Scathingly Brilliant

the awkward call for sponsors

2012-03-18T09:00:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd start posting some awkward outtakes to go with these posts. In this one I think I must have been whistling at one of my cats when the timer went off, which accounts for the funny face ;p

Anyway! I'm now accepting sponsors for April, and if you buy a spot before March 25th you can take 10% off with the code APRIL10. Also, there's a little bonus for sponsoring in April this year. I'm taking one week off from blogging/email/twitter... basically everything besides my etsy shop next month, so to make up for my blog being quiet for a quarter of your sponsorship, I'm extending all April sponsorships for the full month of May* Long story short: if you buy a spot for April, it will stay up until the end of May. That includes the featured spot, so once it sells out for April it won't be available again until June.

If you're interested, you can view my stats and traffic and all that stuff here, or you can go ahead and purchase ad space in my shop here.

And now here is a funny cat gif to make up for the awkwardness! Enjoy!

*If you purchase a 3 month package, it will last for 4 months.

instagram

2012-03-16T18:00:00.000-04:00

1. my outfit from sunday + a sneak peek of my new closet!
2. kale ice cream! surprisingly delicious.
3. pi chocolate to celebrate Pi Day in Princeton
4. My little Hypatia ♥
5. Planning things for my blogaversary next week
6. Me (well, my feet) and Hypatia
7. St. Patricks Day shopping & a new claddagh ring
8. Comforting Hypatia the day we got Hubble, 1 month ago
9. Mr. Hubble celebrated his 1 month anniversary this week!
10. I am now officially a spectacles-wearing girl!

posh frock friday

2012-03-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

dress - c/o modcloth

lace cardigan - h&m

necklace - handmade

shoes - modcloth

I stuck my thumb straight through these stockings when I was taking them off, of course. They were my only back-seamed pair, too! I never seem to get little runs that can be fixed with clear nail polish, they're always gaping holes that expand to the entire length of the stocking within seconds.

Also, I need to touch up my roots badly, but my favorite dye (Special Effects cupcake pink) seems to be sold out *everywhere* online and my local supply store only carries Manic Panic. So... my conundrum is this: should I use Manic Panic pink to get me through until Special Effects is back in stock (hopefully soon) or should I take a gamble on another color?! Maybe light purple? It isn't permanent, so I could always go right back to pink when it's back in stock, right? Hair color decisions shouldn't be this hard when you're dealing with semi-permanent color! lol :)

ps. Have you seen this Diablo Cody interview with Mindy Kaling? Favorite thing ever!!

matchy matchy

2012-03-15T12:45:00.004-04:00

tie - c/o flapper girl

shirt - old navy
belt - from another dress

shoes - modcloth

skirt - c/o francescas

I'm not really hep to the rules of fashion but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to match all of your accessories nowadays, right? Like shoes/belt/tie/purse all the same color?? Heaven forbid! But I really love matching. I even like matching my outfits to my hair color sometimes. Maybe I've watched a few too many Doris Day movies, but I just really adore it when an outfit looks like everything was made to be worn together.

So when I got this super cute lady tie in the mail, I immediately skimmed my closet looking for a hue match, and found it in this belt and these shoes. There's something so satisfying about seeing a new item that goes perfectly with something you already owned, and then wearing them together all matchy-matchy.

psst! I also like wearing white after Labor Day! shocking!

The Perfect Apple Pie!

2012-03-14T15:00:00.001-04:00

In my family, pi day isn't just a day to celebrate a mathematical constant -- it's a day to celebrate PIE. Specifically, my mom's apple pie. I'm might be biased, but it's just SO good. Like, I'm pretty sure world peace could be achieved if everyone tasted this pie. They'd all be like "OMG this pie is so good! Why were we arguing again? I don't even remember... Goodness, this crust is so light and flaky!"

For the pie crust you'll need:

1-3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup oil

3 tbsp. water

Mix the flour, salt and oil and then add the water and roll out. Sometimes my mom will use a frozen crust like Oronoque Orchards, and that's still fantastic, but this really is the best! Now, for the rest of the pie you'll need:

6-8 tart apples (my mom recommends Empire)

1 cup white sugar

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

dash of ground nutmeg

2 tbsp. butter

Pare and core the apples, and then slice them VERY thin. Part of what makes this pie so mouth-wateringly delicious is the finely sliced apples. This way they cook all the way through and pretty much melt in your mouth! Combine the sugar, flour and spices and then mix with the apples. Line a 9" pie plate with one half of the crust, and fill with the apple mixture. Cut the butter into little pieces and sprinkle it on top of the filling. Add the top crust, and then cut slits for steam. I think today it would be fitting to arrange those slits in the shape of the pi symbol, yes? ;)

Sprinkle some sugar on top, and then bake at 400' for 50 minutes. I personally prefer the pie cold, so I put my share in the fridge overnight -- but only because my dad and brother know that I will tear them to shreds if they take so much as one bite. If you like hot pie, or if you can't trust your family members, let it cool for about 30 minutes after it's out of the oven and then dive in!

Pi Day Playlist

2012-03-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

I put together a little playlist using the first nine digits of pi! Enjoy!

1. Honey Pie // The Beatles

2. We THREE // Frank Sinatra

3. Number ONE // Goldfrapp

4. FOUR Strong Winds // Marianne Faithfull

5. Just ONE of Those Things // Bryan Ferry

6. FIVE Minutes More // Frank Sinatra

7. Beethoven's NINTH (Ode to Joy) // Jingle Cats

8. Takes TWO to Tango // Annette Funicello

9. SIX to Go // The Pogues

10. FIVE // Joan Jett

You can listen to the playlist on 8tracks, here!

Free Pi Day Printable!

2012-03-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Pi Day! I have a lot of fun things planned for today, but first up is this little card that you can print and hand out to celebrate! If it looks familiar, it's because I stole the illustration from my printable valentines that I posted last month lol. But I thought it was just way too appropriate to pass up sharing it again today! The PDF includes two cards per sheet -- print it out on regular letter sized paper (or card stock), cut it down the middle and fold each card in half. Voila! You can download them here! (just right click on the link & save)

Style Idol - Sharon Tate

2012-03-13T18:01:00.001-04:00

// image links back to where I found it

Super exciting collaboration!!

2012-03-13T12:26:00.004-04:00

This is a paper doll poster I designed for a Red Velvet package Elsie put together for Sucre! I was SO excited when she asked me to do it, and it's honestly the most fun I've ever had working! Especially when I was doing the dresses, but you probably already guessed that, lol ;D

I am just so honored and thrilled to have been a part of this. The poster is available for pre-order here! And if you haven't yet, you need to hear the song they released from their upcoming album. I'm soo hooked on it, I've been playing it on repeat for a week!

(top image is from A Beautiful Mess)

my five favorite outfits

2012-03-12T19:40:00.005-04:00

My two year blog anniversary is coming up next week (I have LOTS of fun stuff planned to celebrate! hooray!!) and I've been spending more time than usual perusing my archives. So I thought it would be fun this week to highlight some of my favorite posts! First up, my top 5 favorite outfits! I left out any from when I used to take my outfit pictures with my webcam since they're so teeny tiny! My oh my, have things changed since then! Now I take the photos with my super fancy... iphone ;)

1. This was from a DIY post on how to do gold-leaf accents on shoes. I love those green tights and that vintage 60's velvet dress is one of my all time favorites! // original post

2. This is just from 2 weeks ago, but I love the colors and I felt so happy wearing it! It's my favorite outfit I've posted since I started fashion blogging almost 2 years ago! // original post

3. Annndd this is from last week lol! But I just loved it so much! Definitely something different from what I'm used to, and so fun! // original post

4. This outfit ended up getting paired with a really emotional personal post, but I still love the pairing of the summer dress & white pussybow blouse. // original post

5. Put simply: my all time favorite dress and my favorite vintage score. I would wear that dress every single day of my life if I could! // original post

Vintage brooch giveaway!

2012-03-12T12:24:00.006-04:00

Beatnik Gal Vintage is offering one lucky winner this super cute pink enamel vintage 60's brooch! I'm sort of obsessed with enamel brooches right now and this is definitely one of the prettier ones I've seen during my constant searches on etsy. It's so fun and vibrant, and perfect for spring!!

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from Beatnik Gal Vintage, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) Also, you must be a follower to enter! This is mandatory! (And, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!)

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win a vintage brooch giveaway from beatnikgalvintage.etsy.com on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow Beatnik Gal Vintage's tumblr

3. Reblog the giveaway on tumblr

By the way, if something catches your eye when you're browsing Beatnik Gal Vintage, you can use coupon code BRILLIANTBEATNIK10 to snag 10% off your whole order! :D

This giveaway ends on March 19th at 12AM EST.

instagram

2012-03-10T14:53:00.003-05:00

1. outfit photo that came out blurry (but I kind of like it!)

2. girl's day at IKEA with my mom & grandmom last sunday

3. "Maybe if I hide behind this lamp he won't see me"

4. Wore my postage stamp dress to the post office Tuesday

5. Mr. Hubble looking right at the camera again

6. Finally found the perfect shade of light blue polish!

7. A little doodle I did of my cats

8. The whole brood at the vet yesterday (they're all fine!)

You know how to whistle, don't you?

2012-03-08T12:57:00.003-05:00

dress - c/o collectif

netted headband - h&m

shoes - c/o blowfish

This dress is a little different from my normal style, but I thought it would be fun to step outside of my comfort zone a bit! When I first put it on my mom was like "peep-toe shoes! you need peep-toe shoes to go with it! Oh! And back-seam stockings!! And victory rolls!" lol... I think she likes playing paper doll as much as I like playing dress up! ;D

I went my own direction, though, and wore a beehive, my favorite wedges and a silly little red netted headband. I've been going back and forth between feeling like I should be hanging out at a seedy jazz club in the city with Humphrey Bogart or bursting into song with Jane Russell on the streets of Paris. It sort of has both a Lauren Bacall and a Marilyn Monroe -circa Gentlemen Prefer Blondes- vibe, right? Either way I absolutely love it, and I think I might branch out a bit and start trying clothes that aren't always inspired by the 60's!

me myself and eye

2012-03-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - modcloth

cardigan - old navy

belt - dorothy perkins

shoes - c/o blowfish

I've been having vision problems lately so I have to go to the eye doctor today :( All throughout school, I wanted glasses SO badly I used to fib on the eye exams at the nurse's office. They must have always figured me out, though, because I always got a clean bill of health anyway. Once fake glasses became popular I was finally able to try out the look I'd always wanted while rocking my 20/20, and ever since then I've been kind of proud of my perfect vision. Until now.. I'm like 99.9% positive I'm going to be coming home with a pair of spectacles. I'm sort of excited about being able to pick out frames (maybe pink?!) but considering I have chronic sinus issues, asthma and allergies, it was sort of nice having one health-related thing that made me feel like congratulating my body on a job well done ;p

everything in its place

2012-03-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - c/o romwe

belt - forever21? not sure..

tights - we love colors

shoes - c/o blowfish

As much as I LOVE my bedroom/studio/office setup, there is one major drawback... no closet space. And for someone who collects dresses like they're going out of style, that's posed a bit of a problem for the last 3 years. For a while I stored my clothes in my bathtub, then in the upstairs hallway, and then in plastic buckets in our den. But finally (finally!!!) I'm getting a real walk-in closet :D

Years ago my dad converted our living room into his office since he works from home, and on Saturday he cleared out 5' of space for me to use as my closet! We partitioned the space using cedar planks, and then on Sunday we went to IKEA for clothes racks, dressers and other closet do-dads. I painted the walls pink and mint green and I'm decorating it with 60's beauty parlor accessories. It's coming together so well, I can't wait to take pictures to share!!

ps. Since I've been working on the closet all weekend I've been a little neglectful of my inbox/tweets again.. promise I'll get back to you asap if you're waiting on a reply! :)

pss. Is this the best dress ever or what? I want to marry the collar! You can get $20 off this one or the navy version with code -20USD!

