heat wave

Aside from this awesomeness, and seeing Despicable Me 2 (which was fantastic!!) it's been a rough week. My printer broke on Monday and the replacement I bought was defective. I pinched my skin between the printer box and the Staples shopping cart (OUCH!) and I literally stepped in gum. Then me and my brother got in an argument and haven't been speaking :\ The whole printer episode set me back way too much with work, and on top of all that I've been running a high fever during the worst heat wave of the summer. All I want right now is to set up a pillow fort near the a/c vent and watch Supernatural between naps.

Today is my mom's birthday so no matter how much work I have piling up on my desk, I'm just going to relax and spend the day with her. Whenever we ask her what she wants for her birthday she always says Bounty paper towels (seriously) since we go through them so quickly. So me and my dad bought twenty four 8 packs and piled them outside her bedroom door last night as a surprise. It was SO funny to see her reaction when she opened the door, with this giant wall of paper towels in front of her!! Things like that really make bad-luck weeks not so bad after all :)

pinafore - c/o dahlia | collar - vintage | belt - asos

shoes - urban outfitters | lace blouse - c/o oasap

figuring it out

I've spent most of my twenties trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I know technically I have a full-time job as an illustrator (at the moment) but the financial instability that comes with it makes me break out into a cold sweat at least once a week. Somehow at the end of each month I still manage to pay all my bills and buy food (and dresses) but the fluctuations in daily income make me physically ill sometimes. I'm always wondering if today will be the last day I ever make a sale... if things will suddenly come to a screeching halt and I'll be left without a career, a job, or any reliable income.

My dad has owned his own business since before I was born. His father owned his own car radio business and my dad's maternal grandfather owned his own furniture shop. Being a small business owner runs in my blood, and for a long time I never even considered an alternative. Growing up, I was going to be an "artist" and nothing else. A real job wasn't even an option.

I see now, though, that the stress I'm feeling at 26 is still plaguing my dad at 60. I've known for a while that this is not going to be how I spend my whole life, but I've never been able to think of a better alternative. Earlier this year I thought I'd just get a job, not a new career. I went for a group interview at an ice cream parlor along with five other applicants. They were all still in high school. One of the questions at the interview was "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" While they all pondered what the future would look like when they were in their mid-twenties, I was thinking about where I'd be in my late thirties. LATE THIRTIES!?

I obviously don't want to be dishing out ice cream with people young enough to be my children. But I also don't want to be making ends meet in a job that could cave out from under me at any given minute. I started giving serious thought to going back to school and starting a new career. But what?! It always seemed like I was horrendously unqualified for every field that interested me (hi there, astronomy!) And then suddenly, it dawned on me... my ideal career. I have NO idea why this never occurred to me before, because it is literally perfect.

I'm going to go back to school to get a degree in elementary education so that I can be an art teacher. I know it's not a job market swimming with openings, but I can be patient. I just know deep down that this is the ideal choice for me, and this might sound corny but I feel so much peace now. It's like I've spent the last six years searching for something and I finally found it.

Part of me is a little sad that I didn't realize this until I was 26, though. I know a lot of people don't "find their calling" until they're older, but it's definitely sad to realize what you've missed out on. But I'm ridiculously excited about going back to school and starting this new adventure! I can't even tell you guys just how HAPPY this has made me. I'm just so happy.

dress- modcloth | sweater - forever 21 | shoes - asos

brooch - kate's little store | cat bag - amazon

mid-year resolution

Today is the day that I finally get caught up on my emails. Or at least start to. It might take more than one day...

For the last few years, staying on top of my emails has been my #1 new years resolution (ambitious, I know) and every year I've failed miserably. I have a tendency to flag emails that I need to reply to, and then I completely forget to reply. Sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months. I'm kind of like an absent-minded professor except without the professor part. Honestly I am quite the unorganized mess. I'm one of those people who runs out to Old Navy to buy pajamas because all of mine are dirty and I forgot to do my laundry (I say "one of those people" because I'm hoping desperately that it's not just me...)

Anyway, today is the day that I am tackling my inbox. I have unanswered emails going as far back as February. YIKES. I shouldn't even be allowed to have an email account. I'm pretty sure everyone waiting for a reply must hate me by now but I'm going to write back nonetheless. I got caught up on everything else on my to do list (um, except for laundry... oops) so my schedule is cleared for emailing. LOTS of emailing.

When I'm all caught up (assuming that's even possible) I'm going to sort my inbox and start making folders. And then I'm going to set aside a certain time to reply to messages every single day. As soon as I start putting it off for one day, it'll turn into weeks and months again.  I know there are a lot of online tools for organizing your inbox, but I think for me it just comes down to willpower and making myself reply to every message within 24 hours of receiving it. As soon as I start putting things off, I never get around to doing them.

