Holy Crazy Weekend!

Birthday fabulousness! What a fun weekend! Friday night -- Erica's birthday and Saturday night -- Melissa's birthday! Two of my best friends, and a ton of fun and celebrating. :)

First... Friday night...

The birthday girl at dinner... 80s night here we come!

Could there be any more hot pink and jean jacket-ness in this picture?

The place was pah-Acked , as Erica would say...

And Saturday night... an evening out for Melissa's birthday!~

Mike and I... heart..
Hot mamas! P.S. How weird does that shirt look on me in this picture?
Like, hello, you can almost see my boob?

And on Saturday, I totally pulled a "Cher" in Clueless. I just couldn't decide which dress I liked better... green or blue? What do you think? I need feedback here, people! I mean it... I need comments. I love comments. Comment! :)

In the end, I went with neither of them. Since I spent SOO much money for all the birthday festivities, I decided to be good. But that doesn't mean I can't go back later, right? ;)

Also, being good, but wanting to see if I need these, behold the Ray-Bans. Are these too hipster for me or just cute? I was quite surprised by how much I liked them!

Of course, they do remind me of this guy...





And at the risk of sounding old, what must his mother be thinking? Also, which part of his face hurt the worst? And just how much did RayBan pay him to do that to himself? I read online it was a promotional stunt. Crazy.

Anyway, I leave you with this, what is perhaps my favorite 80s song, inspired by a FABulous night at the Crystal Ballroom. So much fun! (Huh-hem, speaking of Ray Bans, this video is freakin' awesome)!




Love,
Katery

A lovely evening...

What a fabulous week this is turning out to be!

On Monday I got to go see a show at The Roseland with two of my favorite people, P-town and Melissa. So much fun and such a great performance from Metric. Awesome!




Again, they were amazing.... check it out:


Then Tuesday, (aka Erica's birthday!!!), Mike and I went over for the first outdoor evening of the year at Julie and Donald's. Can't call this one a BBQ because we went inside for dinner after hanging out in the yard for a while. Fabulous evening!

Kai in the hammock...

And playing DJ with Donald's phone... remote access to iTunes. I was DJ "A.D.D." according to Julie... :) Also, note the sweet Gin Basil Smash Donald made for me. Yummmm... and so pretty!

And Donald's ice ball... along with what was left after we devoured pecan pie...

And after a few of those drinks... my ride home. Chrissy on Donald... and me on Mike. Nice.

Now back at home for a lovely evening of "me" time. These tulips are getting prettier every day. I scored them free at work yesterday. Another lovely thing about this week... free flowers!

Earlier this evening I went over to Freddy's to get groceries... and decided to try this. Dear Lord. Boxed wine. I know... it's just that I've been dumping out too much wine when I don't finish the bottle... and I'm sick of it. I just want a glass... not many glasses... sometimes. So, hence the black box Merlot. Not too bad... and it's four bottles that won't go bad for weeks!

Finally, painting my nails this lovely new shade of pink, another find at the store. I've gotta say... I will only paint my nails with OPI these days. It goes on so much better, looks so much better, and stays so much better. Don't buy the cheap crap ladies... only OPI, and you won't regret it. That's my rant for the evening... I'm going to finish Sense and Sensibility now. <3>


Love,

Katery

La La Liberty

Okay, I'm really, really obsessed this time. Liberty of London has arrived at Target, and so I arrived at Target after getting off work tonight. This collection made me want to redecorate my bedroom, (which I didn't, as I'd like for my husband *not to kill me). But I want to. And apparently I'm a big fan of pink and black and white, (who knew -- I guess anyone who's ever looked at the layout of this blog). Anyway, the stuff is flying off the shelves at Target. It's MUCH more expensive in London, and so people are buying it online and in stores here, and selling it for more there. Crazy! Anyway, here are my favorites... of course, just about all sold out online already...

Awesome peacock tray...Fabulous pillow... I NEED... :)

Sweet cruiser!

And what I actually ended up with... A great peacock top for work and play... and a comfy, cute little nightie... that's now being worn as I blog. Love it!

Anyway, this is a quick one, but a couple of other little updates...

