Meet WillaCat.

Cody and I have a small gray cat in our midst. Since August 14th, we've been cat parents to Willa Percolator Green, and it's a decision that was definitely the right one.

We both grew up with pets (mostly dogs) and have been looking for a cat we felt fit us since this January. A cat was our top choice for a number of reasons, mostly because we knew we'd be at work a lot and cats do a great job of entertaining themselves, or this one does anyway. So far the house hasn't been destroyed!

Willa is/does the following various and sundry cat things:

• purrs often and loudly (hence the name Percolator)
• is amazingly friendly when we have people over 
• sports four white socks and a tuxedo vest
• observes with bright green eyes and rather sharp claws
• balances her time between being affectionate and being aloof

In short, she's a pretty great cat.  While I was shooting another project a week ago I got some shots of her - black and white felt right for this, so here you are!

Creating an Office Space

 A good workspace is important. I actually do some work at a creative startup in a co-working space in Pittsburgh, so I can appreciate how key this idea is for freelancers and groups who need a place to gather but don't want the old school office vibe. This post was inspired by WeWork to share how I work at home, and get my space to work for me. WeWork is a chain of shared office spaces across the USA for folks who prefer to have a spot to call their office if they'd rather not stay home.

Completely randomly, I also did a home-office mock-up for Chairish a few weeks ago so you get to see two offices here! My dream space, and my real space.

I'm a super-nester and always have been. My favorite game as a little girl was pretending to make my own home in the bushes behind our home. I made salad out of fern fronds (I didn't eat it of course) and slept on a leaf bed - the whole nine yards. I guess that was my first "office."

Now that we're in our own rental place - however temporary, my "use-what-we-have" interior design methods have exploded. Our wee home office is no exception.

This is my creative haven. I actually do sit and work here whether it's on bills, editing pics, this blog or my actual office work. I'm blessed to spend two afternoons a week at home working, and I adore it. I've heard friends and co-workers say they have a hard time focusing when they try to work at home, but this is where I keep what inspires me to do my best. My books and resources are here, and the fridge is a few short glorious steps away...

The jewel in my office crown is the filing cabinet believe it or not. I found this sucker in the basement, a battered and scarred piece from a bygone era. But it was solid, all it needed was paint. I used a low-gloss spray paint in a dimpled black, with a simpler dimpled-copper spray paint for the drawers. It makes me excited to use (and actually file things), so that's a win!

Need bookends? Hunt down some rocks - they're super easy to catch.

Shell from Kenya, sent via a darling friend on my birthday last month.

The other jewel, my big blue baby. The framed wall pieces are from an old calendar! Such a cheap way to reuse something you loved that isn't useful otherwise. The middle art piece was $2 at a flea market.

Willa!

I try to keep my desk as open as I can. The shelf overhead holds photographic pieces that remind me of where we've been - Texas, our wedding, etc. There are also just bits of that I want to save, feathers, shells, etc.

On the other side is my darling blue couch. This is the first major furniture purchase I'd ever made when we moved to Pittsburgh. It's a vintage piece from Craigslist, and is in amazing shape. The cork hexagons are from Target and I pin up bits that I either need to remember, or just love. A smattering of  postcards from globe trotting bestie, moon phases, craft ideas, and a realllllly old note from Cody when we had just started dating grace this wall.

It's a good space, and good things happen here.


the things//

Desk - World Market
Lamp - Thrifted
Couch-Vintage
File cabinet - Found
Chair - Home Goods

The Creative Closet: A green dress for Fall

I’m late posting this, but I knew I had to participate in The Creative Closet when I saw this past Tuesday’s prompt: A Dress For Fall.

 I love me some dresses. They are the most comfortable, easy-wearing thing ever. I mean, you're essentially in a bag with sleeves, with plenty of room to relax. Well, that’s probably not true of tight tube dresses, but you wont catch me in one of those.