Living terrarium necklace giveaway! [closed]

2012-03-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

Woodii is offering one lucky lady this lovely living terrarium necklace! The necklace is "a micro-miniature terrarium necklace that encompasses a tiny universe with materials representing elements of the earth. Inside the small vial, a containment of white quartz sand, small pebbles and moss holds a mini crystal which rests at the top. It is enclosed with a cork and has a gold-colored chain." Isn't it beautiful?!

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from Woodii, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) Also, you must be a follower to enter! This is mandatory! (And, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!)

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win a Woodii terrarium necklace giveaway from @Loup_Loup on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow Woodii's blog

3. Follow Woodii on Facebook

4. Follow Woodii on twitter

This giveaway ends ~~on March 12th at 12AM EST.~~ Giveaway is closed.

Winner: Comment #22

instagram

2012-03-02T18:00:00.002-05:00

1. Loved how my eye makeup came out on Sunday!

2. Side view of the beehive

3. Hubble was doing some online shopping

4. Sweetest kitties ever ♥

5. Beautiful card from Jacqueline

6. Pretty new lady ties from Flapper Girl!

ps. Sarah from Yes and Yes interviewed me for her Real Life Style Icons series today! You can read it here! Thank you so much, Sarah!! :)

posh frock friday

2012-03-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - vintage

shoes - from my grandmom

I have had so much on my mind lately, I've been finding it hard just to write these little paragraphs without yammering on about my busy schedule, my old cats getting adjusted to my new cat, and how I'm constantly working but never feeling like I'm making any dent in my to-do-list. I usually get along fine with my workload, but recently I've had so many family/home/life things to tend to that everything ends up feeling overwhelming and it totally monopolizes my thoughts.

It's not that I *want* to write about boring stuff like being busy and tired... yuck! I want to write about this dress and how totally awesome it is!! Or about how excited I am over grapefruit juice being on sale this week (actually that's pretty boring too, isn't it?) But honestly right now it is 3am and my brain is like "Your body might still be up, but I went to sleep HOURS ago!" I think I upset it by working until 6am yesterday (eep!) so tonight/this morning I should probably just cave in and hit the hay!

star stuff

2012-03-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

I received a comment on last week's star stuff post letting me know that the words in the artwork I posted were misquoted. They actually aren't from Galileo, but from a poem by Sarah Williams entitled "The Old Astronomer to His Pupil." It's a beautiful poem, so I thought I would share it today!

Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet,
When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet;
He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how
We are working to completion, working on from then to now.

Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete,
Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet,
And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true,
And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you.

But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn,
You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn,
What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles;
What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles!

You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late,
But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate.
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.

Since the original image attributed the quote to Galileo (and I still can't track down where it came from! ergh!) I decided to just make my own flapper doodle version with credit given to the correct author. It's available in my etsy shop here :)

Also did anyone snag the Carl Sagan shirt on teefury yesterday!? I wanted one but completely forgot to order until the 24 hours were up, darn it!

this outfit is my favorite outfit of all outfits

2012-03-01T09:00:00.003-05:00

skirt - h&m

shoes - modcloth

shirt and cardigan - forever 21

belt - from another dress

I think this might be my favorite outfit I've ever worn! This is going to sound totally crazy but I have a folder on my computer for my favorite outfits, so I can get some inspiration whenever I'm in a dressing rut. I felt like I was in such a rut this weekend, but when this outfit caught my eye, I immediately knew that my orange skirt could save the day! ;) Granted I ended up basically recreating the same outfit with a different yellow cardigan and a different shirt, but somehow it still feels totally new to me. And it helped me out of my rut, so it did the trick!

This post inadvertently ended up being an exercise in seeing how I could discuss outfits without overusing the word "outfit", and I failed miserably.

ps. Did you catch the Office reference? Did I ruin it by pointing it out?

a brilliant way to brighten your day!

2012-02-29T16:20:00.003-05:00

I've been having a pretty crummy week so far. Physically and emotionally I'm just completely wiped out, and I definitely needed a pick me up! I was talking to Amber about it, and she randomly asked me to name five things that would make me smile.

I picked Hypatia, grapefruit juice, How I Met Your Mother, dresses and pizza. Then Amber told me to do something involving all of them RIGHT NOW.

I went over to Hypatia and kissed her little forehead, then went to the kitchen and poured myself a cold glass of grapefruit juice. I changed out of my comfy rainy day clothes and put on one of my favorite new dresses! Then I called in an order for pizza and put HIMYM on netflix. INSTANT PICK ME UP!

It can be hard to think of things to do to cheer yourself up, so Amber's sneaky way of asking me really worked! I'm planning ahead for future gloomy days by writing down some of my favorite things on slips of paper and putting them in a jar. Whenever I'm feeling super blue, I'm going to pick out five things and do them right away, all at once! :)

I have to see some dinosaurs like, right now

2012-02-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

dress worn as a top - c/o emerging thoughts

belt - from another dress

shoes - c/o blowfish

skirt - h&m

We ended up rescheduling our post office appointment yesterday because I woke up with an insanely bad fever and felt absolutely miserable :( Luckily after a day on the couch and lots of cat naps I'm doing much better, but gee whiz did I feel rotten! I was 99% positive I had the flu, so I'm really relieved whatever it was went away, and I'm just hoping it doesn't come back.

I'm especially glad it seems to have been a one-day sort of thing because I actually have plans this weekend (shocker!) I'm having a girls day with my mom & grandmom at IKEA on Saturday, then I'm taking my family to the natural history museum on Sunday. There's this scene in How I Met Your Mother where drunk Ted says "I have to see some penguins like, right now!" ... well lately I've been feeling that way about dinosaur bones, only sober.

Style Idol - Goldie Hawn

2012-02-28T18:08:00.001-05:00

//image links back to the source

just teasing

2012-02-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - modcloth
bodysuit - boohoo
collar - romwe
tights - urban outfitters
shoes - c/o blowfish

See the hair?! I have sort of mastered the beehive! It took a lot of teasing and a lot of bobby pins, but I think I got it! :D I was trying to come up with a way to style my newly short hair in something other than a low ponytail, and this was actually pretty simple. It doesn't look fantastic in the back (lots of pink bobby pins everywhere!) but it works. I've been wearing it this way ever since I figured it out. The only thing I'm having a tiny problem with is that my natural part keeps making the beehive sort of split in half even after I've teased it, so I might need to resort to hairspray.

I actually wore this a couple days ago... today my dad and I have a meeting with a post office representative to discuss savings for small businesses, and I'm planning on wearing a dress I have with postage stamps on it!! I love wearing things that suit the occasion! My brother was making fun of me but personally I think it's totally cool ;D

11 things

2012-02-27T18:40:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Kaelah and Marja for the 11 things meme... I haven't done something like this in a while so I thought, why not? :) Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you've tagged them.

11 random things:

1. I'm (obviously) a cat lady, but my favorite Disney movie is 101 Dalmatians.

2. I won't eat anything with cheese in it, except for goldfish crackers.

3. I was such a huge X-Files nerd in middle school, I actually had a monthly alien newsletter. My friends were my only subscribers, and they kind of didn't have a choice.

4. I hate talking on the phone so much that I literally bribe my brother to call in pizza.

5. I get nervous really easily. I've spent like half of my life with my stomach in knots.

6. I also get embarrassed easily... even if I randomly think of something embarrassing that happened to me 10 years ago, I get all flushed and my heart starts pounding.

7. I took ballet and tap from age 4-16. I really miss it!

8. My favorite movie is Sunday in New York. I could watch it a million times!

9. Right now my favorite snack is baby carrots with roasted garlic hummus. With a couple exceptions, I think that might be all I ate last week...

10. All through elementary school, my dad made me a baked sweet potato for breakfast every morning. In 2nd grade we had a "bring your breakfast to school" morning and everyone made fun of me for bringing in a sweet potato.

11. If real offices were like Dunder Mifflin, I think my dream job would be a receptionist at a paper company.

I think I would be a huge bore if I answered all 22 questions from Kaelah and Marja so I'm just going to do a combined 11.

1. If you could teleport to any time and place, where would you go and why?

As much as I love the fashions, manners and movies of the past, I couldn't live without modern medicine or air conditioning. And I wouldn't be able to tolerate the attitude towards human rights in the early 20th century. So probably modern day Ireland or Italy!

2. Who is your favorite musician?

My favorites are constantly changing, but right now my favorite band is The Pogues, and my favorite singers would probably be Marianne Faithfull and Brian Ferry.

3. What is your earliest childhood memory?

When I was three we were on vacation in Montreal, and while my parents had their backs turned for a few seconds, I wandered onto the elevator and the doors closed behind me. I can remember hearing my mom crying on the intercom, trying to talk me back to the lobby.

4. What is your favorite food to eat?

Potatoes! Mashed, french fried, home fried, baked, sliced or shredded! Russet, eastern white, new, yukon gold, yam, sweet potato or fingerling. Basically every single version of potato that exists, except for potato skins and scalloped potatoes.

5. Do you collect anything? If so, what?

Obviously dresses... also 101 Dalmatians memorabilia, old paperbacks with movie tie-in covers, records and cat-related stuff

6. If you can have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I think I'd pick Carl Sagan. He was so incredibly smart, but he also seemed like a genuine, nice person with a great sense of humor.

7. If you had to describe yourself in 5 words, what would they be?

Sensitive, sweet, intelligent, weird and awkward

8. What is your favorite piece of clothing and why?

Definitely my sprinkled with sweetness dress from modcloth. I love the print, the fit, everything about it! Whenever I'm picking out what I'm going to wear, even if I don't choose it that day, I smile when I see it in my closet :)

9. What kind of "weird" foods do you like? (They could just be weird to your friends/family, kind of like my pickle sickles!)

I love roasted garlic. Not on anything, just as a snack. Oh, and when we order pizza I take off the cheese and put a layer of french fries on top instead.

10. What was your first job?

I worked as a student intern at the Mayor's office in my hometown. At the time I wanted to be the first woman president of the United States... things have kind of changed since then lol ;)

11. If you had a spirit animal, what would it be?

Cat!

And here are my 11 questions:

1. What was your dream job when you were a kid?

2. What is the worst movie you've ever seen?

3. What tv/movie character would you love to have as your BFF?

4. What tv/movie character would you love to have as your boyfriend?

5. If your childhood self could see you now, what would they think?

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?

7. What is one habit you wish you could break?

8. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

(*cough* communicate telepathically with cats *cough*)

9. What would you do first if you won the lottery?

10. What is your favorite comfort food?

11. Favorite song that you're embarrassed to admit is a favorite song?

I tag: Bianca, Gee, Daria, Maggi, Sarah, Millie, Casey and Andi!

The Melody Lingers On // She & Him

2012-02-27T18:00:00.001-05:00

Fools Rush In by She & Him // image via jamieasuperhero

Cat lipstick giveaway! [closed]

2012-02-27T09:00:00.002-05:00

One of these days I'll run out of cat-themed items to give away, but fur now I have a paws-itively adorable kitty cat lipstick up for grabs! Personally I'd never use it, just display it on my vanity and admire the pretty sculpted cat while I smoosh on my hot pink drugstore lipstick. And even if you're not a cat lady *gasp* then I think the lovely peachy color is reason enough to enter! ;)

To enter: simply leave a comment letting me know that you're entering, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) You must be a follower to enter (and, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) This giveaway is open to everyone on planet earth.

