sneak peek!

Most of my apartment is still a work in progress but my studio area is officially complete! I figured that I could always sleep at home while I'm getting things ready, I can still cook at the kitchen at home, but with Christmas shopping season coming up I wanted my work area to be 100% complete as soon as possible. As you can see it's incredibly similar to my studio at home. I loved it so much I didn't really want to change anything! The only big difference is the wall color (white chalkboard paint!!) and I don't have any curtains on my table... yet. I'm still undecided on whether or not to add them.

Does anyone have any fun plans for Halloween tonight? I'm throwing a little party with my family at my apartment (first party here!!) and I am SO excited about my costume!! I took photos of it already to post tomorrow and I am having the hardest time not just posting them right this second. It's my favorite costume ever :)

dress - asos | tights - h&m | shoes - asos | halloween brooch - thrifted | hat - f21

cat lady

I've said this a billion times but I don't think it's possible for me to wear one cat accessory without adding on one or two more. I almost feel like it's essential that kitty accessories come in pairs or something.

My hair is growing so fast, how come when you have a short haircut it feels like you need to constantly maintain it but when you're *trying* to grow out your hair it grows about 1/4" a year? argh! It also needs a color touch-up now, but I kind of like the hue it's fading into. I will say this, purple is requiring a lot less maintenance than pink did (possibly even less than the dark blonde!) My dark brown roots are blending in a lot more and the faded color is a pretty greyish purple (I don't think it translates well in these pictures but in person it has a lot of grey tones) whereas the pink would get kind of brassy and my roots would be SO obvious! I'm pretty happy with the purple, I think it's going to stick around for a while :)

dress- urbanog | shirt - c/o lalamagic | shoes - ebay | necklace- c/o i love crafty

it started all over again

It took me the longest time to figure out when the light in my bedroom was optimal for taking pictures.. usually about 1-3pm in the summer and 12-1pm in the winter. The windows in my new apartment face a different direction and seem to get the best light earlier in the morning, but I haven't gotten accustomed to that yet. I still took pictures in the late afternoon and then had to deal with lots of photoshop lightening, graininess and just plain bad quality when I edited it later. Live and learn I suppose! I'll just have to switch my schedule around a bit to get better photos next time.

I'm *this* close to actually moving in soon. This week I'm finally having my wi-fi activated and installing my dining room light fixture. All that's left now is moving all of my stuff. I brought most of my books and a few knick knacks to make the place look more Kate-ish but there is LOADS left to bring. And I'm having a hard time deciding what to take over because in the mean time it's making my current room look so barren! It'll just be nice when I'm all moved in and can start sharing room tours and such. I did a bunch of little projects already that I am DYING to post here! :)

everything is from forever 21

friday favorites

I'm in love with these pretty wooden bow ties from ladybird likes!



This time of year I come down with the worst coat obsession. The fact that these (and all of the coats at modcloth) are on sale 25% off today just feeds the obsession even more ;) The sale ends tonight at midnight, just enter code "BRRR25" at checkout.



It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas decorations! Especially since I'm going to have a whole apartment to decorate this year :) I think I'm definitely getting this adorable advent calendar from Alice Apple!



Best Halloween costume, ever!



An assistant editor on Breaking Bad put together a "Breaking Bad on Ice" show! You can see the whole thing here.



I think I included cat socks last week but there's no such thing as too many cat socks, especially when said socks have ears.



A little pup dressed like the house from Up! My heart is bursting!



I need this pink fluffy coat in my life so badly.



The Paley Center X-Files event that I missed earlier this month was posted on youtube so I got to see it! I would have much rather been there (obviously!) but it was pretty fun watching the video too :) At one point Gillian Anderson accidentally called David Duchovny "Mulder" and my heart cried tears of joy.

in limbo

Still not totally moved out yet, obviously lol :) Actually I'm keeping my current room pretty much unchanged so this background will still probably pop up in outfit posts every so often even after I've moved. I'm taking a lot of the artwork but the desk & curtains are staying put, and I'll likely replace everything on the walls with something else so it'll still be a home away from home :)

Yesterday me and my dad went to Ikea for the day and I got pretty much everything I needed to finish setting up my apartment. Now I just need to assemble it all and then move my current furniture over. To my second story apartment. Up a flight of stairs. @_@ I've already taken over most of my (heavy!) books and I can say for certain it's the only time in my entire life that I've regretted being a book lover.

In non-moving related news, my parents just got me hooked on Fringe. Is anyone else a fan? I'm only about 8 episodes in so far but I love it! My dad kept telling me that it was the closest thing to The X-Files that he's ever seen, and while I'm not quite smitten enough to compare it to my favorite show of all time, I do think it's pretty darn fantastic. It's on Netflix if you're looking for something to binge-watch ;)

dress- modcloth | sweater - old navy | tights - target | shoes - bait footwear

a first time for everything

My first outfit photo in my new place! I only have one wall left to paint and a couple small projects to complete before I can start moving in my furniture. I've been over there every day hurrying to get things finished. I didn't realize how incredibly time-intensive and stressful moving can be! There is SO much to be done, so many things I have to spend money on that I don't want to (hello there, microwave) and so many normal day-to-day responsibilities that are hard to keep up with when all of your stuff is in limbo. eek! Hopefully I'll be able to wrap everything up this week and get settled. I really can't wait to get the cats over there and see them inspecting everything. A house just isn't a home until there are little furry babies running around in it! :)

