Etsy Algorithms & Thoughts

I had an entirely different post planned for today, but then I went and had an incredibly satisfying lunch and when I sat down to write, the internet got the best of me. (Hey! I get distracted easily.) I was going to write a post about fitness, and ended up looking at fitness clothes instead. After entering the black hole that is the internet, I eventually found myself on Etsy, because I somehow always end up there. And while I was there, I noticed how double-sided their recommendations for me are. They border between free-spirit bohemian and vintage vixen, an interesting contradiction.

Perhaps this is not interesting to anyone else, but I found it to be incredibly thought-provoking. Their recommendations for me are almost always for clothes, and I love seeing how across the board I am when it comes to style. I find myself torn between embracing being a full on "hippie" and also having a distinct love for vintage silhouettes. Both looks are on entirely different ends of the style spectrum, but they can both be considered incredibly feminine. The bohemian look is all about embracing your wild woman self, and the freedom of the female body. On the other hand, the vintage silhouettes I admire embrace the beauty and curves of the female body in such a classy way.

I don't think I truly fit into either category. As much as I would love to have my dreadlocks again and rock loose fabrics in earthy tones 24/7, there's a part of me that also likes putting on a pretty dress, braiding my hair, and feeling put-together (whatever that means). I also think my curvy figure has something to do with my love of vintage silhouettes. I don't always feel beautiful in bohemian styles, because I feel like what visually makes me feel like a woman gets lost. It's a battle between looking good in the clothes you wear, and feeling good in the clothes you wear. I think very few of us fit into just one style category- the trick is finding how to incorporate all of the ones we're drawn to.

This post feels a little disjointed, but I hope I got my thoughts across. It's hard to find the right words sometimes, and I really suck at explaining things without going into far too much detail. Anyways, I just thought I'd share.

Clockwise, from top left: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Feel free to check out my Etsy favorites if you want to take a peek at the silly things I have an affinity towards.

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Fun Finds Friday #125

• Such a pretty scarf!
• I want midcentury everything!
• Been thinking about hair wraps lately... remember those?
• I can't help but look at new furniture... love the versatility of this shelf.

Also,

• There are some pretty nifty things on the internet.
• Flattering women's chef pants?! Too bad I bought three new pairs of work pants before finding out about them :(
• Ugh. Mondays.
• I know I would not be able to accurately draw a bicycle on cue.
• Woah. Check out these angles!
• Photograph people gradually getting drunk? That's brilliant! (I wonder what mine would look like...)
• What would you purchase with $100 towards groceries? Our list would look like Mick and Anthony's, plus beer and whiskey.

Happy Friday!!!

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Snapshots

Favorite things lately:

• The sunlight in this apartment. I think we'll all miss how the rays light up different corners of each room at different points in the day. Our new apartment will be sunny too, but going through photos of this place really makes me appreciate the sunlight I've been able to capture.
• Having a clean and tidy apartment. I mean, we keep it clean all the time but it's not always tidy. The prospect of our landlord showing the apartment over the next few weeks though has us keeping the place in tip top shape lately... and I won't lie, it's pretty sweet.
• Morning snuggles with Lloyd while I'm trying to read on the couch. I have to cover myself in a thick blanket- he's a digger, and his claws are sharp!
• Changing up my cookie game to make something special for a friend's birthday. I never liked black & white cookies... until I made some myself!
• Speaking of culinary-creativity, we've been so much better about using up all our ingredients and leftovers lately. I made a pizza with the spinach, tomatoes, and onion left over from that quiche. And Shawn took the leftover chicken tikka and made a coconut curry with it!

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Fun Finds Friday #124

• I love the colors of this dress!
• Love love love this bookshelf and how it's styled.
• Been on a denim jacket kick lately and this one is amazingly ridiculous.
• I don't use them, but this eye pillow is cuter than any one I've ever seen.

