DIY houseplant for your cat

Lately Arrietty has really been enjoying rubbing her face in my houseplants. They're cat safe, so I don't have to worry for her sake, but my plants on the other hand! They're already looking a little the worse for wear because of the lack of sunshine this time of year, and those cat nuzzles are not helping matters any. So I decided to make Arrietty her own plant that she can rub her face in as much as she wants! She's already taken a liking to it so I'd say this DIY was a success!



Materials needed:

A ceramic pot
Plastic grass
Two feather stick cat toys
River rocks
Spray catnip
Styrofoam plant base
Brown kraft paper
Non-toxic glue



When you're shopping for the greenery, make sure you pick something with very substantial leaves that your cat won't be able to ingest. Mine had some small, thin pieces sticking out of it so I plucked them out beforehand.

Add some river rocks to the bottom of your pot for weight, and then put the styrofoam on top of it. Insert your plastic greenery. Using a sharp utility knife, cut off the bulk of the stick on the feather toys and then insert the shorter sticks into the styrofoam.

I forgot to take pictures of the next step, but to cover up the styrofoam just attach small crumpled pieces of brown kraft paper to the foam with non-toxic glue. Once the foam is entirely covered in the brown paper (I did two layers of paper to make sure the foam was totally inaccessible) spritz the ends of the leaves with catnip spray to entice your kitty away from your pretty parlor palms and into their own feline garden!

I can't say how happy I am with this project! Arrietty is content with her plant and has been staying away from the real plants. I just spray the leaves whenever I think it needs a little catnip refresh.

my top five: things that are making me happy

This year I've been trying to be more deliberate in how I spend my time (ie. not wasting away hours scrolling through twitter or pinterest.) I've been focusing on things that always make me happy, and trying to do, well, more of that. It's really been brightening my mood considerably -- as long as I am doing one of my happy activities, I'm usually good.

First up is reading. I LOVE reading but in 2017 and 2018 I really didn't devote that much time to it. I always have a deep regret when I look at my goodreads account at the end of a year and see that I barely finished any of the books I started (I have a terrible habit of starting a book, getting halfway through, and then starting another book.) So far this year I've read 10 books and I'll be so disappointed in myself if I end up slipping as the year goes on. I enjoy reading so much, I just need to be deliberate about how I spend my time to make sure I work it into my day.



Arrietty!! She really should have been first but blogger uploaded the photos in this order and I don't feel like changing it (so lazy omg.) Literally nothing in this entire world makes me happier than this cat. She is the absolute sweetest creature, so adorable, so affectionate, and so silly. I have very few humans in my life that love me (or even like me, lol) but this sweet sweet darling loves me *almost* as much as I love her, and I feel so incredibly grateful for her every day.



Third is cooking! Ever since I started eating healthy back in September I've been enjoying cooking so much more than I used to. Most days I stick with a variation on the same meal (zucchini noodles, tomatoes, broccoli or asparagus, and chick peas.) but a few times each week I'll try a brand new recipe. I listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I cook, and just let myself totally enjoy the experience of cooking dinner. And when I'm done, I eat at the table instead of in front of the tv or computer.

A few recipes I've tried recently that I am head-over-heels in love with -- carrot cake baked oatmeal (I am avoiding eggs, so I subbed in 1 tbsp. chia seeds and 1/3 c. water),  kale and wild rice bowl (I used a quinoa/wild rice combo, and skipped the feta cheese), and butternut squash kale salad with chickpeas and cranberries (I made this into more of a hot meal by combining everything in a skillet, and I used frozen butternut squash noodles!)



Movies! I have to admit I did not do great with my movie intake in January, but last week I made it a goal to watch one movie every night. I recently got this floor cushion (it reminds me of a Winnie The Pooh-printed one that me and my brother used to have when we were little!) and I've been laying it on the floor in front of my computer, filling up a bowl of popcorn, and enjoying a nice relaxing end to the day. My favorite new-to-me movie that I watched so far this year was Zodiac. This movie is 157 minutes long (!!!) but it felt like 90. It was so gripping and well-made that the 2+ hour running time zipped right by.