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win Paul & Joe cat lipstick on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)

2. Follow me on facebook
3. Follow me on bloglovin
4. Pin it on pinterest.

Giveaway ends ~~on March 5 at 12:01AM EST~~. Giveaway ended.

Winner: Comment #12

Slumber Party Sunday

2012-02-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

I haven't watched The Oscars in a long time, but I'm tuning in tonight because I'm a Billy Crystal fan :) I've been wishing they'd bring him back to host for ages, so I'm quite the happy camper! Truth is, I haven't actually seen any of the nominated films this year (I tend to watch older movies instead of new releases) so I'll have absolutely no clue what's going on, but I have faith he'll make me laugh enough that I won't even care. Anyway! I thought it would be fun to throw an Oscar themed slumber party today! Ready? Set? Action!

What Oscar party would be complete without popcorn?! The best part is the toppings. My mom opts for hot melted butter, but I prefer to sprinkle some hot cocoa powder on mine! Some other ideas -- grated cheese, melted chocolate, salt and sugar, cinnamon sugar, and I'm probably going to sound crazy for admitting this but I think garlic powder is insanely good! (image via)

A Kiss to Build a Dream On performed by Louis Armstrong // nominated in 1951

Moon River performed by Frank Sinatra // won in 1961

Almost in Your Arms performed by Nancy Wilson // nominated in 1958

I chose my favorite versions of the songs, not necessarily the versions that were nominated. Also, I couldn't find the studio version of Almost in Your Arms by Nancy Wilson on youtube, so I linked to a slightly less amazing live version, but definitely check it out if you get a chance. It's fantastic!!

One of my favorite movies is the 1934 Oscar winning comedy "It Happened One Night." It was the first film to win all of the big five awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Writing) and it deserved every one of them. It's about a spoiled heiress who runs away from her father and embarks on a bus trip so she can reunite with the man she loves. Her plans go awry when a newspaperman spots her, and decides that the rest of the journey will be spent together. That newspaperman is Clark Gable, so you can probably guess the rest ;) It's a super sweet film and one that I can watch over and over and over again!

Watch it: Google videos // YouTube // Amazon

Buy it: Amazon Rent it: Netflix

Truth: What is one must-see movie that you've never seen?

Dare: Dress up like you're walking the red carpet today!

instagram

2012-02-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

1. What I wake up to see each morning now

2. Me + Hubble

3. My new haircut

4. Hubble hubble toil and trouble

posh frock friday

2012-02-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

dress - dorothy perkins

cardigan - old navy

belt - asos

shoes - c/o blowfish

Ok, forget what I said about dark colors and winter... this dress came in the mail and as soon as I tried it on I was like "SPRING, OH HOW I ADORE YOU! FOR YOU BRING PASTEL COLORS AND PRETTY FLOWERS AND I AM IN LOVE LA LA LA LA LA" ...I think the dress brainwashed me.

And I think Hubble is going to end up in every single outfit photo I take from now on. Not only is he a complete ham (he looks straight into the camera even when it's on a tripod positioned all the way across the room) but he really loves his humans. He's very attached already, so I suspect the allure of the camera combined with me being nearby will mean he'll be drawn into my outfit photos like a moth to a flame.

star stuff

2012-02-23T19:52:00.004-05:00

I've seen this on pinterest a couple times but it's one of those crazy link chains where one image links back to a tumblr, which links to another tumblr, which links to weheartit and nowhere can you find the original source. So if anyone knows who made this please let me know! I'd like to credit them & probably buy a print :)

Anyway, I think the quote is absolutely beautiful. I love nighttime -- I like the still quiet, the feeling of being awake when almost everyone else in your time zone is fast asleep and obviously being able to see the stars. Night is the only time that the naked eye can peek out into the universe, and I think that's lovely.

I will admit, despite the fact that I am a night owl, I do get scared of the dark sometimes. Although, strangely, I'm never scared of the dark when I'm outside, only when I'm inside. It's stupid because it's a lot more likely that a killer would be lurking in my backyard than under my bed, but I suppose fear isn't usually caused by rational thinking...

Update: The quote isn't actually by Galileo, but by poet Sarah Williams. You can read her poem and see my own artwork with the quote in this star stuff post :)

wishlist wednesday

2012-02-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning to an ASOS email announcing their Leap Year sale. Once I started looking through the selection, opening dozens of items in my tabs and drooling over all the pretty dresses that were marked down, I realized that I didn't really need to look anywhere else for my wishlist wednesday post. So all of the dresses here are from the sale page, all of them are 20% off. And all of the pictures link to the items.

One tiny pet peeve, though. I'm probably being a complete nerd, but shouldn't it be 29% off if it's a leap year sale? It just makes more sense. Actually, I liked that idea so much that I implemented it in my own shop. 29% off all orders of $10+ with the code LEAPYEAR at flapperdoodle.com :)

Bright hair care Q&A with Kelsi Does Hair

2012-02-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

I've been dying my hair pink for about 9 months now, but there are still so many things that puzzle me about the process, and questions I have that endless google searches never answer. So when Kelsi from Kelsi Does Hair contacted me about sponsoring my blog last month, I immediately asked if she'd be up for doing a little Q&A about dying and maintaining bright hair color! Not only did Kelsi have pink hair for 10 years, but she's also a professional hairstylist! So, unlike me, she really knows what she's talking about! I'm sure some of my questions are pretty goofy or stupid, but I was curious and as Linda Ellerbee always said... if you want to know, ask! ;)

Q: What is the absolute best thing you can do to care for bleached, brightly colored hair? What is the worst thing you can do?

A: The best things you can do are to invest in professional quality products and tools that are designed for lightened hair, detangle it gently and treat it with care. The worst things you can do are to brush through it when it's wet or be rough with it in general, especially when it's wet, bleach it over and over again or color over it and then bleach it again.

Q: Whenever I look up information about dying your hair fun colors, there are always TONS of warnings about over-bleaching and hair falling out or breaking off. But when I was looking into plain old blonde a few years back, I never saw any such warnings. Since the semi-permanent colored dye is harmless, why is there such a focus on breakage for people wanting pink or blue hair, but not blonde?

A: Hmm... I can't really say for sure. Lightening hair is the same whether you are going to leave it blonde or go over it with a semi-permanent color. I have a few thoughts about why the information you found might have differed, but I can't say for sure about any of them without reading the same information. My first thought is that when pre-lightening hair in order to do a bright color, instructions probably talk about bleaching your hair, whereas a lot of people use a box color instead of bleach in order to go blonde. Using color to lift can be less damaging, but often doesn't give very good results. Or it could be that when pre-lightening hair to do a bright color, many people recommend bleaching it to platinum/white first, but "blonde" can be a wide range, including darker blondes which don't require as much lifting and wont' be as damaging. In any case, you should be very careful when lightening your hair, no matter what end result you are going for. Breakage is always a concern, especially if you are doing it at home.

Q: You mentioned that most people recommend bleaching your hair to a platinum/white first before going with a bright color (I think it even says that on the bottle of the colors I've used) but I've always gotten a pretty bright pink without bleaching it white. Mine looks sort of bright yellow before I apply the color, and it still comes out very bright pink. Are there certain colors (like warmer hues) that can look just as vibrant without having to bleach the heck out of your hair? For instance, I'd imagine blue might have a greenish tint if it's dyed over yellow hair, so you'd need it to be almost white beforehand, but for bright orange a yellow base wouldn't interfere with the color?

A: When I do bright colors, I usually aim for a pale yellow blonde. If you are doing a pastel color, the hair will need to be very very pale in order to show up properly. If you're doing a darker, warm color like fuchsia, red or orange, you can leave a little more yellow in the hair, but you're right that any strong undertones will show through especially if you're using a cool color like blue. Also if you don't bleach it light enough, the hair won't be porous enough to hold on to the color well, but on the contrary, if your hair is overly processed, the color will come out quicker. That light yellow color is usually the sweet spot for semi-permanent haircolor.

Q: I used Manic Panic cotton candy pink for a while, but it always faded super duper fast. Since I switched to Special Effects cupcake pink it stays practically forever. In your experience is this the case with all of their dyes, or does it vary by color? Are there any colors that seem to last really long regardless of which brand you use?

A: In my experience, it varies most from brand to brand, and to a lesser degree from color to color. For longevity, Special Effects, Fudge and Raw are all good ones, regardless of the color. I'm not a big fan of Manic Panic or Punky Colors as I've experienced a lot of bleeding and rubbing off with those ones. Inkworks by Paul Mitchell has fair longevity for the warmer colors like pink, red and orange, but their cool colors like blue and purple fade off really quickly. This can be a good thing if you want to change your color frequently so that you don't have to damage your hair by trying to lift your previous color out.

Q: What would you recommend for super deep conditioning treatments? Are regular bottled conditioners the best for color treated hair, or are home remedies good as well, like mayonnaise or olive oil? My mom used to swear by Vo5 hot oil when she had waist-length long hair in the 70's. Is that advisable for bleached hair?

A: As far as home remedies vs. things that are created specifically to be used in your hair, REAL conditioning treatments win hands down. Oils like olive oil, mayonnaise etc. can coat the outside of your hair, which will make it temporarily feel smoother and shinier, just like anything that is coated in oil, but it does nothing for the internal structure of your hair. I don't advise ever putting these kinds of oils on blonde hair because it can cause yellowing. Conditioning treatments, especially professional quality ones, are better designed to penetrate your hair and improve the integrity of your hair, making it stronger, healthier, smoother and better conditioned from the inside and out. Some oils can help condition your hair on a deeper level, but they have to be the correct molecular weight to penetrate your hair, and you aren't going to find them at the grocery store. My favorite deep conditioner is the Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratriplex Treatment, which is an in-salon two step treatment by Paul Mitchell. You can find a salon that offers it by visiting http://awapuhi.paulmitchell.com The second part of that treatment, called Awapuhi Wild Ginger Keratin Intensive Treatment, is available to purchase and take home; that is what I personally use at home. It's the only thing that makes my hair feel really, really soft and comb out easily. Other good ones are Paul Mitchell's Super Strong Treatment, and K-Pak by Joico.

Q: I know *technically* bleaching at home isn't advised, but if you're going to do it yourself, is there any way to do it in little increments? It seems like the only home lightening kits majorly lighten your hair within like 30 minutes! If you want to do it slowly over a couple weeks with gradual lightening, is there a way to do it at home?

A: The at-home lightening kits that I see always come with 40 volume developer, which is insane to me. I almost NEVER use 40 volume developer in the salon. The lower the volume of developer, the slower it will lift. Go to a beauty supply that is open to the public like Sally Beauty and get powder or cream bleach and 10 or 20 volume developer. 20 will still give you a lot of lift within 30 minutes and is what I use on most people, even to achieve platinum. 10 will give you less lift and might be easier to use if you work slower or if you don't want to bleach your hair as light. 20 is the highest volume that would use on someone's scalp, any higher than that and you are risking chemical burns.

Q: If you're totally done with your cool colored hair and want to dye it brown, how on earth do you do it? I went to a salon and the stylist accidentally turned my hair green! eek!

