2014: A Year in Review

What a year. There were many happy moments; moments full of pride, excitement and contentment, but it was also full of struggle. Everything was rather overshadowed by the death of my one-and-only-Frida, and health problems never make anything easy. I'm looking forward to 2015, though. I have lots of goals and am excited for the chance to do it all over again. It's the next round. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

My Goals for 2015:

Get my apartment into shape!

Finally have some letterpress plates made!

Walk my dog more often.

And now for some of my favorite shots from the blog...

We said goodbye to Frida, in February.

I wore lots of white & blue.

 On May Day, we added Otto to our home.

A trip to New York and a photoshoot for Redbook finished off my 29th year in the most magical way! And I got to meet Maria!

I went all out for my 30th Birthday. I still can't get over this invitation I made myself, haha

 More blue and white!

 September took me to the ocean.

 Fall brought rain and a tour of the Filson headquarters.

And here we are. Back at December. As I write this, the little tree still sits atop my credenza. I will probably take it down tomorrow. Bye, bye little tree. Bye, bye 2014.

Hello, 2015!

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Joyeux Noel: Fleur d'Elise at Home

My husband and I have lived in our apartment for nearly five years now, and you know what? We've never had a tree! Every year I say I'm going to get one, but we never host our families for the holiday, so in the end I usually go without. Also, I just can't bring myself to buy a little tree I'm just going to throw in the garbage come January 1st. It seems like a waste of money and a waste of tree. So this year I set out to buy a fake tree and found the perfect one! 

As much as I wanted a silver or white one, this tree was the best choice, because it will still be sensible when I'm over my kooky Christmas colors phase (it's a phase, right?). It looks so lovely atop our new mid-century credenza (Say it outloud. It makes you feel fancy). This is honestly the prettiest, tidiest corner in our apartment.

I'm having a lot of fun with the colors and concept for my gift wrap this year. I wasn't sure it would all work together, but so far I really like it. Silver looks so good with neons and greens!

 LEFT: The little bear ornament is just hanging out till he's ready to go to a new home. If you'd like to own him, he's still available on my Etsy! RIGHT: I'm happy I'm finally getting my insect collection displayed where I can enjoy it! The butterflies were a gift from my dad. I believe he bought them in Covent Garden. They're pretty old. The beetle below them is a Pine Sawyer. It's the biggest beetle on the west coast and the only one I've ever seen. I found her outside Petco in Gig Harbor (I grew up there). I tried to keep her as a pet, but she died :(

 LEFT: One of my gem stone art prints and the most expensive beetle I've ever purchased. He's a jewel scarab. RIGHT: I'm so happy I finally get to use my ornaments! 

Do you decorate for the holidays? What's your favorite tradition?

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Look of the Day & a Giveaway!

Hi everyone! What a crazy month it's been. I've had some health issues, so I've been resting a lot. Finally getting back into the normal swing of things, and am making sense of a much-needed diet change. Obviously, the blog has been neglected. I'm back, though. I swear!

What I'm wearing:

Long sleeve shirt & track pants from Target, thrifted wool jacket, vintage Coach bag, vintage flats, vintage coral necklace, and a  necklace from some little store at the Olympia Mall.

Anyway, a month ago, I signed up on BrandBacker  to review an eye shadow palette from Paula Dorf. While I've heard of the brand, I don't think I've ever tried it, so I jumped at the chance! They sent me this gorgeous set of sun-drenched colors called Aztec City. I love the blue, but have never been able to pull off this shade, so it goes untouched. Maybe I'll get brave and try it tomorrow. I've tried all the other colors, though! The white and soft mauve are perfect for brightening the inner corner of your lid. The baked clay shade is great for shading the whole lid, and the dark brown is ideal for lining and creating a warm, smokey eye. 

The only disappointment is that they're a little powdery, even when I use my good shadow brush. My fix is to not apply my under-eye make-up till after I've done my shadow. If I apply it before I just end up wiping away all my concealer when I'm cleaning up loose powder.

I finished off the look with concealer, brown liquid liner, mascara, and brow tint.

Now for the giveaway part!

 One lucky reader will win this Paul Dorf mascara and a little holiday surprise from Fleur d'Elise! The mascara is a rich teal color that compliments any eye color! It's also water resistant and safe for contact lense wearers.

Three ways to enter!

1. Tweet!

2. Pin & Comment!

3. Share on Instagram!
(Open to US residents only. Ends Dec 15th)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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