Lastly, Disney World! Me and my mom are going to be there April 10-16 and it's time to start planning! We can book fast passes and restaurant reservations starting next week! It's been two years since I was in Disney World so I'm incredibly excited to be going back. I loved Disneyland and Disneyland Paris but Disney World is my favorite, where I feel the most at home. Whenever my brain starts drifting into unhappy territory, I just start thinking about dole whip and the small world ride, the Paris pavilion at Epcot, my favorite broccoli slaw sandwich in Liberty Square, the smell of popcorn wafting through the air, the song It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow from the carousel of progress. Only two months to go!

meowy and bright

Tomorrow will be one year since I was hospitalized, and it feels so weird knowing that a year has passed. One of those "only a year???" and "it feels like yesterday!" things combined. This year was really tough health-wise (and life-wise and work-wise, honestly) but I'm still just so thankful that I recovered and I won't be spending Christmas bed-ridden this year. (Knock on wood!) I just felt like I couldn't let it go unmentioned because it's become such a huge part of my life now. I'm all about health, classic movies, and cats. haha.

Our cats have always been able to tell that Christmas is a special day -- they all hang out in the living room and play with wrapping paper and boxes while we open presents. My brother's cat, Xena, likes to hide behind piles of presents and pounce on an unsuspecting Arrietty. My parents' new cat, George, has decided to be an "upstairs cat" so I highly doubt she'll be joining us on Christmas morning downstairs, but who knows... maybe she'll give us a holiday surprise! :)

dress - c/o retrolicious | shirt - urban outfitters (old)

shoes - bait footwear | collar - amazon

cat enthusaist lapel pin - my shop

five years with Arrietty!

This little gal has been a member of the family for five years today!

I was sitting here trying to put into words how much she means to me, trying to describe to you why she's such a special kitty, when I heard her meowing in the hallway, her meows getting closer and closer to my door. She walked in, still meowing, with a little rubber ball in her mouth, and then she dropped it at my feet. It's one of many Arrietty quirks that make living with her so much fun!

She's just such a little sweetheart. She loves snuggling with me and sleeps cuddled up next to me every night. I even have a bench instead of a chair at my desk because she was so distraught that she couldn't sit right next to me while I work! She waits for me outside the bathroom door and likes to hop on my lap to keep me company when I eat lunch. She's always by my side whenever I'm home, and so deliriously happy to see me when I get back from outings (even if I've only been out for a few hours!) She likes to lick my hands and my nose, so much so that my family calls me "Arrietty's lollipop" lol! She's just so affectionate and sweet and the most un-aloof cat I've ever known in my life.

She likes to sit on my arm when I'm at my computer so I'll stop working and pay attention to her instead. She loves laying on her back in the sunshine by the back door, watching squirrels and soaking up the sun. I love how often she lays on her back, because it shows how much she trusts us. And she does it ALL the time! If she's sitting at my feet and I bend my knee, she stands up and stretches on my knee like a little trained puppy. It's adorable!

I just feel so lucky to have her, and I'm so happy that I decided to adopt her during a particularly sad moment in my life. It was 100% one of the best decisions I've ever made. She makes every single day sunnier, funnier, happier, sweeter. She makes me smile even when I'm terribly blue or sick or stressed, and her little kitty hugs are the best part of every day!

You can read my post from when I first adopted her right here. And her first cameo in an outfit post is right here. :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me and my furry friend to you and yours! :)

cat collar

This shirt is one of the only items in my 30 for 30 selection where I'm not really envisioning a bunch of ways to remix it. It was a recent purchase and I just had to include it because I couldn't imagine waiting a whole 30 days before I could wear it, lol!

I've really cut back on my spending in the last month or so, so this shirt was a bit of a splurge for me. In order to save money and pay off some bills I'm limiting myself to one dress, one book, and one DVD per month. And if I do good each week I'm letting myself order pizza each Friday. Right now DVDs are the most tempting thing for me to buy, so I decided I'm going to try to watch everything that I already own. From like 2007-2011 I used to record movies off TCM religiously (I have almost 1200 discs recorded with at least 2-3 movies on each disc!) so that's way more than enough to keep me going for a while.



That being said, I already have my June and July DVD purchases picked out, lol! Criterion is releasing Here Comes Mr. Jordan next week. It's one of the movies that I recorded from TCM ages ago, but this is a restored version with a bunch of extras that I can't wait to watch, including an interview with Elizabeth Montgomery about her dad (even if you're not a movie buff you probably know Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stevens from Bewitched!) I haven't seen Here Comes Mr. Jordan in ages but it used to be one of my favorite films when I was a teenager. For a while I had planned on my first tattoo being a quote from the movie!