A: I highly recommend getting this done at a salon as opposed to at home, because it is SO easy to mess up, and I know exactly what your stylist did wrong. If your hair has been lightened and the color you want to do is several shades darker, you need to "fill" it before putting on your final color. Filling involves adding warm tones back in to the hair. Depending on how many shades darker you want to go with it, you'll need to add some orange, red-orange or red tones back in to your hair before putting the brown on. If you jump straight to brown, especially if you are doing a cool or ashy brown, your porous, lightened hair is going to grab on to those cool/ashy tones and cling to them for dear life, leaving it a murky greenish color. Your stylist SHOULD know what kind of color and what tone is missing from your hair and needs to be added back in before your final color, but unfortunately not all of them do.

Q: I've read that washing your hair in cold water is one of the best ways to keep your color, but in the middle of winter that is super hard! Are there any other, less torturous, methods for keeping your color bright?

A: Using cool water to wash your hair is a great way to make your color last longer. It doesn't have to be ice cold, but the coolest water that is comfortable, even if that means room temperature, as opposed to scalding hot, is better for both your hair and your skin/scalp. Some other ways to help your hair color last longer are using professional quality color protective shampoo and conditioner, shampooing your hair less often (Every other day at the most! I only shampoo mine once or twice a week), Using a good deep conditioning treatment, and cover your hair if you are going to be in the sun, or if you are going tanning. Use heat on your hair less often if you can too, or at least use a heat protective product if you are going to straighten or curl your hair.

Q: All hair dye instructions seem to advise that you don't dye freshly shampooed hair. Why is that? And I've always wondered if it's then ok to dye really dirty hair, or does it need to be a happy medium like 1 day after your last shampoo?

A: I usually prefer that people wash their hair one to two days before coming in to have it colored. You want to have a little bit of your natural oil on your scalp to help protect it from both irritation from the color and keep it from staining. I wouldn't recommend coloring your hair if it's REALLY dirty, because excess oil and especially heavy styling products like waxes can prevent the color from penetrating and successfully coloring your hair.

Q: Do things like deep conditioning masks or leave-in treatments actually work, or are you better off just slathering your hair with regular old conditioner and letting it sit for a while?

A: Leaving conditioner on for a while will help more than just quickly putting it in and rinsing it off, especially if you keep your hair warm and moist while it sits. However good quality deep conditioners definitely have their merits and can do more to provide your hair with crucial moisture or protein than a daily conditioner. The key is to get a professional quality deep conditioner, and make sure to use it as the directions recommend. Since they are more intense than regular conditioners, if you over-use them, they can actually harm your hair. For example, lightened hair usually needs protein, so if you use a protein-rich deep conditioner like Paul Mitchell Super Strong conditioner, it will make your hair feel much softer and more manageable, but if you use it every day, it can deposit too much protein and actually make your hair more brittle and prone to breakage.

Q: If you have permanent dye in your hair (like red or light brown.. I'm assuming black would definitely require a salon visit) do you have to use a color removal kit before bleaching, or can you just bleach over the old color?

A: Unless the color you used has metallic salts, which a few brands do, like Just For Men hair color, you can just bleach it. If your hair was its natural color before you went over it with permanent color and you want it back to your natural color, i would recommend using just a color remover instead of bleach because color remover only takes out artificial hair color and won't affect your natural color, whereas bleach is non-discriminatory and will lift your natural hair color as well as the the artificial color. If the permanent hair color you have on is fairly light like you described, and you want to shoot for a lighter color than your natural, you shouldn't have much trouble with just bleaching it instead of using a color remover.

Q: Lastly, this has nothing to do with coloring, but I'm curious! Does trimming your hair really make it grow faster & make it healthier, or is it just a myth?

A: It's a myth, mostly. It does improve the health of your hair because you are trimming off the ends, which are the most damaged, which will help prevent tangling and splitting. It does not make your hair grow faster though. It seems like your hair grows faster when you trim it because you are keeping the ends healthier and allowing it to grow out without breaking. If your ends are all scraggly, trimming them off will make your hair look and feel healthier which can actually make it look longer. But since the only part of your hair that is alive is the root, which is in your scalp and all of the hair that you can see is made up of dead keratin, nothing you do to that hair will affect the way that it actually grows out of your head.

Style Idol - Clara Bow

2012-02-21T19:51:00.002-05:00

//image links back to the source

I love this photo of Clara Bow! The collared dress with a printed sweatshirt and kneesocks!! So cute! I'd have to skip the roller skates myself if I wanted to live to see another day, but otherwise I can definitely see copying this outfit!

no winter blues

2012-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - h&m

collar - handmade (gift from casey)

cat pin - vintage (gift from casey)

shoes - c/o blowfish

belt - forever 21

Spring may be right around the corner, but I'm still really enjoying winter! I love soup, hot drinks, comforters, my cozy bed and cats snuggling up to me to keep warm. For me, spring means insanely bad allergies, neighbors using noisy lawnmowers, stink bugs (does anyone else have them? ahh they're so annoying!) and less soup. Anything that causes less soup can't be all that great. The idea of more watermelon and strawberries makes me a little less hostile towards spring, but man I really love soup.

As spring draws closer I've been finding myself more and more drawn to deep, dark tones. I usually go for bright colors and pastels, subconsciously matching my outfits to my pink hair, but I suppose my clinging-on-for-dear-life attachment to winter must be affecting my current taste in clothing as well.

Cat necklace giveaway! [closed]

2012-02-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

BrideBlu is offering one lucky cat lady this sweet little kitty cat necklace! The winner gets to choose the chain length, and whether they want gold or silver. They also get to choose a name for their new cat. Hubble is already taken.. ;)

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from BrideBlu, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) Also, you must be a follower to enter! This is mandatory! (And, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) Oh, and this giveaway is open to absolutely everyone who lives on planet Earth!

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win a @brideblu cat necklace giveaway on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow BrideBlu's blog

3. Follow BrideBlu on Facebook

This giveaway ~~ends at 12AM EST on February 27th!~~ ENDED

Winner: Comment #126

The awkward call for sponsors

2012-02-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Whoa this year is flying by... I can't believe it's already time for an awkward call for March sponsors!! If you're interested in sponsoring my blog next month, first of all, thank you! Second of all, you can check out the traffic, statistics and all that jazz over on my sponsor page. Third of all, you can buy a spot in my new handy dandy super easy storenvy shop!

Oh, and two more things! If you purchase before February 26th you can use coupon code MAR10 at checkout to get 10% off. AND starting in March I'm offering one big featured ad spot at the top (even above my little flapper doodle ad) that comes with the option to do a giveaway & a featured post, interview or guest post. There's only going to be one each month, though, so if you're interested book it right away. (Update: The featured ad for March is sold out, so the next available spot is April, which you can purchase here.)

Okay, now to make up for awkward city, here's a gif of a cat flying through outer space.

instagram

2012-02-18T15:11:00.002-05:00

1. In the car on the way to pick up Hubble

2. Dunder Mifflin Paper (from the NBC store)

3. Hubble in his new home!

4. New favorite dress (from ASOS)

5. Valentine's Day card I made for my brother

6. Hypatia keeping an eye on Hubble (look closely)

7. My room is featured in the new issue of Studios Magazine!

8. On a t-shirt buying trip with my dad yesterday

snail mail

2012-02-18T00:39:00.002-05:00

(image via)

I just wanted to post a little note here to say that I'm a tad bit (ok, really) behind on my emails and twitter replies this week, but I'm planning on plopping myself in front of the keyboard and getting completely caught up tomorrow. Sometimes life just takes you away from the computer for a while. So far February has really been one of the most hectic months ever and it's just been hard for me to keep up with everything. I normally try to reply to emails at least every other night, but this week especially was absolutely INSANE. Each time I attempted to get caught up I was just too overwhelmed and way too tired.

Anyway! If you're waiting on a reply from me, I should be getting back to you tomorrow (well, today, I guess, since I'm posting this after midnight) and I'm really sorry for the delay. Let's just pretend we're still living in the snail mail era and 4-6 days is a perfectly normal period to wait for a reply? ;)

posh frock friday + a happy hypatia update!

2012-02-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

dress, cardigan & tights - h&m

shoes - from my grandmom

belt - forever 21

I've been quiet about the Hypatia situation for a while, but yesterday I got fantastic news and I had to share. This week she seemed like she was improving, but I didn't want to say anything until she'd been to our vet for a follow-up and I could be sure :)

As I mentioned before, she contracted feline herpes which was causing a killer upper respiratory infection that she just couldn't shake. She also has a chronic condition where her body attacks her gums, so she gets monthly shots to suppress her immune system. When her doctor saw her two weeks ago, he told me that I had to prepare for the worst, and soon. The regular shots would exacerbate the URI, but stopping them would cause her gums to get so bad that she couldn't eat. He wasn't optimistic, but he gave her some antibiotics, pain killers and lots of fluids. I started giving her Little Noses saline drops (our vet approved), leading her to the food when she couldn't smell, and just doing absolutely everything I could to make sure she was comfortable, breathing well and eating. We all crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. AND IT WORKED!

At her follow-up appointment yesterday, her doctor was absolutely jubilant! Hypatia's gained a lot of weight (which I already knew because I was weighing her daily and keeping track... I'm that kind of cat lady lol) and the URI seems to have subsided. Plus, her mouth was fine, too! He doesn't even want to see her again for another three weeks!!

She's an older cat, and she has been having minor health issues for four years so I know we don't have forever. But honestly, after our last appointment I didn't think I'd even have one day, let alone five weeks. The vet thinks she's out of danger for now, so (knock on wood!) I get to keep my darling Hypatia for a little while longer. I can honestly say that I have never been so happy in my entire life. I have been crying almost nonstop since I got the good news, I'm just SO happy! She really is my everything, and even if our time together is limited I'm just elated that, for now at least, I don't have to think about saying goodbye.

star stuff

2012-02-16T18:22:00.003-05:00

I could easily rename this series "Things I found on Neil deGrasse Tyson's twitter."

This time it's an amazing interactive animation that shows you the scale of various things in the universe -- from the super duper tiny (the theoretical strings in string theory) to the super duper enormous (the entire universe!) and everything in between. It's absolutely fascinating, and it was created by a 14 year old student and his twin brother! It seriously puts my science fair projects to shame lol... Anyway, you can take a peek here! It's definitely the most informative, fun 15 minutes I've spent online recently.

hair today gone tomorrow

2012-02-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

shirt - modcloth

skirt - c/o francesca's*

cardigan - old navy

belt - forever 21

shoes - c/o blowfish

I wore this last week so you can't see it yet, but I chopped off my hair! It's about chin length now. I still have a couple old outfit pictures from last week and the week before that I haven't got around to posting yet, so I might not end up sharing a picture with my new do until next week... but I really like it! I get so impatient brushing it when it gets long, and I just felt like a change. Maybe it's an early case of spring fever :) Oh, and side note: how annoying is it when your shirt sleeves bunch up under your cardigan?! ergh! pet peeve alert!

*Take 30% off any one item at Francesca's with the code KATE!

wishlist wednesday

2012-02-15T18:00:00.002-05:00

Collars as necklaces. Awesome, right?! 1. Metal frill collar from topshop ($28) - like a metal version of the collar I wore in my outfit post this morning! 2. ASOS metal collar ($21.49) I think this one would look so perfect over a plain LBD!

I love love love the color of this dress and the super pretty neckline! It's $80.57 at ASOS.. I think I know what I'm buying next time a coupon lands in my inbox!

Aqua and grapefruit is my all time favorite color combination! I wish I could wear both of these dresses at once, lol! 1. Cutout back stripe dress from Topshop ($58) and 2. Yawl come back dress from Modcloth ($64.99) .. the sailboats on the second one are making me long for a day at the beach!