Staying true to the point and purpose of this lifestyle blog, I’m slowly edging into the world of sustainable fashion. Slowly meaning that I must find ways to rework what I already owned. Slowly because currently, buying truly sustainable clothing can get pricey. As hard as it can be to stomach (I love Target clothes you guys - and apologies in advance for any guilt trips!) the reason those are so inexpensive is because the true cost to make them is hidden to us.

The real cost is revealed to the people who make them. Clothing factories do create jobs, but workers don’t receive living wages and work in conditions that can and do make them ill. It’s far cheaper for a clothing manufacturer to pay a lower wage in another country, so this year I’ve decided to change my fashion world.

This summer I cleaned out my entire closet using the KonMari method and am down to about 60 pieces.

I would like the majority of my clothing to be:

• -       Made to last
• -       Made in the United States (or Canada)
• -       Produced as sustainably as possible if from outside the U.S.
• -       Classic and mixable. Trends just come and go too fast for me.

 This green dress caught my eye in one of our city’s boutiques in our most Brooklyn-like neighborhood a few months ago. It’s an area known for unique brands and handmade artisanal lovelies. The brand is Birds of North America, and their lovely, "contemporary, vintage-inspired" clothes are manufactured in Canada.

I had been on the lookout for a dress after purging most of mine. One that I could wear to work and out to play, one that was timeless. The jewel tone shade of forest jumped out at me at the store, then its little wood buttons finished me off. The fit was beyond anything I’d found at a department store. There’s so much craftsman ship here, every time I wear it I feel joy - and is that not the point of style?

No kidding, this may not be easy. But I think I now have the patience to try. We have everything to gain for ourselves and others if we can make the switch and change it all for the better. It's closer than we think!

The Last Pennsylvania Autumn

I've enjoyed being able to love on our little half-bungalow (my name for a duplex) SO much over the past year. Fall is important to us. It's our wedding season (year 1 wraps up Nov. 8!) and when both our birthdays happen. And we're big scarf people - as in we'll wear each other's. 

I asked Cody what his favorite things about fall are and he gave me the Hallmark answer: crisp and cozy. But I must say I agree!

We only have till May here now, when we make our next big move for wherever Cody's PhD work takes us. This means that I'm taking in each season a little slower, trying to be more mindful. I spent this week getting our little home into the fall spirit! I love keeping our decor simple, and meaningful.

Here's a little list of what we cherish about this most bittersweet season.

 1. Pumpkins! Well duh. These are locally grown pie pumpkins, and we plan to slowly eat them over the season until the mantle is empty and ready for Christmas! The cotton stems remind me of fall in Louisiana. I grew up going to a cotton plantation with my school every year.
2. The herbs in the garden are still cranking out goodness. This was for Saturday's brunch frittata.

3. Crafting. This is the first fall wreath I've made from second-hand yarn and leftover fabric samples from our local creative reuse store. The whole thing costs about $10.

 4. Walks in the woods, seeing everything changing into its next stage of life (and death) for the year

 Goldenrod and Aster

 No serious tree color change yet. But man the air is cool.

 5. Backyard fire pit!! Probably the BEST thing about the half-bungalow.

6. Knowing that this leaf's look will be replicated by the trillions across Pennsylvania in a few short weeks.

7. This is a new one: making our own fall coffee. This is a pumpkin spice latte, with only 4 ingredients, and way less than what you'd pay at S***bucks. You can see there recipe on my Instagram account.

8. Finally, and most importantly, this has been a new season for me in light of my beliefs. I came across She Reads Truth, a series of online scripture-based Bible studies especially for women. They're short, full of inspiration and bring ancient words into our modern world to help us grasp their true meaning and apply them to our lives. I read one every morning with my coffee before heading out into the unpredictable world we live in. Just doing this one little thing has brought me so much peace, and ritual is not something I'm gifted at so the fact that I've plugged into this so well means much to me.

How is the changing season changing you?

P.S. Another style collaboration coming Tuesday with The Creative Closet (my first is here) - pumped to share the first of my sustainable fashion posts!