high score

Last night we had a very-mini-celebration for making daily sales for 2 years straight in my etsy shop. We went to cracker barrel for dinner (I'm kind of obsessed with the eggs in a basket right now. I tried making it at home a couple times but nothing compares!) and then spent almost an hour playing arcade basketball. And I beat my high score! I played so many rounds I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to use my arms again for a week, but it was so fun! My dream home definitely includes an arcade basketball game. I almost don't even care if I have a kitchen or living room, I just want the game.

I made one of my wooden brooch misprints into a pendant for myself (I stamped the image on too low, so I couldn't sell it, but I rather like how it came out!) and I thought it was fitting for the occassion :) I really need to devise a better system for making them because I tend to misprint about 10 for every 1 that I get right. Honestly though I think that's one of my favorite parts about making stuff... trial and error, and that "ah-ha!" moment when you finally get it :)

dress and cardigan - forever 21 | shoes and belt - asos

necklace - flapper doodle | tights - target

merci beaucoup!

When I got my first etsy order of the day today I was a little more excited than usual. Because that means I've officially gone 2 years with at least one sale per day!! Pretty exciting! I wore this sweater in an outfit post when I blogged about my one-year-streak in 2012 (looking at those pictures is making me miss my pink hair something awful! ahh!) so I thought it would be fitting to wear it again today! I'm really so thankful for every order I get, and I never cease to be amazed when somebody wants to buy something that I made!

My sales this year have been averaging about 30% less than last year, so I really didn't think I'd keep this streak going for two years. I'm positive it isn't going to last for three.. I don't even think I'm going to keep track anymore after this. I'm totally cool with it, though. I'm in the process of figuring out a new career (elementary school art teacher, if you missed that post) so I'm not going crazy. I'm just happy and grateful that I've had this much good luck so far and that even with a 30% decline in sales I'm still managing to stay afloat and wrangle up at least 1 order a day :)

If you ever purchased anything from my shop or have supported Flapper Doodle in any way, from the bottom of my heart -- thank you so much!! :)

dress - emerging thoughts | sweater - asos | shoes - c/o bait footwear

ode to a very sweet cat

Tomorrow is going to be six months without Hypatia. Honestly every time the 28th of the month rolls around I feel like crawling under the covers and hiding until it's over. I miss her like crazy every day but the anniversaries are especially rough. I've spent a lot of time here in the past talking about her health issues, and generally saying what a lovely cat she was, but I never really went into much detail about why she was (and is) so special to me. So I want to do that today.



This is my all-time favorite photo of her. It wasn't the best lighting or the best *photo* but it captured her so well. This is the most accurate picture, how she looked at me all the time. With those massively large kohl-rimmed eyes and that sweet sad little expression. And I love how her fur was the same color as our carpet. It's like our house is covered in a layer of Hypatia fur :)



One of my favorite things she used to do was cover her cat food can with anything laying on the floor. During the night I'd usually toss tissues on the floor and clean them up in the morning. When I'd wake up, they'd usually ALL be covering her food. Once I had ordered take-out and temporarily tossed the big white paper bag it arrived in on the floor, only to have her jump over and try dragging it onto her food. It breaks my heart a little each morning when I clean up and there are no tissues on the cat food anymore..



One of our family nicknames for her was "Gandhi-patia" because she was such a peaceful cat. If anyone in the house was crying or yelling, she'd be there in an instant gently meowing and begging for you to calm down.

And whenever I was sick, she'd stay by my side constantly. If I'm not feeling well I usually sleep on the couch in the living room instead of my bed, and without fail she'd leave her own little cat bed and sleep on the arm of the couch with me until I was better. That started the week that we got her! I was recovering from surgery and she kept me company the entire time.



She was an incredibly gentle cat. Even everyone at the vet's office loved her to pieces. She was a regular visitor there and when the time came to say goodbye even the technicians and my vet seemed almost as upset as my family. She was a regular visitor there and they were always so happy to see her. She never put up a fuss about getting poked and prodded and was always up for some cuddling! When all was said and done, though, she'd start burrowing her head into the side of her cat carrier until we let her inside :)



She had this habit of kneading (when cats flex their paws in one spot for a while) on me for the LONGEST time.. she'd be sitting on my stomach kneading for 20-30 minutes.. and then hop off and get cozy next to me instead. Every time I'd think "this time she's going to get cozy on me!" but she'd always jump off. She'd usually face me and stare into my eyes the entire time like an intense staring contest.



For a while, before she got really sick, she used to brush my hair every morning with her paws. I'd wake up and she'd be right next to me on the pillow gliding her paws through my hair. On the days she didn't do that, she'd usually edge me off my pillow until she had the whole thing to nap on herself.