I got some great stuff at the Dava Bead wholesale room yesterday. Love the freshwater pearls... and got a ton of raw brass to make beautiful things in coming weeks!

These tulips make me happy... is it weird that I like tulips better when they start falling over?

Got these curtains at Target tonight. Just how cheap do they look? Well, I don't really care, 'cause they were $5 apiece!

Thank you to the lovely Anita K. for the flower micro photo tip on my Sony. Dude, she's the best. I can now take pictures of jewelry again. Made this necklace for a co-worker... Gold, sterling, and oxidized sterling chains, with a quartz briolette and oxidized findings. :)
Okay, that's it for tonight. Tired from working! Off to bed!

Love,

Katery

I've been inspired....

...by Real Simple. Yes, a magazine has inspired me. I read an article in the March issue called "What's Your Decorating Style?" Apparently I'm "Vintage Eclectic". I, of course, am loving this and completely agree. I mean it says I should be shopping at Anthropologie, (my favorite store), and should be inspired by designspongeonline.com, (a website Breanne turned me on to years ago). So, this works out well. Here's the description:

"A rich, layered look combining flea-market finds, furniture designs from various time periods, (including Victorian pieces and 18th-century French styles), and a diverse collection of accessories of artwork. Dusty colors, timeworn or handmade textiles, and collected objects create a lived-in feel. Think Paris flea markets, Granny's teacups, the film Grey Gardens." Yes, please. Anyway, this article inspired me to wander around my house and take pictures of all my favorite things. I've always LOVED decorating, and taking photos of my favorite furniture, art, accessories, etc., made me very happy tonight. I feel pretty materialistic, but also very happy with my taste and my home, and very thankful for all these "things" that mean so much. I just want to start off by saying I'm obsessed, okay, maybe not obsessed, but I really, really, really dig red lipstick. I've always loved Gwen Stefani, and whenever I wear it, I feel like I'm rockin' her signature style.

I'm loving this designer called "Papaya". They make the most beautiful cards, wall hangings, journals, magnets, and gifts. I've bought this stuff for myself and for friends. Best of all, the designer is originally from Ashland, Oregon. Yay! Check it out here... I'm also a huge fan of Pink Martini, a now world-famous band originally from Portland. One night Mike and I were walking around downtown a couple of years ago, and we found dozens of these posters out in the trash behind a Borders bookstore. This is now hanging over my dresser. It's the album cover for "Hey Eugene"... and old photo from the 70's that the band loved and used for the cover art. Love them, love this! Now, if I could just meet China Forbes or Thomas Lauderdale... Dear freaking LORD. I cannot find the name of this artist online, nor can I read her name on the back of this little piece of artwork! I traded some jewelry for this panel a couple of years ago at a street fair. Anyway, this now hangs in my bathroom and I LOVE IT. If anyone knows the name of this artist -- please comment and tell me who she is! I bought this piece in college and still love it. I'm a fan of these vintage advertisements in small doses. This is a big one, but it's the only one I own. I'm a huge fan of dried flowers. You'll find them all over my home, in wreaths, tucked away in little vases on the wall, inside books, littered throughout my bookcase that holds some of the things I cherish most, and in this big arrangement on top of our TV case in the living room. Dried lavender makes me happy, and this dried lavender makes me especially happy because it has a great memory attached. There's this crazy guy, the best kind of crazy guy, who goes to street fairs all summer and hands out giant bunches of lavender to everyone he passes by. One of my dearest friends, Kelly, and I got bunches at the Mississippi Street Fair last summer. It reminds me of her, of how happy the lavender guy was, and how such a small act could bring such happiness to so many people. I also heart my vintage bicycle and rock salt candle holders. They're beautiful when they're lit up, so naturally pretty -- and when you like them, they're salty. Yummm... I love this chair. I love my guitar, (even though I never play it). 'Nuff said. Awhhhh, the wine rack and our beautiful wine glasses. Mikasa sets for martinis, champagne, white and red wine... wedding presents... and the little wine wrack we put in. It was the first "home improvement" project Mike and I did together when we first moved into the condo. I love this pillow, (it was actually in that same issue of Real Simple), and this family heirloom quilt is on our bed. I have no idea who made it, which side of the family it came from, or how old it is. But I love it, and it reminds me of how awesome my family is. The bookshelf that holds all things beloved. Sometimes Mike catches me gazing at it with love. My awesome racks... the best jewelry storage devices ever. They're from Saturday Market, a great artist who's still there each Saturday. A postcard I framed, (this is actually one in a set of three hanging over the piano). I love birds and flowers... and some sheet music is mixed in there, too. I bought this wreath for my Mom when I was a freshman in college. Every year on campus there was this HUGE arts and crafts fair. She loved it, and it was hanging up in the living room year round for 7 years. I got it from our house in Carson City this last year when we started the process of taking important things from the home, before Dad moved up here. My Mom's treasured piano. That's a picture of my Grandma and my Mom and her brother, my Uncle Mike. This piano is like having my Mom in my living room all the time. It kind of freaked me out when we first moved it in here last summer. It was like a constant reminder that she's gone, and now I have the one thing that was most important to her. My Grandpa Mel bought this piano for her when she was 6 years old. If you open up the top, on the inside is the credit receipts he used to pay for it. I don't think there was very much credit happening in the 1940s... but he bought it brand new for $600 on credit. It completes me. My favorite rug. This thing is totally falling apart, but I've never found another rug even close to how awesome this one is. So, it stays forever! My cookbooks and the glorious aqua-colored KitchenAid mixer. I'm getting more and more into cooking, and this thing is sooo much fun! I traded jewelry for this little watercolor painting last Spring at a craft fair. It says "Beauty is when you grow old." I just love the rose and how it floats in the black frame. Scarves. Scarves. Scarves. I could write an entire blog about scarves. And one about shoes, too. I'm sure those will both happen sometime in the future. I LOVE wearing scarves... this is my collection... spread across the bed. I think there are 17. Definitely room for more. :) Pink tulips remind me of our wedding. I love them, and I love having fresh flowers in the house as often as possible! Whew! That's it! That's a LOT of stuff! But everything has a memory attached to it, making all of this "stuff" a lot more than stuff to me. I look forward to continuing to collect my favorite things, and someday have a house full of stuff that's just "me".