All this to say -- if you've been waiting to hear back from me:  a) I'm really sorry, and b) you should be getting a reply before Monday. If you don't hear back it probably means I never got your message to begin with because I'm literally replying to EVERYTHING :)

better in person

This was one of my favorite outfits I've ever worn, and yet I kind of hate how it came out in my pictures. It's weird how that happens sometimes! I promise it looked so cute in person. Pinky swear!

I was so excited to find this dress on ebay. I've been after a perfect black and white polka-dotted dress for years and this one (originally from h&m) really does the trick. blah. I got a comment recently that said my blog has gotten dull the last few months, which was kind of rude but probably a little true. I know that I'm still mourning the loss of my cat and having a hard time creating fluffy content with a heavy heart. But now that the thought is planted in my brain, I just can't seem to write *anything at all* without feeling like whatever I'm typing is Dullsville, USA. aghhh! I just seriously can't think of interesting things to say now. It created a big mental block (catch-22 alert!) Outfit posts always present that problem to begin with (like how often do you really want to hear "I love this dress, here is why") but now it's even harder to come up with an interesting way to make trite conversation about what I'm wearing or what I did that day. Oh phooey! :p

ps. I didn't want to do a whole post on the office finale since I'm getting into "might turn into an office fanblog" territory but did anyone else watch it?!?! I was in a constant state of crying the whole time. It was so perfect. I want to watch it again so I can catch things I might have missed the first time, but I don't know if my heart can handle it just yet.

dress - ebay | sweater - steamtown mall in scranton

shirt - forever 21 | shoes - asos

a new chapter

Well, as of today I am no longer a full-time etsy seller. My flapper doodle sales have been on a steady decline for the last several months, and no amount of frantic title tweaking, advertising budget increases or new product releases seem to have made any difference. I'm still trying to keep things afloat, but I also faced the inevitable and decided to apply for a real job.

And yesterday I got the call that I was hired, by my favorite local ice cream parlor! I think it's a perfect fit for me, and I'm really excited about working there. It's a part time job so I can still maintain my (albeit floundering) shop. It'll be so nice not to have to worry about my loss of income and I really think it's a job that I'll enjoy. Flapper Doodle will remain open (as long as my sales are still trickling in, I suppose!) as will Sweet and Lovely. The only obvious change will be that I'll probably have more interesting things to blog about than the weather and my tv viewing habits ;)

I was really lucky to have had a successful etsy shop for as long as I did -- I can't even express how thankful I am that I was able to work from home the entire time that I had Hypatia, since it enabled me to spend so much time with her. She was a special needs cat and needed a guardian who could care for her constantly, and I'm so grateful that I was able to do that. I treasure every single second I had with her, and thanks to Flapper Doodle I had so many more seconds than I would have had if I had to leave for work each day.

I'm incredibly sad that Flapper Doodle is losing steam and that reviving it seems to be out of my control, but I'm also very excited about this new chapter in my life! I've been self employed (before etsy I sold my art at outdoor street fairs full time) for ten years so this is going to be quite an adventure! But I'm really looking forward to hopefully making some new friends and having some wonderful new experiences! I'm also a teeny bit scared since my decade of self-employment has turned me into a bit of a reclusive hermit but maybe this was just what I needed to come out of my shell :)

dress- modcloth | lamb brooch - c/o sugar cookie 

cardigan - forever 21 | shoes -asos (similar) | belt - h&m

lilac ruffles

I think I got this dress almost three years ago and it's still one of my all-time favorites. It's probably the dress I've worn most on this blog too (I think a remix post is in order soon!) This time I layered a lilac shirt underneath and I love the way they look together! The shirt came with a tie-collar but I cut it off since I think the flouncy neck and black piping are perfect without it.

For the first time in a while I actually have a lot of things to look forward to this month. As you can imagine, I'm ridiculously excited about Jurassic Park being re-released tomorrow. I pre-ordered tickets online for the first showing at my local theater, and then me and my mom will hopefully see it at the Downtown Disney theater while we're in Florida, too. And then I'll make everyone I know go with me again countless times when we get home ;) On Saturday I have something top-secret but really exciting happening (details later!) This Sunday me and my brother are going to the flea market, which somehow always seems like a mini-vacation to me so I'm really looking forward to it :) Then next Wednesday I'm off on vacation! Oh and later this month is my dad's 60th birthday (!!!) so we'll be planning some fun stuff for that too!

dress- modcloth | purple blouse - c/o modcloth | cardigan - forever 21

shoes - urban outfitters | belt - asos

to distraction

I hardly ever wear pants but when I do I think the outfits always end up among my favorites. I love this one so much, with the scalloped collar blouse and polka dot pants that match my shoes exactly.