I'm actually allergic to cats and initially I didn't let any of mine sleep on my bed. But Hypatia obviously changed all that. I loved waking up every morning and seeing this adorable face staring back at me. She was always in bed when I went to sleep and when I woke up, though I'm pretty sure she roamed around a little at night (hence those tissues on the food!)



When I woke up, I'd go over to my computer and check my emails before breakfast. She'd always walk down to the foot of my bed and get cozy right behind my chair until it was time to go to the kitchen. And after breakfast she'd trot along after me back to my room to work. If I was downstairs and she was ready to go back up, she'd stand in front of the stairs and keep looking back at me like "can we go upstairs now, mom??"

If I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she'd always wake up and follow me for a drink of water from the sink. In the last year or so I started feeling guilty since she was getting frailer and I didn't want her to have to run after me, so I'd bolt to the bathroom and get back in bed as fast as humanly possible, hoping not to wake her. It hardly ever worked, she apparently had a "follow Kate" alert system built into her brain!



During the day she'd ask for water a lot, though. She'd usually stand in front of the bathroom sink meowing until I heard her cries, then I'd come and scoop her up onto the counter and turn on the water. I'd stand there and wait for her to finish because as soon as I'd leave the room she'd want to follow me!

She followed me everywhere. One of her other nicknames (I think I've mentioned this one before) was "shadow." Even if I had to go up and down the stairs five times in a row, she'd trail after me.. up and down, up and down, up and down.



She didn't play too much in the last year, but even after she got sick she LOVED playing with mice on my bed. I'd throw one and she'd run around in circles, then land on the mouse and pretend nothing had happened. She also loved when I changed my sheets! She'd attack the corners as I was trying to put them on the bed, and then run underneath the covers. When she was still a newbie in our house her favorite game was chasing a piece of string around in a circle. She could go forever, we'd only stop when our arms got tired!



It's weird, but I actually really miss taking care of her. She required so much extra love and attention, and all of my cats now (knock on wood) are pretty good on their own. I miss giving her her daily medicine, cleaning her mouth, lifting her onto high surfaces, taking her on our outings to the vet and the groomers, brushing her fur, giving her little kitty nose drops... I always used to joke that she was my "Sprinkles" (Angela's special needs cat from The Office) but I guess she really was. I miss having a cat that needed me as much as I needed her. I think people who have companion animals understand that certain look -- not all of them give it.

But Hypatia gave me this look. It was a look of belonging to each other, that she knew she could depend on me for everything, that she loved me and knew I loved her. The day that I had to say goodbye I was holding her in the vet's office while the sleeping medicine kicked in, and she started having a sneezing fit. It was a classic Hypatia move and she actually made me laugh a little despite how painful it all was. Then she gave me the look one last time, and closed her eyes.



I miss her with all my heart.

polkadots and moonbeams

A few things:

- I think I've used this blog post title at least 10 times already, but I can't help it! Polkadots and Moonbeams is one of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs, and I can't resist the urge whenever I'm wearing something dotted.

- Breaking Bad last night. OMG! I just got caught up on Netflix so yesterday was the first time I watched an episode the same night it aired. Now I can't wait until next Sunday. ahh!

- I can't get over the response to my $1 print sale. THANK YOU!! I can't even tell you how happy it makes me that so many people want to own my artwork. Even though I have consistent sales on etsy they tend to be my BFF products & bridesmaid cards, not my drawings. So the fact that I've sold over 1,000 art prints since yesterday (!!!!!!) makes me over the moon happy!! :D

- For lunch today I made my own fake tuna salad and it was so good I have to share. Mix one can of rinsed, mashed chickpeas with 3 tbsp. hummus, 1/2 tsp of kelp granules and 1/2 tsp. onion powder (or real onion if you prefer.) I served mine on toasted bread with bread & butter pickles and it was SO good!!!

dress- le bomb shop | sweater - f21 | belt - from another dress | shoes - bait footwear

the 4th annual $1 print sale

It's hard to believe this sale is in it's 4th year already. Yikes! That also means Flapper Doodle is turning 5 next May! I don't usually celebrate my shop anniversary but that one might call for some cake or cupcakes, at least :)

Anyway! Here's the deal -- every single print is ONE dollar. Buy 1 or 100, they're still one dollar each. Perfect for tackling your Christmas lists a little early or maybe just getting some inexpensive art for your bare walls! Or buy 50 of them and make a DIY flapper doodle headboard. The possibilities are endless.