Also,

• It would be hilarious to receive one of these in the mail.
• Scientists need our help looking at penguin photos!
• I am very curious about what savory cheesecake tastes like.
• Shawn found out about Goldbely from someone at work. I would like a Chicago hot dog, please & thank you!
• One man's trash is another man's treasure....
• Gimme, gimme, gimme!

Happy Friday!!!!!

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Feline Antics

I've been a little behind on posting lately, so here are some cat photos to keep you entertained in the meantime!







We have already started sorting, purging, and packing in preparation for our move at the end of next month. Lloyd has been through this once before already, so he doesn't seem the slightest bit perturbed by these actions. Sylvester, on the other hand, has been showing some signs of stress. He is already a huge cuddle-bug, but he has been even more loving lately... almost annoying so - he is in our faces all of the time. And on days when we don't pay him enough attention (ie. if we keep him out of the bedroom at night), he has been puking up his breakfast! (Side note: we think it's purely behavioral, nothing else he does suggests that he is sick.) We don't exactly know what Sylvester's living situation was prior to us; we know he was found in a cat colony and fostered for a while before we adopted him. I think he's stressed out because he thinks we may be getting rid of him, poor guy! I hope he'll relax once we're in the new space. There will be so much more room for them to chase each other!

Do you have any tips on how to soothe a stressed out cat?

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Inspiration: Plants & Balcony

Soooooo.... we have big news!!! (No, it's not a baby, so don't even go there!) ...We are moving into a new apartment!

On second thought, I guess the news isn't that big, but it's exciting nonetheless! We've been at our current spot for almost two years now, but we've been feeling uninspired by it and knew we wanted to change things up this year when our lease ends. So I set up a few appointments, and we fell in love with the first place we looked at! You guys... it's beautiful! It is (almost) everything we've been wanting in an apartment. Hardwood floors, a balcony, newly redone kitchen and bathroom, and lots of sunlight! The only reason I say almost is because it doesn't have a washer/dryer in the unit, but with everything else it has going for it, we agreed to overlook that one little detail. (Plus, there's laundry in the building, so we can't complain!)

I wish I could show you photos of the apartment, but we won't be moving in until June 1st... so you'll have to wait! We can't contain our excitement though, and have both been fantasizing about how to decorate our new space. There are two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room... we don't know what to do with all the extra space! One of the main rooms leads to a balcony and gets lots of sunlight, so we're thinking we may just fill it with plants and pillows to make it a cozy and serene area. I've been thinking a lot about that today and looking at a ton of plant-filled room inspiration, so I thought I'd start a new series on the blog where I post some images that are going to inspire some of our design choices in the next apartment. First up, plants and balcony!


This is a good representation of what we're working with - big windows, used furniture, and plants! (source)


I love the rustic vibe, and crates like this are readily available to me at work. (source)


This is bohemian plant heaven! And pretty much exactly what I'm envisioning. (source)


Seems like the perfect spot to settle in with a book and a mug of tea! (source)


I love the idea of a vertical garden! Add some vines into the mix and we're golden. (source)


One of the more exciting factors for me is that we can have an herb garden now!!! (source)


Rustic and cozy. Shawn mentioned wanting a picnic bench, and I mentioned wanting deck tiles... (source)


Are you a plant fanatic like we are? Do you have a balcony too? Got any advice for first-timers? (hahaha)
Lloyd and Sylvester are going to love the new spot! We plan on getting a screen door asap!

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Fun Finds Friday #123

Today's Fun Finds is special because it's #123; (not just a fun number, but also the time that would always be on the clock when I would look up during senior year math class... every single day) and because yesterday I woke up way too early and got sucked into all-things-90s on Etsy. I started out looking at anoraks and somehow made my way into the world of color and prints that can only be described as simultaneously awful and amazing. Please, behold:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4
(I would totally still wear #3)


1 | 2 | 3 | 4
(#4 is my favorite - stripes, color, and embroidery?! Please, can I have it?!)

You're welcome.

Happy Friday!!!!!

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