A Real Weekend

 This past weekend was a real weekend for me! Woo hoo! Saturday I spent some time in the garden, tearing out the dead tomato plants and preparing the ground for some winter veggies. We'll see how that goes. . . Our backyard gets very little sun this time of the year.

Winter weather is most definitely here. I'm finding myself planning my outfits around which sweater I want to wear that particular day. Lately I've been hankering to get back to the outfit photos (especially for Wardrobe Remix) but just never seem to find the time. . . and, well, my outfits aren't as cute as they used to be! This is what happens when you work for yourself and the work is never done. I find myself wanting to wear the clothes that will feel

one of my coziest sweater

 the most like pajamas all day long!

Ultimately tho, the blog and outfit posts from other everyday gals are the ones that feel the most real to me. I want to know how the gal who only has a bike to get around town makes her outfits work. Or the stay at home mom. How does she manage it? Or the self-employed artist. I don't seek perfect polish or panache. Outfits that don't feel contrived, or sponsored by clothing and shoe companies. . . Just real gals posting the clothes they wear to go about their very real days.

In case you wondered, some of my favorites are:
* The Girl Who Married a Bear
* Astral Boutique's Blog
* Clothes Cameras and Coffee
* Thrift Candy
* Making Nice in the Midwest

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the more polished gals with the gorgeous style. I LOOK at these blogs and drool over the clothes, the style, but I guess what disappoints me sometimes is that I started following these DIY fashion blogs because it was inspiring what gals were doing with very little money. . . I feel like so much of it has become commercialized in a way that's just not for me. . .

I've been thinking about growing my bangs out. . . 

What I'd really like to see is a resurgence of the "non commercial" style blog. Blogs that are true expressions of the person ( the gal, yes, since I mainly follow blogs written by women) behind it. And I am finding those blogs. Sometimes tho, the internet is such a crowded place it can be hard to find the things you want to find. So, if you know of any awesome, feisty ladies who like to post about personal style, life, politics, food, road trips, etc, let me know about them!

This bag went everywhere with me this weekend

 

Saturday night Jeff and I cooked dinner together. Sauteed some veggies and fish. Also baked an acorn squash with some brown sugar and butter. Mmmmm. One of the yummiest (and easiest) fall foods!

Today I'm working on pieces for my holiday fairs. There are so many of them: fairs and pieces to work on! Having a "real" weekend definitely helps me focus more during the week tho.

Here's to a "real" weekend as often as possible!

A Day at the Zoo

Last weekend some members form the SF Etsy team got together for a little "behind the scenes" meeting with five lovely creatures: a porcupine, an owl, a frog, a snake, and a parrot. We were there to sketch and take photos of these animals for inspiration for art work for a 2013 calendar that will be available through Weave. I'll post more info about my piece here once it's completed!

(that's me in the front row, with the peach colored shirt on, and Jeff to the right of me, right behind the owl, Archimedes)

That's Archimedes, the Great Horned Owl above, and a quick sketch of mine of the porcupine, Sassafras, below. 

After we finished up with our visit with the animals, Jeff and I walked around the zoo, enjoying the mild weather and all of the amazing animals. We were also privy to a pretty amazing sunset. 

getting goofy with one of the "photo ops"

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend (both this one and the last!) I'm currently hanging with the family and trying to wrap up a few lose-work-ends before my work week starts. Oh, also, in other non-essential news, I made the best brownies this weekend. Try this recipe if you like fudgey brownies. They were delightful! They were for my dad's birthday. Happy birthday dad!