I'm still having a really, really hard time coping with losing Hypatia. Tomorrow will be a month and I've lost it quite a few times this week... Distractions are helping somewhat though. My mom has been joining me for X-Files marathons almost every night in the living room, and before bed I've been losing myself in the Hunger Games books. I really wanted something to read that would suck me in so my mind wouldn't wander and these have been doing the trick! I'm almost finished though, so I've been limiting how many pages I'll let myself read each night to stretch it out a little longer. If you have any suggestions for completely engrossing books I could read when I'm finished, I'm all ears! :)

blouse - c/o tulle | pants and shoes - forever 21

everybody pants now

Whenever I say the word "pants" I think of Leslie Knope singing "Everybody pants now! Pants, pants, pants, pants, pants" ... I obviously watch too much tv.

But yeah, I am wearing pants! It's a novelty indeed, but I think I might wear them more often... at least this particular pair. They're very comfy (for pants) and I am in love with the color and polka-dottedness. They actually are a much nicer color in person.. a little lighter and more like cornflower blue. I'm getting really tired of the overcast weather we've been having here, not just because it makes taking photos virtually impossible (even photoshop can't work its usual magic on my might-as-well-be-midnight dark photos) but because it's affecting my mood as well. I've just been so darn down in the dumps for the last two weeks. Every waking minute I've wanted to be asleep. But hopefully the clouds will soon say toodle-oo and my room, my life and my mood will all be sunny again :)

sweater and pants - f21 | shoes - c/o bait footwear | dinosaur necklace - sweet and lovely

lost and found memories

We've had undeveloped disposable cameras and rolls of film laying around the house for as long as I can remember... some in junk drawers, some on shelves in the laundry room, some under the bed. Most of them expired 10+ years ago and might be completely useless now, but I'm finally going to find out! I was originally going to get them all developed at once, but after searching tirelessly for a very cheap way to develop disposable cameras (to no avail) I decided I'm going to start getting one developed per week. I actually like this way better! It will be something really nice to look forward to each weekend. I've heard of people getting old film developed and just having minor aging issues so I'm hoping I have the same luck!

I'm really excited to hopefully discover some lost memories! I'll post about my progress here if I find any photographic treasures. Who knows how many forgotten places, friends and adventures are waiting to be rediscovered! :)

mint and mustard

Not sure why I always feel compelled to name my outfit posts after the colors I'm wearing (which lately means a lot of my blog post titles include the word "mint") ...

For the last two weeks my etsy shop has been way (WAY) too quiet. Since I'm a full time etsy seller (and textbook worrywart) I decided that to keep my brain from spiraling into a deep dark pit of despair, I would tackle some of the little projects around the house that I haven't had time for before.

To begin with, I organized all of my records so it's easier for me to find what I'm looking for (I have so many Sinatra records that I organized by grouping my albums into "Frank" and "Not Frank") and finished up working on a little hallway supply closet. Then I installed a shelving unit under my bed to create even more organized storage! yay! I'm taking pictures later this week to show how neat it looks :) I'm waiting until later in the week because I'm also (drum roll) painting my bed! I've wanted to do this for about 4 years now and just never got around to it. I'm also painting my bedside table, too!

Tomorrow I'm going to tile the counter top in my bathroom (teenage Kate thought it would be a good idea to paint over the laminate counter and I've been trying to figure out a way to undo that damage ever since) and hopefully finish the mural I started in there in 2011! I'm kind of excited actually, even if I do keep anxiously checking the etsy app on my phone every few minutes...

dress- c/o modcloth | shirt and belt - f21 | tights - urban outfitters | shoes - asos

good things

At the end of 2011 I saw an idea on pinterest to write down good things that happen throughout the year and keep them in a jar. On New Years Eve, open the jar and read all of the lovely things that happened to you during the year. I decided to try it out last January, and I actually stuck with it through December!

I wrote down big things (adopting Hubble, passing 6,000 sales on etsy, my first airplane trip), little things (playing board games with my brother, holding Chloe for the first time) and nice things that people said to me. It was so nice to relive all those wonderful moments, and I really couldn't have picked a better year to try this out. Overall 2012 was clouded with family heartbreak and professional disappointments for me. I honestly wouldn't have looked back on 2012 with even the least bit of fondness if I hadn't kept track of all of the nice little things along the way and reminded myself of them on New Years Eve. I am definitely doing it again this year!

