Engagement Anniversary.

blouse, sweater, shoes: thrifted, pants: rue 21

Rob and I got engaged last year on this very day. We like celebrating little things like that. We took a drive to Pocatello so we could check out the D.I. (thrift store) and the Goodwill. We actually got engaged in a D.I. (read about it HERE). That boy sure does know the way to my heart. I feel so blessed at this time in my life--I've got the sweetest darling who takes care of me and just loves the crap out of me. He's my best friend and I'm so grateful that he's mine. I can't wait to celebrate our 1 year in a couple months and to keep on celebratin the little things that bring us closer together.

Resolutions.

Her: pink blouse, polka-dot shirt, skirt, shoes(dyi HERE), sweater: old
Him: sweater: old navy, pants and shoes: burlington coat factory, tie: Italy

I'm not one to really make resolutions for New Years. I usually make too many and overwhelm myself and then just don't do them... But this coming year, I really want to make some fun goals. Rob and I both decided to make individual goals and one goal that we could do together. Rob's still deciding on one, but his first goal is learn Mandarin. Mine are to make my own clothing line and to learn Russian. Our couple resolution is to read The Book of Mormon together every night. I'm really excited for all three of my goals! I'm going to take beginning Russian on campus probably in the spring and Rob already knows Russian so he can be my tutor :) Anybody have some fun resolutions!? Tell me. I wanna hear um.

Honesty.

sweater & shoes: thrifted, pants: charlotte russe

I appreciate honesty. I'd rather a person just be honest than fake it. I said some things yesterday that I probably shouldn't have and I ended up hurting some feelings. I have a big heart and I hate hurting others. I'm okay with admitting that I'm wrong and I don't mind saying that. But I don't apologizing for being honest. I probably should have just handled it in a different way but this life is all about learning and growing and becoming your best self. I missed the mark yesterday--and that's okay. I'll mature and do better. I sometimes forget that others read my blog and I need to do better of watching my words. Lesson learned.

2012: What I've learned.

pants & sweater: charlotte russe, blouse: thrifted, shoes: target

As 2012 comes to a close I find myself reflecting on my past year—it’s been the best one yet. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’ve changed so much. 10 things I learned this year in no particular order:

Be selfless. This has definitely been a huge factor in Rob’s and mine relationship. It is SO easy to be selfish and just do what YOU want. But I’ve learned that to show love to others, be selfless. Do what they want to do sometimes. Do kind acts of service. Put others first.

Sometimes people suck, find those who uplift you. I’ve discovered this year who really matters to me. When Rob and I got married, he told me some of my friends tried to talk him out of dating me. They told him, “I don’t think you’ll like Katherine... She’s weird.” After that I found people who love and care for me and would never talk about me like that.

Go after your dreams. This year I learned to believe in myself and follow my dreams. I want to be a designer and make clothing that is modest and awesome and affordable. I worked towards that goal this year and now I have so much faith in myself and my abilities. I CAN do what my heart desires. I have pushed out criticism and found that positive voice I need. It’s not always easy to pursue dreams. I’ll be the first one to tell you that I’m not the best seamstress—but I’m working so hard. I want to be good. I will be good. I can go after what I want.

Put God first. Sometimes this can be really hard. It’s hard to admit your faults and errors and let God help you. I’m a very independent person and I’ve learned that letting God help me is the best thing. He knows me. He loves me. He wants to help me.

My family is the best. After living permanently in Idaho and not being able to go home, I’ve realized how great my family is and how blessed I am to have them in my life—especially my parents. I wish we lived closer and I definitely appreciate them more than I ever have.

Rob trumps all. I learned that Rob will always be more important than anyone or anything. He will always come before anything else. He is my rock, my best friend, the person who loves me the most. I appreciate and love him more than anything in this world. We’re still figuring out this whole being married thing but I wouldn’t want to learn and grow with anyone else than him.