The prints are available in my new Flapper Dollar shop, which will remain open until the sale ends on Tuesday the 27th. It'll reopen again next year when the sale rolls back into town! I listed all of the Flapper Doodle prints I have available at the moment as well as some that are currently discontinued and won't be available again until the next dollar sale. The shop also includes this special listing, which can be used to purchase a print of any drawing or painting I've ever posted online, like my puns intended paintings or my sweet and lovely art.

If you're interested you can take a peek at the shop HERE! :)

I'll start printing and packing orders after the sale is over, so most orders will ship the first week in September. This offer only applies in the Flapper Dollar shop. Items in my etsy store will remain at regular price. This offer cannot be applied retroactively to orders that were already placed.

the greatest international scavenger hunt the world has ever seen

If you're not familiar with GISHWHES, it's a really awesome worldwide annual scavenger hunt. This was my first time participating and I already can't wait for the next one! My mom and I signed up and were assigned to a team with 13 other people from around the world. As a team we tried to complete the 156 items on the scavenger hunt list. The list contained random acts of kindness, random acts of total bizareness and things that I deemed impossible (including a mouse driving a Barbie car, which one of my teammates actually managed to capture!) You can view the list on tumblr here.

When I first found out about it I was hesitant to sign up because I knew I couldn't wrangle 14 friends into signing up with me, and I'm really introverted so being on a team of strangers seemed kind of scary. But it ended up being SO amazing. If I hadn't met Steve Carell a few months ago, it would have been my favorite week all year! I loved my teammates, I had a blast doing the challenges, and I even stepped outside of a lot of my comfort zones. I rounded up my favorite pictures for this post!

The image above is from challenge #62: Let's see your interpretation of "helium pants." I love how this photo came out!! Kyle used his good camera so he was able to catch me in mid-jump. Usually when I do regular outfit posts I take like 25+ pictures before I get one half-decent one, but surprisingly we got this in ONE take!! If I was a singer I think it would be my album cover lol :)



#23: Get dolled up or decked out in your most fabulous prom-wear and pose for an awkward prom photo next to your date holding their… side-view mirror. A car must be formally dressed as your prom date.

I actually never went to prom, so this is the only existing photo of me and a prom date. I think that's kind of awesome. Yes, awesome. Not pathetic. Awesome.



#79: There was something you always wanted to do as a child but never did. Do it.



#73: Create a shrine to an actor from a CW show. Pay homage to it.



#91: Cosplay “Gishbot” (www.twitter.com/gishbot) as realistically as possible in public.



#87: Host a seated traditional Japanese tea ceremony in an elevator to make the passengers feel more at ease.

So many comfort zones broken with this one. First of all, I'm scared of elevators. Also, two families got on the elevator while I was there and I must have been bright red from embarrassment. One of the kids thought it was really cool and asked if he could take a picture, lol! I guess in retrospect it was actually really fun, even if I was blushing my face off at the time.



#56: Create an online dating profile for your pet on a real dating site.

This was one of my favorites! I was SHOCKED when Hubble's profile was approved on match.com. Not only that, but they approved his photos, too! I had so much fun creating his profile.. I made him a cigar aficionado with a $100K+ a year salary who prefers widows and likes inline skating. If you're on match.com you can look him up to see his whole profile, his username is BaronVonHubble.



#118: Make a cozy quilt from old dirty socks. Snuggle up in it alone or with your best friend. 

Believe it or not, this was the most time intensive challenge that I completed! It took me forever to cut up and sew all my socks together (I cut each sock in half so it would take up more surface area) I'm keeping it though, it's actually kind of cute in a really weird way..



#106: Outfit a public statue of a celebrated historical figure with a knitted or crocheted Gishwhes cardigan.



#61: CS Lewis once said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one!’” Take a picture capturing this exact moment. The two must have something very visually unique about them. 

Me and my grandmom bonding over our shared love for swimming noodles.



#39: You car has taken a sudden affinity to trash. Oblige its indulgences. Decorate its entire exterior with trash.

I think my absolute favorite challenge was #2: Go order food at your favorite fast-food restaurant. Greet the attendant, explain how hungry you are, what you want to eat, and how good it will make you feel. One thing, you must speak as the Bard wrote. Place your order in Shakespearian verse. I actually got my mom to do this one. It was one of the funniest moments of my entire life! You can watch it on youtube here.

ears looking at you

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday to (hopefully) solve an ongoing ear issue I've been having, so naturally I had to wear my "Ears looking at you" pin! :D I ended up with a prescription for ear drops that have to be put in each ear four times a day, and I have to lay on my side to let them sink in for about 10 minutes per ear. Not super fun, but I love that I'm getting an hour or so of guilt-free tv watching time each day this week ;)

And I think I just won the "Blog Post With the Most Mentions of the Word 'Ear'" Award...

dress- c/o sheinside | blouse - vintage | brooch - vintage | shoes - urban outfitters

what's in my makeup bag

I've flirted with the idea of doing one of these posts for a while but it always seemed kind of silly since I don't really wear anything fancy. My makeup is all from the drugstore and I hardly ever experiment. Except for lipstick and nail polish, which tend to lure me into their trap when I'm passing by the makeup section at Walgreens on my way to pick up milk, I've been buying the same old products for years.