If you're thinking of trying this for 2013, I do have one suggestion. If something awesome already happened, write it down. But if something awesome is potentially going to happen - no matter how exciting that something seems -- don't write it down right away. There were quite a few things in 2012 that I got SUPER thrilled about (particularly Flapper Doodle opportunities) and they ended up being huge let-downs. If I had written them down and forgotten to take the paper out, I would have been reminded of my failures on New Years Eve. That wouldn't have been fun. So if someone emails you about an exciting collaboration or project, or if you get an interview for the job of your dreams, just hold off for a little bit before writing it down.

Looking back on 2012

Most people probably start these posts with "wow! this year just flew by!!" but for me this year dragged on like no other. It was one of my least favorite years so far, and I'm pretty happy to be bidding adieu to 2012 tonight. With that being said, there were some happy moments sprinkled throughout the year and thanks to this blog they were documented, so I can remind myself that 2012 wasn't entirely as gloomy as I thought it was. Here are some of my favorite outfits, posts and moments from the past year!




Favorite outfit: sick day and black and grey
Favorite post: My top 5 storage solutions for small spaces
Moments: I saw Beauty & The Beast in 3D with my mom and grandmom, I dyed my hair pink again starting a new year of indecisive hair coloring, I got hooked on LOST, I made my first fonts for Flapper Doodle




Favorite outfits: pastel fade and I have to see some dinosaurs like right now
Favorite posts: DIY business card valentines, Bright hair care Q&A with Kelsi from Brighter Sides
Moments: I adopted Hubble!! I hit 4,000 sales in my etsy shop, we celebrated Chloe's ninth anniversary and Hypatia had an amazing recovery from a scary illness




Favorite outfits: Posh frock friday and This outfit is my favorite outfit of all outfits
Favorite posts: My Pi Day festivities
Moments: Getting to work on the Sucre paper doll poster, seeing Dinosaurs!!, I celebrated my 2nd blog anniversary, and I finally got some much-needed closet space (still haven't posted photos of that yet, though! whoops!)




Favorite outfits: dots and dots and my first thrifting find
Favorite post: DIY 3D embellished dress
Moments: I started The Book Fair, attended the science festival in Philadelphia with my family, and dyed my hair light red.




Favorite outfits: Confetti salad and buzz buzz buzz
Favorite post: my wardrobe in review video for a modcloth contest
Moments: I celebrated five years with Hypatia, I rediscovered my love for painting, I updated my blog layout and dyed my hair dark blonde.




Favorite outfits: Look what I made: unicorn dress! and lilac & leopard
Favorite posts: Scalloped stamped dress DIY and my unicorn dress!
Moments: I met Amber in person (!!!!!) I hit 5,000 sales in my etsy shop, my family and I started spending Saturdays at the beach (it was so perfect!), and Danielle asked me to be a part of the Kitschy Digitals launch




Favorite outfits: would you like fries with that? and Inspired by The Nard Dog
Favorite posts: a happy hypatia post and lipstick organizer DIY
Moments: I was featured in Vogue Girl Korea, my laptop bit the dust (but I love my new one!), my grandmom turned 75, I took a day trip to NYC with my mom & grandmom and had a blast, and I dressed up like Andy Bernard from The Office.




Favorite outfits: pink! and bridesmaid gown restyle
Favorite post: how to make a seamless repeating pattern
Moments: I went one whole year with at least one sale-a-day in my etsy shop, Chloe (aka the assassin) let me hold her, and I dyed my hair pink again.




Favorite outfits: my favorite outfit EVER and ballet memories
Favorite posts: I miss the 90's, how one dress changed my life, and my top 5 closet storage solutions
Moments: I saw The Birds on the big screen, I finished my 2013 Flapper Doodle calendar (my favorite FD work to date!) and I started saving for my own house.




Favorite outfits: Pumpkin pie and Back to normal
Favorite post: Just a couple of kittens out on the town
Moments: I launched Sweet and Lovely!, made a dress specifically for apple picking, saw Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen and dyed my hair dark blonde again (last hair color change for the year, hooray!)




Favorite outfits: birthday frock and such a wholesome place
Favorite post: we're clearly soldiers in petticoats
Moments: I was officially one year older, I went to Disney World!!, I flew on an airplane for the first time ever and I hit 6,000 sales in my etsy shop on my birthday :)




Favorite outfits: a new favorite and jeepers creepers
Favorite post: some thoughts on the christmas spirit
Moments: My Aunt Annie turned 101, I had a really fun day in New York with my brother, I decorated my room for Christmas, and enjoyed some time off with my family :)