Find balance. I’m still working on this one. I put 100% into everything I do and sometimes that leaves me exhausted and too tired to the point where I don’t pay attention to things I should. I find myself having to tell myself: “It’s okay to take a break. Pay attention to Rob. You don’t have to be busy.” And then I slap myself in the face, go find Rob, and get some snuggle time in. Between work and school and homework and quality time with Sir Robert, there needs to be balance and I’ll figure it out sometime.

Stop comparing. Another one I’m still working on…. This one is tough for me.  I compare myself to others A LOT. It’s kind of a big problem to my self esteem. It’s part of the reason that I deleted my Facebook. I just kept getting sad and disappointed in myself when I logged on. I just kept looking at all of these people and their “perfect lives.” Which I know, no one has a perfect life but the internet makes it feel that way. We never post the real stuff. We post the pictures of Disneyland and parties that we attend. No one posts the nitty gritty stuff because honestly, who cares, right? But all that perfect made me feel empty. So I took a big step (haha) and deleted my Facebook. It’s been a really big help. I’m still working on not comparing myself to others and hopefully I’ll get over it soon ;)

Be happy. It’s hard sometimes with everything going on in life to just be happy. It’s easy to say “I’ll be happy when _____ is over.” But I’ve really tried to find happiness in all aspects of life. Yeah, I’ll for sure be happy when Rob and I are done with school and not so poor, but I’m for sure happy that I made the best decision of my life and married that boy. It’s all about finding happiness in your journey. Be happy with what you have and stop wishing it all away.

 It’s okay to please yourself. I’m a people pleaser. I always put others first and their wants and needs. Which isn’t a bad thing but I’ve found that it’s okay to do what I want sometimes and to express my feelings and wants and desires.

Well 2012, it’s been real. I’m excited for another year and definitely excited to spend it with the people I love.

Casual.

blouse and sweater: thrifted, jeans: target, shoes: asos, beanie: forever 21

I never really blog when I wear something like this... I have a hard time with "casual" clothing. I like being dressed up, wearing skirts, and frilly blouses. But sometimes it is nice just to throw some jeans and beanie on and call it good.

Do you ever feel like you're expected to dress a certain way? I do sometimes... I feel as though I NEED to wear vintage and skirts and colored pants. It's weird that sometimes I think I have to please others through how I dress. I'm a firm believer in dressing the way you want to. If you like something but feel like you can't pull it off---you're wrong. It's all about being proud of what you wear! So I've decided to embrace my inner casual and run with it. I am the creator of my style and I can wear whatever the heck I feel like.

On a very different side note, Rob and I saw Les Mes last night and I DIED. I LOOOOVED IT. I WANT TO SEE IT 10 MORE TIMES!!! I even cried. Go see it if you haven't. You will not be disappointed.

Oh, it's Christmas.

Well, Merry Christmas blog land! That was unexpected month break. But hey, I'm known for those. Hope you all have enjoyed your holiday! I'll catch ya later. 

One dress; two ways.

outfit #1: dress thrifed, shoes: store in mall
outfit #2: dress thrifted, vest: thrifted, shoes: target

Same dress, different approaches. I try to never wear the same outfit twice... I know that sounds completely ridiculous  but it helps me to always be creative. I'm always looking in my closet to see what new pieces I can pair together. I love being able to mix patterns and textures  and come up with new outfits everyday. I got that leather vest a couple years ago, and I have a really hard time wearing it. I feel like I'm a pretty feminine dresser so wearing that I felt edgey. A good edgey though. It's all about trying new things, friends ;)

Interesting.

dress,tie,bag: thrifted, shirt: I made it, tights: forever21, boots: charlotte russe