I already have way too many bags but this one is beckoning! It's only $14.80 at forever 21 and it's the sweetest shade of creamsicle orange!

So so tempted to get this dress! It's on sale for $53 at ASOS and it has such a sweet dainty crocheted collar! It's also available in light blue and I'm thinking I need both.

Lately I'm really drawn to shoes with multiple colors like these. I think they're so beautiful! The first pair is vegan leather from Ruche* ($64.99) and they're definitely on my get-in-my-closet-now wishlist. The second pair is totally wishing only, though, because I don't wear leather. But they were so pretty I had to include them anyway! They're $89.99 at Modcloth.

*Update: Apparently the shoes from Ruche actually have leather lining. It just wasn't listed on the item description at the time that I wrote this post :(

Is this not one of the most fantastic cat beds you've ever seen?! It's fashioned out of an old imac computer! I used to think these computers were SO cool when I was younger (mostly because they came in various colors) and I still love that midcentury shape. $129 from Atomic Attic on etsy.

Please somebody buy this mod wonder so I can live vicariously through you? It would be in my shopping cart right now if my hips were just slightly smaller. Honest to goodness, I need to find some magic potion that can either make my hip bones smaller or make the hips on vintage dresses a few inches larger. blargh! $46 from Miss Farfalla on etsy!

Ironically I found that yellow and white vintage dress by searching "go go" on etsy, and the name of this 60's inspired number on the left is the "On the Go-Go dress" ha! ($44.99 from Modcloth) And how sweet is the dress on the right? It's called the "Either orchard dress" ($49.99 from Modcloth) and I can definitely see wearing it to go apple picking in the fall! I know it's not even spring yet, but I just really, really love autumn :)

February 14th isn't the only day to wear hearts! :) I think they would look amazing with these sunglasses, too! They're $10 from Vinette on etsy!

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

2012-02-15T15:50:00.002-05:00

A very happy birthday to my little Chloe! I can't believe it's been nine whole years since we adopted her! I can remember going to meet her on a chilly, rainy night. She still had bandages on her paws from being frostbitten, and the hospital staff had nicknamed her "Frosty." She was so teeny tiny and undernourished, and just so helpless. So it warms my heart to see what an incredibly content (and incredibly chubby!) cat she's become! She's definitely the queen of the house, and I can't help but smile whenever I'm around her!

ps. you can read her adoption story here.

dots and scallops

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - h&m

collar - romwe

shoes - c/o blowfish

belt - from another dress

Yesterday was pretty fantastic. We picked up Hubble in the afternoon, and he has adjusted amazingly well to living here! The only hitch was when Hypatia hissed at him once, but I would too if a stranger just randomly started sniffing my face! Otherwise everything has been going more smoothly than I could have ever hoped. And he is SUCH a cutie pie! I can't handle the cuteness!

Also, yesterday I hit 4,000 sales in my etsy shop so that was really exciting too! It's surreal to think I've made and shipped that many things, that there are 4,000 flapper doodle items out in the world! That enough people actually liked my stuff enough to buy 4,000 things?! It's absolutely mind-boggling! If anyone out there reading this is one of those 4,000, thank you so much!!

And finally how fantastic is this collar?! I bought it after seeing Bianca wear it a few months ago and I think it fits perfectly with this dress! Detachable collars are seriously one of the most awesome fashion inventions ever, ever, ever.

Meet Hubble!

2012-02-14T16:35:00.002-05:00

Hubble is home now!! So far everything has gone very smoothly. He wasn't a happy camper in the car (he was yelling and trying to paw his way out of the carrier) but once I let him out he was totally at ease! He started rolling around and purring and inspecting his new home right away. About an hour ago I plopped him in his new bed (yes, it has dog bones on it... I couldn't find any cat beds I liked lol) and he's been asleep and purring ever since. Hypatia is currently sunbathing in my window, and seems totally fine with the new addition :) Chloe doesn't get to meet him for another week or so, but based on her aloof disinterest in the strange new meow coming from my bedroom I doubt I'll have much trouble with their first encounter.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

dress - modcloth

bodysuit - boohoo

shoes - c/o blowfish

My original plans for Valentine's Day included staying in bed watching Bette Davis movies (All This and Heaven Too, Now Voyager & Dark Victory are some of the most romantic movies of all time!) but instead I'm picking up Hubble and spending the day helping him get adjusted to his new home! We were supposed to pick him up yesterday, but he hurt his paw trying to get out of his cage at the vet's, so they had to keep him an extra day. The poor little guy!! It's so weird that this happened, though, because we adopted Chloe on Valentine's Day too! And we got Hypatia on my brother's birthday, so now we have a crew of special occasion kitties! :)

One more thing I'm doing today -- kicking off Unicorns and Old Lace with Amber! We've had this joint blog project in the works for almost a year now and I'm so excited that we finally got the ball rolling. It's going to be outfit posts, lots of girly-ness and oodles of fun! You can check out our matching Valentine's Day outfits here!

The Melody Lingers On // Jeanne Moreau

2012-02-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Le Tourbillon by Jeanne Moreau // image by me :)

Galentine's Day Giveaway! [closed]

2012-02-13T09:00:00.003-05:00

Emerging Thoughts sent me these gorgeous necklaces to giveaway, and I thought what better day to do it than Galentine's Day?! Not familiar with the holiday? Ok, it's not actually a real holiday (yet!) but in the fictional world of Parks and Recreation, it's celebrated every year on February 13th by Leslie Knope and her gal pals. Leslie might make amazing mosaics of her friends using pieces from their favorite soda cans, but I think a pair of free necklaces is just as lovely ;)

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from Emerging Thoughts, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) Also, you must be a follower to enter! This is mandatory! (And, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) Oh, and this giveaway is open to absolutely everyone who lives on planet Earth!

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win an @emergingthought giveaway on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow Emerging Thoughts on Twitter

3. Follow Emerging Thoughts on Facebook

This giveaway ends ~~at 12AM EST on February 20th!~~ Ended

Winner: Comment #90

shop my closet update, new flapper doodle item and new blog designs!

2012-02-11T16:16:00.009-05:00

First of all, I finally updated my shop my closet store today! I have lots of dresses, as well as some accessories and coats. You can view them all here! And if you're in the market for blog design or a sponsor spot you can snag those in my shop as well :)

I also added new wooden brooches to my etsy shop! I'm having one of those little "in love with my new product" moments. Would it be weird if I wore one myself? Because I really want to! They're $8 in my shop here!

I also updated my blog design store. It's much easier to navigate now and I have a whole page dedicated to examples of mine & Casey's work. You can check it out here! And I've done a bit of new design work recently so I thought I'd share some of it in this post!

Header design for The Cupcake Earthquake

Header design for HopPipOLLa

Blog overhaul design for Her Name Was Greta

Etsy banner design for Beatnik Gal Vintage (Keep an eye peeled for her shop opening! She posted some sneak peaks of the inventory on tumblr and I'm so smitten!)

Blog overhaul design for Just Add Glitter and Stir. I was so excited about this one that I sort of did the whole entire thing the same night that I got Maggi's order. I mean, a request for a bright kitschy glittery blog?! So so so so fun!!! :D My favorite part is the embroidered header text (you can see it better when you view it full-size on her blog!)

And finally, my little brother's blog! He hasn't written his first post yet, but it's going to be about food, trains, craftsmanship (like woodworking) and his personal style. When he gets the ball rolling we're going to start doing some brother/sister style posts! I'm so excited about it!! :)

instagram

2012-02-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

1. random photo of my feet

2. my freebie valentines (download here!)

3. sweet mail surprise from rachel!

4. little sneak peek of Hubble!!

5. dinner at cracker barrel (yum!)

6. Hubble's collar and name tag!

instagram kept crashing on me last week so I had to finally cave in and update to the new version.. and surprisingly I like it! I love that you can disable the frames (I always hated the black framed ones so I used earlybird almost exclusively). The new tilt-shift is pretty meh since you can't control it as well as you could on the old version of the app, but overall I'm actually glad I was forced to switch! /end random review of instagram ;p

posh frock friday

2012-02-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

dress & shoes - modcloth

lace cardigan - forever 21

necklace - c/o michelle hartney

I love this beautiful monogrammed charm necklace that Michelle sent to me! I don't wear jewelry too often, but this one is so special! I picked the celtic knot to represent my mom's Irish heritage (I'd add a Russian symbol too, to represent my dad's side of the family, but I don't even know if they exist. Does anyone know?) and obviously the K is for Kate! Michelle has tons of different charms so you can mix-and-match to create something unique that fits you to a T! Or in my case, to a K! ;D

ps. Did you enter the cat purse giveaway yet? :)

pastel fade

2012-02-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

dress - modcloth

cardigan - old navy

shoes - from my grandmom

tights - target

wig - minty mix

I've heard so many horror stories about over-bleaching that I thought it would be a good idea to have a backup wig in case of any emergencies ;) No hair catastrophes have arisen as of yet, but I can't help myself from wearing my new wig anyway! It's so darn pretty!! It fades from a purpley-blue-ish shade to pink, and it's by far the thickest, fullest wig I've ever purchased. They have a bunch of fun colors and I'm tempted to start a mini collection!

Also, how about this (um, sort of wrinkly.. I forgot to iron it..) dress!? Modcloth has a bunch of dresses in this style -- the "Too Much Fun" dresses by Emily and Fin -- but in the product photos they always looked like the shoulders would look funny, for some reason. At least to me they did. But I took a gamble on this one since I loved the color & polka dots so much, and now it's probably one of my favorite dresses ever. The shoulders are totally normal, and the cut is just incredible! I already bought it in another print and I'm tempted to snatch up even more!

and then there were three!

2012-02-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

shirt - old navy

skirt - modcloth

shoes - francesca's*

bow tie - honeybean

tights - target

Yesterday I adopted a new kitty cat to add to my family!! He's a super sweet and shy 1 year old tiger cat, from the same rescue organization that I got Chloe & Hypatia. I get to pick him up on Monday! I am 99.9% sure that his name is going to be Hubble (like the telescope.) I'd wanted to name a cat Dwight or Pongo for a while, but when I met him I knew instantly that neither of those names fit him. He's definitely more of a Hubble!

He seems like a really kind, gentle cat so I just know he & Hypatia will get along swimmingly! He's going to be living in my room for a little while before I let him meet Chloe, though. She's a wee bit territorial, and she's also VERY curious! I don't want Hubble getting the sniff-down on his first day in his new home lol :)

*You can take 30% off any one item at Francesca's with the code KATE! :)

sweet heart

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - c/o emerging thoughts

shirt - vintage

tights - target

shoes - francesca's*

I'm actually still not feeling well, but after a week of trying to get better I just gave up and started getting dressed and working like usual again! There's only so long you can stay in bed before it just makes you feel even sicker, you know? Hypatia's also not doing so hot, but I don't really want to go into it here. Suffice it to say, the last week has just been super rough.

Anyway, today is one week until Valentine's Day! Does anyone have any interesting plans? Being chronically single, my plan is to watch some of my favorite movies and eat ;) It's also technically our 9 year anniversary with Chloe (we adopted her on Valentine's Day but usually celebrate on the 15th so she can have her own day) therefore I will be showering her with lots of treats and new toys!

*You can take 30% off any one item at Francesca's with the code KATE! :)

The Melody Lingers On // Francoise Hardy

2012-02-06T17:58:00.003-05:00

Tous les garcons et les filles by Francoise Hardy // image via blancucha

cat purse giveaway! [closed]

2012-02-06T09:00:00.004-05:00

How could I pass this up?! A kitty cat printed purse!! Ahh! I got one for myself, too -- I actually didn't intend to this time, but after the giveaway one came in the mail I *had* to buy another! -- it's just so adorable in person. You can see more views (or buy one, if the giveaway gods don't decide in your favor this week) on ASOS here!