I always start off with under-eye concealer. I started using this one only a few months ago, but it's the same shade I've always used... this just comes in a fancy little bottle with an applicator brush at the top. It's Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer in Fair. Then I apply Cover Girl "french vanilla" eyeshadow to my whole eyelids. I used to use bright white when I was going for a really mod look but I've toned it down recently and I like this a lot better! I pencil my lower eyelid rim (is that even what it's called?) with Rimmel waterproof kohl eyeliner in "nude." I swear by this stuff, it makes my eyes look so much more awake!

Then comes my favorite part -- eye liner! *cue cheers and applause* I really love eye liner. I use Maybelline Ultra Liner waterproof black liquid liner. I love the brush that comes with it, it goes on really smooth, it dries really fast, and it stays put all day. I'll be heartbroken if this is ever discontinued! After eyeliner I put on a little mascara. Just enough so my eyelashes are black... I don't really like them to be too long or it distracts from my eyeliner and rubs against my glasses when I blink, lol. I use Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express in 'blackest black'.



Lipstick is the only area I really experiment with, though I still tend to stick with bright red and hot pink. Right now I'm using Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick #110. I'm constantly on the lookout for "Mary Poppins red" --I've always thought Julie Andrews had THE perfect shade of red lipstick in the movie. This particular shade is the closest I've found *and* since it's a Kate Moss line, it has my name on the lipstick tube! I'm probably way more excited about that then I should be.

It's also really light. I hate lipsticks that make you feel like you have a coat of play-doh on your mouth. I can barely tell this is there. I usually put on some Burt's Bees grapefruit lip balm first so my lips don't get dried out from lipstick, and it usually does the trick :)



About 4 years ago I wore lipstick in public for the first time. I can remember the day so vividly! I went to Target with my mom and grandmom. Halfway through our shopping trip I used a tissue to wipe it off. Even though I loved the way it looked, I felt like I was standing out too much.

Now it's part of my daily makeup routine. It's funny how something as seemingly minor as putting on lipstick was such a challenge for me a few years ago. I'm so happy that I've gotten to a point where I'm comfortable being myself, wearing what I like, and putting on lipstick in the brightest shade of red I can find.

ps. my makeup bag is from forever 21 & my glasses are c/o firmoo

the last hurrah

The Last Hurrah is two things -- the name of one of my favorite movies (it's really good, you can check it out here!) and Modcloth's annual end-of-summer blow out sale. Obviously this post is about the latter.

I think I mentioned this the last time they had a sale (which I *thought* was their major sale for the summer and was happily mistaken) but I'm currently on a spending freeze with Nicole. I've been doing really good about it so far. I think in order to make a dent in my savings I probably need to limit the amount of take-out I order in addition to dresses (my god I buy a lot of pizza) but on the clothing front I've been doing very well. I am letting myself get one dress, though, since I have a really exciting etsy milestone coming up next week and I think a celebratory dress is in order! :)

If you buy anything let me know in the comments so I can live vicariously ;)

roll along prairie moon

On Thursday we went to Grounds for Sculpture, an outdoor sculpture park in my area. We don't usually go too often because the ticket prices are a little steep but I just found out that they have a summertime special where the ticket price is cut in half if you go during their extended hours, after 6pm. So we had a nice little evening outing! I've never been there late in the day before and the grounds are even more beautiful at night. There's one section that's been made to look like a scene from a Van Gogh painting (in the picture above) I thought it was so awesome! They got the brush strokes and perspective down perfectly.

The main reason I wanted to go was because I needed a statue for one of my Gishwhes challenges (yup, that again! haha!) but me and Kyle ended up deciding to film a little outfit post video while we were there and I love how it turned out! Kyle got kind of hokey trying to capture sun flares and things, and basically it's just one minute of me walking and trying to get in a hammock, but we had so much fun making it :) The song in the video is "Roll Along Prairie Moon" by Jack Jackson & his Orchestra, and it was shot using the 8mm app on my iphone.

dress- modcloth | shoes - uo | bag - handmade gift from casey!