Things have been.... interesting as of late. Ever feel like everything kind of collapses at once? That's how I've felt lately. When we got our dog Ruth, our landlord said it was fine. So Rob went out and got a dog the next day. Two days after that, our landlord calls back and says it will be $500 deposit. A little outrageous if you ask me... We kind of have no choice but to move out. We decide to move to Shelley where Rob's parents have an apartment above their garage. It's a 40 minute drive to Rexburg everyday, but Rob already drives to Idaho Falls every day to go to work, so it's really not that out of the way. The plan is that I'll work every day from 8-11 and Rob will have school from 9-1 and we'll just commute. Then my boss gave my hours away. Now I have no job. And now, we don't know if we can handle Ruth anymore... It's just too much. She's a good dog but we've decided we are not dog people. So we're kind of moving for no point. But our apartment is already going to someone else. Anyone in Idaho want Ruth? She's a good puppy. I'll even slide you a deal. 

Here's to a new beginning?  

Romantical.

sweater, shirt, tie: thrifted, jeans: forever21, boots: charlotte russe

Rob and I aren't very romantic.... The level of romance we have is watching netflix in our bed. Together. So that other night I thought: "I am going to be romantical." I walked to the grocery store, picked up some pizza, bread sticks, ice cream, and two bottles of sparkling cider (they were 2 for $5, gotta get that deal, am I right? Also, we drank BOTH that night. We have problems....). I then laid out a cute quilt, got out our picnic basket, and put on our red lamp (I'll have to show a picture, it's legit). Then, I waited. Rob walked in that door and I'm awkwardly standing there.... Oh hey Rob. He thinks it's cute. We sit, we eat, we talk, blah blah blah. But here's the kicker: Rob then states: "Are you trying to tell me your pregnant?" HAHA. Oh Sir Robert how adorable you are. No kids baking in this oven anytime soon. But one thing that has come from this romance that I wanted is that we are more thoughtful of each other and are more willing to do things for each other. I'm not saying we weren't willing before, just more so now. It's great to see that a little effort to do something special can really spark new habits. Here's to being romanitcal!

Wallflower.

skirt, shirt, sweater, shoes, scarf (all s's...weird): thrifted, tights: walmart

Rob and I saw Perks of Being a Wallflower last week. It brought back all those feelings and memories of high school. No amount of money would ever make me consider doing high school over again. Gah, all those extreme emotions, stupid girls, and over-rated popularity. I had a hard time those three years. I remember my sophomore year, second semester, my only friend I had lunch with, switched lunches due to her schedule. I had no one to sit with. I remember asking these girls if I could sit with them and just knowing that they didn't like me one bit. But I had no one. I couldn't even bare sitting by myself. I sat with them for a couple days and then decided not feeling wanted was even worse. Every lunch I started working in the student store just so I didn't have to feel like an idiot anymore. I remember crying to my advisory teacher because I felt so alone. I even talked to the school counselor to see if I could switch my schedule so I could have lunch with my friend again--how embarrassing. 

Things eventually got better (don't they always). I eventually made more friends and I eventually started to enjoy my surroundings. But high school is just the weirdest stage in life. You have all these feelings and emotions that are felt to the extreme. If you're hurt, you are hurt so badly you think you're heart will explode. If you're mad, you think that this anger will never end. If you love someone, you think that it's real no matter how damaging and stupid it really is. You walk the hallways seeing all these different groups that you just want to fit in with. You see the cute boy who doesn't notice you. The catty girls that somehow you want to be friends with. The friends who party together on the weekend, but you don't drink so they don't invite you. 

I am so grateful that I do not have to live those years again. I'm also really grateful for supportive parents who helped me through it. My mom let me skip a lot of days. I think she knew how hard it was for me. I prayed a lot those years. I think it helped me appreciate my relationship with my Heavenly Father. My testimony of the Atonement definitely grew and I was able to cling to my Savior through unbearable moments. In retrospect though, I don't think being a wallflower is necessarily a bad thing. I think it's important to stand on your own sometimes. Although it can be so painful at the moment. There's always light at the end of a tunnel. It will get better. All bad moments make you appreciate the good ones. Change is consent. This little world that we live in will never stop. It's how you learn to live through it. That's really what matters. I wish I could have seen that back then. I'm so happy that I made it through high school in one piece. 

