keep it from just looking like a black burlap sack.  Love it! I'll definitely be wearing it again as the holidays come closer and closer!

Good luck to everyone studying for finals! Whew! Semester is almost over! I need to be hitting the books right now. :)

xoxoo

wearing: dress/Delirious. cardigan/Style INC. bag/Mulberry x Target. hat and necklace/Forever 21. boots/Steve Madden NY.