a purrfect valentine

I've been wearing valentine-themed outfits all week (surprise! ha!) but so far I only had a chance to take pictures of this one. I got these kitty heart collar clips from i love crafty, and they are just purrfect for valentine's day! For me especially, since I adopted two of my cats on February 14th! Tomorrow we're celebrating Chloe's 10th anniversary (!!) and Hubble's 1st! I got Hubble some new toys and then went all-out spoiling Chloe with her favorite foods and treats. I mean, 10 years is pretty big so she deserves to be spoiled.

Off subject, but I just have to mention this cardigan. I'm on a constant quest to find the perfect cropped cardigan and oh golly this one is BEYOND perfect. It fits well, has just the right neckline (sometimes they're too low, too high or weirdly shaped) and it's warm enough for winter but light enough for spring and fall.  I wish so badly that it came in more colors!

dress and shoes - asos | cardigan - c/o modcloth | collar clips - c/o i love crafty

polkadots and moonbeams

When I first got this dress a couple years ago, I didn't like the way the skirt was more fitted than I'm used to... but I loved the print and color so I left it in my closet anyway. I took pictures of it for my last shop my closet update, but then I had a change of heart and decided to try it on again one last time. And I fell in love with it. I love when that happens!

Today there is still snow on the ground from the blizzard, but darn if it doesn't seem like spring. I have the windows open, there's a cool breeze blowing in and the sun is out in full force. I usually suffer through spring (thanks, allergies!) so I really enjoy the few days we get in the winter that are spring-like without the sneezing

dress- vintage | shirt - modcloth | shoes - from my grandmom

stickygram

Last month stickygram sent me some magnets from my instagram photos, and they are pretty incredibly awesome (most of the photos I picked were pictures of my cats, though, so they may have had an unfair advantage in the awesome/cute department.)

I've been trying to do one photo a day on instagram -- not participating in any photo-a-day projects or going with any specific theme, just aiming for at least one picture each day if possible. I think I've only missed one day so far this year, but it was just a crappy day that I didn't really want to document anyway (I think those days should get a free pass with 365 projects, don't you?) Sometimes I just scroll through my photo history in the app and get lost in cute pictures of my cats and happy memories. It's nice to be able to have physical copies of those photos on display now! I have a couple of these on my fridge and a few on my message board near my computer. Right now when I glance up I see Hypatia, Chloe and Hubble peeking out from behind my monitor. I love it!

If you're on instagram too my username is kategabrielle! :)



magnets c/o stickygram

friday favorites

I'd already be sold on these shorts if they were just high-waisted and mint colored, but the fact that they also have pink ice cream sundaes printed on them totally seals the deal! Cutest shorts ever!



This is so simple and absolutely brilliant! White chocolate + yellow m&m + pretzel sticks = bacon and egg candy!! GENIUS! And perfect for Ron Swanson fans. Even perfect-er for vegetarian Ron Swanson fans who don't eat real bacon (yup, we do exist!) You can grab the recipe here.



Speaking of awesome tv people... Barney Stinson. ♥  I'm pretty sure I need this hanging up in my room. I love the quote (although I think when Barney said it on the show it was betraying how sad he actually was, but that's a whole different me-over-analyzing-sitcoms story) and the embroidery and the fabric! It's on etsy here.



I am SUCH a sucker for novelty things, and this is no different. It's a purse that looks like a ladybug! Not quite as amazing as the unicorn shoes (which are now in my closet.. surprise, surprise) but still pretty darn cool!



I'm kind of in love with Kailey's workspace. Ever since I saw this on her blog I've been staring at my desk contemplating which necessary item should be replaced with a pink ice cream lamp. I'm thinking the printer can go.



I love this DIY valentine bunting from Now That's Pretty! I might whip up one of my own using these vintage valentines I scanned last year.



Marianne Faithfull as a doll. She's one of my favorite singers and a pretty awesome person -- there's a documentary about her life on Netflix and I highly recommend it. I loved her interviews in the film, she's just such a strong, spunky and super talented lady!



Isn't this beautiful? I found it on pinterest but it just links back to an endless stream of tumblr reblogs and I can't find the original source. I hate when that happens! If anyone knows who made it, please let me know so I can add a credit :)



Color Me Katie has a super cute tutorial on how to dye rainbow flowers! If you haven't visited her blog before and have some time on your hands, just go through her entire archives. It's a guaranteed smile-maker and for anyone who loves color as much as I do, a feast for the eyes!



I wish that all elementary schools all had this hanging up in their classrooms.

My parents always taught me to say "thank you" if anyone called me weird (the fact that they felt the need to give me this advice must have meant that they knew what I was in for in school?) and I did.  I distinctly remember during one recess in 5th grade, this girl Andrea came up to me and just said "You're weird." I was so excited and said "Thank you!!" with a huge grin on my face. She gave me a strange look and then walked away -- probably even more secure in her belief that I was weird. To this day though I still see it as a compliment. I'm very happy with who I am (and who I was in 5th grade) and it's mostly because I was taught that being weird is kind of awesome.