Today.

love these pictures//final project fabric

we obviously have too many clothes//love you forever and ever and ever

sketching again//my favorite picture from my favorite day with my favorite person

This made me ball.

I love the gospel more than anything. I just wish I could be there to help. It's the gospel in action. It's exactly what Christ would be doing. 

When things kind of suck....

dress, shoes, belt: thrifted, tights: walmart

"Don't get discouraged. Things will work out." Gordon B. Hinckley

I needed that.

Meet Ruth.

Rob wanted a puppy for his birthday. He somehow convinced me to be okay with it... Now meet little Ruth the basset hound. I've never had a dog before so this is definitely something new to me. She's pretty dang cute though.

Today.

love a good beanie//long socks

my first time knitting//sketching: my new favorite hobby 

Christmas.

shirt: thrifted. dress: c/o eshakti , shoes: gift, tights: target

If I could celebrate Christmas year round, I would. I've been begging Rob to let me decorate the apartment since the beginning of October. He cut me a deal and said I could decorate November 16. Such a compromise, huh? Also, on Halloween we sang to each other Rudolf the Red nose Reindeer, Silent Night, and Jingle bells. For 45 minutes. Obviously we're pathetic...... 15 days until I can decorate!!!

Answers Part Two!

ps; this picture is from two summers ago... throwback yo.

What is your dream job?

//To be a designer. I dream of making clothes at night. Or a personal shopper. Or to own a thrift store.

Where do you want to live in 5 years?

//I’d really like to live in the Pacific North West (Portland or Seattle). Or the East Coast such as Washington DC. We’ll just have to see where Robbie’s future job takes us!

Can I come thrift shopping with you someday (you find the best clothes!)? :)

//YES! I seriously would love to take anyone thrifting :)

I am dying to know the art of thrifting! How do you know if something will work? How to alter it?

//My mom always says, “you just have an eye for it.” And I think it’s kind of true. I look for patterns, details, textures, and unique differences. When I go thrifting, I look in every department and in every size. With altering, I’ve always just guessed to be completely honest. I’ll put it on and see what needs to be fixed and fix it.  

How many kids do you plan on having?

//2, 4, or 6. Only even numbers ;)

Would you like to move out of Idaho once you graduate?

//YES. I’m ready.

What kind of shampoo do you use?

//I’ve been cursed with dandruff. Head and shoulders baaaaby.

5 best things about being married?

//Being with my best friend every day, shnuggling, not having to deal with roommates (can I get an amen?), laughing at how silly Rob is, date nights.

Any regrets on not serving a mission?

//I really wanted to. But I always told myself that if the opportunity came to get married—I would. I think that being a wife and mother is so important and it came before going on a mission. That being said, just because I don’t have a badge on my chest doesn’t mean that I can’t preach the gospel. I will always be a disciple of Christ and I can proclaim his gospel anywhere.

Where did your hubby serve his mission?

//Mother Russia (Samara, Russia to be axact) 

Baby, it's cold outside.

dress, sweater, boots, & belt: thrifted, tights: target

It's October and it snowed already here in little ol' Idaho. Usually I'd be really mad, because uh, it's fricken cold and my nose feels like it's going to fall off, but right now, it makes me happy. I love how pretty it makes everything look. It makes me extremely excited for Christmas! I could honestly skip Halloween and Thanksgiving and go straight to trees, wreaths  and hot chocolate. I want to burst out into song and sing loud for all to hear! I already want to dec out our apartment into a Winter Wonderland. Please, oh please, just be December!

Answers Part One

Here ya go folks. More answers to follow sooooon.

When did you first discover your passion for sewing/refashioning and how did you go about developing that talent? Who taught you how to sew?