I just got these new glasses in the mail this week and I love them so much.. they remind me of the ones Marilyn Monroe wore in How to Marry a Millionaire (one of my favorite movies, by the way!) I've had prescription glasses for over a year but it's taking me a while to get used to wearing them regularly. Mostly because I've had a hard time finding frames that I like. I've acquired a bit of a collection after ordering a lot online, but these and this blue pair are the only ones I've felt comfortable in. These are from London Retro... they have a lot of nice old-fashioned styles to choose from so I have a feeling I'll be going back for more at some point. Right now they have a collection inspired by the London Underground, with each pair named after a different station. Pretty nifty! :)

dress - forever 21 | shoes - c/o bait footwear | hat - gift from casey

heart brooch - gift from rosa clementine | glasses - c/o my optique

new new new

I have some new items I've made recently that I'm really excited about! First is this printable Halloween card.. it's blank inside so it can be used as a greeting card or party invitation, or it can be framed for seasonal decor! :) It's available as an instant download here.


I'm VERY excited about this one! I've been wanting to do some silent movie title card inspired items for Flapper Doodle for the longest time..  it's such a perfect fit for my 1920's artwork! This printable Halloween banner was hand-lettered with a white art deco border and grainy black background to mimic 80-year-old-film. I have all kinds of related ideas.. birthday banners, note cards, calendars, the possibilities are endless :D For now though, there's just this one little banner.. available as an instant download here.



Voila! The first drawing for my 2014 calendar (coming soon!!) I had to release this one early since it's just so perfect for October! It's available as a print here.


One of my best friends, Sarah, recently moved into a new apartment so I made this little card for her housewarming gift! I liked how it came out so much that I had to make it into a printable, too! ;) The download comes with files for printing it as a note card or an art print, and it's available (you guessed it) as an instant download here.



Last but not least, a digital printable blog planner! This year I got really off track with my blogging schedule and felt like I needed something to get organized, so I created this kit and decided to share it as a printable, too! It includes sheets for keeping track of giveaways, product reviews, deadlines, brilliant ideas and more. It also includes two different perpetual calendar designs that can be used for blogging or just keeping track of a busy life :) It's available (drum roll..) as an instant download here.

ps. I took the photo of my Happy Halloween banner at my new apartment! Words can't describe how exciting it was to finally have access to a plain white wall for product pictures. yay!! :D

friday favorites

I love this post from Marianne about why she loves vintage.



pink cat socks!! super cute cat dress!!



I love these galaxy print heels, and I love them even MORE after seeing this awesome post from Churrts at The Astronista explaining just what makes cosmic prints look so out of this world.



Last month there were 80 custom painted Gromit sculptures on display in the UK and then auctioned off for charity. I wish so much I could have seen this! Me and my family are big Wallace and Gromit fans! Image via Candy Pop



I want to get this sweater and embroider unicorn horns on all of the horses..



AMC has some ads and design sketches from the Sterling Cooper portfolio on their site. This and the Belle Jolie one are my favorites! I miss Mad Men!



Basically if Mindy Kaling's name is on it, I'll buy it.



Katie's Bjork swan costume is the best thing EVER.



I'm a sucker for anything with scallops.. and this one comes in two colors!! ps. my all time favorite scalloped dress is on sale at modcloth now!



I adore this greeting card from extracurricular activities! I want to get one to frame :)

shop my closet update!

I just listed over 70 items in my shop my closet store! Lots of pretty collars, lace, a few cat print items (!!) and some shoes, too! Here's a little peek at a few of my favorite items in the shop, or you can check out all 70+ over here.

As usual I listed everything on sweet & lovely so if you're interested in any of the other items in the shop you get combined shipping if you buy them too :)

hearts again

I seem to have an unintentional theme going on this week!

I wore this yesterday when I visited my apartment for the first time that it could really be called MY apartment. After I gave my parents a little tour we went out for dinner and then came back to my place for dessert. It's currently completely empty except for 7 cans of paint on the floor, whipped cream and chocolate pudding in the fridge, and a pink feather wreath on the door. A nice start, if I do say so myself ;)

Despite all the hustle and bustle going on right now with moving I'm also working on so many projects! I finally finished part of my 2014 calendar (thank goodness, I was worried it would be 2016 before I got around to it!!) and I have a really exciting new sweet & lovely project I'm hoping to have ready in the next couple of weeks. I kind of neglected that shop for a while.. I think the last time I added anything new was in the spring, but all of a sudden my ideas notebook is overflowing. And me and Kyle are working on opening a new joint etsy shop! That last one might take a little while but the wheels are in motion and we're both so excited about it!

ps. Ever + Mi Crush is having a 40% off sale, so if you still haven't snagged a Hypatia dress now would definitely be the perfect time ;) Just use code "autumn40" at checkout!

dress - trollied dolly | shirt - h&m | tie - flapper girl | shoes - urban outfitters