To enter: simply leave a comment letting me know that you're entering, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) You must be a follower to enter (and, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) This giveaway is open to US & Canada only (sorry!)

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win a cat purse on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)

2. Follow me on facebook
3. Follow me on bloglovin

Giveaway ends ~~on February 13th at 12:01AM EST~~ has ended.

Winner: Comment #245

DIY business card valentines with free printables!

2012-02-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Remember the valentines we used to hand out in elementary school that came on pre-perforated sheets? Well last week I found some unused business card paper, and thought how absolutely perfect it would be for making those little valentines at home!! I used white Avery business cards #8869 to make mine, and I made up some free printable valentines too! If you'd like, you can download them here! They'll work with the #8869 Avery cards, or you could just print them on regular old cardstock and cut them out!

Guest post by Amber from Laughing with Broken Eyes

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

I asked Amber if she'd do a little guest post for me so I can have one more day off to take care of myself & my kitty! Thanks so much, Amber!! xo Kate

Hi guys! My name is Amber Rose, and I blog at Laughing With Broken Eyes. When Kate asked me to guest post for her, I was a bit tongue tied, so to speak, as of what I would blog about. It's something entirely different when you visit someone else's blog and talk about yourself! So instead... I thought I'd share some really exciting news! I've been dying to share...

Kate and I are working on a book together-- a sort of children’s book for adults!

While I don’t want to give too much away, it will be oh-so-cute and perfect to flip through on a day when you need to embrace your inner child or to escape from the worries and immerse yourself into the simple, charming, and hot-to-trot lives of Eloise and Ramona of Kate’s brilliant Flapper Doodle franchise.

We’re so excited about this as it’s something we’ve both wanted for so long. I do hope that you’ll join us through this exciting process of writing and self-publishing a book, hopefully the first of many!

ketchup and mustard

2012-02-01T14:19:00.005-05:00

shirt - asos

cardigan - forever 21

skirt - c/o francesca's*

shoes - c/o blowfish

It is mandatory that whenever you wear a red and yellow outfit your post title must be "ketchup and mustard." Fact.

I'm finally feeling well enough to get dressed & wear makeup (actually I think it's like a catch-22, being dressed and wearing makeup is helping me feel more like me!) but Hypatia, unfortunately, isn't doing much better. It's been one heck of a stressful week so far. She got a lot worse over the weekend and we took her in to see the vet Monday morning. Her normal doctor wasn't there so she had to see someone else, which always makes me anxious. She has a follow-up appointment with her normal vet tomorrow, and I'll be so relieved when she can finally see him! The other doctor diagnosed her with feline herpes, which is contagious so I've had her quarantined in my room away from Chloe. Having a sick animal is just the most heartbreaking thing... I wish there were simple quick fixes, like a vicks vapor rub for cats or something, so she could have some instant relief. As per the vet's suggestion, I got her a warm air humidifier but I can't tell if it's making a difference. I can only hope she understands me when I tell her that she's going to feel better really soon :(

Sorry whenever Hypatia's ill I end up talking about it, but hopefully if you have animals (or kids) you know that when they're sick you literally just cannot think about anything else. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow they'll be able to give her a shot of some miracle medicine and she'll be back to her playful self by Friday *fingers crossed*

*You can take 30% off any one item at Francesca's with the code KATE! :)

almost there

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm on the mend but still not in 'getting dressed and putting on makeup' mode yet, so here's another pajama picture! I actually lost my balance when I was taking the photo, but somehow it ended up looking like I was standing that way on purpose, lol!

Also, this is my lazy braids hair. I do this a lot around the house -- it's pretty much milkmaid braids, except that once I get them criss-crossed on top of my head I just secure them with big pink claw clips instead of inconspicuous bobby pins. I usually do this right after I wash my hair, too... I'll just blow dry my bangs and clip the rest up in loose braids so it can air dry!

ps. Lilly suggested in the comments on my last post that I should do pajama outfit photos to go with my slumber party sunday posts (which I promise are going to be coming back really soon!) and I LOVE that idea! I'm definitely doing it! :D

sick day.

2012-01-28T13:39:00.003-05:00

Wednesday night I got hit with some sort of bug and I've been feeling absolutely miserable ever since :( Hypatia has a head cold too, the poor thing, so we've both been laying in bed under the covers sniffling and sneezing. Her vet & my doctor basically prescribed the same medicine -- antibiotics, hot broth (low sodium for Hypatia) and lots of rest. I've also been breezing through Lost on netflix, but it's been creeping into my dreams a lot, which is freaking me out a bit. Recurring dreams about being stuck on an island where people are trying to kill you doesn't exactly help with a peaceful night's rest lol.

Anyway. I'm never sure what to post here when I'm sick... I'm obviously not dolled up for normal outfit photos and I'm usually way too exhausted to come up with anything else that requires the least bit of energy. But I still want to keep blogging... so I thought, why not take outfit photos in my pajamas? It's probably silly, but it's easy and I do have some pretty cool pjs, if I do say so myself!

Hopefully I'll feel better soon but if not expect to see some more of my amazing flannel pajama collection this week ;p

instagram

2012-01-27T18:24:00.002-05:00

Not many photos this week, but the few I did take are pretty much all Hypatia :) Her new favorite cozy spot is burrowed under my pillow (and yup, I'm using a t-shirt as a pillowcase... it's laundry week, what can I say?) She's been such a happy little ball of energy since she was shaved! I swear she's a short haired cat trapped in a maine coon's body.

ps. I have an interview up on The Clothes Horse today!! Rebecca asked me to plan my dream party, and I envisioned a slumber party in an Irish castle, with some of my all time favorite people -- fictional, animated, and real -- as guests! You can read it here. Thank you so much, Rebecca! :)

My top 5 storage solutions for small spaces

2012-01-26T09:00:00.003-05:00

My entire living space is 11 feet by 11 feet. With careful planning, I've managed to include a queen size bed and an 8' long table! My room functions as a bedroom, office and studio and believe it or not I have plenty of floorspace to dance around or play with my cats ;)

I've lived in this snug little room for 19 years of my life, and along the way I've come up with a lot of storage solutions that make the most of my tiny abode! Here are my top 5 favorites!

1. Empty purses are perfect for storage! I keep all of my bags on a coat rack behind my door, but rather than leave them empty, I fill them up with craft supplies! My mini photo scanner is in the purple handbag, my wood burning kit is in the green shoulder bag and I keep sketchbooks in the gingham satchel! It seems like every bag is the absolute perfect size for holding something that didn't fit anywhere else in my room :)

2. Clothing as decor! I've mentioned this before, but using clothing as decoration is ideal if you're low on closet space like I am! I have my dresses hanging on my wall next to my bed, and I keep all of my lacy tops hanging from my curtain rod. They look gorgeous in the daytime when the sunbeams shine through them!

3. Bed risers!! One of the best things I ever purchased, EVER. Thanks to these little miracle workers, my entire record collection fits under my bed. I also keep my sewing machine under there, too, along with lots of under-the-bed boxes stacked up as high as they can possibly go. Push the things you hardly ever use all the way to the back, and keep the stuff you use on a regular basis at the front. It's easy to just throw things under the bed willy nilly, but with the bed risers you get so much extra space that it just makes sense to organize it and utilize every inch! I got mine at IKEA but I think they're sold at pretty much every home supply store.

4. Measure every nook and cranny in your room! Before you shop for furniture, measure every extra bit of space that you have. I have 9" of wall space between my bed and my closet -- that seems way too small to serve any purpose, right? Wrong! IKEA had an 8" wide bookcase that was perfect for storing my books and dvds! Measuring also came in handy when I purchased my laptop stand, Ludvig (I wrote more about this in my room tour here!)

5. Walls aren't just for hanging artwork! As much as you can get off the floor onto the walls, do it! I have my record player (it's a vertical turntable, available here) & my television mounted on the wall. I also have a big storage unit from Michaels that I use for displaying knick knacks and housing craft supplies. You'd be surprised how much table room and floorspace you have to spare once you start using your walls!

ps. Solanah has some fantastic organization tips on her blog today, too! :)

wishlist wednesday

2012-01-25T19:49:00.002-05:00

I love this 1970's crewel embroidery from etsy... I almost bought something similar at a thrift store a couple months ago but when I got up to the register they only took cash, and I only had my debit card :(

1. this dress reminds me of a pretty ballet costume. I want to wear it with my old pointe shoes and twirl around the house. 2. I'm obsessed with finding the perfect plaid dress right now and if this beauty wasn't kind of pricey ($99) it would definitely fit the bill!

Shoes this platformey and awesome are almost always made out of leather (I'm looking at you, Jeffrey Campbell) so I was pretty excited to see these are vegan! I love the graphic woodgrain on the heel, too!

I desperately want this pillowcase set! It's called the "lunar than expected" set, how cute is that?!

Sunshine & Carousels is having a 30% off sale (coupon here!) I already snatched up a hot pink velvet bow headband but this one is catching my eye too!

1. Doesn't this dress look like something out of a movie?! I picture Sophia Loren wearing it with a giant black feather boa in Arabesque. 2. I check the Dorothy Perkins website religiously, and every so often there's a dress that just totally hits it out of the ballpark -- this is such a dress. I think it's going to look amazing with my hair (yup, I ordered it already!) ps. I got 15% off with the coupon INTDP15.

My dad had to go to old navy today to return some shirts he got for Christmas, and BOY am I glad that I tagged along! I think I have cat print radar or something, because I wasn't even really looking for myself, this shirt just attracted me like a moth to a flame. Oddly it was $28 in the store (not on sale) but it's $35 online?

This is another case of "intended for my wishlist but ended up in my closet" ... I bookmark things all week to put in my wishlist wednesday posts, and if I'm having a particularly retail therapy kind of week, at least some of the items are bound to end up in my shopping cart! This pretty dress was on sale for $35, so can you blame me? (When I placed my order I also picked up something for another giveaway that I'm *really* excited about!)

I'm in love with this sweatshirt but I'm pretty sure I can DIY it with a plain old sweatshirt and fabric paint. In high school I saw a photo in a magazine of Kate Moss wearing a sweatshirt with a mini skirt, and I thought it was so incredibly chic. I've been smitten with that style ever since, but I don't think I ever replicate it myself. Perhaps I finally will after I make this? :)

something or other

2012-01-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

dress - asos

sweater - old navy

shoes - c/o blowfish

hairbow - honeybean

I may or may not have spent 20 minutes trying to think of a title for this post and just gave up... Anyway, I've had this dress for almost six months but it has a weird open back flap that made me a little confused on how to actually wear it. Then I saw this outfit on pinterest (which I think includes the exact same dress) and I realized I could just wear a normal sweater overtop! duh! I don't know why I never thought to do this myself to winter-ize summer dresses, but it's brilliant!

ps. I have a guest post on Bubby + Bean today if you want to check it out :)

pss. I made a new fancy little paypal form for my sponsorship page, so if anyone wants to test it out that would be pretty nifty ;)

Style Idol - Elizabeth Taylor

2012-01-24T17:58:00.001-05:00

//image links back to the source

black and grey

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - h&m

cardigan & belt - old navy

tights - target

shoes - c/o blowfish

I'm not quite sure why, but I think this is one of my favorite outfits ever. I just felt so great wearing it! I completely forgot that I even had this dress until I cleaned out my closet -- I hadn't even worn it before! But it fits so perfectly, and it has a neat little zipper detail on the bodice that makes it more than just a plain LBD.