In the meantime, when I wasn't running around taking pictures of the condo tonight, earlier today I was super productive, building new earring cards from misprinted business cards, and dropping a TON of jewelry off at What's Upstairs on Northwest 23rd Avenue. I mean, seriously, I dropped off like 50 pieces this afternoon! They look great in the store, and I talked to the owner about maybe doing a hosted jewelry party at the store sometime next month. That would be so much fun!! Be sure to stop by the store, and check out my stuff, as well as the awesome consignment, (a lot of them designer), pieces inside!

Anyway, the earring cards look like this. Thanks again to Tanya for creating the graphic look for Katery Designs!!!

Sorry the picture's all blurry. Lame. My new camera is great, but I can't take close-ups at all with it. My old camera's busted. This means I haven't been able to take good, close-up shots of jewelry in a long time; hence, my Etsy doesn't get new stuff, just jewelry that's been listed, refreshed. Ugh. I'll work on a solution soon.

That's it for tonight. That was one long post!!

'Night, night...

Love,
Katery

Sleeeeeepy....

...but wanting to share some of my new favorites I found on Etsy! Haven't done that in a while...

First Light of Day

I love the colors, and it's so awesome that it can be hung in some many different ways.

If I were a painter -- this is what I'd create!

nJoy Designs

Still absolutely loving these clutches...

I got mine last Spring and get so many compliments on it all the time!

PinUp Brenda

This one just makes me want to go back blonde more each time I look at it.

This artist's stuff is fabulous! I LOVE.

SkyLark Studio

This designer does such beautiful work, in so many awesome shapes.

It's hard to choose which one I like the best!

Pop Wall

Again... which one is my favorite? This one is certainly up there.

What a sweet idea for decorating... now... where would one of these go in the condo??

Ashes and Empires

These are sickeningly cute. As much as I can't WAIT for warm Spring and Summer weather...

these little ladies just make me wish it could be Fall so I could sport them!

Okay, this girl's up past her bedtime. That's all the Etsy love I've got for tonight!

Love,

Katery