My July purchase is going to be Despair, a 1978 Fassbinder film starring one of my favorite actors, Dirk Bogarde, and based on a novel by one of my favorite authors, Vladimir Nabokov. I own this one already, too, but my copy is SO BAD. I bought it before the movie got an official release and I think it was taped off tv in the 1980's. The sound cuts out constantly so I missed like 1/4 of the dialogue. I can't wait to watch the restored version on blu-ray! It's actually a little exciting to be rationing my purchases because it's giving me something to look forward to at the end of each month :)

shirt - miss patina | skirt - urban outfitters | shoes - bait footwear
purple rug - amazon | cat door - my shop

my daily fancy

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Fancy Feast asking if I'd be interested in doing a cat-themed outfit post to help promote their new blog, Daily Fancies. Um, HECK YES.

I love that I actually had to narrow down which cat dress, which cat shoes and which cat cardigan to wear for this post. I'm not only a crazy cat lady, I'm a crazy cat clothing lady, too! This actually reminds me that I've wanted to do a post featuring my collection of cat clothes & accessories for ages now, and it's high time I finally did it. It's probably my favorite thing to collect (fashion-wise) and I'm surprisingly picky about which pieces I buy. The ones in this outfit definitely top my favorites.



So, what is a daily fancy? Anything that you look forward to each day (especially cat-related!) Mine would probably be the hour or so right before I fall asleep & when I wake up. As soon as I'm tucked in bed, both cats hop up and get cozy with me while I read and watch tv. They leave and play and eat at night but they're always fast asleep beside me when I wake up again in the morning.

Hubble is the definition of a finicky cat. He likes dry cat food and basically nothing else, not even treats! I think his daily fancy would be sitting on my lap while I work at night and cuddling with me right before bed. He's such an affectionate kitty! Arrietty is the little food connoisseur of the family. This girl loves to eat. If I put a can of food in front of her she eats the entire thing in one sitting so I need to ration how much she gets or else she'll turn into a GIANT food connoisseur, ha! Her favorite seems to be the Fancy Feast gravy lovers chicken & gravy. Chloe likes that one, too (she's a gravy lover if ever there was one!)

Writing about my kitties' favorite things, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much my little Hypatia absolutely LOVED Friskies turkey and cheese. She didn't eat very much because of her gingivitis but oh, how she would meow for turkey and cheese! I smile every time I see it at the grocery store now :)




^Look at those little paws. I DIE! You can read about other cat lovers' daily fancies (and submit your own!) on the Fancy Feast blog, Daily Fancies.

dress - romwe | sweater - dorothy perkins | shoes - ebay | bag - amazon

belt - f21 | cat lady necklace - c/o i love crafty | I love cats pin - modcloth

bedtime

My favorite part of the day is right before I go to sleep. I get in bed and read for a little while. As soon as I crack open a book, Hubble jumps up on the bed and collapses right next to me, his arms usually wrapped over mine as if he's reading along with me. After I've read for a while I turn on the tv and Arrietty usually makes her appearance around the same time, cuddling up either right next to Hubble or down near my feet. And then I watch 30 Rock or The Office for 1-2 episodes and drift off to sleep with two adorable cats dozing beside me. It's such a relaxing, happy way to end the day.

one year with miss arrietty!

Today is one year since I brought home this little bundle of cuteness. I've said this a million times -- adopting right after you lose a cat definitely isn't for everyone, but it was the right choice for me. Adopting her was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my whole life. I'm so happy that she's a part of my life now.

I can't get over how affectionate she is! She absolutely loves cuddling and licking. We do this thing where I hover my hand over her head and she stands on her hind legs, grabs my arm and starts licking my hand while standing up. It's SO cute I can't handle it. She and Hubble get along fantastically! They play (a lot!), snuggle together and bathe each other. Arrietty is considerably smaller than Hubble so it's always a riot when she pounces on him to initiate play.

She's a goofy, talkative, cuddly, fluffy, beautiful kitty and I'm just so glad I found her.

cats and more cats

Another cat print dress -- shocker!! And am I wearing cat shoes with my cat dress? You bet your kittens I am! It's an unwritten law of Catladydom that one must wear cat shoes with a cat dress. Look it up in your manual if you don't believe me ;)

Arrietty decided to get in on the outfit photo action this time (well, I lured her into the picture by dangling a mouse near the camera. potay-to, potah-to.) Her anniversary is coming up sort of soon and I'll do a whole big birthday post but can I just say how much I absolutely adore this cat? She loves to snuggle and trots after me around the apartment when I move from room to room. She caught me so off-guard... when I adopted her I knew that I was capable of caring for and loving another cat after Hypatia but I really didn't expect to get such a wonderful little buddy.

Just look at this face and that big fluffy tail. She's a keeper.

dress- c/o oasap | shoes - delias | tights - urban outfitters