Speaking of cleaning out my closet, I've picked some dresses that I just never wear or don't really like anymore, and I'll probably put them in my shop-my-closet page sometime either at the end of this week or early next week if anyone is interested :) They're all freshly washed and ready for new homes, I just have to find the time and muster the energy to photograph & measure all of them.

The Melody Lingers On // Eisley

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

one last song by eisley // image via sintwister

it's giveaway time again! [closed]

2012-01-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

I was at H&M again last week and I guess it's just second nature now for me to pick up some giveaway goodies each time I go! I bought myself everything in the picture, and then another set to giveaway! It includes a blue faux leather shoulder bag and matching wallet/phone case, super cute tan 30's style sunglasses, a pack of colorful nail polish, colorful heavy duty bobby pins and a set of earrings that includes (oh my gosh!) unicorn studs! eep! One winner will receive everything in the photo.

To enter: simply leave a comment letting me know that you're entering, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) You must be a follower to enter (and, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) This giveaway is open to US & Canada only (sorry!)

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win some H&M goodies on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow me on facebook
3. Follow me on bloglovin
4. Follow me on tumblr

Giveaway ends ~~on February 6th at 12:01AM EST~~ Giveaway is closed

Winner: Comment #27

the awkward call for sponsors

2012-01-21T15:20:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the month again! I'm now accepting sponsors for February, so if you're interested you can find my rates, traffic, stats, etc. on my sponsorship page here. Ads start at $10 and you can get 10% off if you pay before Jan. 25.

By the by, I lowered my rates for February for the extra large, large and medium ads. I read a blogger help thingy in December about how to properly formulate your rates based on your subscriber count and traffic, so I adjusted my rates accordingly... but it just didn't feel right. I know that I can't charge like $5 because that wouldn't be fair to other bloggers, but I don't feel comfortable charging a lot either, so I think I found a happy medium with my new prices. Fair but also affordable :)

Ok, well now that that awkwardness is all out of the way, here's a picture of my little Hypatia without any fur:

The picture is actually from a year or so ago, but she was shaved again yesterday so she looks just like this again. She's just been so rambunctious she hasn't sat still long enough for me to take a nice picture! My brother said it looks like somebody screwed a cat's head onto a rat's body, but I think she looks adorable! More importantly though, she's a happy camper now, and that's all that matters :)

ps. My hair is still pink, that photo up there was taken before I dyed it :)

instagram

2012-01-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

1. new cat print shirt from asos

2. new personalized drawings in my shop

3. at Beauty & the Beast 3D!

4. having fun painting my nails :)

5. hand-drawn art deco fonts in my shop

6. trying on a fun headband at h&m

song as old as rhyme

2012-01-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

dress/cardigan - h&m

shoes - c/o blowfish

This is what I ended up wearing to see Beauty and the Beast last week -- much warmer than the outfit I originally picked out, but still a little yellow tribute to Belle's gown ;)

I'm switching up my blog schedule a little next week. Not too many huge changes, but I felt like I needed to shift things around since I've had this same schedule for about a year now and it was getting a bit stale. Most of my current features are sticking around, just changing format or moving to a different day, and I have some new ones as well! I'm really excited about it! :)

ps. I posted some cute valentine's day freebies yesterday if you missed it.

vintage valentine freebies

2012-01-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Last year we found a huge bundle of valentines from the 1950's in the basement! They're just so incredibly adorable (especially the kitty cat ones!) they deserve to be shared, not stored away where nobody can see them! I scanned them & uploaded them as-is to flickr a while back, but this week I decided to clean them up and make them into .png files with transparent backgrounds in case anyone would like to use them for blog-related things. You can download all 20 valentines here! Feel free to use them on your blog or print them out and give them to loved ones next month!

ps. I also have flapper doodle valentines in my shop here! ;)

Style Idol - Brigitte Bardot

2012-01-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

//image links back to source

tale as old as time

2012-01-17T09:00:00.002-05:00

dress - modcloth

cardigan - forever 21

shoes - modcloth

belt - h&m

I wore this on Saturday morning to go see Beauty and The Beast 3D, but as soon as I stepped outside I realized I had to wear something a lot warmer! So I went back in and changed into a longsleeve dress, sweater and tights* (darn you, January weather!) But I'm glad I took the photos of this outfit first because I had it planned for weeks before the movie -- it's my version of Belle's ball gown! :)

Saturday was one of my favorite days ever! Me, my mom and my grandmom had a girls day out. First we went to the movie (my first time at a movie theater in like 2 years -- whoa popcorn is expensive!!) which was absolutely amazing!! I was afraid the 3D would be too in-your-face and hokey, but it was so subtle and pretty! It was like there were a bunch of layers to the animation. The scenery was especially beautiful, sometimes it looked like there were vines and flowers inside the theater around the screen.

After the movie we wandered around the mall window-shopping for a couple hours (we played "guess the price" in Anthropologie ... it was so fun!) and then we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner and dessert (yum!!) It's rare that the three of us get to spend time together alone, so this was such a fun treat! Seeing one of my favorite movies on the big screen with two of my favorite people -- it doesn't get much better than that! :)

*I'll post the other outfit Thursday :)

uh-oh spaghetti-o!

2012-01-16T18:07:00.002-05:00

Modcloth is having a huge sale again... Is it possible to be a dress junkie? Because I just took some money I had put aside towards paying off my student debt and spent it on new dresses. eeek! But I'm seriously not feeling the least bit guilty because these babies were all ridiculously marked down, and they had all been sitting patiently in my wishlist for months just waiting for the day that modcloth would reduce their price so they could come home to me.

I'm so helpless when it comes to these sales (can you tell?!) but I don't think I've ever regretted indulging myself when they come around. Some of my all-time favorite dresses were snagged during huge modcloth blowout sales, and I know that some of the dresses arriving on my doorstep this week will be future favorites that I'll love for years to come :)

Here are some of the ones I snatched up today (from left to right)

1. Vibrant variety dress - ~~$47.99~~ $13.99

2. Wish in the wind dress - ~~$109.99~~ $32.99

3. For the right moment dress - ~~$149.99~~ $44.99

4. Out to sea foam dress - ~~$64.99~~ $18.99

5. Seeing bubble dress - ~~$107.99~~ $31.99

6. Fondue of you dress - ~~$119.99~~ $35.99

giveaway time! [closed]

2012-01-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

JoJo's vintage & retro is offering these three gorgeous vintage handkerchiefs to one lucky winner!

To enter simply leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from Jojo's Retro and Vintage shop, and some way to contact you (email, twitter, blog, whatever floats your boat!) Also, you must be a follower to enter! This is mandatory! (And, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!)

For additional entries: (leave a separate comment for each entry)

1. Tweet this "Just entered to win a @jojosretro giveaway on @kategabrielle's blog! http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com" (Only counts if you use that exact tweet.)
2. Follow JoJo's on Twitter

3. Like Jojo's on Facebook

4. Follow Jojo's blog

5. Join the Jojo's mailing list by e-mailing Josette [at] jojosretroandvintage.com

Giveaway ends on ~~January 23rd at 12:01AM EST~~ Giveaway is closed.

instagram

2012-01-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

1. so sleepy! I want to spend all of 2012 in bed

2. hypatia, my cute goofball

3. back to pink!

4. I love Chloe's three white whiskers!

5. new drawing (in the shop)

6. astronaut ice cream = best invention ever.

Are you on instagram? I'm @kategabrielle :)

omg this coat.

2012-01-13T16:41:00.003-05:00

Remember in my wishlist wednesday post I mentioned that I bought two coats from the asos sale? This is one of them, and I'm head over heels in love with it. Like, so in love I want to hug it when I go to sleep tonight and never let go. There are so many reasons...

1. I've been looking for "the one" ever since my beloved black h&m swing coat bit the dust two years ago. It had a really thick woven texture and ended up getting pills beyond repair. This one is a flat quilted material that looks like it'll last forever.

2. The fit and flare shape!! It's my favorite silhouette of all time, and I never ever see coats like this. It's going to be perfect with my dresses that used to get all bunched up under normal straight coats.

3. I can wear belts with it! Thanks to the fitted shape, I can accessorize with belts that match my bright tights. Or just spice up an all-black ensemble with a pretty bright belt! I'm so excited about this it's ridiculous.

4. It has nice deep pockets! My favorite coat from last season didn't have pockets and it used to drive me nuts since I don't like wearing gloves.

5. The neckline. I folded it down into a button-up shirt sort of look, but it actually buttons up into a funnel neck so you don't even have to wear a scarf if it's super chilly outside! If it's a little nippy and I just have to run out real quick I can go sans gloves, sans scarf and still be a-okay in my new super fantastic coat! hooray!

6. The price. It was originally $143 --- it was (and still is) on sale for only $44! :-O

Okay, I'm done gushing now. And I know it's silly to get so excited about a coat. But I just love it so so so so much I had so share! I almost want to make some excuse to go out tonight just so I can wear it. Or maybe I'll turn the heat off and just wear it around the house. I need to wear it.

ps. In this picture you can kind of tell that my bangs are much more pink than the rest of my hair (or you couldn't tell and I just brought your attention to it myself) anyway, I'm going to let it go and fix it next time I have to touch up my roots. I sort of like the grapefruity pinkish redish orangey tone going on in the back right now lol

posh frock friday

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

dress - modcloth

lace cardigan - forever 21

shoes - modcloth

hair bow - honeybean

Yup, it's pink again... I'm seriously the queen of indecisiveness ;p I feel so much more comfortable and confident with pink hair, though... it's odd but somehow I feel more like "me" again.

Anyway, how amazing is this cardigan thingy?! I picked it up while I was shopping for Christmas presents last month, and I've had it hanging in front of my window ever since (I'm obsessed with how pretty lace looks when it's backlit by sunlight!) so I can just gawk at it all the time. Recently I've really grown fond of delicate clothing, and I find myself gravitating towards it more and more.

perfect for the occasion

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but probably half of the clothing I own was purchased because it would be perfect for [insert event here.] I'm not talking about one time events like an art show opening or going on vacation, just casual occasions when wearing a certain article of clothing would be pitch perfect. For instance, when I bought this dress I knew I'd be wearing it pretty much every time my family and I went out for ice cream. It just screams "wear me when eating ice cream!!"

Here are some examples of dresses I adore and places I'd love to wear them!

1. star print midi dress ($17) would be absolutely perfect for going to the planetarium! Or add a sweater, tights and boots and it would even be great for laying on the hood of the car doing some star-gazing at home.

2. multi color block dress ($57) just screams "roller skating!" doesn't it?! I'm a pretty crappy roller skater, but I always think it looks like fun :)

1. zest is more dress ($49) reminds me so much of Belle's gown! I already started making a dress to wear to see Beauty & The Beast 3D this weekend but if I wasn't, I'd totally buy this and wear it to the movie!

2. good enough to eat dress ($69) would be ideal for a county or street fair! I have this one and let me tell you, it makes drinking a milkshake or eating a funnel cake 100x more fun!

1. paws and play dress ($59) I love wearing cat themed clothing when I do volunteer work for my local animal shelter. I wore this one to the book-wrapping fundraiser in december :)

2. painted lovely dress ($59) You could go to the art museum and stand in front of a Jackson Pollock painting in this dress and nobody would even know you were there.