//I started thrifting when I was 13. But a lot of that thrifting was to fit in to what everyone else was wearing. During high school I think I really started developing my love for refashioning and finding things that were different and unique. For my 19^th birthday my parents bought me a sewing machine and I just started sewing. I taught myself how to sew by trial and error. Trial and error is seriously how it all started. I like to believe that mistakes can turn into the greatest understanding.

What's your favorite dessert?

//Hands down grasshopper pie. Most delicious thing to ever happen to this sweet planet.

What’s you favorite memory with your hubs?

//This is a tough one! Seriously so many. But probably the night we kissed for the first time. We were at a park looking at the stars and it just kind of happened. Everything just got better from there.

What’s your favorite movie?

//Probably the Wizard of Oz. Or Hairspray. Or White Christmas.

What’s your favorite way to spend a lazy Saturday?

//Watch Parks and Rec with Rob. And shnuggle! I love me some shnuggle time.

What are your biggest inspiration/driving force when developing personal style?

//The most important thing to me is to wear what I want and to not care what anyone thinks of that. I think sometimes as humans we are so influenced by others and what THEY think. If I like something, I rock it and don’t care if it’s not “fashionable” or “in.” I am the creator of my style. I believe that style is an expression of who you are. If you like something, you should wear it and feel great! Being you is the greatest gift. 

Do you have plans for expanding your blog? I just started my own and while I love it just for the sake of writing and recording my life - I can't help but thinking of sponsors, giveaways, and more than 30 views a day. Are you content with what you've got or do you have big dreams for this place? (Just FYI, I totally respect either answer to that question.)

//I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’ve never been a person to count numbers. I’ve had this blog for two years and I have 500 followers. I know a lot of blogs that have 2,000+ after two years. But from the beginning I decided that this blog was for ME. It was a place that I could express myself and show the world my favorite thing—thrifted fashion. I wanted to show that style can be obtained by spending less. I sometimes wish that maybe my blog would be more popular and that I could do giveaways and have sponsors. And maybe that day will come. I’d like it for sure, but it’s okay if it doesn’t. I definitely have big dreams for this little blog of mine, it’s just a matter of time I suppose.

How tall are you and what sizes do you normally wear? That sounds weird, but I usually like to know when I am looking at clothing blogs because it helps me see if we could wear similar things.

//I used to be a size 2 until birth control. Now I’m a 4 or 5. I’ve come to terms with it. And I’m 5 foot 2 inches.

What are your favorite face-washing products? Your skin always looks so clear!
//First of all, thank you! My favorite face-wash is velocity. It’s a mary-kay product. I used to have really bad acne in middle school and used proactiv but it made my skin really irritated. My mom had me try velocity and it was a miracle worker! I really haven’t had any problems since. If you have sensitive skin I highly recommend it!

What item of clothing would you want to own if you could own anything?

//I’m a firm believer in that I can thrift anything. So if there is something I’m dying to have, I keep searching for it in thrift stores until I find it. I’m a cheapo :)

What sort of camera do you have?

//I think all fashion bloggers would laugh at the camera I have. It’s just a cheap Kodak. I got it as a high school graduation gift from my grandparents. It’s falling apart but again, guys, I’m so cheap that I won’t buy another one till I have a million dollars. 

The 1920's

her: dress & jacket: thrifted, pearls: various, headband: I made it
him: vest & pants: italior.com, bowtie: I made it, shirt: gap, huge cigar: dollar tree, mustache: target

Our friend Leslie turned 25 and she threw a 1920's cocktail party (minus the alcohol ;). It was seriously so much fun! I love dressing up and the 20's is definitely a time period that I adore. I wish I could wear this headband everyday. Who doesn't love feathers and glitter? And I think Rob looks oh so dapper. Let's all just start dressing like this, k?

ps; don't forget to drop me a question HERE if ya wanna. Answers will be comin out real soon.