1. graceful greenery dress ($129) I would love to wear this to a garden estate like Winterthur! I haven't been there in a few years, but last time I went with my family it was just so pretty and for some reason I remember it smelled heavenly! Not like flowers, just really sweet.

2. seasons to believe dress ($129) This green frock would be so pretty for St. Patrick's Day! When I was little I used to celebrate by dying *everything* with green food coloring. Eggs, milk, rice... I think this dress is much more appetizing ;D

1. blue striped dress ($99) If I went sailing I'd say this would be a fantastic sailing dress.. but since I'm a land lover, I'm going with a trip to the seashore instead ;)

2. pink floral print dress ($55) I have so much fun choosing an easter dress every year, and I definitely have my sights set on this one already, even though it's only January! The colors are just so springy and easter-egg like!

wishlist wednesday

2012-01-11T18:06:00.005-05:00

The cutest brooch ever! $36 from pannikin on etsy

Two modcloth dresses I'm drooling over this week -- the sparkling cider dress ($54) and the cats the ticket dress ($49.99) Basically if it's frilly and girly or if it has a cat on it, I want it!

I love this fawn figurine from Circus Bear Vintage on etsy (The Dainty Squid's vintage shop)

Peter pan collars make my heart go all-aflutter! They can be oh-so sixties-ish, like the scooter dress on the left ($49 from dorothy perkins) or thirties inspired like the red polka dotted number on the right ($80 from Miss Selfridge)

ASOS was having (is having?) a coat sale this week, and I snagged two pretties for 70% off! This coat wasn't one of them, though, because it's full priced.. but I love it so much! The color is to die for, and I think the shape is so Doris Day-ish! ~~$172 from ASOS~~ On sale for only $60 if you buy it directly from the designer's website!! Thank you for the tip, Gwyneth! :)

How cute would these mary janes be to wear on valentine's day?! $90.90 from ASOS

And how adorable is this S&P set?! I'm *this* close to starting a salt and pepper shaker collection, I just keep finding so many adorable ones on etsy!! $15 from Georgia Peach Vintage

so so

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

shirt and belt - forever 21

skirt - h&m

tights - target

shoes - francesca's

I've actually liked my outfits every day for the last week or so, and I've tried photographing all of them but I keep deleting the photos afterwards. It's that whole "looks so good in the mirror but terrible in a picture" syndrome :p This was the only one where I thought it came out moderately okay, but I'm still not thrilled with it. I swear, it looked so cute in the mirror, lol! I think I'm just posing awkwardly. I've been feeling pretty so-so lately, and I guess posing for my camera isn't coming naturally when all I want to do is be curled up in bed!

Style Idol - Francoise Hardy

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

//image links back to source

let me get this straight

2012-01-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, Misikko contacted me to ask if I'd like to review their hair straightener, and I jumped at the chance. Before I get into my review, though, I'd like to give a short history about why being offered the chance to use a high quality hair straightener was such a huge deal to me.

I have not quite curly, not quite wavy, very thick, oddly puffy hair. I hate it. So ever since I was old enough to style it myself, I've been wearing it in an updo of some kind. But at the same time, I've always wanted desperately to wear it down. From my pre-teen years to today, I've gone through an endless series of curling irons, hair straighteners, straightening hair brushes, curlers, straightening cremes, thinning hair-cuts and basically anything that might make me love my hair. Here is one of the most embarrassing videos from my youth (I can't even believe I'm sharing this!!) It was the first day of 8th grade, and my mom was using a curling iron to try to tame my extremely puffy hair.

A pretty surly 12 year old, right? It seemed like all the other girls at school, even at 12 years old, had perfect locks while mine were frizzy, puffy and thick enough to hide a small animal. After the failed attempt to subdue the monster on my head, I ended up wearing it back in a ponytail, as usual. Over the years the puffiness has sort of deflated a little bit (thankfully) but I'm still uncomfortable enough with my hair that I rarely wear it down.

Right now I own a conair hair straightener, and while it technically straightens my hair it doesn't seem to smooth it out and help control the volume as much as I'd like. Enter, the Hana 1" ceramic flat iron that Misikko sent to me. I hoped so badly it would finally help me manage my unmanageable hair. The instructions suggested the lowest setting for bleached hair, but I had to put it on a higher setting to get it to work, because my hair is so thick. It worked a lot faster than my conair, and it glided over my hair more smoothly (not as much catching and tugging, which can really hurt!) but the end product seemed pretty much the same. (You can see how my hair looks straightened with the conair straightener in this post.) My hair ended up being pin-straight, but still sort of frizzy and puffy. I like it a lot better than my natural texture, but it's still not like this:

I guess maybe my particular hair texture is just never going to get that straight. I had a friend in high school with tight ringlet curls, and hair straighteners worked fantastic for her! Gliding hot ceramic plates over her tresses turned them perfectly silky straight. So I'd imagine this iron would work a lot better on curly hair or wavy hair, but as for me? If a high-end hair straightener can't get my hair the way I want it, I basically give up, lol!

I will admit though, being unaccustomed to anything fancy, the presentation and packaging was pretty impressive. It comes with a silicon pad to put on your counter so that you don't burn it, along with like 4 different carrying cases and lots of little extras like makeup, an eye mask, a hair towel, sachets and more! It was sort of like a hair product equivalent of hotels leaving a mint on your pillow, haha!

The Melody Lingers On // This Mortal Coil

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil // image via AniseSprout

exciting news!

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Scathingly Brilliant blog design is now officially a two-girl team! I'm so excited to announce that one of my closest friends, Casey from Noir Girl, has joined forces with me to create tons of blog designing goodness! Casey is a 1940's-loving style and movie blogger, an amazing graphic designer and artist, and she has the most impeccable taste of anyone I know! And she's a wordpress gal, so blog makeovers are no longer limited to blogger! We're doing headers, etsy banners, makeovers, illustrated portraits and more... you can check out our site here!

shop update

2012-01-07T17:15:00.003-05:00

I haven't done a shop update in a long time, so I thought it would be fun to catch up a little, especially since I've been adding a lot of new stuff to my store this week! Today I added the print above, another little homage to cat ladies like myself ;) I don't know if I can withstand the pain (I'm a huge baby) but if I get my first tattoo anytime soon, I'm pretty sure this will be it.

Anyway, that drawing is available in my etsy shop as a print, and also in my society6 shop on iphone cases, laptop skins, etc.

I also made a version of my telephone illustration with a guy. I've had a lot of people ask me about this over the last couple years, but I've always been *pitiful* at drawing men and kept putting it off. I'm surprisingly really pleased with how it turned out, though! Maybe I might start working men into my art more often now :) It's available as a print set and a pendant set, and I'm working on a PDF embroidery pattern too!

Last but certainly not least, is an exciting collaborative project! I've teamed up with Kaitlyn from isavirtue to create a limited edition series of stationery projects for National Letter Writing Week (January 9-15) The envelopes, letter paper, stickers and journals will be available in both of our shops now through the end of January :)

I've also added bachelorette party invitations, an Audrey Hepburn art print set, a PDF activity book, and I relisted my old valentines for the season of hugs and kisses coming up! ♥

instagram

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

1. present from my dad - an iphone case from my own society 6 store

2. just hypatia looking beautiful, as usual

3. reluctantly taking down my Christmas decorations :(

4. arranging my nail polish in rainbow order

5. blogging in bed on wednesday, under the weather

6. my all-time favorite candy bar

a posh frock friday kind of un deux trois

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

remixed item: vintage velvet dress

outfit 1: cardigan - forever 21 // bag, tights, shoes - h&m // sunglasses -fred flare

outfit 2: tights - we love colors // shoes - h&m

outfit 3: cardigan - h&m // shoes - target/DIY // tights- we love colors

This is one of my all-time favorite dresses, ever! The only thing is that the top button kept springing open whenever I was wearing it and nobody would tell me. I wore it in April to a street fair in Princeton, and who knows how long I was walking around with my top wide open before I finally looked down and noticed myself. eek!

Of course, I never actually fixed the dress, I just kept wearing it time and again, hoping it wouldn't burst open in public (and it always did.) But finally last month I found a black safety pin in my mom's sewing basket and permanently attached it to the dress (I couldn't sew it closed or else I wouldn't have been able to take it on or off) so all future crises are now averted :) Does anyone else have this problem with button-down clothing? For me, the garments don't even have to be tight in the chest, as long as they have buttons, they'll pop open. Even my oversized button-down pajamas that I wear around the house! I think all of my buttons are cursed.

star stuff

2012-01-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

I started reading The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan last week, and when I saw his cosmic calendar in print I knew it had to be the first Star Stuff post of the year! Sagan had a remarkably brilliant way of illustrating the history of time in a way that you can actually wrap your head around. Think of every single second that has passed since the Big Bang as one single calendar year. The Big Bang is the first second of the first day of January. Humans don't emerge until 10:30PM on December 31st, New Year's Eve! You can click on the image to view it bigger and see all of the different milestones in Earth's history, and when they happened on the cosmic calendar.

un deux trois

2012-01-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

remixed item: vintage tan skirt

outfit 1: white shirt - vintage // jacket & belt - forever 21 // shoes - blowfish

outfit 2: dress - modcloth // belt - forever 21 // shoes - blowfish

outfit 3: shirt - vintage // vest - from my mom // belt - forever 21 // shoes - blowfish

Am I boring you yet with all the remix posts? lol ;) This is one of my favorites because, despite the fact that I'm wearing the same skirt & shoes (and the same shirt in two of the outfits) they all look pretty different! I love simple little switch-ups like wearing a button-down skirt backwards or rolling up the sleeves of a long-sleeved shirt to make it spring-friendly!

wishlist wednesday

2012-01-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

1. Naina shoes in Tan corduroy from Blowfish // $39.00

2. Day in and Day out dress from Modcloth // $74.99

3. Morris fine art print from Heather Mattoon // $30.00

4. Feeding the doves dress from Modcloth // $69.99

5. Two finger heart ring from Forever 21 // $4.80
6. Chocolate run boots from Modcloth // $57.99

7. Beaded bow belt from Miss Selfridge // $12.00

8. Curved felt pork pie hat from Topshop // $50.00

9. Pastel quilted bag from ASOS // $27.27

un deux trois

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

remixed item: raining petals dress from modcloth

outfit 1: lace bodysuit - boohoo // shoes - from my grandmom

outfit 2: lace cardigan - h&m // belt - forever 21 // shoes - c/o blowfish

outfit 3: cardigan & belt - forever 21 // shoes - target

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite dresses. Two of these outfits made it into my top 12 favorites of 2011, actually! And it's so miraculously versatile-- it's very dainty and delicate, but somehow works quite well dressed down with a cardigan and flats. And apparently it gives me so much confidence that I actually looked into the camera each time I wore it on the blog, haha!! What a rarity! ;D

Style Idol - Jane Fonda

2012-01-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

//image links back to the source

un deux trois

2012-01-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

remixed item: mustard dress from h&m

outfit 1: sweater - h&m // belt - old navy // shoes - francesca's // tights - target

outfit 2: collar - c/o branchbound // belt - c/o softspoken // shoes - blowfish

outfit 3: belt & necklace - forever 21 // tights - we love colors // shoes - alloy

While outfit posts are shelved for the week, I thought it would be fun to play catch-up with un, deux trois (my outfit remix post series) which I haven't done in quite a while! This particular dress is so easy to remix, because it's so simple, with a classic shape and interesting yet toned down color. My favorite of the three outfits is #1. I love the muted colors and it was SO cozy! :)

The Melody Lingers On // Goldfrapp

2012-01-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Strict Machine by Goldfrapp // image via JessicaIllustration